Seven Things Every Woman Should Accomplish in Her 20s

I saw this article on Thought Catalog this morning and while I agree with most of the suggestions, I’m not completely on board with all of them.

So I made my own list.

First, the things that I agree with:

1. Travel. Maybe not alone, but traveling is definitely on my list. I spent a semester of college in Europe, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for the world. I went back to Scotland a few years later and had a bit of time to travel to myself. I spent the a few days in Edinburgh wandering around and while it was a bit scary, it was liberating at the same time.

2. Have a night where you get too crazy. In your 20s, your metabolism (and tolerance for certain beverages) is probably at its peak. Enjoy it. Be a bit irresponsible. Make memories. Dance your heart out.

3. Disregard your parent’s advice on something. Now, my take isn’t the same as it is in the article. You see, I never really had a ‘rebellious’ time. When I went to college, I decided I wanted my belly button pierced. I had just turned 18 (ok, so not technically 20s yet but whatever), and asked Mommy Janks what she thought. She immediately responded that she didn’t like the idea. I did it anyway. Later on, I heard her recounting the story to her friends as if I didn’t do it without her permission. Sigh.

4. Ask for a raise. In a prior position, I was a part of a pretty intimidating review process. But it prepared me for life. I had to defend my decisions, express my interest in the company, and explain why I deserved a raise. If you weren’t prepared, you were like a fish in a barrel. As I said, it’s made me a better person (and also made me get everything in writing.)

Now, for a few not on the list:

5. Live in a city. While State College is big enough to merit its own zip code, it’s not necessarily a city. I’m a suburban girl and while I had a few friends who lived in the heart of a city, I have never done it. The JA was living in a part of Baltimore when we started dating and we remember that time with love and longing. It’s great feeling like a bigger part of something…like, maybe a Super Bowl win?

6. Take a trip with a close friend or your significant other (just the two of you). If you haven’t done that yet, do it now. You learn about someone when you’re sharing a car, plane, or room with someone for a few days.

7. Invest. Whether it’s buying a piece of clothing that you know you’ll wear for years to come or putting money in a retirement fund, invest in your future. I’ve always been a saver (sometimes to a fault), and I understand how hard it is to invest in big-ticket items. Yet, I bought my first decent suit jacket in my 20s and I wear it all.the.time. Initial cost? My jaw hit the floor. Cost per wear? At this point, it’s pennies. Completely worth it.

There are a few more that I could list but then it wouldn’t be seven things, so I’m going to turn it over to you. Anything that you would add/change to this list?

Life Lessons I’ve Learned From My Dog

I wanted to write this post for a long time now. I thought it could wait until a big milestone (our 1 year six-month mark of owning a dog) but I saw this photo of a dog that survived along with its owners in a storm shelter during the tornado in Oklahoma. This post may seem trivial in comparison, but loss comes in many shapes and sizes; please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers.

Photo via Instagram from @todayshow, who reposted from @weatherchannel producer @mikejenkinstv

In the past, I used to scoff at those bumper stickers that read, “Who rescued who?” but since we adopted Watson, I’ve changed my tune.

Having a dog is one of the best decisions the JA and I have made (besides marrying each other, of course). Here are a few of the lessons he’s taught us:

1. Be a good companion. I.hate.being.alone. Coming home to an empty house led to me sitting at the computer for hours on end, piddling around, working, and counting the seconds until the JA came through the door. When he did, either I was 1. super happy to see him and wanting to talk all about my day, or 2. upset that he was late and why can’t we make more time for each other?!

Not so good.

Watson has given me a reason to come home on time and like it. He gets me out of the house, and there’s no happier face than a dog who gets to be outside on a nice day.

2. Test the limits (but know when to give up). Between shredding the laundry room door, sneak pees, and eating my camera, these past few months have had more than enough “BOY, you are lucky you’re so cute” challenges. We like to say that he’s as high maintenance as we are – when he’s unhappy, he shows it. We’re getting better at learning his cues, but also controlling him more when necessary.

3. Shake it off. Sure, I cried a bit when I found my good camera cracked and in pieces around the living room. But the majority of the time, we have to accept the fact that what’s done is done. Picking up the pieces and moving on (while seeing Watson slink around because he knows we’re upset with him) is a trait that dog ownership has certainly strengthened.

How can you be so upset? Look at this face!

