I was inspired to write this post by Kaci, who was inspired by Doniree. Oh, the circle of blogging. (And I copied some of Kaci’s… turns out we have quite a bit in common).

Anyway, here goes.

What do I do?

As a profession, I work for a social marketing company in San Francisco. But, that does not define me. Do I love spending hours of each day coming up with master plans on how fortune 500 companies should use the social space as their number one marketing tool? Yes. Do I love the people I work with and the experience I’m getting? Absolutely. But that’s not all.

I write. But you already know that. I write because it calms me. It soothes me. It’s a way for me to communicate things I wouldn’t otherwise (so eloquently) communicate. I write because I can. I write because more times than not, it’s easier for me to sort through my thoughts on paper.

I take pictures. While this is a new hobby, I am sad I did not discover it sooner. The ability to capture a single moment in time and be able to save it forever is incredible to me. Everything is can be art. Looking through my lens has opened my eyes to a completely different way of seeing.

I love. I love my family, I love my friends, I love my cat, I love myself.

I feel. I’ve tried to stop, but I can’t. When I feel, I really feel. I feel deeply. There’s no stopping it, there’s no slowing it down. I can’t help it. I feel. And it gets me into trouble. But, in the end, feeling is way better than not.

I miss my family and my friends. Moving to San Francisco was the best decision I have ever made. I have met some amazing people and completely started my life over. But I do miss my family. I miss coming home to do my laundry (not just because of the laundry). I miss being able to meet up and have lunch with my parents. I miss only being a 35 minute drive away. I miss my friends – girls’ nights, random days, even more random nights, shopping and being girly with my girls. I know that my friendships will grow out here in San Francisco, but I definitely miss my friends back home.

I wear shoes high enough to be considered stilts. I don’t know how I do it, or why really (afterall, I thought heels were supposed to make your butt look smaller… psht). But I love the sound of heels on the sidewalk and they just plain old make me feel sexy.

I laugh at almost everything. Even if it’s not funny. And when I laugh hard, I cry.

I say what’s on my mind. People at school and the bars I worked at in college used to make fun of me because I don’t have a filter. One time, another bartender actually cut a huge hole in one of the coffee filters at work and labeled it “Lauren’s Filter.”

I am full of energy. I talk at 90 miles a minute. I get excited about small, little things that usually mean nothing or very little to everyone else.

I’m still working on my insecurities. And I probably will be forever. But, at least I’m working on them and accepting them, instead of pretending they’re not there.

I don’t play games. If I want something, I go for it. Bottom line. Take my job and move to SF for example. I create my realities.

I watch the same sappy chick flicks over and over again. However, each time, I learn something new.

I prefer sweet wine over bitter red, fruity beer over hoppy, and tequila over any other liquor. I don’t like getting too drunk.

I cuddle. And I love the spot where my head just nestles perfectly where the arm meets the shoulder and the shoulder meets the chest.

I hug. Everyone.

I spend far too much time getting ready in the morning. But sometimes, if need be, I can get up, get ready, and be out the door in 20 minutes.

I miss the mountains. I miss fishing and camping and snowboarding. And my three favorite animals in the world – Yukon, Sophie and Sonny – the horses that saved my summer.

I am a sister. I cherish my relationship with my brother more than anything. We have grown so close and I am so thankful.

I freak out. Panic. Question everything, on a regular basis. Most of the time, I just talk (or write) myself out of it, but other times it leaks out in the form of arguments or snippy text messages. 🙂

I always win when I play Cranium with Ali. Maybe it’s because we can talk with our eyes and manipulate the hell out of the game, or maybe it’s just because it’s fun.

I don’t keep secrets. I trust easily. Sometimes to a fault. It takes a few times before I truly learn. I guess that’s part of the process.

I snoop and investigate and stalk (it’s not stalking… it’s market research). But it’s not because I’m creepy, it’s because I truly want to know everything about someone.

I am me. 100 percent of the time.

And that’s not even the half of it…