Since my last post about Career Development Tips may have been a bit bland as most things related to grown up life tends to be (sorry grown ups), I thought I would make this post lighter by revealing some unique and weird quirks about me. There are questions that people never think to ask someone, or are just too weird to bring up in regular conversation, so I thought I’d try to answer some of those things even if I am embarrassing myself in the process. I am fully aware that I am potentially being set up to be mocked about some of my favorites, or habits that I have, and I am perfectly ok with that. With that being said, let’s dive in shall we?
1. I have a fear of fish
When I say fear, I am not talking about your everyday heebie jeebies you get when you see a spider. I have a phobia of fish, as in, don’t like watching Finding Nemo. It doesn’t matter what kind of fish it is; dead or alive, cooked, northern pike or goldfish, in a lake or at Petco- I’m scared of them all. You could say that since I am sensitive to gluten and dairy, I am scared of goldfish crackers too! This all started back at our family cabin when I was very young. I was flipping through a children’s book about the kind of fish in the lakes of Minnesota, when I came across the scariest looking cartoon picture of a northern. It had giant teeth and a little warning sign by it. I remember asking my grandpa where they lived in the lake, and he said the weeds, which happened to be right by our dock. Since that moment, I have always been scared to get in the lake because of the northerns, but over the years it has generalized to all fish. Everyone always says that fish are harmless, but the thought of standing in the lake and a fish rubbing up against my leg is unbearable. One of my biggest nightmares would be going to a nail place and having those little fish nibble on your feet when getting a pedicure! I have cried due to the sight of a fish being close to me on multiple occasions.
2. My favorite food is steamed broccoli
After reading about my fear of fish, you may already be thinking how odd that is, so I thought I would keep the ball rolling. Yes, my favorite food is steamed broccoli. Most people, when they get cravings, would probably go for some sweets or junk food, but me? Steamed broccoli, never raw. I haven’t always had this at the top of my favorites list, I will admit I used to be a Kraft Mac and Cheese addict, but they say tastebuds age and mature as you get older, so I’m just going to blame it on that. For the record, my favorite is from Red Robin. Not all broccoli is created equal.
3. I was a baller
When looking at me, all 5 ft of me, most would not pin me as a basketball player. I played basketball for six years, including one year of traveling. I was known for being the point guard that dribbles left handed but shoots right handed. My brother and I spent hours running plays, playing neighborhood games of Lightning, horse, and at basketball camps. When I was given the choice of either gymnastics or basketball, I always joke that I picked the right one in the end because my height wouldn’t have gotten me very far in basketball. I still love to shoot and play pick up games when I can. I was known as “hot shot” during all my basketball camps because Lightning was my game of choice, and I was often unbeatable which led to doing the splits as part of my victory dance. In middle school I would always participate in the three-pointer shooting contests with the guys, and they’d laugh every time I said I wanted to join, but soon shut up after I could hit as many shots as they could. While I may not be the best at layups, my jump shot is often followed by a swoosh. That being said, if anyone is ever looking for a shooting buddy, I’m your girl!
4. I love word finds
I could do word finds for days. I started doing word finds when I was young. Every time we got in the car to go somewhere, I would pick up my word find book that I stored in the seat, and be glued to that book the whole ride there whether that be a couple minutes or hours. I credit this as to why I am so good at spelling now. This little quirk has stuck with me throughout the years, and I still have stacks of word finds in my desk drawers here at Gustavus for when I have free time. I’ve learned a lot over the years from doing these word finds because of all the categories of words. I think I like them so much because it’s similar to the satisfaction I feel when I cross something off my to do list.
5. My ancestor is Abe Lincoln
This is my definite go to question for two truths and a lie. Most people don’t believe that I am related to good old honest Abe. I can’t remember exactly what the family tree is, we figured it out once. It traces back to my mom’s side of the family. I’ve heard that he was a tall man, and I often wonder at what point that height was lost because I definitely did not get that trait passed on.
6. I’m a morning person
My idea of sleeping in is until about eight, but even then, I don’t enjoy it. You can often bet that I will be up at six every morning, just because I like it. Something about being up when no one else is, is calming, almost like calm before the storm. I like to have time to myself before my day officially starts. Usually, I fill this time with working out, reading a daily devotional, writing, or just enjoying the feeling of doing absolutely nothing. On the other hand, you will not find me anywhere but my bed when 11 PM rolls around. Night owl is not in my vocabulary.
7. I’m an introvert
I have mentioned this in my past posts, but what y’all don’t know is how far I have come. In the past, I was an introvert in all cases; being talking to people, needing time to myself, liking silence etc. Writing a public blog would have been a nightmare for me. I used to never talk to anyone of the opposite gender, or much older than me. I even was too shy to interact with my cousins at family events, it took me a while to “warm up.” Back in my elementary school days, I was so painfully shy that I would not talk to adults at all. A teacher could wave at me in the hall and I would just stare at them as they walked by. Ordering at restaurants was a job for my parents, as I was too shy to talk to the server. Libby Lu birthday parties were my nightmare because of all the makeup and glitzy costumes that made me stand out. When we had to perform the dance routine in the middle of the mall (all girls in the 2000s know what I’m talking about), I wanted to cry. This list goes on and on. Nowadays, I can talk to anyone, and actually enjoy it. I’m at the point where I actually like job interviews. It’s taken a lot of practice to get comfortable with coming out of my shell, and while I may not be shy anymore, I definitely need my “me time” to just not talk for a couple hours after being with a group of people.
