twenty-five: a year in review.

WITH TWENTY-SIX on today's horizon, i thought it'd be fun to look back on this past year & all that has happened... i was just about to turn twenty-five when i started this blog, & now i'm turning twenty-six. a year ago, i wasn't engaged, & now i am. i had lived in louisiana my entire life at this time one year ago, & now i have lived in kinston, north carolina, & after i get married, i will live in wilmington, north carolina. my sister left the country [well, at least for a little while]. the day finally came when i brought myself to read another classic. in my twenty-fifth year, my friend jenny got engaged & married, my friend lindsey got engaged, & my cousin geoff got married. travels upon travels were documented, both of the land & air varieties. my blog child turned one. i finally, FINALLY got to see taylor swift in concert.oh, & we absolutely cannot forget that luke wilson made me cry. boy, has it been a year!

perhaps you remember this post?

read on for the official results.

1. choose my career path & pursue it.

if you read my blog, it may not necessarily come as a shock to you that this one is not crossed off. what can i say, i have a lot of interests.

2. write a children's book & get it published.

if you make it all the way to the end of this post, you'll find this goal - in two parts - in my new list for the coming year.

3. take the GRE.

4. see taylor swift in concert.

5. clean out my closet & donate my clothes.

6. construct a budget & stick to it.

if only you knew how crazy this year has been.

7. visit kara at millsaps.

8. become a morning person.

i'm getting better at this, but not good enough for me to feel okay about crossing it off.

9. send a postsecret.

there are so many secrets i want to send off. i need to just do it.

10. go to a movie by myself.

i still haven't done this. and in light of recent events, i'm kind of scared to now.

11. knit a scarf.

12. run a 10k.

yet another goal you'll find in my new list, alongside loftier ones.

13. lose the weight & keep it off.

'the' isn't crossed off just yet, because i'm not finished losing the weight. but i have lost weight, & i couldn't be more thrilled about it. i'm really starting to like my body again, which is such a great, rewarding thing. now, for the keeping it off.

14. read at least 20 books.

while i'm fairly certain i have indeed achieved this goal, i can't be sure because i didn't really keep a record of it. in the twenty-sixth year of my life, i plan to critique each & every book i read. not only will this give me an accurate count when it comes time for year twenty-seven, but i will also be able to contribute a lot to my critique cache feature.

15. visit a place i've never been to before.

16. make this bracelet.

it's a shame that the website that housed 'this bracelet' no longer exists. it's also a shame that i'm cheating & telling you that i accomplished this task, when really, my coworkers accomplished it for me, then gifted me with the precious results.

17. sew something all by myself.

i have to admit, i've spent exactly zero time seated at the sewing machine in the past year.

18. watch breakfast at tiffany's in its entirety.

it's ridiculous that i haven't been able to find time in the past year to watch this movie. i promise you that i will this year.

19. go out of the country.

i may not have done this in the past year, but kara has.

20. create a workout routine & stick to it.

21. learn to play a song on the guitar to kara & i can sing a duet.

another one i just... straight up neglected to carry out.

22. never go to bed without brushing my teeth.

i can't cross this one off, but i can tell you that i did a REALLY good job... just not a PERFECT job.

23. pick a laundry day & stick to it.

i can't - in good conscience - cross this one off, when a pile of laundry is staring at me from across the room as i type this.

24. complete my four art projects.

oh, how i am behind in my art work!  

25. live for the moment.

eleven victories out of twenty-five possible?

come on, lauren, you can do better than that. and maybe you will...

1. get married.

2. visit boston, massachusetts & portland, maine.

3. go on a cruise.

4. move to wilmington, north carolina.

5. have a dinner date with my husband.

6. go out of the country.

7. complete all the projects on my arts & crafts board on pinterest.

8. buy a devotion book.

9. journal every single day. even if it's just one word.

10. decorate our first christmas tree together.

11. pitch my children's book to some publishers.

12. oh, & before that happens, i should probably get the book on paper. and illustrate it.

13. watch my dear friend lindsey get married.

14. have siddathornton redesigned, by a professional.

15. take a web design course.

16. complete a triathlon.

17. run a 5k.

18. run a 10k.

19. run a half marathon.

20. work toward becoming a renaissance woman.

21. resume reading the bible. and make some serious headway.

22. keep a record of all the books i read. and write a critique of each one.

23. keep the weight off & live as healthy a lifestyle as possible.

24. get more pedicures.

25. get involved in my community.

26. visit new york city.

yes, some of the items listed above could be considered a 'given,' considering the [quickly-approaching] events that lie before me in the remainder of this year. but humor me, will ya? it is my birthday after all.

photo: birthday morning sky \ instagram