Sailboats are so much fun to be in. You're out on the water in the sun and cool wind but also a part of the process of the movement by working towards it. The sailing part and making the boat sail is so nice to be a part of. Capturing that perfect wind and feeling yourself carried away with the excitement of the boat picking up speed. On top of this, sailboats are beautifully graceful to watch. They are large and white and move across the water smoothly. They are just so enjoyable to watch.

In order to not return home as an elephant, I have been working out at a gym here in Alba. I'm not much one for exercise but I hate the idea of hating the way I look so I strive to offset my eating with exercise (and smart food choices). I typically run/walk on the treadmill and, in doing so, there is not much air circulation and I get hot very quickly. When someone walks by me, however, the gust that follows them is so refreshing that I inwardly wish they would just continuously walk past me during my entire workout. However, they never do and I am left wanting and waiting for the next time someone walks by. Sigh.

Libraries are so comforting. I love the idea of being surrounded by a large collection of my own books. All ordered and shelved, looking attractive and impressive in their bindings. I love the idea of someone coming in and seeing my books and getting excited at the titles, sharing their love for the same books as I do. I love the idea of walking into the room, picking out a favorite and sitting down in a comfy chair to read for an afternoon. An endless supply of books that make me happy to be an English major rather than the ones that just make me feel burdened and weighed down by saying the same thing over and over. That sounds so good to me right now.

Gardens are such breaths of fresh air. Especially in the Spring when one hasn't seen a flower in a long time, newly bloomed gardens are so refreshing. I love to walk by them and see the well-tended flowers bursting forth into the new warmth of the changing days--it makes me so happy and excited. Flowers are so simple and so beautiful and they really just make me giddy. My mom has always done a lot of gardening though I don't know if she always enjoys it (it's hard to tell) and so I have fond memories of flowers and bushes like tulips, daffodils, lilacs, lilies of the valley, irises and forsythia in our garden. I hope to one day have a nice wildflower garden that makes me happy and feel at home.

Haha. It bears repeating. I just cannot say enough about my love for horses.

Oh goodness. While I do like chocolate, I typically prefer the lighter sweetness that one gets from baked goods as you have seen (here, here, and here just for starters). However, boutique chocolates are a special treat. They are rich, well made and usually horribly delicious. Truffles are my favorite with their chocolate moussey center and the cocoa powder on the outside. Yum. A lot of the time, though, I am afraid to try chocolates because I don't like it when they are filled with cherry cordial or coconut or other un-chocolately things that people put in them anyway--I prefer nutty or pure chocolate palates instead. Even with their price tag, boutique chocolates are fun to get every once in a while as a sweet treat--I certainly take advantage of it!

I know I've been posting lately about springy things but when we got back from Nice this weekend it had snowed again in Alba, relapsing back in winter after teasing us with thoughts of spring. Sigh. But I do like having another opportunity to wear the warm earflap hat I've bought while here. They fit close to the head and just keep my ears and whole head so warm and comfy that the cold is almost not even an issue. And they look cute! I really like the one in this picture and wish I could buy it!

Croissants are marvelous things. They are buttery and flaky and just embody everything that is right about dough and baking in general. Italy likes croissants (called brioche) and a typical breakfast is an espresso and a croissant. However, their croissants are sad, pale shadows of the real, French thing. They are dense and too sweet and just wrong. This weekend, however, we went to Nice and I got to have proper croissants and they were so unbelievable. I cannot possibly have another Italian sorry excuse for a croissant ever again and I am completely ok with knowing what I want and not being able to have it because my standards are too high. YUM.

There is something about laying in the grass on a sunny day that is so satisfying and relaxing. I love doing this on the first day where it's warm enough and just soaking up the sun like it will never shine again. The grass cradles you in its coolness and the sun warms you on your skin and it is just good. Add in some music and quiet musings and you've got yourself a good hour or two of serene enjoyment.

Apple tarts are up there as some of my favorite "food." I don't know if I like apple tarts better than apple pie (especially since my mom makes such a good one!) but I do know that they are delicious. Flaky shell, sweet, warm apples and you have a delicious baked concoction! Apple tarts are very popular in Italy (which is one reason this entry came to mind) and range from very flaky and pastry-like to more apple-cakey. Both are good but the pastry ones have custard under the apples so they are extra delicious!

Email, like the Internet, is a glorious invention. Even with instant messaging and social media tools, I still prefer email. I like that it is (ack!) a little archaic and can be both casual and formal. I like the dual nature of its professionalism and immediate intimacy and I absolutely love having email in my inbox. I use it to talk to professional contacts, apply for jobs, answer questions about the clubs I run at school, talk to friends, professors and family and just about everything. My life revolves around it.

My dad used to climb in bed with me every night and tell me a bedtime story or, sometimes, would recount his day for me and that would be his own bedtime story. I like how satisfying and comforting they are. Even as an "adult" I enjoy them. They lull me with the peacefulness of a closed ending and make me ready to go into a restful sleep. And they usually make me smile. Is there any better way to go to bed than with a smile on your face?