However, this one has always been my "scary" birthday. Not quite sure why. I did okay turning 30. No panic. But the thought of 33 has always scared me. I googled it and found out I'm not alone with the whole 33 fear! Which made me feel a little better. I always like to have other people validate my neurosis.
So I decided to make a few lists. (If you know me, this is no surprise because I make lists all the time...)
My list for today is sort of a take off on what I've seen going around Facebook lately. So here are 32 random facts about me, one for each year I've lived!
THESE ARE MY CONFESSIONS...
1. I miss playing sports. I wish I were still on a softball, volleyball or basketball team.
2. I once hitched a ride in Italy with a guy on a Vespa.
3. Cooking helps me relax. Weird, I know. But I can spend hours in my kitchen, trying new recipes. Someday I hope to have a huge, state-of-the art kitchen.
4. When I started writing Love is a Battlefield, I didn't think it would ever really get published. When I saw the book cover for the first time last week, I screamed. Loudly.
5. Sometimes I still check under my bed for monsters.
6. I talk to my dogs like they are people. Sometimes we argue.
7. Once in the jungle, in the Darien region of Panama, while on a medical mission trip, I scrubbed little kids heads to get rid of their lice. It was a hard job, and we made up songs as we worked. We sang "You've got lice, babe" and "Lice, lice, baby". That was when I learned that sometimes humor is the only way to get through certain situations.
8. I often pray while I'm driving. So if you ever pass me in my car and it seems like I'm talking to myself, I'm really talking to God.
9. I'm confused as to how I was able to fearlessly jump off of a mountain in Switzerland with just a plastic parachute strapped to me, yet flying in a plane scares me every time.
10. I am a control freak and a perfectionist. Sometimes I have to make myself just let things go.
11. I was a cheerleader in high school and I can still wear my uniform from my senior year. Guess what my favorite Halloween costume is?
12. I am such a procrastinator that I wrote my speech for high school graduation while I sat on the football field in my cap and gown, waiting on my name to be called.
13. I have three recurring dreams: My teeth crumble in my mouth. I get to the airport to go to Europe, only to find out that my passport has expired. It is the day of a big event (one that I've planned in the past) and I get to the event only to find out that I've not started planning it yet.
14. Sometimes I think I belong in a different era. Maybe the 50's.
15. I love politics and have considered running for office someday. Not anything major, but perhaps local government.
16. I love SEC football. Any match up, but especially the big rivalry games. Saturdays in the fall, you will find me watching football.
17. I love to fish. I can even bait my own hook. But I don't ever keep any of the fish I catch because I can't bear to eat something I've looked in the eye.
18. I don't really have any big regrets. All the choices I've made in my life have brought me to where I am now. And I think I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. So if I had it to do over, I wouldn't make any major changes.
19. I'm thankful I lived in Mobile. Not only did I gain a lot of experience that has helped my career, but I also met some great friends.
20. I love libraries and can spend hours in them.
21. I think letter-writing is a lost art. If I could find a man who would write me hand-written letters, I think I'd marry him.
22. When I was 11, I had a crush on Kirk Cameron.
23. When I was 17, I had a crush on Billy Ray Cyrus. In fact, I was in the VH1 special One on One with Billy Ray that year. Oh yes, I am a star!
24. Today, I have a little crush on Tim Tebow, despite the fact that he was born in 1987 and I remember 1987.
25. I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve. And I don't have a poker face. So people usually know how I feel about things. Sometimes this can be a problem.
26. I love the fleur-de-lis. It is the symbol of the city of Florence, Italy, and the summer I lived there, I fell in love with the design.
27. I think Anne Taintor is hilarious.
28. I also love StoryPeople. Sometimes I find one that seems like it was written just for me.
29. I hate it when people make fun of other people for things they can't help.
30. I tend to be really tenderhearted, and I think this will come as a surprise to many. Among many other things, I get teary-eyed at the end of reality shows, commercials about shelter dogs, and every time I hear pomp and circumstance.
31. I love my job. I think what we do is important. In fact, if I were in the Miss America pageant, my platform would be organ donation. But, alas, I am too old to be Miss America.
32. I think I've finally stopped running from who I am. I'm embracing my quirks, my nerdiness, my introversion and my interests. I don't even try to pretend anymore. Finally, finally, at nearly 33, I'm comfortable in my own skin.
Fittingly, the Song of the Day is 32 Flavors. This version is by Alana Davis.
