Things I love

I love so many things.

Let's start with books. I love historical fiction, Christian romance, spy novels, murder mysteries. Anything with a good plot line and interesting characters.

Then there's music. My favorite is classical: Chopin, Bach, Rachmoninoff, Beethoven, Mozart, etc. I also enjoy CCM from my teen years: Michael W. Smith, Stephen Curtis Chapman, First Call, DC Talk, Newsboys, Jaci Velasquez, etc. Admittedly, I also enjoy oldies, easy listening, and some contemporary music. I just recently purchased the soundtrack to the movie Twilight and enjoy it almost daily.

Seeing as how I grew up in a home without a television, I guess it's no surprise that when I moved out on my own that was one of my first purchases. I have discovered some favorite tv shows: Friends, Golden Girls, CSI (just the first few years of the original), Reba, Mad About You, Big Bang Theory.

Movies were another no-no in our house. We didn't watch movies because we didn't own a tv. We didn't go to movies because, well, I'm not sure why. But we didn't. I do love movies, though. The original Parent Trap is one of my all time favorites. I love movies with sequels: National Treasure, Father of the Bride, Miss Congeniality, Legally Blonde, Oceans 11-13, and so forth.

Then there are the people I love, namely my family. My parents are what I would call "old school." Daddy worked full-time while Mama stayed home to take care of the house and the people living in it. We kids went to private church schools from kindergarten through high school. Then we were expected, not just encouraged, to go to at least two years of college. After that, the choice of more college was up to us, but it was strongly encouraged. Due to this emphasis on education, it's no surprise that I was and am a nerd. Proud one, too, I might add. I love education: studying, reading, learning, etc. I guess that is one major reason I became an educator. My brothers and sisters are extremely important to me. I have three older brothers: Michael, David, and Daniel. I have one older sister, Jody, who is one of my best friends. Now. My family now includes my husband Jason and our little boy Elijah. He is 19 months old as of yesterday. He just heard the front door open and said, "My daddy." He was right; Jason just got home with lunch. That leads me to another love. :)

I love home cooking but not necessarily my home cooking. My favorite meals to cook, however, are the following: crockpot meals (roast, potatoes, carrots; pork chops with mushroom gravy; BBQ ribs; vegetable beef barley soup), one-pot dishes (chicken nugget casserole, aka redneck chicken parmigian [spelling?], cheesy chicken crescents, etc.) with veggies on the side, chilupi, quesedillas, Velveeta dip, crockpot mac 'n cheese (could be a meal all by itself). My favorite things to eat are: shrimp (like Sicilian Scampi from Olive Garden, Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish, Dynamite Shrimp from P F Changs), a good steak from Longhorn, Bojangles, Mexican food, a good piece of tilapia in Florida (preferably in view of the ocean), icecream, chocolate. Oh, and French fries with lots of ketchup. Is it any wonder I have to constantly exercise so I'm not as big as a house? :) Life is short; eat dessert first!