14 Things that I Love Besides Swimming, Biking, and Running
/In celebration of Valentine's Day here are fourteen things that I love, not related to triathlon.
In no particular order:
1. Chocolate in most any form, but especially plain and simple dark chocolate. I also love chocolate cake, chocolate milk, chocolate brownies, chocolate sauce, chocolate covered almonds, chocolate pudding, and etcetera. Although one exception, I like vanilla ice cream better than chocolate ice cream.
My idea of what heaven is like. Taken at the Oakmont Bakery.
2. Loon Lake in the Adirondacks where my grandparents have a cabin on the lake. If I could only pick one place to go on vacation for the rest of my life this place would be it. I love driving up and smelling the smell of balsam in the air. There are lots of awesome outdoor activities like hiking, biking, running, and swimming (ok so I snuck triathlon in there). I have many fond memories of summers spent at the lake.
3. Baking, especially brownies (see No. 1.) To thank our local wrenches Kiley brings them beer and I bake a delicious treat. My cookie blondies are very popular.
4. Cats, I love my cats, which should be no surprise if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram. Our first family pet was a beloved cat, Scamper, who was with us for 19 wonderful years. My parents recently adopted another orange kitty, Dewey, who has made himself right at home. I now have Dart, who came into my life via Kiley. He is a very loving and affectionate cat who can hear me walking down the hall and greets me at the door when I get home. I cannot imagine walking into a house without a cat anymore; it just doesn’t feel like home.
5. Wearing sneakers. I wear other shoes when I have to, like for work or when I go out and do normal people things, but I’d rather wear sneakers. By proxy, I love wearing scrubs because it means I can wear sneakers to work.
6. Waking up early. I am definitely a morning person, like Cinderella’s carriage I turn into a pumpkin but at 10pm rather than at midnight. If I sleep past 8am I feel like the day has been wasted. I also enjoy how things are more peaceful and quiet in the morning.
7. Coffee, because a day without coffee is just not a good one.
8. The smell of spring mornings, especially the first few warmer days in March and April. The smell is only vaguely familiar after a long cold winter, but a nice reminder that warmer and longer days are to come.
9. Brunch; breakfast foods are some of my favorites and brunch is basically breakfast on steroids, hence I love brunch. Philly has a number of great places to eat brunch, some of my favorite places are Hawthornes, Sabrina's, and Honey's Sit and Eat.
10. Mountains. The Adirondacks, the Poconos, the Rockies, the Blue Ridge, and others. I love skiing and hiking and the feeling of being on top of the world.
11. Learning new things, one of the reasons I wanted to go into medicine, because it is a career of lifelong learning. It is exciting to gain new knowledge or learn a new skill, it gives me a feeling of accomplishment and a sense that there is so much more that I can learn and do; endless possibilities.
12. Red wine, which I don’t have very often, but my dad sells wine for a living so when I am home he always has delicious, bold, fruity bottle of my favorite Pinot Noir.
13. Taylor Swift. Many of my friends credit me for introducing them to Taylor back before “Tear Drops on my Guitar,” was played on the radio. I went to her Fearless tour concert for my 21st Birthday and sing her music in the shower.
14. Saving the best for last, my family and friends.
