...a few of my favorite things: part 1

I consider myself to be a fairly simple person.  I'm a simple person in that the things that mean the most to me, the things that make me laugh, the things that warm my heart, the things that bring tears to my eyes.... the things that I LOVE, are simple things.


One of my favorite parts in "The Sound of Music" is when Maria sings "These Are a Few of My Favorite Things" in her room.  You know the scene- a handful of the Von Trap children flock to her room after becoming scared during a thunderstorm.  Together, they proceed to sing & dance about Maria's love for simple things like raindrops & roses & whiskers on kittens, and snowflakes that fall on her nose & eyelashes.  (Seriously, just thinking about it makes me want to go watch the movie!) 

I think I could start a blog for the sole purpose of listing one "simple" thing I day that I am grateful for, and never running out of things to write about. However, I'm barely posting as often as I want to on my (half) full glass of cab blog, so I'll hold off on starting a second one.  Instead, every now & again, I'm going to do do a "one of my favorite things" post.  It fits the theme of this blog, will encourage me to recognize the blessings in my life, and maybe even encourage others to look for the blessings in theirs, too. And so, behold--- "A Few of My Favorite Things: Part 1." 

Simple Thing #1: Family Traditions.

Our family is at no loss for traditions- we have all sorts of them.  However, one of my personal favorites is our annual Easter Sunday Kickball Tournament on the farm.  Each year, after Mass & an enormous meal as a family, we change from our "church clothes" into our "kickball clothes."  Kickball clothes are defined as t-shirts, sweatshirts & fleece pants, finished off with a pair of tennis shoes.  We head out to the front yard at my parents' house, pick teams and engage in a fierce game (or games) of kickball.  I LOVE this tradition.  I love how much we laugh, how we "chatter" in the outfield to distract the "batters," how some of us, at the age of 28, are targeted as "easy outs" when we step up the plate.  I  love how our parents sit on the front porch & watch us play like we're all 10 again.  Easter Sunday Kickball is, without a doubt- one of my favorite things.

New additions to the family (like Tim) have taken our kickball tournaments to an entirely different level.  Specifically, increased competiveness & higher talent.



Doug "Wheels" Porterfield rounding third for an action packed play at the plate.  It seems Wheels may have missed the memo on "kickball clothes" this year.

Team 1 playing defense.  I love the look of determination on Elliot's face.  He clearly took his role of pitcher that day REAL seriously.

I suppose you could classify these as their "game faces." 
Intimidating, aren't they?



Not brave enough to play but not crazy enough to miss the action up close & in person: our front porch cheerleaders. Don't be mislead, even though they're our parents, when it comes to kickball, they have their favorites.



Both teams uniting for a post-game shot.  
Cousins, brothers, sisters, boyfriends & fiances... oh my!

Simple Thing #2: Snail Mail

"What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can’t reread a phone call."
–Liz Carpenter, former press secretary to Lady Bird Johnson

If only Ms. Carpenter could have imagined the ways in which communication would have evolved from just hand written letters & phone calls.  Text messages, emails, facebook?  It's safe to say that there is no shortage of ways to deliver a message to someone these days.  I guess this is why I love a good, old fashioned, hand written letter- both given & received.  There is no simpler way to brighten someone's day than by taking the time to write them a REAL note, put it in an envelope, and drop it in the mailbox.  There's a certain kind of romance to letting someone know you're thinking of them or appreciate something they've done for you.  Let me share with you someone who does this well.

My friend Amy is one of my dearest friends in the whole world.  We've been friends since our freshman year in high school, and have been through thick & thin together.  Aside from living in different states, having full time jobs, and Amy being an incredible wife of 9 years to her husband Mike and an amazing mom to their 3 boys, ages 4, 2, & 3 months--- we still make the time to talk regularly & keep up on what's going on in one another's life.  

All this to say, Amy has her work cut out for her these days.  I'll never understand how she successfully wears all the different hats she has (wife, mom, co-worker, friend, daughter, sister, etc)- but she does.  Last week, after getting home from work & getting the mail out of the mailbox, I opened an envelope addressed to me.  This is what was inside:

"The more things change in the world around us..."

"The more they stay the same in the friendship we share.  And I'm so grateful for that."

Sigh. Complete with a handwritten note on the inside of the card.  Not a birthday card, not a thank you card.... just a day maker card.  My favorite, from someone who inspires & means more to me than she'll ever know. 

It's all about the simple things.