#4: Avocado/Guacamole

There are few foods which I can say that I love.  Love is something that should be given to people or pets.  Certainly not food.  But the avocado is a rare exception.

I didn't have my first avocado until I was probably 20 when some guacamole got onto one of my quesadilla.  Nothing is quite like an avocado.  It's like eating freshness.  It's like a shower for the mouth.  Few flavors can compare.  Where was this amazing fruit when I was a child is what I'd like to know.

#3: The U.K.

That's right.  The U.K.  One thing I have missed crazily over the past year is my semi-annual trip to the U.K. considering my love affair with a Brit (the other kind) had ended.  I haven't been in over a year now and it totally sucks.  Why?  What do I love about England?  Everything.

The music.

The accents.

The public transport.

The fun lingo.

The history.

Football.

Everything.  Literally.

That's why I applied for an internship over there for next summer (cross your fingers).  My goal is to move there because it's the place I love.  If I could only get a job over there I'd be all set.

Okay, I lied.  The only thing I dislike about the UK is everything is hella expensive in comparison to America, however, they don't live as much in excess as we do, and that is right in line with my view on how we should be.

And so my quest begins...

#2: Tegan and Sara

As you may or may not know, I have the best taste in music.  Obviously.  So who tops my list of musicians that I love?  Tegan and Sara of course.  And the best part is I will be seeing them on Friday.  Of course, I'll also be seeing Paramore who I also love, but I love love Tegan and Sara.  Why?  Because they are truly unique and make my heart happy.  And they are super adorable and super funny.  You should love them because I do.

#1: My Family

I happen to think my family is better than yours (unless you are in my family, then you are very correct in thinking your family is awesome).  Of course this is merely opinion, but I will defend my opinion.

I'm not talking broadly here.  Of course my extended family is great too, but I'm talking about my nuclear family.

Let's start with Mom:  My mom is pretty much an older version of me.  I am beginning to see so many similarities in my mother and myself than I ever really thought was possible.  She is absolutely amazing and I have come to appreciate her more and more as I grow older and mature.  I value her patience with all of us (dad, Jess, and I). We all go to her to solve our problems and that must be a very difficult task to take on, but she does it.  It may stress her out, but she does it regardless of the toll it takes on her.  Anyone who knows her is better for it.  She is not scared to think independently and go against the grain which is rare for the area I am from (Wise County). I think that independent thinking is reflected in both my sister and I.  She truly is one of a kind and I have a strong appreciation and love for her.

Now Daddy-o:  I don't tell my Dad nearly enough how much I appreciate everything he does for me and Jessica.  He and I may butt heads occasionally but I always know I can call him if I'm ever in a pinch and need help.  I can't imagine not having my dad as my dad.  This may sound silly, because obviously you only know what you've grown up with, but my dad seemingly has the answer for everything.  He has always had solutions to my plethora of problems I come across.  Can everyone's dad solve all of their problems?  My dad can beat up your dad.  And that's why I love my dad.

Last but not least Jessica:  My sister probably doesn't know how much I look up to her.  She has her flaws, as we all do, but my sister is everything I could want to be and more.  She is super smart.  She is selfless.  She is hilarious.  She has accomplished and experienced things I could only dream of.  Having a sister so close in age is something that is irreplaceable in every part of my life.  It's amazing having someone who more or less had exactly the same family upbringing as myself who has all the same family memories I have.  Sesame Street.  Saturday Night Live.  Camp Fire.  Tea parties.  Almost every aspect of my childhood, I shared with my sister and as I've gotten older that's the kind of stuff that can help you forget the bad shit that comes along with growing and can take you back to a much simpler time in life.

The Inspiration

Here.  Listen to a version of the inspiration for my blog by one of my favorite bands (groups).






You liked that didn't you?


Thought so.


So here are the lyrics:


Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad


_________________________________________________________


Let's break it down a bit.  Fraulein Maria and I don't have similar interests.


