There’s More to This Girl Than Tea

This week, I’ve been a bit behind on stuff. I kept thinking, “What should I write about for Fun and FlirTea?” when it hit me… The reason I’ve been so behind is because I’m busy enjoying my life. So why not write about what that means? As much as I love tea, and as much as it is a major component to many of my most enjoyable times, I also have a lot else going on in my life.

[On a slight sidebar: I recently posted on my personal blog about balancing my personal and work lives and how it's more difficult now that I enjoy my job more. Someone commented about how they don't see why there needs to be a distinction if I like my job. Just because I like my job doesn't mean it should be the only thing in my life. I feel the same way about tea and other such pleasures.]

In any case! Since you all already are fully aware of my penchant for tea, it’s time I shared a little about the other pleasures in my life.

1. Watching a good TV show

I’m notorious for getting entirely too caught up in a good TV show. Especially if it’s already got multiple episodes or seasons out. I start watching from the beginning and just can’t seem to stop watching. There are even a few that I re-watch the entirety of periodically (I just re-watched Buffy and Avatar: The Last Airbender - also in that realm are Gilmore Girls, Firefly, and more!). I’m also big into Game of Thrones and spent last night catching up on the most recent 3 episodes (so goooooood). Not to mention my deep, abiding love for Doctor Who and the new BBC Sherlock. Excellent! And addicting. SO ADDICTING.

2. Reading a good book

I’ve also been caught up quite a bit lately with reading. I’m already a big Harry Potter fan, so I’ve been working through that full series once more (I like to re-read the series once every year or two). I’m almost midway through Goblet of Fire just now. Also on my list lately have been some classics I had neglected until now. I’ve always been a Pride and Prejudice fan and really enjoyed Persuausion. But I’d never read any other Jane Austen novels. So I recently finished Mansfield Park and am about 20 minutes from finishing Emma. The excitement of old favorites and new romances is too enticing to pass up!

3. Enjoying time outdoors

For those who don’t know, I live in Chico, CA. Chico is an amazing, gorgeous city in Northern California, and there are few places I would be willing to live if I were to leave my hometown. (Chiefly on this list is Scotland, with the possible exception of Glasgow, and Portland, OR.) Chico is the home of Sierra Nevada Brewery (did I mention I love beer?) and Bidwell Park (one of the largest municipal parks in the country). I’ve been spending a lot of time lately going to the park to enjoy the sun or read. I also have gone just out of town to the local Table Mountain to hike and (are you ready for this?) FLY KITES. Yes. I flew a kite. Two kites, even. SO MUCH FUN.

4. Exercising!

A shocking addition to my list, I know. I’m not athletic. And I don’t like going to the gym. I don’t follow work out programs. I do, however, enjoy doing yoga. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not that great, but I’ve been doing yoga off and on for the past 6 or so years and it just makes me feel good physically and mentally. Plus, I’ve been on my company’s soccer (football) team for the past 2 years. I’m easily the worst person on the team, but I’m miles beyond where I was when I first started! I just like to get out there, be involved in a team, and have fun. Plus, it’s great exercise.

5. Spending time with friends

I’ve been getting better at spending time with friends lately. Sometimes that even means “have a tea party with friends”, but more often it’s a hike, a movie, dinner, or just wandering around downtown and talking. I’m notorious for having trouble keeping up with friends, but it’s really important to me to maintain certain relationships, and I feel like I’ve been doing well in recent months.

6. TRAVEL

More than almost anything else, I love to travel. I don’t get to go as far as I would like to most of the time, but sometimes just going for a day or weekend road trip can satisfy my craving to be on the move. I spent a semester in Scotland at Stirling University and took the opportunity to explore a chunk of the UK and a small portion of the Continent. I also have a brother living in China, who I’ve referred to here. I had the opportunity to spend 2 weeks travelling around China with him in early 2011 and I’m trying to figure out when I can go again for another visit. I’m actually gearing up for a 2 week trip to the UK (partially for work and partially for pleasure), so I get to feed my travel bug once again in just under a month.

After reading through all this, it’s no wonder I was frustrated by the suggestion that I shouldn’t bother trying to separate my work and home lives. I flatter myself to consider that I am a multi-faceted woman with a ton going on and many interests to pursue. Oh, and just for fun… check it out, I got a new haircut!

Image Sources
1 Game of Thrones
2 Hunger Games Book
3 Waterfall photo is my own
4 Kite photo is my own
5 Yoga
6 Me on the Great Wall is my own
7 My new haircut is by Briana Morrison