Things I love...

I'm not going to bother listing all the obvious things... of course I love my family!  No self-respecting Southern girl would leave Jesus off the list.  Let's just consider those all common denominators and givens. But here is a list of things that might or might not be unique to me....

1.  I love to go barefoot.  Thank you Autumn Petersen and TOMS shoes for creating a national day where I can do it for a cause.  There are people in my hometown who still look surprised when they see me in shoes (that's how much I was barefoot as a child and teen.)

2.  I love flip-flops!  There are times when you can't be barefoot, and for those occasions, I love flip-flops.  (That might be one of my favorite things about Hawaii, I have not had on a closed toed shoe in 6 months except to run.)

3.  I LOVE my coffee in the morning.  Love might not be a strong enough word for my relationship with my morning brew.  I'm completely dependent.

4.  I love to read!  I have three books going right now and it is so great.
     a)  Cane River - by Lalita Tademy.  I am reading this book with an AMAZING bunch of women of very diverse backgrounds and we are discussing it via facebook because we are located across the globe,  many states on that mainland, Kenya, Finland, and beyond....  and it's just exactly what I needed right now... virtual COMMUNITY!  :)  If you like a book to challenge and push you, this is a good one.

     b)The New Eve,



     c) So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore  Wow, if you have a daughter, I encourage you to read this book.  I mean, every woman needs to hear what's in this book, really, but I think for women with daughters, we pass on so many things from our past unknowingly and it becomes a heritage as women to walk through the world with this bag of insecurities.  Anyway, I have wrestled with this book and I'm still only halfway through.  It's painful at many points.  Not because of what she says but because of what you have to face.  But I don't want to carry that bag around anymore so I'm unloading it a chapter at a time... whew!    (and now you know why I'm not blogging much... I'm too busy reading! :)

5.  I love girlfriends.  There's no substitute for good girlfriends.  Really, a good husband is a great thing to have and so important in my life.  But there is really nothing in the world that nourishes my soul the way my relationships with friends do.  Women can just love one another in a different way than we can love members of the opposite sex.  Some of my dearest friends are women I've met through adoptions, some of them I've never laid eyes on face to face.  But the girls who will drop by with a glass of wine at just the right time, the one friend who loves coffee as much as me and we call one another if we're making an impromptu run to Starbucks... that's the type of thing women do for you that is just not conceivable to live without, don't you think?

6.  I love drive thrus.  I will just tell you now that I am spoiled rotten.  I don't want to get out of the car for anything if I don't have to.  I like to buckle my brats angels into their little seats and drive through every errand imaginable without having to drag their sweet little cherub faces out of the car.  They don't have drive thrus in HI.  Seriously!  Not at the pharmacy... not the dry cleaners.... not Starbucks... only one I've found is McDonalds, and even then they aren't very convenient to get into.

7.  Coke!  If I can't have coffee, then give me a Coke.  Give me a Coke product.  Give me anything caffeinated and dark (but PLEASE do NOT make it a Pepsi. As I said to Amy regarding said Super Bowl commercial, "No self respecting Southerner would have a Pepsi.")  My dad thinks I'm crazy, but if I go to a restaurant that has Pepsi products, I'll just drink water.  And after that commercial tonight on the Super Bowl, I'll not be drinking any Pepsi products for life.  Really?  I might have to make a "hate" list if I see this too many more times.  (but that wouldn't be very Valentine'ish of me, would it?)



8.  My husband... because he bought me a ticket to go home next weekend.  I know I'm going to be heckled for saying this, but I really can't wait to put on a scarf and my favorite boots.  I've been wearing the same shorts for six months and I will enjoy some cold weather for a few days. (It's easier to enjoy it when you know you're coming back to 78 and sunny in about six days... )  I cannot wait to get home.  I have been so touched that all my friends have asked to spend time with me and I just can't wait to hug them all around the neck.

9.  Shave Ice... I'm really going to miss that when I get to TN.  I might have to buy a Shave Ice machine! :)

10.  Dogs!  Love me some dogs.  Love most everything about them, but particularly the way they love me back.  I can't really imagine life without one for long.  When you smell and no one else likes you very much and you haven't brushed your teeth or your hair, when you've burned the dinner and yelled at the kids and lost your temper one too many times, your dog will still curl up with you and give you a big fat kiss... especially if you are lucky enough to own a Golden Retriever!  :)  Can't wait to get home and spend some time with Scout (Sonja's dog), Rocky (Sandra's dog), and every one of Shawn's ten or twelve dogs.  :)