10 things about me

my friend {micaela} challenged me to share 10 things about myself.  when put on the spot i am the worst at knowing what to say.  it is either during my random late night daydreams or after a moment has passed that i think of brilliant things.  so here is the best i can think of right now and some of these things may not be a major revelation.  also i realize these are supposed to be quick facts but i tend to say a lot as you will see...

(a picture taken back when throw away cameras were a thing)

1:: i am not a fan of capitalization as is evident by looking at my blog or instagram.  it is not a lazy thing but rather an artistic thing in my mind.  having the letters all uniform is more visually pleasing to me even if i am breaking all the rules.  same goes with my love of ...... versus commas.  when i first started my blog in 2009 i followed capitalization and punctuation rules then one day i stopped caring what people would think if i did it the way i really wanted to in the first place.

2:: i have a passion for the written word and documenting things.  i attribute this passion to two things.  my mom kept a wonderful journal of my early years that i completely cherish.  plus my dad kept journals throughout his life and since his transition to heaven in 2001 the words he wrote have brought comfort to me during hard times.  i view it as one of his ways to communicate and share wisdom although he is no longer with us.  i've always kept various journals to document all sorts of things during my life.  in 1996 i started documenting things in a different way.  each year i would buy a day calendar that had a decent amount of writing space and i would write the details of my day.  sometimes i wrote silly unimportant things and sometimes they were much more substantial.  either way it has been so entertaining to look back on.  sometimes i'll pull out those old day calendars and i tell will to pick a date over and over, i read to him what i wrote on that day and we usually end up laughing.  i religiously wrote that way through 2009.  with the only big gaps being in 2001 when my dad was in the hospital for 3 months and after his death....then again in 2009 after will and i got engaged because life got hectic as we planned for our wedding.  i regret not keeping detailed records during those events especially the happy times after will and i were engaged to be married.  i tried to start that way of documenting up again a few times but it doesn't last long which is a shame because even those mundane moments or few sentences become priceless things to look back on.  i still record all i can here or in various journals...especially ever's journal.  along those same lines i love old fashioned letter writing.  the longest i've been consistent pen pals with someone is with my friend {matthew}.  he is a gem of a person.  his letters and drawings always put a smile on my face and joy in my heart.  

3:: if i could meet and become friends with one celebrity it would be gwen stefani.  for so many years i've admired her.  i don't usually end up being overly impressed by celebrities because lets face it they are just people like you and i, but i think everything gwen does and signifies is just cool.  i've often had dreams that gwen and i meet and instantly we are the best of friends.  when will and i got married i knew i didn't want to have a traditional wedding plus i didn't want to wear a traditional dress.  i had my mind set on wearing something from gwen's fashion line l.a.m.b. and {i did}.  i'll never forget that when i was pregnant with ever i found out gwen would be releasing her harajuku mini clothing line with target and it was a very happy moment for me.  i managed to snag up almost every item i loved from that line and i certainly don't regret it especially now that two more little ladies get to enjoy those clothes.  slightly obsessed with gwen, her style, her music....maybe.

4:: the memory on my phone is almost always full.  it is so annoying when i open my camera to capture ever in a moment via video or photo and my phone says not enough storage.  i upload photos and videos to the computer often but i still have a hard time deleting my favorite images, texts, voicemails....so basically i'm a hoarder when it comes to those sorts of things.  every once in a while i force myself to clean old things out of my phone but before i know it i'm back at the not enough storage message.

5:: i have a hard time living in the moment.  it is not until after a time in my life passes that i can appreciate it for what it was.  i miss times that have passed even when i think they aren't so great as i am going through them i look back with the fondest of memories.  perfect example.....i went through some depression/really hard times after ever was born (for several months).  i wished the time away because i felt things would get easier the older she got and in many ways it did.  if i wasn't wishing time away i was thinking back to days before she arrived and wanting to time travel back because they were easier or better days in my mind.  in reality they weren't but that was what i thought in the midst of my tough spot.  now i think back on her early days and wish so badly i could go do them over.  i look at videos and pictures of her when she was so young and i see her in a different light.  i have noticed this quirk of mine for many years....you'd think i'd learn not to be that way anymore.
  
