I should start off to say that it’s a shorter list than things I loathe, because that’s the sort of person I am. It also doesn’t include my family, because they will always top the things/people/whatever that I love the most.

I love thunder storms. The wild edginess of a good storm makes me feel vibrant and alive!

I love to laugh. Sometimes my kids will come out with the most clever and hilarious comments, and the resulting belly laughs really make my day.

I love true friends. True friends accept you, warts and all. They know your secrets, your failings, your foibles, and they love you anyway.

I love a clean, neat house. I say this because it hardly ever happens, and when it does the feeling I get is beyond pleasure. Living in chaos does not please me!

I love to travel. Whether it’s a half hour jaunt to somewhere close by I’ve never been before, or a trek that takes hours or days to complete, I love it all. The newness, the adventure, the experiences; these are what make life worthwhile. You cannot grow as a person if you remain in one place your whole life.

I love to sing. The group I sing with is awesome. I can be tired and grumpy and have a headache when I arrive for rehearsal, but by the end of it I’m energized and uplifted, and smile all the way home. I especially love our funkier tunes… the ones that bring out the inner alto diva!

I love Facebook… and I hate it. It’s a love-hate thing. I spend far too much time on it, and yet it has reconnected me with people I never thought I’d ever see again. It has also given me some remarkable new friends, and in some ways changed the shape of things to come. It is a wonderful communications tool. Some of the “apps” on it though… disgusting.

I love books. My dream is to one day have a room devoted entirely to my library. I’ve been collecting hard cover books for 30 years, and even though I lost about 300 of them in a flood a few years back, I still have a pretty impressive collection. My favourite author at the moment is James Patterson. I have every single book he has ever written, and even found not long ago that I had 3 of the same book! The extras were passed along to friends. I also read everything my teenager gets hooked on, and I love buying her books too.

I love animals. I’d have a zoo of my own if it were feasible, but as it’s clearly not, we make do with our 9 year old rescued Australian Shepherd (Sadie), our 6 year old tiny black kitty (Boo), a huge aquarium with only a few cichlids, and a tank of land hermit crabs. When we move (next spring) we will probably expand our mini-zoo to add one more dog, and another cat. I’d be happy if we gave away the fish though, and maybe also the crabs. Meh.

I love space. And by that I don’t mean the blackness of deep space, but a house with space, and a spacious yard. Hence the reason for moving next spring!

I love shopping for great deals. It’s the thrill of the hunt, and unpacking lots of parcels when I get back home. It’s actually an addiction, I realize, but a happy one.

I love to ramble. Obviously.