A few years ago I did a post where I shared a little bit about my personal life, & then asked you to share.

It’s been one of my favorite posts because I got to know you better, got a better of idea of the kind of amazing people who are reading bring joy.

Since it’s been awhile, I thought it’s about time to do it again, especially since many of you may be new to bring joy.

So here goes, a little bit about me…

What may surprise you about me:

I love music, though I cannot sing (but I do fairly decent rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”) & the only instrument I play is piano &  my skills are abhorrently rudimentary. Some of my current fave musicians–Mumford & Sons (their CD Babel is particularly awesome), Joshua Radin, Brandon Flowers.

I am an eternal optimist though I love depressingly tragic novels & movies.

Joseph is much more romantic than I.

I’ve never owned a smartphone, & don’t have any intentions to any time soon.

Though we’ve never subscribed to cable TV, I do watch TV (via Hulu, library DVD’s). I’m currently addicted to The Good Wife & I’ve watched the entire series of Gilmore Girls, Parenthood (I cry nearly every episode), Friday Night Lights. I’m also a huge fan of the BBC’s Sherlock.

Neither Joseph or I care about, or follow sports.

I’d rather be a blonde, but I refuse to bleach or dye my hair again until I actually have gray hair.

The older I get…

♥ The less I stress about looks, fashion, weight, what other people think of me–particularly with each pregnancy & then birth, a little more vanity & insecurity about my looks slips away & what emerges is a quieter appreciation for the miracle that is my body.

♥ The more I’m grateful for my health, especially with my last pregnancy, where I got a taste for what it’s like to live with a chronic health condition (which fortunately, the gestational diabetes was only temporary).

♥ The more I appreciate sleep.

♥ The less ambitious I am & the more I realize that life is about relationships & helping others. Things like becoming debt-free, being a good mom & raising balanced/polite/smart kids, exercising & staying fit/healthy, & keeping my house clean, though rather dull & unsexy goals, have replaced some of the over the top ambitions I had for myself in my twenties.

♥ The more low-maintenance I become. In the photo above, I’m not wearing any make-up. Most days my hair is pulled up in a messy bun (more to do with the hot & humid weather of San Antonio). I do like to dress up & put on make-up, but the day to day realities of being a full-time mom have caused me to streamline my primping routine.

♥ The more I realize there are only so many hours in the day.

Other than my family, I love:
Being Mormon. I love everything about it. I know that the happiness I experience today is inextricably connected to my faith.

The beach. I’m pretty sure I was a dolphin in another life.

Swimming. (see above)

That full, content feeling after eating a good meal.

Clean sheets.

When I “grow up” I want to be:
A teacher. I want to go back to school & get a M.A., possibly a Ph.D. It’s a long ways off, but Joseph & I have agreed that once our kids are older I will go back to school so I can teach, perhaps at a collegiate level. Some of my the most influential people in my life have been teachers, & I hope that I can be like them one day.

When I need to relax I:
Go for a run.
(Except when I’m pregnant, in which case, I take a nap.)

If I could only live on 5 foods, I would choose:
Chocolate chip cookies (duh.), potatoes, Braeburn apples (from Washington please), peanut butter, & kale

♥

So now that I’ve shared about me, your turn!
Share a little bit about yourself..