Once and a While...

It's summer...

I'm 27...

I'm well traveled...

And I'm having fun!

Just thought you might wanna know ;)

Battle Scars

I got back to my half-packed studio apartment around 1:00pm, 70 degrees, a beautiful fall day. My anxious Dad who can't sit still without drumming his fingers and yet spent two listless days in a hospital with me while I whined and felt like my stomach had been turned inside out, helped me out of his car and to the sidewalk. He carried heavy grocery bags and took small steps so that I could shuffle behind him. Bent over and running my fingers along the sides of the buildings as we passed just in case I decided I couldn't walk anymore. I was so excited to leave the hospital that I hadn't bothered to wait for a wheelchair and I'd ripped the irritating pain patch off hours ago. I was starting to feel the effects.

The previous week I had my gallbladder removed, my stomach reconstructed, and my nerves clipped so hopefully all my gastritis woes would be behind me. This following an extremely emotional time in the ER where I came to grips with the fact that I would be missing work and weeks of performances for All My Sons. Countless friends and family members were there to console me from over the phone, in person, and through some very beautiful floral arrangements. One particular special lady brought me magazines and sat by my side while I slept, mumbled and hyperventilated. Another special guy wrecked his back sleeping on my hospital room sofa so I wouldn't be alone and let me rest my tear-streaked snot-nosed face on his arm. A very special Mom helped me practice walking and getting to the restroom when I was too physically weak to sit up and too emotionally spent to do anything but cry. I'd never felt so lucky to have these people in my life while simultaneously being completely miserable about events completely out of my control.

On the warm fall day I got out of the hospital I sat down on my courtyard apartment's lobby radiator while Dad carried the groceries up the stairs. Anthony came just in time to ease me into bed and prop pillows under my feet and tell me that the pain wouldn't be forever. I cried for maybe the 1,000th time in ten days and he stroked my hand while I fell asleep.

I woke up around dusk to eat some chicken noodle soup and curl up on the couch like a rickety old cat. I watched History Detectives with Dad, who confided in me that it's exactly how he pictured us spending my recovery time together. It was a rock n' roll episode tracing Bob Dylan's guitar and a collage made by Frank Zappa. The collage struck me. An artist more commonly known for his musical experimentation producing such a wild piece of artwork that expressed his musical thoughts on paper before sitting down to write the music itself. I asked myself: "What have I created lately?" I fell still at the thought of unfinished projects, once desired creative goals and this blog.

Armed with new battle scars I'm ready to run back into the trenches of my creative outlets. To do what I set out to do when I moved to Chicago and get my writing back on track. Nothing can stop me now, not even my own internal organs. 

Sunday

When I moved in to my studio apartment I had a couple conflicting feelings about it. The first was utter shock; I had just started a new job and my world had been turned upside down. The second was this giggly weird freedom that made me feel like a little girl playing house rather than an adult paying her own rent. It was confusing, and I find that it still is some nights when I come home to read blogs or watch a movie by myself in MY Chicago apartment.

After moving in I stocked my little half-a-fridge and bought an off-brand, sub-par jar of salsa. I tried opening it and the lid wouldn't budge. I dug my trusty jar opener out of a moving box but the lid stayed put. I ran it under hot water, submerged it in my sink upside down, tried hitting the edge of the lid against my half-a-stove and even went at it with a can opener. For the past seven months I would peer in to the fridge, see that jar of salsa taunting me and give it the old college try. It's become this running joke with Mom: should I lure a guy under false pretenses back to my apartment just so he can open the jar of salsa for me? Or maybe it's my King Arthur moment, he who opens the salsa get the...sword?

The silly thing is I will go to the grocery store and looking at the salsa aisle only strengthens my resolve to march  back to my apartment and open my own salsa. Recently the old fashioned way didn't work as per usual and I tried to get through the top with a wine corker almost cutting my fingers and breaking the corkscrew. "Am I really going to wait for someone to come along and open this damn jar of salsa?" I thought munching on unflavored taco chips.

This Cinco de Mayo I went grocery shopping with a firm purpose. I picked out my favorite jar (no off brands) plunked that baby in the cart and hoped for the best. Low and behold upon my triumphant return to the apartment the jar clicked open like a magical symphony of angels and was consumed with a considerable amount of swagger.


And that is the story that made me want to blog just a lil' bit.

I hope you're having a lovely Sunday!


-K.K.

