My Love List*

I love early matinées with handfuls of trailers. I love slow solo shopping, taking my time or, if I'd rather, jutting in and out in five seconds flat. I love browsing online for expensive, authentic heels I'll never own—but, just in case, saving the link. I love writing to-do lists in colored sharpies and crossing out completed tasks with a proofreader's curl. I love Aggie football games, when the weather is just so and the fans are roaring with every first down and I have salty nachos drizzled with fake oozy cheese. I love turning onto my street and catching a glimpse of a package resting against the front door. I love mosaic tables. I love when I wake up at 7am on a Saturday and remember I can sleep a few more hours if I want to, and I always want to. I love splashing Tabasco sauce on my scrambled eggs. I love long, leisurely road trips when I'm in the passenger seat, reading a trashy tabloid or listening to Wideawake's first CD. I love fountain drinks filled to the brim, in a Styrofoam cup. I love warm donut holes and chocolate milk on a rare Saturday morning. I love boutique jewelry, beaded and dangle-y and fun. I love crossword puzzles. I love snazzy champagne flutes filled to the brim with bubbly. I love walking into a hotel room and being met with cold, crisp air—the kind of air one can only fully enjoy when not being responsible for the electric bill. I love pepperoni and jalapeño pizza, with a side of tangy Ranch dressing and, even better, a cold Bud Light to wash it all down with. I love Nars lip gloss and dark nail polish. I love the jellyfish exhibit at The Monterey Bay Aquarium and this one gelato joint on Taraval in San Francisco. I love Central Market's cheese aisle, and hoping one day—by the grace of Giada—I'll be able to walk up and confidently pluck out just the right cheese to accompany this or that dish. I love romantic stories behind song lyrics and I sometimes wonder if she did miss him while she was looking for herself out there. I love lavender roses, faint and full. I love learning. I love dressing up and dressing down, equally. I love walking out my door in late November, early December, to smell the first chimney smoke of the season and imagining S'mores being smashed together somewhere just out of reach. I love the way a soft, worn-in T-shirt hangs on a man's back. I love the color purple (all shades—deep, light, pale, rich) and I love the taste of garlic and pesto. I love prosecco and fruit-filled cupcakes. I love redenvelope.com and monogramming. I love clean sheets and heavy covers and crawling into bed with a full TiVo and a bowl of Rocky Road ice cream. I love doggy-earring catalogs and then browsing on eBay for each and every wanted item. I love chili cheese fries and buffalo wings. I love the dream of one day having my own library. I love hardwood floors and the sound of deep, full laughter. I love hiking. I love a long day at the beach, with a book and no plans. I love finding new places to visit—Lithuania, Ecuador, Croatia, British Columbia, Thailand, Boston. I love an organized inbox and sending "just because" cards and packages. I love wasting entire afternoons in Target, searching out gifts to give. I love horribly angst-y teen dramas and, yes, a certain reality television program that is best known for having "the most dramatic rose ceremony ... EVER." I love floppy puppy ears and people who are easy in their own skin. I love montages and "best of" reels. I love kindness, in a million different forms. I love how squirrels are always running to get somewhere. I love bright colored winter coats and the combined flavor of raspberry and chocolate. I love Potato Shack in College Station and bars you don't have to dress up to walk into. I love Stern Grove and the desert night air and exhaling. I love dreaming big and hoping for something grand and believing things can be different just up ahead. I love the ordinary beauty of my life with its million-trillion flaws and its scary stops and starts and its painful inadequacy and its subtle disappointments and its sometimes falling short and its forcing me to never—not for one teensy-tiny moment—give up on myself, the one person guaranteed to be with me every day of my life. 

This is my list.

::

*I challenge you to make your own list. The only catch? You can't include a single person you know on your list. No "I love the way my husband laughs" or "I love hearing my little girl call for me." It'll be tough, I know. (Think about it, I couldn't include MOLLY on my list.) But this particular little exercise is about stripping away everyone who defines you and figuring out what you (not his partner; not their mother/daughter/sister/friend) love.

Comments

[Dianna]

I love your list, what a great idea!

[barbetti]

I love this idea. And yes, very challenging.

Ah, oh. Garlic. Pesto. Yum.

[Raven]

Hooray for love!

[Natalie]

Oh, how I miss potato shack! And especially when we would wake up Sunday hung over, and have to wait until noon for Potato Shack to open.

MK and I went to Whole Foods (we were branching out) and I was telling him that Central Market has way better customer service. Wow, I was amazed at Whole Foods. The cheese man gave us 3 different samples, and thought we were so funny because we hated every sample! And then the spice aisle man called all the stores in the metroplex and looked online for some extract that Micah needs to make beer. You should go there to try and get some cheese! Micah got a cheddar with porter beer in it. I haven't sampled it yet.

