"27 Things I Love ..."

I'm not a birthday person. It probably stems from my lack of birthday parties as a child (summer birthdays always get the shaft) or the fact that inviting people to your birthday typically results in some degree of disappointment.

But turning 27 wasn't bad. I feel I'm in a pretty good spot in life, surrounded by love and laughs. 

So, in the spirit of birthdays, I present to you a list of 27 things I love, in no particular order. 

1. Laughing in songs. I don't know what it is, but when people chuckle in the middle of songs, it makes me smile. Take, for example, Li'l Wayne's raspy laugh in Jay Sean's "Down." (fast forward to 3:30)

2. Laughing, period. 

3. Pizza and wine. You know, I don't know if I talk about my love of wine, and pizza, enough. (Note the sarcasm).

4. Song covers. Here's a personal favorite of mine.

5. Ray. Oh, anonymous Ray. Our relationship is full of laughter, honesty, and comfort. And, not a day goes by that I am not grateful for it. 

6. Reading memoirs. After spending years in college reading things because I had to, I lost my love of reading. But, luckily, I found a love of reading non-fiction and I can't get enough. I'm currently in the throes of Andy Cohen's memoir, and it's so good I don't want it to end. 

7. Pumpkin and sweet potato. I love these two things so much. And, if I had my way, I would eat them, in dessert form, every day. Okay, every other day (a girl still needs her chocolate). 

8. Tracking packages. My dear friend Meg totally gets this. An unreal amount of my time is spent ordering things online and then tracking them from origin to my front door. 

9. Days like this. 

10. Nights like this. 

11. CrossFit. It may only be the flavor of the week. But somehow, I keep coming back for more. And more. And more. 

12. My iPhone. Enough said. 

13. Military homecoming videos. Oh, man. How can you watch things like this and not lose your shit?

14. Rom-coms. "When Harry Met Sally" pretty much tops the list. 

15. Kitties. 

16. YouTube gems that never get old like this. 

17. Buzzfeed. A newer obsession but I love this site for its endless supply of hilarious articles, lists, and gifs. And, I can view it at work. Do yourself a favorites and take a look-see. 

18. Whataburgers. I'm grateful for people that buy them. You allow me to pay my bills and overspend at dinner. 

19. Living alone. I love living alone. I love the ability to come home, strip down to my skivvies and remain that way all day. 

20. Traveling. I should say, I like gearing up for traveling. I like the planning, the reading of reviews, and coming up with must see / do / eat lists. Travelling in and of itself, is a little stressful side. 

21. My parents. My parents are fun-loving, and usually in high spirits. I'm grateful that they have taught me the importance of working, but not working too hard. 

This is a picture my mother sent me while they were on their yearly vacay together. 

22. Google / Wikipedia / Pinterest. Thanks to these three websites, I have all the knowledge I need about anything from recipes, to Olympians, to when Hunger Games comes out on DVD (August 18th, in case you were wondering). 

23. Inspirational sports stories. Anyone who really knows me know I love inspirational sports movies, but at the heart of those, there are great stories of athletes overcoming it all. 

24. Arts and crafts, with drinking. 

25. Our new DSLR camera. Can I already love something brand-new. Our very first purchase together was a Nikon D5100, a very nice, but very expensive fancy-pants camera. It is simultaneously fun and terrifying to learn to use. But, I'm grateful that we splurged and now have it to capture memories. 

26. This blog. I am grateful for this blog, for my courage to start it, and for its ability to give me an outlet for my neuroses. 

27. You. The people that read my blog today and everyday. Thanks.