It's My Birthday

Hello wonderful human beings, how have you been? I am really happy, as you might have guessed by the title of this post, it is my birthday today. This last year has been wonderful.

It obviously had ups and downs like life always does, but it was overall a year of growth, and a year of achieving many of my goals, and a year full of happy memories. I don't know if you remember this post from last year, but there I wrote about things I learned while being 24 and goals I had for my 25th year of life. So today I want to talk about things I've learned while being 25, goals I want for my 26 year of life, and revisit the goals I had set for myself this past year.

First, lets talk about 26 things I learned while being 25

1. Cold brew coffee, delicious.
2. keeping the house clean takes time and energy, it is important to take breaks.
3. I don't have to read everyday to be someone who loves reading.
4. It is okay to have unfinished books.
5. Feeding my body is essential for my wellbeing.
6. Wonderful things can happen when I allow myself to try.
7. Some people share energy, some only take it away. Who I spend my energy on matters.
8. It is okay to let Brandon do the dishes sometimes.
9. I don't need a perfect life, just a beautiful one.
10. I have more potential than I realize. No more underestimating myself.
11. There is power in enjoying a nice sunny day.
12. It is not my responsibility to fix everyone's problems.
13. Forgiving doesn't have to mean letting people back into my life.
14. People also show their love by respecting my boundaries.
15. There is always time to do the things that make me happy.
16. Growing older doesn't mean having less fun.
17. Playing video/board games with Brandon is always fun.
18. Sometimes happiness requires allowing myself to enjoy unexpected things.
19. It is okay to dislike things I used to love, or begin to love things I used to dislike.
20. Winning isn't everything.
21. It is okay to have private aspects of my life that don't get shared.
22. I am always worthy of love.
23. Sometimes my brain lies to me.
24. I don't need to be in control of everything for things to work out.
25. A clean space helps me keep a clean mind.
26. Some of the most wonderful things in life are unexpected.

Here are 26 goals I want to accomplish before turning 27

1. Read more
2. Cook more
3. Donate more
4. Grow a bigger garden
5. Learn more about food preservation
6. Visit Guatemala......(get Brandon a passport)
7. Write more
8. Create more
9. Love more
10. Gift flowers to at least 10 strangers
11. Create an online shop
12. Learn a new art skill
13. Share more art
14. Scrapbook more
15. Play more board games with Brandon
16. Learn to bake rhubarb pie
17. Spend more off-screen time
18. Start a nature journal
19. Start writing down our favorite recipes
20. Take and print more pictures
21. Take more walks outside
22. Hike up State Park at least once a month
23. Rearrange the basement
24. Make journals with recycled paper
25. Finish my knitted blanket
26. Learn to relax

Lets talk about the 25 goals I had last year

1. Open my own business.

I did this one last June. Creating the business was easy, now doing something with it is the challenge. So far I have participated in one craft fair, and I will participating in another one at the end of November.

2. Publish at least one book.

This one isn't fully done, so I guess it doesn't count as completed, but it is in the process.

3. Learn how to make chicken pot pie.

I had forgotten about this one, but I completed it last week. It was easier than I thought, and absolutely delicious.

4. Get through a whole cook book.

I have completed this one a couple of times, and I think it has been one of my favorites. From 30 minutes Mac and cheese to 8hr beef bourguignon, I have tried an insane amount of recipes. Some we have loved, some not so much.

5. Do more bookbinding.

I have been doing a lot of bookbinding this year, and even sold my handmade journals at a fair.

6. Finish a whole year of bullet journaling.

Bullet journaling has been really helpful this past year to keep me organized. It has been great to keep track of these goals, and of course keep memories.

7. Learn ASL (american sign language).

I started this one early on and did learn a tiny bit of ASL, but honestly forgot about it so it didn't get completed.

8. Read the entire book of all works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Another one that didn't get done, nothing wrong with E.A.P. it just isn't for me.

9. Learn how to bake bread.

I don't know if I can call this one done or not. I did attempt to bake bread a few times, but aside from banana bread, I wouldn't call myself a bread baker.

10. Get better at yoga.

When you are starting at zero, getting better is easy, but I did mark it as completed when I was able to hold the bridge position.

11. Read 53 books.

This one did not get fully completed, but I definitely read more books than last year and I count that as a win.

12. Learn to ask for help.

This one has been hard because it fills me with guilt, but I have learned (and continue to learn) that it is okay to ask for help.

13. Create a selfcare routine and use it.

It has taken some trial and error, but I think I am close to finding the perfect routine for self-care.

14. Works out every day.

Sometimes I was really good at it, sometimes not so much.

15. Find work outs that are fun and I enjoy.

I got a bike and I love riding it.

16. Learn more about being self-sufficient.

I don't know everything there is to know about self sustainability, but I have learned a lot. From growing our own food to preserving it, I now have some tricks under my sleeve.

17. Beat Brandon and Pokemon.

I've only done it once, but I've done it.

18. Live more minimally; use what I own before buying new stuff.

This is something I have worked on for years, and I don't think it is something I will never stop working on. Something I have been doing lately is finding ways to reuse things that would otherwise end up in the trash.

19. Finish painting the wall in the living room.

Took me a while, almost the whole year to be honest. This project is probably the one that suffered the most from abandonment due to life getting in the way, and mental illness.

20. Stop being afraid to share my art.

This took lots of courage but I have found so many people who connect with my art and enjoy it, so it has been worth it.

21. Learn more about the things Brandon enjoys.

This has been a fun, especially because it has lead to finding things we love doing together.

22. Try a haircut I’ve never had.

I completed this one the week after my birthday, it was the first one.

23. Learn new art skills.

I am still learning, but have absolutely enjoyed watercoloring.

24. Learn to live more ecologically.

Like being a minimalist, this is something I think I will always be working on. Something Brandon and I have worked on, is changing the way we shop, so that we use products that leave the least amount of residue.

25. Be proud of whom I am.

This one doesn't need an explanation, but it is definitely something I have had to learn.

And with that, we are done for today.

Now, I am going to go enjoy my birthday dinner and pack for our trip to Hawaii. Until next time, go do something that makes you happy and don't forget to share your love with everyone around you.