1) Kids
….and not just my own. I have always felt more like myself with the younger generation. I tend to feel self-concious around people my own age. During my first year at BYU, it hit me that my chosen major and intended career choice were totally wrong for me. I was hoping to eventually be a high school counselor….inspired by the 2 years that I’d worked in my high school counseling office….until it dawned on me that I would have to teach high school for at least 2 years before becoming certified. Teenagers terrified me! I wracked my brain to come up with something else I could study. My mind kept coming back to little kids, so I decided to switch my focus to Early Childhood Education. One of my favorite things to do since Kiwi started kindergarten 7 years ago is volunteering in my kids’ classrooms. That’s what I’m doing today, in fact! When I’m at school with children, I feel at home.
2) Music
Those of you who have spent any time at my house or in my car know that I’ve always got music playing. Music inspires me. It drives me. It helps me concentrate. Sometimes I feel like one of those wind-up dolls, and music is the motor that gets me moving. I love all types of music, but it’s strange that it wasn’t until I was re-introduced to country music by my friend Mariana that I found “my” music. Mariana exposed me to the new country music while we were scrapbooking many years ago. I guess I have her to blame for two of my current passions. :) As of today, I have 2580 songs on my iPod, and 1318 of them are country songs. Yikes! That’s a lot of music!
3) Photography
4) Thrift shopping
That may seem like an odd thing to put in a list of my 5 favorite things, but believe it or not, it really does bring me a lot of satisfaction. One of the proudest moments of my life was the day a few years ago when my Grandma Betty told me that I must have inherited the “thrift genes” straight from her. She was THE thrift store shopper of Northern California. She was the person that everyone in the neighborhood and at church called when they needed something. I’ve always wondered how many baby cribs she bought through the years. People would call her up and say, “Betty, I need a crib. Would you keep your eyes open for one?” And the next day she would deliver a beautiful crib to the friend. I think of her every time I go shopping and feel like I’m carrying on her legacy (albeit a strange one) when I find a great deal for someone else. BTW–in the picture below, Grandma and I are wearing our matching capris that we found and bought seperately (in different states, even!). I thought it was so cool that my Grandma was dressed like me!
5) Reading
I love books. I get lost in a good book and have to watch myself to make sure that I don’t neglect the family while I’m in the middle of a good story. I am so excited for the new book group that a few friends and I just got rolling last night. I always appreciate suggestions for good books!
Well, that’s my list for today. There is tons more that I could say, and now that my list is done I feel a little guilty about not including friends in that list, because my life would be pretty meaningless without them. So you can count that as my 6th addition. Thank you, friends, for all you do for me! Love ya!
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