That’s right! By the time you read this, I will be ending my thirty-eighth year on this earth. Let me tell you a few personal things that have meant a lot to me. I have tried to order them from my earliest memories to my most recent experiences.
My top goals for what I wanted to be when I grew up was a flight attendant, vet, author, teacher…when I wasn’t going for actor, gymnast, or musician, of course!
I grew up on planes because my dad was a pilot, but it wasn’t until college that I started getting the travel bug! Now I love exploring new places, not just to check something off a list, but to learn about other cultures, meet new people, and even learn new languages! Traveling helps me feel less self-conscious because I encounter something new every day. It solidifies the knowledge that I can always learn something new, even as an adult!
My grandparents on both sides of my family had huge influence in my life! My dad’s parents always welcomed us to their Virginia home where my sisters and I would explore their woods and spend hours in our princess castle. We grew a love for reading through visiting local bookstores and reading from their Garfield collection. My grandparents on my mom’s side shared Archie books and Nancy Drew—more on that later—as well as Grandad’s love for art and travel. Both of those still influence my work today!
Nancy Drew mysteries and Highlights chapter books between my second and third grade year introduced me to my love for reading. I found historical fiction during my high school years, and then thrillers like Ruth Ware when I was out of college. Still to this day I constantly read books (often more than one at a time, which can be dangerous!), further teaching me new things to learn!
I started drinking coffee in college, more because my friends did than because I actually liked it. My favorite was a dirty chai, which is extra espresso added to a black chai tea. This is still a favorite go-to (Christmas in a cup!). Later it was coffee with a pump of hazelnut or dash of almond milk. Now most of the time (often!) that I visit coffee shops I order a drip coffee, sometimes adding a dash of honey when it’s available! Coffee is still something that I can use to focus me and remind myself that I have a writing project to work on.
My language learning has been invaluable…and I still have such a long way to go! In high school I couldn’t have cared less about learning Spanish, but when I saw it in action, I realized that language learning wasn’t just a chore. It was a way to embrace new cultures, an opportunity to overcome cultures boundaries, and —as I expanded my exploring—a chance to experience things I never considered before.
I can’t leave this post without expressing my favorite form of travel (sorry, Dad!) : train! It is wonderful to get to chat and watch the landscape, grab some snacks, and even bring backpacks for a future stay. It reminds me that I will travel more SOON and get to add on to all of my experiences in the next several years of my life. So here’s to finishing out my thirties strong, and I hope to share so much more in the years to come!
Happy birthday to me!
Hannah Marie.