10 Day You Challenge: 9 Loves

At first I thought this was 9 people I'm in love with... and well... I'm only in love with one person.  Then I thought about it more (give me a break it's early!) and realized it's probably 9 things (generically speaking) I love.... so I'm going to roll with that.

1. Being that it's the Summer Solstice today - I'll list Summer as the first.  I absolutely LOVE having 4 seasons in Minnesota.  As much as I complain and generally despise winter, there are certain aspects of it that I do enjoy (like waking up to beautiful hoar frost) - wait, I'm talking about summer here!  While it's not my favorite season - I love it because there is so much to do and so much fun to be had.  Corn on the cob fresh from a Minnesota farm, swimming in one of our 10,000 + lakes, beautiful flowers blooming everywhere, opening windows in the house and driving with the windows down... it's just such a welcome break from being cooped up inside!
2. Food!  One of the greatest things Steve has brought into my life is an adventurous appetite.  I was raised in a meat and potatoes home.  We didn't eat anything spicy and we certainly didn't eat anything off the wall.  Our veggies were standard and the same (green beans, corn, broccoli).  Often times I was offered money (like $1) just to try something.  Exploration of food came way later in life; a huge part of that has come with Steve.  I'm not sure why, but since meeting him I've tried a lot more food and finally conquered spicy hot things, to the point where I crave it!  My food repertoire has expanded!
3. Steve.  While this list is in no particular order, he would most certainly top the list.  As mentioned above he's helped me explore my wild taste buds (that sounds dirty... I promise it's not!) - but he's done so much more for me than that.  He's been a shoulder when I cry, he has loved me unconditionally, he accepts my quirks, he smiles every time he sees me, he holds my hand, he empties the dishwasher, he does his own laundry, he makes me laugh, but more than anything he is my best friend.
4. Travel - I wish I could do more of it.  I know that I've been very fortunate to have traveled so many places and having big girl bills now pretty much puts a stop to it all, unless I save and save.  I've been to 34 of 50 states in the US, as well as a couple places in Canada and Mexico.  I love the hustle and bustle of city life, but quite enjoy going somewhere less busy as well.  I love seeing new things, things that you see in movies and only dream of seeing one day in real life.  I love people watching in different cultures as well as my own.  I love picking up a map in a new city and getting from point A to point B all on my own!
5. Our New Home.  I'm simply in love with our home.  Everything about it from the old wood work to the neighborhood it's in.  Deep down I am a city girl - growing up in NE Minneapolis was one of the best and most amazing things in my life.  Living in Anoka now has brought a bit of community back to my life - we are able to walk downtown Anoka and grab a bite to eat or browse an antique store or get a scoop of ice cream.  All things I lost when living in Andover with my mom.  We live across the street from a park, so there is noise every Monday night while the people play their co-ed softball - and I LOVE it!  The inside of the house reminds me of my roots as well - a lot of the NE neighborhood was built around the same time as our home, so the craftsmanship is stellar and good quality products were used.  It's absolutely beautiful, even with the small annoying things that need to be replaced or repaired.
6. Boomer.  Probably more so now after our little scare last month.  I've always had a pet cat, my entire life growing up, they've always been the family pet - Boomer is my boy.  He's all mine!  What's even better is that he loves Steve as well (he hasn't so much cared for my past suitors).  Even though Steve is allergic to cats, Boomer seems to have less of an affect on him with each passing day - and he's got mad love for the kitty too!  Sometimes I think Boomer likes Steve more than he does me :(
7. Sour ... well, sour ANYTHING!  I almost just put sour candy, but I love lemons/limes as well.  Steve and I were seeking out any and all things sour for awhile there.  We found that Warheads Extreme are about the best, but I never turn away a bag of sour patch kids or sour apple gum... and even a stick of raw rhubarb to get my sour things going!  If you present me with anything sour, my mouth will start watering in .025 seconds.
8. Family - without my family I am nothing.  I've blogged about my family many times and simply put - we all like each other.  How many people do you know that can say that?  I feel like everywhere I turn someone is talking about how their family is crazy or they don't get along or they don't spend holiday's together.  It's so odd to me.  My parents, my brother and SIL, my nieces, my cousins, my aunts & uncles, my grandparents... ♥
9. Wine!   I love wine and everything it stands for - I think it can make almost anyone look classy (except for maybe this person), I love wine glasses and I love wine related art.  As of late I've been trying to cut sugar from my diet (see #2 on this post), basically because it's unnecessary - so I've cut out a lot of wine drinking.  Plus, with summer being here Red wine just doesn't feel good to drink as often as it does in the winter.  I don't usually keep a stock of white wine, but I do enjoy it quite a bit.