IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! Or, it’s about to be…tomorrow I turn 24. And even better…it’s my golden birthday. TBH, I had no clue what the heck a golden birthday was until a few weeks ago, so I’m glad I figured this whole thing out before it came + went! In case ya don’t already know…your golden birthday is the year you turn the same number as the day of your birth. So for me, turning 24 on March 24th = CHA-CHING. Gold baby, solid gold.
I feel like I’ve already hit a few of the high points with birthday posts in the past – 23 things you don’t know about me, 22 lessons in 22 years, + 21 of the best things of the year. And since this one’s GOLDEN, it had to bigger + better…amiright??! I think in knowing it’s a more “special” b-day, I got to thinking a lot more about all the deeper, sentimental, existential sorta good stuff. What am I doing with my life? How am I doing it? Where can I be better? How can I grow into my best self? And two snow days and approximately 32 lists later, I had everything from work to travel to marriage goals + thoughts laid out around me, and my wheels were a-turnin’!
So for this, my golden year, I thought it appropriate to decide upon 24 things that I will be doing this, my golden birthday year. A bit different than straight up goals or resolutions or the sort – more focused on things that I’ve been working on and/or really want to work on, to make this year truly unlike the rest.
In no particular order…
Dress (The most adorable edgy-girly LBD – y’all know that’s my signature style! Currently on sale for $43.60! Similar fun LBD options linked in the widget at the end of this post!) // Heels (How fun are these?!?! Get 20% off with code SIGNATURE – they run TTS!) // (Only $14 + almost sold out – similar !) // Physicians Formula Healthy Lip Velvet Liquid Lipstick (shade: Magente Formula)
PERSONAL GOALS – TRAVEL:
1. Plan a Euro trip! I’ve been to Europe once in my life – when I studied abroad for a summer in college, in Alicante, Spain. I got the chance to see SO MUCH of Spain then, but I’d a.) lovelovelove to go back, and b.) lovelovelove to see more countries beyond that. Specifically, Paris, London, everywhere in Italy – and I’ve also got Poland on my bucket list, since I’m half Polish!
2. Jetset down to Mexico for a hot sec. Girlfriend needs a *break* from this snow…and I’ve got a feeling that Cancun’s got just the right fix o’ sunshine right about now. 😉
3. Go on another big girlfriends’ trip! I’ve got one upcoming next month, but the year is young – especially since so many of my friends live all over the dang country, I’m trying to be more intentional about actual, in-person face time. It makes a difference, + it’s just FUN!
4. Do a religious pilgrimage. There’s quite a few on my list, but all are European (think Medjugorje, the Camino de Santiago, etc). This one would check off numero uno + cuatro simultaneously – woo!
PERSONAL GOALS – WORK:
5. Get serious about truly letting y’all in more + more. This has been a work in progress for months now, but I’ve been feeling so inspired to KEEP IT UP lately! All thanks to you guys + your requests and such, so THANKS A BUNCH. 😉 But I’m really striving to get out of my comfort zone (’cause ain’t nothin’ good blossoming in there, folks) + think outside the box – or, at least, my own usual thinking box – to let you in, connect, + hopefully have ya connect with other CUR peeps.
6. Create more video content. Waaaaaay back when, I had a YouTube channel. Don’t even look for it, it’s SO BAD. Ha! But hey – I did what I could with what I had at the time! But now that things are a *wee* bit more legit around these rosy parts, I’ve been thinking it’s time to get back in the video game. Thoughts? 😉
7. Expand the CUR TEAM! Y’all – it is my actual *dream* to have a team. A dream team! I lovelovelove teams. I’m usually working with 4-5 freelancers at any given point, but it oftentimes can feel fragmented + impersonal, since it’s all just to get certain individual tasks done and not all united under one umbrella. So this is the year – I’m reaaaaally hoping I can finally make the first legit *hire* for CUR.
8. A lil’ layout revamp! EEP. This has been on my mind + heart for awhile now behind-the-scenes. I know CUR underwent a facelift back at the beginning of 2016, but TBH…it feels like time. Not necessarily time to redo errr’thaaaang – just time to make some necessary tweaks to ensure everything is as user-friendly as possible for YOU. So so so SO many wheels spinning on this one, so TBD, folks. TBD…
PERSONAL GOALS – FAMILY:
9. Get back to our weekly marriage journal. J + I had been *so good* at doing it…for, like, 5 weeks. WOMP. But it’s seriously SUCH a good little tool for couples who want to keep Christ at the center of their relationship – I highly recommend!
10. Be consistent praying TOGETHER. There is just such power in prayer…I always want us to have prayer be in the middle of our marriage. The family that prays together stays together!
11. Make more regular visits up to see my Nana & Pop! LoveloveLOVE them. In the past, the main chunks of time that we’d see them would be when the whole family was hanging out, usually for a holiday or special occasion. But when J + I went up on our own on a Saturday justbecause, it ended up being one of the best. days. ever. For all! So we’re DEF going to make more of a habit of it.
12. Be better about things like birthdays, thank you notes, etc. So I will say – I consider myself a pretty darn good gift giver. My issue isn’t that – my issue is actually remembering to do things on time. I can give the most thoughtful gift, but if it’s a week late…womp. Get your sh*t together, E. I could not tell you the last time I checked Facebook for birthday notifications, either. So it’s high time that I just – oh, I dunno – write things down and put things in phones and do whatever it takes to be prepared + on top of it. Everyone knows how fabulously wonderful + meaningful it is to be celebrated when it counts the most – in the actual moment.