[Leah]

This was outstanding. And the list of places to travel to--Lithuania, Ecuador, Croatia, British Columbia, Thailand, Boston--reads like poetry.

[Sharon]

I love love lists! Yours was fantastic! I write love lists on occasion, but haven't in a few weeks. I'll definitely do one at some point soon.

[Sharon]

Whoops, just realized I have my old blog address in that previous comment. This is the correct one.

I also loved your locations that you want to visit - BC is a fantastic place! Spoken from a totally unbiased perspective, of course. ;)

[Sharon]

Whoops, just realized I have my old blog address in that previous comment. This is the correct one.

I also loved your locations that you want to visit - BC is a fantastic place! Spoken from a totally unbiased perspective, of course. ;)

[Kate]

What a great post! I'll start work on my own list tout de suite. I love a good list!

I think it's totally important for us women to know who we are & what's important to us. It's so easy to get wrapped up in what everyone else wants and expects from us and to let that define us.

[Emily]

I did an 'I love' list recently but without that rule. I went through it and only a handful of the 100 had something to do with loving a person...definitely a challenge. Love your list!

[bethany actually]

I just did a 100-things-about-me list, but I will do this by and by. Is there a certain number this list is supposed to have?

[Colleen]

That was beautiful.

[Jess]

This is a cool and dense list. Every one of those items could turn into an individual post.

[Pickles & Dimes]

This was fantastic. We should get together for buffalo wings someday!

I think I'll do one of my own lists - thanks for the inspiration!

[janssen]

what a fantastic post. I'll definitely do this!

[Jen]

You are just so GOOD at posts like this. I'll have to try it out.

[Sarah]

ooh I can't wait to try it!! I love your list by the way!

[Maryann]

What a great idea! I'm going to try to do a list later today. The funny thing is, while I was reading your list, I was thinking of my own things and one idea that popped into my head was my husband's laugh. But I should have known that you were eliminating outside sources since that wasn't metioned in your post. Thanks for a great idea!

[EmilyPie]

This was beautiful... I'm not even going attempt it after reading this ;) I love how you are able to put so much emotion into your writing. I always feel my blog is just a bunch of words... where as yours is so heartfelt.

[Moose]

You're my kind of gal. :)

[jodi]

I am totally doing this next week.

You are such an amazing writer. Really.

[Kristen]

Your list is awesome! I loved it.

[Ashley]

I love this idea!!!! I totally did it!

[slynnro]

I feel like I need to take a breath after reading that.

Maybe I can do a "hate list" in keeping with my ranting spirit :)

[slynnro]

I just realized I've already done that. Oh, my black heart.

Anyway, sorry to muck up your comments with myself. Lovely post.

[loralee]

DANG! That is a whole lotta lovin' going on here!

It's an interesting challenge to not include people.

Hmm...

[jodi]

I take it back, I love it some much I'm posting mine tomorrow!

[Kerri Anne]

I! love montages and "best-of" reels. That was my favorite part of the Oscar's this year. That, and imagining which dress I would have chosen to wear had I been given all of them as options.

[Cheri DeLurker]

I LOVE your list, can I just copy it? ;) Seriously though, it brightened my day just reading it...thank you.

[Shannon]

Great post! I saw this on Clever Blog Name Here's blog and I decided to join the fun!

[Someone Being Me]

I love your list. I agree with you on so many things. I am trying to create my own list now but without duplicating your entries.

[Jen]

i so love this post. I did it! Thanks for the inspiration!

[merrymishaps]

This is great. I'll have to write one when I'm feeling a little less scattered.

[Chrysti]

I just did mine -- thanks so much for the inspiration!

[Lori]

Beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring me to do the same.:-)

[Sara]

I stumbled across your blog and am completely inspired. Thanks for sharing this, and thanks for posting the challenge to the rest of us!

[Kate]

Ok, mine is up so I thought I'd share.

http://katescrazylife.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-love-list.html

[Christy]

I love your LOVE LIST! I just was on Chrysti.wordpress.com and blogged over here to see where this started. Reading this has made my day. We share the same thoughts on this, I love romantic stories behind song lyrics and I sometimes wonder if she did miss him while she was looking for herself out there.
Thanks for sharing.
C.Marie
www.timeflyssew.blogspot.com

[apricot.]

hello! I've been loitering about for some time now & decided to say hello & that I quite enjoy your blog. :]

[Sandy]

I just stopped over to see where this originated, and I absolutely love it! What a great, thoughtful idea. You've inspired me to do my own :)