farewell, 25. welcome, 26.

{25th birthday drinks at Centrico in NYC with David and cousins}

25. the year i became engaged to be wed. the year i found a love of baking. saturday scones. sunday croissants. mostly uneventful - with one dramatic exception. a year that emphasized home. a slow start to wedding plans. another year toward health. beginning with a trip to my favorite city and ending with an earthquake (so it was a couple days before my year ended...).

to 26. a year of change. faster wedding planning progress? necessary. change of location? certainly. finding work that will make me happy? hopefully.

26 began with a natural disaster: an unceremonious hurricane. perhaps an appropriate metaphor for what should be a whirlwind year. and, hopefully, will end in my living in my favorite city.

day-of birthday plans consisted of making some sort of chocolate + peanut butter treat for myself. pulling together some kind of delicious dinner...day-of birthday activities consisted of eating whatever struck my fancy - which happened to be far more junk food than i normally consume. no birthday treat. no delicious dinner. lots of napping. a bit of feeling ill.

lesson learned so far in year 26:

*a day of junk food is far better in theory than in practice. moderation can actually provide more enjoyment.

{heading to my "Farewell to 25" dinner}

more me (initially forgotten, equally important)

I am a pleaser. I love when I make people happy. I love expectations and meeting beating them.
I LOVE speaking in hyperbole.
I love ellipses...
I love paper. I love any reason to buy or make a card.
I am damn smart. I prefer being creative.

autobiography

I am a perfectionist.

I think perfection is worth striving for, even if not achievable.
I think anything worth doing is worth my 150%.
I am a "Googler." I love to learn. I believe I can learn anything. I believe I can do anything.
I believe in God. I believe in people. I believe in hard work.
I am independent. I hate going places alone.

I am shy. I am confident. I love to talk. I {usually} hate the phone.
I am friendly. I make friends easily. I smile a lot. I love to talk.

I have an incredible long-term memory. I have a terrible short-term memory.

I have a great imagination.

I am detail-oriented.

I know what I want.

I am solution-oriented. I fix problems. I give advice. I obsess over unresolved issues.

I am type A. I hate to ask for help when I can do it better. I hate things outside of my control.

I love rules. I love doing things "the right way." I might have OCD.

I love to improve.

I am the quintessential oldest child. I am a "momma's girl."

I am a saver.

I am domestic. I am messy. I am incredibly organized. I enjoy washing dishes. I don't like cleaning the floor. I love folding laundry.

I want to be Martha Stewart when I grow up.

I look up to my friends. I am horrible at staying in touch.

I love my eyebrows.

I take exceptional care in my teeth, skin and hair. I take great umbrage with any problems that develop with these things.
I hate when things waste my time. I love to waste my own time.
I love lazy days. I hate laziness.
I love criticism. I am a great critic.
I have strong opinions. I am open-minded. I am stubborn

I love good writing. I love to write. I love to edit. I hate to proofread. I don't think I have mastered the use of the comma.

I love food. I love to eat. I let cravings govern my eating. I am a mono-eater. I love fruit. I love veggies. I love unhealthy comfort food. I love breakfast. I love a runny egg yolk. I love peanut butter. I love avocado. I can't eat steak. I don't think chicken is worth eating.

I shake when I drink coffee. I love coffee.
I love to run. I love to weight train. I love to curl up on the couch.
I love to sleep. I can't sleep in.
I love all things girly. I love all things beauty. I love applying eyeliner. I love blowdrying my hair.
I love fashion. I am stylish. I am not trendy.
I love football. I love baseball. I love basketball. I detest soccer. I don't enjoy playing sports of any kind.
I hate losing. I don't enjoy things I'm not immediately good at.
I love music. I love to sing. I love to dance.
I love photography. I love a well-taken photo.
I love cold weather. I hate being cold.
I love the sun. I hate being hot.
I love New York City. I miss it.
I am easily bored. I am constantly multitasking.
I believe in romance. I believe in tough love. I don't coddle. I do cuddle.
I think the word "mean" is overused. I don't have patience for whining.

I don't have patience for complaining unless you're working toward a solution.

I love my family. I love David's family.

I am a perfectionist.


Did you learn anything?