30 Day Challenge | Day 1: A Recent Photo of Me! (And Some Other Stuff.)

1. I am a natural (almost) ginger.  I used to have orangey hair, but it has faded to this auburn color that I much prefer.  Although I used to abhor my red tresses, I now adore them.  (Ha!  I made a rhyme!)
2. I am the oldest of four children.  We are pretty spread out in age...I was an only child for a long time!  Steven is 8 years younger, Laura is ten years younger, and Scott is 12 years younger.  Growing up with babies, babies everywhere was so much fun!
3. I feel most beautiful when I am pregnant.
4. I've lived in several states.  I was born in Ohio, moved to New York when I was 4, moved back to Ohio when I was 12, went to college in Michigan (during which time my family moved to Kansas for a short stint- I didn't so much "live" there, but I did long-term visit several times), then moved to North Carolina to take my first teaching position.  I think I'm here to stay!
5. I met J on the Internet.  Yep, it's true.  I met my computer nerd of a husband on the Internet.  eHarmony really can work!
6. I am an extremely picky eater.  It's annoying.  I don't eat anything from the sea, veggies are hit or miss, and so is meat, for that matter.  Texture is a big deal to me.  If it feels funny in my mouth, I am not interested.  Luckily, I'm a great cook, and I can work around my finickiness.
7.  I used to have a serious shopping problem.  J reformed me.  I still love to shop, but now I have a monthly allowance to stick to.  To go hand-in-hand with my shopping problem, I love accessories.  Shoes are my favorite.  I have close to 100 pairs.
8. I'd love to be an event planner in my next life.  I am the resident party planner (and hostess with the mostess, I like to think), and I had uber amounts of fun planning my wedding.  I definitely think it's something I would enjoy doing for a living.
9. I love to sing.  I've been singing since I could talk.  I've sung at eight weddings, I've performed the National Anthem at countless sporting events (including two Durham Bulls games), and I even auditioned for American Idol.  (Clearly, I didn't make it that year.  And now, sadly, I am apparently too old to be anyone's Idol.)
10. I like reptiles.  In my classroom teacher days, I had a menagerie that included two different snakes, two turtles, and several lizards.
11. I've traveled to seven different countries and 23 states (plus the District of Columbia).  I want to travel to lots more.
12. Perhaps my biggest pet peeve is hearing incorrect grammar (or seeing incorrect spelling).  Drives me batty! 
13. I like kid's movies.  I believe Walt Disney and Jim Henson to have been two of the most genius men to have ever lived.
14. Although I am not the video game aficionado that J is, I love me some Rock Band.  And I rock at it.  I will challenge anyone, and chances aren't bad that I will win.  I play guitar on the "Expert" level and kick ass.  There are even a few songs that I can beat, but J can't.
15. I find British accents to be extremely pleasing to the ear.  My GPS speaks to me as a British woman, whom I have lovingly given the good British name of Matilda.