- I lost my Long Island accent in Africa,
- but time with my family—even just over the phone—brings it right back.
- So does talking about things I'm passionate about.
- And driving in traffic.
- I blame my Sicilian roots for my loud talking and laughing,
- and, of course, for my inability to speak without using my hands.
- The word moist makes me shudder
- almost as much as ointment.
- And bars of soap just plain creep me out.
- I maintain a healthy fear of treadmills
- because of laughing-till-crying at countless YouTube videos of people completely wiping out on them. (Search it. You'll thank me later.)
- I haven't yet mastered the art of neatly applying nail polish or mascara. Both end up looking like a crime scene.
- And I'm the messiest teeth-brusher on the planet. Seriously.
- So I brush my teeth in the shower. It's just better for everyone that way.
- I don't really like water—either drinking it or being in it—
- but I absolutely love an ocean view
- and my perfect vacation includes a swim-up bar.
- I love not camping,
- hate wet grass,
- and generally have a "like to look, not touch" stance on all things outdoors.
- Although I've hiked Pike's Peak,
- whitewater-rafted the Zambezi River,
- lived in a tent in the African bush for months at a time,
- and eaten Mopani (grub) worms.
- I don't like bacon (I hope we can still be friends)
- or chocolate—
- except for dark chocolate with a glass of red wine (mmmm....) and the occasional M&Ms or Reese's—
- but I can eat my weight in cheese
- and goldfish (the crackers, not the actual fish).
- I prefer to eat things from the inside out, not the outside in.
- So I cut things like burgers and sandwiches in half
- and rip apart cookies, so I can start on the inside.
- Yes. I fully own the fact that I'm weird.
- I am a walking musical,
- even though I can't sing. At all. I'm not even kidding.
- But I love spontaneously interjecting off-key songs, usually remixed with whatever words come to mind.
- I don't like talking on the phone
- and would choose text over talk any day.
- I have to constantly fight the urge to judge people who write in text-speak.
(BTW, c u 2nite! LOL!)
- I've got a severe case of wanderlust.
- I've spent time in 29 countries,
- and I really want to add a 30th to that list. Soon.
- And I'd love to spend more time in Italy. How about a month? In a villa. In Tuscany. Yes please.
- As much as I enjoy traveling, I equally love coming home.
- I can be quite the homebody when I let myself.
- I think that sometimes doing nothing is far better than doing everything,
- and my favorite friends are those who comfortably enjoy doing both.
- The tests say I'm an introvert,
- but I beg to differ.
- The mere thought of eating alone at a restaurant, watching a movie solo, or going on vacation by myself makes me want to cry.
- 99% of my joy of experiencing something is having someone to experience it with.
- Otherwise, who would laugh with me? (Laughing's my favorite.)
- So I've decided I'm a self-diagnosed extroverted introvert.
- I wish I had a poker face,
- but in a lot of ways, I'm glad I wear my heart on my sleeve.
- I'm working on growing thicker skin though.
- I never thought I would get a tattoo.
- Now I have three,
- and I don't think I'm done yet.
- I'm ordained.
- I buy hats more often than I wear them,
- but I really want to be a hat girl. Someday.
- I frequently have to ask a friend if what I'm wearing "makes me look like a missionary".
- Quite a few articles of clothing have been vetoed, but I can't always bring myself to get rid of them.
- My wardrobe needs an extreme makeover.
- I've never been able to do a cartwheel,
- or whistle,
- or make my bed every day.
- I can, however, sock-skate across wood floors like it's an Olympic sport.
- Autumn is my absolute most favorite time of year.
- This white girl can't dance, but still loves to. Isn't that what kitchens were made for?
- I've been known to one-person Conga-line through the house
- and bust out in my own version of a Touchdown dance for no reason at all.
- I love the first 20 seconds in a hot car after I've been in air conditioning. It feels like a full-body hug.
- I always lean my airplane seat back ever so slightly as soon as I sit in it—
- that extra quarter-inch of room makes me feel like a rebel.
- Sometimes I have to force myself to break the rules, even a little bit.
- I don't enjoy reading as much as I used to,
- But given the right circumstances, I still love a book worth losing myself in.
- I firmly believe that food tastes better when someone else cooks it.
- And if my budget (and waistline) would allow, I'd eat out almost every day.
- I can be a bit of a food snob,
- but I also love ramen noodles, Kraft Mac & Cheese, and baseball game hot dogs.
- I do a happy food dance when I like what I'm eating—which is pretty often.
- Sharing an amazing meal with my family is one of my all-time favorite things to do. Ever.
- I think the saying "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" is a lie.
- In other news, I've been trying to lose 10 pounds for over a decade.
- I am ridiculously sentimental.
- Songs, smells, and places always carry memories,
- and pretty much everything I own holds some sort of significance.
- (Which is why my vetoed clothes just get relocated to the back of my closet.)
- I live perpetually tired,
- but struggle to fall asleep most nights.
- Mornings and I don't get along very well.
- I dreamed I'd live in Africa forever.
- Though cut short, my 13 years there were a lifetime. This I know.
- I never ever ever imagined I'd live in Nashville,
- although there was my pre-teen Amy Grant-loving stage when I desperately wanted to.
- But I find myself loving this little big town.
- And I'm only half-joking when I say that living in Africa prepared me to live in the South.
Tell me something about you that I probably don't already know.