The 30 List: Passions

8. What are 5 passions you have?

I feel like most of these will be quite obvious, especially for those who know me well/have been reading for quite sometime. Alas, here goes...

1. reading

Reading by the Charles Bridge, Prague [Sept. 2007]

I'm not quite sure when I started to genuinely enjoy reading. Libraries became my happy place and I could literally spend hours upon hours in a bookstore (Just my opinion, Barnes & Noble is wayyy better than Borders). Growing up, my mom always encouraged me to check books out of the library instead of buying brand new books. Until this day, receiving brand new books (and then loving them so much that the pages crinkle and weather the only way a well-written book does) is like receiving golddd. I invest way too much in the characters... I laugh out loud and sometimes cry (if the book is really really good).

2. writing

Some people will say this is directly correlated to my love for books and makes me a better writer. I'm not quite sure I agree because I'm not exactly reading Shakespeare and Descartes. Plus, then my work (and heart) wouldn't have been ripped to shreds in all the writing classes I took in college. After my first piece was thoroughly dissected by my classmates, I learned to bring a full bag of chocolates to the critique classes. Anddd officially buried whatever secret hopes I had of becoming a published writer. But I still love to write for fun... and on a medium where no one (or most people) don't make me feel like eating 10 pounds of chocolate for a single word choice... YAYYY blog! 

3. rock climbing

90 foot wall in Lake Tahoe

 Shocker. This is something I am actually pretty proud of. I'm not a pro and not nearly at the level to brag about it, buttt I truly love this sport. While it requires height that my tippy toes don't exactly allow me to reach holds, my flexibility seems to more than make up for it. Rock climbing makes me feel strong and powerful, but also forces a certain amount of grace and agility. Plus, it has turned into a really awesome bonding thing for me and John. Regardless of whatever is going on between us, but I never stop trusting him to catch me when I fall.

4. love

Elephant's Back, January 2011

I love love. Again, big surprise. Sappy chick flicks and videos of outrageous proposals are my Achilles Heel. And of course... I love writing sappy, vomit-inducing things about my own love life. Honestly, if they still had a "Commitments" columnist position for newspapers (like Kevin in 27 Dresses), I would be a perfect fit. Well not perfect. But I would make a decent candidate... minus the fact that I have absolutely NO experience writing for a newspaper.

What the past couple years have taught me is that the movie type, head-over-heels, butterflies-for-years, in-love-with-your-best-friend kind of love really does exist. So many people over the years told me that I would never find love, that my standards are too high, and the man I'm looking for only exists on the silver screen. I can tell those people they are wrong. And I'm so glad I never gave up hope.

5. eating

Always a happy face when there's chocolate

 Does this one really need an explanation?  Food has an actual factor in my happiness. I'm easy to please that way... or I'm just a 12-year old trapped in a 25 year old body. You know I'm in a bad state if someone offers me ice cream and I turn it down.

Sick of hearing about me yet? Thanks for reading everyone!
Until next time...