Wednesday, August 22, 2012

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

8 comments:

Jordan said...

Fantastic list. I need to remember to do this for my next birthday!

Suze said...

I think making goals is really important and I do not think 11/25 is a bad "score." Things change, priorities change, life get sin the way. :)

Good luck with 26. Sounds like 25 was a great year, hope 26 is even better!

Happy birthday!

Zoe said...

Happy Birthday, Lauren! Have a lovely day and a fantastic year ahead! I'm new to your blog, it's so charming, your writing is so warm and inviting! :)

Eliza :: Case Study said...

I love this! I'm turning 22 on Friday + and I'm posting a similar list to my blog tomorrow :) Happy Birthday, to you! xoxo! eliza

Andrea said...

Happy Birthday to you! Great ideas on your list!

Tiffany said...

Happy Birthday!!! Both lists are wonderful and inspiring!

Sara Brown said...

Happy birthday! I love ya blog! I live in Boston so anytime you want to visit, you have a place to stay

Lauren said...

Take the time to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's! It's one of my favorite movies and one that I always put in if I'm not sure what I want to watch.

the back and forth.

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