"A"

Brought to you by the letter "A"

Naïve-no-more had this on her blog and assigned me the letter A.

Here's how it works: You take your assigned letter and then write 10 words that start with that letter and explain why they are important to you. Of course, NNM assigned me with a somewhat difficult letter but I am determined to write about 10 important things to me that start with the letter “A”

AUTUMN- One of the seasons that I look forward to, particularly after a long, hot and humid summer out here in the East Coast. I love the crisp, cool air and the rich pallette of reds, oranges, browns, and yellows, emanating from the various trees. Fanciful thoughts of hayrides, bobbing for apples, corn-mazes, candy corn, and Fall festivals come to mind. One of my favorite things to do during this time of the year is walking through Central Park in NYC.

ART - I really should have at least minored in Art History when I was in college. Art is a form of human expression that communicates emotionally and intellectually an individuals' thoughts and feelings concerning themes about self, dreams & visions, issues, or relationships. Creativity is about humanity and as created beings we bear the hallmark of the creative character of God. What an overwhelming, yet awesome thought! Some of my favorite modern art movements are Impressionism, Fauvism, and Abstract Impressionism - Monet, Matisse, Rothko, Renoir, to name a few. Art museums I love to visit? The Met and the Philadelphia Art Museum. I just discovered The Cloisters in Upper Manhattan a few weeks ago. A storehouse full of medival art, architecture, and gardens. I am not too fond of medival art, but I fell in love with the cloister's (gardens), concealed within the confines of this building.

ANNA – My first cousin who is about four years younger than I am and is like a sister to me. Of course, I've known her all my life. Her mom and my mom are sisters, who raised us closely together. Anna wasn't one of those cousins I only saw during holiday get togethers. When we were younger she looked up to me - her cool older cousin. But as she entered into her adolescent years, she started to form her own mind. And what a mind it is! Anna and I share the same twisted sense of humor that only our "cousin-ship" can understand. We've laughed, cried, fought, and made up over the years. While I go home to the west coast to visit my family about twice a year, (Anna also lives about half an hour away from my parents) she flies out here to the east coast to visit me about twice a year as well.

AUNTIE "T" - My mom's youngest sister, more like my older sister. She is Hormone Happy Boy's mom and has always played an important role in my life. Before my aunt got married, she lived with my family and we shared a room together. I remember when I was about 7 years old she got the chicken pox and oddly enough, I never got it from her. I got the chicken pox when I was 10 years old. :D She got married when I was 10 and I was her junior bridesmaid. After the wedding, she moved down to San Diego with her husband and I was absolutely devastated. Interestingly enough, it turned out to my advantage because during my adolescent years, I spent most of my summers in San Diego at my auntie T's place.

ANICETA – My mom’s first name. She was the main focus in my previous post -a tribute to her on Mother's Day. Go ahead and read all about why this woman is so important to me and why I love her so much.

AIR – How can I convey the importance of air? If we didn't have it, we'd all be dead.

APPLE PIE – To be specific, my mom’s freshly baked apple pie. There is definitely nothing like it – the tart flavor of granny smith apples mingled with sweet cinnamon will have you drooling for more after devouring one piece. May I suggest chocolate ice-cream on the side?

“A” – A friend who surprisingly popped into my sphere and has awakened certain feelings and sensations that I thought were dead and stagnant, buried under the mire and sludge which have accumulated. It's making me feel somewhat disconcerted.

ADOPTION SOCIAL WORKER – That’s my job title and as much as I love what I do, it certainly does not wholly define who I am as a person. My dad was adopted, not as an infant, but as an older child and it's interesting that a big part of my job is working with older children, needing to find a permanent home - loving, caring, adoptive parents who will give them a sense of stability and security.

Alright, alright, I was supposed to come up with 10, but like I stated earlier, the letter "A" was a difficult one. At least I got 9 and come to think of it, 9 is almost 10, right? ;) If you want to play, just let me know on the comment section and I will assign you a letter.