"The Julie Andrew's Bit.."

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...
Bright copper kettles and warm wollen mittens...
Brown paper packages tied up with string...
These are a few of my favorite things!

When the dog bites...
When the bee stings...
When I'm feeling sad...
I just think of my favorite things...
And then I don't feel so bad!"

I just finished up being in the Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Lincoln Community Playhouse but before we actually went and performed on the stage, we would stand in the lobby and sing a pre-show for the audience who were getting ready to go into the theater to watch the play. We sang a variety of Christmas songs but my favorite song we did was a melody of Carol of the Bells and Favorite Things. When we were still in the rehearsing stages of the pre-show, our music director was trying to remember the name of Favorite Things but at that particular moment, the title had slipped her mind and she told us, "Just....go back the that Julie Andrew's bit!" And from that moment, we all referred to that song as the "Julie Andrew's Bit." Ever since then, I have not been able to get that song out of my head which....I honestly don't mind cause it makes me smile quite a lot. I sing it all the time and it is constantly reminding me of MY favorite things and how they can brighten my day when I'm feeling down in the dumps.

1. Some weird friends who I enjoy hanging out with and exploring the unknown wilderness with. They are pretty cool and they make me smile....a lot.

2. Semi-large games of volleyball with my friends. Mainly because they can be amusing. I tend to stand in the back and observe the hysterical attempts by my friends to get the ball over the net. Occasionally the ball will come my way and I do try and hit it...usually it goes the opposite direction than what I intend which only results in laughter from my friends and myself. I like it that I can laugh at my own lack of coordination.

3. Chicago. There is seriously no place better with the sound of the city, the endless amounts of people, the thrilling metro rides, the....exciting Cubs game (????) Everything about that city just fills me with excitement and a sense of adventure.



4. My little sisters are really two of the coolest ladies ever. They are ALWAYS making me laugh and they fill me with a sense of pure joy and they remind me how blessed I am. Although I've always wanted an older sister, these girls constantly reminded me that I AM the older sister and I try my absolute hardest to be the BEST older sister they could ever have.

5. These kids. For some reason...I always find myself befriending some of the weirdest and most bizarre people ever. But even if they can be oddballs...the fact that they take the time to come watch me in a small neighborhood show or listen to my problems...really makes them my best friends and I cannot express how much I appreciate having people like this in my life.

6. THIS SHOW. Seriously. I cannot even describe how much Shawn and Gus make me laugh. As pathetic as it may sound, I can often be found curled up in my bed in a warm, fuzzy blanket with the laptop watching this show. Am I obsessed? Mmmmm...maybe just a little but HEY, it's one of my favorite things...don't judge.

7. Husker Nation. Pretty much one of the coolest things ever. For some reason -- this year I have been utterly obsessed with Husker Football...please don't ask me why cause I still have yet to find out where this sudden fascination came from. *shrugs* What can I say? I find it entertaining and exciting to watch men shove each other around and oftentimes break limbs in order to get a ball into an in-zone. I guess it's interesting!

8. What is greater than something that can double as being warm during the chilly months AND is super cute??? NOTHING. So that is why I am a firm believer and a loyal fan to the average colorful scarf. Pretty much the greatest thing since sliced bread or chocolate. Or even coffee (that's kind of pushing it though...)


9. "My life is a stage"....ehhh I WISH my life was a stage. I love being onstage and performing infront of crowds of people. I live for the lights, the sounds, the emotions, and the applause that comes with being in a show. Yeah....*sighs* it sounds super egotistical but once you've been a part of that atmosphere...there is no way that you can't love it. Maybe one day I could always be on stage....have my name up in lights and all that jazz.......again, SUPER egotistical but HEY, I can dream can't I???

10. I love them. I don't care what anyone thinks but there is no way that anyone has a family quite like mine. We love each other so much. That's really all I can say.














These are only 10 of some of my favorite things and I could rattle off a list of so many more. God has blessed me abundantly and I can not thank him enough for all the precious and irreplaceable people, memories, places, etc. in my life. There are just so many wonderful aspects of life and unfortunately, some people tend to disregard them. Sometimes, it really pays off to look at the small treasures in life and recognize their true and significant meaning. I have only begun to realize this and I pray that as my life goes on and time flies by, that I will be able to thank God in any way for the endless amount of gifts and blessings He has placed in my life.