Greetings and salutations, UBP12 attendees! This is my second time participating in the Ultimate Blog Party, and the first time doing it with Pretty Opinionated. I’m really looking forward to hopping around and checking out everyone’s blogs, meeting new people, and making new connections.
If this is your first time visiting Pretty Opinionated, I’d love for you to take a moment to look around. Visit my About page to learn a little more about me. If you have a business and are looking for a great product reviewer, check out my contact info up there. I’m very friendly and easy to work with!
For those who don’t have time to check out my About page, I threw together ten random and not-so-random facts about me so we can get better acquainted.
Ten Things About The Girl Behind Pretty Opinionated
Photo Credit: Rich Etolen
1. My name is Nicole, but I usually go by Nikki. I’m 36, and I have a really cool almost-7-year-old son named Jake. I typically don’t like pictures of myself, but I figure I should put a face behind the name, so there I am to the left.
2. I started Pretty Opinionated in January, 2011. It was primarily a review/giveaway blog up until recently. I’m currently expanding into lifestyle and other fun stuff because as much as I love reviewing products, I also love sharing other types of opinions.
3. I am a horrible cook, but I can bake fairly well. Actually, I can only bake Christmas cookies. Yes, just Christmas. I cannot make the same cookies any other time of the year. I don’t understand it either!
4. I sleep in knee socks. When I started dating my boyfriend, I didn’t want him to think I was a total dork, so I slept in regular ankle socks for the first month whenever he stayed over, and it was horribly uncomfortable. Then I started sneaking the knee socks on in the middle of the night. Now, we’ve reached the point where he already knows I’m a total dork, and he seems to love me anyway!
5. My favorite author is Karina Halle of the “Experiments in Terror” series. I’ve been hooked since her first book and can’t get enough. Check out my review of Darkhouse, then head to Smashwords to grab an e-book copy of it for just $2.99, free! No, she’s not paying me to plug her here, I just love her books that much.
6. I’m deathly afraid of roller-coasters, clowns, and driving on the highway. I am planning to conquer at least one of those fears this summer. It won’t be the clowns or the highway though, I can’t see ever successfully dealing with either of those things.
7. I like coffee more than the average person. In fact, I fanatically love coffee. Coffee is my hero, it enables me to open my eyes each morning at the ungodly hour of 7:30AM.
8. I’m going to be a bridesmaid for the first time in my little brother’s wedding in September. I am really looking forward to it, yet at the same time terrified that I will trip and fall flat on my face at some point. Did I mention I’m a total klutz?
9. I’m incredibly shy in real life. Can you tell?
10. Are you still with me? If so, you rock! Last thing about me. Hmmm, this is a lot of pressure. I feel like I should reward you with a juicy tidbit for making it this far, but I’m really not all that interesting! I lived in Japan for 2 years, is that interesting? Oh, hey, I have magical powers! Not really, but THAT would be interesting, wouldn’t it?
A Few Of My Favorite Posts
While you’re here why not check out a few of my favorite relatively recent posts?
During Valentines Day, my boyfriend and I got to spend two nights at the super romantic Paradise Stream resort here in the Poconos. Check out My Valentine’s Day At Paradise Stream to read all about my adventures with archery, our romantic suite with a 7-foot champagne hot tub, and the extraordinary chocolate buffet.
Read Ten Places I’m Figuratively Dying to See Before I Literally Die to see my bucket-list of dream vacations.
Back in February, I adventured out into the wilderness to work on my nature photography, and documented it in my Adventures in Nature: Exploring the Poconos post.
The Chief Blonde of Still Blonde After All These Years and I had ourselves a Black Versus Pink Pinterest Throwdown. She beat me, but I still think black rocks way harder than pink! Sorry, Chief Blonde!
Okay, one last post, then I’ll shut up since this is getting incredibly long! For New Years, I did a post about Quotes To Ponder For the New Year, and it was my most popular post ever, at least on StumbleUpon. Who knew that a few inspirational quotes could get so many hits?
YAY! Thanks for the shout-out 🙂
ACTUALLY Darkhouse is free, perhaps indefinitely, on Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook (and Smashwords) 🙂 Wooo.
