30 Facts About Me on My 30th

I figured since I turn 30 today, I’d do a little “get to know me” post and create a random 30 facts about me list. I enjoy learning about other people, so perhaps someone will find this remotely interesting.

1) It feels a little weird to be 30, after all it feels like yesterday I was 20, but I’m trying to embrace it. Age is just a number, what matters are the moments right?
2) I still remember lying in bed on the eve of my tenth birthday and crying a little because I’d never be a single digit anymore.
3) I love envelopes of all shapes and sizes and have been known to make my own out of craft paper or magazine pages – the smaller the better.
4) I love miniature things (like tiny envelopes that the postal system won’t let me send).
5) I love handwritten letters and sometimes wish everyone still had to use quill and ink and wax seals….god I love wax seals (and yes I have a few).
6) I used to work on a glacier in Alaska and fly to work in a helicopter everyday!
7) I am a major Tolkien nerd and in high school could actually speak a bit of elvish. Yikes.
8) I was once on a flight with Viggo Mortensen and recognized him immediately even though he was wearing soccer shoes, a baseball cap and jeans trying to blend in. I was a little star struck and also didn’t want to be that crazy fan person who disturbs a celebrity and attracts attention. I walked right past his seat when boarding the plane! He was watching Hidalgo on his laptop. All I could think the entire flight as I sat about seven or eight rows behind him was, “omg Aragorn is sitting right there!” I wanted so badly to say something in elvish to him, but wow that would just be…weird.
8) Books might possibly be my favorite thing in life. Story.
9) I have a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing.
10) I love my two cats. Like really, a LOT.
11) A mantra I like to recite in my mind during hard times is: I have enough, I am enough.
12) I’ve dealt with anxiety and IBS most of my life.
13) I’ve lived in six different states: Massachusetts, Colorado, New Hampshire, Alaska, Washington, Vermont.
14) I firmly believe in creating a life you love.
15) Tea not coffee.
16) I’ve hiked 42 of the 48 4,000 footers in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. 36 of those were all in one awesome summer.
17) My first concert was N’SYNC…wow, really showing my age now.
18) I’ve had hundreds of dreams in which I can fly.
19) A humpback whale jumped out of the water just fifteen feet away when I was rock climbing on a sea cliff in Juneau, Alaska several years ago. I clung to the wall and looked over my shoulder as the giant creature lunged into the air beside me…looking at me.
20) I’ve been a vegetarian for eight months and wish I’d made the switch sooner.
22) I think I’d be in Ravenclaw…I mean diadems are sorta my thing you know?
23) I used to make all kinds of lip balms, perfumes, and bath and body products…expect to see a few DIY recipes on here soon! 🙂
24) I have three Etsy shops. Three might be too many…thinking of condensing to two.
25) I believe in faeries.
26) Time fascinates me.
27) The Bachelor and The Bachelorette shows completely have me under their spell. Okay, Bachelor in Paradise also!
28) I haven’t had TV in ten years. I watch everything on Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime.
29) YouTube and the art of making videos intrigues me…I can’t decide whether or not I want to make my own videos, but I love watching them.
30) Instagram is my favorite form of social media thus far. You can follow me at @avioletlife

I was excited to get Elle’s September issue in the mail recently. It is also their 30th issue and the theme is all about being 30. So cool! I didn’t realize their cover girl Keira Knightly is my same age. She’s one of my favorite actresses. I was happy to read that not everyone has it “all figured out” by this age – I certainly don’t! I feel like there is so much pressure from society to have certain things, done certain things etc by this age. But there really is no normal and you’ve got to stay true to your own path. To all my 1985 sisters, let’s cheers to a childhood of My Little Ponies, Polly Pocket, Alf, Full House, the Little Mermaid, and LipSmackers! 30 is going to be awesome. Lots of love – Naomi