Birthday Wishlist

November 7, 2017

Wow. I can’t believe that I’m going to be 27 in two days. What a difference a year can make. A year ago, I was living in the smallest little shoebox apartment, thousands of miles away from home, hundreds of miles from Mike, trying to adjust to life in California. Now, Mike and I are engaged, living in the same city, and we have an honest-to-goodness apartment with four full burners and an oven! Who knows – maybe next year at this time, I’ll even have a dishwasher! Ah, a girl can dream 🙂

In honor of my 27th birthday, I’m sharing 27 things you may not know about me. I’m also sharing my birthday wish list below (and I included some links in case you want to drop hints for anyone in advance of the holidays ;))!

I’m 100% Lebanese – my dad was born in Lebanon and my mom is of Lebanese decent. I do speak Arabic nearly fluently.
I absolutely hate cilantro. Like can’t stand it. Like no, you can’t fool me into thinking this might be parsley.
Before working in television, I was a musical theater major at The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.
My favorite artists are Ingrid Michaelson, Train, The Beatles, and Justin Timberlake.
I have a major sweet tooth, but I prefer pastries to chocolate or candy.
I have never been to Six Flags – I’m scared of roller coasters.
On the subject of fears – my mom is a flight-attendant, and I’m the most nervous flyer ever.
I’m engaged to my high school sweetheart – we didn’t date in high school, but I had the biggest crush on Mike for four years.
On my 17th birthday (10 years ago – jeez), I walked into math class, where Mike sat behind me. He had bought me a blueberry muffin from the vending machine and put it on my desk.
I’m a vegetarian, but for some reason, I can’t give up bacon. We all have our quirks.
My absolute favorite TV shows are Friends and Big Bang Theory.
I can’t stand silk or satin. I don’t know what it is, but the textures give me the creeps.
My parents are still married, but my dad has worked overseas since I was 12, and my mom is a flight-attendant. There are times when all three of us would be on different continents!
I just signed with my first literary agent this year!
Baking and singing help me to relieve stress.
When Mike is out of town, I have to sleep on the couch with the lights on.
I fell in love with theater at five years old. My mom played the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat soundtrack for me and explained the story. I begged her to get me a ticket so I could see the Donny Osmond production with them, and then proceeded to battle Donny for the solos the entire show.
If I could have lunch with anyone, it would probably be Shonda Rhimes.
The people I admire most in life are my parents. I hope to become half of the people they are.
When I was a kid, I broke my leg doing a pirouette on carpet in a friends house. My dad didn’t believe it was broken – my mom had a field day breaking the news.
I joke about it, but I do struggle a bit with anxiety and OCD. Some days, I feel anxious for no apparent reason. Other days, I struggle with needing to do things just so. It’s not the type where I have to knock three times or wash my hands compulsively, but it’s still real. For anyone else struggling with mental health – don’t ignore it. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health.
My favorite restaurant in Chicago is Tuscany in Wheeling, and my favorite restaurant in LA is definitely Catch.
I’m a bit of an introvert – too much socializing leaves me feeling like I need a few days under a blanket.
I truly believe everything happens for a reason – everything I’ve done in life has lead me towards one things or away from another. It’s informed the person I’ve become, and that thought calms my anxiety a lot of the time.
I’m getting married in June of next year in Grand Cayman!
The next trip I’d like to take is to Greece.
My favorite season is fall and I love a good rainy day!!