10 Interesting Facts About Me

I gave you all the opportunity to choose this week's blog post—the options were either "10 Interesting Facts About Me" or "Mindset Shift." The winner was "10 Interesting Facts About Me!" I am really excited for you all to read this blog post because they truly are interesting facts, some of which I'm sure most of you don't know. I wanted to share facts that I don't talk about on social media, not because I'm embarrassed by them but because they are just things you don't normally mention. ENJOY! 

1. I have been with Aaron since 2010! 

• We met my sophomore year of high school in P.E. It was love at first sight, and it's been a dream since then. From high school graduation, to moving to Hawai'i, to college graduation, to moving to California, Aaron has been my adventurous life partner through everything. I would never want to face life with anyone else (cheesy, I know, but it's crazy what love does to us).

2. I am a MIDDLE CHILD.

• If you're also a middle child, you know how difficult this can be. Although I do believe my oldest sister probably had it harder at times after my younger sister and I were born, she did have the chance to be an only child for six years. So the fun things she got to do during that time kind of cancels itself out, right, Chelsea? But seriously, being a middle child is usually not easy. You are usually being pulled in completely different directions from your older sibling and your youngest sibling. And, honestly, I think my parents were the strictest with me. They learned with Chelsea what to do and what not to do and applied it to me. Then when Kendall (my younger sister) was born, they just let her do whatever she wanted. But, I would much rather be a middle child than not have my two amazingly beautiful sisters. Thanks mom and dad for that and for raising us to be strong, independent, badass women! 

3. I went to The Ohio State University at Newark for my first two years of college. 

• My freshman year of college was my first experience living on my own. I chose The Ohio State University at Newark because tuition was cheaper there than the main campus, and I wanted to be close enough to my family and Aaron that I could go home whenever I wanted. I initially chose a small community college because those two years were mostly just me getting my prerequisites out of the way, and I wanted to save money. I HIGHLY recommend a community college for at least your first two years of school because the classes are usually smaller and, most importantly, tuition is cheaper. There is nothing worse than college debt, especially when you don't know exactly what you want to major in. Don't be ashamed of attending a community college at all!

4. I lost both of my grandmas within a year of each other. 

 • This mostly speaks for itself, but I have never gone through anything more difficult. Life is not the same without your grandmas! This is a reminder to call them, hug them, and tell them you love them whenever you can because one day they won't be here and you'll wake up wanting nothing more than to talk with them. I miss them everyday.

5. I grew up with a phobia of tornadoes!

• As children, we are irrationally afraid of a lot of things, but my fear of tornadoes was SERIOUS. I would make my parents sit in front of the television with me when the news was on, forcing them to tell me exactly what everything meant, if we were going to get hit by a tornado, what it would sound like if there was a tornado, etc. I was scared of a lot of things that never affected me growing up, but tornadoes were definitely what scared me the most. 

6. I was in student council in high school! 

• To be truthful, I only really did it because I wanted to spend time with my other friends in student council and look "cool." It was great for college applications and made me feel responsible. If you what to be on student council or in any other extracurricular activity, DO IT! Don't worry about what those around you think, listen to your heart, and do what makes YOU happy. 

7. I "played" the flute in middle school! 

• You are probably wondering why I have played in quotes. Well, it's because I didn't really know how to fully play the flute. I knew a couple of notes here and there. For the most part, though, I faked it for about two years. This is so embarrassing for me to admit. My parents had bought me a flute, though, and I felt like I would be letting them down if I dropped out of band. How did I get away with it? I would just act like I was playing and then, when the band instructor would come around one by one and ask us how to play certain notes, I would ask my friend next to me to "remind me" what that note was . . . Yeah, I was a dedicated fake flute player. 

8. My cousin and I use to act like we were smoking by lighting the end of a toothpick! 

• Why we wanted to act like we were smoking is beyond me. We did this VERY often and, one day, my grandma caught us. Her punishment was unforgettable but effective. She sat us down at her table with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter on the table. She looked both of us in the eyes and offered us to smoke a cigarette WITH HER. She wasn't a smoker, and my cousin and I didn't want to see her smoke a cigarette, nor did we ever want to smoke a real cigarette. We were traumatized and vowed to never do it again. Plus, my grandma then hid the toothpicks from us.

9. Modeling has not always been a dream of mine. 

• It wasn't until recently that I wanted to become a model. I'm sure that many of us, if not all of us, have dreamt of being a model at some point in our lives. Why is that? Do we want to live this "perfect life" and have this "perfect body"? What is it about modeling that seems so appealing? For me, it wasn't really any of that. It was the fact that my body type was not being represented. It was the fact that I think I have a very important story to share with women all over the world and modeling is a great platform for that. It was the fact that I have finally learned to love my body, and I want to share with women that if you have a body type like mine, you can do ANYTHING and you are BEAUTIFUL and WORTHY. I want to be a model because I want to represent the underrepresented body type, I want to change the way companies look at their models and who they choose as their models. I want to be part of the movement showing that ALL bodies are beautiful and ALL bodies should be represented. 

10. I'm addicted to pizza. 

• Yep, you heard that right. I am addicted to greasy, fatty, delicious, soul-healing PIZZA. As a healthy lifestyle style coach, many people think that I eat fruits and veggies for every meal. I do try to fuel my body with healthy nutritious food a majority of the time because that's what is good for me and that is what my body needs to run properly, but I also DO NOT RESTRICT myself. I believe in moderation and enjoying those foods you love. Pizza is that food for me. When I want it, I eat it. Life is so much better that way.