Who I am at 25

"All men should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why."
-James Thurber

A snapshot of me, on this day, twenty-five years after I entered this world. [Thanks Mama, for pushing me out and for pushing me forward!] Here goes:

1. I am a woman, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, a teacher, a designer, a Southerner, an optimist, a friend, a listener, a reader, and the list goes on...
   
2. I visit the following websites daily: Gmail, Facebook, the GCPS job listing site, and the myriad of blogs that I've bookmarked in Google Reader.
   
3. I want to travel to Yosemite, Philadelphia, Niagara Falls, and Australia.
4. I love to eat mashed potatoes, chips and salsa, and chocolate toffee.
5. I think that my best physical features are my blue eyes.
6. I've never been one to have lots of close friends. My best friends are my husband, my sister, and my mom.
   
7. I can't wait until I get a teaching job.
8. I didn't think that I had a favorite color, until I looked around my house and saw that everything was green.
9. I wish I was athletic enough to keep up with my husband.
   
10. I think that my passion is recording memories and stories--now what do I do with that?
11. I admire Jordan Ferney, Elise Blaha, and my aunt Sally, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I've actually made lists about the things that I most admire about them.
12. I would plan events (parties, conferences, meetings, retreats, workshops) if I thought I could make a living doing it.
13. I like to cook, but sometimes it's hard to convince myself to walk downstairs to the kitchen to start. It's also not as enjoyable as it could be because I'm such a picky eater.
    
14. I am a Democrat because I believe that we're supposed to help each other out in this world.
15. I get physically ill in stressful shopping situations, like buying a car or attacking a sale.
16. I dream often of taking my future family on vacation.
17. I think that the perfect Friday evening is dinner out with my husband at a sit-down restaurant (preferably one we haven't eaten at in a while), a trip to Bruster's for ice cream, curling up with a Netflix movie, and in bed by midnight.
18. I regret very little in my life--there just isn't time for that. And, although there are people that I miss very much, looking back, I really had little power to keep them from leaving.
19. I shower every morning because my hair gets nasty so quickly. However, I have enjoyed a few no-commitment days lately, where I can just throw the hair up in a ponytail.
20. I really dislike being surrounded by lots of people. I think this is because I'm so short, and can't see over anybody.
21. I'm proud of my high school diploma and my college degree, but sometimes wonder if I squandered away my smarts.
22. I hope that I inspire my husband and my family to view life's ups and downs as an adventure.
    
23. I don't mind washing and folding the laundry, but I can wait weeks before I put it away--I'm trying to work on this.
24. I must project an image of a trustworthy, wise confidante because several times recently I've been approached by an acquaintance who just needed someone to listen.
25. I have twenty five years behind me, and the future ahead of me. Anything is possible...