Sort-Of Spring

On mornings when I have the day off and where there's no particular agenda except some minor errands to be run, and spring is peaking ever so slightly through the 38 degree weather, I like to think of my old job at the zoo. I sold tickets, and normally around this time we processed a lot of field trips and early morning arrivals, most notably on "Senior Tuesdays" where bus loads of the senior-ist of citizens would show up and enjoy the peace and quiet of a mostly uncrowded zoo.

One morning a gentleman showed up bright eyed and bushy tailed and parked himself at my window before I even had a chance to settle in and count my change. Usually it's distracting when someone wants to talk to you prior to opening because your brain hasn't had time to prepare the "customer service" attitude and you feel that they should know that in advance. Terrible, but you know what I mean. In any case he was funny, charming, at not at all senior-like. We joked around a bit and I asked him what he was doing at the zoo so early. "It doesn't look like it, but I'm already retired. And some mornings, as a retired person, you just have to wander around and hope that someone gives you coffee." I laughed; what a fantastic aspiration. Low and behold two hours after opening he wandered out, coffee cup in hand, and made his way back to the parking lot.

My point being, that on a sort of spring day like this, I just want to pull on my jeans, wander the neighborhood, and hope that someone can give me coffee somewhere along the way. 

Sunday

In case you're wondering, I "lovingly ripped off" this little survey from Delightfully Tacky. It seemed like the perfect re-kick-start to my blogging adventures. I thought I would take a break for a couple of weeks and see if I was any better for it...but alas I am not. My creative outlets are few and far between, and eliminating the blog only added stress as opposed to decreasing it. I will try and remember this next time I decide to go blogger AWOL.

Reading...
Stuck on the last two chapters of Dresden File's Summer Knight. Once I'm finished I can't decide if I want to continue with the the series or take a little break with Diane Keaton's Then Again.


Watching...
Catching up on my Hulu queue. New Girl, Chicago Fire, Parks and Recreation, and I still have the last episode of 30 Rock there too. I can't bring myself to watch it! Need a new series to though...


Wishing...
I could get the remainder of my apartment put together. I moved in November and things are still in plastic boxes and art is still sitting on the floor. I need a plan of attack to organize and decorate this place on a limited budget. I would love it to feel more like my home than just a place to crash every night. I know these things take time, but I feel like I'm stalling by not doing the basic projects I've already set up for myself. Hopefully once those things are done I'll have a sense of direction in what I want to do next.


Proud of..
I started working out in my apartment four weeks ago and I'm still at it! I have yet to go outside for a run, but I can already feel a difference in my energy level just by doing plyometrics. I like the Bikini Body Workout from Self and the Get In Shape for Summer workout from Refinery29. I have also taken a greater interest in nutrition and cooking for myself, which isn't to say that I'm not having cereal for dinner every now and then, but I'm getting better!


Excited about...
Mama Morgan decided to come to Chicago for a few days at the end of March! Also the Atlanta trip and Color Run is fast approaching.


Impatiently awaiting...
Spring's arrival and the opportunity to wear all my sundresses and shorts again. I realize that I should be looking for on sale boots and winter coats, but I can't help but browse sandals, skirts, and swimwear for the upcoming Atlanta trip. As lovely as Chicago is in the winter, it's even better in the summer.

Thursday Fever

I had to leave work early today. I'll spare you graphic details but there is nothing more delightful then the height of your illness taking place in a bathroom where there are children present:


"Mom, is she sick?"


"Yes Sweetheart."


"Should we help her?"


"No honey, just leave her alone."


One L ride and a trudge through the slush later I was curled up in bed eating saltine crackers and watching the "wintery mix" come down. That's snow mixed with freezing rain if you're unfamiliar with Chicago's positive phrases that all boil down to meaning "shitty weather." I'm starting to get itchy for spring and Valentine's Day hasn't even happened yet. I'm really counting heart shaped dark chocolate and photo evidence of warmer climates to pull me through the rest of this winter...

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Writers Write.

There seem to be two basic theories when it comes to writing and they are as follows:

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One: if you're not feeling particularly inspired or creative, then don't write. It's better than producing utter crap. Lord help you if people actually read it and think you are a terrible writer.


Two: even if you're not feeling particularly inspired or creative, even if it's raining outside and your favorite pen is out of ink, even if you have a toe cramp or you'd rather be doing something more intriguing like cataloguing your extensive stamp collection, write. For God's sake write. Free flow even if you feel like holding a pen is painful and sentences are coming together slowly and dreadfully four words at a time. Just keep going. You may read it later and think: "Wow, this is some hot garbage." Or you just may surprise yourself.


