Aloha friends! Today I’m going to have a little bit of fun here on the blog. I’ve met so many new people through various writing sites, social media, and some of you have even stumbled across this blog and I’m thrilled that you’ve come back to visit!

I’m so excited to live in this age of technology where I am able to connect with many of you out there in virtual world, and hopefully, one day we will be fortunate enough to cross paths in real life. I’m going to go a bit out of my comfort zone here, but I figured this would be the perfect time to post this. In the spirit of the Labor Day weekend, I’m going to keep this fun and hopefully interesting! Perhaps you might learn something new about me…and I’m hoping that’s a good thing!

First off, I would like to give a SHOUT OUT! to a wonderful gal I met through the world of Instagram, Carola Ber (@itscarolaber). She has a beautiful site of her own that you can check out here! It was through her inspiration that I’m sharing my fun facts with you. =)

So without further ado, here we go!

Ten Fun Facts About Yours Truly

(1) I was born and raised here in Honolulu, Hawaii. I’ve only been out of state a handful of times. Most of you know Hawaii is not a completely isolated cluster of islands covered in grass shacks and lacking in necessities like wi-fi and Starbucks locations every .42 miles. Honolulu is actually considered one of the major metropolises of our country and I can attest that our traffic is one of the worst – especially if measured per capita. However, my island home is blessed with heavenly wonders just outside the bustling city. You can enjoy breath-taking views from treacherous and not-so-treacherous trails or lie out on the beautiful beaches (on either white sand or black sand! really!). If you happen to visit the Island of Hawaii (aka the Big Island) in the winter time, you can snowboard and surf in the same day! Super fun.

That being said, I have to somberly admit that alas, (2) I can’t surf (or snowboard for that matter). Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but not everyone from Hawaii can surf. Or dances the hula. Or makes  Mai Tais. Or eats “Hawaiian Pizza.” (Seriously. Pineapple on a pizza?!?! Yeah. That’s not for me – at all.)  It’s a goal of mine to be able to surf by my next birthday. My husband is an avid surfer and really, I have no excuse other than I can’t seem to paddle fast enough or get up fast enough on the board. I’m working on getting past my lack of coordination and confidence, and am just going to get out there and catch my own wave soon enough. Or at least wipeout in style.

I used to play the trumpet in grade school and high school. As most of us did, in these early years, I tried to find myself. For a few years, (3) I was a “B.G.” (Band Geek.) I LOVE music. All kinds of music, really, but during this time, I became more aware of the study of music and music appreciation. I’d play classics like Vivaldi, Bach, and Beethoven, listened to John Williams scores, and studied the soundtracks to Les Miserables and other Broadway shows on the boombox in my room or on my walkman. (Yes, I actually dubbed them on a cassette tape – Google that, young’uns – from my dad’s CD collection.) I had a dream of becoming one of the drum majors of our marching band and would practice my conducting skills in my room. But as most dreams do, when you’re in the middle of finding yourself, it succumbed to something new.

It was about my junior year when I got serious about my next obsession love, basketball. Yes, at 5’2″, (4) I played high school basketball. In Hawaii, most of us are on the shorter side, so it wasn’t so much of a big deal, but I had my share of being blocked by the much taller girls. Lol. After high school, I assisted with coaching our school’s intermediate and J.V. teams. I loved helping those kiddos out so much, it planted a seed in me which lead me later to pursue a career in teaching.

Okay, switching gears for a moment. This random fact, I’m a little embarrassed to admit, but hey, it’s kinda funny. (5) I was a total Spice Girls fan. There. I admit that my high school/post high school/well into college transition was all about “girl power”  and well, who doesn’t want to know “Whatcha want…whatcha really, really want?” Also, a totally funny side note is that I met my future husband on a “blind” group date to the Spice Girl movie. In hind sight, any guy that would want to meet me under those conditions – and still want to see me again after – is a winner in my book!

(6) I go crazy for Apple products, and no, I’m not talking about the fruit….although I really like those too.  Yes, I must have drank the Kool-Aid because I have had my share of iMacs, iPods, iPhones, and iPads. Of course things are a bit different pre- and post-kids. We have to totally watch our budget now, and it won’t be too long before the kiddos will be wanting electronics of their own. But seriously, back in the day, I would totally GEEK OUT! on the newest product and software. Nowadays there’s just too much to keep up with.

(7) I can rap Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.“ Okay, yeah. Not sure if it really counts as rap, but hey, I was pretty rad back in the day. No…I probably really wasn’t, but that didn’t stop me from my lyrical rhyming. I even managed to change up the words to flow about our basketball team. Of course my perpetual teenage awkwardness prevented anything from ever coming of it. Too bad, I may have had one heck of a rap career. Could’ve joined Candace Cameron on stage during her 40th birthday celebration.

(8) I’m a book hoarder. I can’t help it. I absolutely LOVE books!!  I have such an affliction for bound literature that I find it hard to let any of them go. Especially children’s books. Even if the binding is broken and pages strewn, ripped and crumpled on the floor, I put it in my “fix it” box to repair later. I don’t think I ever get to it, so the box is pretty much a retirement home where they can comfortably wait for “the end.”  (Haha. Saw what I did there?) I’m actually starting to finally let go of a lot of pieces in my book collection, but you will probably find me with a book in my bag or a bookmark set in my Kindle reader.

(9) I’m a perpetual student. I love to learn. So much so, that I’ve gone to school (college school) three different times. Twice for my English degrees and once more for another degree in Education. As tough as it was (especially the getting that last degree with three littles in tow), I thoroughly enjoyed my experiences. If I could spend my whole life learning, I would…and I do. (So thankful for modern technology that allows me to do so!)  And with learning comes teaching. I’ve taught in both middle school and elementary. I found my niche for a bit in the first grade classroom, but I enjoy teaching children (and adults) of all ages. What good is knowledge if you can’t share it, right?

And finally, a few years ago, (10) I decided to pick up the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I instantly fell in love with this sport. Yes, it’s sweaty and touchy, and you have to wear a bulky gi (or as one of my coaches would like to call it, pajamas!), but let me tell you it’s a phenomenal workout both physically and mentally. It’s also a great way to blow off some steam when you’ve had a rough day with the kids. Not to mention, there are some great self-defense benefits as well. In my first year and a half, I met some wonderful people, made some great friends, and I even entered a couple of tournaments to appease my competitive side. Praise the Lord that I didn’t get injured or beat up too badly, and I actually ended up doing pretty decently. It was a fun ride and I can’t wait to get back into it once I get my new routine in place.

So that’s pretty much it. I hope you had fun learning a little more about me, and I had fun sharing a little bit more about myself with all of you. I would love to get to know you, my readers, so please feel free to post some fun tidbits in the comments below!

Aloha and God Bless!

-Jenn