Favorite Things

Dear baby girl,

There are a lot of things in this life that make me really, really happy. I'm a pretty enthusiastic person in general, but certain things tend to accentuate my normal level of enthusiasm. I read somewhere that not everyone is capable of feeling awe, but I truly feel that sensation regularly and am thankful that so many seemingly little things can bring me such joy.

I hope that, in time, you share some of these joys or that you have some of your very own.

1. Autumn
My love for this season is what prompted this post. I had a brief moment of elation earlier today when I glanced at my calendar and realized that there is only one day left in the month of August. While many people are currently mourning the unofficial end of summer, I am rejoicing the welcome of September (and, before I know it, October). This favorite season of mine offers so many individual bits of joy, including...

• Apple picking
• Pumpkins (decorating with them, carving them, and cooking them!)
• Fall festivals
• Pumpkinhead beer (which I will reluctantly avoid this fall - just for you!)
• Fall foliage
• Cool weather (60s and low 70s is my favorite)
• Halloween (especially decorating for it and watching some of my favorite scary & not-so-scary movies, like "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" [which is in the not-so-scary category])
• My birthday, and yours, too!
• Apple cider & cider doughnuts
• Thanksgiving
• The Thanksgiving Day parade
• Hayrides
• Butternut squash soup and other tasty fall treats
• The Apple Shed

2. Christmas

Even though the Christmas season doesn't officially begin (for me, at least) until Thanksgiving is over, I am already looking forward to this happy, joyous time of year. This year will be the most joyous yet, as we'll be celebrating your very first Christmas together! Some of my favorite things about the Christmas season are as follows:

• Hot chocolate (which I drink all year round but has a special effect in the winter months)
• Driving through neighborhoods to look at holiday lights and decorations
• Cutting down and decorating our Christmas tree, and enjoying its beauty for as long as possible after that! (This year will be a great Christmas tree year, because we have the perfect Christmas tree window at our new house!) 
• Baking Christmas cookies, especially Grandma Joan's Kris Kringle recipe
• TV Christmas Specials - Rudolph, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol, and my favorite, It's a Wonderful Life
• Christmas carols (especially on Warm 101.3)

3. Musicals

I get butterflies in my stomach almost every time I walk into a theater. I have been very lucky to have seen a lot of fantastic stage productions and have a lot of favorites, but my favorite favorites are:

• Wicked
• Next to Normal
• Rent
• Les Miserables
• The Lion King
• Godspell
• Spamalot
• Children of Eden

4. Disney

Need I say more?!

5. Organizing

I am, by no means, a perfect organizer and I often feel inadequate when I look at websites like Pinterest and realize how much better my home could look. But maintaining a baseline level of organization is important to me. Most of my family members tease me about this (your grandma, for example, thought it was hilarious that I put "holiday decorating" on my Google Calendar), and especially about the fact that my organizational skills will waver when you are born. Only time will tell, but I know that I thoroughly enjoy when everything "has a home" (as your daddy likes to say) and is neatly put away. I wonder if you'll get the organization gene, or if you'll be a messy little girl! I promise that I will love you either way.

6. Eastview Mall

I can't explain why, but I absolutely love this place. It makes me happy everytime I go there - probably because I have so many happy memories of taking trips to Eastview with my family during the summer months. We would ride on the carousel (which I will do with you, soon enough!), eat lunch in the foodcourt, and then (mostly) windowshop at the variety of stores. I especially love it there at holiday time, when Santa comes for a visit and there are beautiful red and green decorations everywhere! I plan on taking you there this year for your very first picture with Santa!

7. Being near the water

I grew up (and now live) near the Finger Lakes, took annual summer vacations to Lake George, and lived in "The Ocean State" for almost four years. Something about being near the water just makes me happy, but as I've grown older, I have realized that I am most calm and relaxed when I am near a lake - I think lakes have always struck me as more calming than the busy ocean. Your daddy and I have already talked about taking a trip to the Adirondacks next summer so that we can enjoy some natural beauty and take you to a lake for the first time. (Want to know a secret? Your grandma already bought you a really cute bathing suit with fish all over it.)

This list could surely go on and on, but I'll re-visit this post another time. When you arrive in November, I can promise that #1 on my list of favorite things will be you.

I love you already,

Mommy