These are a few of my favorite things...

It's about time y'all get to know the real CLeigh.  

"When the dogs bite, when the bees sting, when I'm feeling sad I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad."

La la la.  

If you have absolutely no clue where the heck I pulled that line from, then you must be crazy.  Like, really crazy. 

Julie Andrews.  The Sound of Music.  Ring a bell?  

Oh lord, I do hope so.  It's one my most favorite movies, and if you've seen it, it's probably one of yours, too.   

In the final scene where the Von Trapp family is climbing the mountains of Switzerland, I always get that warm, happy feeling big time.  More than any other movie, ever.  

It's like everything feels right in the world.  Until the credits start rolling, and you realize that all happened more than fifty years ago.  (You suck, reality). 

In the words of Maria, "these are a few of my favorite things" :

I love people.  I love working with people.  I have worked at the YMCA teaching children and adults how to swim for 6 years now, people.  Seeing the progression my participants make and knowing that I'm making a difference in lives is one of my most favorite things.  

I love knowing that I helped someone for the better.

I love my family.

My mom, sister, and me

 Cats.  Ha ha.  What more can I say about cats?  I love 'em.  I have been around 'em my whole life, and I think they are just fabulous.  Way back when I was in kindergarten, I used to push my tabby kitten around in my baby doll stroller.  That cat didn't care the least bit. 

And my sweet cat I just adopted...  My sweet Ollie.  He is the cutest darn thing that I ever have seen.  Getting drool all over my shirt is totally worth it.  I love my Ollie.   

He's my favorite.  

Yes, if you didn't catch the memo; my cat drools.  

He might think he's a dog, but I gotta love him regardless.

 

 

If God isn't a Tar heel, then why is the sky Carolina Blue?  I have an obsession with ANYTHING Carolina (Go Heels!).  My mom was born and raised in Chapel Hill, NC.  Even today, her side of the family still lives in Chapel Hill, NC.  Also, my mom and Dad went to UNC at Chapel Hill.  It runs through my blood, people...which is why Carolina blue is my favorite color.  There is nothing better than a Carolina basketball game. Unless it's a Carolina basketball game with a beer in your hand. 

 

 

Coralla, NC is my favorite place on the earth.  Corolla (pronounced Co-rah-la, not how you say Corolla the car), meaning all of the petals of a flower, holds a very special place in my heart.  Way back when I was a wee lil' thing, I would call Corolla "Nana's home".  My Nana, another remarkable lady, lived on the once quiet, peaceful, horse grazing beach for eighteen years.  

I vividly remember waking up bright and early to the smell of a warm, southern-cooked breakfast 'a cookin' in the kitchen, made with nothing but Nana's love...and lots of butter.  Yes, Paula Deen.  My Nana was all about some "butta".  As I waited patiently for Nana's home-cooked meal to finish cookin', I would sit at the kitchen table.  There, beside the table, was a huge window that I would look out every morning as a young child.  Outside of that large window was perhaps the most beautiful view of the Corolla lighthouse.  Sometimes you could even see the people, which looked like silly ants. 

I can recall fond memories of Nana and I walking barefoot along the shore gathering conch shells.  It was like our very own treasure hunt.  And boy---if we stumbled across a conch shell, we would get so excited because they were rare. 

Even though Corolla has become much more commercialized and the traffic is so bad a headache that you might need 8 Ibuprofens to cure it, it still has its special charm.  

Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can spot wild horses running freely, 

just like they would 20 years ago.  

Just like the conch shells, it's rare.  So when it happens, I don't take it for granted.  I just smile and reminisce on the good ole days.

  

 What is your favorite thing?

XOXO.