Day One: Introduction, Photo, & Facts

I've decided to do a "blog challenge" and update my blog every day for 30 days. There are specific things to include each day, and today is all about me. I'll be sure to also include any neat/interesting/exciting things going on in my life, too -- I just wanted to do something fun with my blog, and I needed some structure to keep me on track and timely :)

well...if you've read my blog at all, you probably have a good idea about who i am. I'm 24 years old, married to an amazing man (Ryan Keith), waiting on my license to come in the mail so I can start work as a therapist/counselor, and I'm a HUGE razorback fan. I've spent most of my 24 years in Arkansas, and I love it here. I started blogging as a side hobby in order to publish some thoughts and ideas I had on the world, and it's become more of a networking and newlywed-helping tool for me lately. 

Pictures of myself have been love/hate for me lately. I got my hair cut after I got married in December, and I decided to go shorter a few months later. Let's just say that was a mistake, and I'm just now getting to a point where I'm starting to like my hair again. I've also been working out and eating right... marriage was not kind to my 15 pound weight loss last year! :) As with anything, it's a journey... here's a picture taken not too long ago with a pumpkin I carved in memory of Steve Jobs. Gotta rep my Mac! :)

Fifteen Facts About Me

1. I love it when people call me Carrie Anne. There's something amazingly southern and comforting about it to me :)
2. I have been married almost 11 months. Ironically, our 11 months will take place on 11.11.11. :) Our wedding date was 12.11.10. I love the play on the numbers.
3. My absolute favorite number in the world is 13. There are some times when I worry about myself because of my obsession with the number. 
4. My entire life, my favorite holiday has been my birthday. Recently, I've fallen even more in love with Christmas and that time of year... my birthday is still a very close second, though :)
5. I love giving gifts (probably because I love GETTING gifts). But seriously, one of the most difficult parts of being on a strict budget is not being able to give people gifts I know they'd love. I can't wait until we are able to give more! :)
6. I love, love, LOVE my family. We try to make time at least once a week to see both sides of our family and spend quality time with them. It's the most important thing to both Ryan and me. 
7. I love diet drinks :) Diet Dr. Pepper is my favorite, but Diet Coke is close behind. Diet Pepsi can cease to exist for all I care - nassssty. I've been trying to cut down my diet drinks since my weight loss journey started, but it's hard to sever the tie between a girl and her diet drinks.
8. I have a MAJOR passion for marriage and families. One of the biggest reasons I joined the counseling field was to be some sort of aid/ministry to marriages/families in my community. There's something so powerful in them... changing home life will change our community. It starts there.
9. I'm an education addict. I love learning, what can I say. A week after I finished my Master's program, I was considering getting my Ph.D. Maybe I'm bound to be a professor in the field I love so much. :)
10. Can you believe Ryan and I want FOUR KIDS?! That's the plan for right now... you know how plans go. We are excited about being parents years from now, and 4 kids seem to be good for both of us :)
11. I love football. It's true. I actually understand the sport. I can tell you what a 4-3 defense is, and I TRULY enjoy the game. This is the best time of the year simply because college football is in full swing! (Of course, I love my Razorbacks the most!)
12. I really like to travel. Going to Vancouver for our honeymoon was SO amazing. We've taken some mini weekend overnight trips since we've been married, but the long vacations reallllly get me excited. Our last trip to the Grand Canyon & Vegas really quenched that... but now that the seasons have changed, I'm really excited about headed up to Branson for our anniversary trip at Big Cedar Lodge's private cabins! 
13. My musical taste is so diverse. I have a playlist on Spotify that's got over 1,000 songs... I just hit shuffle and ENJOY. There's seriously a mix of everything on there: r&b, rap, country, blues, pop, hardcore, Christmas, gospel, worship, bluegrass, choral, rock... And I love having the diversity. Oh the joys of an artful soul :)
14. I love my dog. I got my sweet puppy, Freckles, when I was 12 years old... and we've been best buds ever since. He just turned 12 in September, and he's really an old man now. It breaks my heart to think that he'll probably pass away in the next year or so... He was my secret keeper all through my teenage years. 
15. I consider myself very, very blessed. I'm married to my best friend, live in a great home, live close to both our families, have everything we need, and hopefully soon... I'll start making a living doing what I love: helping people. Life is good. 

In every moment and season, God is good. 

im thankful.

carrie anne