30 Before 30

I recently turned 25 and I think it's time to retire my "25 before 25" list 

and work on some new goals for the next 5 years!

I blogged a few months ago with some goals for the 2016 calendar year,
but this goes beyond just this calendar year!

So here we go, here are 30 goals I hope to accomplish before I turn 30 on May 19. 2021:

1. Write a list of 30 goals and encourage others to do so (Please comment me a link to your own list!)

2. Read my Bible more, as well as faith-based devotionals

3. Start our own company

4. Attend a blogging conference

5. Send my mom flowers out of the blue

6. Learn calligraphy and use it!

7. Have a picnic with Houston in an Atlanta park

8. Get a puppy!!!! We just need to agree on a breed we like first... stay tuned!

9. Read 5 books cover to cover

10. Work at meal planning... so we stop making 5 trips to the grocery store each week ;)

11. Have friends over for a blind wine tasting

12. Successfully plant herbs (and keep them alive) in our backyard

13. Consistently workout and more importantly be content and happy with how I look

14. Get our porch updated and hang Edison lights outside

15. Run (and walk) a half marathon

16. Travel abroad with Houston

17. Cook a big meal and host a dinner party for friends

18. Watch a meteor shower

19. Go on a couples vacation

20. This is a stretch - learn to speak another language. Hopefully French! Oui oui

21. Then we should probably travel to France to use that French language ;)

22. Join Junior League of Atlanta

23. Spend time serving the homeless in Atlanta

24. Take a golf lesson. How proud will Houston be of me?!

25. Unplug for an entire weekend. I should do this at least once a year.

26. Invest in real sunglasses. No more $5 sunnies.

27. Get better at budgeting, especially when it comes to groceries

28. Become a Pure Barre instructor - I have fallen in love with Pure Barre and would love to teach classes if the opportunity is available!

29. With our recent interest of wine the last few years, go to Napa Valley with Houston

(Maybe for our 3rd wedding anniversary trip?? Yes please!)

30. Throw a huge birthday bash for Houston's and my 30th birthdays!

There it is! I'll keep you all posted on how my goals are coming along by posting to a separate page as well. You can find it at the top of my blog under the "30 Before 30" page.

Thank you Business Insider for some inspiration!

It's fun to think about where Houston's and my life will be five years from now. Where do you see yourself in five years? And what do you hope to accomplish?

xox, A

Trust.

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Psalm 28:7

I'm sitting on the couch and just read today's devotional in one of my favorite devotional books Jesus Calling and came across this verse.

I love that part "my heart trusts in Him," like most college seniors I am constantly thinking about what will I be doing in this next stage of life? (You know the one after I graduate...) Thankfully I've got a city nailed down, Atlanta, which I am SO excited about because it means I can be closer to Houston (EEEK!), but I can't stop thinking about finding a job.

I've spent the last few months working on my resume on and off and having people look it over for me, and make more corrections, and I've finally started sending it to a few people the past week or two which is SO EXCITING to me, but also just makes me anxious. What happens now? Will anyone ever call me for an interview? Will I ever find a job? 

And I've realized that this is the devil creating all these anxious thoughts in my head. Worry and anxiousness is something I've struggled with, especially in college. I'm such a planner and I like to have my days scheduled and with a To Do list carefully in my planner. So as you would imagine, graduating in May is a little terrifying for me to think about since I'm not sure where I'll be working or living yet... but I'm learning to trust God in everything and know He has it figured out - and it just isn't my time to find out what that is quite yet.

For those of you that worry like I do, here are a few other great verses from the devotional today.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Genesis 28:15

I think this is something I will have to continue to work on - but for now I'm trying my best to enjoy my last semester and being proactive to find a job, while not letting it stress me out and trusting God to lead to me to where He wants me to be after college (yeah, that sounds like a good plan!)

-A

Fitness Update:

Went to pure barre 3 times this week so far and attempting to get to the gym sometime today for some cardio, but not sure if that'll happen with all the reading I have for homework and Step Sing practice. And super excited because last night was my first pure barre class I actually enjoyed because I can already tell I'm getting stronger and was able to do a lot more of the exercises! Woohoo:)

My Love Languages

So I thought I would help my readers get to know me a little bit by listing just a few of the many things and people I love:

I LOVE...

my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ

my parents, and siblings Betsy and Michael

my boyfriend, Houston

my incredible friends God has blessed me with throughout my 21 years

creating things - whether it is my newest entrepreneurial idea, crafts or food, I love to create!

the sunshine (with that also comes laying out)

long talks with my best friend and roommate, Juliann and discussing our newest life plans

the beach and the lake (still undecided as to which I prefer)

traveling (I hope to go abroad again soon!!)

watching college football

Paris

polka dots

Lilly Pulitzer

sparklers

walks on the beach

cooking & baking

Penguins, only second to my favorite animal... Dogs!

tomato and mozzarella salads

green smoothies - my Aunt Lori just got me hooked! I'll write you the recipe soon!

New York City

@CuteEmergency - if you don't follow them on Twitter, you need to! It can brighten ANY day!

Taylor Swift's music (my INCREDIBLE boyfriend is taking me to see her in ATL in April!!!! Best boyfriend ever... YES!)

my mom's chocolate cake

the color yellow

driving with the windows down and blaring music (preferably with friends in the car with me)

monograms

Pintrest
seersucker

J.Crew

Atlanta (my future home --- EEEK!)

What are some of your favorite things?? Your favorite city? Food? Place to shop? Or thing to do?

And if you like any of these things too and want me to elaborate, let me know and I can dedicate a post to some of the things listed above!

xoxo,

A

Snow Day!!

When I woke up this morning, I had the lovely surprise of SNOW falling outside my window! (Pretty exciting for a Florida girl!) I had heard rumor that there might be snow today, but the weatherman lied to me a few times last year so I didn't want to get my hopes up.

I was so excited and began taking pictures and videos and sending them to my boyfriend, Houston, and my family so I could have some people to share in my excitement (my roommate, Juliann, is home for a few days so I had the apartment all to myself).

I quickly made a bagel and my coffee and sat down on the floor to look in amazement at the snow falling out the window of our porch. Rare moments like these allow me to wonder in amazement at God's beautiful creation and how He dreamed this all up for us to enjoy. Here are a few pictures from my lonely, but still very exciting snow day!

Bagel, coffee, snow and my quiet time

What is this on my windshield??

I had to run an errand up to school and took a selfie to text around:) I was

obviously very exciting about the snow!

The "Mr. Beeson" statue at school is a famous landmark - captured him bearing the cold!

A little snow stuck on the ground outside my apartment.

The trees were covered after it snowed several hours, unfortunately it has stopped and

now all of the snow is gone. Hopefully we can get some more before winter

is over. My feelings are... if it's going to be this cold, it might

as well snow!

Have any of you had a snow day yet? What are some of your favorite activities to do in the snow?? I'm still a newbie at this stuff!

My parents flew in town tonight and my brother and I took them to dinner at a yummy place called Five in Lakeview area. They only serve 5 appetizers, 5 entrées, 5 drink specials, 5 white wines and 5 red wines... you get the picture. I had only been once before when they first opened and it had been very packed and loud, so I enjoyed it much more tonight when it was a smaller crowd and the food was 

AH-mazing (as my sister, Betsy likes to say!) Can't wait to go back! You've gotta get the white chocolate bread pudding for dessert - it's their only dessert because no one would order the other 4, so you know it's good!

Goodnight everyone:)

-A