Raindrops on roses - Big whoop.  I'm not a big fan of roses.  Roses are overrated.  What about raindrops on windows.  I'm submitting a lyrics change request.


Whiskers on kittens - Anyone who knows me knows that I hate cats.  While kittens may be slightly more tolerable, they grow up to be full blown cats.  Whiskers on seals are much cuter.


Bright copper kettles - Kettles are a thing of the past, at least in my part of the world.  I can see where that would be a happy thing though.  I love the way copper looks when it's shined up nicely.  That being said, thieves love copper and said kettle may turn into heartbreak.


Warm woolen mittens - Change this to gloves and I'm good.  I like to have functionality of all 5 fingers.


Brown paper packages tied up with string - Maybe if it was a package that said Amazon or Best Buy on it with some heavy duty packaging tape.


Cream color ponies - I hate horses, big or small.  If this cream color pony is a My Little Pony, however, I would love it.  Those things smell amazing.


Crisp apple streudels - I'm not a fan of cooked apples.


Doorbells and sleighbells - Doorbells are kind of startling and are usually followed by dogs barking.  Sleigh bells aren't something I hear that often.


Schnitzel with noodles - I don't even know what schnitzel is.


Wild geese that fly with a moon on their wings - There's only one thing scarier than a normal goose, and that is a wild goose.


Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes - Little girls don't dress this way too often anymore.  Moms like to slut up their little ones nowadays.  Not a fan.


Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes - Brrrr...


Silver white Winters that melt into Spring - We don't have Spring in Texas.  We also don't have silver white Winters.  We have hot and cold and rare weekends of in between like this one.


So there you have it.  Fraulein Maria's favorite things.  Now onto mine.

...and then I don't feel so bad.

Today I was on the edge of a cliff about to plummet into the abyss of depression; an abyss I know all too well.  Today I jumped (and not in a literal way) but I did give in to depression, but only briefly.  I was able to catch a branch and keep myself from continuing to fall.

What was this metaphoric branch?  The Sound of Music.  This may sound completely ridiculous to you, and in hindsight it does seem ridiculous as I type these very words, but The Sound of Music has kept me from crying all day and being a big ol' ball of sadness.

How?  First, of course, is the simple fact that I love this movie.  My generation in general lacks an appreciation for musicals.  I love them.  The Sound of Music isn't my favorite musical (it is third to Singin' in the Rain and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) but today I watched it with a whole new appreciation.  I listened to "My Favorite Things" and reflected on what the things are in my life that are my favorite things.

Allow me to backtrack:  Why the need to remember my favorite things?  Why so unhappy Britni?  The ultimate truth is I have no clue.  I think I had happiness overload as a child and adulthood has become a disappointment. But of course, there is more to it than that.  I would say that since I was 18 I have been truly happy for maybe 33.33% of the time.  I wish that I could track down the reason why and fix it, and perhaps at some point I will, but the fact remains that I am not a happy person in general.

I would say for the past few months I have been happy.  Or too busy to pay attention to my level of happiness.

That period of happiness came to a violent halt a couple of weeks ago and I've been in a funk ever since.  Just as I was pulling myself out of it, I slipped back in to the funk.  Whether it is my fault, or someone else's doesn't really matter.  This time I'm taking control of my happiness and not relying on someone else.  I am going to remind myself daily of my favorite things and whether they can pull me out of my funk or not, at least for a moment of the day, I will be happy.

This blog will be my place to divulge in happiness.  It will be a release.  I may not always be positive on here, but I will be happy in the fact that I have a public and vague outlet for everything I keep inside.

And so I begin A Few of My Favorite Things so that I won't feel so bad.

Note:  I wanted the url for my blog to be a line from the song, but they were all taken.  Dammit.  If you've seen the movie, you'll know that Kurt is referred to as incorrigible.  Incorrigible means incapable of being corrected or amended.  It fits, yeah?