Today I am celebrating my 25th birthday! For the first time ever I feel a little strange about turning another year older. In many ways, I still feel like a recent college graduate and I can’t wrap my mind around being halfway to 50! I am so grateful for another trip around the sun and can’t wait to celebrate with my family. This past year of my life was definitely one for the books so I thought it would be fun to document this time in my life by listing 25 things about me at age 25.

Turning 25 – Birthday Reflection

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5 Great Memories

-Our wedding day definitely takes the cake on my favorite memory from this past year. Read our Wedding Q&A blog post here.

-Snorkeling on our honeymoon in St. Lucia by the piton mountains. Check out more about our honeymoon here.

-Spending a weekend with my 4 best friends in a beach town on Lake Michigan. You can find my bachelorette weekend post here.

-Taking Leo to Chicago around Christmas time. The blog post on that trip is linked here.

-Having a bonfire with Nick, Leo, Daisy, and my parents in their back yard.

5 Things I Learned

-I can spend several months quarantined in a 1,000 square foot apartment with Nick and Leo and not once get sick of their company.

-The opportunity I have to educate myself, use my voice, and vote to fight for the things I believe in.

-How to talk to the camera on Instagram stories without being too awkward. I’m still awkward but better than I used to be, haha.

-How to use Pinterest to get more traffic to my blog. I love geeking out over the analytics of each post!

-To stop overworking myself. I’ve been working since I was 14 and was crazy enough to somehow balance 5 different part-time jobs on top of a full credit semester in college. Since I started working full time as a corporate graphic designer I’ve continued to pursue side hustles. This past year I wrapped up my last few freelance photography clients and stepped away from a part-time social media management job. I now only balance my full-time job with my passion for blogging/personal social media and allow myself to have days off.

5 Favorites

-My favorite flower is a peony. See above 😉

-My favorite ice cream flavor is and has been for several years mint moose tracks.

-The best lipstick I’ve ever tried and a new favorite as of this past year is the Charlotte Tilbury in shade Pillow Talk.

-My favorite podcast this year has been What We Said. It’s the only podcast I never skip an episode on.

-Hats have been my favorite clothing accessory this year. You can find my favorite felt hat (pictured above) here and a hat similar to my favorite sunhat here.

5 Accomplishments

-Purchasing fewer, high-quality clothing pieces over many cheap ones. Becoming a conscious consumer is something I’m still working on but I have enjoyed not selling for low-quality clothes or ones that I’m not totally obsessed with. Check out my style staples for summer here.

-I’ve been experimenting with cooking since I graduated from college three years ago and with each year I grow my taste buds and become more confident in the kitchen.

-Staying consistent (for the most part) with my blog posts. A few months ago I really struggled to clarify my main passion project as I had several ideas in my head. I realized that my blog was still my #1 and that I owe it to myself to keep going. I really want to take my blog to the next level in the coming months so be sure to sign up for my email list once I figure how how to start one!

-Updating my skincare routine. As I enter my mid-twenties I’m unfortunately at that age where I can find pimples and wrinkles on my face. It doesn’t seem fair that you can have both at the same time but I have incorporated some new products into my routine to help keep my skin looking young as long as possible.

-I can currently run two miles or so without stopping which has not always been the case with my exercised induced asthma. Running has been my recent go-to workout since the gyms have been closed so it’s nice to see improvement.

5 Things Im Grateful For

-My health is something I’ve always been grateful for but living in a pandemic has really made me realize how fortunate I am.

-Our family and friends. This is an obvious one but experiencing all of our loved ones in the same room at our wedding was beyond special and reminded us just how lucky we are.

-My faith. I don’t talk about this often but trusting in God’s plan for my life has helped me through a long season of uncertainty in the past 8 months.

-The work from home order than went from three weeks to at least 5 months and possibly longer. Of course, I wish this opportunity would have come under different circumstances but I have absolutely loved getting to work from home and be with Nick and Leo more. I also love not having to get ready each day and sit in traffic for an hour plus!

-TikTok. Although I don’t regularly post on this app (this may change), I love finding funny videos to show to Nick and have even learned random life hacks or food ideas on there.

Well friends and future self reading this, there is a little summary of who I am at age 25. I’m proud of the woman I am becoming but I do wish that life would slow down a little bit. I have so many reasons to smile today, so many people to be grateful for and so much excitement to see what the next year has in store!