As the new year starts, I thought I might take a moment to share some random things about me.
I love the outdoors. I’ve written about this before, but this is one of those things that really defines me. I truly find solace in nature. I love spending time in the great outdoors, breathing in the fresh air and feeling the sun shine on my face. I’m very fortunate to live part of the year in a rural area where I have easy access the the outdoors and walk out my door and hike, kayak, walk, and bike.
I don’t love going to the beach. Most people love the ocean, and while I can appreciate it’s beauty, it’s not really my cup of tea. I’d much rather kayak down a river or go to a lake and would prefer being in the mountains.
I love the mountains. I grew up in a small town in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains. I can’t imagine living somewhere where the land is flat. I also love travelling to mountainous regions (so far, I’ve been to the Andes Mountains in Peru and the Alps in Switzerland). The mountains, quite simply, are home.
I hate snakes, but don’t mind spiders. When I was young, neither bothered me at all and I enjoyed playing with snakes, but somewhere along the way I developed a fear of snakes, even harmless ones. Spiders, on the other hand, don’t bother me much (unless they are big and hairy, then I’d prefer to be as far away from them as possible).
I love to bake, but I’m not a huge fan of cooking. Although I can cook a few things, I’d much rather bake (and I’d say I’m pretty good at it too). My favorite things to make are cookies and rolls, but I’d really like to learn to make artisan breads.
I eat the dough, always. I know it’s not recommended, but I eat dough, even if it has raw eggs. My grandma, mom, and I have all been doing it for our entire lives and never gotten sick, so I don’t worry about it.
I love books and want to be a librarian. I’ve always loved reading. My parents encouraged reading, but I also think my elementary school librarian was really important in getting me to love reading so much. I want to share that love with students and be surrounded by books.
On that note, I really love kids. I’ve babysat since I was 12 fairly regularly (I counted all of the kids I’ve babysat and I think it’s somewhere around 25 kids). I love babysitting and interacting with other people’s kids, but I also hope to someday have several of my own. I’m one of those people that has just always known I want kids, and lots of them.
I want to get my piloting license someday and have my own plane. My grandpa was a pilot (I never got to ride with him, but have been listening to his stories all my life), and I hope to someday follow in his footsteps.
When traveling, I prefer the remote areas over crowded cities. I’m definitely a country girl.
I enjoy manual labor. I wouldn’t want to do it every day for the rest of my life, but the jobs I’ve liked the most have involved at least a certain amount of manual labor (summer custodial help, exterior/interior painting). I also enjoy helping my dad work on projects around the house that require physical labor.
I was a three-season athlete in high school, but have never really considered myself an athlete. I played soccer (midfielder) and ran indoor and outdoor track (mid- to long-distance). I wasn’t awesome at either, but I wasn’t horrible either, especially in track. I really miss playing sports.
I actually don’t hate winter. I live in a cold climate, and I don’t love being cold, but I like winter more than most. I especially love the quiet that falls over everything after a heavy snowfall. Summer is actually my least favorite season- I don’t deal well with heat, and we live in an area that gets very cold winters and pretty hot (up to the mid-90s) summers.
I’m not a big fan of hugs. At the right time, from the right people, I’m ok with hugs, but the rest of the time, I’m probably going to try everything I can to avoid a hug.
I’m a list-maker. As in, I make probably a dozen or more lists every single day. Without lists, I would never remember anything.
So that’s a little snapshot of me. What would your list include?
The Oke Den 