I am so glad that I have more friends who blog now! Back when I first started blogging, I was pretty much the only one. But now I can keep up with many of my friends via their blogs and I love it, (I’ll say it again,) especially now that I am so far away.
My friends write about their days, ins and outs, ups and downs.
Weddings are amazing. Every single one. I can’t hear wedding vows without remembering my wedding day and the promises Rob and I made. I am, for some reason, having a hard time finding the words for the feelings I have at a wedding. Of course it’s joy, for the couple, for their new life together, for the joys they will enjoy together, for the strength I hope they each find in each other. But there’s something more I can’t put my finger one.
I am starting to realize how many of the items on this list take me back to my childhood, because this is yet another thing that makes me happy from that time in my life. Item #37, dogwood trees, comes from when my family lived in Neosho, but the source of my gumball tree joy comes from before then, when we lived in Overland Park.
Neosho is famous for its dogwood trees with their white and pink blooms floating like clouds down Oak Ridge Drive, starting in early spring and lasting for several beautiful weeks. Residents and visitors alike enjoy the dogwoods during the annual Dogwood Tour, and there’s even a 5k race [DOC file] to celebrate the event (who’s running it with me next time?!).
I really don’t know when it started because for as long as I can remember, I have loved reading and “collecting” quotes. First, started writing them in a specially purchased, beautiful diary. Later, I moved them to Google Notebook, and now, in true Web 2.0 fashion, I’m migrating my quote collection to Diigo (slowly).
Especially now! Don’t get me wrong: I have always loved getting real mail, always!
There are other people who don’t miss a holiday, but Tammie stands out in my mind. Tammie always sent me a birthday and Christmas card–sometimes even a St. Patrick’s Day or Thanksgiving card, too. All through high school and college, even when I didn’t respond regularly, or at all. Since she isn’t family, we didn’t see each other at holidays or ever,
I cannot tell you how great this feels!
It happened more times than I can count while Beth and I were playing cards as teenagers, at Beth’s place during college, and even a few times in Lawrence. In fact, once time, we had to clean the water I’d spewed into the dining room, onto the table, and onto Jame’s cool picture (luckily it had a class cover!). Sometimes Rob does it to me too, and usually in the wee hours of the night when we’re silly-tired.
I absolutely love rain, and there is nothing better than getting to hear and see a majestic thunderstorm. I love the sound the rain makes on the roof and windows, combined with the sounds of it pelting the ground, trees, and other surfaces outside.
Thunder claps sound so powerful and sometimes they’re funny. When I was a girl, Mom always told me that thunder is just God and the angels bowling,
That’s right; I listen to public radio. And I love it.
I got into quite the great routine during grad school. On days when Rob had to work early, I would listen to NPR as I showered, got ready for the day, and drove to school. When I got an MP3 player with FM radio, I listened to NPR as I walked from the parking lot to the English building. Same routine on the way home. I love getting high-quality news with fun pieces mixed in.
This is closely related to yesterday’s topic, but different. You see, you can’t see Saturn from close up on your back porch. But you can enjoy an eclipse from anywhere (as long as it’s visible where you’re at).
Lunar, solar, total, partial, or annular, eclipses are amazing. In a lunar eclipse, the Earth casts it’s shadow on the Moon because it has come between the Sun and the Moon. In a solar eclipse, the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth, blocking out the light of the Sun. Isn’t that crazy?!