A Few of My Favorite Things

Why not start the new year with a list of the current things I can't live without? Here they are, in random order.

1- Navigation in my car- Her name is Bridgett. She tells us how to get places. Bridgett saves me on a daily basis from getting lost. I don't know what I would do without her. Yes I do, I'd get lost. A lot. Even Connor understands her importance. He says things like "does she know how to get there?" and "is she telling us this is the way to go?" He even asked me the other day how I know how to get places when I don't have the screen (Bridgett) with us. I don't, my son, I don't.

2- The iPhone- Her name is Izzy. I know what you're thinking... what's with naming all the
inanimate objects? (the car is Abby, FYI). Well I'll tell you, when you love something SO much, you don't want it to be nameless. I LOVE my iPhone. I'll admit, I was a holdout. I had a Samsung Blackjack before this and thought it was just fine. And it was, just fine. Izzy, Izzy is more than that. She is amazing. First of all, I have to thank my mom for accidentally breaking my old phone, which is how I got Izzy in the first place. And now that I have her *sigh* my life is so much better. Need directions while you are out? Just Google them on Izzy. Want to entertain your 4-year-old while you sit in traffic? Turn on the Doodle Buddy app and hand him your phone. Looking for the nearest Starbucks? Why, pull up the Starbucks Finder app, of course! One day I lost Izzy for about 5 hours. I felt like I had lost a good friend. I literally jumped in the street and yelled "hooray" when I found her. I love you Izzy.

3- Modern Family- This is a new TV show that I was turned on to by my Mom and Steve and Matt. It's hilarious! I didn't think I had room in my TV viewing for another sitcom, but this one is really funny. I love the husband of the daughter. The show is well written and makes me laugh, which is pretty hard to do considering I compare everything to The Office (the world's best sitcom). If you haven't seen it and your have a sense of humor, watch it. You won't be disappointed.

4- San Francisco Public Library System- The SF public library system is pretty impressive. There are many, many branches all over the city and MOST of them are nice buildings with a good selection of books. They have all different hours, from early morning times to late evening times and many even have Sunday hours! The best part is that you can return your books to any branch of the system, regardless of where you borrowed them from. We take a weekly trip to the library and have so far visited about 10 different branches. It's a free, indoor activity that Connor and I both enjoy. It's always fun to borrow new books and movies!

5- Free Parking Lots- Oh how I have taken free parking lots for granted in my younger years. I'm sure it's no surprise to anyone reading this, but it's a pain to park your car in San Francisco. Now when I see a big, open, free parking lot, I squeal with joy. Oh how wonderful that is! When I can pull into a spot, without having to circle the block 15 times, or parallel park into a spot I really don't fit into, or pay money to a meter just to go into a Starbucks, I feel like I hit the lottery. When I can park my car and go somewhere for any length of time and not have to come move it after the two hour time limit is up, I get giddy. When I don't have to check every sign in the area to make sure this spot doesn't magically turn into a loading zone in 20 minutes, or to see if it might be street cleaning day, I smile from ear to ear. Oh, giant, free parking lots everywhere in Sacramento, how I miss you.

6- Coffee- Remember, friends, when I used to not drink caffeine? Remember when I used to go to Starbucks and get DECAF? Those days are no more. I sleep little, these days, and a coffee at 1:00 pm is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity to get through the rest of the day. I find it amazing how much better my mood gets after a cup of coffee- I'm more alert and just generally happier. I think this is called addiction, but I don't care. Coffee makes me happy and my life would be bleak without it.

7- San Francisco- There are a lot of annoying things about this city. It's true, everything here is just more difficult. But, there is something about it that makes people, myself included, fall in love with it. There are so many places to go and so many things to do. The people here are friendly and laid back (and fit. holy cow are the people here in good shape). The weather is pretty wonderful, even despite the fog. I really do love living here- something about it energizes me in a way I can't imagine any other city doing. San Francisco, I love you and you are one of my favorite things.

8-Bananas- This might strike some as funny, but I love bananas. I can't think of a better snack for you that is as easy and filling as a banana is. Sometimes I don't have a chance to eat breakfast until I get back from dropping Connor off (9:45ish) but I can eat a banana when I wake up and I'm good until I eat a proper meal. Got a sweet craving in the evening? Try a banana, I do! Need something to take with you that won't take up a lot of room? How about a banana? Banana flavored things- eh, not my favorite. But a nice ripe banana makes my taste buds and tummy smile.

So if you want to make me smile, pick something listed here and ask me about it. These are a few of my favorite things.

Loves to all!