not since the playground...

...have I been tagged so much! This time, instead of being challenged to post a groggy mug shot, I have been tagged to post 8 random things about myself. Here we go:

1. My very first instrument was the violin, which I started to play when I was a wee lass. I loved it, but didn't have the discipline to practice. Not to mention, there are few things like a screeching violin in the hands of a seven year old to drive a parent insane. Sometimes I wish I'd stuck with it, but I guess some strings just aren't meant to be--heh heh.



2. I haven't actually been a mountain biking fanatic for as long as you might guess. A couple years ago, I broke my toe (tripped over a dumbbell), which put a serious damper on an active hiking schedule. Pedaling a bike, however, can be done without putting too much pressure on the little digit. Long before the toe was fully healed, I had fallen in love with biking. Now I'm that lunatic that sings to her bike named Pedro: "God bless the broken toe that led me straight to you."



3. One of my favorite college memories is playing quarterback for my intramural flag football team. My freshman year, I was on a team called Rowdy, but I spent the remaing years on a team originally called Single (followed by Still Single our junior year, and Last Chance when we were seniors). The nicknames printed on our shirts followed the theme. For those first two years, I was "No Hurry". During our year as Last Chance, however, I was "Exp052403", aka: expiration May 24, 2003--my graduation date.




4. I'm a huge fan of the fine arts. Though most people know I write and love photography, I also used to compete vocally, and I was part art major in college. Going to great choral or dance performances, visiting art shows, and seeing fantastic theater--these are a few of my favorite things. Sadly, I do it far less often than I used to.

5. I am a Colorado girl to the core. I was born and raised in the Roaring Fork Valley (where Aspen is), where my dad owned an apres ski bar and restaurant on Snowmass Mountain. I was on skis before I was out of diapers (literally) and a good portion of my childhood memories involve camping with my family or just playing around my mountain neighborhood. One of my dad's best friends (and my pseudo uncle) was Mr. Rocky Mountain High himself, John Denver. Yes, I spent a few years away, but Colorado always calls me home.


6. I lived in Hawaii for a whole year and never learned to surf. I was working for the Baptist Collegiate Ministries, surrounded by surfing students, but I was always a little freaked out by the idea of paddling out to the reef. I body surfed the shore break instead (Waimea Bay was my favorite), and got a year's worth of learning just how much sand can fit into one swimsuit. What I miss most about Hawaii, however, has nothing to do with the beach. It's the food--there are so many things there that you just can't find anywhere else. Mmmm...manapua.

7. The only bones I've ever broken were in my face (save for the aforementioned toe). When I was in fifth grade, I was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time, and managed to get smacked in the face with a golf club--caught the swing on the full follow through. Let's just say that it took few hours of surgery to put things back in place.

8. I have a huge desire to go to Iceland, though I know it's a little random. Perhaps its the explorer in me (I LOVE to explore), but the place just intrigues me. Glaciers, natural hot springs, cute fishing villages...it's the stuff vacations and honeymoons and exploration are made of.




The rules of this game, as passed on to me: Each person starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their eight things and post the rules. At the end of your blog, tag eight people and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.


I'll leave it up to my readers to consider themselves tagged, though a few of you know that I'll be looking....