37 Things You May Not Know About Me on My 37th Birthday

The secret’s out. You all know my age now! I thought I’d do something fun today and share a few not-so-obvious things most people don’t know about me! It’s easy to share home décor & style content, but sometimes breeze right over the more personal side of me. Well, today you’ll have an opportunity to get to know the girl behind the blog a little bit better. Here are 37 Things You Might Not Know About Me on My 37th Birthday!

And in no particular order, let’s goooooo!…

37 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME ON MY 37TH BIRTHDAY

1 // I have an eye phobia.

2 // If every meal I ate was served in a tortilla shell, I’d be in heaven. If there is a southwest wrap or a quesadilla on the menu, you can bet I’ll order one of them.

3 // I have green eyes, but they were blue until I was 14.

4 // When I met Ted, I knew I was going to marry him. He is truly the best friend, partner and father I could have ever dreamed of.

5 // I got engaged at 25, married at 26, first baby at 27.

6 // My first car was a red Saturn.

7 // I have a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from the University of Iowa & was a Delta Gamma there.

8 // I played volleyball & tennis in high school.

9 // I used to take sewing & knitting lessons in elementary school.

10 // Red wine > white, Spicy margaritas have my heart and coffee & Diet Coke are also part of drink rotation.

11 // I’ve had 3 c-sections (Henry was an emergency c-section the day before I was scheduled for a cesarean).

12 // I have zero tattoos & zero plans to get one.

13 // I was born & raised in Waterloo, Iowa.

14 // I spent 12 of the last 14 years in Illinois (2 in Indiana right before we got married) including 2.5 years in Chicago right after college. We moved to Arizona last July [You can read our moving announcement here and see our latest home tours here].

15 // My first job was at 14 as a waitress at Rudy’s, a locally-owned Mexican restaurant. My mom’s cousin owned it for many years.

16 // Fresh flowers make me happy.

17 // I’m a boy mom x 3! My boys are my whole entire world & they make me want to be the best version of me.

18 // We celebrated our 10 year anniversary on July 30, 2021 in Lake Tahoe & Napa. My parents were high school sweethearts and will be married 40 years this Summer.

19 // I have one sister & she’s 3 years & 10 months younger. She’s the best sister & auntie EVER!

20 // I have every single episode of Full House recorded on a VHS tape.

21 // My top 2 all-time favorite movies Pretty Woman & Dirty Dancing.

22 // I started my blog in 2014 when I was 7 months pregnant with my middle. It was a way for me to share my nursery décor ideas & DIY projects for with family & friends. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and never dreamed I’d be doing this almost 8 years later. I’ve met one of my closest friends through this blog – she is my co-worker, work wife, fellow boy mom & we talk daily. Many of you know her already and if you don’t yet, you can meet her at Southern State of Mind.

23 // My very first concert was Boyz II Men in 1994. I love country music as much as hip hop, R&B & pop (80’s, 90’s & beyond).

24 // Nail biting & dropping loose strands of hair on the ground are my pet peeves.

25 // Before I was a SAHM / blogger, I was a Recruiter & Account Manager for a staffing firm.

26 // T & I met at work and kept our relationship a secret for almost 9 months because inter-office dating was against company policy.

27 // I’m a total girly girl, but you can usually find me in jeans and a T-shirt. A black blouse is my go-to.

28 // I’m allergic to dust, mold, weeds and ragweed and got allergy shots from age 8 to 18.

29 // I dislike Root Beer, watermelon & black licorice, but basically love all sauces, dips & condiments and tend to use at least one on everything I eat.

30 // We honeymooned in St. Lucia and plan to go back some day in the next 5 years.

31 // I get a manicure every 2-3 weeks and have since my early 20’s.

32 // I make my bed everyday.

33 // I’m a Stella & Dot Stylist.

34 // At one point as a child, I had 8 grandparents and 8 great grandparents all living (both my mom and dad‘s parents divorced and remarried before I was born, so I only ever knew them as “Grandma & Grandpa” – that’s what they are to me and love them all the same.)

35 // I was named a Better Homes & Gardens StyleMaker in 2018, 2019 & 2020

36 // Jamaica is my favorite vacation spot and I’ve been 4 times, but a trip to Italy is on my bucket list.

37 // I treasure my friendships both new and old, love anything gold & sparkly, happy hours on the patio, dinners out, but on the couch in PJ’s with a blanket by 8 watching TV with my crew is my favorite place to be.

Did you learn anything new about me today?!

Thanks for being here and I hope to see you back here again soon! You can get caught up on my latest blog posts here!

You can see past birthday posts here.

Have the best day!!