30 Questions: Hobbies

List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

1.) Cooking - I've loved cooking my entire life. My earliest memories are of cooking! I don't know why I love it so much...I think it has to do with the cultural element of food. It brings people together, no matter where they're from or who they are. It's something everyone has in common. Nobody gets mad when you bring them delicious food!

2.) Shopping - It's always been a stress reliever for me, which is odd since my family tends to not particularly enjoy it. There are few things that make me happier on a Saturday afternoon than going to the mall and just leisurely wandering around. I don't have to buy anything...I just enjoy going. Yes, I know it's weird.

3.) Traveling - I don't feel like I should have to explain this one! There's so many amazing things you can get out of travel. From the bit of traveling I've done, I've gained new favorite foods, a new appreciation for different cultures, language skills, friends, indescribable experiences...the list could go on for ages. The magical thing about travel is that it changes you as a person for the better. I wish everyone could dive into another culture with an open mind...it'd make the world a better place.

4.) Exercising/Being Active - While I sometimes have a love/hate relationship with the gym, I love being active, particularly when it doesn't seem like I'm doing it solely for the exercise aspect. Whether it's throwing on a pair of skis and or going for a walk, I love being able to get out, experience nature and appreciate my body for the amazing things it is capable of doing.

5.) Writing - I've always expressed myself far better through written words than spoken ones. Writing just makes sense to me. I love it and I would not be who I am without it.

Observations about Life in Utah

If you've followed my blogging for awhile, you know that I like to make lists of cultural differences whenever I go someplace new. So, here's some observations on life thus far in Utah.

Sunday has always been my shopping day. I love being lazy and leisurely in the morning, then heading off to get a late breakfast somewhere followed by window shopping at the mall and a trip to Target. In Utah, that's not entirely possible. Before going anywhere, you have to check to see if wherever you want to go is even open on Sundays. Yes, even malls are closed on Sundays here. The Mormon church owns the nicest mall in Salt Lake, so it's closed on Sundays. Even as I'm sitting here writing this, I'm thinking about where I could go get breakfast that's open today.

People CANNOT drive. This is primarily a Salt Lake City thing. I haven't noticed nearly as many awful drivers in Park City. But when I am in SLC? Count on using the horn a LOT. Last weekend, I swear I had to lay on the horn every 30 seconds! It appears that drivers just don't really pay attention to other people, which tends to be a bit of a problem.

Alcohol laws are just weird. You can only buy alcohol in state-run liquor stores (legal monopoly, apparently) unless it's beer that is below a certain percentage. But they measure the percentage differently than the rest of the country...instead of being measured by volume, it's by weight, I think? I don't drink beer so it doesn't really mean a whole lot to me. Other strange things...last call is midnight (a big change from closing down the bars at 3:30am in college!), free pouring of liquor is illegal (all liquor pours must be measured) and you can only have one drink in front of you at a time. Happy hour isn't a thing here, really, either.

Yes, there are lots of Mormons. No, you generally cannot pick them out in a crowd. Mormons are people just like anyone else. I live with two Mormons and they are very down-to-earth, normal people.

There's this strange sort of camaraderie among the non-Mormons in Utah. Aside from certain neighborhoods in SLC and Park City, non-Mormons are definitely the minority, so I guess it just brings people together like any other shared lifestyle choice.

Anyone out there got any other questions about life in Utah?

30 Questions: 5 Weaknesses

Describe 5 weaknesses you have.

1.) Delicious and pretty baked goods

2.) Flat Boots...particularly equestrian style or Uggs

3.) Men in suits

4.) Cute, small animals

5.) Bright colored clothing/shoes/accessories