The Facts & Favorites Tag

Hello, lovelies!

I recently was given this tag by the lovely and supportive Cait (whose post you can read by clicking HERE), and I love the concept of it. It's a little bit like the monthly favorites posts that I do, but it's also a little bit of a "get to know me" style as well.

So.

Here we go!

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What is your middle name?

My real middle name is Lin, which is the same as my mom's middle name, just spelled differently. It means "beautiful jade," if you're curious. (:

What is your favourite drink?

I'm not sure how huge this coffee shop is outside of the US or even outside of my home state of Michigan, but Biggby coffee has a drink called the "Butterbear," which I'm OBSESSED with. It's essentially just a latte with a caramel and butterscotch flavoring added in, but MY GOSH is it delicious. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but if you get the chance to try it, you need to.

What is your favourite song at the moment?

Video not showing up? Click HERE

Right now I have two favorites, the first of all being "She Used To Be Mine" from the musical called Waitress. I first heard this song when a friend of mine sang a solo of it, and it was so moving and powerful and I fell in love with it. Recently I listened to the original Jessie Mueller version from the actual musical, and her vocals are just amazing.

The song has such relatable lyrics and she reflects on how she's slowly become someone who she doesn't recognize, and how her old self was messy but kind and good at the same time. It's such a beautiful song, and I definitely recommend you give it a listen to. (Side note: it makes a phenomenal shower song if you just wanna belt something.)

Video not showing up? Click HERE

NOTE: Start the video at 10 seconds, because the beginning has a weird glitch.

Ugh, I've been SO addicted to the Hamilton musical soundtrack, and this is one of my favorites. The woman who plays Angelica in the musical is unbelievably talented, and I love the mix of rap and song that it has. I also love how another song called "Helpless" is blended into this one, and how this whole song is a story along with huge belting notes that are stunning. You can just hear the personality of each of the characters in their voices, and it's a great part of the soundtrack overall.

What would you (or have you) name(d) your children?

I definitely do NOT have children, but I would love to have a daughter someday and name her Miriam Renae, or Miriam with a different middle name. I also think that Eleanor and Genevieve are really lovely girl names, and I like that they're a little old-fashioned without being full-blown "Gertrude"-level older names. For a boy, I love Michael, James, and Christopher as possible names, but I don't have middle ones in mind that go with them quite yet. I'm sure I'll come up with something in ten years from now. (:

Have you participated in any sport?

I played tennis up until my freshman year of high school (which is about when I was age fourteen/fifteen, for my British readers), and that was the only sport I was good at.

I tried a soccer camp one time, but it turns out that my feet are just clumsy lumps at the bottom of my legs that don't do SQUAT when I need to do some fancy footwork. Don't even ask me to be on your kickball team because I will suck.

What is your favourite book?

I'm gonna cheat again and say my top two favorites. (What can I say? I'm indecisive.) My first favorite is Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. It's the third and final book in her Infernal Devices trilogy, so read the first two before you read this one (duh!). It's in the fantasy genre, and I just adore the way she spins a love triangle to have a refreshing twist, and the characters and emotions and plot are just amazing. (Also the story takes place in 1800's Britain so I'm a sucker for the setting.)

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen is my second favorite. It's a completely different setting than Clockwork Princess, being in the realistic fiction genre in a modern-day small town. The strong bonds of family in this book make me so happy, and I love all of the characters in it and their unique personalities that they have. I completely recommend this book, and I've read it so many times and I still adore it.

What is your favourite colour?

Blue blue blue blue!

What is your favourite animal?

I'm such a sucker for sea otters. They're just so cute and fluffy and they look like they're having a blast wherever they are. (Like seriously, all they do is play and sleep all day, which is something I can get behind.) They also hold hands when they sleep so they don't float away from each other which is ADORABLE.

What is your favourite perfume?

Bath and Body Works had a limited edition fragrance mist called Hello Sunshine that I bought a few years ago, and it is my all time favorite scent. Unfortunately since it was a seasonal scent that I haven't found in store since then, I have to be SO sparing with it because else I'll run out of it and never be able to smell the gloriousness of it ever again. *cries* It's a very warm and summery scent, and it just makes me think of summer nights and sunflowers.

Where is your favourite place to holiday?

Although I haven't been here more than once, my favorite place I've ever been to was in Israel, along the Mediterranean Sea. This picture was one I took on my trip (hence why I watermarked it so that it doesn't get claimed by someone else in cyberspace), and just UGH that water was so blue and beautiful.

On a scale from 1 – 10, rate your childhood.

I'm gonna give it a solid 8. It was mostly good, and my family was wonderful, but like most childhoods, there were a few bumps here and there.

Do you speak any different languages?

Sí, I speak Spanish. I wouldn't say I'm completely fluent, but I'm pretty close! I also dabble a little bit in Hebrew, but it's not nearly at the level I have in Spanish.

Do you have any siblings?

I do! Here's the most recent picture I could find of us all together. I have two older brothers, and my sister in law is the little one in the plaid. I love them all dearly, and I couldn't imagine ever being an only child.

What is your favourite clothes shop?

I love both Charlotte Russe and H&M. I don't have a lot of chances to go to H&M, and Charlotte Russe carries a lot of similar styles for a little less, so I don't mind not being able to go to H&M quite as often since I can still get the look for cheaper.

What are some of your favourite tv shows?

I don't watch a lot of TV, sooooo I'm gonna skip this one! I watched Pretty Little Liars for a while, but I quickly got bored of it, and the same happened with Travelers. I'm thinking of trying out Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, so let me know if you think they're good!

PC or Mac?

I'm typing this on a Mac currently, so I gotta go with that! I just know my way around Macs better since that's what I've grown up with, and I really like all the little shortcuts that I know now to make things faster and more efficient. They're also just really sleek looking, which I love.

What phone do you have?

Mine's currently a VERY beat up iPhone 6s. I'd upgrade to the 7, but I honestly HATE the fact that it has no headphone jack that's separate from the charger, because I'm a firm believer in charging my phone and listening to music, haha. Hopefully the 8 come out soon so I can debate if I want to upgrade to that or just revamp to another 6s like what I have.

How tall are you?

I'm 5'4", so by most standards that would be slightly below average, but if you came to Michigan, that would definitely be considered a hobbit height.

Do you have any pets?

I do! This is Shelby, who I like to affectionally refer to as "Shebs" or "Shebby." She's just over a year old right now, and she's still as energetic as ever. She's a mini labradoodle, so she's not gonna get any bigger than about 20 lbs, so she'll still have her puppy face even though she's an adult. She's a bit of a diva, but she's also super cute so I can't say no to her very easily.

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Phew!

If you made it all the way to the bottom, you can have an invisible teddy bear as a prize. If you'd like to do this tag, of course feel free to! I don't always tag people because I usually write these posts super late at night and I'm usually too sleepy to, but I love seeing people do these kinds of tags because they're super fun and I love reading them.

If you do a post on this tag, please link it below in a comment and let me know so I can check it out. (: Thanks again to Cait for this one; I loved writing it up!

That is all.

Cheers,