32 Random Things About Me...

Since today is my 32nd birthday, I thought I'd share 32 random facts about me...  I've mentioned before that I don't share too many personal things on my blog, so this is certainly a change of pace for me!  I've read many similar posts on other blogs and I've always enjoyed learning new things about others, so here I go...

1.)  I grew up on a second-generation dairy farm in a small community in Northeast Washington State. I'll always be a farm girl at heart.  For my entire adult life, I've been trying to get back to living on a farm...never thought it would be so hard to do.

2.)  I love to read, but wish I had more time to.  I love books about history, biographies, etc.  My favorite books are the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

3.)  Because I was around animals constantly growing up, I was determined to become a veterinarian my entire childhood until I had a part-time job at a veterinary clinic in high school and realized that I'm way too sensitive after having to help put animals to sleep.  I still know how to milk cows, care for livestock, ear-tag, de-horn, and even castrate cattle though!  Not sure where these skills will ever come in handy again unless the execs at Manolo Blahnik want to hire me at their dairy farm :)  I'd work there in a second!

My first time showing a calf at the local fair at 5 yrs old

4.)  For the last 3-4 years, I've been a total insomniac.  Hours of the night are spent tossing and turning instead of sleeping... Needless to say, I'm a worrier by nature.

5.)  My favorite movie has always been "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" with Clint Eastwood.  I grew up watching Westerns with my dad...  It's funny that I ended up marrying a man named Clint and that his middle name is Wayne (my dad's name).

Daddy's girl

6.)  I have two older brothers: One lives in Atlanta and the other in Seattle.  Its amazing how growing up with brothers (and on a farm) influenced who I am today.

My brothers and I in 1985

7.)  I love, love music (all-types)!  My favorite band is U2 because I grew up listening to my oldest brother playing it in his room next to mine.  I love to have music going when I paint and when I'm cleaning.  When the kids aren't in the car, I play music way too loud!

U2

8.)  Talent I wish I had: Singing!

9.)  Nerd-Alert:  I love Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, etc. Again, growing up with older brothers...

10.)  Even though my house doesn't stay perfectly clean all the time (it gets quite messy when I'm working on projects), I tend to be a little OCD when cleaning.  Messes and dirt nag at me!  My husband jokes that we can perform surgery in our house after I clean.

My track peeps...4 x 400 relay team 1999

11.)  I love sports and ran cross-country and track as well as played basketball all throughout my childhood.  I still hold the school record in the 1600 meter run (one-mile) at my high school.  I used to be able to run 400 meters (one lap around the track) in under 60 seconds, a 5K in 20 minutes flat, and squat 365 lbs. I can't run anymore due to stress fractures I developed in my legs, but I can still play a mean game of "HORSE".  One of my goals for the next year of my life is to get back into shape...I'm so pathetic right now.

12.)  I have the tendency to be competitive about certain things, but not in the "keep up with the Jones'" kind of way and am always genuinely happy for other's achievements. My mom says, "Don't go to the flea market with me!"  I also have the tendency to be stubborn, but it's something I'm adamant about.

13.)  I love, love history and anything related to the Civil War.  I once watched Ken Burns' Civil War documentary almost non-stop (nerd-alert again).  My kids are going to hate me when I start dragging them around the South to visit all the battlefields, etc.  I think my love of history is why I tend to decorate with vintage and antique items.

14.)  After realizing in high school that being a vet wasn't for me, I set off in college to major in history/political science then go to law school.  I briefly worked on a local congressman's campaign and had the opportunity to meet Laura Bush (right before she became First-Lady).  I would have been eaten alive in politics because...

15.)  I'm honest, sensitive, and trusting to a fault, morally-grounded, and tend to see the good in people vs. the bad. This has got me into trouble more than I care to admit.

16.)  I have three girls: Gabrielle (Gabby) - 12, Lily - 7, Summer -3.  I had my first daughter when I was just nineteen...words cannot describe how difficult this time in my life was.

17.)  As a single mom, I put myself through private education (Gonzaga University) by working at a law office, scholarships, and student loans (I'm still paying on those pesky things).  I received my business degree with a major in accounting (a 5-yr program) in 2004 and went straight to work at an international accounting firm.  I met my husband in the cubicle next to me!  At times, I really miss my career.

