...and so...I love...

Today...right now...at this moment...I am thankful for everything that I have experienced...everything that I have been through...and there are so many things that I love...and I just wanted to share them with you...

I love it when it rains...any kind of rain will do...but mostly when the gray clouds are out and it's one of those days where you just want to stay in bed and read a good book...or when the night has fallen and lightening makes the darkness disappear for a moment and the sound of thunder serenades you...I love that...

I love fall...but not fall here...fall up north where the leaves change to hues of red and gold...and the wind gets to the point where it almost bites you...you begin to dress warmer and everything tends to be more vibrant...I love everything about fall...even raking...I love the smell of the dying leaves and the way it feels to jump in a pile of them...all the while knowing you will have to rake them once more...I love jack-o-lanterns and little kid's costumes...I love Thanksgiving and what it means...not just a time to eat turkey but to truly be thankful for what you have...

I love snow...I don't love playing in it...but I love the way it makes everything look clean...how pure white can cover an entire hillside and take your breath away...I love to ski...down a mountain...the rush of wind against your face...somehow it clears your mind...you can't think of problems...all you think of is speed...and the way it makes you feel...I just love that...

I love kids...I love their brutal honesty...it makes wonder at what point we learn to tell lies...I love how sincere they are...how when they tell you they love you...you don't question it...because no matter what...you know they really do...I love it when they lay their head upon your shoulder...or when they grab your hand and say...I just want to know that you're here...I love kids...and I love what they bring to my life...

I love my family...they might not always make me happy and they rarely understand me...but they will ALWAYS love me...and I am so thankful for that...my mom and dad have taught me so much about what it means to be a good person...and I hope that I have made them proud...my little brother is a blessing and he brightens my life...and his girlfriend is my pea pod...she's so like me and we are blessed by her...my sister is my sharpening tool...if I didn't have her...I wouldn't be who I am today (and that's a good thing)...her husband...well...he's blessed...and blessed us...she is SO lucky...and I love that for her...

I love the way it feels to just sit with a guy...his arm around you...not having to say a thing...just a mutual understanding that all you want at that moment is each other...I love the way kisses feel...and how when lips brush against my neck I laugh...I love when a guy looks you in the eyes and at that moment you are the only two people who exist...I love feeling wanted...and I enjoy that feeling in the pit of my stomach that says...this is love...this is really love...

I love clothes and shoes...I like putting them on...mixing them up and deciding why I look the way I do...I just do...

I love my friends...I love how they make me laugh and how an inside joke can go on forever...I love how they each bring something different to my life...and I love how recently I have developed many female friendships...they help me through this thing called life...and they bring joy to my life...if I didn't have them...well...life would never be quite as interesting...

I love the ocean...the sound of the waves...the calm that can come from just sitting there early in the morning...beauty before you...it makes me realize how much God has given us...

...and so...I love...