Skydiving, Park Rangers and Limes – 10 Facts About Me

I love lists, and I love random facts, so it was so much fun to put this together!  There is a bit of a chill in the air here today in the Netherlands, along with some gray skies.
 

So, grab a bit of tea or coffee to enjoy with me even if it’s warm where you are – it makes it more fun!
 

1. I went skydiving my freshman year of college, just because it terrified me.  The tandem instructor gave me no time to think when we were at the door – he just said, “ready – go!” and we flung out into the air.  

On the free fall the air was rushing so hard at my face I found it hard to breathe. Once the parachute opened, it was much nicer to take in the 360-degree view of the beautiful Rocky Mountains in Denver, Colorado. It was an amazing experience that I would definitely do again.

2. I’m nervous around contact sports. Soccer, basketball, wrestling, you name it, I don’t want to do it.  It freaks me out when people are running towards me, and my coordination is something I need to improve a bit.  Even gymnastics was too much for me – doing flips or watching people do a flip still scares me to this day.  Your NECK people, it’s a fragile thing!  

When it came the time in gymnastics to learn how to do a flip (around age 8), I was all, “peace out, not for me.”   I love to move though, so because of the contact sport issue I LOVED dancing and swimming while growing up and became a yoga instructor four years ago (yes, I realize hand stands and contorting mess with your neck, but it’s a much slower process to get into the posture in yoga.  I never said the fear made sense!).

3. If I chose a different life path I would be searching the world for new and delicious coffee beans.  I was a Barista at Starbucks while in college, and they had a Coffee Master program I joined. I learned all about coffee, it’s origins, how to taste it all fancy (like a wine), and teach others to do the same.

Upon college graduation, I looked into some amazing graduate school coffee programs in Fort Collins, Colorado, but ended up moving to South Korea instead to complete my MBA.  No regrets, but I still am obsessed with coffee and tea facts to this day!

4. Even though my name is Hispanic, and I look like someone who should speak Spanish fluently, I do not.  It was my first language, but I moved back to the States with my mom who is Minnesotan and ended up never really speaking it again (now I look Mexican, but speak with a Minnesotan accent!).  

I took side classes all through elementary, middle school, and high school, studied abroad in Spain and Costa Rica, but because I don’t practice it every day, I get terrified to speak Spanish.  I’m just on the tipping point to speak really comfortably, so it is a goal of mine to get there before I have kids.  I would love for them to at least be bilingual!

5. Most kids rebel from their parents by going to theater school or music school, but my biological father is a theater movement instructor, my mom is a multi-media artist, and my dad encouraged me to do anything creative.

So, naturally, I rebelled by going to business school. No joke.   Even though I now have my MBA in international business management, I got over my polarized phase, and am now a yoga teacher, writer and run my own business. Mixes are best!

6. I am obsessed with limes and lemons.  After I squeeze them into my food or drinks, I eat the rest. I know it’s bad for my teeth (I drink water after), but I can’t help it.  They are so GOOD!  My brother is the same way, so we are special together.

7. The author Elizabeth Gilbert is my hero.  I read Eat, Pray, Love when it came out while I was on my first study abroad in Spain in 2007.  It was my major eye-opener to the possibility of lifetime travel.  As the years went on, I came back to the book after a breakup with my boyfriend of six years, and the book had new meaning for me (at the same time reading Committed, her next book about marriage).  

Then, I had the opportunity to meet her in person at a large book signing in Colorado and heard her speak for the first time.  She was mind-blowing.  After fumbling a “you inspired me to write” sentence to her in line (I was terrified and they weren’t letting people say much to her), I went on to read her most recent book, A Signature of All Things, my favorite book of all time.

Her Facebook (actually operated by her) has DAILY inspirational messages and a community of women who encourage and praise one another.  It’s amazing.  I want to be her best friend. We need more women role models exactly like her.

8. I LOVE camping.  Anything outdoors, really.  Hiking, swimming, running, picnicking, you name it!  There is just something about smelling pine trees, or making a fire at night, or looking up at the stars that just makes me all warm and toasty inside.  The first time I ever made my own fire, I was so proud, I took a picture of it!  I love snuggling down in a warm tent and eating smores cooked on a fire.  

When we walked out of my office building once in my past job, I turned to my coworker and said, “Doesn’t it feel nice to just be outside?”  He looked at me and said lovingly, “You really need to be a Park Ranger or something. You don’t belong indoors in an office!” I now teach yoga and work from home, so it was good advice (but I still have a secret desire to be a Park Ranger somewhere…).

9. I love smoothies.  I drink one every day, usually including spinach and some other veggie, mixed with bananas and another fruit.  They are surprisingly delicious – the bananas make them sweet.  It’s a great way to start the day, and I hooked my parents and grandma on them as well.  I’d love to try the Raw Till 4 PM type way of eating, but for now a shake in the morning makes me feel amazing.

10. I got horribly sick in Morocco after eating a delicious chicken dish.  No one else in my group did, so I have no idea what it was.  I had an amazing time there, it is such a beautiful country with amazing tea, bazaars, spices, and people.  

Unfortunately for me, on the bus back to Spain, I was the sickest I’ve ever been in my life.  I held it together most of the trip, but it left me permanently scarred towards chicken and rice dishes for life.  Separate, fine. Together, no way.

 

What is a random fact about you that you like to share? I’d love to know! Let’s connect below or on Instagram