25 at 25 Bucket List: My Year of Yes

September 29, 2016October 1, 20165 Comments

happybirthdaytome Just a few weeks ago, I celebrated my 26th birthday! 🙂 I still can’t believe how quickly the time has passed or how weird it feels to know that I’m now inching a little closer to 30 than 20. It’s a weird transitionary time in my life: I still call my parents every time I need to know how to do something, but I also sometimes catch myself sharing really sage wisdom with a random college student and it truly feels like an out-of-body experience. (I’m pretty sure Britney Spears had a song about this.)

I started to feel this way leading up to my 25th birthday and was less enthused about turning another year older, so last year I created my “25 at 25” bucket list. I can get a little too wrapped up in the day-to-day craziness and find myself saying, “I wish I went there” or “I wish I had done that,” so at 25, I was determined to change this. I embarked on a Shonda Rhimes-esque year of yes, taking charge of my life and saying yes to new opportunities and adventures. I completed almost every item on my list, and many of those items led to new interests and hobbies. After attending a class on health and wellness at the East End Market, for example, I developed a newfound love for essential oils and aromatherapy. The class also led to my purchase of a gorgeous jade money tree, which brightens up my home and makes me incredibly happy every time I walk in the room, and a succulent — neither of which have died yet! My trip to Saint Augustine with my mom was one of the major highlights of my year, and visiting my best friend in the mountains of North Carolina was the exact change in scenery I needed.

Having this bucket list encouraged me to prioritize myself and be more open to new experiences. It translated to other areas of my life, as I found myself saying yes to local festivals and social gatherings I might not have otherwise attended (and having a great time).

Below is a quick recap of my 25 at 25 bucket list. Stay tuned for my 25 at 26 list, coming soon to a sporadically-updated blog near you. 🙂

~~Leave the state of Florida for a vacation~~. I took a trip to Boone, North Carolina, from 3/6 to 3/10, with a stop in Tennessee. Check out my recap of the trip here and my day trip to Asheville here!
~~Go to the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford.~~ Anyone who knows me can probably guess that the goats were my favorite animals at the Central Florida Zoo when I visited with friends on 11/7/15. Read more about my experience here!
~~See a local performing arts show~~. I went to see the Orlando Ballet’s Beauty and the Beast at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on 5/1/16. It was beautiful, and I can’t wait to attend another performing arts show at such a gorgeous venue.
~~Visit my sister in her new apartment once she leaves for graduate school~~. I visited Julie’s apartment for the first time on 11/27/15.
~~Go to the planetarium~~. I visited the Emil Buehler Planetarium at Seminole State College and attended The Star of Bethlehem show on 12/12/15. Read more about my experience here! We had such a great time that we ended up attending the Winter Sky Festival in January and have been keeping an eye out for more planetarium events this year.
~~Pursue public speaking opportunities.~~ This was a big one for me! I participated in several guest speaking opportunities that allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and become more accustomed to public speaking. Here’s what I did during that time:
- Taught Junior Achievement classes focused on identity theft prevention for high school seniors (9/21/15 and 2/16/16)
- Spoke as guest panelist on career panel at Seminole State College (9/22/15)
- Presented as guest speaker for the Knights Special Events Society (10/14/15)
- Participated in OCPS Teach-In to teach elementary school students about how to be a “super saver” (11/18/15)
- Spoke as guest panelist for the Month of the Woman Panel at UCF (3/14/16)
~~Roam around Leu Gardens in Orlando~~. I visited Leu Gardens on 7/24/16 and had an amazing time. If I ever meet the right guy, we are getting married in the rose garden. I decided this the moment I saw it.
~~Take a wine and painting class~~. I loved this! The ladies in my family and I attended one of these classes and painted the Eiffel Tower on a starry night background on 4/8/16. The painting is up in my apartment now and is such a great reminder of a wonderful night.
~~Spend the day in St. Augustine~~. My mom and I ventured out to St. Augustine from 1/9-1/10/16 and had so much fun. Check out the recap here! We are planning more mother-daughter trips for the future.
~~Visit the Morikami Museum~~. I visited on 10/16/15 with my parents. The gardens were beautiful, and I learned so much from my visit. Read more about my experience here!
Go on a behind-the-scenes tour of Magic Kingdom. This one did not happen because of scheduling conflicts, but it is on the list for 26. 😉
~~Apply to MBA school~~. I not only applied, but I officially began my MBA program in May 2016 and am now in my second semester. I have a great cohort and am excited to see where this program takes me!
Start a small side business for career coaching and resume writing. This one did not happen because my priorities changed. I realized with growing responsibilities at work and school, I didn’t want to add to the mix at this point in time.
Ride the swan boats at Lake Eola. I’ll be honest… I sort of forgot about this one. Maybe next year!
~~Take a Spanish class.~~ I took a “Spanish for Tellers” course through CUNA Professional Development Online, focusing on banking and financial terms, and completed the course on 12/22/15.
~~Tour the Lakeridge Winery in Clermont and attend a wine tasting.~~ I went to Lakeridge Winery for the Annual Grape Stomp Festival on 8/13/16, which included complimentary wine tastings.
~~Go berry picking.~~ I picked 2.5 pounds of blueberries at the Tom West Blueberry Farm on 5/22/16. U-Pick was such a fun experience, and my only regret was not doing it earlier in the season so that I could go back. Check out my recap here!
~~Attend a class at the East End Market~~. I attended “Be a Resolutionary” workshops at East End Market on 1/30/16, which led to a new love for aromatherapy and houseplants. Check out my recap!
~~Try a meal from a food truck~~. I attended Jazz on a Green in Lake Nona and ordered a grilled chicken gyro from It’s All Greek to Me on 11/14/15. It was pretty good!
Host a murder mystery party. This was too difficult to coordinate while juggling new responsibilities, but it may happen in the future.
~~Embark on another round of Whole30~~. I completed a round of Whole30 from January 1-30. Always a great way to detox my system!
~~Drive out to New Smyrna Beach~~. I spent the day out at New Smyrna Beach on 7/30/16, received a parking ticket after parking in the wrong spot on the actual beach (oops), and enjoyed a late lunch at Breakers.
~~Watch a mob movie~~. I watched and enjoyed Key Largo on 9/3/16, among other movies featuring mobsters in the past year.
~~Eat a macaron for the first time~~. I tried a vanilla macaron from Le Macaron on 10/17/15 and have since had them several other times in other flavors as well. I can’t believe that a year ago, I’d never eaten a macaron in my life!
~~Treat myself to a spa day~~. I spent a morning at Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa on 3/27/16. So relaxing!

