Hello there! I thought it might be fun to share a few random facts about myself on this Tuesday afternoon. There have been a few new faces around these parts and it’s high time we got to know each other better! 🙂 

Below are 15 random facts about my life. Do we have anything in common? Go ahead and share a few facts about yourself in the comments, if you feel like it. I’d love to learn more about you!

Let’s get to know each other ✨

1. I love when I have the opportunity to fly or take a train solo. It’s the perfect excuse to have some uninterrupted me-time! My ideal solo flight includes a new book, an in-flight movie or two, and some delicious snacks (like pretzels and peanut m&ms). On a train, I’m happy to just pop a podcast in my ears and stare out the window at the passing scenery.
2. I recently read Heavy by Kiese Laymon and it’s easily one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. I feel like I’ve read so many memoirs by *~*writers*~* lately and most of them are kinda meh but this one and In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado will stick with me for a long time.
3. During a rewatch of Gilmore Girls, I searched online for a list of every movie they mention in the show. My search proved successful and the list served as the impetus for rewatching some incredible films. So far I’ve tackled West Side Story, Rosemary’s Baby, Mommie Dearest, The Shining, Flashdance, and Bright Eyes. 
4. Because my birthday is in October, I feel like I was into pumpkin-themed foods long before they were trendy. All sorts of snack foods are putting out pumpkin versions these days during autumn, but Pumpkin Delights will always be a tried and true OG with a special place in my heart.
5. My perfect cozy night-in involves a dark and suspenseful television show (or a British period piece), popcorn, red wine that doesn’t have to cost a lot, and a snuggly blanket.
6. The thing I miss most about living in Miami, besides proximity to beaches, is empanadas. Empanadas are so delicious, cheap and convenient in South Florida and I was totally spoiled by working right across a parking lot from a ventanita that served them. 
7. My cat’s favorite food is cheese. He will scarf down any type of cheese offered to him — from Kraft singles to fancy goudas. When cheese is out somewhere in the kitchen he will pat my leg with his paw to make sure I know he’s available for taste testing and then spin around in circles waiting for a sliver to be bestowed upon him. 
8. While my real name is Elizabeth, I’ve gone by Beth for as long as I can remember and have never really thought of myself as anything else. When I was little, my family called me Peppy and now my nephew calls me Aunt Peppy — which is very sweet and such a throwback. 
9. I met my husband in Bowling Green, KY when I was working at WKU and he was in grad school there. Although it’s possible we saw each other years before at a national speech tournament in Boston. 
10. I started studying ballet at the age of 3 and danced through my freshman year of college. One of my favorite feelings in the world is leaving a warm ballet studio after a great class and walking outside into a crisp, dark evening. 
11. I love watching YouTube videos about and following social media accounts of people who live at the northern reaches of the globe. I’ve even started to really romanticize the idea of 24 hours of darkness in winter and midnight sun in the summer. 
12. Things that make me extremely happy: the smell of small health food stores/co-ops, true crime podcasts, hiking trails along big bodies of water, Little House on the Prairie, Monet and Degas, Dolly Parton, edelweiss, listening to the radio, vegan cupcakes, how it feels outside at night in those first few days of autumn and the first few days of spring, and the temperature under my quilt when my cat is under it too. 
13. There’s really only 3 foods I won’t eat. I don’t like mushrooms or olives and will pick and flick them out of a dish with no shame instead of politely grinning and bearing it. I’m allergic to shrimp although I remember really enjoying it before having a reaction to it. I sometimes want to try my luck and see if maybe I’ve grown out of the allergy… 
14. Places on my travel bucket list include: Maine, the Pacific Northwest, Rotterdam, Costa Rica, Scotland, rural Japan, the west coast of Italy, South Australia, Bonaire, and the Arctic Archipelago. 
15. Sometimes when I’m really bored, I’ll Google Street View a city I’ve previously lived in to see if I can still get from Point A to Point B from memory. Recently, I remembered how to get from an apartment I lived in when I was 10 to the ballet studio I went to…which I think is pretty impressive considering I haven’t been back to that city in this millennium. 

50 more facts about me (that I posted in 2015 — see! it’s been awhile).