Hello 26!

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone - and Happy Birthday to ME!  Hello 26! 

All week long I've been thinking "26...wow...26!" in my head. And I know very well that that is not old, but you get to this point where you realize that you've now "crossed over" and you aren't 25. I'm now past the mid-twenties mark, past the quarter of a century mark, and saying goodbye to a  totally and completely action packed year.  

25 was good. Well, that's not true. It was awesome.  So many things happened at 25, not to mention the whole getting married to the most wonderful husband, moving out, moving in, getting settled into our home, getting adjusted to life together, and now, finally finding that groove that we fit into in our day-to-day lives. When I look back at all the amazingness I was blessed with at 25, it feels like 26 is just the right place for me to be right now.  

We had an amazing celebration yesterday with friends and family, the perfect way to celebrate a perfect year, and ring in another great one. And this morning I woke up (after sleeping in!) to a ton of FB and instagram messages, to texts from friends and family, and to a new day, and I am feeling inspired!

Today I am 26. So in continuing the celebration, here are 26 very random things you may or may not have known about me! 

1. I don't follow astrology but I know I am a Taurus, and that bulls are stubborn. So true, and I point this out whenever someone starts to mention astrology. 

2. The part I love about that is that they stop talking about my sign when I say I am stubborn. Weird. 

3. I love love love love love love LOVE coffee and probably drink more of it than water on most days.

4. I know that is bad for me, but I can't help it. It's just too good.

5. I have at least 4 different means of making coffee at any given time in my kitchen. 

6. We've just cleaned up the house and now the office is becoming my favorite room. I am sitting in it now as I type this.

7. For years I have had this dream to sing the national anthem at a big event  - sort of a bucket list thing. Maybe I'll get to it when I'm about 70.

8.  I am realizing that I love bright colors and patterns more and more, but I will still pick a gray sweater to wear any day (see picture above).

9. Polka dots are a new fave. I even bough polka dot shorts ...AND wore them out in public...with a striped shirt.... and I loved it!

10. I really want to go looking for a puppy today. But it's totally bad timing... I have work for the next three days, and we're going out tonight.

11. I really want to set up a space to paint so that I can just sit and paint when I want to and not have to constantly set up and tear down in the kitchen. 

12. Writing out 26 random things about myself is a lot harder than I thought... 26 is a LOT. And that's making me feel old again. 

13. We get TONS of telemarketer phone calls at our house and my blood pressure shoots up every time, even if they are nice. Maybe it's all the coffee?

14. Sometimes I wish I could go back to school for my masters degree in something non-nursing like textile design or creative writing, or blog creating (is that a major?). 

15. Now that I am married, I totally get what everyone means when they say there aren't enough hours in the day.

16. I think my least favorite chore is laundry.

17. And cleaning up after big parties.

18. If I could just cook, craft, and blog for the rest of my life and make a living off of it, I totally would.

19. I really want to have chickens in my back yard. Fresh eggs every morning sounds so wonderful.

20. When we talk about getting a puppy, I worry about how the puppy will be around the chickens I don't yet have, and probably wont have (any time soon....)

21. When I garden in my back yard I think about what it would be like to live and work on a farm, and despite how sore I am afterward, I would totally do it. 

22. I actually made a birthday wish this year when I cut the cake, instead of just thinking of a million things all at once, and it really surprised me. Sorry... it's a secret! :X

23. I read magazines and flip through pages on Etsy for inspiration when I want to start working on a project but need motivation.

24. I am re-binding my sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project and it's a lot more complicated than I thought. It is dashing all my hopes of a future in book binding. 

25. At one point in time, after browsing a book at Barnes and Noble, I did think I had a future in book binding. 

26. I have a job that leaves me with many opportunities, possibilities, and spare time on my days off, I may not have a future in book binding, but I have quite a future ahead and I am so ready for it!

HELLO 26 - I can't wait to get to know you!

XO