Top: Beehive (Similar one) | Pants: Levi | Booties: Vince | Clutch: Elaine Turner | Lipstick: MAC “Rebel”

Photography by: Banavenue

I can hardly believe that I am turning a quarter of a century. The BIG 2-5! My youngest sister, Kacey, has been building the hype for about a year now. Every month on the 7th, she has texted me with a count down till my birthday to remind me that I am turning a quarter of a century. 25 is a milestone birthday for sure. You aren’t quite yet to 30, but all of a sudden you are half way through your 20s and it kinda starts to feel like you should have your shit figured out. Welp, my shit ain’t figured out one bit.

While there are plenty of things that I have learned in my 20s, there is still so much more to learn and grow. It’s funny how I flip flop back and forth between wanting to become this independent, strong, hard working woman and throwing a tantrum every morning when my alarm goes off. 25 going on 5.

So cheers to 25 years and not having it ALL figured out! But I wanted to go ahead and share 25 things that only took me 25 years to realize. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

1. Spaghettio’s and wine are my dinner specialties more nights than not. If the Kroger cashier judges me one more time for buying wine in bulk… your girl is just trying to get her 6 bottle discount.

2. Coffee is a necessary evil. I say this because I am allergic. I’m talking heart racing and sweat sessions #sexy

3. Time flies by faster and faster each year. Oh to be back in college when I swore I would never make it out of there. What I would give for time to slow down like that now.

4. Your high school bod is a thing of the past. Goodbye perky butt, hello cellulite. O and prepare for everything to change. Hair type, eyebrows (so not on fleek), adult acne, body pains. Everything your mom warned you about.

5. Always take the road less traveled. Even if it is just the stairs vs the elevator 😉 because that’s a good tip in itself.

6. Nobody has it figured out in their 20s and if they say that they do, they are LYING. I’ve come to find out that we are all just children pretending to be adults. Except some of us have to try a little harder than others. That would be me.

7. Friends that you thought would be around to support your wildest dreams will fall short. Others will come into your life unexpectedly and make the biggest impact. Funny how that happens.

8. God never gives us more than we can handle.

9. You are supposed to put more into your savings account than you take out. I swear you’d think they would teach these things in grade school but some of us don’t learn that till our 20s.

 10. Girls are bitches. That’s right, I said it. Unfortunately you will never outgrow the girl drama. Some girls just thrive on it. Run from those girls and don’t look back.

11. Surround yourself with people that will tell it like it is. Nothing is more refreshing than the truth.

12. Don’t settle. Not for a boy, for a job, for a promotion, nothing. You simply deserve the best.

13. Hangovers exist. And they suck.

14. Learn to stand up for yourself. Confidence isn’t something you are born with, it’s something that is developed and the more you practice, the easier it will be.

15. You learn to appreciate your parents so much more and also realize it’s mostly because everything that they ever said turned out to all be right.

16. Laughter is the best medicine. It always pairs nicely with a bottle of wine and girlfriends. I hear it’s much cheaper than therapy and a good ab workout too.

17. Be unapologetic for who you are and never ever feel like you have to explain yourself.

18. Your time and energy are so much better spent being happy for other people than tearing them down. Negative energy takes years off your life. Seriously.

19. Cozying up on the couch is pretty much the equivalent of a rager. Fuzzy socks just add to the cool factor.

20. Brunch is always a good idea. It serves as 2 meals now how genius is that?!

21. Every experience, every action and every person shapes who you are. So rid yourself of the negative influences and surround yourself with positivity.

22. You are exactly where you need to be. It may not feel like it, but have faith that God’s plan is far greater than anything you could have ever imagined.

23. If a friendship or relationship feels forced, it’s not worth your time.

24. Mornings are when all of the magic happens. I think mom referred to those as the witching hours but dang are they the productive ones.

25. Everything is temporary. The good and the bad. So I’m learning to soak up the good times and not dwell on the bad.

Well folks, now that I am 25 do I look and sound that much wiser?! Because I’m pretty sure I woke up feeling super mature. That’s probably just the birthday excitement getting to my head though 🙂

GIVEAWAY

In honor of my birthday and continuing on with the 12 Days of Christmas giveaways, I have partnered with Beehive to gift one follower a $100 gift card. Beehive is one of my newest boutique finds with a retro feel to it that I just love. They have locations in Austin and Houston but they also have an online boutique. You must COMMENT on this blog post to enter. For additional entries, complete the below steps. The more you complete, the better your odds of winning!

1. COMMENT on this blog post

2. Follow me on Bloglovin’ here

3. Go like my Facebook page here

4. Follow me on Instagram here

5. Follow me on Pinterest here