22 Random Facts About Marissa...

In honor of our blog, 2 Cents Worth, opening today, July 22, 2013, I decided that I would share 22 random facts about myself with you.

1. I love my dogs, Bella and Luna, to the point that I am slightly obsessed with them.  If you don't like my dogs, I don't like you.  I talk about them all the time and will find any excuse to show you a picture (or 10) of them.
2. I love two things that start with the letter C: cows and cupcakes.  In fact, I collect them.  You can find several on my desk at work and at my house.  My kitchen is even cow themed.
3. I love social media.  You can find me on twitter (@heyitsriss7) and on Instagram (@heyitsriss7).  I love tweeting my random thoughts, and I take pictures of everything, so my Instagram is full of what I do and where I go. Bella and Luna have their very own Instagram (@BellaAndLuna) because I take so many photos of them.
4. I enjoy writing love letters.  I first fell in love with letter writing while my husband (then fiance) was deployed.  Now, I writing love letters to strangers.
5. Christmas is my favorite holiday.  It is that time of year when everyone is a little nicer and everything is a little more beautiful.  The sounds of Christmas carols.  The smells of Christmas trees, freshly baked cookies, and peppermint.  Christmas brings back many wonderful memories.  My husband even proposed to me on Christmas day!
6. I love crime shows (like CSI:Miami and Criminal Minds) even though I get super paranoid if I watch too many episodes at once.  This, believe it or not, happens more often than you would think.
7. The beach is my favorite place on earth.  From the sand to the bottom of the ocean, I love it all.  I am a certified scuba diver.  While I haven't been able to go for a few years, I am begging my husband to get certified so we can go on lots of adventures together.
8. When it comes to music, I like a little bit of everything.  My favorite is country.  I listen to different things depending on my mood.  I love driving through the country with the windows down, blasting some Taylor Swift.  But sometimes I feel a little nostalgic and break out the ole' *NSYNC or Backstreet Boys.
9. I love baking!  Cupcakes, cookies, brownies... you name it, I love to bake it!  I one day hope to start my own home business baking all-natural dog treats.
10. I am a total bookworm.  I love reading.  I almost always have a book with me (I usually carry them in my big purses)... just in case I ever find a reason to break it out.  Harry Potter is my favorite series.
11. I am a total animal and nature lover.  My husband tells me that I am turning into a hippie.
12. My favorite beverage is sweet tea, but I try to stick to water.  I gave up soda this year.
13. If you like me, bring me peanut butter or chocolate.  If you love me, bring me both.
14. I will never own enough shoes, purses or nail polish.  My husband frequently recommends that I get rid of some.
15. I am the oldest child in my family.  I have a younger sister, Darby.  Now that we are older we are very close.
16. I love sports.  My favorite is football, but I like baseball too.  My favorite teams are the Bulls and the Gators.  My favorite baseball team is the Rays (gotta represent my hometown!)
17. I can't resist a good deal.  I love finding something on sale.  I often post pictures of my finds on Instagram and show my friends (especially my grandmother who taught me how to find them).
18. When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of being a princess.  Today, I still love princesses (my favorite is Cinderella).
19. I love accessories.  I enjoy finding pieces that are unique (like my fishing lure earrings and the survival bracelet that my husband made me).
20. I totally rock out in my car.  I am always practicing just in case I ever happen to audition for American Idol or, more realistically, invited to a karaoke party.  Besides, I love to sing.  While I may not be the best singer in the world, when I'm on my own, I can pretend to be.
21. I have a long bucket list including things like learning to play the ukulele, learning Italian, writing a fiction or poetry book for children, and training a therapy dog.  I have a separate list of all of my ideas for career changes once I hit my mid-life crisis.
22. I love to travel.  I have a long list of places that I would like to visit, here in the United States and abroad.  The farthest I have been from home was when I went on a trip to Italy and Greece when I was a senior in high school.