Kiki & Bug

It occurred to me earlier today, being new to this whole blogging journey, that many of you may not know much about me. What better way to find out then to list some FAQ’s so we can get to know each other better here!

I AM AN IDENTICAL TWIN.

Just in case you thought I was lying, here’s a picture for you! My sister, Erika is on the left & I’m on the right! Erika is a nurse in Houston and is actually getting married this fall in the hill country outside of Austin. Being an identical twin has had its struggles over the years, but I truly couldn’t imagine my life any other way. It’s kind of all we know. I’m so grateful for the unique bond we share as sisters and I’m blessed to know such a special woman. We are so different and I think there is something so beautiful about that coming from identical twins. Being constantly compared had its moments of difficulty but we’ve learned to appreciate our differences and celebrate them rather than measure them as strengths or weaknesses. Thank you for always having my back and you know I will always have yours. Love you, sissy.

MY DAD’S FAMILY IS NORWEGIAN.

Hence my ridiculously long and difficult to pronounce last name. I went to visit Norway for the first time when I was 18 years old. If you’ve never been you definitely need to add it to your bucket list! It’s truly a magical and unique place. You won’t find more welcoming, and I might add, visually stunning people than the Norwegians. I went back last summer to be in my best friend’s wedding and it had me considering a Norwegian countryside wedding myself. It was absolutely gorgeous, from the perfect weather to the beautiful bride. I can’t wait till my next visit! Savner deg og skål!

I CAN’T EAT A GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH UNLESS IT’S A LITTLE BURNT.

This stems from my wonderful grandma, a brilliant woman God bless her, but she couldn’t cook to save her life. Breaking all conventions of what a 1950s housewife was supposed to be (which I totally respect), grandma would make us grilled cheese sandwiches when we were young and every time, without fail, she would burn it. Now, in memory of her, anytime I make a grilled cheese I have to char it a little bit.

I AM AN AGGIE.

I graduated from Texas A&M back in 2015. I was an English major in college, probably one of only 250 people on that entire campus of 50,000 students majoring in English, but hey I went with what I was good at people! I had an amazing experience at TAMU and am so grateful for all the memories I made there. Not going to lie, sometimes I miss the simplicity of my college lifestyle, my only worry being if I would make it to my 8 AM class after a night of margs at Chimy’s…. and 9 times out of 10 I did! I’d call that a success and $80,000 well spent… right mom?

I FIND COOKING TO BE EXTREMELY RELAXING.

Anyone else feel this way about cooking? I know for some, cooking is anything but relaxing and often causes the opposite effect: stress and anxiety. But I find it to be calming. It makes me feel accomplished, like even if I didn’t get everything done on my to do list that day, I completed something. Plus, when you cook for friends or family, there’s that added benefit of getting to serve others.

I LOVE TO WRITE AND WROTE TONS OF SHORT STORIES WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.

No shocker here why I ended up blogging, right? In all seriousness I used to want to be the next Rory Gilmore, tracing off to Yale to become the world’s next big journalist. Instead, I got an English degree and quickly realized how hard it was going to be to achieve my dreams of being a successful writer. But it’s never too late, right? Maybe one day!

I SOMETIMES FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH SILENCE.

I can pretty much tell you exactly why this is the case. If you’ve ever met my dad or experienced a family dinner with his side of the family it will become immediately apparent why silence may make me a tad uneasy… I never knew what silence even sounded like!!! All I heard growing up was loud bellowing voices coming from my dad and my uncles all yelling over one another barely taking a break to breathe, let alone listen. So yeah, silence and I are just now getting acquainted and day by day we’re getting more comfortable with one another’s presence. I can now recognize the beauty in silence and even welcome it at certain times.

MY MIDDLE NAME IS “JEAN”- AFTER MY GRANDMA.

Me, my mom, and my grandma (her mom) all share the same middle name. Growing up when people would ask me what my middle initial “J” stood for I would always lie and say “Jacqueline”. Why you might ask? Who the hell knows why… why do kids do anything? To feel more normal maybe? I remember thinking it sounded like an old lady’s name (sorry grandma, love you) and I didn’t like the way it sounded. Now, having lost my grandma, I feel proud to have her name and it holds a special place in my heart. My only hope is that I wear her name half as well as she did.

I LOVE TO TRAVEL AND EXPERIENCE NEW PLACES.

Predictable, right… who doesn’t love to travel? It may seem cheesy but I truly relish in the moments when I can learn something new and experience something completely unique that strays away from my familiar. Traveling allows us to grow in ways we wouldn’t be able to normally and any chance I get, you’ll find me on a plane. I seriously can’t wait until this Covid world we’re living in calms down so I can start travelling again! Like anywhere! I don’t care right now– just get me out of here!

MY FAVORITE MOVIE IS Sabrina.

Who doesn’t love a good love story? Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear… omg. I’ve always loved this movie. I think one of the reasons I love this movie so much is it shows a character development that I think most women can relate to- at the beginning she’s completely insecure and madly in love with a man that has never even noticed her existence. But by the end of the film she’s strong and independent, ready to move across the world on her own. It’s something I found to be inspiring and in some ways challenges this idea that we need a man to be complete or achieve happiness. Sabrina realizes she only needs herself, and Paris– which that doesn’t hurt. I could be alone in Paris lol.

