Cheers to you, 32: 32 Things You Might Not Know About Me

Tomorrow is my 32nd birthday!  I struggled trying to decide what to write for this post because I was torn between two separate ideas: one being what I chose and the other was going to touch on more why the 30s have been my favorite decade.  I figured, though, since I’m only a few years into my 30s that I’d get a few more years under my belt before writing that one.  But really…if you’re in your twenties and you’re dreading turning 30: don’t.  I thought I’d hate it but to be honest so far my 30s have brought me the most self-confident, most comfortable, and most life-changing years of my life.

So in today’s birthday special blog post I am going to share 10 things you might not know about me.  I love to share who I am and my life with y’all and felt like this was a great opportunity to share a little bit more that might not come up regularly.

32 Things You Might Not Know About Me

1. My full first name is Bess.  No it’s not short for anything.  I get asked that a ton!  Yes, I think the name does come from Elizabeth originally, but I’m just Bess…named after my maternal grandmother!

2. My guilty pleasure TV shows are the Real Housewives, Vanderpump Rules, Southern Charm, & The Bachelor.  Sorry not sorry!

3. One of my favorite places on earth is Charleston, SC.  Something about it just feels so right in my soul.  I try to go at least once a year, and more if possible.  Gotta try to convince Craig to get me a house there;)

4. I grew up Catholic but Craig is Methodist, so we joined a Methodist church recently.  I don’t find it all that different really.  Emma is getting baptized there soon!

5. Pretty much everyone in my family went to Duke and is a big Duke fan.  In fact, my family has had season tickets at Cameron Indoor since before I was born, so I’ve grown up going to games in there.  So all that makes basketball and football season pretty interesting now (basketball primarily) since Craig is a UNC- Chapel Hill grad and I went to Wake Forest.  Usually we can all find a way to get along!  Usually.

6. Craig proposed to me over a charcuterie board and champagne…does he know me OR WHAT?

7. I moved a bunch when I was young, and was in 3 different schools in 5th grade alone!  Was born in North Carolina, but we lived in Tennessee for 7 years,  two different places in South Carolina for 4-5 years, and Virginia for a brief blip before coming back to Durham, North Carolina when I was in 5th grade.  My parents still live in that same house.

8. I have one brother who is 2 years younger than me.  His name is Benson but goes by Ben.  It’s a family name and it’s carried on through Emma since it’s her middle name.

9. I’ve sprained both of my ankles more than 20 times.  I was lucky to never have knee issues growing up but my ankles are baddddd like comically bad.  Between playing basketball and soccer growing up, I was forever spraining an ankle!

10. I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2012…and vowed it would be my last marathon ever!  In fact, my friend Laura and I ran it together, and we made a promise to each other that we would never do another marathon.  To keep that promise, we shook hands that we’d have to pay the other one $1000 to sign up for another one.  I’m glad I did it once, but I think running that much just isn’t all that good for you.  I was on the verge of stress fractures and wasn’t sleeping well, my body constantly ached.  Just wasn’t for me!  I now prefer to run for fun and run distances that feel good.

11. My favorite pizza order is cheese with mushrooms & green pepper.

12. I played competitive soccer my entire life.  Well, until I graduated college.  My club team (CASL) was consistently a top 4 in the country team and I was on the North Carolina Olympic Development Team for a few years as well.  I played in college at Wake Forest University.  In my career I’ve played against current national team members Tobin Heath, Kelley O’Hara, Ashlyn Harris, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Jessica McDonald to name a few, plus some that are already retired.  It’s awesome to watch them continue to play the game at such a high level.  I feel like I’m living vicariously through them 🙂  Alex Morgan and I are the same age too, but growing up our club teams never played each other and we didn’t play them in college when I was there either.

13. In 2017, Craig & I (along with a few friends) hiked 20+ miles round trip to Havasu Falls in Arizona and spent 3 days there.  It was one of the best trips ever.  You can read about it here.

14. If I could only wear one color for the rest of my life it would 100% be black, no question.  Black is my favorite color and in general I prefer monochrome/neutral palettes. Grays, whites, and tans are the color scheme of my life!  During the spring & summer I may venture out with a bit more color here and there, but black is still always my go-to.  You probably already know that.

15. I cannot sleep without a sound machine ever since Emma was born!  We used one for her and she slept in our room, so now that she is in her room, I have to use my own.

16. I have a black lab named Maverick.  What you might not know (unless you’ve been following me for some time) is that he is ELEVEN.  It surprises most everyone (even the vet) because he still very much has a puppy personality and barely has any grays.  Also he’s a little crazy but we love him anyways.  I got him in college so he’s been with me since he was a tiny little puppy.

17. My favorite cocktail is a dirty martini.  Extra dirty, actually.  With Tito’s.  But lately Craig has really been getting me into the bourbons and I like a good whiskey drink now!  But I also really like tequila.  I’ve heard you can make dirty mezcal martinis and I’m going to try that really soon.  I guess it really just depends on what kind of mood I’m in!
18. When it comes to wine, though, Chardonnay is my #1.  Specifically, Kendall Jackson.  I do drink more reds in the fall & winter though, you can read my favorites here.

19. I’m really scared of heights.  Don’t really need to elaborate too much on that one.

20. In high school I cut off 13 inches of hair and donated it to Locks of Love.  It was sooo long.

21. My favorite movie is The Princess Bride and I can recite every line…which I’m sure is v annoying to anyone watching with me.

22. My hair has been a bunch of different colors.  I’ve had black hair (yikes, it was an accident), blonde hair, and every shade of brown with highlights/lowlights etc. in between.  I first got my balayage/ombre style hair back in 2011, and I’ve had it ever since. I love that it’s really low maintenance, looks natural, and I have both dark and light hair at the same time.

23. I actually used to hate running when I played soccer. I didn’t mind running during soccer but hated running by itself.  Now I love it!

24. I love to clean my house on Friday so it’s super clean for the weekend. Not doing this stresses me out.  I enjoy my Friday evenings way more with a clean house!

25. I’m very obsessed with fresh notebooks and agendas. I have to write everything down.

26. I still sleep with a stuffed animal. It’s a bunny I’ve had my whole life. Craig doesn’t even mind!

27. I’ve had three concussions from soccer…the last of which was in college and it was a bad one.  It impacted the visual memory portion of my brain and I swear my memory hasn’t been the same since.

28. I was a lifeguard in high school during the summers. I made 2 rescues but luckily none were too difficult!

29. I’ve had my personal training certification since 2010. I worked weekends at a gym after college (had a full time job during the week) and I keep my certification up to date so I can provide y’all with fitness content and actually *know* what I’m talking about!

30. I’ve also been blogging since 2010, before Instagram became this “micro-blog” platform. I started with a healthy living blog called “Bess Be Fit”, and it had millions of page views in the first couple years I had it.  I took a hiatus when I moved to Charlotte, and started my new blog when I realized how much I loved and missed it.

31. I didn’t ski or snowboard until I was 28 years old. I started with skiing (everyone said that we easier) but I was terrible at it! I gave snowboarding a try and I was way better at that. I didn’t get to partake last year bc I was pregnant, and I’m missing this year’s trip. Hoping for next year!

32. I’ve grown up going to the beach at Pine Knoll Shores in NC.  My grandparents had a house there since before I was born and then my uncle got a place so we go there!  It’s probably tied as favorite place with Charleston.  Just so peaceful and relaxing. Gimme a daiquiri and the beach and I’m set.

So there you have it, 32 things you might not know about me.  I’d love for you to let me know something about you that I don’t know! Leave something or even a few things in the comments.  Hope you have a great weekend!

xo,

Bess