10 Things You May or May Not Know About Me!

Hi, hi, hi! It’s time to play let’s get to know Madalyn!

Here is 10 Things You May or May Not Know About Me!

1) I hiked 45 miles every summer with my churches youth group! We went hiking with an organization called, Wilderness Trail in Troutdale, Virginia and hiked 45 miles over the course of 4 and a half days on the Appalachian Trail! It was quite amazing and such a great experience! So over 6 years, I hiked 270 miles!

2) I went to Costa Rica 3 years in a row also with my youth group! For three summers, we would take a group of 12-15 people to San Ramon, Costa Rica for a week long mission trip! During the week we would do vacation bible school for the kids in the poverty neighborhood & then during the evening we would spend time learning about the Gospel! This meant a lot to me back then but still does and it eventually led me to …

3) I spent a MONTH in El Salvador on a self-organized missions trip! After spending time in Costa Rica through out high school and going on a retreat with my youth group, I decided to partner with Compassion International and sponsor a child through their sponsorship program! Sponsoring a child looks a lot like having a penpal in another country, in this case El Salvador! In addition to writing letters to Jose, I would send a monthly gift for his family to help pay for food, shelter, clothing, etc. After sponsoring Jose for a little over two years, I decided to meet him! Long story short, he lived in El Salvador and I reached out to Compassion International and made a trip to meet him! But I also coordinated my own month long trip and partnered with Love & Hope Children’s Home in El Salvador! I stay with them onsite and helped with the 20+ little ones that lived there! It was so eye-opening and a wonderful experience! If you’d like to know more about this, I’d love to grab coffee and chat!

4) I used to want to open a coffee shop! Even when I decided I wanted to be a photographer, I also wanted (and sometimes still do!) to own a coffee shop! If you don’t know, I LOVE coffee! I think I’ve even reached a point that the caffeine doesn’t affect me anymore even though I only drink 1-2 cups a day!

5) I have 7 tattoos! On my 18th birthday, I went to the tattoo shop by myself and I got my first tattoo! Its a cross on my left shoulder – funny story, people ask me if it hurt and well the answer is yes but I was able to tune out with music playing and the artist had to shake me to tell me it was done! After that tattoo, I got mountains on my neck, a camera on my wrist, then lavender & the words Ever be on my forearm, then the words Never Stop on my opposite arm! Then the most recent tattoos are my sunrise & a tiny airplane! I wonder what is next?

6) I have an obsession with Magnolia aka Chip & Joanna Gaines! So much so that each year I have my own birthday celebration dinner and the food is from the Magnolia Cookbook! I also planned my own trip to Waco, TX last year for my 25th birthday! It was a wonderful time, read about it more here!

7) Bringing up my trip to Waco, shares that I love to travel! In 2018 I visited, New York City, Waco, Washington State, Charleston, Knoxville & Chattanooga! In 2019 so far I’ve returned to New York City, Charleston, and visited Nashville for the first time! I have a really BIG trip planned for 2020 but I can’t say anything about it quite yet!

8) I don’t have cable but my favorite TV shows consist of The Bachelor, Bachelorette, Grey’s Anatomy, YOUNGER, Good Trouble, The Resident & new obsession is Reef Break! I have an antenna which allows me to watch them live but also Hulu to catch up!

9) I don’t believe in microwaves. I know, I know weird! When growing up my mom was against having a microwave to eliminate processed foods & the re-heating concept. She also heated things up on the stove top! We almost didn’t move into our home in Dunedin because it had a microwave! She sucked it up and we moved in anyways but we barely used the microwave! Now in my own home, I don’t have one! People are always so shocked!

10) And finally, my favorite colors are blush pink, lavender & yellow! Nothing much to say with that other than they bring happiness to me!

Thanks for reading along! XO