Top Ten Tuesday: How I Spend My Time When I’m Not Blogging

While I spend a good deal of time on my blog, it’s only a small part of who I am. So for today’s “Non-bookish freebie” I decided to share a little bit about who I am outside of this blog! How else do you spend your time?

How I Spend My Time When I’m Not Blogging

Rock Climbing

I got into rock climbing about four years ago and I’m utterly obsessed with it! I love bouldering, top ropes, and lead climbing. And I’m honestly really proud of myself for working so hard at a sport I never thought I’d enjoy. I even entered a bouldering competition series at my gym last year! The best part about rock climbing is that you really have to be focused on exactly what you’re doing. You can’t be in your head because it just doesn’t work when you’re hanging out on a wall 20 feet off the ground.

Unfortunately, I got injured last December and it has been a long road to recovery. It’s amazing how a few small muscle tears can take so long to heal. Thankfully, I’m back on the wall again and while I’m not back to the level I was climbing at toward the end of last year, I’m working my way back to it!

Hiking

My partner and I spent a week hiking around the National Parks in southern Utah this summer and I really enjoyed it! We were hiking 10+ miles a day and I loved the feeling of being outside in nature and being tired at the end of the day from all that walking. We’re lucky enough to live near a large park in our area and I’m hoping to spend more time this fall exploring the trails in the area.

Reading

I mean, obviously I spend time reading! I’m a librarian and a book blogger, so of course I spend some free time reading! I don’t usually have a reading plan or schedule, I tend to pick up what looks interesting and is available at the time. But, right now, I have a boat load of books from the ALA conference earlier this summer, so I’m trying to slowly work through that pile!

Hanging out with friends and family

My family does not live close to me now, but I love spending time with them. My siblings are spread out across the country, but it’s always nice when we can get together for the holidays or on vacation. And I’ve got a great group of friends that do live close, so we get together for dinner or to hang out fairly often.

Cooking

I really enjoy cooking and love to try new recipes! My partner and I try to make a point of eating fairly healthy, especially during the climbing competition season, which is right around the corner, so I’m always searching for quick, healthy meals that I can pull together on busy weeknights. I typically create a week’s meal plan and grocery shop on the weekends so that we have everything we’re going to need. Lately, I’m trying to make some make-ahead salads for lunches and then do a few dinners a week that we can eat as leftovers too!

Walking the neighborhood

I live very close to the library that I work at and I walk back and forth every day. Plus, I’ll try to get out for 30-45 minutes a few mornings a week to get some cardio and steps in before heading into work. I usually stick to the neighborhood because there are typically sidewalks and I can wear headphones and listen to a podcast while I’m walking and be safe at the same time.

Photography

I was really into photography when I was in high school and college and once I started dating my partner (who is actually a photojournalist), it fell by the wayside. But, I got a new camera for our trip to Utah and I want to start using it more to capture the world around me. I love searching for the little bits of nature that most people would overlook – it’s a fun way to explore and work on my photo skills at the same time.

Travel

I love to travel and while I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like, every time I travel it reminds me how much I enjoy it. Our Utah trip was the first big trip we’ve taken in a number of years and being away for almost ten days was a great way to reset and relax (even though we were hiking for miles). I’m not sure where our next trip will take us, but I can’t wait to start planning!

Comfort shows

I’m definitely someone who loves to re-watch favorite TV shows. I typically have a cycle that includes The Office, Schitt’s Creek, and New Girl. Plus, movies from the early 2000s. It’s very similar to kids who love to re-read The Diary of a Wimpy Kid over and over again. It’s familiar and comfortable and sometimes that’s exactly what you need!

Full-time job

And of course, I do work full-time which takes up the majority of my waking hours. If you’re not aware, I’m a public library director, former children’s librarian. I love being a librarian, but I would also love to have more free time to do the things I want to do rather than the things I have to do. But, that’s just how it goes right now.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.