Risk

A few months ago, my life was completely upended when a man I deeply loved betrayed my trust and broke my heart. While the details matter to me, all I’ll say is this: I was planning to move to Nashville so we could be together, but it didn’t happen. The relationship was serious enough to…

Well, it finally happened. I freaked out and lost my mind. Back in January, I applied for a job that I was eventually offered in May. This means that for the past six months, I have lived with the possibility (and now plan) of leaving Colorado – and even after making the decision, it’s felt…

Are you stressed? Aggravated? Fed up? Worn out? Call Annie Parsons – the Bullshit Exterminator. This is what one of my beloved co-workers called me today – a moniker I proudly accept. Listen, life is too much these days. I’m inordinately stressed at work. I’m in the midst of an insurance battle over my roof….

I’ve been thinking a lot about adventure. So many of us crave it – but what is it, actually? Is it doing something crazy – quitting your job and selling everything you own and taking off for parts unknown? Is it doing something risky – hanging from cliffs and diving out of planes and willingly…

I love a big party. I’m far from shy. I can carry a conversation, nail a job interview, draw a stranger out of her shell, and tell a good story. But I am also an introvert, which means that if left to my own devices, I would hang out by myself basically all of the…

There’s nothing like being on the brink of a major life decision to make a girl have a meltdown. Over the weekend, I was working fast and furious toward something that I thought might materialize, only to find out that the dream was dead on arrival. On Monday night, I called my mom in tears…

… read this.

On Saturday, I climbed my 31st 14er, and my toughest one to date, Longs Peak. Believe me when I tell you that two days later, my entire body hurts.  Not just my quads, y’all – my entire body.  I’m talking about the fronts of my ankles, and the tops of my shoulders, and that fat…

On Friday morning, I went skydiving – and I smiled the entire time.  Do you need proof?  Oh, I have proof. Here I am with my dad beforehand.  Smiling. Here I am about to climb onto the plane with my instructor/partner/my-entire-life-is-in-your-hands guy, Matt.  Smiling. Here I am in mid-air.  SMILING LIKE IT’S THE BEST THING…

“Is it okay for me to jump?” he yelled. I watched him pump his legs back and forth, swinging higher and higher until he was holding steady at a significant height. He and his brother had formed their own sort of Olympic game, gaining momentum and then jumping from their swings to see who could…