6:: i have expensive taste.  i could go to any website or visit any store and instantly be drawn to the most expensive item.  someone once told me i have champagne taste on a beer budget.  hopefully the beer budget part changes one day soon.  will and i laugh about how i am drawn to beautiful pricey items.

7:: i feel i could write an incredibly interesting book about the early years of my life.  there are things only a select few know about my younger years and the way i grew up.  it wasn't anything tragic but rather very different from the usual.  i like to think it shaped me into who i am today and gave me a true appreciation for tons of things that many take for granted.  our little family of four had an unmatched closeness due to the way things were.  maybe one day i'll elaborate more.  it took me a good year to start telling will my stories and sometimes he could hardly believe them.  by the same token but in a different way when it was just my mom, brother, and i living together we always talked about our home life could be recorded and end up a top rated reality show.  fun times i will always cherish.

8:: for several years we haven't paid for tv service in our home but thanks to amazon instant play i still enjoy my favorite shows.  there are lots of shows i like which i usually enjoy later through netflix but the ones i really get excited for and will pay to watch right away are modern family, american pickers, and the walking dead.

9:: i have always had a thing for makeup.  i loved watching people put makeup on when i was younger (i especially remember this with my grandmother L).  when i was 22 years old i was introduced to M.A.C and i became obsessed with all of their products.  little by little through my twenties i built up an impressive collection of makeup from M.A.C.  on occasion i did makeup for friends who were getting married or going to some sort of event.  upon my many trips to the nearest M.A.C in vegas i became friends with one of the ladies who worked there.  there's no greater confidence booster than to walk up to your favorite makeup counter and be complimented on your makeup by ladies who you are admiring for their skills. anyway mary was the one who i loved talking to the most when i'd be buying makeup and on several occasions she encouraged me to fill out and application and start working with her and all the other makeup gals.  one day she actually handed me an application along with her phone number and told me that since i didn't live in vegas i was welcome to come live with her on days that i'd be working there.  i still am in awe at her generous offer all these years later.  she didn't really know me other than our many interactions over the years but she was still willing to have me live with her in order to follow my makeup dreams.  she believed in me more than i believed in myself.  sometimes i wish i would have tried going down that road but then if i had i wouldn't have met will and ever wouldn't exist...and a world without her would be a very dull one.  so everything works out just as it should.  side note: i used to be much more adventurous with makeup colors and techniques.  now i tend to put on the same old things in a hurry while ever is being destructive around the house.  hopefully someday i'll find my sense of adventure with makeup again.

10:: i don't like to do the most trendy things and i don't like what everyone else is into at the moment.  for as long as i can remember i feel like i end up liking something and then before i know it the whole world loves it.  for instance you know how anthropologie is such a popular store especially among the blogging community?  well i was introduced to it by an older artist friend (who i plan to talk about in a later post) back in 2005.  i'll never forget my first trip to the store and how mesmerized i was by everything.  i bought an outfit that day that i still have and wear on occasion.  at that time i felt like anyone i mentioned anthropologie to had no idea what i was talking about.  also before will and i got married in 2009 i started to really like owls and they were part of the theme of our wedding.  before i knew it owls were everywhere and the next trendy thing which lessened my appeal to them.  i could tell you countless stories of times when i thought i was the trendsetter of something but then again it could be all in my imagination.  speaking of themes...i'm not a theme type person when it comes to decorating my house.  i just like a random mix of old, new, and colorful things.  {ever's room} is the perfect example.    

i love learning about people.....their stories. hearing how people {met and fell in love} is a favorite but really any little quirk or detail about someones life is incredibly fascinating to me.  with that being said i hope anyone who reads this and has a blog will tell me 10 things about them (even if we are already friends and you think i know everything) and leave a link in the comments.