#1 – I can’t believe you are 36 … seriously, you look 21. Gimme your secret. lol
#2 – I started out a horrible cook … my family suffered through it for many years before I got the hang of it … I’m still surprised they waited it out. 🙂
#3 – You’ll do fine at the wedding … and even if you don’t, it won’t be as bad as me. I stepped on my dress during my own wedding, tore the underside of it then got my heel stuck in the lace while trying to walk up the stairs.
Brilliant post!
I love that you “sleep in knee socks” that is soooo random and hilarious. But I can’t imagine how anyone can sleep in socks. I must have bare feet to sleep. LOL
Great example of how to totally rock out a #UBP party post.
WOW! You sound pretty AWESOME! And you lived in Japan for 2 years?
You like coffee? You definitely need caffeine when you wake up at 7:30. Even more so when you have to wake up at 5 aM like me.
*sigh*
My Ultimate blog party VIDEO is loading. It should be up shortly.
Come visit me when you can.
You have a twitter handle?
Mine is @clutteredbrain.
Let’s tweeeeeet! 🙂
and partaaaaay!
So glad to have found your blog via the #UBP12 Twitter feed!
Okay, you are officially adorable….. it was very brave of you to share your knee socks… I love it!
I can’t say much about your knee socks … I sleep with a bar of soap at the bottom of the bed… it’s an old wives tale I’ll have to tell sometime.. HAHAHA!
You will be great in and at the wedding..
I agree with the other commenter… you look like you’re 21… I’m 54 and what I’d give for someone to tell me something like that…(sighs)
You’re post is awesome…. Thanks so much .. I loved reading it…
Carri
Just dropping by from The Ultimate Blog Party I am looking forward to networking with you and getting to know you better! I hope you have the opportunity to visit our blog! http://www.thehealthymoms.net/2012/04/ultimate-blog-party-2012.html
Thanks for stopping by our party post, Nikki! It cracked me up reading this and, like others have mentioned, I can’t imagine sleeping in knee socks. I’d boil! And if you’re never going to drive on the highway, how will you get anywhere?
Have a great weekend and rest of the UBP12!
Thanks for visiting OneSmileyMonkey! You have a great blog here. Bookmarking it for the future 🙂
http://www.onesmileymonkey.com/2012/04/ultimate-blog-party-2012-win-over-9400-in-prizes/
Great post. I sleep in socks too ( not knee socks though, giggle) I wouldn’t guess you were shy either. You are charming though! I enjoy my visits to your blog. Hugs!
more hugs ( using my other account )
Hi Nikki! Please to you meet. I love the fact that you have a 7 year old co-reviewer. Too cute!
I totally get the shy in real life thing! But somehow I cover it up well enough that people look at me crazy when I confess the truth that I am. Stopping by from UBP12. [New follower!] Would like for you stop by at http://www.redtagmama.com Nice to meet you! Gena
I am here as part of the Ultimate Blog Party please come and join our FREE blogger event. We are giving away a Kate Spade Pursehttp://madamedeals.com/ freebloggereventkate/… or come and win an ipad3 http://www.madamedeals.com/contests
Good Morning Nikki! Stopping by from the UBP12 to say hello. The sock story is great!!! I think you are so brave to share that with the world. We all have our thing that makes us a little different but not dorks LOL! Have a great time at the party!!
-Emily, Timedog.com
I am also incredibly shy in real life!
You are funny! I can’t believe you are in your 30’s I seriously thought you were a teenager! You are SO not alone with the socks! I wear them everyday! love it!
you look really young in that pic! LOL
very interesting post, by the way, well done you for deciding to conquer at least one of your fears this summer, good luck and please let us know how you get on
Thanks you for letting me join the conversation. These UBP12 has a huge help in my blogging.
It cracked me up reading this and, like others have mentioned, I can’t imagine sleeping in knee socks. Thanks for sharing.
Good afternoon! Stoping by from UBP. Congrats on being a bridesmaid for the first time. I’ve been one in a few weddings. You’ll do fine. I can’t bake or cook very well. That’s why hubby is Betty Crocker in our household and I’m Suzy Homemaker.
http://www.heckofabunch6.com/2012/04/ultimate-blog-party-at-heck-of-bunch.html
Well done you for deciding to conquer at least one of your fears this summer, good luck and please let us know how you get on.