Top Ten Tuesday: Facts About GReads!

I've been a member of this book blogging community for quite some time & so I thought this week's Top Ten topic would be fun for new & old(er) readers to get to know me better.  Below are ten facts about me & this blog.  Some items on the list you might already know, while others may be new information.  Regardless, I hope this closer look at who I am & what I blog about makes you want to keep coming back for more!

About my blog/reading...

1. I established this blog in September of 2010 -- Yup, it will be six years coming very soon! I had no idea what this blog would come to mean for me and my future. I just knew I liked to read books and wanted to share my thoughts on those books with likeminded people.  If someone had told me that it would open doors for my career in teaching, or cultivate some of the very best friendships of my life, I wouldn't have believed it.  But it's true. It has.

2. I used to read paranormal YA, & that was it -- Remember Twilight and every vampire/werewolf/super-powering-being paranormal romance that came after? Yeah, they cluttered my shelves.  But then I discovered contemporary romances and have never looked back since.

3. I was blurbed for the ARC of When We Collided by Emery Lord -- This has been a dream come true for me as a blogger. I've always wanted to be blurbed for a book, so when Bloomsbury approached me to read a super early copy for feedback, I was beyond flattered and extremely excited.

4. I've never followed a reading schedule -- I know a lot of bloggers plan ahead with their to-be-read piles for the month. Or join reading challenges to read specific books according to xyz.  I have always been, and will forever be, a mood reader. This makes sticking to a reading schedule virtually impossible.  I always consider my review books from publishers first, but when it comes to reading what I want -- anything goes!

5. I've had the same layout on my blog since 2012 & don't plan to change it anytime soon -- I see blogs changing designs & though they look absolutely gorgeous, I just don't see that happening again for me & my blog.  I'm happy with my design and I think the familiarity of it after all these years is important to sustain.

About me...

6. I'm obsessed with pineapples -- I feel like this is a fact about me that most people already know, but it's true! My obsession started last summer and it's only grown bigger since then. All the pineapple things I have are: phone case, jewelry, clothing, dish towel, art, pillows, book ends... and I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting!

7. I have three nephews + a niece -- I may never have kids of my own, & that's okay (I think? Something I'm still trying to come to terms with). But these little ones I am so very thankful for. Being their Aunt is one of my very most favorite things in the world.  So happy to be so close to them and getting to see them grow up.

8. I'm a middle school teacher -- Another fact about me that most people know already, but it's true! Right now I'm on summer break and recharging myself.  But in just 4 weeks, I'll be back at it again. Teaching is exactly where I am suppose to be. I love it so very much. I've always wanted a job that is fulfilling and challenging, and this one definitely brings that!

9. The travel bug bit me hard when I was younger & still stings today -- I just recently visited the Pacific Coast in California and fell in love. Next on my travel bucket list to mark off one day is spending the summer in New England, seeing the Carolina beaches, visiting Nashville, and one day (hopefully soon?) experiencing the beauty of Hawaii! And those are just the US destinations! Watch out world!

10. In just a few days, the 14th of July to be exact, I turn 35 -- How is this possible??! I feel like I just turned 30! Man, don't blink, right?!  I'm never been one to complain about getting older. I've always embraced it. Age is just a number, right?! It's definitely more about how I feel inside and out. And right now I am feeling pretty good!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish