I don't quite know why, but this picture just brought instant tears to my eyes!!! My sister was standing near me and can attest to the fact that the moment I saw it a deep, surprised sigh escaped my lips!

I had already begun writing this blog, but so far all it said was "Things I Love." I'd then travelled away from the page, with the intention of returning to list out a few of the little things I love. Well, elephants are one of the big things I love. Most of you know this. I've always loved them. I'm not sure what about them captured my heart from the start, but I think it has something to do with their bigness, their ancient skin, their tender eyes, and their quietness (most of the time). I'm not sure, they've just always enchanted me. I remember having some kind of an elephant mask that I loved as a kid (at our old house). I also remember being very small, in the basement of our house in Edmonds, and showing how I could 'be an elephant' by looping one arm around the other and forming a sort of trunk. Around the age of 4 we had our infamous family zoo outing. Granted, we've had many family zoo outings, and many very memorable ones. ;) But, this is the one that lives on, and lives to be told at far too many family dinners, as the epitome of my inner.... stubborness. I wanted to see the elephants. And my dad said if I mentioned the elephants one more time, we were going to go home. The day ended in some sort of a stare off between my dad and I on opposing curbs, and eventually the whole family being packed up early and driven home. My passion needed to be tamed. We didn't return to the zoo for several years it seems. I'm sorry sisters. Now, I visit the zoo with my buddy T, and we sit at the elephants for as long as we like. ;) But I also don't demand we see them first anymore. Turns out the 24 year-old me has a bit more tact than the 4-year old one. It's been months since I tossed over a book shelf of worked myself into a fevered frenzy. ;)

Some less big things I love:

• unexpected sunny(ish) mornings, like today. I love driving across the bridge on 1-5 into Seattle and looking across at the space needle, backlit by the morning sky. Last week, the woman next to me on the bus, tapped me on the shoulder and said "Oh my- look at that!" And I was glad this stranger did, for there was a glorious pink sunrise gripping the sky. I love the morning sky.
• coffee - good coffee.
• swim suits. I like to miss-match them. Which doesn't really matter since I rarely ever dare to take off the board shorts. :/ Regardless, I have more swimsuits than you want to know.
• a well-crafted sentence/ description.
• letters, writing and receiving them in the mail.
• a good black pen.
• a great coffee cup or tea cup.
• bold colors. A good green, burnt orange, yellow or blue especially.
• gray sweaters.
• a good book (obviously).
• finding a new favorite author or poet.
• good music
• having a restaurant/coffee shop that you feel is your own.
• taking long drives, when you don't really have to be where you're "headed."
• really productive days.
• a massage.
• time with friends & family.
• fires.
• playing nintendo with friends.
• a good picture.
• really any little thing done well.