February 27th has come and gone, and I'm a whole year older. I have been alive for 25 years! There are so many things I've experienced, places I've seen, mistakes I've made, people that entered into my life, and lessons I've learned. To shorten it up I've put together 25 things that I have learned in this body, in this world, in these short but long 25 years! This birthday is kind of a big one. Well, I think it is. I am a quarter of the way to a hundred years old! That just sounds so crazy to me! But no matter what the candles read on my cake every year, it deserves to be celebrated! I had so much fun with my good friend Alyssamay getting these birthday snapshots for this blog post!!
1 | Document your life with photos. Your memory can only hold so much in your lifetime. I look back at my photo albums and totally forgot something happened! If you are a new parent, document your baby's first years! You (and them!) will be so glad you captured everything! Thanks to my mom, I have boxes and albums full of photos from my childhood that I cherish so much! Every vacation you take, every exciting event that happens, even simple moments that happen in your homes, take pictures!
2 | You are in charge of how your life is lived. Plain and simple.
3 | Patience is KEY in getting far in life or anything for that matter. I've learned that I have tons of patience. I see it when I'm put into tough situations where other people are ready to throw in the towel. Listen. Analyze. Overthink. Be patient.
4 | Macarons are the greatest and most delicious dessert item ever created.
5 | Having a dog in your family totally enriches your life. The day we got Zoey I was so excited, and nervous, and skeptical, and didn't know what to expect. I never had my own dog so I wasn't sure how this was going to go. Now, I can't even imagine what life would be like without her! Dogs truly are your best friend!
6 | Yes, your wedding day will be the greatest day of your life. For one day, every person that you know and love, will be at the same place, at the same time, to celebrate you and the love of your life! It's the greatest thing.
7 | I have come to realize that I have had an entrepreneurial mindset my entire life. Growing up as a kid when my parents would have garage sales, I would be on the side selling lemonade to "customers" while they shopped. In 5th grade I would sell different colored and patterned friendship bracelets to people on my school bus. I would make handmade clothespin wreaths during Christmas time at craft shows and sell them on my Etsy shop. I also can't keep the same job for more than a couple years. (past bosses, I'm sorry if you're reading this! haha!) The thought of working for someone else just doesn't make sense to me. I want to be my own boss. I want to work so hard and use all my time and energy on something that I created and watch it grow. Working hard for myself has always been a passion of mine.
8 | If you don't take care of your body, inside and out, emergency hospital visits will be in your horizon. (flash back to May 2017) You only get one body to live in. Love it and nurture it!
9 | There is so much more to see on this planet than just your backyard. If there is a special place you want to see, book that trip! I am so grateful for all of the places I've seen and the experiences I've had so far in these 25 amazing years but there is SO much for that I am dying to see! Hopefully soon I will finally be able to visit a place that is outside of the United States!
10 | Coffee is actually a gift from the gods. And so is Starbucks. And Howard Schultz
11 | Embrace who you are as a person. Be exactly who you are. You will find that a lot of people "don't agree with you" or don't like how you do things, or just don't like you, period. Don't let other peoples opinions effect how you live your life. You will find your people, I promise.
12 | It’s okay to not like alcohol. Or to not want to drink when everyone else is. Is that weird? No. Will people probably think you're weird? Yes, because we live in a world where in order to have fun, you need to drink alcohol. And I say that with total sarcasm. I’ll take a vanilla latte over wine any day, thank you. But will I ever turn down a frozen margarita? Absolutely not.
13 | Life has seasons. And they are called seasons for a reason. If you're having a bad day, or week, or month!, it'll pass. Learn to grow from bad seasons, and soak in the good ones as they come.
14 | Figure out what makes you happy in life. What are your hobbies? What do you like to do with your free time? If you were given one whole day to do nothing EXCEPT what you love, what would it be? Doing things that you love all the time will only better your life and make you a happier person. Fill your days with at least one thing that makes you happy. Even if that's just starting the day with your favorite coffee in your favorite mug.
15 | It’s ok to have a small group of friends. When it comes to friends, quality is much more important than quantity. In fact the quantity is very different as you get older.
16 | Failure just makes you stronger. Learn from your mistakes!
17 | Life is now. It is literally happening right now all around you so make sure you are doing what you love. And only what you love!
18 | Follow your dreams no matter what. It doesn’t matter what age you are or how little experience you have with something. It’s never too late to follow your dreams. It will be the most fulfilling feeling once you do and you’ll never regret going after them.
19 | College is not in everyones path. At least, it wasn't in mine. And I'm doing just fine.
20 | Everyone has a reason for living. Everyone has a purpose. When you figure out what your purpose is, run with it and never look back!
21 | It's okay to not be perfect. It's okay if projects don't get finished. (this blog post was scheduled to go up Tuesday, on my actual birthday. But that didn't happen, and it's okay.) If things don't go as planned. If everything didn't work out how you wanted it to. It's really okay.
22 | Laugh a lot. So much that your tummy hurts. And stay with the people who bring out that laugh in you.
23 | Don't leave things till the last minute. I have been guilty of this for years and for so many things. All it does is create more stress on yourself. Plan and prep ahead of time, set yourself up for success!
24 | Moving out and living on your own is tough. Fun, but tough. There's ComEd bills, buying your own groceries (which can cost up to 100's of bucks a week if you don't want to live off of Ramen and fruit snacks), broken kitchen sinks that need fixing, buying your own furniture because you want your guests to have somewhere besides the floor to sit, figuring out how you're going to conquer the world on your own! It's overwhelming at first, but it could possibly be your greatest adventure and experience yet.
25 | Last but definitely not least, (in fact, this should be #1) birthdays aren't just for eating cake and getting presents. Birthday celebrations should not be taken lightly, at least that's just what I think. I know plenty of people who think its just another day on the calendar. Your birthday is the day you were given life. You were put on this Earth and were given a chance to experience whatever it is that you want to experience! I may have just turned 25, and you might of just turned 30, or 40, or even 70! And you gave up on celebrating! WHY?! So many people get embarrassed or upset about what that candle reads that is sitting on top of that cake. Why? You should be blessed that you made it this far! Not that many people are given the chance to make it to where you are now. And for that reason, every day deserves to be celebrated.
