26 years.

it's my birthday! twenty six. i feel so much older than that and so much younger, all at the same time.

a tidbit for every year i've been alive, some i've known forever and some i just figured out last week {aka number 26!}:


1. moving across the country is really hard and really expensive.
2. sometimes the most worthwhile things are also the hardest.
3. never be embarrassed if your favorite restaurant is not the most fancy {taco bell, represent} or your idea of a good time is not the wildest.
4. comparison is the stealer of joy. i think i read this somewhere, but no truer words have ever been spoken. no matter how many of your friends are married, having babies, own a home and also have time to run marathons. {HOW?}
5. know your weak spots. i worry too much, cannot say no to sugar, speak without thinking and have a terrible memory, unless it comes to grudge because that i will. never. forget.
6. being an adult is harder than it looks.
7. you should choose a college major based on a real career that has actual job openings.
8. you can do pretty much anything you put your mind to.
9. only ask the opinions of a few trusted individuals who really have your best interest at heart. otherwise, you're just airing your business for others enjoyment.
10. being a vegetarian takes a lot more work than just saying no to chicken sandwiches from wendy's.
11. but, i'll still never eat pork again.
12. our parents did so much for us that went under- or unappreciated. i cannot imagine having me for a child. especially ages 16 through 18.
13. there is no purer love than a dog for its owner.
14. find out what kind of wine you like by age 25. after that, shrugging and saying "pink?" kind of loses its cuteness. {and if it lost it before that, i don't wanna hear about it.}
15. running can change your mood. so can brownies.
16. letting yourself fall in love with someone is way harder than it was in high school, but way more worth it. never, ever settle.
17. just say no to drugs. and cigarettes. that stuff will literally kill you.
18. know how to present yourself. there's a place for humility and there's a time to be confident in your skills.
19. always have a back-up plan.
20. make goals, meet them, celebrate it, repeat. if you're not improving, then what are you doing?
21. don't waste money on what my dad would call "blow gums and trinkets". if i had a dollar for every, well, dollar i spent on stupid stuff between ages 22 and yesterday, i'd be super rich.
22. don't let anyone make you feel bad about your favorite music. miley, garth and hanson for life.
23. don't judge people from outside appearances.
24. friends you make in your youth understand you more than any new friend can. it's like we say in girl scouts, "make new friends, but keep the old. one is silver and the other's gold."
25. money spent to visit your family, be there for your friend's wedding or support a good cause is money well spent.
26. 25 is in fact NOT the age that you have to have everything figured out. who knew?!