11. Being picked on by my dad. He’s just about the only person I’ll let pick on me (some people do it anyway), and it’s because I know he’s always kidding, he does it so well, and because it shows me he loves me. He never says anything that he thinks or I could actually think is true. So all I feel, is love.
12. Pizza Hut’s Buffalo Chicken Pizza. Extra cheese. Stuffed Crust. I would do almost anything for it, when Pizza Hut is actually making it. Including bribes, or selling clothes for money.
13. Finding something of sentimental value I thought I’d lost. I recently found an autobiography I wrote in the third grade. My little spelling errors, all the pictures, and the memories of putting it together and getting an A+, it really takes me back.
14. Clothing that perfectly suits my style. A little preppy, classic, very feminine. You’d think that sounds so generic, it must be easy for me to find clothes. But noooo. It seems like every season designers come SO CLOSE to exactly what I want, but it never happens. It’s always too sporty, or too modern, or not feminine enough. That makes the clothes that are my style that much more valuable to me.
15. Memorizing things quickly and reciting them back at people. The closest thing I have to a hidden talent. I’m not perfect, I won’t learn 25 words in 3 seconds and remember them for the rest of my life. But my memorization skills have really helped me in learning languages, and I’m proud of myself when I surprise people that try to test me.
16. Washing deep conditioner out of my hair. Freshly shampooed hair smells good. Conditioned hair feels a little nice. Dry hair is fun to play with. But that exact moment that I’m about five seconds into rinsing out a deep conditioner is my favorite hair moment. It exemplifies everything I feel my hair should be: silky. Soft. Silky. Manageable. Silky. You get the point. This is the biggest reason I’m in the shower for a few minutes more than I need to be.
17. Making my grandmother happy. Every time I call her, she sounds so lonely. She tells me about the cleaning she’s done lately, or the stuff she’s done at work (77 and still working!), or some tv show she’s watching, and I know she’s lonely. Sometimes she’ll come right out and say it. Either way, my heart sinks. She’s such an amazing person. So full of life and humor and a cook that is unmatched, as far as I’m concerned. Visiting her always seems to remind her of who she is, and within 20 minutes, she’s her usual Minnesotan, food-pushing, hilarious self.
18. Speaking of her cooking, my grandmother’s cooking is worth a $2000 flight, for the cheesecake alone. When I think of her cooking, I actually think of her baking. Cookies, cakes, pies, all kinds of desserts. I grew up with a mouthfull of “sweet teeth,” and I think it’s because of her. Her awesomeness doesn’t stop there, though. Thanksgivings are always elaborate feasts, which I know is the standard in America, but with her, it’s her and her alone. No one can help. She’s 77, but she has to cook the turkey all by herself. She let me stir some carrots once. She can cook anything, and it’ll turn out better than any restaurant’s master chef can hope to make it.
19. Moonlight Sonata. I’m drawn to this song so much. Maybe because it’s in Minor, and therefore so very different from most other music. Maybe because it’s the only song that has the ability to relax me. Or maybe because you can just feel the emotion Beethoven put into it. Whatever it is about this song, it’s my favorite song from before 1990.
20. Reading Bringing Up Ben and Birdy. What, never heard of it? Well, what do you know? I have this nifty link right here . It’s the journal of a woman in the Northeastern US and her stories about raising two children, a two year old and a five year old. I’ve been reading it since the beginning, when Birdy, the two year old, was about the size of a peanut, and Ben was two. She’s hilarious and insightful and honest. If you’re a parent, or want to become one, and haven’t read her journal, go. Read it. Now. She has kept me sane through two pregnancies, two births, and the raising of two toddlers. I’d be willing to bet that people that don’t plan on becoming parents in the near future would get a kick out of it anyway. So, everyone read! And no, I’m not getting paid to say that. Sounds like it, and it would be nice. I just want to share the humor.