This past Saturday I celebrated my thirty-fifth birthday (how am I this old?!), and in honor of the occasion I thought it might be fun to share thirty-five totally random—and some seriously quirky—facts about myself.

This type of post feels a tad narcissistic and totally outside my comfort zone. I realize the irony of this: I write a personal blog on which I share the nitty gritty details of my life, including some intensely intimate thoughts and reflections. For some reason, though, sharing about who I am—rather than just what I’ve done or what I’m reflecting on—feels quite vulnerable.

That said, I LOVE reading get-to-know-you posts like this from other bloggers. It’s always fun to get the inside scoop on the life, background, and personality of the people whose words we read. So here we go: thirty-five things you probably didn’t know about me, listed out in absolutely no order at all—because this post is one giant exercise in recklessness, ha! (And as a forewarning, some are more than a little eccentric; I hope we can still be friends after you read this!)

1. My favorite colors are yellow, turquoise, and pink. I like purple and green a lot, too, but feel like I’m already pushing it a bit by having three favorite colors; five is certainly too many (or is it?).

2. While I am 99% positive that I’m an Enneagram 1, I almost always test as a 3 with a 4 wing (which is a big reason for my distrust of internet tests for determining your type).

3. I really, really hate apples. The flavor is okay, but their crunch sound is like nails on a chalkboard to me. Just looking at an apple gives me that icky goose-bumpy feeling. Consequently, all the well-intended apple-themed gifts I received during my teaching years were torturous!

4. When I got my degree in teaching, I said I was willing to teach anything but Kindergarten or Middle School. I eventually went on to teach both (not at the same time).

5. Once I’m a chapter or two into a book, I refuse to quit reading, although I will admit to occasionally skimming to the end (or increasing the audiobook speed) of a book I’m not enjoying.

6. Luke and I met on eHarmony when we were 23. After being matched, we emailed back and forth for a month before he finally asked for my number, then talked on the phone every night for another month before I tricked him into asking me on a date. He quickly became my first boyfriend, and we were married exactly one year later.

7. My top Love Language is Words of Affirmation. Gifts, Physical Touch, and Acts of Service all vie for second position depending on my life stage, with Quality Time coming in at a very distant last place.

8. I shave my legs every day, even in the winter, because leg hair stubble is my worst enemy.

9. I was homeschooled for my entire 8th grade year. There were several reasons, but the primary one was that I was too academically and socially overwhelmed by 7th grade to return to public school for the second year of Jr. High. 

10. I don’t like coffee. I’ll drink it on occasion because I like warm beverages and it’s usually the only one available. (Also, at church, because I need a drink to keep me awake last me longer than the two seconds it takes me to chug a cup of hot tea). But I never make coffee for myself at home, and I almost never pay for it. 

11. I had braces from the ages of eight to fourteen, and many years of retainers after that. My orthodontist said mine was one of the most unusual sets of teeth he had ever seen. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for saving me from life with an overbite!)

12. Before getting married, I traveled to Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe (several times), but I haven’t traveled outside the country since our honeymoon in Mexico over ten years ago. Visiting all seven continents (Antarctica included) is on my bucket list.

13. I would love to spend one year (and only one year) living in a high rise apartment in New York City.

14. Jesus has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I can’t recall the first time (of many) that I invited Him into my heart, and I made it official when I was baptized at age ten. With the exception of a very brief faith crisis around my thirtieth birthday, I’ve never walked away from God or my faith.

15. I never leave the house without mascara, but rarely wear any other makeup.

16. My Minor is in Spanish, but in the years since college, I’ve lost almost all of my Spanish skills.

17. Music has always been a great love of mine. When I was younger I dreamed of being a music pastor, and in college I was a Liberal Studies major with a concentration in Music. 

18. I participated in church and school choirs from preschool through college, and was heavily involved in competitive show choir and musical theater during all four years of high school.

19. I did gymnastics through high school and was a cheerleader during my sophomore year of college.

20. I never received a letter grade lower than an A in high school or college, which allowed me to attended college on a full academic scholarship.

21. I have struggled with disordered eating (including many years of life-threatening anorexia) since I was 15, and spent three months in a treatment facility—complete with around-the-clock monitoring and a feeding tube—when I was 27. Though I’ve come a long way in my recovery, food is still very difficult for me and likely always will be.

22. I am deathly afraid of being submerged in cold water, so much so that I once went without showering for an entire week at camp because our cabin didn’t have warm water. . . and I was a camp counselor! This cold water phobia carries over to the liquids that I consume: I always ask for “no ice” in my fountain drinks at a restaurant, and drink lukewarm water and soda at home

23. I don’t know how to paint my own toenails, but they are always painted thanks to my monthly pedicure indulgence. Charleston gets a kick out of picking my toenail colors for me and thoroughly inspects/admires them when I come home from the nail salon. 

24. My first car was a blue 1979 GMC pick-up that had been my uncle’s. I totaled it, but was given a second chance at truck ownership upon my graduation from college, when my parents gifted me a 1952 Chevy (“Sally”) that my dad and I restored together.

25. I prefer eating with chopsticks to eating with a fork; I almost always eat with chopsticks at home and often carry them in my purse to use in restaurants.

26. I have an abnormally high heat tolerance, so much so that I have burned myself on hot pans without even noticing it. I regularly come out of the shower flaming red, not having realized the shower water was too hot.

27. I have a not-so-secret dream of one day becoming a Spiritual Director or Pastor.

28. Before getting married and taking Luke’s last name, my initials were KND—kind.  My mom says that was intentional.

29. Growing up, my parents called me “Boogie” because I loved to dance.

30. I have one brother, Austin, who is six years younger than me and my opposite in nearly every way. I can’t remember a time when he’s called me anything other than “Sis,” and it’s one of my favorite nicknames I’ve ever had.

31. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when I was 28, though I’d experienced symptoms since I was very young. 

32. My dad wrote a book for me, journaling through the entire Bible; he had it published (a copy exists in the Library of Congress!) and gave it to me as a high school graduation gift. 

33. Other than the years I spent living in the dorms at college, I lived in the same house from the time I was one until I got married at twenty-four. Since getting married, Luke and I have lived in three separate apartments and one house, all rentals.

34. I detest having my photo taken. I take them occasionally, because I know I’ll want them to look back on (and especially want them for Charleston’s sake), but being photographed is one of my very least favorite things. 

35. I’ve had three pet dogs in my life. The first was Sasha, a Golden Retriever my parents got before I was born who was with us through my elementary years. The second was Buckwheat (technically my brother’s dog), a greyhound we adopted when I was in college. And Arlo makes #3. The only other pets I’ve owned have been a parakeet, my cockatiel Sunny, and several fish.

Whew. That was a fun walk through memory lane, but I think I’m going to go hide in a corner now because #VulnerabilityOverload.

Enough about me; I would LOVE to know one or ten or even thirty-five things about YOU! Please leave a comment sharing a bit of yourself!