C is for...

I saw this fun meme on Melissa's blog, Taking What is Left, where you list ten things you love that start with a certain letter, so I asked her to assign me a letter. She chose "C", because she was eating a cookie. Shoot, that was going to be one of my favorite things that start with C.

Ok, so here are 10 other things that I love that start with C:

1. Christmas. Come on. You know that had to be #1. It's Christmas Eve for goodness sake. I love Christmas. Not as much as I love Halloween, but it's a very close second. I think I love Christmas eve even better than Christmas day. The getting together with family for a nice dinner. The Christmas lights. The tree filled with decorations and beautifully wrapped presents underneath. Making cookies and leaving them out for Santa. Watching the kid's anticipation of what the next morning will bring. For me, it's one of those times where the journey is even better than the destination.

2. Curry. Every Christmas day, we go over to my sister's house. Her husband and his family make the yummiest Indian food for Christmas dinner. We call it Curry Christmas. All the cousins play together while the smell of wonderful Indian spices simmer in the air.

3. California. I love living in California. I could spend my life just exploring California's natural beauty. The beaches, the mountains, the desserts. Almost any climate you are looking for, you can find it somewhere in California.

4. Camping. One of my favorite things to do in California...is camping! I adore camping. Getting out in the wilderness. Pitching a tent (although now that we have kids, we have a small RV for our outdoor adventures). Taking hikes. Roasting marshmallows on the campfire. Getting dirty and not worrying about it. Staying up late and talking or just staring at the stars.

5. Cabins. We usually take a trip to the snow every year, and stay in a cabin. I love a good, sort of rustic cabin, preferably decorated with campy looking pictures depicting bears or moose. There is nothing better than a sitting in a warm cabin, in front of a roaring fire, sipping hot cocoa and watching the snow fall.

6. Cable Cars. I think it's so cool that they still have cable cars traversing the hills of San Francisco. Except when I'm driving up California Street trying to get somewhere, and I'm stuck behind one. I don't love them then.

7. Cafes. I don't really drink coffee, but I love the smell of it. There's something comforting about sitting in a cafe, drinking a hot beverage and reading a paper or chatting with a friend. This is a very rare occurrence, so when it happens, it's even more special.

8. Hot Cocoa. My hot beverage of choice is a hot cocoa. Peet's is my favorite. Especially around the holidays when they serve their Peppermint Hot Cocoa. Warms the soul.

9. Calendars. That one sounds weird. Who loves calendars? I like making a photo calendar every year, using pictures from every month of the prior year. I love reminiscing every time I turn the calendar to the next month, thinking about what we were doing that same month the prior year. It also reminds me of how fast the kids are growing, and how precious time is.

10. Calm. This seems to be in short supply in my life these days. The craziness of life usually has me spinning around in circles. That is one of the reasons that I love blogging. It's a way to find calm in my life. Writing and reading other's blogs brings me calm, and laughter, and somehow, understanding.

When I first started writing this meme, I didn't think I was going to be able to think of ten things that I loved that started with C. It turns out, I had to par down the list, because I thought of way more than ten. This ended up kind of being my Thankful Thursday reflection for this week.

If you are interested in doing this meme too, just leave me a comment and I'll assign you a letter!