Reflecting on 30

I will be turning the big 3-0 on Saturday.  How did THAT happen?!  I have mixed feelings about the whole thing.  I feel like it should feel different or somewhat monumental, but so far, I'm not too worked up about this milestone.  Let's hope it stays that way.  I did, however, want to do something to reflect back on my thirty years so far.  A fellow blogger, Julie, did this on her 30th, and I'm totally stealing the idea.  Thanks, Julie!! :-)  So in honor of my 30th birthday, I have recorded some of my favorite memories, stories, and reflections from each of my 30 years so far...

One: According to my parents, I was basically a dream baby/toddler.  Super cute (not biased at all), very easy going, well-behaved, and hardly cried. Their only complaints were that I was never a napper and I was always a night owl (Update: still hate napping, still a night owl).

Two: This is when my picky eating tendencies started (and lasted until college basically).  My mom said I was quite religious about always eating two fried eggs for breakfast. I didn't talk much- especially not to anyone other than my immediate family. My grandma and aunt were sure something was "wrong" with me. :-) Oh, and also noteworthy- my favorite little brother, Mark, was born! 

Three: At three I started dance lessons at the YMCA.  I was a very dedicated student and would regularly put on my tap shoes and tights and practice my moves on the coffee table.  This was also around the time that my cousins, sister, and I got really into my mom's Jane Fonda workout videos. We would get all decked out in our tights and leotards and get our sweat on with some awesome 80's jazzercise. There are some pretty amazing home videos documenting this.

Me and my bangs swimming with my cousin - Me and my bangs at the beach with my older sister

Four: I don't really think I TRULY remember anything (that isn't from photos, videos, or stories people tell) before age four. At four, I was in Preschool with my cousin and forever sidekick Lee Anne. I have lots of memories of my time in Preschool: Ms. Harshburger and Mrs. Morley were my teachers, playing on the playground, feeling special when my mom let me stay longer than the usual half day for "lunch bunch," bike parade, etc.  It was also at age four that I broke my right arm in two places.  My brother and I were playing some pretend game in which I was the queen (obviously), and I fell off of my throne (the built in cabinets) onto my toy shopping cart.  I didn't tell my mom what had happened because I think maybe I thought I would get in trouble for climbing up there (?).  Anyway, a couple days later she noticed I was eating with my left hand and then it turned out my arm was broken.  As even more evidence of what an odd (and painfully shy) child I was at this point, I was for some strange reason so embarassed of having to wear a cast that I decided to wrap a blanket/towel over my cast everyday since then no one would notice? SO strange, but so funny looking back on it. 

Five: Kindergarten! I loved Kindergarten!  Mrs. Combs was my teacher, and she was the best ever.  My favorite center was the rice /sand table.  I think my favorite thing I learned that year was how to draw a star... I still remember the little story she had that went along with it. 

Six: First grade with Mrs. Mroz at Saints Simon and Jude School. I liked wearing a uniform, and I'm almost positive that I was the teacher's pet :-)  I also randomly remember being so embarrassed (again painfully shy) when one of my friends told me that a boy in the class liked me.  Pretty sure I avoided him for the next five years.

Seven: This was the year that my older sister and I were allowed to fly BY OURSELVES from Arizona to Indiana for a fun cousins weekend with our grandparents.  It was SO much fun!  And kudos to my parents for letting us do that, because I'm pretty sure I'd be too paranoid if the tables were turned. 

Eight: This was probably a pretty scary year for my parents. I was psuper sick this year and ended up being hospitalized for double pneumonia, double collapsed lungs, low oxygen, among other things. I  missed 30 days of school that year. Our neighbors bought me the movie the Sound of Music as a get well gift and I watched it nearly everyday that I was home sick. I still know all the words and even some of the dances.

Nine: What I remember most from fourth grade is the big "cliques talk" that Sr. Marjorie gave to all of the girls.  I guess maybe this is when girls start getting mean?