4. Love like there’s no tomorrow. Now, I’m not knocking the JA here, but when we’ve both had a bad day, it’s sometimes hard to get out of that funk. Doggie don’t care. As long as we walk through that door, he will greet us with a wagging tail and a ‘let’s go play!’ look in his eyes. I never had a pet growing up, so Watson’s my first try at this whole thing. This little guy has brought so much joy into our lives that I can’t wait to watch him grow and adapt with us as an important part of our family.

5. Everyone needs a good cuddle now and again. There’s nothing like a doggie cuddle. Or the ‘paws up because this is the best belly rub’ look. Or finding the secret spot that unleashes the highly sought out foot jiggle. Cuddling never hurt anyone, and most of the time it’s appreciated.

6. Bring snacks and always share. Watson is always down for a snack. His preferences are animal crackers and pretzels with peanut butter coming in a close third. Boy is like his momma – loves the carbs and gravitates toward them like a bee to honey.

What life lessons have you learned from a pet?

Update: This video appeared this morning that show a woman who recovering her dog from the rubble in Oklahoma. I totally teared up, but wanted to pass it along. You’ve been warned.

The Waiting Game

WHEW! Is it just me or has this month flown by?

I woke up this morning with good intentions to write, and write I did. I simply wasn’t happy with any of it so I scrapped everything, waiting for inspiration to strike.

as always, click for source

I went to work and waited some more.

I came home, made dinner, and continued to wait.

And the we sat down and started scheduling out our closing on the house, painting, and move. (Note to self: next time, try not to do all this during wedding season and the busiest week of our summer.)

I became a bit overwhelmed.

And that’s where we are. The rest of this evening is allotted for a meeting with our mortgage guy and quality time with this guy. (Guess which one I’m looking forward to more?)

Check back in tomorrow, I already have that post started and it’s a fun one!

Work It

I had a crazy dream last night in which I was tasked with making a major choice – stay at a job that I was just eh about but really liked my co-workers, or leave it for more money. I was allowed to ‘test drive’ my new teammates and let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty (and included a pretty brutal obstacle course team building exercise.) My subconscious was making its case for each scenario when my alarm went off. Major bummer! I wonder what the outcome would have been.

I’m not one to analyze dreams, but ones such as this make me curious. What would it have said about me? About my life? Would I have learned something about myself that I’m not yet ready to admit? Or was it just a wonky dream that’s illustrating something completely different? I guess we’ll never know!

Welp, time to attend to my current job. To make the most of this Monday, here’s some interesting info about happiness at the workplace. Let’s make this week a good one!

Spontaneity

After a brief stint at junior prom (him) and a bachelorette party (me) last night, the JA and I figured that we’d take it easy today…

…until we remembered that it’s Cinco de Mayo and one of our friends was hosting a BBQ. We packed up the dog and made the hour drive to Virginia. It was a nice, quick getaway and wonderful to see these friends. We’ve had a lot going on and things are only going to get busier a trip was the last thing we needed to add to the list, but it was worth every minute. Here are a few photos!

Do you like to just pick up and go or are you someone who plans everything out to the minute?

Fun & Games

This is the way I felt about getting out of bed this morning. With a lack of creative juices, I decided to make today’s post an interactive, fun one. Enjoy!

Would you rather…

…have a super-soft pillow or a warm, fuzzy blanket? Blanket. As someone who is perpetually cold, blankets are my best friend.

…go back in time and meet your ancestors or fast forward and meet your great-grandchildren? Fast forward. To see the advance in technology and hope that the values that I preach are still being upheld.

as always, click for source

…always know when people are lying or always get away with lying? Always know. I have a horrible poker face and lying makes me flustered and uncomfortable.

…wear the same thing every day or never wear the same thing twice? Coming from a Catholic school upbringing and wearing uniforms from grades 1-12, I’d pick wearing the same thing every day. It’s easy, hassle-free, and makes laundry a breeze!

…control the elements or control time? Oooh. Well, I do love me some good weather, but I would like the opportunity to speed up/slow down time. I think I’ll have to go with the elements, only because I don’t know what life has in store for me and if I controlled time, I could miss something that would change my entire path of life.

Your turn! Answer one or all of the questions above, and have a great Friday!

May I Rise to the Challenge

Get it? May? As in the month and an expression of permission? Ha, I crack myself up.

Ok, to the point. I’ve decided to challenge myself and participate in National Blog Post Month (NaBloPoMo). The goal is to blog every day. With so much happening this month, I’m likely to fall off the blog wagon and I don’t want to. I want to engage, grow, and virtually hang out with y’all. So I’m holding myself accountable.

