Next year, it will be "28 Pictures of Baby Sloths."

Today's my birthday! Yay! Another year older. Not much is different from last year. Or the year before that. Or the one before that one. You get the idea. I do like doing birthday blog posts, though. I think last year, I did a post of random things about me. So this year, here are 27 things I like.

1. Making lists. And writing. Hence, this list. Also, to-do lists help me feel better about the day, in some ways. Life seems less overwhelming. And I always put easy stuff on there, too, which helps me feel less like a failure on those days when I'm not able to do as much. "Breakfast" is always at the top of my list, even though I don't eat breakfast. I drink coffee. But I know what I mean. 
2. Coffee. Oh, I love coffee. I'm not a snob about it. I don't drink anything fancy, just stuff that tastes good to me. I had a friend in high school that scored us free drinks at Starbucks several times a week. That relationship wasn't super healthy for me, but gosh, I miss the free coffee. Several months ago I started brewing it at home again, after a really, really long time (like, high school.) My favorite coffee is Texas Turtle from World Market. It tastes like chocolate and caramel. My second favorite is Vanilla Creme Brulee from Target. Generally, I like to go with vanilla and/or caramel. When I get Starbucks, though, I get the biggest possible iced latte with raspberry and white chocolate, and a few extra shots of espresso. 
3. Cupcakes. Cupcakes are a right, not a privilege. Everyone should have at least one a week. They are a thing of beauty. I don't just like eating them, I like decorating them and wearing them on my jewelry and clothing. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that last year, too, but who cares. I want a cupcake right now. 
4. Dinosaurs. I think it would have been fun to be a paleontologist. I would probably think dinosaurs were ok even if Jurassic Park had never happened (the movie, not like a real life event. Unfortunately.) But that really just kind of exploded my interest in them- not just lit a spark. It was more of a massive explosion. 
5. Hospitals. This one is really weird, but hey, that's me. I don't like being sick or hurt, and I don't like when people I care about are sick or hurt. But hospitals don't upset me, like they do some people. I like the cafeterias and the gift shops. I like nurses. I like learning about the equipment and procedures and codes and slang. I like the little old ladies that work at information desks. I'd like to work in a hospital, but the hours are really crazy and I don't know if I could do that. I even like TV shows that are set in hospitals. 
6. Grocery stores. Not boring ones- natural ones or gourmet ones or international ones. Even if I can't really buy much, I like seeing the different ingredients and things that aren't part of my everyday life. Weird vegetables and unusual fruits and fish that does not come in stick form. Food dye made from beets. I don't know. I think it's fascinating. Bonus points if there's a cheese counter. 
7. Stationery. I have a stationery problem. I buy a lot of notebooks and journals. I really like pens, and would buy more of them if there were more "testers" available in the stores. Different kinds of inks in all different colors. Tiny boxes of paper clips and push pins. Stickers and post-its. I love it all. I want a lot of it. I don't know what I'd do with it, though. 
8. Coloring. I love to color. I don't get to do it very often any more. I only color with crayons, because they're the best. And I only use Crayola. And my crayons are sorted into baggies by color. And I usually only buy the boxes of 96 or more colors. So I have a lot of crayons. 
9. Corn on the cob. Just wanted to put that out there. It's corn season. Corn on the cob is awesome. It's best grilled. It is also really good fried. And I got to eat some this weekend, so it is on my mind. 
10. Puppies. But who doesn't like puppies? Psychopaths, that's who. I really miss having a dog. 
11. Mail. I would love mail even if I didn't have sponsor kids. I sent cards to people all the time before I became a sponsor, because I like getting mail, so why wouldn't everyone else? Cards and letters are very nice. Sadly, they are both endangered species. 
12. Road trips. I haven't been on one in a while. I like rest stops and tourist brochures and picnic lunches and packing bags of busy activities for the back seat. I don't get car sick, which is kind of a miracle considering all the other things wrong with me. Road trips are special. And I think they're probably more fun than flying to a vacation destination. 
