A Is for...

If you are looking for my One World One Heart post, it's here and my other blog OWOH contest is here.

###########################
I got this challenge from Alison. The challenge is to list ten of your favorite things that begin with a certain letter that is assigned you by the blogger. I was assigned the letter A.

Oh boy, here goes:

1) America - Land that I love. With all our problems, it is still a beautiful and amazing place to live. Not a week goes by that I don't think about my dumb luck at being born here.

2) Art / Artist - I have a deep appreciation for all creative endeavors: The vision, the planning the execution. All are fascinating.

3) Azul - Spanish for Blue. I only lived in Argentina for four months and spoke three words of Spanish before that. But there are still certain words that make more sense to my brain in Spanish. This is one of them...not just any blue. It's that really brilliant sky blue when there are no clouds and smog.

4) Aglio y Olio - Spanish for garlic and oil and my favorite pasta topping. Another Spanish phrase forever burned into my brain, this one from a young waiter named Aldo (Another "A" - the best waiter in the world!) at a restaurant named Broccolinos. I would go in on a cold and winter night, too exhausted to have one more conversation. Aldo would just bring me a plate of my favorite pasta. I would leave so happy, I could almost cry.

5) Argentina - While I'm stuck on Spanish, let's add in the only other country I've lived in for any significant length of time. I was lucky enough to see quite a bit of it... Breathtaking rivers, pristine beaches, rustic cowboy country, mountain deserts that reminded me of California, quaint wine country and the most amazing waterfall: Iguazu. Alas, I'm still hoping to get back and see Tierra del Fuego and those penguins!

6) Acorns - I'm often dumbstruck that huge trees can grow out of something as plain and simple as an acorn! When I'm out walking and find particularly interesting ones, I sometimes put them in my pockets. My mom still gets a kick out of this habit!

7) Aunt - Ahh... the next best thing to mom. I had two aunts on either side of my family that adored me. My mother's sister-in-law (Ann - another A!) would make me my favorite childhood meal every time I flew into Baton Rouge: Homemade biscuits and tomato gravy. When she died, I told her son that I wanted to "inherit" her biscuit recipe. But, she never wrote it down!

My father's only sister was, in many ways, my emotional mother. She's the one I would run to when I needed to talk. She never interfered, judged or criticized; she never tried to fix my problem. She listened, she hugged, she laughed, she cried and sometimes, if asked, would give advice. I've written about Sister / Sissy here before and how I know she visited me after her death. Just the other day, I was thinking about how miraculous that was...that she loved me enough to linger a little longer here.

7) Animals - I do love all animals, but I have a very weak spot for dogs.

8) Abnormal - I love this word - maybe because I've always thought of myself as abnormal. But the other reason is, I can't hear it without hearing that line in Young Frankenstein.... Abby Normal.

"Which brain did you take?"

"Abby's brain."

"Abby WHO?"

"Abby Normal."

It just makes me smile.

9) Apologize - I can't say I like it but I always do it, so I must like it! Even when I do nothing to apologize for! And I've been doing that since I could talk! Annoying! I do think a thoughtful apology can go a long way in mending relationships.

10) Ambrosia - Who doesn't love ambrosia???

And, since I cheated a little with Spanish words... I'll add a bit more:

11) Ahhhh - The sound I make when I finally call it a night and curl up on the sofa with Mabel Lou.

12) Advertising - I made a lot of money making commercials and I'm one of the weirdos who tape the big football game to see the commercials! I adore cleverly crafted 30 second films.

On the other hand, how about a few "A" things I hate:

1) Advertising - I LOVE my dvr so I can fast forward through most of those dreadful commercials.

2) Accounting - I HATE this part of running a business.

3) Abdomen - I dislike this part of my body the most. If I could cut it off, I wouldn't miss it!

4) Aches - the worst part of getting old.

5) Addictions - Even though I've had family members deal with these, I still don't get it.

6) Adolescence - Wouldn't do it again if you paid me.

7) Adolescent boys - I despised the times my Godsons went through the "I'm right and you're old and stupid" phase. So glad both are older now!

8) Ants - If you live in California, no matter how clean or dirty your kitchen, you will get ants! They make my flesh crawl!

9) Apathy - How uninteresting is that??? Care about something, dammit! It makes you passionate!

10) A$$holes - Self explanatory

-----------------

Well Inspired One, did I do a good job???