I know that when I’m going to work with someone I always like to have an idea of who that person is first. For that reason, here are 40 things you may or may not want to know about me.

1. I was born in South Carolina, grew up in Ferndale, Michigan, lived in Chicago for 13 years, and the Fox Valley is now my forever home.
2. I have two children, William and Vivien.
3. I have two dogs, Bacon and Ginger.
4. I have one husband, Randy.
5. When I was a kid I was obsessed with Gone with the Wind and obsessively read biographies about the actress who portrayed Scarlett O’Hara, Vivien Leigh. I wasn’t thinking about it at the time, but that was probably a huge inspiration for my daughter’s name. **As an adult, I should clarify that I was a weird kid and loved reading about what went into the making of the movie – the actors, directors, gossip from filming, sets, costumes, etc. I remember giving a speech on this topic in high school (I was SO cool) and I probably could have written a thesis about it as well. 
6. As a kid, I was also obsessed with Jacqueline Kennedy and read multiple biographies about her.
7. I love musicals and subscribed to Sirius XM solely for the Broadway station.
8. Currently, I’m alternating listening to the soundtracks from SIX the Musical and Hamilton, but I also love the music from Evita and Les Miserables.
9. I have few regrets in life, but I once visited my cousin in New York City and she asked if I’d like to see Victor/Victoria on Broadway. I was tired and said no. To this day I regret not taking advantage of that opportunity to see one of my personal heroes, Julie Andrews, sing in person. (It was shortly after this trip that the disastrous surgery happened, effectively ending her singing career.)
10. Speaking of NYC, I was 14 when I visited my cousin. My super strict parents put me on an Amtrak train alone and I traveled the 18 hours from Detroit to NYC by myself – and this was before cell phones. I felt so grown-up and it all worked out just fine, but I’m not sure I’d let my kids do the same.
11. For my 8th birthday, or at least coinciding with it, my family took the Amtrak train cross-country to California and back.
12. Mac or PC is a trick question, right? Mac all the way.
13. I have an odd aversion to sales tax. I once planned the purchase of a new Mac to coincide with a visit to sales-tax-free Portland.
14. I drink coffee all day long, right up until the time I go to bed. It gives me energy during the day but doesn’t keep me up at night.
15. I once gave up coffee for a year. I’m not sure why I did that. I have no plans to do so ever again.
16. I mostly wear black clothing, but I have a strange affinity for metallic or brightly-hued footwear.
17. I recently eliminated most of the clothing from my closet and created a very paired-down “capsule” wardrobe. Everything I own is now black, white, navy, or olive.
18. The Sound of Music is my favorite movie (see references to my love of musicals and to Julie Andrews above).
19. I cannot remember the names of characters from books, movies, or TV shows.
20. I attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
21. I did not know they had a football team before enrolling. In fact, I remember getting a ticket order form and wondering why anyone would pay $100 for season football tickets.
22. My husband and I were both enrolled at Michigan at the same time, but we didn’t meet until a friend set us up a few years after graduation.
23. Tom Brady (THE greatest quarterback of all time) was a senior when I was a freshman, so I refer to him as my “former classmate.” I can’t confirm that we ever crossed paths, but I can’t say for certain we didn’t!
24. I spent most of my time at The Michigan Daily, the best student-run newspaper in the country. I LOVED working at the newspaper but realized pretty early that I didn’t actually want to be a journalist.
25. When I was in college, a friend helped me create my first website. I believe it was an Angelfire blog where I posted the occasional update. It wasn’t very interesting, but I spent an entire summer learning HTML so I could update it. In retrospect, it was a sign of things to come.
26. The second semester of my senior year in college, my roommate and I bought an Xbox and learned how to play HALO. Had we bet money, it would have been a great gig. Most guys thought we wouldn’t be able to hang, but we were able to beat everyone except for the two guys who taught us how to play. One of them went on to design games for Bungie, the company that created HALO, so I don’t feel too bad about our loss.
27. When I wasn’t beating the dudes at HALO, I was running a little side business. I got hooked on American Idol and decided I was Clay Aiken’s #1 fan. Thanks to the wonders of the internet at the time (Limewire!), I sold bootleg Clay Aiken CDs on eBay. Since his music wasn’t readily available, I actually made good money!
28. I have a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from DePaul University.
29. I thought I was going to use my degree to pursue a job in education administration, but instead, I started my blog, Shop Girl Daily, in 2009.
30. While that might seem random, my program was often referred to as “business school light,” so I actually used quite a bit of what I learned as I started building my web business.
31. Somehow, the people at American Express found me through my blog and I had the opportunity to consult with them as they designed a new credit card for people in their 20s. Unfortunately, the American Express Zync Card was discontinued a few years ago. (I still have mine, though!)
32. I love to travel and spend most of my nonexistent free time planning our next vacation.
33. Thanks to iPads and iPhones, my kids are incredibly well-behaved in the car, so at this point in time, we tend to go on long road trips.
34. Our goal is to travel to all 50 states with our kids.
35. If I could move anywhere in the world, I’d probably choose New Zealand’s south island for the weather and the scenery.
36. However, Tuscany would be a very close second because you really can’t beat the food and wine! La dolce vita!
37. I don’t understand camping. Or hiking. Or being outdoors at all.
38. I love cotton candy.
39. Anything chocolate peanut butter-flavored is my jam.
40. When I was a kid on vacation in northern Michigan, I found my true calling in life. I decided I wanted to open a used bookstore on the beach that had a coffee shop. I didn’t even drink coffee at the time. I still love this idea and hope to eventually head down that path.