33 Interesting Facts About Me on My 33rd Birthday

These are getting harder and harder to come up with. You all know everything about me by now! So some of these are pretty lame. Haha.

1. I have my credit card number memorized. I really hate getting up off the couch to find my credit card while I'm online shopping, so I memorized all the information. Good for my laziness. Bad for my budget. Haha.

2. I have an aversion to wearing socks. Obviously, I wear them when I'm cold, but my feet inexplicably get unbearably hot every night at 10:00 almost like clockwork, and I have to take my socks off immediately. I'm terrible about remembering to take care of said socks, so I have a bad habit of leaving them everywhere.

3. I don't wear deodorant in the winter. I don't sweat and I don't stink, so why bother?

4. I would rather watch a TV series than a movie. I actually very rarely watch movies.

5. I'm not afraid of spiders or snakes, but I can't handle mice or bats. (Or bears, obviously.)

6. I haven't nannied for Chase and Lyla in 6 years, but I still regularly have nightmares that I lose them or forget them or do something to make their parents mad at me.

7. I recently decided that my favorite food is French Fries. When Justin asks me where I want to go to dinner, I tend to respond, "Somewhere with good fries." Of course, there has to be ranch to go along with them. #Michigander

8. I hate watching people kiss - at weddings, on tv, etc. I look away if possible.

9. I'm not a hugger. It's not my first reaction when seeing someone and I'm usually caught off guard when people lean in for a hug. I don't mind hugging, it's just not my initial response.

10. I despise the word "panties." My girls wear undies. Never panties.

11. I'm obsessed with grey and white stripes - on clothes, on walls, on pillows - anything.

12. Thinking about eternity literally gives me a stomach ache. I can't wrap my mind around it.

13. I regularly re-live my most embarrassing moments at night when I'm trying to sleep - not by choice, but because of anxiety. Haha.

14. I went on a mission trip with my church to Las Vegas the summer between my junior and senior years. It.was.terrible. We drove 34 hours straight in janky church vans with no AC, then we walked door to door in 100 degree weather (literally - not exaggerating) inviting people to a party in the park at the end of the week. We were supposed to do our street ministry in the park, and when the time came, the skies opened up and Vegas experienced a freak storm that happens only like 3 times a year.

15. I can tell the difference between Dr Pepper and Diet Dr Pepper without a shadow of a doubt, but I'm not sure I could tell the difference between DP and Mr. Pibb . . .

16. I hate taking showers. I hate spending 20 minutes of my valuable kid-free time doing something I don't enjoy. So I actually shower quite rarely. Combined with number 3, you guys are starting to think twice about getting too close to me, aren't you?

17. I wasn't allowed to celebrate Halloween as a kid. I tend to agree with most of my parents' choices now as a parent myself, but Halloween isn't one of them. We totally let our kids dress up and get candy.

18. I get really nervous for other people. When our friend Paul preached for the first time, I couldn't even look at him I was so nervous. When my dad gets called up to pray, I instantly get a stomach ache. I'm not selfish with my anxiety. I share it with others. Lol.

19. I've never used a lawn mower.

20. I prefer my laptop to my phone. I've had a smartphone for many years and still can't type on it. Given the choice, I'll always respond to facebook messages or emails on my laptop where I can type many times faster.

21. I've eaten the same breakfast every day for at least 3 years: Hazelnut coffee with peppermint mocha creamer and a french toast bagel from Daily Deals with butter. Mmmmm. I never get sick of it.

22. I'm way more of a pushover as a parent than I expected to be. I was a strict nanny and thought I'd be the same way with my kids. I loved those kids I nannied for, but there's something different about your own kids. I love making them happy and hate being the one to make them sad. Case in point: We buy them wayyyyy too many Christmas presents. But I draw the line at Advent calendars that provide a toy every single day leading up to Christmas. That's the opposite spirit of what we're trying to cultivate at Christmas time. But I keep seeing deals on Lego Friends Advent calendars that my girls would adore and I keep telling myself, "No! Stick to your guns! Don't give in just because they'd like it!" Haha.

23. I have a cheap bedspread habit. I buy cute bedspreads when they're super cheap, but then they're either uglier in real life than they were in the picture, they're not warm enough, or they get stained from our kids' dirty hands/faces/bodies (or from me letting them eat in our bed), so I buy a new one. I even tried a duvet cover because I figured it'd be easier to clean. But the stupid comforter doesn't stay in place in the duvet cover and just becomes a bunchy, tangled mess! I just ordered a new one from Kohl's. It's a little better quality than previous contenders, so hopefully this one will last longer.

24. I got rid of Instagram because I rarely used it, it took up too much space on my phone, and it just feeds the envy monster.

25. Similarly, I hide people on facebook if they're too beautiful or their life is too perfect. It's probably not the healthiest way to deal with my jealousy issues, but it's the easiest.

26. I don't like concerts. I'm not a fan of loud noises or crowds. And I have no desire to see my favorite artists perform in person. I'm fine with listening to them on the radio. (#thisis33)

27. Despite my reputation as a voracious reader, I'm terrible about reading non-fiction. I always ask for parenting books or marriage books or theology books for Christmas, and I pick them up when I'm out thrift shopping, but I actually very rarely read them. They'll sit on my shelf for years before I talk myself into reading them.

28. I'm a silence filler. If there's a lull in the conversation, I will find a way to fill it - usually an attempt at humor. Unfortunately, I'm not very funny, so I tend to make things more awkward. Lol.

29. I don't like silence at home either. Unless I'm reading, I can't sit in silence. I always have the TV on in the background - even if it's not a show I'm terribly interested in. While I cook and clean I blare my spotify playlist. Even when I'm sleeping, I have to have the fan on. Is that a millenial thing?

30. I'm turned off by people who have strong opinions about every single issue. I don't understand how an issue can arise, you can hear both sides of an argument, then immediately choose a side and defend it with your life. For instance - the Syrian refuge debate from a few years ago. I genuinely can see and understand both sides. Or the current immigration debate. I understand the need for borders and policies, but I also empathize with the women and children who are here illegally and have no where else to go. It seems arrogant to me when people never experience indecision.

31. I have a thing for remembering birthdays - not always, and not everyone I meet, but very often if I find out your birthday, I will remember it. Ironically, I'm not as good at remembering birthdays in the 20s for some reason, and 3 out of the 5 members of my immediate family have birthdays in the 20s.

32. I have bad vision and hearing and I'm somewhat terrified that both will go permanently when I'm an old lady, and I'll just sit in my room at the nursing home unable to hear or see my loved ones, unable to watch TV or listen to music or read or even listen to audiobooks! I'm thinking about learning Braille proactively, just in case.

33. We're 95% sure we're done having kids, but every month, I still kind of hope for a surprise baby. Haha.

There you have it! More than you ever wanted to know about me. Thanks for the birthday love today! It's been a great day filled with good food, naps, and sweet gifts from my husband and kids.