18.)  I pretty much hate math (go figure), but I love, love making spreadsheets!  I think this stems from my days of being an auditor of large SEC companies and when I was a financial analyst...  I'm a huge planner and everything from family vacations to detailed workbooks on the purchase of a new vehicle goes onto a spreadsheet.

Our first big family vacation - 2011

19.)  I'm a big Disneyworld fanatic!  As dairy farmers, we didn't go on too many family vacations, but my grandparents brought us to Disneyland when I was 4 and I've been smitten ever since.  My husband and I never went on a honeymoon and hardly had any family vacations until two years ago when we splurged and went to Disneyworld with the kids.  We had such a great time forgetting about life and having fun...now I try to squeeze in a trip to Disney as often as I can :)

20.)  When I was 17-18 yrs old, I was the Inland Northwest Dairy Princess, in which I represented dairy farmers for six counties in Washington State.  I gave speeches about the benefits of milk at elementary schools, got to be on the radio, and was in various parades (I can still do a mean parade-wave).  I still drink tons of milk and have lots of "Got Milk" paraphernalia.  Support your local farmers...I guarantee you that they work way harder than most people.

21.)  Despite being a former "princess", I'm a tomboy at heart.  Like any girl, I like to get dressed up on occasion, but I'm pretty much a low-maintenance girl.  I'd rather have my hands in soil than at the nail salon.  Super high-maintenance girls annoy me...sorry!

22.)  Instead of babysitting for money in high school, I drove huge hay trucks for a local farmer.  I still drive a truck...it's actually a beat-up old Chevy Avalanche that has seen better days, but at least it's paid off.  I'm not into luxury vehicles and car status...just not my thing, but I do have a thing for sparkling, new trucks.  I will always be a truck-girl and I'm blaming my dad on this one!

23.)  My celebrity crush is Chris Hemsworth...the actor in "Thor".

24.)  I'm almost 5'10'' and my entire family (on my dad's side) is very tall because of our Norwegian heritage.  My maiden name is Grytdal and even with my married name, I'll have random people ask me if I have Norwegian roots.

25.)  I wear size 11 shoes...which is the bane of my existence!  I.hate.my.feet!  Please, please...Shoe manufacturers, if you are reading this - make more size 11's!!

26.)  I'm deathly afraid of those frilled-neck lizard things.  I had a vivid nightmare of them chasing me when I was in high school and have been terrified of them ever since.  I can't even look at a picture of them!

27.)  This may come as a surprise, but every single thing in my house except our IKEA sectional and the mattresses have been purchased by that hard work that I've put into my little furniture/home decor business over the last several years.  When it comes to money, my husband is just like Tommy Lee Jones' character in "Hope Springs" (with Meryl Streep).  Maybe it's a CPA-thing, but since staying home with the kids, he said if I want home decor for the house, then I have to pay for it, even the dishes.  If were up to him, we'd be wedged in a condo with mattresses on the floor...he's not a house junkie like me.

28.)  One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't jump on the blog bandwagon back in 2005-2007 when my husband and I renovated our first house and I started painting furniture and creating things.  I started my blog back in 2009 to just share with customers where my next sale would be, etc.  No before/after pics of hundreds of projects :(

My favorite Italian cappuccino cups

29.)  My two vices:  coffee and shopping (for home decor/furniture).  I seriously feel addicted to finding furniture that I can makeover.  I've started and stopped my business so many times over the last several years due to all the moves my business has endured.  I swear that I'm not going through the headache again...only to find myself filling up the garage with projects.

30.)  My gut reaction is to buck trends and try to do something that everything else is not doing, but sometimes it's hard that way in business because most customers want the trendy.  There's a fine line...but I love classic over trendy.  Go Ralph Lauren!

The view from our front door back on the farm

31.)  My ultimate dream is to live out in the country (I'm not a fan of suburbia) in a cute little house, with a barn full of animals (maybe one with furniture too), a huge garden, and my border collies (my dad used to train them to herd the dairy cattle).  I miss having animals so much it hurts.

One of the zillion farm kittens I had growing up..."Crouton"

32.)  I'm hoping my 30's turns out better than my 20's.  There was a lot of work, stress, and no play in my 20's. I need to stop and smell the roses, relax a little, and just enjoy life more...I'm working on it :)

Wow, that was kind of fun to write...hope you enjoyed it and feel like you know me a bit better :)  Have a great weekend!

Kristen