PERSONAL GOALS – FAITH:
13. This is the year of BIG FAITH, YO. I’ve been doing lotsa soul-searching as of late, and most of that has come down to one main conclusion: My faith is #1, and it should be treated as such. I don’t want to wake up and Instagram – I want to wake up and Jesus. Time for a v. necessary prioritization shift!
14. Bring more faith to CUR. We’ve dabbled in some God talk here + here and y’all seemed to dig it…and quite frankly, I really dig it myself. So it’s here to stay – it was a leap of faith to lean into it more, and I’m just gonna keep on leanin’ over here!
15. Attend more retreats. The weekend retreat I went to recently was literally life changing. The Lord #werked. I feel like my soul was set on fire – now I #CantStopWontStop. I just think there is something truly remarkable + powerful when you stop your usual routine, say YES to Him, + put away distractions to let His will be done in you.
16. Finish reading the Bible in one year. J + I challenged ourselves at the start of 2018 to read the entire Bible over the course of the next 365 days – we’ve been using a plan on the Bible app specifically for that, and each day is multiple passages + a devotional to add some context. I will admit – J is totally whooping my butt, since I’m behind on my reading. Story of my life, apparently. But mark my words – I WILL DO IT, DANG IT.
PERSONAL GOALS – ADULTING/HOME:
17. Quit the clutter, once + for all. My problem has always been that I have a.) too much stuff and b.) not enough space. So when I’m in a rush + doing 52 things at once, it just all ends up kinda everywhere. I like to say that the state of my house is a reflection of what’s happening in my head right then – if my mind is a mess and Im’ going a mile a minute, my house *probably* looks like a tornado zone. 😉
18. Start another shoe shelf. So…part of the current clutter is the fact that I’m an actual shoe addict and they’re all over my floor ohmygosh husband I’m so sorry. I’ve got a shoe shelf in my closet, in my office, and in our storage room…but somehow there are still. shoes. everywhere. Is there Shoeholics Anonymous? Asking not to quit, but to empathize. 😉 The eventual goal is an entire wall of shoes in whatever future office space I have – for now, another shelf unit is essential. Ha!
19. Clean out the closet completely. I’m thiiiiiiis close to going all Marie Kondo on my closet, and the pending clearout has me feelin’ all tingly + happy inside. Like, E…if it’s from 7th grade, it shouldn’t be anywhere near your closet. If it’s from pre-20’s actually. Strike that – if it’s anything you haven’t worn in a year. Girlfriend’s about to rent a dump truck and drive it straight to a shelter to put everything to good use. That feels oh so much better than unnecessarily hoarding like-new clothing everywhere!
20. Have 5 signature dishes. Anyone who knows me knows…I’m no Martha Stewart. I’m not even the Snoop Dogg to Martha. My current “signature dish” is Trader Joe’s chicken fried rice+ potstickers. (Hint: Dump in wok + wait 5 minutes 😉 ). The time has come – I need to buck up already and learn how to cook a thing or two that doesn’t involve a microwave.
PERSONAL GOALS – ME:
21. Carry a water bottle everywhere. Quite frankly, I’m just sick of making that resolution every single month of every single year since ever. And I’m done with being perpetually dehydrated! I can’t WAIT to see the difference across the board when I stick to it, from my skin to my energy levels. #BringItOn
22. Acknowledge all of the things that make me feel my best and DO THEM – no holding back! So I’ve always had this weird tendency to not do whatever I truly wanted to do or felt like I needed, and instead just do what I thought I *should* do. Like…work instead of relax, save instead of #TreatYoself, etc. Granted, sometimes that’s all good…but when it’s restrictive intentionally for no good reason, that’s no bueno. I’d find myself guilty of using a highlighter to pan to “not be wasteful,” even if I didn’t lovelovelove it (when Lord knows I have enough makeup to open a small Sephora – ha!). Or “saving” the best dress or the cutest shoes for a “special occasion.” But dangit, LIFE is a special occasion! Time to pick favorites + live it up.
23. Get back to being a student. I miss LEARNING on the reg! Sure, I absolutely lovelovelove my job. But…I actually kinda sorta miss school. Not all of school, per say – just the constant learning! I’ve begun to feel a little stagnant, and ain’t nobody got time for that. Things on my learning list: SEO, Spanish, science, violin, + piano. I know basics of SEO – I want to be an expert. I can get by in Spanish (heck, I lived in Spain for over a month), but I want to be fluent. I was a science geek back in the day, but I want to be geekier. I’ve just always wanted to learn to play the violin – I think it’s so stinkin’ beautiful. And I’ve been playing piano since age 5 so nothing new there, but I want to get back to just playing every single day + getting into everything from new classical challenges to my favorite songs from Spotify.
24. Truly step into my very best self. I feel it brimming. It’s coming. The year is now. It’s time to fly. Welcome to 24.
Woo – time to cut the cake + call it a partaaaay!
Have you had your golden birthday yet? What are your personal goals for this year?
Sometime from 1-31 you have, or you will!
Pleasepleaseplease do my a solid – for my golden birthday, I want YOU to TREAT YO’SELF to something nice, eat something yummy, drink something delish, + do something for someone else to make their day. MK? MK.
Cheers to the friggin’ weekend!