In the absence of consistent blog posts my rainbow colored composition notebook has gone with me everywhere. While some days on the train I would rather listen to music and fall asleep leaning on the person next to me, I write anyway. On my break when I would rather skip down to Corner Bakery and buy a monster cookie, I'll write instead. Slowly but surely, I think I'm having a break through. Words, ideas, plots, characters, they're all starting to form on the pages like some congealed primordial brain goop. It isn't pretty but it's mine, and it's coming together.


The best advice I can give you on my own theories of writing is that Writers Write. Regardless of how messy or nonsensical. If you want to be a perfectionist, become an editor.


Writers Write. Period.

Hurry Up and Wait

The blogosphere is rife with New Year's resolutions. Mostly, I think, because blog content is hard to create when you're three sheets to the wind on holiday spirit and trying to settle back in to your normal gloomy winter routine. Not only is it harder to get creative, but people need to invent something to look forward to to get them through winter: "I will lose weight!" So I can look good in a bikini that I will wear to the beach with my friends this summer...oh! Leftover Christmas cookies! But there is one particular thing that I find myself doing often and wish I could break the habit. A new year and a fresh start is as good a time as any to tackle it...

I've been accused of wishing my life away, and I am the first person to back those accusations. I am a total ace at wishing I was in some other part of my life. Before I moved to Chicago I remember thinking that once I was settled in I'll feel a wholeness. Like I was making my own life. My career would take off and I would be the adult I always dreamed of in elementary school.


I want to feel about my life now the way I feel looking back on high school: you don't want to go back, but the reflection lets you see how far you've come. That you are more the person that you are supposed to be. I want to recall with some strange fondness how crazy my life was. I moved to Chicago with a little bit of money, lived in a studio apartment, worked a couple of jobs (mostly in theatres at night), and had an amazing time. But now, I feel more like myself. Like the person I always knew I should be.


Let me reiterate: I'm not one to make resolutions in January since for the past two years I've had the __ Before __ list to contend with. But this year I just wanted to take the time to remind myself, even if it's only for this moment, to slow down. Stop wishing it was some other time or place and just enjoy what I have right now. Some day I might find myself wishing deeply for that wild time I spent independent in Chicago.

Fill In the Blank

I swiped bits and pieces of this survey from the Man Repeller (who had swiped them from Proust) quite some time ago and tried to answer the questions without giving it too much thought. I decided not to post it for whatever reason and just found it in my drafts. Since the answers still ring true months later I figured I would post. Feel free to copy and paste in the comments, I'd love to hear your answers.

Your favorite virtue.
Honesty

Your favorite qualities in a man. 
Strong, sensitive, thoughtful, understanding

Your favorite qualities in a woman. 
Kind, comfortable, strength, 

Your favorite occupation.
Arts, working with people

Your chief characteristic. 
Humor & Stillness

Your idea of happiness. 
Busy, caring for others, loving

Your idea of misery.
Isolation

Your favorite color and flower. 
Green & Snap Dragons

If not yourself, who would you be? 
A style icon, writer, parent

Where would you like to live? 
Somewhere warm and inspiring

Your favorite painters and composers.
I tend to like the painters and composers I know most about because I can relate to their work on a more emotional/human level.

Your favorite heroes/heroines in real life.
Those that are extremely flawed but driven by passion to do what is right

Your favorite heroes/heroines in fiction.
See Above.

Your favorite food and drink.
Popcorn and sparkling wine

Your favorite names.
Archer, Rowan, Leigh, Jack

Your pet aversion.
Cats, but only because I can't pet them (allergies)

What characters in history do you most dislike?
People who ignore the rights and needs of others

What is your present state of mind?
Focused on maintaining a calm exterior

For what fault have you most toleration?
Indecisiveness or the unwillingness to make a choice

Your favorite motto.

"Eagles May Soar, but weasels don't get sucked in to jet engines" 

24 Before 25: 6 Month Review

A little under 6 months in and I thought it was time to do a review of what I have left to do on my 24 Before 25 list...and so far it appears that I have a lot. Being the fanatical list maker that I am, I put a check mark next to the things that I'm well on my way to doing and crossed out the one that is for sure done. I did have to make some edits to the list but that's the way it goes. I think the new goals are more reflective of how I feel about myself and what direction I'm taking my life.

