What I “Heart”:
- the six people who I share family life with
- rainy days (official term is “pluviophile” for those Latin scholars out there)
- Long Beach Island
- my parents and brothers, and all my nieces and nephews (obvious)
- reading and following “out-of-the-box” writers
- the NFL (especially the black and gold Pittsburgh Steelers)
- crossword puzzles
- my women’s group that meets every week and I can share my total heart with (#Beautiful Mess)
- clean drinking water for the everyone on the planet
- talking about the hard stuff (yes, I am one of those non-avoiders who tackles the “elephant in the room”)
- chocolate chip cookies and ice cream
- the fact that I grew up in Ethiopia
- mentoring young couples with my husband Allen
- sarcasm (being “snarky” sometimes)
- turtles (“ruthlessly eliminate hurry”)
- eating potato chips and drinking milk at the same time (I know… I know)
- the poor and homeless
- sleeping eight hours (ideal would be nine)
- technology and administration (I know…sounds crazy)
- my Fitbit (it’s not the boss of me anymore)
- being organized
- avocados
- social media (for connecting and all the good stuff)
- reading mystery novels
- rum (only alcohol I can even tolerate)
- all my in-laws (stop thinking I’m crazy)
- traditions and making memories
- our bird-feeder
- my counselor
- 70’s rock-and-roll (“more than a feeling…more than a feeling…”)
- beating Allen at Scrabble (hard to do…hard to do…)
- my friends who just love me no matter what
- seeing other cultures and countries (I’ve got a bucket list…do you?)
- my Sabbath
- March Madness
- crime shows (gotta have a dead body to start)
- knowing about my ancestors and relatives (and all the crazy stories)
What I Don’t “Heart”:
- weeding
- paper (see technology under “what I love” above)
- this green super-healthy powder I put in my morning smoothie
- saying “good-bye”
- taking decorations out and putting them away
- shopping (seriously, it’s all done on Amazon, at Target, Shoprite or Costco – even clothes)
- doctor’s visits
- the entire food process of grocery shopping, putting it away, preparing it, cooking, cleaning up (why did God make us have to eat three times a day)
- watching golf
- flannel
- scrapbooking and other crafts (I finished my kid’s books and I will never look at another tape-roller again – “I never want to see you again, Michaels or AC Moore”)
- the NBA
- gummy candy and caramel