hello, thirty!

I hit a milestone today. I'm officially now in my 30's. I swear just the other day I was tucking my Cabbage Patch into bed, putting together my Mouse Trap game, watching 90210 in hiding from my parents, singing to Amy Grant's "I Have Decided," and walking to the TV to turn the dial to change the channel.

Wasn't I just wearing this yesterday??

What better way to celebrate my 30 years of life than to list off 30 facts/quirks/things-you-could-care-less-to-know along with a few snapshots from my time on earth. My hope is that this will shorten the gap between us, internet, and strengthen our bond of friendship! ;)

Here it goes...

1. Microwaving food on a time ending in 5 or 0 is just silly to me. I never do it.
2. I never got the hang of blowing my nose. Can't do it.
3. Country music evades my will to live.
4. Chik Fil A is a food group in my book.

2 years old

5. I am extremely intrigued by serial criminals/killers and their behavior.
6. I don't have a favorite flower.
7. As a child, being a mermaid sounded like a pretty appealing and attainable career goal.
8. I inherited my grandma's Oldsmobile with a Betty Boop license plate frame that read, "Happiness is being a grandparent." And for some reason never thought to change it.
9. I choose the beach over any other landscape any day.

4th birthday party, Micky-D style.

10. I sucked my thumb up until the embarrassing-to-admit age of 10.
11. One of my favorite beverages as a child was pickle juice.
12. I have a fear of the dark, heights, sharks, and pool drains.
13. The scent of eucalyptus mint sends me into a nasal passage euphoria.

14. My first domestic flight was when I was 12.
15. My first international flight was when I was in the womb.
16. A favorite childhood memory: while visiting my grandparents in Japan, my cousin, brother, and I would walk down the block to the rice fields and gather tadpoles from the water there, bring them back in our buckets, and put them in a little kiddie pool in my grandparents backyard. We would then monitor them daily to watch them transform into frogs.

Age 8...the age I outgrew grandma (and the entire Japanese population).

17. I watch reruns of ALF on Hulu while I get ready everyday.
18. LAX is my favorite airport.
19. Every Easter growing up, my brother and I would get Lego's in our Easter baskets...and I still wish this was the case.

High school graduation.

20. Have a scar on my arm from falling in the shower. Also realized in that moment that there's just no way to fall gracefully while naked.
21. I personally think every channel should run I Love Lucy 20 hours a day. (With the other 4 hours filled with Modern Family, New Girl, Parks and Rec, Criminal Minds, Everyday Italian, and Downton Abbey).
22. I love to journal my brains and heart out.
23. I miss this guy terribly:

24. Lord of the Rings is, in my opinion, the best trilogy ever made.
25. I would shower 3 times a day if I could.
26. I went to Japanese school every Saturday from Kindergarten through 10th grade.
27. Zelda on Super Nintendo is my all time favorite video game....with MarioKart 64 close behind.

21st birthday

28. I may or may not have teared up at the Shamu show at Sea World.
29. When I was 5 I thought it would be fun to eat all the salt at the bottom of the pretzel bag and while I was throwing up I realized it may not have been the best idea.
30. I never enjoyed Seinfield.

One thing I've learned is that each decade of life keeps getting better and better. The trials become more challenging and intense for sure, but through it all I've learned to cling to Jesus tighter and tighter.

Cheers to the 30's!