I THINK RACHEL BROSNAHAN IS BRILLIANT AND MAY BE ONE OF THE FUNNIEST HUMANS ALIVE.

Without a doubt Rachel Brosnahan is one of the funniest people ever. When I first started watching her on Mrs. Maisel, I remember thinking to myself, “how is it possible I’ve never heard of her before? she is absolutely hysterical!” I could watch her a million times and still feel the same way. Cheers to you, Rachel, keep killing it girl!

I AM A PRE-K TEACHER.

So this may not be completely new information for some of you but I am teacher! I started my journey in teaching about three years ago but this past school year was my first year in early childhood education. I LOVE it! One of the greatest things about teaching Pre-K is the autonomy you have as a teacher. You’re not dealing with as many restraints as other grade levels that have to worry so much about state testing. In Pre-K, we do have guidelines we must follow, but our instruction is entirely student-led. It’s so rewarding. I get to see so much growth in my students by the end of the year, it still astounds me today. It’s truly a blessing to work with kids at such a young age and help ignite their excitement for learning! And to my fellow teachers out there gearing up for this upcoming school year in this Covid world we’re all living in right now– just remember you are AMAZING and we are all doing our best, that’s all we can do! Your students are lucky to have you!

MY DAILY MANTRA IS: “I AM ENOUGH AND I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN. STRIVE TO BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF EVERY DAY.”

So this is something I write and put on my mirror, the door to my fridge, my phone background, or wherever I will see it. Through my struggles with anxiety I have learned the power of positive self-talk and the importance of silencing that voice inside your head telling you that you’re not enough. Having a daily mantra helps me to remember that the only person that can control my attitude is me and I can choose to love myself every day. Flaws and all.

MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE TV SHOW IS Friends. YES, I’M BASIC. DEAL WITH IT.

Not shocking… I know, another girl in love with Friends. But hear me out. This show just makes you feel good, you know? Don’t you have things in your life that you call upon when you just want to feel happy? Friends is that show for me. If I’m having a tough day or just need a laugh or to believe in love again, I watch it and just for a while I forget everything else going on in my life and just feel joy. So yes, I, like many other women love Friends but maybe instead of saying it’s overrated or silly think about things that bring you that same comfort and ask yourself how you’d feel if someone made light of it… there. That’s my defense of my love for Friends. I’m done. And “He’s her lobster!!!” (If you know, you know).

I CAN’T GO A DAY WITHOUT WEARING CHAPSTICK.

May sound strange but if my lips aren’t moisturized it’s a major issue, y’all. I have gotten in the car and driven 20 minutes down the road and turned around just because I forgot my chapstick! The struggle is real and you shouldn’t be ashamed of your dry lips. I hear you!

I HAVE A BEAUTY MARK ABOVE MY LIP.

This was often referred to as the “Kristen mark” because it was typically peoples’ way of telling my sister, Erika, and I apart when we were younger. I will always remember my mom telling my soccer coach that if he needed help distinguishing which twin was which on the field he could always look for “Kristen’s mark”… to which he quickly replied, “Donna, that’s not exactly going to be help me from 50 feet away on the sideline!” Whoops… didn’t think that one through did ya mom. Plan B? Erika wore a bow every game for the rest of the season. Thanks for taking one for the team there, sis.

I AM A WOMAN OF FAITH.

You won’t see me talk much on here about my religious affiliations or my beliefs because I’ve always been one to feel my relationship with the Lord is between me and Him. My spiritual journey is very personal to me and contributes a great deal to the person I am today. I find times in my life that prayer brings me great solace and comfort as it does to so many people of all faiths around the world. I believe in keeping an open mind and always being willing to listen to others. In whatever way you are able to find inner-peace and be your best self, do it. We’re all only here for a short while so enjoy your life and treat others with love and kindness.

I CAN PLAY THE PIANO.

From the age of 5 or 6 I started taking piano lessons. It was my mom’s dream to have a musically inclined child and I was her guinea pig.. mostly because I was the only one to agree to it. Anyway, I played many piano recitals and loved it until I got older and sports started to take more of the priority in my life and I decided to quit. My mom was devastated.. still is I’m pretty certain. I think I crushed her dreams of having a concert pianist in the family. Sorry, mom. Anyway, being able to read music allowed me to continue playing in my free time and when I was away at college I would occasionally stop in the practice rooms in the MSC to play the piano during study breaks. It helped clear my head and refocus.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE SINGERS OF ALL TIME IS JAMES TAYLOR.

James Taylor is one of those artists that no matter how old you get or what time of day it is, his voice just calms you. It just feels like home to me. I grew up listening to him all the time because my parents were both huge fans and I’m so blessed to have been exposed to such an incredible songwriter. The writer inside me immediately respected JT’s skills as a lyricist. Still do. I have the vinyl of his greatest hits and listen to it any time I need to feel inspired.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN–TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT MAYBE OTHER’S DON’T KNOW! COMMENT BELOW 🙂