Happy Halloween + 30 Things You Might Not Know About Me
Yesterday I celebrated 30 (did you think I was older or younger?). I have another decade in the books and am looking forward to a great year ahead! We got home from our incredible European vacation, and now Emmett and I are playing catch up on all things work & renovating. In an effort to scramble (just being honest, ha!) to put together a blog post for today, I figured it might be time to share some things about myself for the new friends and faces around here? You guys show up to read my posts on the daily, are our biggest cheerleaders (thank you!!), and I’ve made some lifelong friendships through this platform… it’s only fair I share some fun, random facts about myself so you can get to know me a bit better. Click through for the post and for some Halloween decorating inspiration (I’m sharing my “shelfies” from last year)!
First up- I owe you guys a GIANT thank you for being so supportive yesterday. I shared a heavy post and honestly felt really discouraged & defeated writing that one. You guys made my birthday a lot better. I promise to sort through the comment section and respond to each one like I normally do! I’ve been reading them, but have neglected replies since being away from my computer on vacation. I’m finally feeling creatively refueled and ready to put all the inspiration I gained in Europe to good use… and finish the One Room Challenge.
Ready for the fun and random facts I promised? No judgements, ok? Ha!
- #1 // Part of my design thesis in art school was creating an heirloom cookbook. I compiled recipes from my family (and Emmett’s) to document and record memories about our favorite foods. We still reference it often!
- #2 // I have Lepidopterophobia. That’s my one and only phobia. I’ll let you google it because people laugh. It’s true though, and that’s why you won’t see any of that reflected in our home decor.
- #3 // Emmett and I are high school sweethearts. We started dating when we were 15.
- #4 // I got to meet one of my interior design idols- Kelly Wearstler, and had an awkward fan girl moment. Remind me to tell you about it someday.
- #5 // I’m certified in lots of outdoorsy things… white water rescue, white water guide, teaching adaptive skiing for those with special needs, snow sports instructor (for both skiing & snowboarding), etc. The list goes on. I went through a “certification phase”.
- #6 // When it comes to candles, I prefer masculine scents (tobacco, patchouli, leather, etc) and don’t ever buy anything too sweet or food scented (no pumpkin spice over here).
- #7 // Emmett and I only have a 3-4 photos from our wedding after our photographer ghosted us. Lesson learned, ha! It’s a funny story now.
- #8 // I’ve lived in multiple states (Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Utah), and even Italy for a brief period studying art.
- #9 // My liquor of choice is gin… followed by bourbon or whiskey.
- #10 // If I weren’t a designer, I’d want to be a marine biologist or do something with science.
- #11 // Rescuing Cash (our wire fox terrier) was a bit of an accident or coincidence. I was actually searching for vintage furniture online when an ad for him randomly popped up. I couldn’t stop thinking about that sad looking dog and we picked him up the next morning.
- #12 // In the far future (I’m talking longterm), Emmett and I want to build our forever home with lots of property (horse property). We both grew up on farms and would love to have animals again. Any other 10-year 4-H members out there?
- #13 // I’m a Scorpio through and through- I love astrology, tarot cards, star charts… all of that junk!
- #14 // My favorite color is dark green.
- #15 // I’m religious- a Christian. Although I typically don’t talk about religion or politics on the blog or my social platforms.
- #16 // I get travel tattoos to document a trip or experience. I know tats aren’t for everyone, but all of mine are associated with very happy memories that make me smile… and no two are from the same state / location.
- #17 // I have a sweet tooth. Ice cream or gelato is my go-to dessert.
- #18 // A beach house is on my must-renovate wishlist. I feel like I already have it designed in my brain.
- #19 // Emmett and I lived in a haunted house while we were renovating our first home (it wasn’t a live-in renovation). We witnessed some crazy and weird things.
- #20 // My favorite summer activity is kayaking, and in the winter I love skiing.
- #21 // You can now find my artwork and photography at Juniper Print Shop! I shot these wind turbines on a two week camping trip across the country with Emmett. This was in California. Click here for the print!
- #22 // We moved to Utah without jobs because of our love for the landscape and mountains. It was the best decision!
- #23 // I’ve been skydiving over the Swiss Alps.
- #24 // I love hosting and entertaining, but always get anxiety right before people show up.
- #25 // Remember my best friend, Laurie Anne? We met on Instagram, but didn’t meet in real life until a year later when I invited her as my plus one to the Domino Design Blog Awards in New York. We met for the first time at the airport!
- #26 // I’ll let you in on a secret… our next big renovation after the ORC is going to be the basement bathroom. Sometimes the house tells you what is next and plumbing issues have arose once again.
- #27 // I enjoy fine art, but rarely have time to do projects like that anymore. My dog portraits were a lot of fun for me.
- #28 // I drink a lot of coffee, but don’t like tea.
- #29 // The kitchen has been our easiest room renovation to date… in terms of everything going smoothly and as planned.
- #30 // I’m a hardcore list maker. I write everything down, cross things out, and prefer a pen & paper to anything digital. I do the same with a physical planner versus Google calendar.
There you go! Did any of those surprise you? Thank you again for the wonderful encouragement and birthday wishes yesterday. You all are truly amazing and I’m so thankful for you. Also- travel guides and recaps from our trip start tomorrow! So many of you asked for details and I promised to share what we did, where we stayed, what we ate, the things I brought home, etc. I can’t wait to share and relive it with you guys!