First Impressions

Oh hello. My name is Colleen – a name that I love because it’s Irish, and don’t really love because while your name probably means something like noble, or to excel, mine simply means girl.  Not a whole lot to live up to.

I grew up in western New York – a part of the state that pretty much everyone else in the country seems not to know exists. My hometown is known for its antique shops, hosting the county fair, and reenacting the civil war every September.

I love open fields, don’t mind getting stuck behind tractors, and appreciate the smell of manure.

I graduated from college (a necessary clarification since people tend to think I look seventeen) in December with degrees in English and Communications.  Feel free to make a joke about studying to be unemployed here.

I not only believe in Jesus; I love Him dearly.  I am forgiven by His grace, restored by His love, and overwhelmed by His beauty.

I am daughter, little sister, auntie, and friend.  I’ve recently added nanny (or as I prefer it, governess) to the list.

If I just met you, I can’t think of a single thing to say.  If I’ve known you my whole life, I rarely stop talking.

If it’s irrelevant I’ll freely give my opinion, and maybe, just maybe, argue.  If it’s of real importance I’ll stay silent because I hate confrontation almost as much as I hate tea, and I hate tea almost as much as I hate hurting someone else.

If being awkward was basketball, I’d be Lebron James.  If going with the flow was the X-games, I’d be Shaun White.

“Eclectic” would be a nice vague way to describe my, for lack of a better word, taste.

My favorite authors are Jane Austen (please don’t ask how many times I’ve read Pride and Prejudice), Victor Hugo, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis.  Call me antisocial if you like, but I prefer an evening with any one of them to a night out on the town.

I am sometimes disappointed by the singing and choreography that doesn’t exist in real life. My love of musicals extends from Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera to High School Musical 3 and Camp Rock 2.  That’s probably heretical, but that’s the way it is.

I was raised on Buffalo Bills football and wouldn’t trade each heartbroken season for anything – unless, of course, that anything was a super bowl.  But in all seriousness, I love the hope and potential that a brand new season brings.  I love the sound of my dad yelling at the refs from his recliner. I love perfect spirals, going for it on fourth down, quarterbacks blocking for their running backs, creative touch down celebrations, the roar of the crowd, players who do great things on and off the field, Aaron Rogers State Farm commercials, and when the Patriots lose.

I could quote Leap Year word for word.  The same could be said for Remember the Titans, The Return of the King, Cars, and Dark Knight Rises. I told you, eclectic.

Sometimes I can’t decide if I like Doctor Who, Phineas and Ferb, Castle, or The Voice, best.

Right now I’m most likely listening to Phil Wickham, Keith Urban, The Civil Wars, or a Hans Zimmer soundtrack.  Or there’s a slight chance I’m listening to One Direction or (ashamedly) Justin Bieber.  The only guarantee is that I am listening to something.

I’ve been drinking coffee since seventh grade.  I prefer cheese to chocolate and frozen greek yogurt to ice cream, unless that ice cream is from Starbucks.

I like big jewelry, bright clothes, awkward sweaters from the Salvation Army, and Toms.  I also wear fake glasses.  Call me hipster if you’d like, you won’t be the only one.