Twenty Five

I turned 25 yesterday and I thought a lot about how to mark my 25th birthday here in blogland.  I  debated replacing my 25x25 list with a 30x30 list, and I might do that at some point just not right away. I thought about sharing 25 things I've learned, 25 things I haven't learned, 25 things I've accomplished. The number 25 really begs for a list to be made. Since I feel like 25 is somewhat of a turning point in life I decided to go with a list of 25 things about me in this moment. 

1. My favourite colour combination right now is orange & coral. 
2. My favourite comfy outfit is black leggings, warm socks & a hoodie.
3. I love photography, writing and scrapbooking. 
4. Summer is when I'm happiest.
5. I've been trying really hard to get into the habit of eating 3 meals a day (I always skip breakfast).
6. I have a long list of places I'd like to travel, travelling makes me anxious though so I haven't travelled far. 
7. I'm still afraid of being alone, and I'm growing increasingly fearful of 'losing control' and ruining plans.
8. I need 8 hours of sleep every night, but I really function the best when I get 9.5 hours.
9. I prefer dark roast coffee and like it with about half a teaspoon of sugar. Every so often I'll drink it with a splash of cream as well.
10. I enjoy interacting with other people, being active and having good conversations. I need my alone time though. At minimum 15-20 minutes each day to be alone with my thoughts, read a book, write, doodle, even watch a television show by myself. There is no doubt I am an introvert.
11. I love animals, squirrels, whales, cats and polar bears are my favourites.
12. I don't eat fast food very often but when I do Wendy's is usually my top choice. 
13. H. & R. are my best friends and I'm so thankful that they came into my life in the most unexpected of ways. Now I can't imagine doing life without them.
14. I watch a lot of legitimate documentaries but I also have a soft spot for terrible TLC 'reality shows'. (90 Day Fiancé, Sister Wives, 600 lb. Life, 19 Kids & Counting...)
15. I love cooking. Trying new recipes, experimenting with things to make them better.
16. Broccoli is my favourite vegetable.
17. I don't wear a lot of jewellery. I stick to earrings and a handful of necklaces, I don't see the appeal in owning tones of costume jewellery. I'd rather own a few really nice things than drawers of $10 necklaces.
18. History fascinates me, I love reading historical fiction books, autobiographies, random wikipedia articles I like learning about the past.
19. Sometimes I can accumulate clutter and drawers and closets might be chaotic but I like my surroundings to be tidy. Clear desk, nightstand, dresser is essential to my productivity.
20. I don't like calling people on the phone.
21. If I could change anything about my appearance I'd make myself 5 inches taller.
22. I can spend hours browsing/shopping at Michael's and Chapters.
23. Even though I'm an introvert I don't particularly like doing stuff alone. I would never eat at a restaurant or see a movie by myself. The one except is that I enjoy getting groceries alone and strolling through Target or the mall. 
24. Although I don't consider Friends to be my favourite show I have watched the entire series from start to finish more times than I can even begin to count and it still makes me laugh. 
25. I have a weird mix of emotions about the next 25 years. On one level I have no idea where I'll find myself a year from now, I have some thoughts about what I'd like to accomplish but I also feel very comfortable with having so many unknowns. 

Linking up with Tuesday Talk!

Birthday Eve Eve

Monday is my 25th birthday. 25 is one of those birthdays that feels like a big deal. You've lived a quarter of a century. You've survived your teens, your early twenties and now you're closer to 30 than 15 which is probably an indication you need to get your life together. 

Last year when I turned 24 I wrote a post where I made 24 wishes, one for each candle on my cake. (You can read it here.) I was reading through it this morning and found myself laughing out loud at the ways in which some of those wishes have been granted over the past year. And how some of things I wished for are no longer things I want. 

#3 A lovely committed boyfriend who loves camp and is okay with watching Disney movies J has never been to camp in his life. And he won't watch Disney movies because he wants to wait to watch them again with his kids. He is lovely & committed just the same and it doesn't matter that he isn't a camp person or a secret love of watching Disney movies.

#23 A MacBook Pro I bought one last week! It was time for an upgrade and I'm pleased with my purchase.

#5 Stack of Cash I did not open my mailbox one day to find a bunch of cash, but I do have a wonderful job and have been sticking to a budget and I have no complains about the state of my bank account at this time. 

#1 Grant Approval This happened in February and it was a great experience. It also confirmed my suspicion that I really don't want to live in the city. I loved my job, but I did not love living in the city and being far away from family.

#22 Being Paid to Browse Pinterest This didn't exactly happen the way I imagined, however at one point during the summer I was in the office at camp searching Pinterest for Staff Appreciation ideas and it occurred to me that I really was getting paid to browse Pinterest. 

#6 Red Hunter Rain boots I tried a pair of these on just before Christmas and as it turned out they were SO high on my short legs that they looked absolutely ridiculous. I haven't found a store around here that sells kids sizes so until I can figure out how to wear a pair and not look totally ridiculous. 

The Pioneer Woman has not moved next door and nobody follows me around playing guitar and singing about my life. I am still reliant on my glasses to see more than a foot in front of me and world peace has not been achieved but overall it's been a good year. I have a lot to be thankful for, a lot to celebrate and a lot to look forward to. I don't have any big plans for my birthday. I'll be working, J. is still on vacation (this family trip was booked long before we started dating), and H. & R. are provinces away. I'm very content with a quiet weekend and birthday though.