Quarter Century!

Finally I've joined the club! It's been an amazing 24th year. I accomplished a lot of things and I think the positive and negative things that have happened certainly has not made it a boring year by any means! Negative experiences have taught me so much: how to act around "authority" and deal with uncomfortable situations, when to keep my mouth shut and when to open up, and how to handle going from full time pay to practically peanuts (dealing with work, my sometimes annoying mom- but when Jerry's around she's so cool, weird!, and today's economy/ridiculousgradschfees). I went through some uncomfortable times when I was 24 and even though I wish they hadn't happened in the manner that they did, in a way I'm glad they unfolded the way they did because I learned a lot from them. Positive experiences during my 24th year have taught me how to love and be loved in a way that I didn't think was possible (Jer), accomplish a seemingly impossible task (swimming), hone skills that give me great joy because I am creating something that is eye-catching, tasty, and a labor of love (photography, baking, and sewing) and renewing a friendship that shouldn't have been lost in the first place (Christina). Good and bad, there are countless other things that have made my 24th year unique but those mentioned above really stand out to me because I would be a different person on the morning of my 25th birthday if they hadn't had happened.

There are still many accomplishments, experiences, and lessons ahead of me: some could take a day, others a lifetime, and the following I hope, a year. In my 25th year I want to focus on being less speedy: there is a time and place to be quick but quicker is not always better (2 speeding tix have hit me, my wallet, and my record hard! *gulp*). I also want to make the most out of my grad sch education- I feel that during my first year I didn't learn as much as I could have b/c I was so busy working. Like Christina said, in school we're taught to learn and forget immediately- sufficient but not sustaining. Year 2 of my program is my last shot to learn in a safe space before I truly enter my career. 3rd, I want to TRY to complain less and be proactive about things that irk me, or worse, piss me off. Being a girl, I'm prone to bitching and whining and I get the feeling that that it can be tedious for those closest to me with whom I chat with everyday. There will probably be days there all I want is to vent, but for the other days, I want to be able to turn the thorns in my side into...something not so thorny. ( I wanted to say "into roses that I can smell" but that is so cheesy!!!) Next, I want to continue getting back into shape. I've noticed that my muffin top was growing larger and that my body wasn't feeling like what it used to be and it was due to all the cow I was eating while dating Jer early on, along with a full academic/work load and the temptation to skip going to Wooden more often than not. Since I'm not taking classes this summer I've been dedicating the extra time I have to going to Wooden more regularly and also swimming as often as I can. I have been noticing a difference, and my goal this year is to not only increase the difference, but also to maintain it. I already eat pretty healthy to begin with, and the missing piece is continuous workouts to maintain a healthy weight and body shape. On a completely vain note, I don't want to add "lose weight so I can fit into my wedding dress" onto my list of wedding tasks, haha. But with school starting in about 1.5 months it is very easy to regress, and I certainly don't want to waste away my current progress! Finally, this may not be accomplished in a year, but I want to make strides in not STRESSING so much. Last year I stressed over everything- family, school, work, friends, money, health etc. So simply put, I'm going to try to do it less. Easier said then done, eh?! Well, no other choice but to try! :)

Okay, here's to another year of learning, living, and loving!