my favorite things, A to Z

From my friend Carol:
I'm watching Ellen and she just talked about some of her favorite things...by the alphabet...off the top of her head. It was not as easy as I thought it would be. Your turn.

Here's mine. And I'm gonna tag some people.
KelleyB, Kris, and Veronica - your turn!

A - airplanes (I'm like a little boy. When I drive past the airport, I'm a danger on the road because I can't stop watching the planes!)
B - banana pudding. My friend Gayla makes the best EVER. It's so bad for me, but oh my WORD, is it delicious! It's funny, though. I'm not real fond of bananas otherwise.
C - Christmas season. I love the hubbub, the twinkly lights, the crispness in the air, the excuse for yummy over-the-top meals, the giving. And yes, the getting, too. Like I said - I'm like a little kid!
D - dollars. Come one. Who DOESN'T love to find an extra dollar in the bottom of your purse, or in the pocket of your winter coat, or under the seat of your car?
E - email. I'm hugely dependent on it, and couldn't run my business or my life without it!
F - Fortress. It's so much more than the place I go to worship on Sundays. It's my friends. It's my comfort. It's my calling. It's where my talents are needed and used. It's where I'm stretched and challenged. It's my home.
G - Google. For real. How many times have I wished I had google at my fingertips? I use it multiple times a day. (I need an iPhone for when I'm not sitting here at home!) Wanna know what that cool hummingbird-looking moth is? Google can tell you. Who starred in Starsky and Hutch? Google knows. What can you do for free in NYC? Ask Google!
H - Hydrangeas. I think they're beautiful, especially the blue variety.
I - Ireland. I've been fortunate to see a lot of places, but this by far ranks as my favorite of all. Ireland is where we've spent the most time on any vacation to date, and it still wasn't enough. I'm itching to go back. Life is so quiet there. So still. So simple. I crave it sometimes.
J - Jif. Don't make me eat Peter Pan or Skippy (do they still make that?). Gotta be Jif.
K - Kahlua. A little in my coffee, or in my brownies. Either way, mmm mmm good.
L - laughter. I love to laugh, and I love the sound of others laughing. I've heard that Elaine's friend (and my blog friend) KelleyB has a HUGE, great laugh, and that makes me want to meet her really bad so we can kick our heads back together and let it rip!
M - Music. From Pink Floyd to The Cambridge Singers. From ACapella to GooGoo Dolls. I love it all.
N -Nia. Who'd thunk I'd EVER list exercise as one of my favorite things? I love it. It integrates yoga, martial arts, and dance. It give me a good workout while somehow totally relaxing my mind and soul. It affirms me. I find myself looking FORWARD to it. That's something!
O - onions. Grilled, to be exact. I love me some grilled onions!
P - Potatoes. I've been known to pass up dessert for another helping of mashed potatoes!
Q - quilts. I'm not a quilter myself (I dabbled in the early 90s, but never produced anything wonderful.) But I'm enamored of them - from the patchwork quilt handed down to me from my great-grandmother Ethel to Elaine's amazing art quilts.
R - Rebel. As in my Canon Rebel XTi. I coveting that thing for a long time and haven't regretted spending the big bucks on it yet. It's a workhorse, and is SO much fun to play with! From the mountaintops of Colorado to the subways of NYC, it's never produced a photo I was disappointed with.
S - Sunday Crossword in the NYTimes. I'm obsessed. Darren used to print one every day for me and bring it home, and I'd work it in bed at night. At Christmas, Dad gave me a book with hundreds of them in it. I'm almost finished with it.
T - tea. My mom's best friend, Ann, used to make tea so sweet that you'd swear you were drinking syrup. I'd often go across the street and play with Kevin and Stacy JUST to have a glass of that yumminess! I suppose it's her fault that I still love an ice cold glass of sweet tea to this day.
U - USA.
V - volleyball. I used to play regularly in college. When I see people playing these days, it brings back such good memories, and I have to stop myself from barging in and joining them!
W - weight loss. Yep. One of my favorite things right now!
X - Xyron, a wonderful little gadget that makes scrapbooking easier by applying adhesive to the backs of hard-to-adhere things like ribbon and tiny letters.
Y - YouTube. Seriously. Find clips from your favorite shows, performaces. movies. Search for "kitty cat dance" and see what Aidan and Ian are cracking up at these days. Over and over. and over and over.
Z - zip code. Specifically, mine: 76110. I love where I live and feel so blessed to have made a home on such a happy block, in such a lovely neighborhood, near such an amazing dowtown and arts district, within walking distance of such a wonderful school, and with such great diversity.