1. I am a P.K.—preacher's kid. My Presbyterian minister father and I had heated debates about theology at the dinner table and I rebelled just a bit. Thankfully, my parents showed me a lot of grace and I turned out okay afterall!

2. I lived in College Station, TX for six years. Fortunately, I moved away before I was old enough to buy hairspray.

3. Wanderlust is a serious problem for me. My high school friends called me "Restless Rachel" because I was always on the go. Before my 16th birthday, I had traveled in Germany, France, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Ecuador, Jamaica and Mexico. Also, I have a bad habit of pacing while talking on the phone.

4. I spent part of my senior year in college traveling in the Dominican Republic. I lived with a family in La Penda, a rural community that had no electricity, roads or plumbing. Rolling old bicycle tires with local kids was one of the most sublime experiences I've ever had. Also, there's nothing like hanging on for dear life while riding a motorcycle up a muddy mountain pass! (Sorry Mom)

5. I am obsessed with language and could spend hours reading a dictionary. Or, better yet, losing a night's sleep to www.visualthesaurus.com

6. I was/am a tomboy. Evidence: only girl on the Little League baseball team, collected He-Man action figures (She-Ra was a wuss!) and built a half-pipe so I could practice skateboarding tricks I picked up in Thrasher magazine. (Yes, I had a subscription.)

7. I don't care much for sports, but I'm obsessed with soccer, the real fútbol!

8. I love the long-lost art of the handwritten letter. If you want to win my heart, mail me one.

I'd like to tag the following fine folks:

Me Ra Koh
Matt Mendelsohn
Denis Reggie (it's no big secret DR doesn't have a blog, so we'll have to work harder on this one!)
Mitch Burt & Pepper Nix
Carlos Baez

* Bonus secret: This is the photograph that changed my career path. I was studying photojournalism and was driven by my restless desire to wander the world. When my editor sent me on an assignment to photograph a midwife, I traded my front-row seat to world history for a front-row seat to family history.