The beginning of a whole. lotta. love.

It begins. I'm talking about the heart and soul I put into my cooking. The literary world into which I journey deep into. Everyday life that takes its twists and turns. And occasionally some nonsensical rants that will surely make you laugh, make you cry and all the above. Again, it begins.

Three things you should know about me.

1. I am in love with cooking. Yes. In love. I am in no way the next Julia Child or Iron Chef, but realize that I take passion in being in the kitchen--Not because I am a cute lil wifey whose duty is to take on this multi-tasking, sometimes overwhelming, and work-infested environment, but because I enjoy indulging in the activity dreaded by most. Think about it. You get to control the place where magic happens. The place where the aroma in the air is of freshly minced garlic. The place where you choose how things operate--the way you organize your pots and pans--entirely up to you. The place where everybody goes in the act of boredom--to look in the fridge and to snack on your delicious leftovers. The place where I find myself-where I am myself. You probably laugh that I didn't first write "I love my husband," (we all know that's a GIVEN! duh.) but in the words of Child, "I wouldn't keep him around long if I didn't feed him well."

Above: With my Aunt Becky cooking for a family cookout. Molly wanted to help too!

2. I am in love with people. I love interaction. I love being in front of groups of people. I wouldn't say I like being the center of attention, but it's more of presenting or performing in front of people. That's why teaching is the perfect career path for me. Not only do I get to interact, present, and perform, but I get to learn, teach, and be creative! The hardest thing about moving here to Virginia so far has been the lack of this type of interaction. Sometimes I feel like my priority at times is to figure out what movies to put on my Netflix list I'd rather be lesson planning and under a whole load of stress! Is that normal?! I can't wait to pursue my future life, but for now, I am trying to adjust and enjoy every minute with my new friends and love bunny! :)

Above: Giving a speech to Kent State University students about the dangers of cell phone use while driving.

3. I am in love with my canine companion. I read somewhere before that not everybody loves your dog as much as you do, but you would disagree when you meet mine. She is a doll. Sometimes I get these depressive thoughts about what it would be like to face the day when she...well you know... and it is a tres miserable thing. I've been known to swell up the tears just thinking about it. I've even had dreams about it. Must be a fear I have. Unconditional love, a cuddle buddy, a walking partner, protector: who wants to lose any of these things? Not me. A dog is man's best friend. True Dat. True Dat.

Above: Molly and me sitting in front of the fire on a cold Thanksgiving day!

I should add a number four.

4. I am in love with my life. <3 <3 <3