It’s My Birthday! {and a giveaway!}

So today it’s official (at least to me anyway). I have made it into my late-20′s! Exciting–isn’t it?

I’m one of those strange women who actually likes getting old. Now I may change my mind when things start drooping and breaking on me, but for now I’m loving it. (Come 30 and we’re going to have a big party! Dress-up clothes and everything!!)

Today is my 27th birthday!

Now, I do acknowledge that I’m starting to get to that age where those whipper-snappers a few years younger than me don’t quite understand the same pop culture references. New Kids on the Block? Beepers? Boyz II Men? Neon scrunchy socks? Who’s Freddie Prince, Jr.?

But that just means that one day I’ll be the one who gets to tell the stories about walking to school uphill both ways in a snowstorm. Won’t that be fun?

But in celebration of this entrance into the late-20′s I wanted to share with you 27 random tidbits about me…and a few pictures, because what’s a birthday without some “back in the day” pictures?

(Oh…and yes, there is a little giveaway at the end of this post!)

1 – When I was little I wanted to be a Radio City Rockette and an archeologist.

2 - I have a slight addiction to Netflix.

3 - I love tea, preferably black teas but fruity flavored teas are rising to the top as a new favorite.

4 - Once upon a time I was fluent in Spanish…reading and writing were my strong points, conversation…not so much, then I graduated high school and never did anything with it.

5 - My kindergarten teacher’s name was Ms. Saad and she looked like a witch (she’s on the left). Even my husband thinks so. Maybe it was the heavy 80′s make-up?

6 – When it’s time for Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child I always pack boxes for the older children (tweens/teens), because they get the least amount of boxes.

7 - I learned to drive in Japan…which means I can navigate tiny streets in not so tiny cars pretty well.

8 - I’ve only driven stick shifts where the driver’s seat was on the right-hand side of the car. I’m not sure I could do it the traditional American way.

9 – I’ve never mowed grass. Ever. Not once.

10 - I once had a white cat I named Pumpkin. It had a mysterious death. My parents think our neighbor poisoned it.

11 - In high school I was on the drama team and we won 1st place for our 1-Act Play and Readers’ Theatre (which we wrote).

12 - I have had some horrific haircuts in my growing up years. Just horrific.

See? I told ya. (And yes…there is mullet-esque hairdo there. You’re not hallucinating.)

13 - The country I most want to visit is England.

14 - Me and Jane Austen are BFF’s. I’ve read all her novels and seen pretty much every film adaptation of her novels. I even went to a Jane Austen Festival last summer.

15 - I’ve only met two bloggers in real life–both with the same name, different spellings.

Ashley from Putting God First Place who now lives in Louisville while her hubby attends seminary. And Ashleigh from Heart & Home whom I met through one of my bridesmaids (this lovely lady) around my wedding. (This doesn’t not including friends I met and then found out they had blogs.)

16 - I’m going to Relevant in October (!).

17 - My husband’s pretty dang sweet.

18 - Ethiopian food is wonderfully amazing…so is their coffee.

19 – I may or may have not sang into my sister’s aluminum foil microphone as a…um…teenager. And no there is not a picture of this somewhere in my parent’s house.

20 - I have a Compassion child from Ecuador named Pamela. She’s my second child in 5 years…my first was Diana.

21 - I like green tea, but it took me a few years to get use to the bitterness. American green tea is weak sauce compared to Japanese green tea.

22 - It took me two years of living in Japan before I was comfortable using a “squatty potty” when out in town (there’s almost always a “western” toilet), but at least I had directions:

23 - I’ve lived in 5 states, 2 countries, 11 cities, and–I think–18 houses.

24 - I’m biracial. Though I’ve yet to have anyone EVER correctly guess what my non-Caucasian ethnicity is…what’s your guess? (Oh…and if you know me in real life–and know the answer–don’t spill the beans!)

25 - My other half is mix of German and Welsh, which is pretty cool since my husband’s German through and through on both sides of his family. And doesn’t Welsh just sound so much cooler than plain old English or British or…?

26 - I swam butterfly in high school and was pretty dang good at it.

27 - Oh…yeah, it’s my birthday!

Giveaway stuff:

It’s my birthday, but I wanted to share just a few of my favorite things with you: tea, lip balm (Burt’s Bees…the best ever!), a flower brooch, and–of course–chocolate.

To enter the giveaway leave a comment sharing one random tidbit about yourself or answer the question at the end of #24…or both.

The giveaway ends Thursday, September 2nd at 9pm EST.

Enjoy!

Tagged as: birthday, fun, pictures