25 by 25

Well, I've been 24 for a month now. I think it's time that I share my 25 by 25 list. I've drawn inspiration from several blogs, and compiled a list of 25 things that I would like to complete by the time I turn 25. Enjoy :)


1. Run 3 5k races and a 10k race. This has been a goal of mine for some time now. I ran a 5k in college, and I loved it! It was the first time in my life that running was enjoyable, and not boring and difficult. Then I got stress fractures in my shins. Then I got pregnant. Then I got lazy. Time to rejoin the running world.

2. Make time to read 25 books. I would love to make this number more like 100 books, but I'm being realistic. The Hunger Games trilogy are the only books I've read since last summer. I used to read several books a week, and I miss it. With being a single mum, working, and social functions, I'll be happy with 25.

3. Get back in shape. I don't even remember what I looked like before Clara. It'sVis like my memory blocked it out to protect my self-esteem. I'm back into the jeans I wore in high school, but I didn't look that great back then.  So I want 24/25 to be the age where I've never looked better. May it last through my 20s, 30s, and 40s as well. :)

4. Give up pop for at least a month. This one is gonna be difficult. I  have a small addiction to diet coke. It's bad. I get withdrawal headaches after 24 hours. Damn aspartame. Ideally, I would like to get my liquid consumption down to water, milk, and occasionally alcohol.

5. Spend a day in Chicago. I would really love to go back to NYC, but money is tight, and it's not gonna happen. So what's the next best thing? Chicago, of course! I haven't been since I was 18, and it's definitely time to go again.

6. Get my wisdom teeth out. Strange goal to have, I know. But I don't have dental insurance. So this is gonna be expensive. They have just started to push through, and the last time I was at the dentist, my wisdom teeth hadn't even formed, if that gives you any idea how long it's been.

7. Add another tattoo. I already have 3 tattoos, but my last one I got was in the summer of '09. My life has changed drastically since then, and I want to commemorate those changes.

8. Run 1000 miles. This goes along with both my race goal, and my get-back-in-shape goal. I remember my high school boyfriend having this as his summer goal, and he doubled it! I just want to do 1000 in a year. I know people busier than me run way more than this, but I'm being realistic with my abilities, commitments, and general tendency towards laziness.

9. Finish two circuits of P90X. I've been doing P90X for about 6 months now. But I haven't stuck with it. I skip over workouts that I don't like or that I don't have equipment for. I want to complete every workout, on the day that they're supposed to be done. No skipping. No making excuses. Six months of P90X.

10. Set up my Etsy shop. I've had so many requests about my Etsy shop these last few months. I've wanted to set it up, but I'm the queen of procrastination. I wanted to complete a better selection of inventory. I wanted professional pictures taken of my products. And I wanted to make sure I was ready. Find better techniques, better materials, and a wider client base with some sponsors. This is the year. Get excited.

11. Get my own place. Living with my mom has been great these last 9 months, but I'm ready to be on my own again. I'm so grateful for her love and support. Taking Clara and I in when we had no where else to go. (Actually, I could have lived with my sister or my dad). I feel so lucky to have a supportive family. There are single mothers in my situation that have nowhere to turn. They're living in a shelter, on the street, or had to give up their children. I'm so grateful and blessed with what I have. However. It's time for me to be a grown up. I want Clara to think of me as a strong, independent woman, who doesn't need a man or anyone else to rely on. (Not that there's anything wrong with that). I want to provide for my daughter. I don't want her to ever question that her needs are taken care of.    

12. Re-do my wardrobe. Hello! Did you not hear that I'm wearing the jeans I fit into in HIGH SCHOOL!? My closet needs some serious help. I think I have some awesome fashion sense. Or rather I would. Many of the clothes I'd like to wear don't look so good on a woman with my... physical disrepair. I dress conservatively. Clara's dad has joked that I have an 80-year-old woman living inside me with all of the floral prints and cardigans I wear.

Spot. On.

More accurately, I'd say that I dress like a 40-year-old. Which is not ok. I am 24, not 40. The other day, I wore a floral button down, gray cardigan, and clogs to work. CLOGS. I need help. Anyone wanna nominate me for What Not to Wear?

13. Take a class. Dance, bikram yoga, tennis, kickboxing, pottery, painting, horseback riding. I don't care. With life currently following a very monotonous routine, my hunger for learning new things has increased and been extinguished at the same time.

14. Go on a road trip with Clara. That terrifies me. Now that I think about it, is it even possible? Me, and a one-year-old. On a road trip? It can't be done. But I wanna do it. I want to take her someplace she's never been (which is easy, and yes, I know that she won't remember it). But I want that memory with her. I want to show her the pictures when she's older and tell her about all the fun we had, and how we sang silly songs in the car, and made funny faces with each other, and tried new things.

