It dawned on me the other day…That I would be 25 in 4 months. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it just yet…Joyful to reach such a monumental age or dreading the day where I must tell someone I am…Twenty FIVE? Sigh…Only time will tell. For now, in honour of this quarter of a century birthday, I’ve put together a list of 25 things to do before I turn 25!
25 things to accomplish before 25:
1. Lose that last 10 pounds that I have been trying to lose forever! / I want to ring in year 25, feeling great about my body and self image!
— Though I’ve decided against weighing myself and only measuring myself from now on. I can say I feel great. I did the 30 day shred level 2 for 10 days and level 3 for 20, on top of that I did hot yoga 2-4 x a week. I have gone done in sizes, all sizes. I am now consistently grabbing smalls , sometimes XS , size 4’s and size 27’s. I feel strong and healthy. I mainly wanted to cut body fat, not weight. And now that I’ve taken my focus off the scale and more so into how I feel and look, I am happier.
2. Learn to cook/bake 5 new dishes really well! / I love to cook and really want to master certain dishes so I can have “go-to’s” when needed.
–Bolognese sauce from scratch ( crock pot ), gluten free chocolate chip cupcakes, lasagna ( crock pot ), the most perfect scrambled eggs ever ( Chef Ramsey would be proud ),
3. Read 5 books I should have read by now! / Must find a list of books I should have read.
Read :
4. Travel to some place new! / I love taking weekend trips to tiny little towns or big cities, where should I go?
— NYC !
5. Stop biting my nails. / Hate that I still do this. I have an amazing nail polish collection that I’d like to use on pretty long nails!
— It’s a slow process. I don’t really bite them anymore, but I have brittle nails, so when they break…I pick at them. But at least i’m not biting them!
6. Learn how to make bread. / Hmmm… bread. ( Probably not the best thing to learn to make when I’m trying to lose 10 pounds! )
— Gluten free bread, to be exact. And it was delicious!
7. Volunteer somewhere. / I’m thinking SPCA…Though I’ll probably adopt them all.
8. Refurnish a piece of second hand furniture! / I recently bought an old frame, painted it and turned it into a chalkboard. I want to do this again on a larger scale.
9. Get all my favourite prints framed and hung up around the house. / Which ones to choose?
— I’ve definitely started. I have 6 up so far. But there is more to come!
10. Attend 2 creative live workshops online. / Love these.
11. Try a sensory deprivation tank for deep meditation. / Namaste.
12. Get a tattoo! / Ah priorities!
13. Learn to play and sing 5 new songs! / Nothing like picking up the guitar and singing your heart out!
— I was given a ukulele from Stephane for Christmas, so naturally I’ve been playing that more! Songs I’ve learned to play and sing :
I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You – Elvis Prestley, Everyone – Ingrid Michaelson,
14. Buy a plant for the house. / One that can handle a little neglect here and there!
15. Pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant or in the drive thru. / Always wanted to do this!
16. Own a real pearl necklace! / Hint…hint.
17. Make homemade jam, pasta sauce, and soup. Then jar it! / I made my first batch of delicious freezer jam a few weeks ago and now I am hooked!
18. Improve my french… Enough to have a basic conversation without shying away! / How I wish I kept up with my french after high school.
–I’ve bought Rosetta Stone levels 1-5. I will be semi bilingual by 26, I swear!
19. Find the perfect pair of jeans. / Being short with wide hips often proves impossible to find the right pair.
–With inches cut, I have more jeans than I have ever owned in my life… All different colours too. Green, teal, purple, grey, black, regular!
20. Start stretching every day. / Want to be able to do the splits again!
–Started hot yoga at Dynamic Fitness 2-4x a week. I honestly did not think I would enjoy this as, well, I don’t fare well in the heat. But alas, I am hooked. My butterfly pose is now a complete butterfly ( knees all the way to the ground ) with no effort whatsoever. It feels amazing to gain so much flexibility and core strength back that I’ve lost over the years.
21. Grow my own herbs. / Nothing like fresh herbs.
22. Start saving for retirement. / I really need to organize my finances for when I want to retire…Yes it’s a long way away.
23. Pay off all debts! / Serious debts be GONE!
–Completed! Can’t tell you how good this feels…Now the serious saving begins!
24. Have a picnic in the park! / Sandwiches, sunset, blankets, books!
25. Plan my dream trip to NYC for my 25th birthday! / Broadway shows, sightseeing, pretending to fit in, in a big city!
–It’s PLANNED! March 24-29th in the Big Apple with my sweetheart! Broadway shows, Hell’s kitchen, tattoos, the works. We are hitting the big city!
APRIL 7th, HERE I COME.
I also wrote a list of 25 things I’m proud I’ve accomplished before 25, maybe to help ease the pain, or really just to commemorate my last 24 years.
25 things I am proud to have accomplished by 25:
1. The amount I’ve traveled. – Many more trips to plan.
Australia. Germany. ( I actually lived there for 10 months ).The States. ( Maine, Florida, California, Washington. ) Drove across Canada and have visited every province except NFL. ( Still need to do the territories! ) Italy. Ireland. England. France. Mexico.
2. The fact I am self employed and own my own business doing what I love to do.
3. I went white water rafting years ago…Even though I’m terrified of drowning.
4. I’ve successfully made two turkey dinners!
5. I learned to meditate.
6. I learned to knit. Thanks youtube!
7. MC’d a wedding.
8. Sang at two weddings and two funerals. ( Two were songs I wrote. )
9. Learned to cook, pretty well, if I do say so myself.
10. Was the lead in a play. ( More than one actually! )
11. I’ve rescued a dog from the SPCA, an eight year old american staffie! I had him for three years. I’m happy I gave his last few years the best years of his life!
12. Modeled for many photographers… Despite feeling totally insecure about it!
13. Learned to do hair and makeup quite well, a service I can now offer my clients!
14. Taught myself how to play guitar. Thanks youtube!
15. Started a pretty good savings fund for traveling, camera equipment, and emergencies.
16. Watched and documented a birth… One of the most incredible days ever.
17. Have stood up for myself numerous times on a personal and business level in the past two years. Though I dislike confrontation.
18. Donated my time and efforts to several silent auctions, fundraisers, photo sessions. This I feel so proud of.
19. The fact I have lived on two continents, three provinces, and 10 cities.
20. The fact I’m not longer scared of change nor do I hold material possessions close to me. There isn’t very many things that I would be devastated to lose. People are what matter most.
21. Loved someone with my entire being.
22. Have seen shows on Broadway in London. Bucket list? Check! ( Wicked, The Tempest with Patrick Stewart, Les Miserables )
23. The fact I’ve helped make countless woman look and feel beautiful during my boudoir shoots with them! Such a great feeling.
24. I continue to follow my heart.
AND
25. That I followed and continue to follow my dreams.
