My letter V

The Exception tagged me on a letter meme that has had my head a-spinning! This is, indeed, a challenge, but an incrediby fun exercise!

She bestowed upon me the letter v.

Now to think of ten things that I love that begin with the letter v. If you leave me a comment, I will give you a randomly chosen letter in turn.
So: on to v!

1. V is for my violin, my first true love, my first traveling companion. My violin took me to Japan my first time, to All State Orchestra, and accompanied me throughout a youth filled with learning and loving in the purest sense. My virgin mind wrote a poem extolling my violin when I was but in high school, as an instrument of my love, through which this love shone forth in both a physical manifestation and an emotional outlet. My violin taught me self-discipline; I was self-taught on the violin and am proud that all I accomplished on my violin was due to my own hard work. I miss my violin--my fingers have lost their training but my heart has not lost the love.

2. V is for my voyages. I am a traveler. I have been to, not counting mere airport layovers, twenty-four countries, twenty-three of which before I turned 30. I have lived (long enough to have to change my visa) in Europe, South America and Asia. I have learned to respect the beliefs and the ways of life of so many who live in such a different way than the over-indulgent way North Americans tend to live, which has created in me a desire for much more simplicity in my life. When I sit for too long without traveling, I become extremely restless; my voyages are good for my soul.

3. V is for vivacity. I am extremely attracted to that quality in people and try as hard as I can to maintain my vivacity of spirit even when I feel beaten down by Life.

4. V is for Vegas. And the only reason I love Vegas is because my sister and her family lives there (as well as an old college roomie) and I have grown to love and really look forward to our once yearly visits.

5. V is for violets. Apart from adoring the vibrancy of violet, my imperfect lawn is filled with violets in the springtime. What most would consider a terrible plague infecting their grass, I adore the deep blue, purple and white violets that come out as a sure sign of spring. My children pick them and make me bouquets with these violets, which I put into mini-vases and decorate our tabletop with these springtime treasures.

6. V is for Vienna. It is the name of my town, that which I now call home. It surprises me, to be honest, that this would pop into my mind as I meditate upon this exercise. I have grown to love Vienna because this is the home my children know, and because my dearest adult friends live here. However, Vienna has also permitted me to follow a dream I never considered possible, that of starting my own school and even writing my own textbook, and I think there are few places where there would actually be an active market for what I do that is not already saturated by community college or other community outreach classes.

7. V is for vanilla, my most preferred candle scent and a most necessary ingredient in most Holiday baking recipes. I find the smell of vanilla intoxicating; it fills me with memories and warmth.

8. V is for variety. I become quickly bored with routine, and even if not capable of getting myself out of the daily routine, I seek out people who can grace my life with variety in some fashion--be it an impromptu coffee once in a while, a spontaneous drop-in at the house, or just a telephone conversation that makes me interrupt my norm/rut.

9. V is for velvet. I find the sensous feeling of that particular fabric glorious against my skin. My favorite dress is black velvet with a Chinese collar; unfortunately, I never have ocassion to wear it as I never go out! Velvet makes me feel like royalty. I love to feel like a queen.

10. V is for vicuña…after all, that is what I am. Even my latin name (Lama vicugna) tells you--I am Mama Llama, domesticated version of the wild vicuña that roam the Andean highlands and that give us such versatile wools to weave into sweaters or scarves, that keeps us so warm. They are sturdy, hearty, strong creatures that can handle the hardships of life on the altiplano and that give such comfort through their wool to others.

Funny, now that the floodgates have been opened, I can think of a variety of v variants that command my attentions.