Hello lovely humans! Most of you know me as the author of The Able Fables, hooray! But, I don’t share a lot of personal posts! Oh how the times are changin’! Let’s dive right in!

 

1. I am Canadian.

Yup I’m a dual citizen. It’s my super power! My dad was transferred to Canada for his job, thus, I had the honor of being born there. I call it an honor because, have you met a Canadian!? They are the nicest humans on the planet! I like to show my Canadian pride by rocking as many Canadian graphic t-shirts as possible!

 

       2. I was a gymnast for 13 years.

Best sport ever! Not a day goes by that I don’t miss it. Gymnastics taught me self discipline, the power of persistence, and brought some of the most genuine, and empowering people into my life! Here I am as a little nugget gymnast.

 

      3. I caught an 8.5 foot shark when I was 18.

One of my most favorite fun facts! It took me almost TWO hours to reel in, and took the boat about 2 miles. Like any good fisherman would, I’ve added an inch or two to the fish every time I tell the story, so it most likely was only 7.5 feet, but hey! That’s still pretty dang cool. (And now I realize this is going to sound completely made up, but its not!) I don’t have a photo of myself with the shark, because we did not want to kill it to bring it on the boat. Therefore, I only have this photo of me with a baby shark.

 

     4. I’ve been to Haiti Twice.

Best. Decision. Of. My. Life. Folks, I’m a fraidy cat. New places scare me, I have a moderate amount of travel anxiety, and I’m not a fan of flying over oceans. I wanted to say no to this opportunity, but I said yes, and I am oh so grateful that I did. My heart and my brain stretched, and grew in ways I never knew possible. The beautiful humans of Neply, and the experience of a lifetime will be etched on my heart for the rest of my life. Shout out to My Life Speaks for the incredible work they are doing alongside the villagers of Neply and beyond. If you have a minute, check out their mission!

 

      5. I’ve been in recovery from Panic Disorder for 6 years now!

I will never forget this part of who I am. I had I had 5 dark years of feeling completely alone, and a few weeks of rock bottom. At one point, I couldn’t leave my dorm for class or practice out of fear someone would see me struggling in public. There was a time when I tallied my panic attacks on a calendar and they reached 44 in one month. I will never not talk about my trek with Panic Disorder (I’ll touch on it more on the blog in the future). I need you to know, if you are feeling alone, terrified, confused, weak, devalued, that not only, are you not alone – but, that you don’t have to suffer with a diagnosis, that you can learn to live a full life with whatever you have. It takes persistence, assistance, grace, understanding, and living outside of your comfort zone, but you my friend are capABLE.

 

     6. I grew up on the lake.

There is nothing, NOTHING, I love more than a day on the lake with the family. My dad was able to pay of his college before he graduated, and after went 50/50 on a beautiful 20 acre piece of paradise on a lake where he would hunt with my grandfather. Summers over the last 28 years of my life have consisted of countless early morning fishing with my dad, capture the flag with my cousins at the lake, Saturday evening church and Mexican food after, small town shopping sprees, barefoot berry picking and too many memories to type. The lake will always be a part of me. Isn’t she beautiful?

 

     7. My fiancé a mean fiddle.

Time to brag about my guy. He’s currently on the road with Carrie Underwood. He’s played for Sara Evans and Josh Turner. He’s a freaking talented violinist. He can play any tune if you hum it for him. He’s a strings wizard and plays the mandolin, ganjo, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and any other string instrument you hand him. He was signed to Warner along with his brother and sister-in-law with their band The Railers. They had two radio singles, and I just loved hearing their awe striking talent on the radio and in concert! I know its a Christmas song, but just watch and listen. I think you’ll be impressed!

 

     8. I crave tacos tri-weekly.

What one food could you eat for a month straight without getting sick of it? Tacos are my life. I want to visit a taco shop in all 50 states. Soooo. Comment below and tell me the name and location of your favorite local taco shop!

 

     9. My bathroom is decorated in all yellow.

Not only am I yellow obsessed, but I love antiquing and thrifting and arts and crafty shops! My bathroom is a depiction of that. I’ve collected all of these trinkets from antique stores and thrift shops in multiple states. My bathroom will be floor to ceiling with all the yellow things one day!

 

     10. I’m afraid of Ketchup.

I’ve never touched a ketchup bottle with my bare hands. One time, my mom made me get the ketchup out when I was setting the table. I had to put oven mitts on and I still cried. I am way less anxious around ketchup than I used to be since 450 people have teased me with it throughout my life. But, I still won’t touch it, it’s disgusting. And no, I don’t want exposure therapy. My kids will just have to live without it until they can serve it to themselves (or Jordan can serve it to them!) I get that it is irrational and strange, but I am only human! I will not be posting a photo for this one, because I refuse to google it!

 

Thanks for popping by, and sticking around. I look forward to using this blog to chat about inclusion, mental wellness, personal growth, Nashville, and travel, and to provide you with some awesome personal growth freebies! I’m pretty excited. Introduce yourself in the comments, I’d love to connect. And, sign up here so that you don’t miss a store discount, self improvement freebie or announcement about my inclusive children’s book series The Able Fables!