25 Honest and Bizarre Things about Me

1) When I was a kid I wanted a pet monkey so terribly bad. I would pray that my parents would buy me one. Every Christmas, I'd wonder where the box with my monkey was. I knew it had to be somewhere and they were just hiding it from me.

2) If I could do anything, I'd throw some essentials into backpack and travel the world. I'd absolutely never settle down... I'd never own a house or a car or do the "normal" stuff. I would roam around finding beauty in every little nook and cranny of the world.

3) Facebook is the only way I stay in contact with all of my friends from all over the globe, but I admit that I spend more time than necessary on it. I love it and hate it all at the same time.

4) I peed my pants in 3rd grade. Actually it was a dress. I told my teacher I had to go to the bathroom but she wouldn't let me so... it just happened.

5) I cheated for the first time in 2nd grade on a vocab quiz. I haven't ever told anyone that. The cheating got worse and I ended up cheating my way through high school. I think I only read one "required" book in high school. For some reason people just let me copy off of them...

6) I seriously love art. I could spend days wandering around an art museum. Art just captivates me. I am really pushing myself to tap back into my creativity. I especially love photography. I'd love to take classes and get more serious about photography.

7) Writing and music are my two escapes. I write all kinds of crazy nonsense. If anyone ever read my journal I'd be mortified. My whole life I've hidden my journal. Literally hidden it... like in a hiding space in my room. It's probably the only place that I express exactly how I'm feeling and what I'm thinking. I write my prayers to God in it and I write His responses. It's where I confess anything and everything. (Now do you see why I hide it?) And music has the power to calm and excite me at the same time. I love researching new artists and finding rad new bands.

8) When I was 17 I got a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. I tried to argue with the officer that wearing a seat belt was optional. I honestly didn't know it was a LAW that you had to buckle up. Click it or ticket, right? (I secretly hate when people say that)

9) I have a love/hate relationship with the south. South Carolina is beautiful and the mountains are stunning, HOWEVER, I'm just not a "southern girl". I do love southern food and the casualness of the south. I'm really not a fan of the southern accent. I've lived in South Carolina for 11 years and I've been fighting that accent all 11 of those years. I can usually manage to suppress it. For the past 11 years I've felt a bit of an identity crisis living in the south and I've known for years that I just don't belong here.

10) Up until recently, I've always had closer guy friends than girl friends. I always seemed to click better with boys. They were just so chill and so much less vain. They didn't gossip, they weren't fake, and there was always so much less drama. I've been learning how to be friends with girls. And let me tell you, now that I'm outta high school, I've realized that girls aren't so bad after all.

11) I'm extremely open. There's not too much that I won't tell you about myself if you ask. I like digging deep into the issues that most Christians are afraid to touch because they might get a little dirt on their hands.

12) I do not understand God. I never will. I understand THINGS about God, but trust me... I DO NOT understand Him. But I'm okay with that. I'll never "get" Him. He's just too massive for that. My brain cannot even begin to comprehend His love and grace. He's mysterious, quirky, funny and absolutely beautiful. I adore Him.

13) I'm scared to death of heights. I will never bungee jump or sky dive, even though I wonder what it would feel like. Someone would have to drug me for that to ever happen.

14) I broke my foot in South Africa. I was running in my yard like a lunatic and the rain had washed away a lip in the grass right where it connected with the pavement of the driveway. So as I was running, I kicked the pavement and then twisted my ankle and fell. I had to crawl around to my front door and then crawl up the front stairs. I was laughing and crying at the same time. My foot turned black and blue for more than a month... possibly because I tried to walk on it like everything was normal.

15) I have 6 piercings and 1 tattoo. My mother pierced my ears when I was 2 months old because everyone kept calling me a boy. I got my second hole pierced when I was in 8th grade. Nose pierced in 2006 and lip pierced in 2008. I pierced my belly button in high school but was terrified that my dad would kill me so I took it out soon after (surprise Mom and Dad!). I got my tattoo a week after my 18th birthday in October 2004. More tattoos to come...

16) I have sleep issues. Most nights I force myself to go to bed around 3 am. I just don't get tired before that. Also I seem to not be able to turn my brain off... I just lay there and think rather than sleep.

17) I'm passionate about human rights. Like really passionate... don't ask me questions about it unless you want me to talk your ear off. I want a career that has something to do with human rights.

18) The whole marriage and starting a family thing terrify me. I'm happy with my little darling Mia who's 3 now. The two of us make a fantastic team. She's all I need. For me, life's easier without a boyfriend. (However, if I'm being 100% honest, my biggest reason for not wanting a romantic relationship is fear. Fear of heartbreak. Fear of disappointment. Fear of being abandoned. Fear of failure.)

19) I really do love who I've become over the past 22 years. I love standing out and being different. I honestly don't want to be like "everyone else". I want to be Kristen... no one else. It's taken me years and years to get to this point.

20) I am not a romantic girl. Don't take me out on a fancy date with flowers and candles and all that jazz, just take me to a chill coffee shop where there's a live band and where we can talk.

21) One 4th of July, when I was 7, some kid hooked me in the lip with a fishing hook and I had to be rushed to the hospital to get it removed. I still have a scar.

22) I bite my nails and the skin around my nails. I've done it for as long as I can remember. Drives most people nuts, especially my mom. The moment I'm bored, or stressed or nervous, my hands fly straight to my mouth.

23) I love physical quirks. Freckles, moles, birthmarks, gaps in teeth, scars, stretchmarks... there are few things more beautiful to me than a body with stories to tell.

24) I cry. Often, and a lot. Books, articles, commercials, photos, TV, movies. I feel things deeply. Sometimes I think I feel them too deeply, but I don't think I would change it even if I could. I like that part of me.

25) I love tape and stickers. If there's anything around me with some sort of sticker I can peel off and play with, I will. Buy me a roll of Scotch tape and I'll be happy for a long time. I love the way it feels for some weird reason.