1. My husband. In all fairness, he could be #1-1000 on this list. There's just so much to love about him. He's my best friend and the best person I've ever known. Our kid is lucky to get to have him as Dad and I'm lucky to be his wife.
2. Chocolate. This is a testament to how awesome my husband is...he beat out chocolate. Lately, my two chocolate choices are Twix and plain Hershey's candy bars. That said, if offered chocolate in any form, I'll most likely say yes to it and enjoy it immensely.
3. Pie. I've always enjoyed pie; it comes in so many varieties and I like almost all of them. Lately, I'm in the mood for pie almost weekly. The sad thing is that none of the pies I've eaten in the last few weeks (which is sadly not as many as I would have liked because it's hard to find places that serve pie) can hold a candle to the delicious fresh strawberry pie Steve and I stopped for in Heber on the way back from visiting my brother in Vernal. It was divine. If you're passing through Heber and The Hub's sign says they're serving strawberry pie, do yourself a favor and grab a slice...or two.
4. Lime Chicken Salad from Bajios. My mom first introduced me to this years and years ago. There was a time that she and I would go to Bajios every Saturday to get this salad, each having ours made just slightly different from each other. After my lap band surgery, I stopped eating them since salad was hard for me to eat. Now my band is empty and last night Steve took me there for dinner. It was as tasty and wonderful as ever!
5. Fitbit. Shockingly, not everything on this list is food. Steve and I recently purchased Fitbit Flex's. They help us track our steps and a whole slew of other health-related things (blood pressure, weight, sleep, etc.). I actually bought Steve his for Father's Day and then when we discovered how cool it was, he suggested I get one, too. I've had mine less than a week but am really digging it.
6. Ponytails. They are the reason I tend to keep my hair short. If I didn't, I'd have my hair in a ponytail every day. Don't ask me why I think that's not good. Lately, I'm thankful that my hair is justlongenough to be able to pull back into a ponytail. My back is sore in the mornings and I just don't always feel like blow drying and styling my hair. And, ponytails are so much cooler in this heat!
P.S. That's not me pictured...in case you didn't know. :)
P.S. That's not me pictured...in case you didn't know. :)
7. Psych. The show on USA about the hyper-observant n'er-do-well who ends up pretending to be a psychic detective along with his best friend. It's silly and makes me laugh. I wish the seasons were longer because it's the one show I actually kind of miss when it's not on. I joke that we should name our son Guster after the best friend. Steve said we can if he's a bald black guy. *fingers crossed???*
8. Terry Pratchett books. An ex-boyfriend introduced me to my first Pratchett book, Good Omens, co-written with Neil Gaiman. It was laugh-out-loud funny so I told everyone I knew about it. My cousin Aly loaned me my first Pratchett-only book, Mort, and I've been in love with Disc World ever since. Sometimes, it takes me awhile to get into them because they're pretty quirky, but I've enjoyed every darn one.
P.S. Read Good Omens!!!
P.S. Read Good Omens!!!
9. Farmer's Markets. There's so much to love about farmer's markets: supporting local farmers/artisans/etc., buying fresh bread/produce/honey/etc., walking around outside, meeting new people who want to love on our dog, and eating all sorts of delicious stuff. I'm really looking forward to the Ogden market opening soon but am glad that the Salt Lake one is up and going until then.
10. Farmer stands on Hwy 89. We'd heard about fruit and produce stands on Hwy 89 but never found them until this year. Instead of driving all the way to Salt Lake for the farmer's market every weekend, we're now heading a little bit north to buy our fruits and veggies. It's still a little early in the season for there to be many stands open, but there are a couple and we've been pleased with the results: delicious food for ridiculously good prices.
11. Friday nights. Typically, Steve and I have our date nights on Fridays, so I've always enjoyed them. More so now, though. By Friday, my body is beat! My back is sore, my bell is swollen and sore, my mind is numb, and every bit of me is tired. We still have date nights, but a lot more sedately so I can recover from the week.
12. Hot baths. I stopped taking baths when I outgrew playing with my Barbies in the tub. And eventually I kind of outgrew the tub, which really didn't make baths attractive to me. Sometime last year, after my tummy tuck, I decided to take a bath, probably to warm up on a particularly cold night?? It felt awesome to be able to fit in the tub comfortably! Even so, I didn't take another bath until Montreal. One night, I was a little sore and grimy from walking around and didn't relish the idea of getting into our nice clean bed feeling that way. So, I opted for a bath. It was heavenly. I took 3-4 more that trip. A few weeks ago, when my legs started to feel really restless every night due to my pregnancy, I remember how soothing the baths were in Montreal and decided to try it again. Now, I take a 15-20 minute hot bath every night before going to bed and my legs are so much better! My whole body feels better, in fact, after soaking for a bit. I'm a believer.
13. Sadie. If this list really was in order of what I love most, she'd definitely be higher up on it. It took me awhile to get used to having a dog, and she took awhile to get used to being a pet, but now we're tight. She's my second favorite cuddle buddy (Steve's #1, naturally) and my favorite four-legged friend. I love when she comes bounding to the door to welcome me when I get home before running off to get her rope so we can play tug-o-war. She's a sweetheart.
14. Cooking. It's probably the best creative outlet I have - the one I'm the most successful at. My dishes don't always come out perfect, and a couple have been awful, but most of the time my food tastes pretty darn good. Lately, I'm too tired to do anything too complex, so I'm thankful for Pinterest and food blogs that have tasty recipes that are easy to make.
15. Walking. I have my mom to thank for this love. She's been a walker for as long as I can remember and there have been times when she and I have walked together, chatting about all sorts of things. So, walking is in my DNA. I enjoy solitary walks in the morning (well...with Sadie along) and especially the evening walks Steve and I take every night. I love how easy it is to do it, how all I need is a good pair of shoes and comfy clothing, how I don't have to go anywhere to do it unless we want to try a new path, how relaxing it is, and how nice to be able to be outside enjoying nature. Steve and I have some of our best talks while walking, and when I walk alone I have some of my best thoughts. I rarely listen to music or books while walking...just me and my thoughts and nature. It's lovely.
This is just a short list of what I'm loving lately. I'm sure I failed to mention many things, but that's okay. I love that I'm not perfect. :)