It’s hard to tell someone about yourself in a blog, don’t you think? I’ve seen tons of creative “About Me” blogs on here over the last few weeks, but I think I’ll just do the simple “50 Facts” format. Deeper stuff is (probably) coming later! This is just a starting point for the beautiful people I’ll be traveling with for a year to get to know me!
Here goes nothin’…
- I connect with Jesus and with others best through music
- I am a crazy cat lady. I really am. I have three that I’m in love with, as well as the cutest dog alive.
- Sharks. I’m irrationally obsessed. I block out a week of my life to watch Shark Week and I have a Shark Week sweatshirt and I own a tiny little shark named Jeremy.
- Bucket list includes: climb a mountain (which one!?), cage-dive with sharks, hold a shark (like a baby shark), scuba-dive/snorkel, parasailing… the list goes on.
- I am a proud member of Delta Zeta sorority, and it has shaped so much of my last few years. I love it with my whole heart.
- Coffee addict. Chai tea latte addict. Any kind of caffeine addict.
- I wear my heart on my sleeve.
- My family is my world. I’ve been so blessed with an incredibly close bond with my mom, who I admire and respect more than anyone. She and my grandma are the two most important people in the world to me, so I’m scared to leave them. But they’re crazy supportive.
- I’ve been itching to learn guitar for my whole life, and I finally got one and started learning a few months ago! I can’t wait to travel the world with it.
- I drive a little yellow car covered in bumper stickers. Her name is Poppy!
- I’m from Wisconsin. Do you feel bad for me? I hate the cold. I hate it I hate it I hate it! I thrive in extreme heat. (Yay Central America!!)
- I work for YouthWorks, and I probably will for a long time. I cannot speak highly enough of this amazing org!
- Ice cream. Bring it to me and I, like a puppy who just got a treat, will be faithful to you forever.
- I used to classify myself as the funny one, but then I realized that labels are stupid. I just like to make people laugh
- I have about two thousand incredible cousins, and 6 older siblings. I am so blessed by them.
- I’m finishing up my junior year at UW-Whitewater. I haven’t graduated from college yet. I’m 21 and, shocker, don’t know what I’m going to do after the World Race. The plan is to go back to school (you’re welcome, Mom) in New Orleans but we all know God laughs at our plans. We’ll see.
- I feel others’ pain so deeply. That scares me coming into the race.
- I talk a lot. I won’t be offended if you tell me to shut it. Really, I won’t. I need to learn to enjoy silence. I’m learning, but it’s still unnatural for me.
- I take way too many pictures. My mom does too, and so does my Gram. I guess it’s in my blood. I just never want to forget what it felt like to be in a moment of this beautiful life.
- I am so passionate about learning about other cultures. Cultural Anthro. is one of my minors. I just can’t get enough! There is so much beauty in the world, I don’t want to miss any of it.
- I love reading and writing.
- Friends (the TV show) is my guilty pleasure. So is River Monsters. Kinda terrified that we’re going to a lot of places featured in the show… but mostly super excited cuz I’m a huge nerd.
- I don’t know what I’m going to do about the lack of cheese over these 11 months. (I’m from Wisconsin, remember?!?!)
- Tums are a main food group for me.
- Soup is my favorite food.
- Bananas make me throw up. Like even just the smell. I’m told bananas are a staple diet for world racers…
- I am all about the present.
- My mom owns a home daycare, so for a long time I really, really, REALLY didn’t like kids. Now that I’ve been out of the house for a few years, I’ve learned to love them.
- I’m a girly-girl, definitely. It’s going to be an awesome challenge for me to leave behind my straightener and embrace my natural ‘fro.
- Hillsong United comes on and I’m instantly in the zone. They rock my world!
- I have 7 nieces and nephews that are such a huge part of my heart. I worry about them like a mother does. (I have a great-niece on the way next month!!)
- I keep up with national and international news. One of my silly creature comforts that I’ll be giving up on the race is watching the news while walking on the treadmill.
- I’m very sentimental. I keep every airplane ticket, every amusement park ticket, everything. I always aim to scrapbook it, but they usually just end up on the walls of my bedroom.
- I live to travel. Ultimately for me, it’s not about how much money I’m making. It’s about where I’m going and what I’m seeing.
- Up until last fall, I would realistically call myself the worst cook to ever be born. I mean, seriously. I started fires making quesadillas, I blew up my microwave (twice), and I melted the spatula to my boss’s frying pan once. But I’ve come sooo far! My mom even eats my dinners now… sometimes.
- I dance. SO much. I danced “for real” from the time I was a little girl all the way through high school, and now I just burst into dance whenever it feels right. (It almost always feels right)
- I’m a verbal processor. Many people aren’t, and I respect that. Like I said, it’s okay to tell me to stop talking.
- I’ve been blessed with an open mind and an open heart.
- I’m most comfortable when I’m outside of my comfort zone.
- MAPS. I love them.
- I’m impulsive. Like really, really impulsive. I’ll probably get a tattoo on the race.
- My favorite smell is rain.
- Other than my family, I will probably miss bubble baths the most.
- I cry when I’m happy. I just get so overwhelmed by how awesome God is and all the amazing things He’s doing, and it brings me to tears.
- Favorite things include: bonfires, acoustic worship, swimming, yoga, hand-written letters, convertibles, candles, open windows, playing with kids, elderly people… the list (of course) goes on
- I don’t kill bugs. I have a feeling this will change on the race.
- I’m too mean to myself, but it’s something I’m working on.
- It’s probably important to mention that I’m clumsy. Like not your average clumsy, either. Accident-prone is a better term for it. I’ve had three concussions in the last three years, I have scars all over my legs from various incidents, and I’ve spent more than my fair share of time in the hospital. I slip on nothing, trip over midair, and break things before I even touch them. My friends have a saying, “The life of Mary” that they use every time something like this happens to me. They also call my Mary Potter for the scar I used to have on my forehead.
- The morning—around 7 am—is my favorite time of day, but I’m rarely awake for it. Excited for that to change
- I lived in West Virginia when working for YouthWorks last summer and part of my heart will always be there in the mountains.
So there you have it.
Hopefully it wasn’t too painful to get through! I’m so excited to meet my awesome squad/team and can’t wait to learn all about you!
