Bloomin' Words: Encyclopedia of Moi: A

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Encyclopedia of Moi: A

I heard about some bloggers participating in "The Encyclopedia of Moi". It was started by the witty blogmeister Shannon (who I heard about through my friend Teri) who decided, “I'll pick some things that I like, do, appreciate, covet or just find interesting and tell you all about them. And by the end of the year, I'll have a whole encyclopedia of moi.” (Of course, me, myself and I are probably the only ones interested in the outcome of moi's self-indulgent encyclopedia, but it still sounds like fun -- and it's been fun reading other's alphabet lists!) So we take one letter every two weeks and tell something about ourselves (except I'm jumping in late so have a little catching up to do). So here I go with the Letter A (this one is easy!).

Ash and Alys: My darling daughters, the apples of my eye. This picture was taken almost 20 years ago! They are just as close now as they were then and I love them to pieces! (Doesn't it look like they are enjoying the box more than the Li'l Miss Mobile?)

Apples: Love 'em. Always have. Fresh, baked, homemade apple pie, in salads, applesauce, apple juice, hot apple cider, apple red, apple green. I especially love this apple picture which my hubby gave me when we were dating soooooo many years ago.

Amtrak: I don't ride the rails often enough but the times I have I've treasured (even a couple mild horror stories make for fascinating tales). A wonderful day trip is from Salinas to Southern California, winding through the hills and oceanfronts near Santa Barbara and all points in between. There's nothing like waking to the silhouettes of snow laden trees in the mountains of Oregon or dining to the sight of a desert sunset on a trip to the Midwest.

America the Beautiful: Okay, there are some songs that bring out the sap factor in us. This is one of them. I'm so proud of our country, successes, innovations, warts, yearnings and all. These three words are not just about the meaningful lyrics, but the images of America that we all have ingrained in our memories. Enjoy this youtube pictorial guaranteed to give my fellow countrymen goosebumps:
YOUTUBE: AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

Antiques: Perhaps it started with my first visit to an antique shop in Carmel before we even moved to this area. Or maybe it was when my mom presented me with an antique letter holder or my sister gave me an old wooden stationery box. Somewhere I fell in love with antiques. Nothing too fussy. Good wood. Old silver. Nautical things. Functional items. I love running my hand over them and imagining who had them among their treasures in decades past.

Africa: Who would have thought Africa would have such an impact on my life? My Aunt Pearl and Uncle Tracy traveled to Africa as missionaries when I was a little girl, stopping by our house en route home laden with handcrafted souvenirs and exotic stories. In high school my mom and I sponsored a child through Christian Children's Fund. Then 10 years ago, while everyone shook their heads in sadness over the drought and children dying in Ethiopia, I read an inspiring article about "empowerment." Not just empowering the suffering, but empowering us to do something about it -- one child at a time. Shagitu was a little Ethiopian girl I sponsored then. The next thing I knew I became involved with a school in Kenya. Many children attending the school were orphans, all live in extreme poverty. This involvement changed my life in so many ways. In 2007 I traveled to Africa myself to see first hand the beauty of Africa's nature and meet the children we've been helping through our nonprofit organization.