Happy Thursday Y’all!
Today I turn 34. WOW! That seems impossible that I am that old – where has the time gone? All I know is that if you asked me 5, 10, 15 years ago where I’d be at 34, no way in hell I’d say a newlywed, living in Boston, with a Frenchie. Dreams do come true! While there’s a LOT more I wanted to accomplish by age 34, I’m pretty content where I’m at for now. I have a feeling there will be some big changes in store by next birthday!
I don’t get too personal on the blog but I thought it would be fun to share “34 things about me” on my 34th birthday.
- Start every day with a cup of coffee, my iPad & the first hour of the Today’s Show. These 45 minutes get me started on the right foot every morning.
- I took ballet lessons for ten years while growing up. Much too tall to ever make a career out of it, I swear that I owe my incredible balance & flexibility to years of this. practice.
- I’m completely obsessed with my French bulldog, Mela, and talk to her way too much.
- I can watch repeats all day long of two of my favorite shows, Criminal Minds & Modern Family. In fact, when you turn my TV on there’s a 95% chance it’s on either ION or USA for those all-day marathons.
- I’m the queen of selling furniture on Craigslist. I cannot tell you how many pieces I’ve made money on by simply selling. Blows my mind every time.
- I don’t eat red meat (or pork!). That’s right, no bacon or steak for me. I stopped eating red meat around age 8 but nobody knows what initially sparked me to do this.
- I’m from Atlanta so naturally I have two main loves, the Georgia Bulldogs & Chick-Fil-A. My perfect Saturday consists of eating CFA for breakfast (spicy chicken biscuit, medium black coffee) and watching the Dawgs play up in Athens.
- I’m a total Type A perfectionist. This is good in some regards (my house is always clean & organized), but bad in others. I forget that not everyone else is a
psychoperfectionist like me and that’s am okay way to be too. The older I get, the more I see it. - Ice cream is hands down my favorite food. Every brand. Every flavor. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to milk. But this doesn’t stop me from indulging every now & again.
- I am a total math nerd at heart and absolutely love talking finance. My grandfather began talking savings/stock market to me at a very young age so I’ve been a mega saver for as long as I can remember. Truly one of the most valuable lessons he could have taught me.
- I am half Irish, half Middle Eastern. It’s a unique mix that I’m proud to be. I’ve got super interesting heritage on both sides of my family tree & I’m always fascinated to learn more.
- Favorite wine = Marlborough region Savignon Blanc.
- My favorite color has always been purple. But my favorite color to wear is black, of course.
- I could eat Mexican all day, every day. Another benefit of growing up in the South is the plethora of outstanding Mexican restaurants. Shout out to Monterrey!
- My biggest fear is being stalked/kidnapped/murdered. Probably because I’ve watched too many Criminal Minds episodes, though this fear has been in me forever. I am overly cautious when I’m walking or driving alone. Better safe than sorry.
- My favorite road trip snack go-to’s are always Cool Ranch Doritos & Sour Patch Kids. One savory, one sweet. Healthy? No. Delicious? You bet.
- Though I’m a people person, I really enjoy alone time. Whether I’m just lounging or reorganizing my closet (see #8), it’s nice to have “me time”.
- While I may seem like an extrovert on the blog, I’ve become more of an introvert over the years. There are very few people I’m really, deeply close to and often times I feel totally misunderstood by most others.
- Even though kids are not in the near future, I have always dreamed of becoming a mom. Actually, I can’t wait most to experience pregnancy, especially feeling the baby kicking. Is that weird of me?
- The thought of death/afterlife really freaks me out and is one that I just can not comprehend when I think too much about it. We lost my grandfather almost two years ago and I swear, I can still hear his voice and feel his hug.
- I’m oddly obsessed with straight & white teeth. Luckily, my uncle is an excellent dentist so I grew up with pristine teeth. To me, they can never been straight enough or white enough. (This is why soda is bad y’all!)
- I feel so fortunate to have such a large extended family. Growing up with one sibling is awesome & tough at the same time and my brother is 4 years older and lives in S. F. (too far away!). But lucky for us we have 11 first cousins, all within about 5 years, and countless second cousins. The whole family is real close so I’m so blessed to get to see them all multiple times per year.
- If I could be born with any natural talent, I would wish it to be singing. I can’t carry a tune to save my life but totally envy those who can.
- I get my extreme love of cooking from my grandma, “Sitty” as we call her, and it bring me so much joy. For me, it’s super cathartic & rewarding to cook, especially for loved ones. In fact, almost every time my grandma & I get together, we end up cooking/baking something! (She is the absolute best cook EVER).
- While I for sure got the “sweet tooth” gene from my dad, I don’t really like chocolate (mom is gasping!). I know, what kind of female am I? I’m so weird.
- The only bone I ever broke was my right arm at age six. I vividly remember being in the hospital and it’s one of my earliest memories.
- I have a recurring nightmare that I realize, at the end of the year, that I was enrolled in a class I didn’t know about. Then I can’t find the class and I can’t get into my locker. I wake up with extreme anxiety & panic every single time. It happens at least 5 times per year.
- I’m a total credit card/hotel/airline points geek. I read multiple daily blogs about maximizing points and I’ve paid for two first class two-week vacations (for two) on points, along with countless other weekend trips. It’s one of my favorite topics to learn about and discuss.
- My trip to Africa was the most life changing experience I have ever had. I dream of the day I return and I’m doing everything in my power (saving every penny!) to return by 2019.
- I absolutely LOVE live music and have grown up going to concerts. I’ll never forget when my mom took me to Dixie Chicks in Middle School (I loved them) – since then I’ve seen some of my all-time favorites in concert: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Britney Spears, Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Outkast, Pearl Jam and more.
- My first car was a 2001 two door silver Honda Civic. I drive it for 12 years and well over 100,000 miles. My friends & coworkers always made fun of me because it was such a P.O.S. by the end, but I can’t even tell you how much I saved by never having a car payment!
- I’ve run three half marathons & countless 5Ks/10Ks. Running a marathon is definitely on my bucket list but not anytime soon. Maybe a post-baby goal?
- I have three really good girlfriends who I’ve known since our parents were pregnant with us. We’ve been friends our entire lives & we all text every single day. True friendship really does stand the test of time!
- If I’ve learned anything in my 34 years it’s that time freaking flies! So you may as well spend your time doing what your love with who you love. Spend your time & money on what makes you happiest…that’s how I’m planning to live this next year!
Off to New York…the hubs and I have dinner & a show to get to. Follow my snap story for more, and thanks for filling along!
Now your turn! Tell me something about you that I didn’t know!!
I’m dying to go to Africa, would love to learn more about your trip. Happy (belated) birthday! – Kristin | It’s Kristin
Omg Kristin you HAVE to add it to the list. It’s incredible!!! I have Quite a few posts about it but I’m happy to share more. I just Love talking africa! Feel free to email me 🙂