I am a fan of top ten lists – especially when they give great advice – like keeping the kids off soda… not to mention adults.  Click on the can for the link!

 

10. Twitter – I think I am becoming addicted.

9. Friday Night/Movie Night – Olivia and I have become friends with another young couple who have a little one, just like Lex, and we have started a tradition of watching a movie every Friday night – and I am LOVING it!  So far, Memento and Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

8. Longer Days – It’s still light out at 5:00pm!  Yay!

7. Mondays and Fridays – why?  Lex and I stay home together… that’s why.

6. Elmo’s Ducks – WAY better than the Elmo Song.

5. Thursday Nights – NBC Comedies and Grey’s/Private Practice… yeah, I said it!

4. Not having an iPhone – pretty self explanatory…

3. Recycling – I finally got a trash company that is green.  Loving it.

2. Puppy time at the Mall – Since I can’t have one yet – I can pretend that I do, even if it’s for only about 420 seconds.

1. 5:30pm – Which is, of course, the time my wife gets home every night.

 

• 10 – The Leaves – it has to be the single greatest thing to watch leaves turn brilliant colors and then fall out of the sky all around you… almost like a skittles commercial!
• 9 – Hot Chocolate – It just doesn’t taste right until you can see your breath…
• 8 – Fireplace Smell in the Air – walking around my neighborhood is such a pleasant experience right now
• 7 – Dark Turkey Meat – I know white meat is better for you – but give me that unhealthy stuff any day of the week!
• 6 – Apple Cider – Hot Chocolate is not the warm beverage of choice around this time!
• 5 – Scary Movies – I am a movie buff – but I wait all year until it gets dark so early to watch the scary stuff!  Love it!  My favorite?  The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre…
• 4 – Warm Hats – Yes, hats are almost essential at this time to cover my bald head – but I love the warm feeling I get when I put one on!
• 3 – T.V. Specials – they come on T.V. and my DVR fills up very fast!
• 2 – Holiday Decorations – I know people say they come out too quickly in the stores – but I embrace it!  I mean, you can’t stop it, right?  So when I see the Holiday decorations appear – my heart skips a few beats!
• 1 – Eggs – Eggs?  Yes, eggs!  Nothing better when the weather gets colder to have hot breakfasts!  Eggs, toast and tea!

 

1 – Trick or Treating, getting free candy again. 🙂

2 – Playing Hide and Seek, I love that game!

3 – Reading Hulk comics with her before her bedtime,

4 – Eating Oreos, best cookie in the world!

5 – Watching her play soccer

6 – Taking her to the beach to look for seashells

7 – Skipping rocks

8 – Searching for turtles at the duck pond

9 – Teaching her to ride a bike

10 – Buying and decorating pumpkins with her

 

I love the winter.  I love the things that only the winter can make special.  My top ten things are:

• 10) Mall Santas – Sure, they’re not the real thing, but that red suit makes anyone look jolly 🙂
• 9) The Sound of Snow – That’s right, the sound!  The crunch under your boot makes me smile.
• 8 ) Christmas Episodes – Not the specials per say – but the holiday episodes in the shows that I watch – just love ’em!
• 7) Movies – Again, not the holiday movies but the wonderful movies that will be nominated for Oscars come out in this season
• 6) Snow Days – I don’t get to work on that day – but it’s still like getting a day off like when I was back in school and school was cancelled! 8)
• 5) Hot Chocolate – For some reason it tastes different at this time of the year, somehow better 😀
• 4) Fires in a Fire Place – Nothing can replace a campfire smell – but this is a distant second…
• 3) Stores Open Later – I love when the majority of stores out there are opened nice and late.  What can I say?  I’m an night owl
• 2) Winter Hats – I might be a little biased – but my bald little head loves them 😛
• 1) Christmas Trees – Yes, I am one of those people who picks mine up the day after Thanksgiving and it’s gone December 26th.  The smell can’t be beat.  Boo to those fake trees.  They should be outlawed!

 

With the winter approaching and most animals disappearing, going to hibernate, here is my favorite top ten animals ever…

• 10 – Monkey
• 9 – Elephant
• 8 – Horse
• 7 – Turtle
• 6 – Cow
• 5 – Penguin
• 4 – Lion
• 3 – Cat
• 2 – Dog
• 1 – Hippopotamus

So, there you have it!  My top ten favorite animals.  Hippos are so big and cute and deadly.  Such an interesting combination!  Anyways, I have been spending most of November so far doing Teacher Trainings – doing another tomorrow.  But I will have photos of some fun storytellings soon!

 

Every year there are shows that promote me – just a little differently – here are some of my favorites… 

10. Big Ryan’s Tall Tale

9. Big Ryan the Storyteller

8. Tall Ryan’s Tales

7. Big Ryan’s Tales

6. Big Ryan’s Tall Tails

5. Ryan Tall Tales

4. Tall Ryan’s Stories

3. Big Ryan’s Big Stories  

2. Ryan Stall Tales

1. Big Ryan the Puppet Guy