Thirty random thoughts and reflections on my thirtieth. No rhyme or reason.
1. This idea is 100% unoriginal.
2. I've lived in 13 different town/cities, 2 states and have moved a total of 18 times. At some point I've called the following places home: Jacksonville, Baytown, Wells, Coldspring, Hawkins, Sinton, College Station, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Lewisville, Garland, Sunnyvale, Las Cruces, NM.
3. I attended 7 different schools before finally graduating from UNT.
4. I do not like onions, coconut, or even numbers.
5. I love sports - particularly basketball and football. I think baseball is a bit ridiculous with all of the steroid nonsense. And, I think America must have been pretty bored when it was labeled "America's Pastime." I tend to be more of a fan of players and less a fan of particular teams. I follow Dallas teams because I live in Dallas - if I ever move, I can't say with certainty I'd remain loyal. NASCAR is not a sport. They're driving in circles. The Olympics are great, as well. I wish we didn't have to wait two years between the winter and summer games. My favorite athletes are Brett Favre, Lance Armstrong, Dirk Nowitski, Michael Jordan, and Steffi Graf.
6. I think people in general are pretty fascinating. We tend to do strange things.
7. Mexican food is my favorite. I miss Taqueria Acapulco in Corpus Christi. The one on Weber, not the one on Staples. There's a difference.
8. I love music. Listening to it, playing it, just being around it. I played trombone in band for three years and I quit so I could spend more time playing basketball. I played bass guitar in a band in my youth group. My goal for this year is to learn the acoustic guitar.
9. I'm going to play my nerd card - I love learning. My favorite subject in school was history. I've been known to watch the History Channel. I was always intrigued by the Civil War and the American Revolution.
10. I hate talking on the phone. Hate it. I'd much rather send and email or text and decide when we can meet in person.
11. I'm kind of a loner by nature and I don't like that. It has been pretty fun over the last couple of years to discover that I like being around people and getting to know them.
12. One of my favorite things to do is have dinner with friends.
13. My favorite TV show ever is Friends and I still watch it all the time. At some point during its run, each character was my favorite except for Joey. I named my dog after Phoebe. Other favorites are Alias, Brothers and Sisters, Arrested Development, Law and Order, Cheers and Night Court (that's old school).
14. I was on the first ever girls softball team at my high school. I played third base and feared for my life during almost every game. I just knew I was going to get taken out by a line drive.
15. I lived and breathed basketball when I was growing up. My dad was a coach for a while, so I started very early. I played it and watched it at every opportunity given.
16. I love reading, but rarely make time for it. The first book I ever remember loving was To Kill a Mockingbird. I was truly sad when it was over.
17. My biggest pet peeve is tardiness.
18. I love to go to the movies. I've been known to take a day off of work just to go to the movies.
19. When I was 19, I went backpacking with one of my cousins in England, Ireland and Scotland. Looking back, it was probably not the wisest decision, but we had a great time and came back with some fun stories.
20. I like long drives as long as there is good music to crank up and sing along to. I tend to do my best thinking and processing while I'm driving. I miss Shoreline/Ocean Drive in Corpus. It was my favorite place to just drive after a long day.
21. I really enjoy sleeping and can sleep in fairly strange places. The strangest so far is probably the Staten Island Ferry.
22. I love to decorate for Christmas. My favorites are lights and snowmen decorations. To be clear, snowmen are winter decorations, not specific to Christmas and get to stay out longer than the actual Christmas decorations. I feel pretty strongly about that. I don't like solid red or solid blue light strands. There's nothing joyful about either.
23. I love to have pictures of friends and family around at home and in my office.
24. Saying the words "be creative" to me literally makes my mind go blank.
25. I didn't know until a couple of years ago that Campbell's soup (chicken noodle and chicken and rice) was supposed to be uncondensed. I never make it that way. It's much better still condensed.
26. I love music and movies, but not musical movies (with a few exceptions). I've never seen a live musical, but would like to give it a shot sometime.
27. At 27, I started to attend The Village Church. I heard Matt Chandler preach the gospel like I'd never heard it before and I got involved in a home group for the first time. The Lord graciously put men and women in my life that who modeled well what it was like to live a life for Christ.
28. Twenty-eight was a big year - I truly began to love the Lord and seek after Him for the first time. I'm grateful for friends during this season of my life who were patient and willing to spend time unpacking the gospel with me. I have fond memories of enchiladas and Ephesians at Manny's and late night chats after home group meetings just digging in deeper. I also got baptized.
29. Twenty nine was a fun travel year - I went to New York, Boston and Guatemala - all for the first time. I also went to IHOP in Kansas City for the first time. I learned more about the power of the Holy Spirit in my weekend there than I have at any other period of my life. It was amazing.
30. I'm truly grateful for the friends and family in my life. I'm looking forward to the next year with you guys and seeing what the Lord has in store.