Ten: 5th grade. This was the year it seemed like all the girls (myself included) started wearing bras and shaving.  My parents had decided that my sister and I could start shaving on our birthdays in fifth grade. Having to wait until March to have my sister teach me how to shave was almost unbearable and so embarrassing at the time.  (Update: I hate shaving now.) 

Eleven: I remember sixth grade being pretty awesome. I had an awesome teacher who had to have been only like 22- Ms. Lamy.  She made us memorize all of the prepositions in alphabetical order... I still remember most (aboard, about, above, across, after against, along, amid...). Not a very useful skill now, but a fun party trick.  The other sixth grade teacher who taught science was super strict and said very adult things to us that now make me laugh. Whenever someone would ask if we HAD to do something, she would say (in her very high super nasally voice), "all you HAVE to do is die and pay taxes." At the time, we were all just like, Um, ok?... now it's so funny (and very true!) to me.  Oh, and I also got braces.

Twelve: I FINALLY was old enough to be in the pointe class at my dance studio. Yay!  A few kids in my seventh grade class started meeting up in the bathroom to kiss (gasp!), which led to a very intricate bathroom pass procedure and a very memorable/embarrassing talk about the birds and the bees that involved rose petals and thorns.  My friends and I still laugh about this.

Thirteen: Being an 8th grader was pretty awesome. Passing intricately folded notes was the cool thing to do.  Class trip to Washington D.C. was a major highlight. 

Fourteen: I started high school at an all girls private school. I was super obsessed with teen stars like JTT, Devon Sawa, etc.  I was probably one of the most boring/well-behaved high schoolers and spent every weekend either babysitting or hanging out with my two best friends, Sarah and Kayli, watching Ten Things I Hate About You on repeat. 


Fifteen: NYSNC super fan- JC all the way!!! Attended my first of four NSYNC concerts. Enjoyed hilarious carpool adventures with my cousins everyday. 

Sixteen: I celebrated my sixteenth birthday in Tijuana, Mexico (of all places) on a Habitat For Humanity trip. It was an amazing experience, but I was super excited to get back and get my drivers' license! I also got my first job at sixteen working as a life guard and swim lesson teacher at the local public pools.  Scored a tan that I never thought was possible... and that I now (in my old age) TOTALLY regret.  Why... why?....

Sorry skin, please go easy on me in my thirties...

Seventeen: Got really into my dancing this year, took the SAT's/ACT's, got my first detention. (for talking during a fire drill, of all things).  Family cruise to Alaska- SO amazing!

Senior prom (sparkles!!!!) and a senior pre-graduation luncheon

Eighteen: Graduated high school and started college at Gonzaga University. I loved college and everything about it: living in the dorms (aside from the dysfunctional roommate that later withdrew), freshman mixers, parties, and having a sister who was a senior and old enough to buy disgusting booze (like Smirnoff Ice) for my friends and I.  Thanks, Lauren! :-)  Oh, and I most DEFNITELY (and quite easily) gained the freshman 15.

Highlighter parties were a thing. So was "pre-funking" in the all boys dorm.  Just babies we were!!

Nineteen: Sophomore year of college. I got really into my Spanish and Psychology classes and decided to double major. Between all that studying I was still getting my fill of college fun on the weekends. I think this was the year my friends and I were REALLY into drinking games. On a related note, I was baffled as to why I was still hanging onto my Freshman 15 (shaking my 30 year old head at myself...).

Twenty: I studied abroad in Granada, Spain.  I lived with a Spanish family and my bestie, Jen. We traveled a ton, drank lots of Sangria, ate lots of tapas, partied until the sun came up like any good Spaniard does, and somehow managed to avoid leaving with a euro-mullet.  Oh, and we also became pretty darn fluent in Spanish.  I also completed a major bucket list item when I traveled completely by myself to Mallorca, Spain for a weekend. 