8. I can’t cook…at all
When I say I can’t cook, I mean it. I can’t even microwave…I can toaster though! My theory behind this is that when you are busy being a student for seven hours a day, and then coming home and going straight to four hour gymnastics practices six days a week, there really is no time to learn to cook. A few exceptions are the extra credit enchilada dinners I had to make for my Spanish class, which even then, I relied heavily on my mom. If you need a nice bowl of cereal, toast, or a sandwich, I am your girl. I still have yet to successfully make microwave mac and cheese without it blowing up on me. No matter how well I follow the instructions, it literally explodes in the microwave every time. This goes for oatmeal as well. Another reason I am horrible at cooking, is because I cannot be trusted with hot/sharp things such as stoves, knives, pans, ovens, you name it. I promise you, when it comes to cooking or baking, I WILL find a way to screw it up. The picture above shows my ability to pose with pancakes, but you bet your butter I didn’t go anywhere near the griddle… #wifemeup
9. Matching is a must
My biggest pet peeve is when colors don’t match. This definitely is a perfectionist thing, but it is a huge turn off for me when people don’t know how to match colors or color coordinate. If you see me at the gym, you bet that my scrunchie matches my sports bra and socks, and my shoes match the accent colors in my tank top. I organize my closet by color, even down to my shoes. One of the weirdest color quirks I have originated in elementary school. The color pen I used to write with that day had to match what I was wearing, and even to this day I still have that rule. Nothing drives me more crazy than when someone is wearing black on black, but the shades of black don’t match! Next time you see me in the gym, I’d appreciate the appreciation of my color coordination.
10. I don’t cry in movies
The Notebook, and Marley and Me have never phased me. I have often wondered if I have any sense of emotion at all because of the disbelief people are in when they hear that I felt nothing while watching them. I have never understood how a movie can make someone cry because it isn’t real! The one movie that got me a little choked up was College Road Trip, something about flashbacks just get me every time. Some of my friends have made this into a challenge, but they still have yet to find a movie that turns on the water works.
11. I can be impulsive
My one story for this resorts back to little Lauren (I swear all my weirdest things happened around this age). While my mom was upstairs getting ready for the day, I thought I had the greatest idea, with no motive behind it at all. I found the nearest ballpoint pen, and decided to draw giant sheep on our hardwood floors for no reason at all. I didn’t think about what my mom would think, or that it probably wasn’t the best thing to do, I just did it. For the record, it was the wrong move, and I never did it again. From then on, my impulsive moves have never been harmful, just weird little things like drawing sheep on the floor. Thankfully, I never did try to give myself a haircut.
12. I’m a sucker for The Bachelor
Yes, I am one of those girls who joins a fantasy league and plans their day around an unrealistic and sappy reality TV show. While I may enjoy fantasizing about the spectacular dates they go on, I honestly watch it just because my psychology brain likes to analyze the psycho girls on the show. It is fun to see how ridiculous the drama gets, it is kind of addicting. I’m one who is very realistic, so seeing something that is not realistic at all makes for cheap entertainment. It’s the little things as I say, such as a girl getting upset because another contestant talked to the bachelor for one more minute than she did, that count.
13. I love country
I am not one of those people that only likes country music during the summer, but doesn’t touch it in the winter. You know you are a die hard country fan when you’re listening to a song about sunshine and corn in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard. My all time favorite song is H.O.L.Y by Florida Georgia Line, followed close by anything that comes out of Thomas Rhett’s mouth. Country music is feel good music, and always gives me a little skip in my step walking around campus. I also like country because the songs have meaning, and are honest, as compared to rapping about liking big butts (although Sir Mix A Lot said he cannot lie so I guess he is being honest as well). Bottom line, I’m not just on the country bandwagon.
14. I have broken many bones
When people get hurt, they often have stories about getting hurt playing a sport, or doing something spectacular. But for me? I like to mix things up. I broke my first bone in my leg when I was two years old…going down a slide. A couple years later, I broke my foot going down a fire pole on the playground. I was scared to slide down, so my brother put a tiny toy dump truck at the bottom to break my fall. I landed on the truck, but it broke my foot instead of the fall. Fast forward two years later. I broke my arm by being blasted out of a tiny hole in the net of a trampoline. When I say tiny, I am meaning that it was the biggest coincidence that I fit perfectly through that hole. Some honorable mentions are the occasional toes and fingers that have been snapped during gymnastics meets, but no major breaks since then! Although I must say, I would rather have taken a broken bone over nerve damage in my ribs and spine.
15. My biggest regret is not playing hockey
Growing up, I played every sport, except hockey. I mentioned in a past post that this was because I didn’t want to wear the big pants aka breezers. At the same time, I loved skating, and still do. I didn’t mind going to my brother’s hockey games, and I actually liked them (way more than baseball). I often wonder if I would have been any good at it, and I regret not being able to find out.
There’s 15 things about me that you probably didn’t know. Some of them are odd, I know, but that is what sets me apart from all the other people who also were a gymnast, like maroon, or are a college student. It is the weird facts about people that guide their experiences and make for great stories. I know that if I did end up playing hockey, I may not have as many injuries as I did in gymnastics, but I also wouldn’t have the unique stories that go with them. And if I didn’t like country, I wouldn’t have been ironically listening to Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood during an ice storm while I elegantly smashed into my neighbors mailbox. Every little quirk we have, both good and bad, is how God made us, and you have the power to embrace them, or be embarrassed about what makes you, you. I choose to embrace the broccoli.
I’d love to hear some of your little quirks, or something I don’t know about you! Feel free to shoot me an email, comment, or private message me!
Have a great week. and start to your November!
~Lauren
Life of Lauren 