The top 24

Yes, I turned 24 a month ago, but I never got the chance to do what every other blogger has been doing lately on their birthdays/spouse's birthdays -- write 24 things you might not know about me.

I really wouldn't bother doing it, except that 24 has always been my favorite number and I will never get the chance to do this again -- unless, of course, I do the same thing when I turn 48 and do 24x2 things. HAHAHAHA.

So please humor me as I list 24 things. I think these are fun to read, so I'll read yours when you decide to do it, too. :)

1. I can pop nearly every bone in my body. For most of you, I'm sure this is absolutely disgusting to read, but I am rather proud of this. I've always had loose joints for some reason, and my body just pops without warning. I don't know many people who can pop their tailbone, but I can. Just imagine what I'll be like when I'm 80, though. Shudder.

2. I absolutely hate to get my face wet. Andrew thinks this is funny and has shoved my face under running water before just to see me sputter and scowl at him as I squeeze my eyes shut. This, I'm sure, is the reason I don't swim very well. I just don't like my face to be in water AT ALL.

3. I HATE America's Funniest Home Videos. You might argue that this is a family show and that you grew up watching it and that it's clean and wholesome, but I change the channel the moment this show comes on. It is not even remotely funny to me to watch people fall off a see-saw, crash on a bicycle, break a diving board or fall into a mud puddle. Videos that result in injury are just not amusing. That said, however --

4. I love watching clips with babies on YouTube. Have you seen the clip of the baby who gets terrified when his mom blows her nose and then laughs hysterically? Or the one where the dad rips a piece of paper and the baby breaks into giggles every time he tears a piece? There are few things more funny to me than babies laughing.

5. I am addicted to buying children's books. Yes, we do not have any children, and children very rarely come to our little condo. There's just something about children's books that makes me happy, though, so I am browsing the shelves at D.I. at least monthly when we drop something off there to find cheap Berenstain Bear, Clifford and Mercer Mayer books. I'm also addicted to anything by Beverly Cleary that I loved as a kid. Our children had better like to read, because they already have quite a collection!

6. I never wear necklaces. There are several reasons for this. First, I have a really small neck and the length of most necklaces falls at weird places on me. Second, I have scar tissue from two surgeries around my collarbone that is pretty sensitive. However, I have been wearing necklaces lately because there are some ADORABLE styles on Etsy that I want, and I have to prove to Andrew that I will wear them so I can justify buying them. :)

7. I have killed three cactuses. Technically, my brother dropped Spike I on the floor and killed him, but I've definitely been responsible for the deaths of Spike II and III.

8. I fall asleep when I watch movies after 10 p.m. For some reason, no matter how interesting the movie is, I CANNOT stay awake to finish it if we start it at or after 10 at night. What can I say? I am old and tired.

9. I have completely filled up my 8 GB iPod nano and have to periodically switch songs and playlists out. Eight gigs sounds like a lot -- until you realize that it only holds about 2, 000 songs. I HAVE to have a lot of different music on my iPod for my different moods. Looks like I'm going to have to upgrade to a 16 GB iPod when I can afford it. :)

10. I get lightheaded and have passed out before when I have blood tests. As embarrassing as it is, I do enjoy watching the nurses fly into a frenzy to get me juice while I watch them from the floor.

11. I am REALLY annoyed by words/phrases that are capitalized for no reason. And things in "quotes" for no reason. And people who use ellipses ALL THE TIME... Basically, grammatical errors get under my skin. They just do.

12. I detest cleaning the floor. I will scrub the toilet, bathtub and sinks, but I put off cleaning the floor as long as I can (or I ask Andrew nicely to do it, usually). There is something about hair, crumbs and dust together that is gross, and I can never get that entire mound to go into the dustpan. Gah!

13. I watch the Food Network almost every day, but I don't really enjoy cooking. Andrew and I love watching Chopped and Restaurant: Impossible, but I have a hard time coming up with things to make for dinner, and then I feel discouraged when I make the same things over and over. I need to be a better cook before we have kids!

14. I like to pick out names for our future children and discuss them with Andrew. Names have always been fascinating to me, and I think it's fun to throw names back and forth. And who knows -- when we do have kids, the names we like right now might not fit them. It's still fun to come up with possibilities.

15. I am cold almost all the time, even in the summer. Fortunately, this also means that Andrew gets to cuddle with me all the time to keep me warm. :)

16. I am slightly afraid of dogs. They bark, they bite, they jump up on you. What's not to love? I do like Andrew's family's dog, Sally, now.

17. I love anything with birds on it. Stamps, paper, prints -- I just think birds are lovely, and I adore birdcages, too.

18. I do not like being in rain. See #2. I also do not like getting my hair wet, outside of a shower, because it gets frizzy and will not behave. And rain in Idaho and Utah, unlike England, is COLD. See #15.

19. I could eat fish tacos every day. As it is, I now order them at every restaurant that serves them. It makes it a snap to decide on what to have whenever we go out to eat.

20. I really like the scruffy look. It could be because my dad had a beard for 20 years of my life, but I really like it when Andrew grows a little scruff. I think it looks great. :)

21. I like to watch other people watch movies. It's really fun to watch Andrew's reactions when he watches movies I loved as a kid that I have memorized. I'd actually say that sometimes it's more fun than watching it myself, because I'm sharing something special with him and seeing him experience it for the first time.

22. I rarely eat cereal for breakfast, but I always eat it at night. What more can I say? Cap'n Crunch, especially the peanut butter kind, is great as a late-night snack.

23. I really like road trips with Andrew. Unfortunately, my convertible is too loud on the highway to be much fun, so Andrew has to drive every time we go somewhere -- and his car is stick, which I can't drive. So even though I'm always the passenger and he probably doesn't enjoy the trips as much, I love just driving anywhere with him and talking and listening to music.

24. I am never going to do one of these again. It sounded like fun at the time, but it has taken me all day to come up with 24 things about myself! If any of you decide to undertake it, though, I look forward to reading it! :)