What was on your bucket list for the year? Share in the comments section below!

Link Love Wednesday: Happy Halloween!

October 30, 20132 Comments

With Halloween just around the corner, I couldn’t resist pulling a few spooktacular links from the blogosphere! I may not have a Halloween costume just yet (is there still time? Please tell me there’s still time!), but I still have my memories of trick-or-treating in princess costumes and pouring out pillowcases of candy at the end of the night. In honor of what was once my favorite day of the year, please enjoy this week’s Link Love, and share your own favorites in the comments section below!

We all have those candies we don’t want to find in our trick-or-treat bags. Hello Giggles provides a helpful list.
Are you lazy like me and still lacking a costume? Check out some of these awesome last-minute costumes, courtesy of We’re Calling Shenanigans.
Barnes & Noble has compiled a list of the worst Mary Sues in literature. Here’s lookin’ at you, Charles Wallace Murray! (Anyone else remember A Wrinkle in Time?)
After weaning yourself off of the Halloween candy, you’ll want to avoid the worst times for healthy grocery shopping.
We all fall victim to clutter. Find out what not to do when trying to organize your home.
Ragan provides some of the smartest ways to network after a big event.
Hat tip to Branden for sharing what may be the cutest story of all time, all about a Japanese travel agency for stuffed animals.
This is a great post about the negative feelings that often come along with a big life change, and the best way to push past them. A must-read for anyone starting a new job, moving to a new city, graduating from college or going through a breakup!
Sarah from Yes & Yes provides a polite and effective way to respond to something offensive.
Sucker for romantic comedies? Thought Catalog lists a few that won’t insult your intelligence!

Any great links you’ve picked up this week? Share in the comments below!

Link Love Wednesday: Happily Ever After?

May 15, 2013Leave a comment

Good evening, friends! For those who are beginning summer classes, hope you are having a wonderful start to your semester. 🙂 Meanwhile, I hope the rest of you are enjoying your weeks.

Although I graduated from college just a couple of weeks ago, I’m still a Disney princess at heart (tiara, princess voice and all). I may be an educated semi-feminist, but there’s something about the franchise that brings me right back to my childhood. Of course, when Disney came up in the blogosphere this week, I had to take a look!

Merida, the heroine from Pixar’s Brave, is now officially a Disney princess, and with every great title change comes a controversial makeover (pictured in the article). Critics are outraged with Merida’s new appearance, claiming that she looks much thinner now and that Disney is sending a negative message to young girls. Personally, I don’t see a huge difference before and after. What are your thoughts?
For her daughter’s fifth birthday, one mom from Texas decided to forgo the Disney princess theme. Instead, she dressed her daughter as five real-life heroines (Coco Chanel, Amelia Earhart, Helen Keller, Jane Goodall and Susan B. Anthony) and photographed her as each. I’ve been hearing about more and more young girls dressing up as inspirational women in history, and as much as I loved my Belle costumes as a little girl, I have to say I think this is such a cool idea.
Are clothes getting too skimpy for young girls? This is what one New York Times writer and father of two had to say.
Brianna Wiest from Thought Catalog wrote about the “games” we play when dating in order to hide our vulnerabilities. Great article about our insistence on playing hard-to-get instead of being straightforward.
We’re constantly reading about what we can do to make ourselves desirable in the job market, but sometimes the “don’ts” are just as important as the “dos.” PR Daily addresses graduating college students by explaining what not to do when applying for jobs!
I jumped on the bandwagon for the HBO show Girls only recently, but I quickly became addicted, watching the entire series in the span of about two weeks. I can’t help but identify with a couple of the characters (regardless of what that says about me!), and would much rather listen to people discuss whether they’re “a Shoshanna or a Jessa” than “a Carrie or a Miranda.” Kelly Williams Brown of Adulting wrote this fantastic open letter to each of the show’s characters on how to grow up, and if you’re a fan of the show, you’ll be sure to enjoy.
Did you know that social media has impacted the way we think about food? Check out this Greatist article about the positive and negative effects that social media has had.
Chicken piccata is one of my favorite dishes, but it can get a little calorie heavy at times! Dani Spies posted a recipe and video for a healthier chicken piccata recipe that I can’t wait to try. (I love her videos – they not only helped me to make the most delicious broccoli ever, but they also taught me how to hard boil eggs. Don’t make fun of me.)