Laying in bed this morning, I took a moment to be aware of my surroundings: the softness of the sheets, the support of the mattress, and the chirping of birds outside the open window. My morning’s tend to go one of two ways: either I’m dragging myself out of bed, already yearning for a cup of coffee, or I’m awake, energized, and ready to begin the day.

Our days have been crazy again this week. The school is in the midst of graduation/end of school activities, we’re trying to buy a house, and then there are the social events that seem to crop up as the weather gets nicer. While it’s exciting, sometimes it becomes overwhelming to look at our schedules for the upcoming month and a half. Therefore, it was a glorious few seconds to hear the birds chirp. Chirping birds tell me that the rain has stopped. They remind me of the new life that comes with the spring.

click image for source

How are you challenging yourself this month? What or who serves as a comfort to you?

You’re Killin’ Me, Smalls!

Note: Title is attributed to the classic film “The Sandlot.” I’m not big on sport movies, so the fact that I’ve seen this one multiple times (and enjoyed it) says a lot.

click image for source

This weekend, the JA and I found a house that we love. Single family, within our price range, good area, off-street parking, plenty of space, not many upgrades needed right away,…I could go on for days. To sum it up nicely, I’ll use the words of my husband, “Oh my gosh, Jess. This house, THIS IS MY AMERICAN DREAM.”

Too bad the state of Maryland is making it impossible for us to put an offer in on this puppy. We’ve qualified for a certain type of loan that allows us to get money from the government. (If you’re wondering why I didn’t throw my hands up after hearing that, get this…I thought it would be simple.) We were told we had to attend classes before putting a contract on the house. Ok, fine. signed up for those bad boys ASAP.

Last night, we called our mortgage guy all excited because we thought we could put an offer in on the house after finishing class Thursday night. HA! He said. (Or at least, this is how I imagined the conversation going, because we all know how I am when it comes to finances – I leave those convos up to the JA.) You need to go to pre-purchase counseling before you can offer.

EXCUSE ME? Not only do we have to sit through a pointless-to-us class, but now we have to submit THE SAME INFORMATION to this gov’t agency that we did to our financial advisor? No way in hell. (We gathered all the information anyway and the JA’s ready to run it over as I eat my words, but for now I’m standing strong on the HELL NO front.)

All we want is to put an offer in on this house. This house that we want so badly that we wrote a note to the owners. A note that included a promise that we loved it so much that we would put an offer in by the end of the week. Now we’re going to look like liars. And we’re not. We’re just trying to get money from the government. Getting a tax refund isn’t this hard!

OOF.

What’s frustrating you today? I know there’s gotta be something, so feel free to vent. It feels good.

Bring An Umbrella

Get your umbrellas out, folks because this weekend was full of showers!

Saturday afternoon, I attended a bridal shower for our friend who is tying the knot in June. It was great catching up with friends and celebrating the bride-to-be. We’re so excited to share this special day with the happy couple!

Sunday afternoon, I was able to attend a beach-themed shower my friend and her baby girl. She’s due in a few weeks, and it was a pleasure seeing her and hanging out before her bundle of joy arrives!

I still found time to get some work in, hang out with a few other friends, and house hunt. WHEW! This week is another busy one, so let’s get this party started!

Exception to the Rule

I don’t normally blog on the weekends, but when I do, it’s something that I can’t wait until Monday to share. This is one of those times.

Last night, I read this post from Katharine at From A to Pink. Katharine and I know each other from Book Club. She is a wonderfully strong, determined, talented woman with an infectious laugh and a positive outlook on life. She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis later than most patients, and has done a fantastic job chronicling the struggles and triumphs of having a chronic disease on her blog.

Her post got to me. Not only because I know her on a personal level, but because it reminded me about the value of life – something we all need now and again.

Many people think it’s easy to blog. To sit behind a computer and type out your feelings. Yet, in reality, it can be a very scary thing. Pouring your deepest emotions out to the world – most of the time to be lifted up and supported, but also opening yourself up to others who sit, read, and judge. Every word is carefully chosen in order to not only make your point, but make it clear the way you intend it to be taken. Writing emotional posts drains you in a way you can’t even imagine, and hitting the publish button is scary.

I wanted to take the time to commend Katharine on her thought-provoking, intense, emotional, heart-wrenching post. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to write (or publish), but writing these type of posts helps enlighten those who don’t know, support and encourage those who do, and affect everyone who reads them in some way or another. Thank you.

May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness month. For more information, I encourage you to visit www.cff.org.