I adore the “Five Things” meme that’s making its rounds. I’ve learned more about the ladies behind my favorite blogs in one post than from years of following. I’ve got Megan of Closet Fashionista to thank for tagging me in her post and encouraging me to share my own five things:

1. I took Dutch for two semesters in college.
   Even though I had fulfilled my foreign language requirement, Dutch seemed like a fun departure from four years of high school French. It was also a way to acknowledge my Dutch ancestry (my maternal great grandparents came to the U.S. from the Netherlands; my father’s side is German). It’s certainly not the most practical language to learn, especially since many of the Dutch are fluent in English, but I was able to chat with an elderly man in an Amsterdam convenience store and I can pronounce “Gouda” correctly (hint: it sort of sounds like you’re clearing your throat). 
2. My mom’s advice when I went to college was to avoid pot brownies.
   She told me that they’re “too grainy” and that chocolate is better unadulterated. 
3. I lost 70 pounds. 
   I was a chubby newborn at 10 pounds and didn’t lose that “baby weight” until I graduated college. At 22, I was winded going up the stairs, I was afraid that I’d suffer irreparable health problems if I didn’t lose weight, and, quite honestly, I was tired of being the overlooked fat girl in a group. I joined Weight Watchers and lost 70 pounds over the course of two years, ending at my lowest weight of 130. Two weeks later, I crept back up to a more realistic 145 pounds. Right now, I’m at 155 and I’m struggling to lose that last 10 pounds again. I’m sure weight will always something that I battle with.
4. I just started eating pineapple last year after a decades-long strike. 
   I still won’t eat cooked pineapple. 

5. I was a Girl Scout for 12 years. 
   I joined Girl Scouts in first grade, stuck with it through high school, and probably sold 2,500 boxes of cookies during my tenure. Each year I’d recruit my dad, a State Trooper, to make the cookie rounds at the police station and court house. He’s an awfully persuasive individual (and where I get my stubborn streak from).
   

Tell me five tidbits about yourself in the comments!
I know I’m technically supposed to tag five people, but I want to know more about all of you! If you post one on your blog, leave a link!

Featured: Gap shorts // J.Crew bracelet