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things about me

My 100 things post inspired a few friends to write lists of their own. So now it's your turn!

Post a list of things about yourself that many of us might not already know. You don't have to make it a full 100—you could do 50 things, or 25, or however many you want.

Then come back and link up so we can all get to know you better! 

Tag, you're it.

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100 things

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100 things

  1. I lost my Long Island accent in Africa,
  2. but time with my family—even just over the phone—brings it right back.
  3. So does talking about things I'm passionate about.
  4. And driving in traffic.
  1. I blame my Sicilian roots for my loud talking and laughing,
  2. and, of course, for my inability to speak without using my hands.
  1. The word moist makes me shudder
  2. almost as much as ointment. 
  3. And bars of soap just plain creep me out.
  1. I maintain a healthy fear of treadmills
  2. because of laughing-till-crying at countless YouTube videos of people completely wiping out on them. (Search it. You'll thank me later.)
  1. I haven't yet mastered the art of neatly applying nail polish or mascara. Both end up looking like a crime scene.
  2. And I'm the messiest teeth-brusher on the planet. Seriously.
  3. So I brush my teeth in the shower. It's just better for everyone that way.
  1. I don't really like water—either drinking it or being in it—
  2. but I absolutely love an ocean view
  3. and my perfect vacation includes a swim-up bar.
  1. I love not camping,
  2. hate wet grass,
  3. and generally have a "like to look, not touch" stance on all things outdoors.
  4. Although I've hiked Pike's Peak,
  5. whitewater-rafted the Zambezi River,
  6. lived in a tent in the African bush for months at a time,
  7. and eaten Mopani (grub) worms.
  1. I don't like bacon (I hope we can still be friends)
  2. or chocolate—
  3. except for dark chocolate with a glass of red wine (mmmm....) and the occasional M&Ms or Reese's—
  4. but I can eat my weight in cheese
  5. and goldfish (the crackers, not the actual fish).
  1. I prefer to eat things from the inside out, not the outside in.
  2. So I cut things like burgers and sandwiches in half
  3. and rip apart cookies, so I can start on the inside.
  4. Yes. I fully own the fact that I'm weird.
  1. I am a walking musical,
  2. even though I can't sing. At all. I'm not even kidding.
  3. But I love spontaneously interjecting off-key songs, usually remixed with whatever words come to mind.
  1. I don't like talking on the phone
  2. and would choose text over talk any day.
  3. I have to constantly fight the urge to judge people who write in text-speak. (BTW, c u 2nite! LOL!)
  1. I've got a severe case of wanderlust.
  2. I've spent time in 29 countries,
  3. and I really want to add a 30th to that list. Soon.
  4. And I'd love to spend more time in Italy. How about a month? In a villa. In Tuscany. Yes please.
  1. As much as I enjoy traveling, I equally love coming home.
  2. I can be quite the homebody when I let myself.
  3. I think that sometimes doing nothing is far better than doing everything,
  4. and my favorite friends are those who comfortably enjoy doing both.
  1. The tests say I'm an introvert,
  2. but I beg to differ.
  3. The mere thought of eating alone at a restaurant, watching a movie solo, or going on vacation by myself makes me want to cry.
  4. 99% of my joy of experiencing something is having someone to experience it with.
  5. Otherwise, who would laugh with me? (Laughing's my favorite.)
  6. So I've decided I'm a self-diagnosed extroverted introvert.
  1. I wish I had a poker face,
  2. but in a lot of ways, I'm glad I wear my heart on my sleeve.
  3. I'm working on growing thicker skin though.
  1. I never thought I would get a tattoo.
  2. Now I have three,
  3. and I don't think I'm done yet.
  1. I'm ordained.
  1. I buy hats more often than I wear them,
  2. but I really want to be a hat girl. Someday.
  1. I frequently have to ask a friend if what I'm wearing "makes me look like a missionary". 
  2. Quite a few articles of clothing have been vetoed, but I can't always bring myself to get rid of them.
  3. My wardrobe needs an extreme makeover.
  1. I've never been able to do a cartwheel,
  2. or whistle,
  3. or make my bed every day.
  4. I can, however, sock-skate across wood floors like it's an Olympic sport.
  1. Autumn is my absolute most favorite time of year.
  1. This white girl can't dance, but still loves to. Isn't that what kitchens were made for?
  2. I've been known to one-person Conga-line through the house
  3. and bust out in my own version of a Touchdown dance for no reason at all.
  1. I love the first 20 seconds in a hot car after I've been in air conditioning. It feels like a full-body hug.
  1. I always lean my airplane seat back ever so slightly as soon as I sit in it—
  2. that extra quarter-inch of room makes me feel like a rebel.
  3. Sometimes I have to force myself to break the rules, even a little bit.
  1. I don't enjoy reading as much as I used to,
  2. But given the right circumstances, I still love a book worth losing myself in.
  1. I firmly believe that food tastes better when someone else cooks it.
  2. And if my budget (and waistline) would allow, I'd eat out almost every day.
  3. I can be a bit of a food snob,
  4. but I also love ramen noodles, Kraft Mac & Cheese, and baseball game hot dogs.
  5. I do a happy food dance when I like what I'm eating—which is pretty often.
  6. Sharing an amazing meal with my family is one of my all-time favorite things to do. Ever.
  1. I think the saying "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" is a lie.
  2. In other news, I've been trying to lose 10 pounds for over a decade.
  1. I am ridiculously sentimental.
  2. Songs, smells, and places always carry memories,
  3. and pretty much everything I own holds some sort of significance.
  4. (Which is why my vetoed clothes just get relocated to the back of my closet.)
  1. I live perpetually tired,
  2. but struggle to fall asleep most nights.
  3. Mornings and I don't get along very well.
  1. I dreamed I'd live in Africa forever.
  2. Though cut short, my 13 years there were a lifetime. This I know.
  1. I never ever ever imagined I'd live in Nashville,
  2. although there was my pre-teen Amy Grant-loving stage when I desperately wanted to.
  3. But I find myself loving this little big town.
  4. 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.

You can also link up your own "Things About Me" post here >

TGIF: on puzzle pieces, sunshine, & friendship

TGIF Grit I saw this exercise in the archives of Brené Brown's blog, and loved it so much I decided to resurrect it here at the Grit. So here is my TGI this Friday...

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I'm trusting that all the details will work out. Somehow. I've got a lot of puzzle pieces I'm trying to sort out at the moment, but I'm choosing to trust that God sees the full (finished) picture when all I see are fragmented bits. And that it will all come together right when it needs to. Trusting that His timing won't be late means accepting it might not be early either. Eeeeeek.

I'm grateful for the sunshine that's finally broken through after weeks of dreary winter. My soul needed it. Badly.

I'm inspired by friends I spent time with this week. They are wise and compassionate and focused. They are humble and strong and funny. Their gracious gift of friendship speaks "enoughness" to my heart and pushes me to live life fully.

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I would love to know what you are trusting in, grateful for, and inspired by today.

Happy Friday, Gritty family.