“Most people don’t know this but…”

I’m taking some liberty with this one. Anyone who’s known me for more than six months knows this. But I’m new to the blogging community, and I’m new to New York, so this post is more for them.

I turned this prompt over to my sister for ideas and she rattled off some inside jokes that would make no sense to any of you, such as, “… my middle name is Penelope.” (My middle name is not Penelope.) BUT these remarks did make me laugh and inspire my true response:

“… my little sister is my best friend.”

With Ally before our high school’s homecoming game in 2013, her senior year.

Seriously. Ally is 7 years younger than me – she’s 18 and just started college at Texas State. She was barely 12 the last time we lived together for an extended time. So many people I know have drifted away from their siblings, especially those much older or much younger than them. But Ally and I (and our brother, Steve) have only gotten closer over the years.

This girl is about twelve times smarter than I am. She’s good at (and likes!) science, which just completely baffles this liberal-arts girl. She has a big ol’ heart for her friends, her dog, and her family. She celebrates her personal struggles as she fights to overcome them because she knows they make her who she is. I want to be like Ally when I grow up. 

I talk to this girl every day. In 30 seconds we can go from talking about her upcoming biology exam, to analyzing a video of Ellen DeGeneres and Kristen Wiig singing Let It Go, to sending selfies of new clothes (all things that happened Monday). I once told her I wanted to be a unicorn (I believe this conversation was my last semester of college, which should explain everything), and she sent me this:

That is me, as a unicorn, in New Orleans.

Ally reads this blog “multiple times a day,” I learned today, which explains why I have three times as many page views as I do visitors. Basically, I hijacked the Blogtember prompt to brag about my sister. Worth it.

Inside jokes for dayyyyys

Love you, Ally.

P.S. Glitter.

When did you start blogging and why?

Oh, what a question. I started blogging in Fall 2009, when I live-blogged every episode of So You Think You Can Dance. (That’s here, if you need a laugh). That lasted one season, plus a random post in 2010. I started blogging again in Fall 2010 because it was a requirement for the digital media class I was taking. Man, nothing makes you hate something more than it being a requirement. I blogged about teaching myself to cook and stopped on the final day of the semester. (Sorry, you can’t read that gem – it was hosted on my school’s website and deleted when I graduated).

So, how did A Genuine Delight come to be? The seed was planted in March, when I moved cross-country and everyone (well, my mom) asked how they could keep up with my adventures. The name and concept were born after I received a lovely note (well, a Facebook message) from my great-aunt in Thailand. I built the site at the beginning of August, wrote the About page, and sent it to my lovely supportive friend Kathleen. And then I wrote the first post three weeks ago!

http://instagram.com/p/pKt6DrO58y/?modal=trueI love to write, so why not put some of those thoughts on display?

So, this website is still very, very new. I’m still learning what I want it to look like, what its purpose is, how I want it to function. I started it for a variety of reasons, outlined in that first post. But even over the course of a few weeks it’s done more for me than I could have imagined. It’s forced me to think deeply about myself and the world (largely thanks to the BlogtemberChallenge). It’s prompted some discussions with the people I know. And it’s “introduced” me to new friends and bloggers I didn’t know before!

I’m so thrilled I decided to start blogging – and even more thrilled that I’ve done it on my own timetable.

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Your current relationship status. If dating/married, give us a glimpse of your story! If single, share about this special season.

I am single.

Now, if you’re anything like 95% of the people I know, upon reading that sentence you likely cocked your head to the side, thought some variation of aww, and perhaps started compiling a mental list of eligible bachelors you know in the greater New York City area. Well you can stop that right now, and not just because dating in NYC is just as awful as it’s portrayed on television.

I really need to change the way I define my “relationship status.” I am joyfully, enthusiastically single, and not necessarily looking to change that. I am single by choice.

If you recall my post on things I love about myself , you’ll remember that my number one favorite quality is my independence. I’m not all about having guys pay for my meals and deal with household stuff, which are things many of my attached girlfriends define as the perks of relationships. I’m quite capable, thankyouverymuch. I was never the kid dreaming about wedding dresses and babies – I was the kid dreaming about brownstones and magazines.

I’m single, and I’m loving it. Maybe God is preparing a husband for me. Maybe He isn’t, and I’m meant to be single my whole life. I’d be content with that. Sometimes I’m hopeful for it! Frankly – if I’d been in a relationship earlier this year, I may not have dropped everything to chase a crazy dream in the Northeast. I may not have joined Liberty and the community groups that have changed my life. I may not be spending my Saturday drafting blog posts – maybe I wouldn’t have even started blogging at all.

Don’t get me wrong – I think relationships are wonderful things. I’ve had them before. I have many friends who are married – two just had their wedding last night, in fact. I love and support those relationships because I know that they are good and godly. And because those friends support my singleness in the same way.

Are you single and loving it? Sometimes I feel like the only one not searching for a husband!

Tell us about a favorite tradition. It could be a family tradition or from a holiday, university, you-name-it. What makes it so special?

Truth be told, I don’t have many – if any – true traditions. Throughout my adult life, I’ve been constantly on the move. I flitted back and forth between Texas and Arizona for a few years before settling in Arizona full-time, and then this spring I moved to New York. My family is scattered as well. Additionally, as a journalist, I’m always working on holidays (voluntarily!) leaving little time for holiday or family traditions. I wasn’t invested in tradition in college, and wasn’t interested in my high school’s traditions until I became an alumna.

I do, however, have one cheesy “tradition” that I partake in myself every fall, no matter where I’m living, what I’m doing for a living or who I’m surrounding myself with. This is nerdy and I can’t believe I’m admitting to it on the Internet. Are you ready?

Every November, I break out my DVD box set of Friends and watch all 10 Thanksgiving episodes in one sitting.

Yep. That’s my tradition, and has been for 10 years now, since the greatest TV show of all time came to an end.

Last year I had my marathon a few days before the holiday, which I spent working.

So there you have it. Make me feel better by telling me your own nerdy traditions!

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