Blogmas Day 12: Get to know me!

HEY!!! Before we get into it, today is Double Your Donation Day at Mid-Ohio Foobank! Make TWICE the impact by donating online today!

I was thinking that’s it’s been a while since I’ve reintroduced myself, and there are definitely some new faces around here. What better time to tell you a little bit about myself than Blogmas? 

So hi, I’m Leigh Ann. 

I’m nearly 30 years old, but I treat ‘kid at heart’ like a full-time job. I can’t imagine a version of myself that doesn’t love The Disney Channel and dance wildly down the frozen aisle of the grocery store. 

I’m a cat person. As in, it’s not just that I prefer cats, but I am terrified of all dogs. Big, small, cuddly, I don’t discriminate; they all scare me. I’m working on it though. After all, I am human, and they’ve got the cutest little faces. Say hi to Chloe: 

If you’ve ever given me a greeting card, there’s a 99% chance I still have it, and can’t fathom parting with it. I take nostalgia to the next level. See: hoarder.

The part of me that I take the most pride in? Where I come from. I’ve been to plenty of beautiful places (even studied abroad in Italy!), but gosh, West Virginia takes the cake on beauty. And kindness. Almost Heaven has shaped so much of my heart and soul, and I’m so thankful to have friends who share this notion with me. 

I cry all. the. time. I think I spent so much of high school and college trying to be a badass, that my heart just has a lot of catching up to do. Hallmark shopping for cards? Tearing up. That Taylor Swift song about her dad on shuffle while I’m at work? Actually crying. The first few minutes of Up? Full-blown hysterics. You know what I’ve learned? Badasses cry too! (currently sobbing at the new Apple commercial, help.)

I’ve spent more years of my life dancing than not. I always joke that my high school dance career was like a full-time job, and that’s not entirely untrue. We logged the hours. We won shit. We laughed and cried and triumphed and failed. It disciplined me. It gave me some of the best friends in the world. Heck, it may have been my first true love. I miss it every single day. 

I love my often dysfunctional family. The older I get, the more I realize that everyone’s got problems. We have plenty, but we always pull through. My dad is my very best friend; he’s hilarious and artistic and hard-working and cynical as all get out. My mom is a career advice guru; she’s open and smart and stylish, and always willing to make my dentist appointments. I’m grateful for them. 

I’ve been in Ohio for five years now, and I still sometimes feel so displaced. Fortunately, I have a beyond sweet (and stern) husband, and a cute little Chuck cat to come home to every day. Home isn’t always a place, ya know? 

I’m so obsessed with tv, SOS. My preferred weekend activity is binge watching Netflix. I think at this point I’m equal parts Chandler Bing, John Dorian, Annie Edison, and Mindy Lahiri. Some people call this a problem, I call it being (pop) cultured. 

I have a fine arts degree *cue eye rolls from all readers*. You know, I followed my  passion. I’m really trying to get back into drawing and painting, but damn, college broke me. It’s one thing to fail a math test and come to terms with not having studied hard enough, or test anxiety. It’s an entirely different thing to sit in a room with your peers as a professor absolutely annihilates what is essentially your heart on canvas. Now far removed from the college scene, I’m more aware than ever that all art is art. It’s beautiful to someone!

My friends are movers and shakers. I am so proud of their accomplishments. I love tackling challenges together. I love nights at home eating wings or watching movies or gazing at pumpkins or even sitting inches from a blazing fireplace answering Christmas questions all in the name of Vlogmas. 

So yeah, it’s really nice to meet you. I appreciate you hanging around, and I’d love to learn more about you! 

xoxo Leigh Ann