Mi Hermana espanola and I in front of La Alhambra

Twenty-one: This was probably the best year of college. I lived off campus with five of my girlfriends in an amazingly huge house that was known as "The Dollhouse."  We adopted a homeless cat, took "family photos" for Christmas,  finally drank legally (and much more responsibly than in previous years), and just generally made the most of our last year of college with a few poor decisions sprinkled in here and there just because we were young and dumb.  

Typical... face in a Solo red cup...

Twenty-two: Graduated college and began the most challenging two years of my life when I joined Teach For America. I taught 7th and 8th grade math and science in South Central, Los Angeles. During my first year, I cried nearly every day on the way to and from school. However, I also knew all too well that however much I was struggling was NOTHING compared to what my students dealt with every day of their lives. My twenty-two year old mind and ways of thinking about the world were challenged and changed (for the good) more than they ever would have been otherwise. I grew up A LOT this year.  And this experience will continue to shape what I do with my life and how I think about the world for the rest of my life.  This was also the year that I met and later started dating my roommate's brother who would later become my husband. 

Twenty-three: Year two of TFA. More comfortable and confident in my teaching, but still a struggle. The coolest thing I ever did as a teacher though was doing a frog dissecting lesson. I'm still super proud (and surprised) that I did that! No idea how I managed it, but in between the most challenging/time consuming job I could imagine, I was able to complete my masters degree AND maintain a long distance relationship with David. 

Twenty-four: Completed my TFA committment, moved to Houston to continue our relationship finally in the same city, and continued teaching- but this time in an elementary setting. 

Twenty-Five: Met two of my favorite students of all time- Erik and Oscar. I still carry a little school photo of Erik around in my wallet.  These two students will stick with me forever. In the spring, I took a girls trip to Philly with Kayli and Sarah.  This was also the year that I found a suspicious looking spot in my hair line and soon found out it was skin cancer. Lucky for me, I caught it early enough and all turned out OK.  See why I curse those lifeguarding years already?...

Twenty-Six: 2010 was a busy and monumental year and probably the best year of my life so far. I got engaged in March and was married in December!  In between all of that, I was in two of my best friend's weddings, and David was the best man in one of his friend's weddings. It was the year of weddings, for sure.

Just after David proposed (hence the teary eyes) and our wedding day!

Twenty-Seven: We bought our first house and David started travelling more for work (a sign of things to come).

Twenty-Eight: At twenty eight, I found out we would be moving to Australia.  Lots of tears and transitions this year: quitting my job, saying goodbye to friends and family, moving across the world, living in a small town, adjusting to a new culture, suffering through a life without Diet Dr. Pepper, etc. But of course it turned out to be an amazing experience.  We traveled a TON, made new friends, and it was an amazing time of growth for our marriage as we depended only on each other and shared a new and sometimes scary experience. 

Twenty-Nine: Most of my 29th year was spent in Australia. I was finally more settled into our life there, loved checking places off our travel list, and had finally met a group of girls I became very close with.  Also noteworthy- I jumped off a bridge- no big deal.  Of course, big changes usually happen right when you get comfortable somewhere, and so right before Christmas, we were moved back to Houston. Still feeling "new again" here, still re-adjusting... slowly, but surely.

Thirty: TBD.  I'll keep you posted... :-) 

6 Things About Me

I've seen this "6 Things About Me" post going around for a few weeks now.  And I always love a good survey, so when my fellow expat blogger friend, Lisa at Meanderings, Wanderings, and Adventures tagged me, I was game to jump on the bandwagon.  So, here goes:  

1.) What is your favorite animal and why?
Since moving to Australia, I've become somewhat obsessed with koalas.  The time I got to hold a koala at the zoo in Brisbane was probably one of the top 10 happiest moments of my life.  So much cuteness in one animal- I die!  And they seriously have the best life- eat some leaves, then sleep for 16-20 hours a day.  Sounds good to me! 

How can you resist that face?!

