35

I'm 35 today! I don't feel it, but I'm starting to get used to not feeling my age. To celebrate, I thought I might share some things about myself that don't relate to photography, so here are 35 facts:

1. I used to work at McDonald's.

2. My first car was a 1969 VW Bug.

3. I prefer milk chocolate over dark.

4. I was on a jumprope team when I was 6.

5. Being on said team led to my first plane trip (at age 6)--we flew to Colorado for the national jumprope competition.

6. I used to own a snake--a red-tail boa--and he grew to about 7 feet long before my parents found a new home for him since I was in college and not really around.

7. I'm a shorty at just over 5'1.

8. All of my education was in public school, aside from one semester at a private college.

9. I prefer all red meat to be well done. It should be brown meat.

10. I moved back in with my parents four times since the first time I moved out at age 18. :P

11. But now I've been out of their house for 6 years. It's a new record!

12. I don't like coffee.

13. I've been at my current job for almost 6 years, which is the longest I've ever worked at the same place.

14. My bachelor's degree is in communication studies with an emphasis in organizational communication.

15. I'm the middle of three sisters.

16. I'm an INTP. (Some of that description does not match me, but this particular part is pretty much me: "The INTP is likely to be very shy when it comes to meeting new people. On the other hand, the INTP is very self-confident and gregarious around people they know well, or when discussing theories which they fully understand.")

17. I'm having a lot of trouble coming up with 35 facts about myself! This is hard.

18. I was born and raised in northern California, but I have also lived in Nevada, Oregon (duh), and temporarily in Texas (one semester) and New Hampshire (if a two-month stay with my sister counts...I say it should!).

19. Growing up, we had several pets including various dogs, a cat, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds and fish. I'm not really into pets now, though--too much responsibility.

20. I have 9 nieces and nephews. They call me "Tia" because my sisters decided to have their kids refer to aunts that way, even though we're not Spanish-speakers. I can't remember all of the reasoning now. :)

21. I grew up in the Lutheran church, but now I'm a member of a Baptist church. I'm not particularly tied to any denomination. I am tied to Jesus Christ. :D

22. I've sung in three church choirs for a total of at least 10 years in church choir. PS I'm an alto (although I took voice lessons for 6 months and was told I'm a soprano...I probably am if I'd sing correctly :P).

23. I've been on several road trips and have visited 42 US states and 6 Canadian provinces.

24. I bite my nails. :( It's a lifelong battle.

25. It's too hard to choose favorites of practically anything, but some of my favorite books are Catcher in the Rye (J. D. Salinger), This Time of Darkness (H. M. Hoover) and Z for Zachariah (Robert C. O'Brien).

26. Some of the TV shows I loved as a kid were: The Brady Bunch, Three's Company, Webster, Facts of Life, Who's the Boss?, Saved by the Bell, The Cosby Show, and Gimme a Break. Despite the size of that list, I didn't like watching TV all that much, and still don't.

27. As an adult, the shows I've enjoyed most over the years are Friends, Jeopardy, The Office, Chuck, Veronica Mars and Alias (which I watched entirely on DVD after the series had ended). I'm not really into reality shows unless it's to bash them.

28. Continuing on with this theme, the movies I watched the most as a kid were Annie and Grease. Sometimes I would quietly sing Hopelessly Devoted to myself on the playground when I was 6. I'm so cool! I wanted to sing like Sandy. And Annie.

29. My current car is the first/only one I ever got brand new, and recently (October 13th) I hit the tenth anniversary of purchasing it! It still feels like a "new car" to me, but obviously it isn't.

30. I've worked for three universities.

31. My favorite flowers are gardenias.

32. I LOVED swimming when I was a kid (still do, but don't get much of an opportunity).

33. Some of my favorite games are Scrabble, Cribbage and Trivial Pursuit (or any sort of quizzing game).

34. Typing was one of my most useful high school classes. I'm a pretty fast typist, and I was even able to type people's papers for pay when I was in college.

35. I just ate a Shari's Berry that Dania sent me for my birthday! :)

WOW, that was hard.