25 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME

Hey, friends - it's been a minute! I have been so crazy busy the past few weeks but I'm really excited to be back on the blog sharing this post. September 1st was my birthday!! I wanted to share a fun and more personal post with you - 25 random things you probably didn't know about me in honor of turning 25.
I spent my birthday weekend exploring Denver with my family! A post on Denver will be coming soon :) I have to say this has been the best birthday yet and will definitely be hard to beat.

25 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME

1. I've broken both my arms - not at the same time 😉

2. I used to live in England and I also used to have a British accent (and I hate when people ask me to do the accent)

3. I speak Polish.

4. My family calls me "Aya". When my sister was a baby (she's 10 years younger than me) and was learning how to say "Allie" she first was saying "Aya" and it has stuck ever since.

5. I have 21.5 thousand followers on Pinterest. I literally had no idea until earlier this year when I randomly was editing my profile!

6. My celebrity crush is Jimmy Kimmel. I know that's really weird.

7. I absolutely LOVE all things scary and twisted - horror movies, scary books, documentaries, serial killers, etc. but I could never go to a haunted house.

8. I have a phobia of belly buttons. I hate looking at them, talking about them, seeing people touch them, etc. 

9. I have Mike Posner's phone number. 

10. I am probably the most stubborn person you will ever meet. I can hold a grudge for YEARS. I know it's so terrible and I'm trying to work on it!

11. I absolutely HATE the feeling of really soft plush blankets. You know, the ones that usually come in hotel rooms. I've hated the feeling ever since I was little.

12.  I have two dads - my dad and my step-dad and I am so lucky to have them both in my life.

13. I can not and will not ever eat cooked or steamed (mushy) carrots. I've hated them ever since I was little. I have no problem with raw carrots, though. 

14. I've been watching all the seasons of How I Met Your Mother pretty much every single night while falling asleep (except when Matt wants to watch The Office) for the past 5 years. I know pretty much all the catch phrases/jokes of every episode.

15. I got my nose pierced the summer before going away to college. To this day, some people have never noticed! I have never taken out my nose ring since because I'm too scared. Funny story: When I was a freshman in high school I pierced my own nose with a  needle/safety pin and used an earring as a nose ring because I thought they were the same size... I'm cringing just thinking about it. I tried to hide it from my mom by making sure I take it out after school and of course I forget to take it out the very first day so she found out right away. Thank GOD the hole closed up. 
16. My favorite Starburst flavor is the yellow one I don't like the pink ones. People think this is really weird 😂 I always laugh at the meme 'Don't let anyone treat you like a yellow Starburst - you are a pink Starburst!'. I'm like wait... but I like yellow not pink.
17. I  don't have any tattoos and I don't ever plan on getting any. Actually, funny story. When I was little and I was hanging out with my dad I really wanted to go out to this one restaurant to get a hot dog. I kept whining and whining about it. Finally, my dad said he would take me as long as I promised to never ever get a tattoo. He made me sign a fake contract and everything. So there you have it. I gave up my ability to get a tattoo for a hot dog.
18. My biggest pet peeves: loud chewers, heavy breathers, and people CLIPPING THEIR NAILS IN THE WORKPLACE. I tweet about this frustration all the time 😷 
19. I played the viola and was in my school's orchestra for 9 years. I always thought it was so dorky and I was never very good but my parents made me stay in it.
20. When I was like 7 or 8 and living in England and my dad was visiting me from the US, I snuck downstairs in the middle of the night and chopped off all of my long hair using FINGERNAIL CUTTING SCISSORS. I cut it so short and unevenly up to my chin 😂 When my mom saw me I instantly blamed my dad saying "daddy did it, daddy did it!!!!"  I immediately felt bad and admitted I did it 😂 I don't think we have any pictures of me from this time, thankfully.
21. I have a note in my phone with a list of potential future baby and dog names.
22. Both of my elbows are hyperextended/double jointed?? I've been told it looks really weird when i stretch out my arms.
23. I was always so bad at sports. I literally got cut from almost EVERY team I ever tried out for. In middle school I would try out for travel basketball, softball, and poms  and I never made any team. I was so upset at the time but I can definitely laugh about it now and TBH I'm pretty ok with not being a softball or basketball player. I did play volleyball and I was on the cheerleading team for a few years in high school but again - never very good. I am definitely more of a girly girl.
24. I own 17  Kylie Lip Kit's 🙈. I was SO obsessed with these when they first come out and do you all remember how hard they were to get?? I'd have to find out the restock date and time and then I would set a timer to make sure I'm on the website in time. I still think these matte liquid lipsticks are amazing and these are pretty much the only lipsticks I use but I think I am done (or need to be done, rather) buying these bad boys.
25.  I am so beyond directionally challenged. My friends, family, coworkers make fun of me all the time. When people try to explain directions to me by naming major roads I tell them not to even bother. I had to use my GPS to get to work for weeks when I started my first job out of college when it was seriously one street, one turn, and one exit on the highway. Yikes.

 I hope you enjoyed reading this and getting to know me a little better! This post had me reflecting over the past 25 years of my life - all the good, the bad, and everything in between. I am truly so lucky and fortunate for my family and friends.  Shout out to everyone who has made me feel so special the past few weeks (because I know I can be a birthday diva) - it means more to me than you will ever know! Here's a few other pictures from my birthday celebrations 💜