15. Spend 24 hours without my iPhone. But how will I know the local news stories? And check into Viggle? And foursquare? And take pictures without instagram? And read my email? And I won't be able to play words with friends and catch up on the TV I missed last night on Hulu. Yep. That's why it needs to be done.

16. Purge my life to Goodwill. I hate useless junk. I've never been the sentimental type over material things. And I'm OCD about clutter. My mom, however, saves toothbrushes. And programs from high school plays I was in. And some knick knacks that haven't been dusted for at least 5 years and some are really creepy. Is there anything wrong with it? No. But it annoys me immensely.
I purposely bought a gender neutral travel system when I was pregnant so I could use it for multiple children. However, by the time baby #2 comes around (hopefully) the car seat won't be legal and I'll have to buy a new one anyway. Sure, I kept about half of Clara's baby clothes from her first year. The ones that she was in all the time and I'm sentimental about. But she has more stuffed animals than she could ever possibly play with. And I know they're just going to keep coming. When we move, it's goodwill time.

17. Finish Clara's scrapbook. Yeah, I don't know that it's ever going to happen. I have a better chance at running a marathon in the next year than I do finishing that scrap book. But I know that I need to. I want her to know how much I loved her first year of life, what a good and sweet baby she was and is, and how much she taught me.

18. Buy a camera. I can be very creative behind the lens. I just need a better camera. When I was growing up, my dad took the most beautiful photos of our family, and I want Clara to have that.

19. Do more to help make gay marriage legal. Most who know me personally know that I am very pro gay marriage. I believe in it. I don't understand why it's not happening already. If you have a different opinion, I don't want to hear it. I repeat: I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! If you're pro, please leave your encouraging comments! Do you need to evolve as a person? Look at this. Seriously. Do it. After all, it's our right as Americans to pursue happiness.

20. Go to the beach more often. I lived in Holland, Michigan for 5 years. I was 10 minutes from Lake Michigan. I went maybe 20 times in those 5 years. Which is totally unacceptable. Even now, I'm only an hour from the lake. What is wrong with me? They're called the Great Lakes for a reason. Growing up here, I've taken the fresh water for granted. The thought of living some place like Arizona, baffles me. No huge lake close to where you live? That has to suck! (No offense to people who live in Arizona).

21. Be more confident. This goes along with being in a physical state of disrepair. I avoid my reflection like the plague. I don't look strangers in the eye. If I guy hits on me, I'm convinced that he's just being nice and making conversation, or trying to get me to buy something. I don't even wear short-sleeved t-shirts, much less tank tops. And unless I make a serious transformation, you'd never see me in a bathing suit. Nope. I can be the life of the party. Until a pretty girl shows up. The I shut up and keep my head down because she obviously deserves the attention much more than I do. THIS HAS TO CHANGE. I have so much to offer someone. I'm funny. I'm a good person. I'm caring. Clara can't grow up with a mother and role-model who despises herself.

22. Buy a new car. It doesn't have to be new-new. Just something that has been made since I learned to drive, 8 years ago. My current car is a '99 buick century. It's missing the right front hubcap and has a huge dent in the back door. Leo has been good to me though. It's gotten me to PA and back in a summer. I fixed my first starter and learned how to change my oil with Leo. He was my car since I was 17 and has over 300,000 miles on it. And I'm pretty sure the sub frame will rust out before the engine dies. With Leo, I've never been in an accident, never gotten a flat tire, and have always been able to handle bad weather. (knock on wood). But it's time for a new car. Preferably a manual. 

23. Give blood 25 times, and register as a bone marrow donor. Medical donation is something I believe in. I'm an organ donor, and I want to donate my body to science after I'm gone. (I need to find out if I can do both, but I don't see why not.) I've tried to donate blood 31 times, and I've only been successful twice since I have severe anemia. If you're interested in registering as a blood marrow donor, go here.

24. Make a serious dent in my student loans. It's ridiculous. Interest rates are doubling July 1st. I know I won't be able to pay my loans off completely, but I would like to at least eliminate 1 or 2. My goal is to be out of debt in 4 years. We'll see how that goes.

25. Get a real job. This needs to happen as soon as possible. I need a grown up job with a salary and benefits. Especially if I want to make pretty much anything on this list happen. If this job could come tomorrow, it would be frickin fantastic. Please send your good thoughts my way and hopefully the universe is receptive. 

Thanks for reading my list! Have any positive comments or questions for me? Please leave them below! And I encourage you to share your own lists! If you want, I'll even feature your list on FromBean2Baby.