30 things about me...

Today is my 30th birthday. Ten years ago, when turning 20, I really had no concept of 30 other than old! People that I knew who were 30, seemed so old at the time. And now here I am. I don't feel old and I suppose that's what matters. Really, I can't imagine what 40 is like, but ten years from now I'm sure 40 won't seem that old either.

To celebrate turning 30, I am going to share with you 30 interesting facts about me. I've been working on this for awhile now and it was kind of hard to come up with 30 things, but here goes...


1. I live my life by my day planner. It goes pretty much everywhere with me. In fact, my planner was where I wrote my "30 facts" as they popped into my head. I would be lost without my planner.

2. My favorite season is fall. I love the colors and the smells. Most of all, I love the days that start out really cool and get mildly warm as the day progresses.

3. My favorite flowers are mums. This is also why I like fall! I'm looking forward to planting new ones this fall since Tonka killed my other ones. Ahem.

4. I have a pretty eclectic selection of music on my ipod. Three of my favorite groups/artists right now are Wilco, Neko Case, and Rilo Kiley.

5. When something goes wrong in my life, I always imagine the worst-case scenario. I tend to overreact before I calm down and realize the situation isn't that bad.

6. My favorite Blizzard flavor is Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. {Enjoying one right now as my birthday treat}. :)

7. If I have the choice to email versus call someone, I usually choose email. I think it's mostly because finding enough quiet time to have a decent conversation with someone is hard with a two-year old in the house.

8. I have worn glasses/contacts since 2nd grade. I have horrible eyesight.

9. I absolutely LOVE being a mom. When I was younger, I always felt awkward around little kids. For that very reason, I was worried I wouldn't like being a parent. It turns out it is one of the best things I've ever done!

10. My favorite pasttime is scrapbooking. I feel that I'm getting more creative all the time....

11. I wear make-up on most days. Saturday morning before I've showered, which is when Jack and I get groceries, is one of the only times I don't wear make-up.

12. I very strongly dislike the feel of paper. Passing out and collecting papers at school is not fun for me.

13. One of my favorite things to do during the summer is to watch Chicago Cubs baseball games on TV.

14. I love the feeling after I've had a hard workout, eaten a snack, and taken a shower. Nothing beats a little exercise induced exhaustion.

15. I am not a fan of chocolate. I do like some chocolate (Snickers, Reese's PB Cup Blizzards, etc.) I don't like chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, ... (You get the idea). I would rather have a fruit dessert anytime over chocolate.

16. I used to have a belly button ring. One night Bryan and I decided to be a little crazy. He got a tattoo and I got my belly button pierced. It grew shut when I was pregnant. Sometimes I miss it.

17. I am a total math geek. I have always loved math. When kids get "geeked" up about something they're learning in math, I am on top of the world.

18. Also related to math, I have a weird habit of counting when I'm doing certain things. I will count pedal strokes on the bike, steps when I'm walking, etc. It's a little weird, I know.

19. I took piano lessons for 12 years. I am still a good pianist, but don't use my talents as much as I should. I hope that as Jack gets older, I will get back into it.

20. Growing up on a farm, I was in 4-H for 9 years. I am so thankful for all that I learned about cooking, sewing, being confident in myself, and managing money. Whether my kids are in 4-H or not, I hope that I can teach my kids the same skills.

21. I was the fair queen at our county fair the same year I graduated from high school. It was a very important time in my life. Although it doesn't seem as important now, I learned a lot from the experience and got to meet lots of neat people during the state fair queen competition.

22. Teaching has always been what I wanted to do. I left high school knowing that I wanted to go to college to be a teacher. I never looked back. Touching kids' lives and seeing them grow is amazing.

23. My favorite TV show right now is Grey's Anatomy. I'm well aware that the plot line is a little unbelievable at times, but I can't wait until Thursday night to see it!

24. My favorite color is red. I'm starting to like green a little more these days too.

25. I worry sometimes that I'm going to be the old lady that doesn't want to learn new technology. I catch myself being very old-fashioned when Bryan tries to introduce new things to me. It takes a lot of explaining and prodding for me to want to use new technology sometimes.

26. I have what Bryan calls a "crazy toe" on each foot. When I spread my toes, my pinky toes stick way out. What's cool is that Jack has "crazy toes" too. :)

27. I also have a mole on my left hip that when poked sends me into a fit of giggles. I am way ticklish there. Jack also has a mole, but it's on his right hip. He's ticklish there too. I love that he shares those traits with me.

28. I love combination foods like sweet & salty, crunchy & soft, etc. If I'm eating something sweet, I want something salty too. Or if I'm eating soup, I want crackers for the crunch.

29. I believe in doing things to help the Earth. I share this passion with Bryan. We recycle as much as we can. This summer we built a compost bin and I have been working at getting compost for my flower garden. The compost bin will have to be a separate post sometime.

30. I really like lattes. I don't like coffee so much, but I love having a latte, especially on a cool morning.


If you made it to the end, thanks for reading!