30-Day Blog Challenge - Day Six - 20 of My Favorite Things

Today's 30-Day Blog Challenge theme is "20 of My Favorite Things".

Hmmm....let's see how many things I can come up with that are my favorite....

1. The Color Purple - No, not the movie. Just the color. Purple is my favorite color! I've loved this color since I was a little girl. It just makes me feel happy.
   
   
2. Cheese - This may seem weird, but I love cheese. All kinds. I love Cheddar, Colby, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Brie, Wensleydale, Gloucester, Double Gloucester, Parmasan, Mozzarella, Feta, Swiss, Gruyere......any kind of cheese. I have yet to find a cheese I didn't like.
   
   
3. Yarn - I love all the different colors of yarn! One of my favorite activities is to walk down the yarn aisle at any craft store. It is so pretty and it makes me feel so inspired!
   
   
4. Taking Photographs - I love to take photos. I don't think I'm a very good photographer, but I enjoy it. The problem for me is getting The Hubs to stand still long enough for me to get a photo of him, or one of the two of us together!
   
   
5. Building Websites - This used to be one of my passions! I still enjoy it, but don't really have so much time these days. I used to love my personal website and had all the information about how The Hubs and I had met and some information about our immigration path (although I must admit I was a bit lax on this part of the site). I love my blog, but I'd really like to set my website up again. I do have my own domain name, but just really don't know what to put on the site. I thought we'd have a family by this point in time, but we don't yet, so it depresses me to think of other things to put on the site.
   
   
6. Mediterranean Food - I adore Mediterranean food! I will eat most any kind of Italian or Greek food. I love all kinds of pasta and mousaaka is a real treat. My mouth just waters thinking about it!
   
   
7. Babies of All Kinds - Be they human or animal, I love babies. I'm a sucker for puppies and kittens and, as any infertile worth her salt knows, human babies just make something twist in my stomach. I could just sit for hours and watch them. Which gets kinda creepy for their mothers sometimes, because they assume I'm thinking of kidnapping them, which just isn't the case. I just want a baby of my own.
   
   
8. Musicals - I love musicals! My favorite is Chicago but Wicked and Cats run a close second and third. I can't wait until we get to New York sometime and actually get to see one on stage! It is part of our plan for a future trip.
   
   
9. Cirque de Soleil - Several years ago, I worked with a lady whose twin brothers were the arial strap flyers in Cirque's production of Varekai (their names were Andrew and Kevin Atherton, in case you're interested). She lent me a DVD of the production and I fell in love! It was so beautiful and I swore one day I would see other productions (and in person!). So far I haven't managed that, but The Hubs and I are going to one day. Just add that to our list of things we'll get around to someday.
   
   
10. Traveling - My heartbeat races whenever we're planning somewhere new to visit! I love to travel! I love flying and I like trains....I've never been on a boat, but that's another thing I plan to try sometime in the not-so-terribly-distant future. So far the places I have traveled to outside of Georgia and North Florida are several cities in England (surprise!) with London being my favorite, Washington D.C. and New York (okay, in fairness I saw little of New York and mainly Pennsylvania where my brother lives, but one day I'll get to see the Big Apple in all its glory and spend time there!). There are so many places I would like to visit that I won't even get started on that now.
    
    
11. Cooking - I really like to cook! I actually went to school to be a catering specialist - and became certified - before deciding that I didn't really want to be on a time limit or under the extreme pressure that chefs are under. I just like creating new masterpieces for myself and The Hubs. I like experimenting with new tastes. I think The Hubs approves ;D
    
    
12. Singing - For those of you who have followed my blog for a while, you might have noticed that I like to sing. Okay, you've even been subjected to hearing it :D But, it is a fact that I really enjoy singing and that, growing up, it was what I thought I would have a career in. Not just in the way that children often think they'll be a rock star or a movie star. I put a lot of work into it. I practiced singing several hours every day of my life from the age of 4 up until about age 18 when I realized it probably wasn't going to happen for me as a career. That was one of the most heartbreaking things in the world. At that point, I decided that I would rather give up the dream of having a singing career in order to be a wife and mother. Well, I got the wife part right, but the mother bit is proving a little challenging. It's one of the things I get bitter about on my low days.
    
    
13. Books, Movies & Television programs - I'm lumping all these into one because we've already discussed them a bit. I'll simply state these important facts: The Hubs and I go to the movies every Friday night, I never miss an episode of Glee or Covert Affairs and I currently have 8 books checked out from the library. Need I really say more?
    
    
14. Scrapbooking & Card-Making - Two of my all-time favorite things to do! I really enjoy scrapping. It makes me feel so happy to dress up the photos I've taken. Card-making is so enjoyable! I love to see people enjoy the cards I've made and (I'm ashamed to say, but...) I really love the praise I get for them. It's so nice to hear people tell you how beautiful something you've made is.
    
    
15. Rain & Thunderstorms - I love, love, love the smell or rain, the sound of thunder and the flash of lightening! I know thunder and lightening aren't necessarily everone's cup of tea, but - as long as I'm not out in it - I love to watch it out the windows of our house. The Hubs and I sometimes just curl up on the couch to watch it storm. It's really so peaceful.
    
    
16. Pina Coladas - I'm aware I'm beginning to sound like a song and a cliche', but I do love a nice pina colada. It is my one weakness for alcohol and really I'm not bothered if it even has rum in it....I'll drink virgin pina coladas! Having said all that, I wouldn't say no to a nice, cold glass of pinot grigio at the moment either.....
    
    
17. Frogs, Dragonflies & Butterflies - I love cute frogs, dragonflies and butterflies (figurines, paper, graphics, etc. - not particularly the real things, lol). I love to see them in the cutesy design with lots of colors. I think I really just like the colors - I'm like a child, I need the stimulation bright colors bring. Seriously, though, I do really like frogs and dragonflies and butterflies. If we ever have a little girl, she'll either love them or hate them, because she'll be surrounded by them from a young age!
    
    
18. Stationary - I love any kind of stationary! Pretty pens, paper, letter sets, journals, monogrammed notepads....I love it all! I have lots of paper journals. I haven't even written in most of them yet, but it makes me happy to look at them and, if I'm feeling bad, I can usually cheer myself up by buying a new journal or stationary set.
    
    
19. My Dogs - Of course my dogs are my favorites! They are my babies! As I've mentioned before, we have two who live with us (Melly - born last year, a Beagle/Border Collie cross who lives outside - and Isabel (Pog) - Almost 9 years old, a rescued Terrier dog who immigrated with us from England and lives inside with us) and two who live with my mom (Sissy - almost 16 years old, a chihuahua who has little energy these days - and Merlin - only about 6 months old, a very energetic chihuahua who annoys most everyone but me). For the time being, these are my only "children" and I spoil them silly! What can I say? They make me happy!
    
    
20. The Hubs - Do I really need to explain this one? I carried on a two year long-distance relationship with him and then moved 4000 miles for the man! I don't think anyone can doubt my love for him. We've been together almost 10 years now (we started dating on August 30, 2000. Any suggestions for something special to do to celebrate our decade together?) and married for 8 years in November. I could not imagine my life without him, nor would I want to. He is my heart, my love, my life and my light. He is what keeps me going when things get tough and what makes me want to carry on when I would otherwise give up. He is the best!
    

Okay, so you now know 20 of my favorite things. Think you know me better? Or do you still have questions? If so, ask away!