2.) If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be?
Just one place?!  I refuse to pick just one.  So I'll list a few. :-)  Right now, I'm really prioritizing seeing as much of Australia as I can while we're here.  But beyond that, I would love to visit Bora Bora, Greece, and anywhere in South America. I don't know how my obsession with Bora Bora started, but ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to go there and stay in one of those above-water huts.  Greece- I'm just dying to see those beautiful cliffs with white-washed and blue buildings, ride a donkey, and who can resist Greek food?!  I know South America is huge, but I'd be happy to visit any country there.  I've always loved Latin culture, and it's been too long since I've traveled somewhere where I get to use my (very rusty) Spanish skills. 

3.) How many countries have you traveled to?  How many of the 50 states?
Countries: USA, Canada, Mexico, Antigua, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, England, Italy, Australia, New Zealand (that makes 11!)
States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington (That makes 21!).  Looks like I've been neglecting the Midwest! 

One of my favorite states I've visited- Montana.  This photo was taken on a trip to Glacier Park during Spring Break of my Senior Year of college. 

4.) What is your favorite thing about yourself?  
I think that one of my best qualities is that I am very patient.  It takes a lot for me to lose my temper or get frustrated with someone or something for "taking too long."  In a lot of ways, I think I have always been this way (maybe my mom and dad can verify for me?), but I also think I've developed so much more patience being a teacher.  I often have people compliment me on how patient I am, and while it isn't a glamorous quality necessarily, I really do take it as a big compliment and it is something I really do like about myself. 

5.) What hobby would you love to pick up?
Like just about every other blogger and traveler out there, I would love to learn more about photography (and have a fancy camera).  I have run across and pinned a few free (and a few paid) online photography classes, but I just need to find the time to actually try one out and see what I think. 

6.) What is something not a lot of people would know about you?
I was a dancer for around 15 years- ballet, tap, and jazz at first, but mostly ballet as I got older.  I never really had the "dancer body," but I loved dancing, especially ballet!  Since I never really got into competitive school sports, dance was my thing.  I remember how proud and excited I was when I finally got promoted to "pointe" classes at my ballet studio!  I still have several pairs of my pointe shoes.  I miss it a lot sometimes! 

Feel free to join in and share 6 things about yourself!  Below are some of the questions to choose from:

Choose 6 questions you'd like:
What is your favorite animal and why?
Would you prefer a city break or a sun, sea, and sand vacation?
If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be?
How many countries have you traveled to?  How many of the 50 states?
What is your favorite thing about yourself (or quality you like in others if you don't wanna talk about yourself)?
What is the best advice someone has ever given you?
What did you want to be when you grew up and what do you do now?
What is a pet peeve of yours?
What is the LAST concert you went to?
What is something not a lot of people would know about you?

The Evolution (or De-evolution?) of My Introverted-ness

Monday, September 9: Take this short personality test and respond to your results. (at the end, find the detailed profile of your personality account - click "click to view" under "You" and "self awareness and personal growth."

I actually ended up taking the test twice, because I accidentally closed the results window the first time- oops.  I took the test for the second time one day later, and actually got the same results.  So at least I know the test is somewhat reliable! 

My results: INFJ - Introvert iNtuitive Feeling Judging

I would say I agreed with about 70% of the description of my personality and tendencies.  What I found most interesting was that the test results stated that I show a slight preference (22%) of introversion over extraversion.  I have always identified as an introvert.  I've always enjoyed being alone, it takes me a while to feel comfortable around people I don't know well, and I tend to be a pretty private person. 

