So my email keeps popping up on iMessage instead of my number why?
There have been some quirks with this from time to time. As you can imagine, where it says "START NEW CONVERSATIONS FROM" should have your phone number listed as an option.

Try to get it to show up by doing the following, go to "Settings -> Messages" and go to "Send as SMS" and toggle that on. This will shut off iMessages and force your phone to only send SMS messages using phone number.

Try sending a message or two before coming back, then toggle "Send as SMS" off and go back to "Settings -> Messages -> Send &amp; Receive" and your phone number should be listed under "START NEW CONVERSATIONS FROM"