24 Things To Do Before I’m 25

1.) Travel to one place I've never been before (Atlanta) ✓ 

2.) Write something every day (Blog) ✓

3.) Be happy and self-sufficient with my employment (getting there!) ✓

4.) Find a work-out regiment that makes me happy

5.) Complete a full length play

6.) Save up enough money for a puppy (money, no time) ✓

7.) Take a class (free at work!) ✓

8.) Finish reading all the books on my shelves (three to go) ✓

9.) Wear a bikini

10.) Start sewing/crafting again (Knitting) ✓

11.) Check off every place on my foursquare brunch list ✓

12.) Start shopping vintage/thrift more often

13.) Get a credit card

14.) Promote myself without being embarrassed ✓

15.) Pair down my beauty supply (organizing and finishing products) ✓

16.) Shop my closet and wear all of my clothes. If I don’t I have to donate it at the end of the season ✓

17.) Donate money or time to charity ✓

18.) Run a 10k (Researched, just not training) ✓ 

19.) Learn to cook for myself (Cooking, but same five things) ✓

20.) Get out of my comfort zone professionally

21.) Find a way to manage my stress level ✓

22.) Get a bike

23.) Go to the zoo with my Goddaughter

24.) Dance or sing in public ✓

Sunday

I bet you don't know what today is! And the reason I'm a betting woman is because I didn't even realize it myself until last night...

One year ago today I started blogging! I spent November unpacking my belongings in my very first Chicago apartment, all the while hemming and hawing about a blog title (which really is the hardest part of staring a blog) then I eventually settled on Kiley Kate, it being my name and all.

I'm not one for speeches, but thank you to those of you who have supported me by reading Kiley Kate and admitting openly to me that you do read it and enjoy it. It means a lot to me as a writer working to find my voice and direction while I'm living and learning in Chicago.


I don't know about you, but I'm going to celebrate with a baked good of some sort, and I hope you'll do the same, at least in spirit you know. I'd love to share a cupcake with you all!

Have a lovely Sunday!

-K.K.

Work It Out

Sometimes when you have a nerdy question, worry or insecurity, I think it helps to put it out there. Chances are you're not the only nerd that feels this way and other nerds would enjoy commiserating with your inherent  nerdiness. Nerd.

I was in the midst of a work-out/room cleaning spasm...you know, 50 crunches and then you hang up laundry. 20 lunges and then you clean your sink. It's the ultimate form of procrastination. I'm procrastinating cleaning by working out and procrastinating working out by cleaning which results in actual results. God I'm good. The procrastination took a turn for the awesome when a spine roll/dresser reorganization turned in to a dance party. Thankfully I have but one mirror in my bedroom, and as I'm going in to a full on rage I catch sight of myself and realize that I have no idea what to do with my arms. It was all hips and tush and my arms were like spaghetti noodles. So my nerdy question is: what do you do with your arms while dancing?


The obvious first choice is to Google "what do you do with your arms while dancing?" and low and behold Seventeen has a forum discussion for it. Duh. I started there and worked my way around the internet, and here are my best solutions:


// Run your hands through your hair / Touch other parts of your body: hands on the hips, on the waist, head shoulders knees and toes? / Let your arms move with your hips / Vogue it out / YouTube your favorite songs and try out a few things / Should a friend be present, hold hands with them; this is genius really, let them figure out what to do with your arms / Don't think about it at all. Chances are no one is noticing that your arms are out of sync, and you're just trying to have a good time anyway //

I hope you all feel less like a nerd, I know I sure do(n't), but we'll dance anyway.

Sunday

After my computer was fixed I logged on to my bloglovin' que and found almost 200 unread blogs, 200! I would catch up on a few before work, read some while I was eating dinner, and last night I finally got through the majority of them. Now that's dedication. I can't hear a faint voice in the distance saying: "now if only you put that much effort in to you math homework..." Never have, never will.

One of the last blogs I read was the A Cup Of Jo post about Mindy Kaling and asking her mother for advice before she passed. The most important thing she remembered was "You have to be your own best friend. If you always remember that, you will always have someone there with you." It made me think, have a really been a best friend to myself lately? Beating myself up at work for not making sales goals, being down on myself for not working out when I know I should, and even criticizing myself for not writing these blog posts more often. So yesterday, I decided to be a great best friend to myself.


I was easy on myself at work, everyone has off days, y'know? I went grocery shopping and bought myself a glass pan and some brownie mix, then hit up the redbox for some girls-night-in DVD rentals. I did a little work out while I was waiting for the brownies to be made and then I watched Magic Mike and ate said crumbly hot delicious brownies (but no worries, I worked out before I ate them so they cancel each other out.) I cleaned my room because I knew I would love waking up to a tidy space and I scoured Pinterest without shame of my time being "wasted". I spoke kindly to myself about this only being a speed bump in a really long journey, that I won't always be struggling but even when I am, I'll have a best friend to fall back on when I need help.

