HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

today i am 27 years old! i'm not sure how i feel about that. i had a harder time with 25 (true story. i was very upset that i would have to check the '25-34 box' and no longer the '18-24 box' on surveys & applications. ha!) but 27, well, i think i like the sound of it! :)

and in celebration of... well... ME, i am going to let you all know some random info about me. 27 random facts, of course!

1.) i was born & raised in southern california. i spent over 2 years living in rockford, illinois. lived in southern california again. have now lived in alabama for 3 years.

2.) i have been to 30 states. 32 if you count airports. i want to go to all 50 & will get a huge chunk of what's left crossed off when i take my dream road trip up & down the east coast (new england)

3.) i have been outside of the country several times. mexico, canada (road trip from rockford, il to newfoundland, canada took us through 5 provinces), trinidad, the dominican republic, and romania (which had a layover in poland).

4.) i am the middle child and the only girl. that is pretty much the recipe for awesome.

5.) my grandma (who passed away in dec 2006) grew up in dutch indonesia. her & her family spent some time in a concentration camp during the holocaust. not because they were jewish, but because they were rich. she fell in love with an american soldier, and now has 2 american children, 3 american grandchildren, and 2 american great-grandsons :)

6.) most people in my family call my other grandma "big hair." i'll let you guess why ;) she's so cool that she actually likes the name big hair. 3 of us grandkids have given her great-grandchildren, and they are ALL 5 boys!

7.) i graduated in 2001 from lancaster high school in lancaster, ca with a 4.17 GPA

8.) i have a pretty wide variety of past jobs. my first job was at a sports & graphics store. i have also been a church receptionist, retail Christian bookstore cashier, barista (in a coffee shop), nanny, Christian counseling office manager/insurance biller, kindegarten teacher, and now i do my 2 favorite jobs- stay at home mommy & photographer!!! i worked for Christians at every one of those jobs.

9.) my favorite colors are purple and turquoise

10.) my favorite foods are chinese and strawberries and ice cream and dark chocolate

11.) my favorite tv shows are lost, biggest loser, so you think you can dance, & american idol. i really like the new show 'life unexpected'

12.) about 4 years ago i made a life "to-do" list. i have had the pleasure to mark several things off that list. they include: have children, pierce my nose, have a job that i don't have to dress up for, own a ford escape (no joke! lol), read the entire chronicles of narnia series

13.) i'm a crier. i get waaay too into tv shows & movies and just bawl my eyes out when sad things happen. instead of laughing at me, my sweet husband insists it's because i'm compassionate lol

14.) i HATE doing dishes. i would rather scrub a toilet.

15.) one of the elementary schools i went to growing up was called "tumbleweed." wow, how lame is that?

16.) i used to sing. and act. and kinda sorta dance. now i just do that while playing with my kids, and that is just the way i want it!

17.) i don't like mashed potatoes, watermelon, pie, mexican food, or pot roast.

18.) natalie grant is one of my favorite singers of all time. i used 2 of her songs in my wedding. this is me with her! :) :) :)

19.) the beach is one of my favorite places to be of all time. disneyland is another.

20.) i found out i was pregnant with sean on christmas eve. i had my first ultrasound exactly 4 years ago today (on my birthday!). he was born on our anniversary :)

21.) almost all of my memories of growing up have to do with church. i wouldn't have it any other way! i grew up in missionettes, doing kid's choir, & going to camps, then as a teen i worked in kids choir & at camps, as well as going on missions trips & other kinds of ministry.

22.) last year was so special! i turned 26 on feb 6 (2-6) and nolan was born on february 26!

23.) i got voted "most religious" in high school. it still makes me laugh.

24.) my heart burns & aches for the children in the foster system in america, as well as the orphans. i hurts for those in other countries as well, but my heart & calling is with the ones in this country... someone has to take care of them! and we will, when the timing is right!

25.) we want to have four children of our own, and then either be foster parents or adopt (or both!)

26.) there are many food places from california that i miss where we live here. some of those things include: panda express, cold stone, jamba juice, elephant bar, mimi's cafe, panera bread company, texas cattle company, & greenhouse cafe

27.) i feel really awkward writing a whole post about me and not focusing on the kids or dathan or someone else. it was harder than i thought to think of 27 things because i wanted to give you info with depth or substance. i hope you enjoyed it! happy birthday to me :)