Vanna, gimme a letter!

Well, maybe it's Kat from Sunshine and Lemonade instead of Vanna who's giving me a letter. Either way, it's a fun game to play, and a great idea for a blog post. After I read Kat and Lizzy's versions, I wanted to play, too. So Kat sent me my letter (thank God it wasn't "Q"). The game is simple. Leave a comment either here or at Kat's blog that you want to play along, and we'll send you a random letter. Then make a list of your ten favorite things, beginning with your assigned letter. That's it!

My letter was "F". I had to think about this one awhile. The following are in no particular order, other than how they popped into my head...

1. Forks, WA: Obvious choice if you know anything about Twilight. Home of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, along with many other vampires. Too bad I couldn't find a bigger picture. Oh, well.

2. Forgiveness: Thank God for His mercy, His grace, and most of all His forgiveness for all my (many) shortcomings. I don't think I could face the day without this knowledge.

3. Joy Fielding: My mom introduced me to this awesome author with the book "See Jane Run". She has lots of other books, one of which even took place in Cincinnati ("Grand Avenue"). Good psychological thrillers, well developed characters, lots of suspense and surprises. Check her out.

4. Family: Gotta love those seventies clothes in this family portrait. Aww, look at that cute little baby...oh, that's me! And that dark-haired girl on the left? Yep, that's Michelle, from Tales from the Lunchroom.

5. Firepits: No, this isn't my gazillion dollar house on the lake with the fire-and-water firepit...we were at Homearama, lusting over these houses. We really wanted to break out the s'more fixin's, but I don't think they would've approved. We do have our own firepit, though, and I love sitting out there on a cool autumn evening, watching the flames and smelling the scent of burning wood.

6. Formal photo sessions: especially Free ones! Amanda, a friend of my MIL, took all of our family photos this summer for free since we allowed her to use Isabel for her photography studio's website (which will be up and running soon). I've already shown you so many, but here's one of Gabe that I don't think I've put up on my blog yet. Aww, he looks so sweet...

7. Fall: Pumpkin patches, hayrides, Halloween, my birthday, firehouse parties...so many things I love about fall.

8. Flowers: Especially the "apple blossom tulips" planted in the fall by Isabel and me. There are lots of different flowers that I love, but tulips are my favorite.

9. Forests: Going hiking has always been a favorite thing for Joe and I to do together, and we have instilled that love into our kids. This past summer's trip to Hocking Hills was so fun. Gabe even packed a bag yesterday to "take to Hocking Hills for bo-cation". I guess he wants to go back. I told him it's only open in the summer. Thank goodness for number 2, for those times I have to tell these "little white lies" to my children.

10. Friends: I am blessed with so many friends in my life. I'm not sure how I would make it through my days without them. Becky has become such a great friend in a short amount of time, though you would think we have known each other for ages. I have made friends through this blog that I treasure as well...

Wow, I did it...ten favorite "F" things. I wasn't sure if it was possible or not.

Wanna play along? Let either Kat or I know, and we'll send you a letter. C'mon, it'll be fun!