Have you been a great best friend to yourself lately? I'd highly recommend it, especially if there are brownies involved.


Have a great Sunday!


-K.K.

I Missed You!

I'm reporting to you from the coffee shop around the corner from my NEW STUDIO APARTMENT! In the midst of my laptop breaking the move took place, and Chez Kiley Kate is still without wireless as of this morning. A wire replacement next week should right well fix that. The gentleman from the cable company assured me that it would be a "fresh new wire" as if likening it to new crisp bed sheets or a clean coat of paint. But until then I'll be hanging out at Metropolis. Listening to The Cure and sipping Mexican Hot Chocolate seems like the right way to start my day off.

And since I don't know where my next wireless connection is coming from, I'll get posts done for the whole week today. Can you imagine that? A week's worth of posts after two weeks of utter radio silence.

I'll take you on a tour of my new apartment and my new found decor obsession. Can you blame me? I've never had a place all to myself! I also have 100+ unread blogs to attend to on my que which will hopefully garner some fashion inspiration that I've lost as of late. And of course there's always good ole' Chicago to write about. I've missed my creative outlet!

I Don't Wanna

I have very few excuses as to the lack of content on this blog recently. There's a crap ton of things going on and normally when things are going a little too fast for my liking I pull the covers up over my head and pretend it's not happening...or in this case holing up in my apartment, eating peanut butter M&Ms and laughing like a hyena at SNL. Hey, neighbors, it's either that or the couple upstairs that fights, "makes up", plays the bongos and then fights again. Personally I'd take my gibbon-like cackle combined with the occasional snort.


I'm a charmer!

So if you like to know how it's all going, I'll lay it on the line for you:

I discovered how to make whole wheat pancakes with almond milk, don't want to eat anything else.

Finally found a studio I like, don't want to live anywhere else.

Finished doing a month's worth of laundry, don't want to put it away.

New season of Parks and Rec is kicking it, don't want the show to go away.

Bought an 80's-tastic short sleeved sweatshirt, don't want to wear anything else.

Thinking about going to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, don't want to go anywhere else.

Had a fantastic night Saturday night, don't want to drink anymore...until next Saturday.

Started laughing like a siamang gibbon, don't want to do it any other way.

Yarn Over

Yesterday was my only day off and aside from taking a good chunk of time to compile a fall list, look at apartments, and precook lunch for the rest of the week, I also spent a lot of time watching movies and trying to knit a scarf. 

This scarf has become the bane of my existence.

I bought the yarn, a beautifully soft emerald green color, to make for someone else and it never quite got finished. I loved the stitch but somewhere in the middle it got messed up. Recovering it on Sunday I decided that I would take the whole thing apart and start over again. I brought it to the theatre and began unraveling it pre show. "What are you doing? That's a nice scarf! Hours of work wasted!" the cast commented, but I had a mind to do it, so I did. I tried another far more complicated pattern for the next three hours and decided I hated it and took it apart again.

Yesterday when my internet was down I used my phone to look up stitches, and an hour in to at least three different ones I would take them apart and start over again. Finally I found a stitch that I liked, but it got messed up and after several attempts at repair, I huffed and took it all apart again. 

This scarf has become an allegory for my life. 

It's beautiful yarn, gorgeous color, would compliment so much of my other wardrobe, but I don't know what I want it to be yet. Every time it looks like it's not going to turn out the way I want it to, I take it apart and start all over again. Maybe it's because I didn't buy it for myself and now I have to make it my own, or maybe it's because of the turns my life is taking right now. But, for the time being the "scarf" is unraveled and sitting on my couch in a wound up heap. I don't think I'll know what I want it to be for a while. 

Warm September

As an 8th grader I wasn't privy to the same coverage as high school students got. In second period history class one of my favorite teachers tried to be as straight with us as he possibly could. We listened, but not seeing anything visual to confirm our fears we were able to set it to the back of our minds and continue on with class. "Someone will probably have to re-write a textbook" he announced somewhat ominously.

The rest of the day teachers stood closely and whispered at their desks. There was an active fear in them, but they pushed through to keep us calm. Then students started to disappear. Throughout lunch and again in gym class, parents were coming to retrieve their children early, and when cross country practice came the coaches dismissed us to go home with our families. I was alone at my house when I called Mom. "Your uncle lives in Brooklyn, can you watch the news coverage and see if everything is alright over there?" A lump formed in my throat. I had been shielded from this all day and now I would finally come face to face with the damages. "You don't have to if you don't want to" Mom reassured, but of course I did.

