24 in 24

Sooo some of the bloggers that I've been following in this new blog adventure are doing a link up hosted by Erin of Living in Yellow in which you take your age (for me that would be 24.  In a few months I turn the big 2-5. Which seems like some sort of milestone except that I'm not sure what I have to show for it so...) and list something you want to do within the year for every year of your age.

Her entry? Twenty Six in Twenty Six

1. Go back to Disney World with my parents.

Aren't they adorable?

2. Get engaged to my B! (and married? We'll see. Don't worry, B knows this already).

3. Move up in my career (a girl can dream, right?)

4. Move to a new apartment. Preferably in a nicer neighborhood. By nicer I mean without trains and neighbors whom evidence suggests may be utilizing some sort of illegal substance.

5. Participate in a "fun" race such as Warrior Dash or Color Run. Disney also has races! (Hint hint family. I actually think it would be really fun to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon. Or the 5K, as that seems a bit ambitious.)

Via. How cool would it be to run with B in princess and prince costumes? I don't really think he'd go for it though.

Via. I'm really more of a Snow White girl anyway.

6. Turn my master's thesis into an article for publication. This seems like a lot of work and I thought I left that behind in grad school so we'll see.

7. Bake and eat a delicious pastry type dessert from scratch, with real ingredients (no non-fat this or that), and not feel guilty about it.

8. Stop eating candy from the ever plentiful candy jar at work. (Co-workers! You're ruining my figure. But I do love the Peanut Butter Snickers. So thanks, at the same time).

9. Take a tropical vacation with B. (We're looking at Mexico...ok we're dreaming about it. But still.)

Via. I'm actually more excited about the prospect of going to Chitzen Itza than I am by laying on the beach. Because I don't tan and I'm a history nerd.

10. Get an iPhone. I still have a non-smart phone, and it works and it's ok...but wow they're cool.

11. Stop spending so much on clothes and mix and match what I have. And like it. Especially stop buying more striped shirts.

12. Get a new camera. A nice one. Where I can play with the settings and actually maybe like the pictures I take.

Like the Nikon D3100. Oooh, shiny.

13. Be completely content with my body. Whether that comes from acceptance of what it is at any given point or from ramping up my workouts and cutting out splurge-y foods. Or a combination of both.

14. Trade in my automatic Jeep Compass for something with a stick shift. I used to own a pick-up trick with a manual transmission and I really miss the feeling of driving it.

15. Get more involved at church.

16. Take a day trip with just me and my little brother (who is not so little, at 18 and almost 6 feet tall.)

Us at (where else) Disney World, getting ready to shoot some stuff on Toy Story Mania. This was about five years ago, so he's even more grown-up looking now. Ack! Where did the time go?

17. Take my grandmother to lunch. She is awesome and I don't spend quality time with her nearly enough.

18. Master some new recipes so that we don't have to have chicken and steamed veggies for every weeknight dinner.

19. Get a new mattress. Seriously, the one we are sleeping on belonged to my great-grandmother. No joke.

19.5 Wow this is a lot of things to come up with. I'm glad I'm not older. This seems quite ambitious for my usual energy level.

20. Skate at least once every few weeks.

Ah, the good old days.

21. Learn how to balance my time between work, family, friends, B and-what?-time for myself.

22. Start really saving for a house.

23. Actually make one of the DIY projects I keep pinning here.

Such as this. Looks deceptively simple, so I'm sure to screw it up.

24. Find at least reason to be happy, grateful and content in each day.

So there you have it. Likelihood that I will accomplish all those things? Slim to none. However, it's good to have goals and aspirations, amirite? Thanks to Erin @ Living in Yellow for the link-up and idea!

Tweet

Happy Sunday

Via Pinterest

Tweet

Seven Kittens and Topknots.

Link to watch seven kittens live stream. You're Welcome.

Also, I'd like for my hair to do this:

Via A Cup of Jo

but I have to wait for it to get a bit longer first. Though switching to sulfate-free shampoo seems to be paying off, note to self.

B is gone tonight = lame.

Dinner with my dad tonight = excellent.

So I guess that balances out into an okay evening.

Tweet

Cures for Feeling Sorry for Yourself

Yesterday I was feeling really down. Stuck on the ladder of life, if you will. Went to sleep, had weird dreams and woke up feeling even more down. It is also the kind of hot today where sweat rolls down your back from just standing outside, and that's never happiness-inducing. But now I'm feeling better, and I will share with you my secrets for lifting one's mood.

1. Dress like Minnie Mouse, or at the very least wear something that makes you happy.



When I saw this Minnie-style skirt on ModCloth I had to have it.

2. Remember that you can't do everything, but you can do something. Walking out of my apartment this morning, I noticed that both sides of the road were covered with newspaper pages. A football field's worth of road looked like the newspaper man had gotten very, very upset, torn up his newspapers and thrown them out the window. And I was all, this is awful, who is going to have to clean this up? And then I realized that, while I couldn't clean up the whole stretch of road, I could pick up some of the papers that lined my route to the train. It made me feel good to have at least done something, even though it didn't come close to solving the problem, rather than perpetuating it by ignoring it.

3. Get yourself some good coffee. Sugar and caffeine are great mood boosters. They also make me a little manic, which my coworkers enjoy.


On the suggestion of Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers, I tried a misto. Liked that it was cheaper than my usual fancy drink of choice, but I should've added a flavored shot. Next time.


4. See a poster about sending aid to refugees and remember that you have been incredibly blessed compared to much of the world. Realize you are being selfish by feeling sorry for yourself and feel grateful for all that you do have.




Not the poster I saw, but it makes the point. Via

  And then you can go on about your day with the appropriate attitude. Any other mood-boosting suggestions?

Addendum: God is really trying to tell me something today. Came across this and it gave me that warm and fuzzy feeling that people are, in general, good at heart, and that we are all in this life together. The best things we can do are help each other out every now and then and put a smile on someone's face.

Tweet

Desire.



By Epicurious on Etsy



Tweet

Chin Up Buttercup



The Love Shop on Etsy



Tweet