Somehow we got on the topic of age at work a few days ago, and it hit me that I'm turning 25 within the next year. How crazy! I feel like people who are 25 are actually "grown-ups" and have their lives in order. It seems like they should be settled and making responsible adult decisions. Although I guess this technically does describe me, I don't
feel like an adult. I feel like I should still be about seventeen, staying up past midnight, sleeping in until noon, and completely care-free. I guess since we can't stop aging, we might as well try to make the best of every day and enjoy the life we've been blessed with.
I recall reading a blog post probably two years ago written by my wedding photographer, Lauryn Galloway. (You should look up her work
here!) It contained a list of 25 things that she wanted to do before her 25th birthday. I recall thinking about how much I liked the idea and hoping I remembered to do something similar once I was a little older. I suppose the time has come that I make my list and strive to fulfill the items on it, so here it goes!
25 Things To Do Before Turning 25
1. Read 25 books.
I love reading and can't wait until the summer every year when I actually have time for it. I'm not sure what these 25 books will be yet, but I'm excited to start making a list.
2. Grow a bountiful garden.
Last year we successfully grew tomatoes and jalapenos in our miniature garden space. This year we're hoping for tomatoes, jalapenos, cucumbers, bell peppers, lettuce, onions, & strawberries. The onions and lettuce are looking pretty good so far!
3. Road trip/vacation with the girls
My roommates and I have always wanted to do a girls' trip somewhere, but we never had money for such things. Now that we're either out of college or have jobs (for the most part), it would be the perfect time to do it! A beach trip is planned for next month & I can't wait!!
4. Learn to quilt
Grandma quilted a lot, and I love having things that I know she actually made. I hope to be able to give my kids & grandchildren something like this in the future, too.
5. Become a more active church member
Derek and I try to switch between his church and my church every Sunday, but it doesn't always work out. I want to become more devoted to my spiritual life by ensuring we attend church more often and improving my relationship to God through prayer.
6. Sew an outfit
Why buy clothes when you can make them? I've never been a super stylish person (not that I wouldn't
want to be), but I'd love to make something that I'd be proud to wear.
7. Become less passive.
I have never been aggressive. My elementary school basketball coach always told me that I needed to be more aggressive, but I never changed because was always afraid of hurting someone
. This idea has continued throughout my life. When someone is rude to me, I counter with kindness. If I'm told to do something that I'm not happy about, I don't object. I certainly didn't inherit this trait from my mother! I'd really like to be less passive and learn to take a stand for myself.
8. Explore our nation's capital
I've had the opportunity to explore DC twice in my life, but it's been over a decade since the last time. I'd really like to get the chance to actually walk around and explore as an adult in order to fully appreciate what is there. We're actually planning on a weekend getaway here for our anniversary!
9. Take a food tour
Any time we go to spend some time in a city, I research what there is to do in the area. The last several cities have all offered food tours. I think it would be so much fun to travel around to various restaurants and try the tastes of the city!
10. Learn 25 new recipes
I love food. This is probably pretty obvious with my appearance and most of my blog posts. Anyway, I'm always looking for new recipes but am usually too much of a chicken to actually try them. I hate wasting food and am afraid that if a recipe doesn't turn out well, we'll waste the food. Despite this, I'm going to try
at least 25 new recipes and hopefully turn some of them into family favorites.
11. Start an exercise regimen
A year ago this item would've been "Lose X number of pounds." Rather than focusing on losing weight, I'm going to work on developing a routine of exercising. This may just be walking three or four times a week, but regardless it'll be more than what I'm currently doing.
12. Increase our savings
I want to own a house. I also want to have children. Both of these things require money and lots of it, so it would be really nice to get our savings up to a place where we could afford these things.
13. Pay off credit cards
This is probably pretty self-explanatory.
14. Begin an active search toward buying/building a home
It'll be so nice to own our own home! Our lease ends next May, so hopefully we will be able to locate either a home or some land by my birthday.
15. Declutter my house
This is an ongoing process in my house. I have to make a conscious effort to sort through, throw away, and donate my
stuff because I've always been a bit of a pack rat. If I don't constantly try to organize, I get very overwhelmed.
16. Develop & stay up-to-date on a blog posting schedule
I've really been enjoying writing my blog posts, and from what I hear, there's several people who have been enjoying reading them. I currently don't have any type of schedule or predetermined ideas for posts, so developing
something will help me to stay up-to-date without long periods of nothing.
17. Learn to can vegetables
I feel like this is a necessity in life. It's so convenient to have vegetables on hand during the winter months--especially ones that you
know are healthy and grown organically. I'm hoping that we'll be able to can some of our garden vegetables this year!
18. Make homemade ice cream
Yum. I've been wanting to try this for a while, but just haven't had the opportunity.
19. Get to the top of Seneca Rocks
Probably the most famous attraction in our county is Seneca Rocks. People from all over come to scale the rocks or just walk up to the top. I think it's only appropriate for the people who live in the area to make it to the top and see what all of the fuss is about. However, after nearly 25 years, I still have not made it up. This is going to be the year it happens.
20. Visit & Explore a new city
I
love to travel. I mean, really love. So, I'm always really excited to go somewhere new and explore the different features that make each place so special. I think we're going to be making a trip to Baltimore later on this year, so hopefully I'll be able to check this item off the list.
21. Paint something
Painting is so peaceful and therapeutic. Anytime I sit down and paint, I can immediately feel stress leaving my body. We "inherited" most of our furniture, and a lot of it could use a good face lift. I've been doing some research on how to paint and add legs to get a certain look, so hopefully I'll be able to do something along those lines this year.
22. Build a piece of furniture
The old chicken coop at Grandpa's fell down. It hadn't really been used for years and was pretty worn, so it was no surprise when it finally fell. I'd really love to take some of the wood from it and build a piece of furniture. I've been thinking about making a small kitchen island or something similar.
23. Stop biting my nails
I'm the last of my friends to bite her nails. Most of the time I don't even really bite them..I pick at them
until they tear. I would love to have long and strong natural nails.
24. Write letters to friends via snail mail
No one writes actual letters any more; it's almost like a lost art. I'd really like to start writing to friends and keeping in touch through letters instead of just texts.
25. Spend more time with family
This is always something that should be worked on in my opinion. We get so caught up in an everyday schedule that it's sometimes hard to find time for each other. We currently have dinner with our families once a week, but it'd be nice to increase the amount of time spent with them and do activities other than just dinner.