13. Magnets. When I do take road trips, I buy fridge magnets. I like kitschy ones. When people take road trips, sometimes I ask them to bring me a magnet. Or any kind of trip, really. I have magnets from several states and six different countries. I need a bigger fridge. 
14. TV. I love TV. Well, we don't have *real* TV, we have Netflix. But I love finding shows and watching them all the way through. Sometimes I am surprised with the things I end up liking. I decided to watch the West Wing, and I adore it now. I never would have thought I'd enjoy it, because I had to watch a few episodes in high school for a class, and you know how things aren't as enjoyable when someone is *making* you do them. Anyway, there are several shows that I like watching over and over again, like House, The Office, and The Golden Girls. 
15. Candles. I used to be pretty freaked out by them because a friend of mine died in a house fire. And fire still scares me and I run my used matches under the faucet before throwing them away. But I am a little picky about candles- I only like ones that smell like food!!! Usually sweet food. In my house right now, I have a coffee candle ("Christmas morning"- it might be coffee and donuts), a pancake candle, a caramel popcorn candle, and a blueberry muffin candle. 
16. Politics. But not politicians. I like history and the way our government works, but everyone does a crappy job of that. This is why I studied politics and history in college. And I get excited about shows like The West Wing. I watch that and I want to serve my country by working for the government. But then I remember that real life is not TV (or books) and I am disgusted. 
17. Sloths. They are my second favorite animal. My friend Kelli and I became a little obsessed with them after seeing one just chilling in the movie "The Mission." They are amazing. 
18. Walruses. They are my first favorite animal. 
19. Tapirs. And tree kangaroos. And a bunch of other weird animals other people don't understand or haven't heard from. I really, really love animals. 
20. Zoos. I feel weird about it because I'm so anti-circus, and some zoos are just a step up from that. So I like zoos but I also like working to improve zoos. When I first got married, I thought it would be really cool if Brandon and I could visit a zoo in every state, one each year. And then we could go to like, Hawaii for our 50th anniversary. And go to a zoo there. But we haven't left the state since our honeymoon, when we went to Disney World. Oh well. Maybe someday! 
21. Disney. Hey, I love Disney World and Disney movies. I know I have covered this before. My favorite is The Little Mermaid  but I also love Ratatouille. And Brave. And a bunch of other ones. 
22. Musicals. Les Mis is probably my favorite. And I really like Moulin Rouge. 
23. Things that look like food. I think food jewelry is really cute. Like earrings that look like pancakes. Or cupcake earrings. On Etsy, you can also find some really incredible soaps that look like food. More cupcakes. 
24. Children's books. I read a ton of them. I order most of the new picture books we get at the library. Sometimes I order all the books that pop up under a particular keyword, like around Christmas I read all the picture books about pie. And sometimes I order non-fiction stuff when I see an intriguing title, because I like to learn. Like, "Why Do I Burp", or books about how we get salt. Learning is important and it doesn't matter where you're getting your information as long as it's CORRECT information.
25. Spelling and grammar. I play a little loose with the rules on my blog, because I like to write like I speak, but I am also pretty picky. Spelling was my favorite subject all through school, and I got to grade papers to help out my teachers starting in third grade. But spelling is not a marketable skill, so I don't feel like saying that is really bragging. 
26. Daffodils. They are my favorite flower. I was so excited when I saw that there are some growing behind my new branch, but I could never get a picture of them because we had a very rainy spring. So every time I was at work, it was either raining or dark. 
27. Ducks. If I see a duck, I feel that it's probably going to be a good day. The babies are cute and the adults are just neat, because they sound silly and they walk silly, and they like puddles. I don't know why I like them so much, but I do. 

I don't know what I'm going to write about next year, because this was a little bit hard! Anyway, yay for birthdays. This year was hard, as have all the other years I've had recently, but I'm thankful that I made it through. Hopefully there will be many more to come.