The One with Thing 23

**I almost forgot about these posts!  Working on the Christmas one and that should be up soon but enjoy #23 in the meantime :)

List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.  (Again, sorry this is a close repeat to my favorite passions.  I tried to add different stories/details for ya.)

Reading.  I have always been a big reader.  When I was little Mom used to take all of us kids on trips to the library every Saturday.  She seriously brought a box to carry all the books home in and we always checked out the same number so she could be certain that all the books were returned.  I am definitely going to do this with my own kids.  I think I used to check out 8-10 books a week myself.  I read all the R.L. Stine Goosebumps and then progressed to Fear Street.  I’ve read every Babysitter’s Club and Boxcar Children book that the library had.  Sometimes I would choose a topic and read all the books they had on that subject.  The summer before my sophomore year of high school I really got into Greek mythology and then we did a unit on it in my English class.  At one point I (who never raised my hand voluntarily) interrupted class to tell my teacher that it’s pronounced Ag-a-mem-non and that Achilles dishonored Hector’s body by dragging it behind his war chariot.  Right now I’m working through a list of “classics” that I haven’t read yet and I’ve finally met a book I couldn’t finish.  Apparently I just don’t appreciate Hemingway.  I think the fact that I wrote a ridiculously long paragraph about reading and books is explanation itself that it’s my favorite hobby.

Crafting/DIY.  I’ve always liked crocheting and scrapbooking but I’ve recently really gotten into homemade gifts.  They’re not actually always less expensive but they are more meaningful.  And fun to make.  The siblings in my family have always done a Christmas gift exchange/rotation.  Mom started it when we were little and we’ve just kept it going.  A few years ago I had Steve for Christmas and since he’s the man who buys himself whatever he wants/needs, he can be hard to buy for.  Justin and I went to the Festival of Trees and I saw the funniest saying that I knew would be perfect for Steve so I made him a Christmas wall hanging using the quote.  That was the beginning and now I start working on Christmas presents in January.

Cleaning/organizing.  Most people probably wouldn’t consider this a hobby but I get in “cleaning moods” quite often.  I figure if it’s something you actually randomly have a desire to do then it’s a hobby.  I think I’ve organized our spare room (aka REI/Joann’s outlet) at least 3 times since we got married.  I actually enjoy the process (most of the time, no one likes cleaning toilets) and I love the end result.  I also google cleaning tips and follow organizational blogs.  I’m crazy.

Sports.  I don’t actually like exercising but I like being healthy.  Playing a sport is the best way to exercise because it’s fun so you don’t realize how hard your body is working.  Volleyball is definitely my favorite but it’s so hard to find 11 other people who all know how to play correctly or competitively.  It’s really hard for me to play volleyball with people who just “want to have fun.”  It’s fun when you play well!  I can totally understand the other side though because I really suck at Frisbee and am definitely just out on the field to run around and yell which probably ticks some people off.

Hanging out with my hubby.  Even though we live together I can still miss him and always want to be with him.  Sometimes when I’m making dinner I make him come sit in the kitchen and talk to me or I’ll sit next to him while I read my book.  Just because I miss him.  We still really enjoy doing things together as much as possible.  Obviously we bike and camp and ski together but we also take Sunday walks and play games.  Rummikub is kind of hard with only two people but we’ll play for hours.  We’re super cute :)

Other random things I like doing: crosswords, trivia games, hair (I am always braiding my nieces' hair when we're in AZ), shopping and woodworking.