ShannonAlbert.com - June 2009

- Seeing soldiers filing in by the dozens or hundreds at the airport. I saw this a couple of times when we lived in Texas and it makes me cry every time. Very moving.


- Talented kids. There's something so moving about kids doing things really well. Many of the Olympians were just teenagers and that put me in tears several times while watching. This girl, Charise Pempengco, is as good of a singer as Whitney, Celine or Mariah. And she's just a kid.


- Seeing other people, especially men, cry. It's almost like crying is contagious.

- The "Slipping through my fingers" scene from Mamma Mia


- Almost anything by Fantasia. I know that many people don't even like her singing let alone get really moved by it. I've never cried so much as I did when she sang "I'm Here" in The Color Purple musical.


- Reading people's weight loss stories. I know how hard it's been to lose 20-ish pounds so the stories of people losing much more are especially moving. One of my favorite's is from RonisWeigh.com.

- Really great photos such as those at The Big Picture. Recent example:


- Traveling. I love it and often find myself teary-eyed when we're somewhere new and I am incredibly grateful to be able to do it when we can.

- When the kids are getting along well and being sweet to each other. They usually fight but the times they get along and are nice to each other almost make up for it. (It should be noted that Blake punched Payton 0.7 seconds after this photo was taken. I'm glad I captured this rare moment on camera.)


- Seeing JT live. No need to remind me that I'm a 33-year-old mother of two or that he's a former boy band member or try to convince me he's a tool (is it bad that I don't see what's so bad about him in this video that tries to do just that?). I love him. The end.

- Seeing little old ladies that remind me of my grandma. I miss her.

- Seeing airplanes fly over closely. I'm actually surprised more people don't feel this way but people usually think I'm crazy. I think it's an amazing feat that tons of metal can go hurling through the air at hundreds of miles an hour. Seeing it up close is so moving to me (so moving that I used to drive to work and pass by an airport daily and if an airplane would be flying right over the highway, tears would just start streaming down my face). Don't even get me started on air shows....little slice of heaven right there.


- Fireworks accompanied by patriotic music. Gets me every time.

- a million other things that will elicit a response from Andy or the kids saying "you're crying again?!"

(As a side note, things that don't make me cry: personal issues, work, frustration, using it to be manipulative. I know plenty of people who do though...not that there's anything wrong with that.)