These are a few of my favorite things...

wet leaves

woodburning stoves

the moment the lights come up on a theatre stage and you see for the first time the world you are about to enter


baby socks

the last page

driving in the rain


pruny bath fingers

reading The Sun


finding a new song that I listen to over and over again, until I can never hear it again

making someone laugh so hard their eyes water



my husband's smile when he walks through the door

coffee brewing in the early morning

starry starry nights

Going to the movies, eating the entire bucket of buttery popcorn and drinking Sprite out of a cherry licorice straw.

the feeling of accomplishment

writing a poem that just flows out, where my brain isn't really present, and my fingers just write

the smell of Froggy's hair after a bath

laughing until my stomach hurts

dark chocolate and raspberries

the sound of leaves crunching under boots

oatmeal raisin cookies

when Froggy says, "ohhhh mama"

swimming - where the world becomes a slower and muffled version of itself

waking up an hour before the alarm goes off and enjoying that next hour of sleep more than the entire night

hearing live music


Law and Order marathons

being alone and realizing how wonderful it is to not truly be alone

staying up late with a friend having a conversation that is just too painful to end, over pie and coffee, and all of a sudden it's three am, and you still aren't really tired.

watching Froggy leap into her daddy's arms at the end of the day

puppy breath

getting lost in a song, dancing like a dork and not caring at all what anyone thinks

new pencils

cold beer

canooing and feeling totally at the will of the river

reading an article or watching a play and feeling completely humbled by someone's talent

waking up in a tent, where the air is so wet even the sleeping bag feels like it soaked in a cold bath

opening a letter from someone you love

and finally...

watching the expression of pure joy on Froggy's face when she plays with her best friend Hummingbird, because I can relate to that wonderful first love you have as a child, where your best friend is and will be the best friend you've ever had.