As we enter the middle of April, I sit back and reflect on my time as a blogger. I can’t believe it’s already been four months! I’m so very thankful for every single of you who take the time out to read what I have to say! I couldn’t be more appreciative! Many of you have joined me a little further in, so I wanted to do a fun post about some interesting facts about me!

1. My name is Michelle but most people call me Mimi. The name of my blog, Authentically_Mi, came to me while doing a personality test one night. As I was reading my results, the part that resonated with me the most was the authenticity factor and how I base everything in my life according to that. The name was a perfect fit for who I am.

2. I am a tween mother! My love and light Saniyah is my only child and shes growing up way too fast for me! She will be 12 this summer and its surreal to think next year she will be a teenager. While I had her young and faced many challenges, I never let that stop me. I went on to graduate college magna cum laude as a young mother and I’m so very proud to say my baby girl was accepted into a gifted middle school this past year. It has not been easy by far, but it has made a major impact on who I am today. Anything is possible!

3. My views are unique and I credit that to how I grew up. Its hard for me to explain where I’m from sometimes due to my upbringing. I was a military brat until high school, consistenly moving every 4 to 5 years, several different states and overseas. While I was born on the West Coast in New Mexico, a pivotal point in my growth came while living in Germany, so that feels most like home. I moved here to Virginia in my junior year of high school and have been here ever since.

4. I currently work for the government in public health as a program coordinator. I have been at my job for almost 9 years now and while I love public health, a part of me is ready to see whats out there. My interests have grown into the IT sector and this the direction I plan to go next. I began blogging as a way to express myself and share some of the things I have learned along the way. Since starting in December, it has been a great journey so far

5. If you’ve seen my astrology posts, you may already know that I am a pisces sun, capricorn moon and virgo rising. I got into astrology a few years ago to learn more about myself and I’m still learning. Funny as it sounds, it was how I began my self discovery journey. I enjoy learning about what resonates with me.

6. I am very family oriented, as the first born child of two, I have a pretty close relationship with my family. Because of the military, I didn’t get to grow up around my family, but my summers were cherished because our visits were some of my most fondest memories. I am also an aunt to two newphews!

7. I am an ambivert. An ambivert is both an extrovert and introvert, although I tend to lean more towards the introverted side. I loveeeeee my alone time, maybe a bit too much. I am one of those people who actually loves their own company, other times I can be the life of the party. As an empath, I am very sensitive to the energies around me and I protect my peace as necessary. I am very big on the vibes I get from people because I know that energy doesnt lie. Please don’t kill my vibe is a daily affirmation over here.

8. Some of my hobbies include cooking, eating out and trying new restaurants, wine festivals, theme parks, music festivals, comedy shows, concerts, beach days, reading, writing and blogging, DIY projects, gardening, movies, painting, road trips and my number one love TRAVEL! There is nothing I love more than to go to a foreign land and experience the people, culture and food. I like to get off the resort and explore the area. I am very adventurous for the most part but I don’t like heights.

9. Although I’m not ocd about health, I am pretty conscious of it. I currently workout 3 to 4 days a week in the gym, and 2 days of HIIT cardio at home. HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training, has been an excellent move for cardio. Since my time is pretty limited, I can get a pretty good workout in about 30 minutes. Its all in how hard you push yourself. While I tend to be pretty diciplined with food during the week, I stil try to eat what I want, but in portions. Its helped me to make this a lifestyle change I can stick with. I recently got into herbal remedies for health maintenance and now make own teas that are nourishing and taste good.

10. I am a lover of all things art, music, museums, technology, spirituality, culture and history. I just like learning new things. I believe that we are forever students because there is always something to be learned in life, no matter how old you are. I have a curious mind, so I am always seeking, investigating and researching. Even with purchases, I will read the reviews from several sites and compare several different models all before I make the purchase. OCD I know, but my decisions are well informed, it keeps my mind sharp and its given me knowledge and wisdom in a wide variety of areas.

I hope you learned something of interest about me today. We are over 100 followers as of last week and this is my 20th post! Coincidence or no… lol I like to think of it is synchronicities and confirmation of doing something great. I hope we continue to grow! Tell me a little about yourself? What makes you original?