29 Things

As I am turning 29 today, I thought I'd share 29 of my favorite things.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Books. I really love reading. I've just gotten kind of lazy in the past couple of years and I've chosen watching TV over reading many times. I've also had a harder time getting into books. But I love Harry Potter, Divergent, and the Hunger Games. I enjoyed the Twilight books as well. I really liked the book Code Name Verity and I used to devour every single Beverly Lewis book about the Amish, because I am completely fascinated by them. I also was on a Nicholas Sparks kick for awhile and have read almost every book he's written. I'm always looking for something that will really catch my attention.

2. Green tea. It has seriously become one of my most favorite things in the past year. I drink it hot or cold, but I really love the way that Starbucks does the shaken iced green teas. They are definitely my favorite and I always get them unsweetened. I usually have a hot cup of green tea every day that I work and sometimes on my days off as well. I just love it!

3. Instagram. Yep, it's one of my favorite things. I think it's actually my preferred method of social media. I love looking at glimpses of what's going on in people's lives. I just wish I had more exciting things to take pictures of most days!

4. Christmas. Obviously. It's always been my favorite holiday. I seriously get so excited when October rolls around because I know Christmas is coming soon. I love the music, the lights, the wrapping of gifts, the trees and ornaments, the fact that we celebrate Jesus's birthday...I love it all.

5. Clouds. I've noticed that I have to take a picture whenever I see really cool looking clouds in the sky. I seriously love them. I'm just always disappointed that my pictures are never able to capture their depth. I think fluffy clouds are the best.

6. Flip flops. I could seriously wear them year round (and would if it wasn't so dang cold in the winter). My favorite brand is Teva and I have no problem spending $25 on a good pair of flip flops that last and are comfy on my feet.

7. Candy. It can be a serious downfall for me. I especially love fruity candies. Skittles, Chewy Mini Sweet Tarts, Sour Patch Kids, Starburst...yum! I also love anything with peanut butter and chocolate, cookies and cream bars, anything with toffee in it, and white chocolate peppermint M&Ms. So good!

8. American Eagle jeans. They are the only jeans that I've been able to find that fit me correctly and don't cost an arm and a leg. I especially love their skinny jeans, boyfriend cut, and artist jeans. So comfy!

9. Starbucks. So I know I already mentioned Starbucks when I talked about green tea, but I also love Starbucks for their pumpkin spice lattes and their chai tea lattes. So yummy! I also love their pumpkin cream cheese muffins. They are to die for!

10. Avocados. Yep. They are for sure one of my favorite things. I used to hate them when I was a kid, but I can't get enough now. Sometimes I purposefully order whatever on the menu has avocado or fresh guacamole on it, because I love it that much. I love eating them by themselves, as well as on salads, burritos, and burgers.

11. Necklaces. I love wearing them, but I have to be careful that they aren't too heavy because they make my neck hurt. Some of my favorite necklaces have been gifts from friends. Some of my friends and I have the same cross necklace and I love it. I also have a very special necklace that my bestie got for me for being her bridesmaid. I cherish it so much and I love to wear it. I also have other necklaces that have very significant meanings for me and I love having that reminder around my neck.

12. Headbands. I love them! I love that they can instantly add to any outfit...and they are perfect for bad hair days or even no wash days. I have so many that I adore.

13. Essential oils. This is a more recent favorite of mine, but I seriously love them! They have helped me so much with my pain and I'm hoping to get some others soon to help with other things. I love that they are meant to help your body heal itself, and that using them means using less unnecessary chemicals and medications.

14. Scarves. I seriously have an obsession with scarves and I get so many as gifts. I love them! I like to keep my neck warm in the winter, especially when I'm in pain, and they are so perfect for that. And, they can add so much to an outfit.

15. In n Out. Yep. It's one of my favorite things. It's one of the only places I will eat fast food now. I usually only get a burger when I go and just eat a couple of Josh's fries. Their burgers are just so good to me.

16. Blogging. Obviously it's one of my favorite things. I love that I have a place I can share my thoughts and memories like this. I also love reading other people's thoughts and seeing their pictures and reading their stories. It's such a beautiful way of expression.

17. Water. I really do love water. I am perfectly happy to drink a lot of water all the time. I'm just kind of picky with how my water tastes. There are many bottled waters that I can't stand. I can't really describe why I like what I do, but I just know I don't like my water to taste slimy or gross.

18. Disneyland. Oh, it's definitely one of my favorite things. I have SO many fond memories of various vacations there and I hope to have many more in the future. I have always loved Disney movies and it's just such a magical place for me.

19. Dates with Josh. Oh yes. They are my favorite. We have a standing sushi date each month after he gets paid. It's one of my favorite nights of the month. We also have a lot of stay in movie or TV show nights where we cuddle on the couch and eat ice cream or drink hot chocolate or tea. I love spending quality time with my husband.

20. Dancing. It's always been a part of my life, in one form or another. Considering I was a ballet dancer for 14 years of my life, and having taken jazz, tap, and hip hop lessons, I just love it so much. I love interactive games like DDR and Just Dance, and I love to go out dancing as well. It's great exercise and it's just so fun to let loose sometimes.

21. Coffee dates with friends. Well, really any kinds of dates with friends. I love spending time with my friends and being able to have serious conversations with them. And wherever that can take place, I'm perfectly fine with.

22. Music. Oh man. Music has been a huge part of my life. So many songs have spoken to my heart and rocked my world. I am obsessed with practically any song that has piano in it, but I also love all kinds of other music. My taste is very all over the place, but I love it. I just like a lot of different stuff.

23. Massages. They are kind of a vital part of my life right now, but I liked when they were a luxury, too. I feel so much better after one (even if I'm a little sore) because I know they help me so much.

24. TV shows. Oh yes. There are many that I love. Some of my all-time favorites are LOST, Gilmore Girls, Breaking Bad, Grey's Anatomy, Downton Abbey, The Walking Dead, and Parenthood, to name a few. We watch a lot of shows and I'm always finding new ones to check out on Netflix.

25. Pictures. I love being able to look back on things that I've done and people I've spent time with. Those memories captured in those images are so precious to me. I wish I took even more pictures than I do, because I miss some pretty important moments sometimes. I'm just thankful for the memories that I do have preserved in that way.

26. Rain. I seriously love the rain. I love hearing it, I love driving in it, and I love the smell of it. We have only had maybe three days of rain all winter and I really miss it.

27. Driving. I really do like driving. It can really calm me sometimes. Josh and I used to go on lots of drives when we were first dating because we didn't have money to do much of anything else...and gas was a lot cheaper then. We still have some of our best conversations when we are driving.

28. Babies. Oh yes. I seriously love babies. I love the way they smell, I love holding them, I love how tiny and precious they are. They are for sure my favorite.

29. Singing. I have always loved to sing. I have always had a pretty easy time memorizing songs (unfortunately even songs I don't like). I just love being able to use my voice in that way. I love singing for worship and I love just singing in the car or at home. I love harmonizing and being able to hear a song and notice the harmony part right away. It's so fun.

So there you have it. 29 of my favorite things. Of course, there are many other things that I love, but I'm not that old yet.