Favorite Things: A – Z

Another one of those post ideas that I saw on someone else’s blog (Stephany’s) and saved in my draft folder a long while ago. It’s nice to be able to dig up some old drafts and finally use them. Tell me some of your favorites A-Z’s!

A – Apples. They’re my favorite fruit and I love them on my oatmeal, in pancakes, cake and pie.

B – Baseball.  Did you know that I played softball in Germany (catcher and 3rd base)? Did I ever tell you that J was elated when he found out that he met a German girl who not only tolerated, but loved baseball and had played it herself? Yeah. It’s a deep, deep love. And also: how freakin’ awesome that we both love the Red Sox! It was meant to be!

C – Coffee. I didn’t drink coffee until I was 25 (and still drink it with a lot of milk), but I have come to love good, quality coffee. Best start into my day!

D – Decorating. I’ve been known to frequently rearrange and redecorate my entire room when I lived with my parents. My Dad occasionally would find me in the middle of a complete mess when I had pulled all the furniture in the middle of my room to give it a complete “makeover” :) I still enjoy re-decorating our home (unfortunately, the rearranging part is difficult with our limited space, but I still attempt little changes every now and then.)

E – Exercise. I don’t remember a time when I have not exercised. My dad is a P.E. teacher and he instilled a love for sports and physical activity in me and my sister from a very young age (no surprise we both got degrees in P.E. as well). I do sometimes fall off the bandwagon (as one does!), but I always, always come back to exercise because my body craves it and because it knows that it’s the right thing to do.

F – Family and friends. That’s a recurring theme here. You’ll find this all throughout my favorite A-Z.

G – Geology. Duh! Pretty obvious, yes?

H – Holidays. The holiday season is my favorite time of year. I get so wrapped up in the emotion and magic of it all!

I – Ice cream. Yogurt/Kefir and Vanilla. I prefer ice-cream over any other (non-salty!) snack.

J – my J. He’s my favorite.

K – Knitting. I’ve learned how to knit a long time ago (I don’t even remember if it was in school or if my Mom taught me first), but it’s been one of my favorite pastimes every since. I love doing and creating things with my hands and it’s such a relaxing activity for me.

L – LiDAR. That’s my work on a(n almost) daily basis. It’s such amazing technology!

M – Maps. I always found maps fascinating. I remember spending hours just looking at maps in my world atlas. I also don’t remember a time when I didn’t have at least one map hanging on my wall somewhere.

N – Nina, my (twin) sister. My trusted confidant, my cheerleader and best friend.

O – Organization. I love making lists, organizing (and re-organizing) my home and work space. It gives me a weird sense of satisfaction when I have a “system” for everything. No, I am not OCD about it, but I enjoy being orderly.

P – Parents. I have the best parents in the world. I am not only saying that because one should be able to say that about their parents, but because they really are. I have learned with great sadness that too many of my friends have strained and dysfunctional relationships with their parents and it honestly breaks my heart.

Q – Quality time with family and friends. Since I don’t get to see my family and friends as often as I’d like, I really, really treasure the time that I do get to spend with them.

R – Reading. I think I was born with a book in my hand (at least that’s what my Mom used to say).

S – Skiing/Snowboarding. I learned skiing when I was three years old (thanks, Dad!) and snowboarding as a teen. I even got my skiing instructors license in College (as part of my degree in Physical Education).

T – Technology. Yes, it’s no secret that I love technology and how it keeps me connected with family and friends near and far. If someone could invent a light-speed traveling device so I can see everybody more often, that would be fantastic!

U – University. I loved being in school and I am so happy that I work on a college campus. I just love the atmosphere.

V – Vanilla everything! I love the smell of vanilla and the taste of vanilla. I’ll take vanilla ice-cream over any fancy flavor any day!

W – Writing. I’ve been writing ever since I could first hold a pen. I have filled many journals and have always had pen friends since elementary school. Blogging, therefore, came naturally.

X – (e)Xhale. Nothing more calming than taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly.

Y – Yoga. For the longest time, I refused to “jump on the bandwagon” and try yoga, because everybody was doing it, and if you need to know one thing about me then that is that out of principle,  I don’t jump on the bandwagon. Sometimes that is silly, I know. Usually, I’ll come around eventually… as I did in regards to yoga. I’ve started taking yoga classes a little over a year ago and haven’t looked back. I love it!

Z – Zucchini. Easily my favorite vegetable.