Turning 34.....

I turn 34 on Monday.  Crazy I am almost mid thirties.  The funny thing is I still feel pretty young until I look in the mirror and see the signs of wrinkles and crows feet starting to appear on my face and then I think dang, I need to get on the botox\ facials \ microdermabrasion train stat.  I actually love my thirties way more than my twenties.  I think I have really evolved and found myself and I finally feel comfortable in my skin.  Becoming a mom profoundly changed me and ultimately has made me a stronger and better person.  It has taught me how to be selfless and what unconditional love is,  probably the most important things I have learned in my 30s.  I still strive to be a better mom, friend, wife, daughter, and sister daily.  There is always room for improvement in those areas.  I feel really blessed with the life I have and I think 34 is going to be a great year!

I thought it would be fun to share 34 things about me today.  I love getting to know people better so tell me something about yourself too!

ONE \\ I found out I was pregnant with Frances last year on my Birthday.  I was two weeks late with my period and I had stopped taking tests until I was at least two weeks late because they were always negative and I was wasting money on all those expensive tests.  I still remember asking Matt so should I take a test?  and then patiently waiting the 3 minutes and seeing the positive lines.  It was an incredible Birthday to finally be pregnant after many months of trying. A birthday I will never forget.

TWO \\ I still really want three kids and Matt only wants two so I am trying to be at peace with just two kids.  I know three kids would be hard but I always pictured myself with three and it makes me kind of sad to think Frances was the last pregnancy and birth I will get to experience.  In this I trust God and his master plan.

THREE \\ Since having kids I have realized I am not a pet person. I can't take care of both.

FOUR \\ I have a weird eye condition that requires me to wear hard glass contacts that always irritate my eyes and make them water.  I can't wear glasses or regular contacts or even have lasik.  My condition will continue to get worse and ultimately I will have to have a cornea transplant and that scares the crap out of me.

FIVE \\ When I was younger I really wanted to be a model.  My parents even enrolled me in modeling school.  When I realized how skinny I would have to be and how much I liked to eat I decided it wasn't the profession for me.

SIX \\ I hate sweet or sugary drinks.  I only drink unsweetened tea and never juice unless I have made it myself.  Occasionally I will indulge in a coke if I am hungover or sick.  I used to love sweet drinks til I had several cavities and then I gave them up and now I am so used to it the sweet ones make my stomach turn,

SEVEN \\ My mom and my sister are my best friends.  I talk to them both several times a day.  I wish I could give Frances a sister so she could experience that same special bond my sister and I have.  I don't know what I would do without the two of them!

EIGHT \\ I love spending time with my parents, probably too much!  I always choose to hang out with them instead of going out with friends when I am home.  They are such good people and incredible parents, I admire them so much. I always have the best time with them.

NINE \\ At night I lay in bed and think about loved ones dying- so weird and depressing right??  Death really scares me even though I know it is the one certainty in life.   Losing loved ones keeps me up at night sometimes.

TEN \\  I have zero tolerance for mean or negative people and strongly believe in the saying if you don't have something nice to say don't say it all.  I have been shocked at the mean comments on my blog and instagram.

ELEVEN \\  As most of you know Frances Moon is named after my grandmother.   Since my grandmother passed away we started noticing whenever we would have family events or vacations a moon would appear in some of our photos. We know it is my grandmother still with us.  Now it is kind of fun to look and try and find the moon. Another crazy thing is my grandfather loved frogs and collected them,  the day after his funeral a real live frog appeared on my moms kitchen table.  They don't even have frogs where they live much less never inside their house.  We all knew it was him letting us know he was happy and ok.

TWELVE \\ My dream is to publish a cookbook one day

THIRTEEN \\ I have never been to California.  I am trying to convince my parents that next year we all need to travel and do Napa!

FOURTEEN \\  White wine and vodka with fresh lemon juice are my two favorite cocktails of choice

FIFTEEN \\  I only wash my hair usually twice a week and usually only shower every other day- I'm gross I know.

SIXTEEN \\ I still think about Breaking Bad everyday since it ended.  It was quite possibly the best tv show ever.  We did finally just start House of Cards and are loving it but it is no Breaking Bad- I miss Jessie and Walt.

SEVENTEEN \\  I am a neat person but not a clean person.  I like all the clutter put away but I suck at deep cleaning.  In fact last night Matt had to show me how to properly wipe down the counters by removing everything.  My dad never lets me wash pots when I home because I never get them clean enough (although that works to my advantage).

EIGHTEEN \\ I love books.  I love collecting coffee table books and cookbooks.   I have way too many but they make me happy. This is just a small section of my cookbooks I bet I own 50.

NINETEEN \\ Chick Fila is my favorite fast food.  I probably eat it at least once a week. I usually get a 12 pack nuggets or if I am being healthy I do the grilled chicken sandwich or salad.  I never order fries though.

TWENTY \\ I am freakishly in love kale.  Like I eat it everyday. 

TWENTY ONE \\ I never did a sorority in college, I was the only one out of all my friends who didn't

TWENTY TWO \\  I am terrified of sharks and snakes.  So much of sharks that I won't go in the ocean past my knees.

TWENTY THREE \\  Gwyneth Paltrow is my girl crush and my male crushes are a tie between Adam Levine and Zac Efron

TWENTY FOUR \\ I don't drink caffeine anymore.  I basically stopped while I was pregnant with Frances and liked how good it made me feel that I just stick with decaf now.  I swear it has helped my anxiety and nerves.

TWENTY FIVE \\  I had a crush on Matt for four years before we started dated.  I thought he was the most attractive man I had ever seen and I still think that.

TWENTY SIX \\ I prefer to drive on road trips, I like to be in control.

TWENTY SEVEN \\  I hate speaking in public in front of crowds of people it gives me major anxiety.  I used to hate presenting projects at school for the same reason.

TWENTY EIGHT \\  I try to go to church every Sunday although I will be honest it is hard now getting out the door with two kids.  I read a devotional every night- I am on my third year of Jesus Calling- I need a new recommendation! I  pray everyday and we also say prayers with the kids too. Faith is very important to me. 

TWENTY NINE \\  I have a real weakness for blouses.  They are my favorite thing to buy.

THIRTY \\ I like tequila straight.  I think I am one of the few people who actually enjoys sipping on warm tequila- but it must be good tequila

THIRTY ONE \\  I rarely buy new make-up.  I am a creature of habit when comes to make-up ,  I find something I like and use it for years.   I am trying to change that.  I am ready for some new fresh make-up finds.

THIRTY TWO \\ I love grocery shopping, I love to browse all the produce and leisurely shop.

THIRTY THREE \\  I have never had a broken bone or had surgery.  I have been partially put under for two colonoscopies and I swear that terrified me.  I don't do well in hospitals but I will say having children has helped me get past alot of my fears in that aspect.  I wasn't nearly as nervous when Frances was born.

THIRTY FOUR \\ Being a mom is the best thing I ever did with my life.  I will say it again it is the hardest yet most rewarding job.  These kids are my everything and I thank God for them everyday.

Cheers to 34 friends!  I am off to milk my birthday weekend and celebrate all weekend!

xoxo