Loves

[DaisyDuck]

I love the very few mornings where I wake up, on my own, and rested, and I can lay there and stretch and be likes one of those TV Folger's commercials.

I love when my dog play-bows at me, and then I say "what did you do?!" and he does crazy dog-zoomies all over, bouncing off all of the obstacles in the yard.

I love showing my husband something I'm interested in, thinking he'll be disinterested, only to have him react with a resounding "cool!"

I love sunny, breezy, 70 degree days in the grass, drinking wine, with my immediate family and best friend.

I love having a best friend for so long that she is my sister.

I love showing up at my best friend's door and her daughters running at me yelling AUNTIE! even when I haven't been home in months. God, I love them.

I love hiking on an abandoned trail in spring next to a trickling river- the smell of dirt and grass, the sound of water and leaves rustling in the wind, my dog panting next to me.

I love the sound of the wind coming through a forest. The way you can hear it 20 miles away and how it's rushing towards you, like a wave in the ocean, and then it washes over you and recedes.

I love picking a tomato from my garden, rubbing it on my shirt, and eating it, sun-warmed and delicious.

I love planting a seed and, a few days later, seeing a sprout emerge from the dirt.

I love going on a vacation with my parents and sister, all of us adults, and drinking, playing games, and just being together. I understand those moments are fleeting and I love them so much I feel it in my soul.

I love the pride I have in my husband and his service for our nation- his strength and honor and loyalty.

I love running into someone in my hometown who says hello and proceeds to tell my husband how lucky he is to have me. It's the only time I feel that way about myself.