twenty-five things about a twenty-five year old

1. i love the summer! everything about it...being outside, playing frisbee, going on hikes, playing in the water (lake, river, ocean, puddle...you name it), laying in the sunshine, eating watermelon in the evening, eating ice cream for dinner :o), waking up to a beautiful sunny day, driving with my windows down...
2. music influences my mood. i LOVE listening to music, singing my heart out and learning new songs. i don't enjoy most heavy metal, rap, opera or secular pop.
   
3. i have always dreamed of going somewhere tropical, but haven't gone yet. i can't wait to try surfing with-out wearing a full wetsuit. oh, and i want to try scuba diving and would love to swim with dolphins or sea turtles.
4. i feel closest to God when i am by myself out in the woods, in the ocean, watching a big storm (especially with thunder and lightning!) or outside in nature somewhere. His creative beauty astounds me.
5. children are my passion. anywhere i go, i am drawn to kids and want to play with them and be their friends. i feel blessed to have opportunities to hang out with the little creatures. i eventually want a large family with a few adopted or foster kids as well as my own.
6. my favorite color changes with my mood, and possibly several times a day if i kept track of it. right now, it is blue.
   
7. i am scared to try appetizers at events (especially the crackers with unknown spreads on top). i was at a wedding once and ate one off of a platter and almost phsyically got sick and HAD to spit it out. there are several foods that i don't like, but that was the only time i COULDN'T swallow the bite. my mom said i even looked like i was going to be sick. to this day, i have no idea why or what it was...
8. my favorite breakfast foods are cinnamon rolls (my mom's recipe is the best), fresh fruit or a belgian waffle. i rarely have any of them and usually just eat cereal.
   
9. i have t-p'd a road sign. (they are a lot taller than you would think...) that was interesting.
10. i am going sky-diving this summer with my best friend! we have been planning this for over five years now. anyone want to join us?
11. my favorite childhood memory is when my family would drive out of the city and find a place to watch the stars on a clear night. we would bring blankets and just lay on the ground. we talked, laughed until we cried, quoted movies and ran around in the dark. i love love love love love love love to look at the stars (especially during a meteor shower!).
12. growing up i have considered the following careers...a secretary (in elementary school i thought that would be the perfect dream job), a nurse (i get queasy way too easily), an interior decorator (very cool, but maybe as a hobby), a firefighter (it would be amazing, but my mom talked me out of it by asking if i would want to continue after i had kids...), a nanny (yep! on my second nanny family!), and a children's counselor (definitely someday!). BUT the best job ever and always... stay-at-home mom (i am in "training" for this as a nanny!).
13. my favorite beach is shorty's (oswald state park). a close second is indian beach (ecola state park). amazing views and cool surfing/boogie-boarding spots!
14. for as long as i can remember, i have been planning my wedding and picking out names for my future children. i still have a list somewhere that i made in early elementary school. my ideas have definitely changed over the years.
15. i love roller-blading but haven't done it in quite a while. my best friend and i would go around town for hours. my injuries over the years ~ i have broken my wrist (a dog ran into me), my tooth went through my lip (while racing my friend, we hit our roller-blades together...), and i got a huge road rash on my leg (going downhill probably about 15 mph, i panicked and slid the concrete).
    
16. i'm addicted to reading. i don't read all of the time because when i start reading, EVERYTHING else takes the back seat. i can lose hours and days at a time if i have a good stack of books. i also lose a lot of sleep. :o)
17. i have a special place in my heart for cannon beach (i lived there for two summers), camp crestview (church camp), east hill foursquare church (my church!), camp adair (the place where my family goes star-gazing), and both of my grandmas houses (although one is now in heaven).
18. my first car was a 1988 honda accord. i always thought that people who talked fondly of their first car like a long lost friend were weird... but after my simon met his untimely death, i grieved. i miss him still...
19. i have lived in oregon my entire life.
20. i've been to france, poland and germany. i've never been to canada or mexico.
21. i love being creative and making beautiful things for others to enjoy. unfortunately my perfectionism often frustrates me and i end up not finishing some projects.
22. i was on the swim team in high school and loved it. in middle school i was in track and i was horrible.
23. i wish that i could enjoy running. i have tried a couple times and have never stuck it out past the really sore stage. i get too ambitious at the beginning and wear out quickly. someday i'll try again.
    
24. i have a large extended family and absolutely LOVE our reunions and any get-togethers throughout the year. celebrating thanksgiving or christmas without them would be sad.
25. God has given me a couple of amazing promises that i'm still waiting on. at times i have been so frustrated with His timing, but i love the adventures that He has planned for me.