Top 5 Friday

Because last week had a negative tone, I'm going all happy on ya this week.

Top 5 Favorite Places

5. Bay Area and north, California. Spent a summer in the Napa Valley and along the coast and fell in love.

4. Downtown Chicago. Just can't beat the lake, the museums, the eating, shopping opportunities, the architecture, and the music. Fun, fun, town. I lived there for two years, which was hardly enough, but at least I got that opportunity!



3. The Indiana Dunes lakeshore. Not only is it beautiful, it holds special significance for me and ONO. It was one of first dates where we hiked, he let me take him exploring off the beaten path, and he demonstrated his thoughtfulness by bringing grapes and water. Also, he grew up going to these beaches so they hold lots of memories for him.




2. Northeastern New Mexico. Specifically Santa Fe and Taos. Again, very, very beautiful, but more importantly, this is where we got married and honeymooned. We got married here. If you go to the site, you can see how amazingly beautiful it is, but we were also able to rent the entire facility for ourselves and small wedding party and guests. Cool!

After spending a few days in Santa Fe, we headed up to Taos and stayed here for our honeymoon.
One of the best parts of our time together was hiking down into the Red River Gorge and back out.


1. Southern Utah -- preferably very close to one of the national parks.

It would take too long, and you'd grow bored, if I shared all the reasons why this is my favorite place. And honestly, I don't understand all of it myself. In large part it's the place where I experienced some coming-of-age, and it represents a place for wandering, contemplating, finding things, never being bored. Peaceful, yes, but not bored. And best of all....it's almost always warm!