F this ... F that ...

sunshineandlemonade did a post a few days ... weeks ... while ago ...

in which she named 10 of her favorite things that started with an O.

she was willing to save us all from the lack of blogging material give us a letter to make our own list ...
and it has come to the moment when i needed something to spark some words ... so she handed me an F.

what the? i was slightly insulted, initially ... i mean, an F is slightly synonymous with failure. so i'm hoping that she wasn't insinuating anything.

here's to praying that she really just randomly chose a letter for me ... and wasn't handing out my blog grade.

here goes.

my 10 favorite things that start with *f* (in no particular order ... )

dunh dunh duh.

1. family ...
really? you didn't know that one was coming? i LOVE my family. all of them. sometimes some more than others. but in the end. all.
i love my girly-girls more than i could have ever imagined possible.
i love my husband ... more now than when we got married.
i love my family and my family-in-law and my extended extended family.
together ... they make my life worth living. and i thank the world for them every day.

2. felines ...
i have a soft spot for kitties. don't worry ... i'm not cat-lady potential. my parents got me my first kitten when i was 6 months old. and other than during college ... i have never NOT had a kitty at the end of my bed to keep my feet warm. it's a necessity on a cold night when my husband is working.

3. fun ...
i have a personal quest to make life fun. i don't always succeed. but it is a measure of my success if i can make my children and the students that i teach have a smile on their faces. we learn best when we are having fun with learning. and isn't it right to approach each day like that?

4. friday ...
finally. friday. i heart fridays. they are my bestfriend in a week of crazy. they are the symbol of "ahh"...we all get to relax together a wee bit for a few more days before the crazy has to begin again. i wish the week was designed with at least two of them. i love going to bed on friday and knowing that tomorrow is our day. funny, that just a few years ago? i loved fridays because it meant nights out. and now ... nights in.

5. farms ...
i never got the chance to be a farm-raised girl. but i dedicated myself to getting as close as i could. the feel of a warm burst of breath from your horse on a chilly morning. the squeak of cold leather as you pull yourself into the saddle. the cuddle of a barn kitten. the chorused nicker of the horses as you walk around with the grain and hay bales. the early mornings and late nights. the endless work involved with keeping life functioning.

6. forgiveness ...
i crave forgiveness. i crave the fact that it is always an option. that we can choose to forgive. that people can choose to forgive us. that you can do something wrong and that it will be ok in the end. the hardest part is asking for it.

7. friends ...
i have friends and "friends". people i know in real time and people that i have yet to meet ... but feel like i already know. and all of you are important to me. i love the feeling of community. the feeling that there are others that can guide me and pull me through the difficult. and can joy with me in the wonderful times. without friends ... i would be ... not me.

8. fawns...
we live in this amazing little area. quite close to the big city. really really close to the big city. with an spectacular little oasis of wild in our backyard. there is a herd of deer that consistently are walking through. each season, we have at least 1 fawn or a set of twins that meander through, either early in the morning or at daybreak. mama deer are this crazy mix of protective of their baby(ies) and used to humans. that they will walk baby right past you. (but they are sure to stay between you and the baby...) i always tease that i had never seen a deer pee before. i think that is the truest explanation of how used to living together we have become in this area.

9. film ...
not films. but film. i remember taking photography courses in high school and college and remarking that i wanted to do that. i love(d) capturing things in my camera. at the time, those around me squashed (?) my dream, saying that it wasn't an occupation ... more of a hobby. (either that, or i suck at it...). and now ... it's ok that i didn't pursue that as a dream job. because my favorite thing to take pictures of are in my life everyday. and they, probably, wouldn't be ... if my life was different. but, back to film? i used to love taking pictures with film. bringing it to the shop and waiting for it to be developed. beyond that? i used to love developing my own film and have always dreamed of having a little tiny blackroom in my house. the chemical scent and watching a piece of blank paper develop a scene that you witnessed is crazy-beautiful.

10. firepits ...
having a firepit sit within our backyard that we can routinely (during the summer, primarily!) enjoy is wonderful. we love to sit around at night with neighbors and friends. beer and wine. children and dogs. grahamcrackers and marshmallows AND chocolate. whispering "i love white bunnies" to encourage the smoke to blow in a different direction. letting the kids race around, in the dark, and swing and scream. laughing when their light up tennis shoes can be seen blinking randomly as they run behind the bushes. those fire nights are the mark of summer. and i love to capture them in my memory.

so funny...
after writing this whole entire list and reading my remarks about her giving me an *f*, i realized that we often say this prayer (?) before dinner ...
thank you for our food and family and friends and felines ...
and then we randomly suggest alternative *f* words that we are thankful for.
so funny that sunshineandlemonade gave me an *f*.

if you want ... let me know if you need a letter ... i'd be happy to oblige.