Piles of rubble, instant replays of the plane, constant re-caps of the death toll. Much to my surprise, I couldn't sit, I couldn't cry. I stared blankly at the screen as if this were all happening somewhere far away from here in a distant time that I was not a part of; that I would read about in the next chapter of my history book. I peeled myself away from the screen and caught my breath. My uncle was fine, my family was fine, my friends were fine. Despite being so young and not knowing the gravity of the situation we faced, I felt extremely lucky.

The Beans

When I read blogs, I feel slightly miffed when the writer goes AWOL only to return with a vague explanation like "I'm fine! Bump in the road but all is well!"

Come on lady, spill the beans! Of course now having had my own "bump" I can understand the hesitation. Suffice to say, I've been having some issues with my employment, which I keep you all constantly updated on, along with the new challenge of looking for an apartment and/or roommate and deciding what I want to do in Chicago next.

The good news is I think things are looking up. Regardless of how this week turns out for jobs, apartments, and such, I'm going to take a deep breath and make another plan. I also had a rather colorful weekend to balance out all the stress and forced me to put things in perspective. Don't you love it when I good weekend does that?

I also managed to complete my first goal on my 24 Before 25 List! Stay tuned for gratuitous pictures and gushing.

This Time Last Year...

Are you where you thought you would be this time last year?

This time last year I was working for the zoo, teaching children's theatre and working with a sketch comedy troupe, all while living in my parent's house in the bedroom I grew up in. When I fantasized about my life in Chicago I had a few things in mind...

I would have a great apartment in the city...we'll give this one a check.

I would be working in theatre...we can check this one too

Buuuut I also thought I would have a full time job that payed me well enough to take care of not only the bills but ever so slightly feed my clothing and adventure habits. I want to admit this to the blogosphere because when I moved to the city I thought all of my friends were self sufficient and I was in the minority scrambling to catch up. Since moving I realized that there are plenty of 20-somethings that are struggling to make it all work which makes me feel far less alone. The part that caught me most by surprise is that I'm not the only one getting help from my parents. 

I've always paid the apartment bills myself, but my new driver's license and plates? Parents. New summer clothes? Parents. Gas/food to visit Ohio? Parents again. I can not do everything that I want to on my own. I'm fortunate enough to have parents that want to help and don't see it as a burden, but I want to be able to support myself, which is why it's re-appeared on my 24 Before 25 list this year. 

I guess my point is that right out of college you might struggle, and through your struggle you will ultimately get frustrated, down on yourself, and question the smart capable person that you thought you were when you were still in school. But don't give up, and know that you're not all by yourself. Chances are the schmo sitting next to you lives with their parents or has their rent paid by their sweet grandmother. It doesn't make them any less intelligent or hard working, and that certainly goes for you too.

24 Before I'm 25

I wanted to give myself some time after the 24 before 24 list to think about which goals I wanted to roll over and which to edit slightly or get rid of. Plus I had to come up with some new stuff, and I think I'm pretty happy with the results. I tried to err more on the side of achievable and yet something that would propel me towards the life I see for myself within the next year.  

So without further ado, here is my list:

24 Things To Do Before I’m 25

1.)                Travel to one place I’ve never been before

2.)               Write something every day

3.)               Be happy and self-sufficient with my employment

4.)               Find a work-out regiment that makes me happy

5.)               Complete a full length play

6.)               Save up enough money for a puppy

7.)               Take a class

8.)              Finish reading all the books on my shelves

9.)               Go on one romantic trip with Viking

10.)           Finish making the dress and skirt I started

11.)            Start researching Grad Schools

12.)           Start shopping vintage/thrift more often

13.)           Get a credit card

14.)           Promote myself without being embarrassed

15.)            Pair down my make-up to only high end stuff or things that get a lot of use

16.)           Shop my closet and wear all of my clothes. If I don’t I have to donate it at the end of the season

17.)            Donate money or time to charity

18.)           Run a 10k

19.)           Learn to cook for myself

20.)          Get out of my comfort zone professionally

21.)           Find a way to manage my stress level

22.)          Get a bike

23.)          Go to the zoo with my Goddaughter

24.)           Dance or sing in public


Anything I'm missing? I have no qualms with this becoming a "28 before 25" list.