Hobby

I consider myself a pretty well-rounded person. I play volleyball and some other sports, sing, write and edit, play the piano (a little), make scrapbook-y cards, and cook (albeit grudgingly).

Lately, I've had the urge to branch out in all directions. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt. I want to make ridiculously incredible home decorations and furniture myself. I want to paint on canvas. I want to photograph artistically. I want to be involved in theatre productions. I want to try to write a book. I want to make beautiful flower arrangements. I want to read more books. I want to learn a few other languages. I want to join a city league for volleyball. I want to do anything and everything artistic and fun that I possibly can think of. See my problem?

I've tried to narrow down my list of desired hobbies, but I can't bring myself to get rid of any of them. Tracy recommended keeping all of them on the list but just working on a few at a time. But then I have to decide which ones to do first. I'm being silly and childish, but I really want all of them, and I want them now!! :)

Any suggestions? I'll let you know what I decide to focus on, but it will definitely be a difficult decision.

Planning Ahead for Next Summer

We Wulfs like to be prepared. We like to have things planned out. I keep my planner updated religiously. But both of us were unprepared for geology grad students applying for internships for next summer just a week or two after the semester started. For next summer! Already?! Seriously?!?

Even though Tracy got a slower start on applications, he interviewed with fifteen companies and come home with tons of free stuff--five water bottles, a flashlight, a toy truck, a coffee thermos, flash drives, a deck of playing cards, office supplies, and a hand lense (for looking closely at rocks). But perhaps the most common free item was food. Tracy got at least free ten dinners for going to information sessions and special dinners. We went to the grocery store and realized that we didn't need too much, because we hadn't really eaten any of our own food for dinners. SWEET!! I love free stuff!!!!

But the biggest piece of news we have to share is that Tracy has accepted an internship with Hess, an oil company that is pretty popular on the East Coast. It has many international locations and, while it is relatively small compared to Exxon or Chevron, it has done well in the recent economic crisis. Tracy will be working for Hess in Houston next summer. We are so excited!!

Before I Die

I really like lists!! I fill notebooks with them. This list was particularly fun to write.

It might seem strange that I’ve compiled a list of things to do before I die. I’m only twenty-two years old for crying out loud! But I’ve learned in the past couple of years that time flies by, and lately I’ve realized that unless I keep these goals of what I want to accomplish in mind, I might never complete them.

Some of these things are things I would like to do, but I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to. Others I must do before I die (for example, going to Britain). Although I realize that some of these goals are far fetched, I’d like to think none are completely out of my reach. I guess if anything else, this list tells you how imaginative and hopeful I am.

Go to Britain—I must do this!! Did I already say that? I’d like to go for at least two weeks, but I’ll go there for as long as I can. Tracy promised me he’d take me there when we got engaged. I would rather go to Britain than anywhere else on this planet!!

Go to Hawaii or on a cruise (I’ve never experienced this and would like to someday.)

Go to New York City and see a show (or perhaps several) on Broadway (That is, if I can convince Tracy to come and if I bring a pillow for him to sleep on while I watch it.)

Be in another musical (perhaps even be the lead!)

Record my singing on a CD (Obviously it won’t be professionally done and my voice won’t be heard on the radio, but I would like to record my voice on better technology than a twenty-year-old tape recorder.)

Take my kids to Disneyland (or Disneyworld)

Have a garden (both with food and flowers)

Learn French, Latin, Italian and/or Portuguese (I doubt I could learn all of these languages, but I would love to. This list is in order of priority. Since Tracy already knows Portuguese, I figure he can just translate for me. J)

Complete a somewhat impressive visual piece of art (whether a painting or something else) This one might be a little too far out there for my abilities.

Edit for a magazine or book publishing company (even if it’s just for less than a year)

Write a book—not sure whether fiction or nonfiction. I haven’t decided if I actually want to do this. Ironically, I prefer novels written before 1900, mostly from Britain, so it’ll be interesting if I decide to write fiction in America now. A bit hypocritical, huh?

Go to Australia and New Zealand with my brother Todd. (Haha! Right! This is one of those more imaginative ones.) We agreed on this trip years ago—other siblings and family are welcome to come too. This probably won’t really happen, but it would be awesome if it did!

Learn to fence (Not required but again this would be awesome!)

Ride a horse up to a gallop and feel comfortable doing so

Get a master’s degree in English literature and teach (Maybe even a PhD and teach at the college level. This again probably won’t happen, but I’ve thought a little bit about it. Who knows? If this does happen, it will come after my kids are older and I have completed most of the other things I want to do before I die.)

As you can see, I’ve got a lot of work and saving to do to accomplish all this before I die.