It is very self indulgent to list off my favorite things.  However, today I will take the liberty because a list of favorite things can be a list of story starts.  Unlike some lists, I also want to very specifically list my favorites… not vaguely.  I also am going to only give myself permission to list one thing about Josh, Haley, and Sam each because they could take up the whole list otherwise 😉

1. yellow anything (even the ragweed that that induces my allergies)
2. the way spooning Haley can wipe away any and all worries
3. the way Sam makes me laugh even when I’m supposed to be mad at him
4. when Josh’s face lights up into his biggest, most pure smile when I tickle him
5. the smiles that light up the whole face
6. itty bitty creations
7. painting pictures with my written words
8. the way a newborn looks curiously at my flashing contraption as I photograph them
9. the moment when a newborn is fading into sleep in your arms
10. wedding joy
11. Disney movies
12. decaf hazelnut coffee
13. children’s books
14. temperate fall days
15. spooning in the morning before getting out of bed
16. reading on a rainy day
17. coffee dates with my husband
18. curling up with a good book by my paren’t fire place in their log home in the winter
19. iceskating on the lake before the first snow
20. making a house a home
21. “eclectic” everything
22. Minnesota
23. night time thunderstorms
24. a life full of color
25. plants to love in my backyard and that love me back by giving me the tastiest of treats
26. sunsets that are golden, and fiery, and deep all at the same time
27. early morning mist
28. fluffy snow lit with Christmas lights and surrounded by Christmas songs
29. singing Christmas carols around my uncle’s neighborhood at Hagberg Christmas
30. Christmas eve dinner and present opening
31. setting up the Christmas tree on a snowy evening with Christmas music
32. the unhindered love, curiosity, and joy that exudes from puppies
33. hard-working, weathered hands
34. sunflowers
35. catching fireflies at dusk
36. eating around a table with good company
37. the intimacy of the human eye
38. the curve of voluptuous lips
39. the goofy look of belly buttons
40. books that cling to your brain even when you’re not reading them
41. old, wise-looking trees with climbing branches
42. freshly sharpened pencils
43. creamy coconut smelling chapstick
44. photo booths
45. the moment I know I’ve snapped a winning photograph
46. the smell of summer air, as if watermelons were cracked open all around
47. the crunch of shoes on gravel roads
48. the smell of new books
49. African safari animals
50. cantering on a horse in the open field

What is your list of favorite things?