29 Fun Facts About Me For My Last Year in My 20s!

      Today starts the last chapter of my 20s. Real talk though- how am I 29?! I swear that internally I don't feel older than 23/24 (and sometimes I still feel 18). 29 just seems so grown up to say out loud. In some ways, I am living beyond my wildest dreams in my late 20s. In other ways, there are certain life milestones or experiences that I would've guessed back when I was high school that I would've hit for sure in my early 20s, and a lot of those still haven't happened yet. I guess that's the beauty of life though- things never end up going exactly according to our plans! 

      It's been about a year and a half since my last fun facts / about me post. Why not bring this type of post back for my birthday this year? 

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29 Fun Facts About Me for My 29th Birthday:

1. I have never been able to snap my fingers or whistle.
2. I was a French minor in college and I have been slowly relearning the language daily on Duolingo for the past three years! (More about that here.) 
3. I've now lived in four states and seven cities/towns but had never moved in my life before going off to college in 2012.
4. I've traveled to 10 countries in my life so far: Canada, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy and France. I'm not sure if I can count Jamaica and Mexico since those were on a cruise when I was growing up... does it count if you're staying on the cruise ship? Haha. In that case it might be eight countries that I've properly been to!
5. I was never a morning person until my first morning radio internship (January-March 2017). I was the biggest night owl in college especially! Pretty crazy to think about now. 
6. If I'm wearing a full face of makeup, I always use an eyelash primer followed by two different types of mascara. Using one type of mascara just isn't bold enough for me.
7. I am picky about the types of movies I will spend money to see in a theater, but when there is one that looks appealing, I love going to weekday afternoon matinees by myself. There's something so peaceful to me about seeing a movie solo at the theater!
8. The first recipe that I ever got good at making by myself while growing up was the original Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. 
9. Skills I'd love to learn and/or get better at someday: using a sewing machine, taking better photos with my DSLR camera, understanding the stock market and investing, and cake decorating. 
10. I still wear an old-school watch every day. I just don't have much interest in getting an Apple Watch or other smart watch. 
11. I love to read, but rarely buy books. I am the biggest library enthusiast! When it comes to buying books, most of the ones I do own are cookbooks.
12. My favorite things to shop for are jewelry, dresses, books and home decor. My least favorite things to shop for are jeans and shorts. 
13. My favorite French fries are from McDonald's. Seriously, there's nothing better than McDonald's fries!! (Provided that they are piping hot. There's also nothing worse than soggy and cold McDonald's fries.) 
14. I am obsessed with wallpaper in home decor. Once I have a house someday, I'd love to wallpaper at least a few of the rooms. 
15. Speaking of home decor, as I get older I think my home decor preferences are a blend of Grandmillennial and Southern Maximalism. I love bold colors, fun patterns, feminine touches and some crisp bright white to offset all of the color! 
16. I am not a huge reality TV fan in general, but the two exceptions to that rule are two Netflix reality franchises: Selling Sunset and Love is Blind.
17. My favorite brand for handbags is Barrington Gifts. I have three of their totes and use them everyday! (I'm using my favorite one in the photo above in this blog post!) You can read a review of their most popular bag styles in this blog post. 
18. I hate voicemails with a passion, but love getting voice memos in texts. Make that make sense?
19. I've been using my same childhood email address since January 2004. I joke that it's my longest relationship! It's actually the email that I use for blogging stuff, too. 
20. My favorite thing I've ever purchased is my David Yurman cable bracelet. I'd wanted one for years, but saved up and splurged when I got my new job in Virginia Beach. I have worn it every day since.
21. My favorite bible verses are 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, and my favorite bible passage is Psalm 23. 
22. I hate eggs and always have. I will eat them inside of baked goods, but don't eat anything that is an egg-specific dish. Scrambled, boiled, deviled, quiche, omelet... I hate it all! 
23. I've been working in radio for six and a half years so far, and I've been on-air on six radio stations. 
24. I almost never let my phone drop below 20% charged, or my gas tank go below 1/4 of a tank. 
25. I lived on campus all four years of college, and I think that was one of the best decisions I made during those years.
26. I've had two pet cats in my lifetime: my childhood cat Shakeena, and the cat that I currently have, Delilah. I also had a pet rabbit named Lily and several fish while growing up. I've yet to have a pet dog.
27. I prefer the beach to mountains. 
28. I am very passionate about having an AAA membership and TSA Precheck.
29. As of today, I've had this blog for 11 years!! I started Southern Belle in Training on my 18th birthday. I never would've guessed I'd still be blogging over a decade later!

     Ryan and I are going out to dinner for my birthday this weekend instead of tonight (since my birthday is midweek this year, and we're just getting back from traveling.) I am hoping to head out for a little solo beach time this afternoon after work to enjoy some sunshine and waves to kick off the last year in my 20s! 

      Oh! If you're wondering what my birthday gift to myself is this year, I got myself this classic coat! I've been waiting for awhile for it to be pretty marked down, and Labor Day Weekend sales proved to be the right time. I used to have a coat just like this from Banana Republic a few years ago, but unfortunately it started getting too small in the chest and shoulders. Excited for my new one to arrive! 

      God Bless,

       xoxo Annaliese