Thirty-Five

Today I turned thirty-five. That sounds so old, so grown-up. On the inside, I feel like an awkward kid that is still pretty much clueless about most things of life. On the outside - my physical body - I definitely feel more my age.

In honor of my birthday, here are 35 random things about me.

1. I have an enormous sweet tooth. If sugar was a food group, I would excel at getting my recommended daily amount.

2. I wish that I loved God's word more. I am praying that God would give me a huge desire to read it more and dig in deeper.

3. I love to scrapbook.

4. I love laughing with my son. I don't always love playing the games to get the laughs though.

5. I am a first-born. I fit the mold - people pleaser, responsible, overachiever, etc.

6. I love Jane Austen books and movies.

7. I am thoughtful.

8. One of my saddest memories is false starting the 100 meter dash at the State Track Meet. It had been my goal to medal at state in that race in high school. The girl who won the 6th place medal I had beat before.

9. I am an excellent speller.

10. My favorite comfort meal is hands-down Thanksgiving dinner. Give me turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, Chris' stuffing, and a roll - who needs dessert!

11. I love to watch TV with Chris.

12. I love to read. I wish I had more time to do it now. When I start a novel though, I become obsessed until I finish it, often staying up through the night and blowing off my loved ones.

13. I love exploring new places. I would love to travel extensively. One of my dreams would be to take my kids around the US for a year, living here and there as we saw all the different sights.

14. My favorite TV show is Lost. Both now and ever.

15. I enjoy sewing, but don't enjoy the detailed work. What I like most is making things for people I love. I also like the recognition that comes with it.

16. I am insightful.

17. I have OCD tendencies. One of the silly things I do is spell words on my teeth. I like words with even numbers of letters so they are evenly spaced. The best words are those that 14 letters long since they cover the full length of teeth.

18. I have a hard time not comparing myself to others.

19. I wish that I could take a full day by myself to lay in bed and read, or to scrapbook, or to go somewhere with my friends.

20. My favorite thing to do right now with my daughter is take a nap. It is my way of reconnecting to her and seeing her sweetness after her colic episodes.

21. I am great at remembering names.

22. I easily get sucked into the TV. Doesn't matter if it is a kids cartoon, an infomercial, a cheesy Hallmark movie, or a suspenseful crime drama. Maybe that is why Chris has become a speed channel flipper. The quicker he flips, the less likely I am of being drawn in!

23. I struggle with grace.

24. I was a bit of a boss growing up. Just ask my sister and brother. I also was a bit of a whiner, earning me the nickname Willy Whiner in 9th grade track and the Biggest Complainer Award in 7th grade Bible Quizzing (yes, the award was created specifically for me).

25. I only got one B in high school and one B in college. The B in high school effectively eliminated my being one of the valedictorians (because of the straight A criteria - we had like 11). The B in college came the semester I met Chris and didn't study as much as I should have.

26. We watch entirely too much TV in our household.

27. My favorite color is red. It was also my dear departed Grandma Virla Mae's favorite color. I adored her.

28. As much as I love naptime, I love hearing the sound of Sam's door opening as he wakes up and comes out to greet me.

29. I have depression and anxiety. I am learning how to live effectively with them and feel that I am making progress.

30. If I could choose one talent, I would ask for a beautiful singing voice.

31. My favorite job growing up was working at Burgers Etc. It was awesome - the local hang out. So I was able to see my friends, eat yummy food, and work all at the same time.

32. My favorite pampering is a massage. Oh man, do I need one now!

33. I am a perfectionist. Which 8 times out of 10 contributes more to my downfall than to my success.

34. I tend to be pessimistic when describing myself. I just realized that as I look back over many of these facts. I had to force myself to write some good ones without caveats.

35. I am a mother who hopes to become a better one each day.

I have missed blogging! I hope to write a few catch-up posts in the near future. Blogging has been my journal for the past while, so I feel like there are so many things I want to say, to record, to reflect on from the past few months...