35 Things About Me

Since my 35th birthday was on Tuesday, I figured I would share 35 random things about me...
1.  I grew up in New Hampshire
2.  I worked in Alaska from 2003 - 2007 and lived there year round for 3 years. 
3.  Now I live in Miami and think it is the worst... but I stay because I like my job.
4.  My middle name is Beth
5.  My nicknames are HB, Heath and Heather Beth.
6.  The nickname my sister use to have for me was the blonde, cheerleading, sorority girl named Heather.  So basically a bimbo :)
7.  I have one sister, Sarah.  But I call her Cheekies.  It comes from "chica" and I have been calling her that since high school.  I have now taught my niece that that is her mother's nickname - awesome!
8.  My first 5K was in October 2009
9.  My first half marathon was in October 2010
10.  My first marathon was this year!
11.  I love Disney and have a season pass.  I am going up there next weekend and I am so excited!  I have no idea why, but the excitement is always there when I visit a park... always.
12.  My favorite Disney park is Epcot.
13.  My favorite Disney hotels are the Wilderness Lodge and the Beach Club.
14.  I worked at the Wilderness Lodge when I was in college.
15.  I hate loathe band aids.  Even clean ones.  The thought of them is making me gag right now.
16.  I also hate elevators.
17.  I also hate birds... their beaks in particular.
18.  For my birthday I got a Dyson City vaccum.  I have used it once and so far I love it!  They aren't lying about the super suction action of the Dyson vaccuums... the amount of my hair it picked up in one use is appalling.  I knew I shed a lot, but ew.
19.  My first car was a Toyota Corolla.
20.  My car now is a Honda Civic. 
21.  My favorite colors are blue and purple.  Surprisingly nothing in my apartment is decorated in those colors.
22.  I really want to get a cat, but I won't because I would feel bad making it live in a one bedroom apartment.
23.  I love to travel and would go anywhere at least once.
24.  Am totally scared of flying, but I obviously do not let that stop me from doing it... often.
25.  Venice is my most favorite city in the world.
26.  Then Barcelona
27.  Then Chiang Mai, Thailand
28.  Then Hong Kong
29.  Then San Francisco
30.  'Friends' is my all-time favorite TV show.  I own the series and still watch it regularly.

31.  I am obsessed with all Apple products, yet I do not own an iPhone.  Work pays for my CrapBlackBerry, so I just feel like it would be a waste to pay for my own phone.
32.  I hate talking on the phone... another reason I don't want to pay for a iPhone.
33.  I try to go to the movies at least once a weekend.
34.  My three best friends & I have been getting together once year since we graduated college.  One lives in Tampa, one in NY and one in the SF Bay area.  We do not live super close, so that is probably why I love that tradition.
35.  35 feels pretty good.  I like growing older, because life keeps getting better! 

Birthday Week Rolls On

What?  You think birthdays are only one day?!  Haha, birthday rookies.

Sure you are only queen/king of the day on your actual birth date, but your birthday should be celebrated for at least the following 5 to 7 days. 

That’s my story and I am sticking to it.

Here’s my birthday week so far… Saturday, I was able to go see the musical “Wicked” in Ft. Lauderdale.  Absolute favorite musical ever. 

Have you seen this show?
You really should.

I saw it five years ago on Broadway and absolutely fell in love with the story.  It is the “Untold Story of the Witches of Oz”, based on the book by Gregory Maguire.  In summary, it gives you the backstory on why the Wicked Witch of the West became “wicked”.  It also explains how the components of the “The Wizard of Oz” came to be.  They explain the jeweled shoes, Glinda, the Wicked Witch of the East, Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow and even what started the famous tornado that took Dorothy from Kansas to the Land of Oz.

Such creativity… it is fantastic, excellent, amazing and every other superlative you can think of.  It has become quite a sensation and the audience was really into the show, so fun!  Lots of cheers, applause and of course, women in their witches hats!

On my actual birthday I got lots of love and attention from friends and family – thank you, I loved it all!  I received some great birthday cards this year

Lobsters rule, a Lily original & the pink card
kills me... I can twirl my hair like no other!

On Monday, my co-worker took me out for a yummy birthday lunch!  When I got home that night, my camera was in the mail – yippee!  I also received the books I ordered from Runner’s World.  I am really excited to put the FIRST method into practice preparing for my half marathons this fall, as well as the Disney Marathon in January. 

Wednesday was cake and singing day in the office (cue the embarrassed look).  I am not sure why this came so late, or really at all, because my boss had taken me to lunch last week for my bday.  Regardless, the dolce de leche cake was delicious… as my co-worker Yolanda put it “we do not do ordinary” :)

On my way home last night, I got a call from my friend Eileen who had two tickets to a wine tasting that night and did I want to go, um yes please!  We had some a lot of yummy wine and split a delicious burger.  At first the restaurant gave the burger to someone else (what?!), so they had to order a second one and then they charged us for two burgers…  when we pointed this out to the waiter, they ended up giving us our burger for free, thank you!  Then when we left, the parking garage attendant had left for the night, so no need to pay the $16 parking fee.

I love free things.  

Feeling a bit dehydrated today, I had the cafeteria "value meal" for lunch - grilled cheese with bacon and tomato soup... if bacon sandwiches are an appropriate hangover meal at Buck House (how the royals fondly refer to Buckingham Palace), then they are good enough for me.

One last birthday week event will be Brew at the Zoo on Saturday night.  Pretty much just as it sounds, a beer fest at the Miami Zoo… can’t wait! 

I really need to get to bed now because I have my alarm set for 3:45am to watch all of the Today Show coverage of the Royal Wedding tomorrow, so excited!  

Even the UK has a reason to celebrate during my birthday week this year :)