So at first the low percentage of preference for introversion (22%) kind of surprised me.  But as I reflected on it more, I came to the realization that I have really become less and less of an introvert during my adult life thus far.  I think this shift probably started during my college years- moving away from home for the first time, meeting all new friends, discovering more about who I am, etc.  But each "phase" of my life since then has also helped me become less and less introverted (not that being an introvert is a bad thing by any means).  Some more events/changes that have made me less of an introvert:

-As a teacher, you basically perform in front of an audience all day, everyday.  Sure they're "just kids," but you are still on display and whether you're faking it or not, you sure as heck better appear confident and comfortable in front of them!
-Moving to Houston to be with David was the first time that I was in a new setting where social structures and opportunities for making friends and socializing weren't "built in."  College is full of these, and in Los Angeles I had the structures and network of Teach for America to help me meet people and make friends.  In Houston, I didn't have any of this.  It was the first time I realized how hard it is to make friends as an adult.  Admittedly, I didn't really do a good job of putting myself out there while in Houston, but at least I had that experience to show me what I would need to do the next time. 
-Becoming an expat has also made me less of an introvert.  While there are thankfully some structures here (through my husband's company) to assist in the friend-making process, I still struggled with this here.  My introverted-ness actually has been useful here since I do spend the good majority of my days alone (stupid long long work days and 6-day work weeks), so it's a good thing that I really don't mind being alone.  However, I've exercised my "extrovert muscle" here more in the past 3-4 months than I have in the year I've been here.  I finally found a group of girls that I really can call friends here.  Initially, I had to really push myself out of my comfort zone, but I am so glad I did! 

I don't think I will ever re-take this test and find that I have turned into an EXTROVERTED anything.  But it really is interesting to see how the degree of this characteristic has changed as I have changed and experienced different things in my life. 

Movie Night With Some of My Gladstone Girls!

Where I Come From

Back again for another month-long blogging challenge with Jenni at Story of My Life!  I participated with her last challenge, "Blog Every Day In May," and I really enjoyed it!  So I'm looking forward to this month's challenge!   

Tuesday, Sept. 3: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

Gosh, this prompt could go so many different directions.  In quick summary style, I'll take a stab at answering each item...
...Where I came from: I'm a desert rate for sure- born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona.
...What I came from: A loving, hard-working family.
...The people I came from: My amazing parents, an older sister, and a younger brother.  Plus a slew of extended family spread across the U.S.
...The places that have influenced me: Phoenix, AZ; Spokane, WA; Granada, Spain; Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; and now Gladstone, Australia.
...The factors that make me, me: I'm a middle child, a former ballet dancer (15+ years), a special education teacher, a (very rusty) Spanish-speaker, a travel-lover, and an expat.

I could write for days about any of the items in this prompt.  However, I thought I'd focus on the places that I've come from and that have influenced me. 

I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona.  I lived in the same home for the first 18 years of my life.  Phoenix will always be "home" for me.  My 18 years here made me a true desert rat who loves warm weather and would bet big money that no sunsets are prettier than Phoenix sunsets.  Phoenix is also where my husband and I were married almost three years ago. 

Can't beat a gorgeous desert landscape!

I moved away for the first time when I began college.  At the age of 18, Spokane, WA became my home, and I became a proud Gonzaga bulldog!  I made some of my best friends and best memories here. 

During my junior year of college, I studied abroad in Granada, Spain.  This was my first experience living abroad, and it was such an incredible experience.  It is here is where I probably got the travel bug that I still get bitten by even today :-) 

Can't believe I lived in a place where La Alhambra was practically in my backyard

After graduating college, I moved to Los Angeles, California where I became a Special Education teacher with Teach for America.  Living in Los Angeles made a lover of many things including: a good beach, big city life, and teaching in high-need communities.

L.A. skyline (on a shockingly clear day)

The view from the street I lived on.  Gosh, I miss it! 

I tore myself away from my beloved beach home in order to follow my heart to Houston, Texas.  After nearly a year and a half of long-distance, it was time for my now-husband and I to live in the same place- so Houston it was!  I was skeptical at first, but now I am a huge fan of Houston... and I miss it dearly. 

Our first home!

And now here I am in the little town of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia.  It's been one year now (you can read about my Aussie-versary here).  We will most likely be here for a while still... but I know that whenever we leave here, I will realize how formative my time here has been.  Just like each of the other places I've lived thus far have really and truly made me who I am.   

Tannum Sands- Our local beach

David and I on the Great Barrier Reef - a true Australian experience!