25 Before 25

Well, I made it! I am a quarter of a century old, and I had such a wonderful birthday weekend with my friends and family!

I had planned to start off my Friday morning with a nice, long, birthday run to counteract the incredible amount of calories I planned to consume throughout the day, but I woke up to thunderstorms! Which is okay because I love storms!  Instead, I started my calorie parade with a giant hotdog donut from the Merry Baker in Eleanor! YUM-O! I spent the afternoon shopping with Helen and, of course, we had lunch at Chick-fil-a. Helen and I only had one argument because she kept insisting that I needed a leather jacket even though I told her repeatedly that I already have one THAT SHE BOUGHT FOR ME.  That's a pretty good day for us! Later that evening my whole family met for dinner at Outback. You just can't go wrong there. I mean, c'mon. Two words - cheese fries.

Saturday morning started with my sweet, smiley Zumba girls! They even made me a birthday card! After a quick trip to the mall for a few things I missed the day before, it was off to Casa in Eleanor to celebrate Beth's birthday too! Then the real birthday festivities began. I don't go out. I don't go out ever. I have been there and done that. However, I was feelin' frisky, and we were celebrating Brandon Garnes' birthday too, SO we got the gang together and went out for dinner and drinks in Charleston! We had SO MUCH FUN. I was sweating so much from dancing that I looked like I had just completed the ice bucket challenge.

Sunday after church I  was happy to attend Lindsay Rotella's baby shower, but by the time I got to Matt's house, the lack of sleep had caught up with me. I had about an hour long nap while Matt watched football and Kathy made me a fabulous birthday dinner, as usual! A birthday is not complete without the infamous feathery fudge cake. I seriously wish I could share this cake with the whole world. It would change your life. 

Okay, everyone is asking, so here is the list. Stupid Camden Park was the only one holding me back from completing the list! One of these days I will go, even though everyone keeps telling me that I'm not missing much!

1. Run a 5k - I've done several and even placed 2nd in one!

2. Run a 10k - I ran the Bun Run in Huntington, WV!

3. Run a half marathon - I will be running the Marshall Half Marathon on November 2nd. I realize this is after my birthday, but I registered and paid for it, so it counts!

4. Compete in a pageant - This was probably my favorite. Not only did I compete, but I actually won the title of Ms. Bridge Day 2014. I had such a great day getting ready with Sarah Brown! I was so thankful to have my family and friends were there supporting me and cheering me on! I can't wait for this weekend!

6. Clean out and decorate spare room - The spare room is now a gym! I love it! A blog about it is coming!

7. Go to a professional game - Matt and I went to the Penguins hockey game for his birthday! Then, over the summer we took a trip to Washington D.C. with Tara and Adam and watched a Braves baseball game.

8. Try new exercise classes - Megan and I have been going to a TRX class in Charleston, and we love it!

10. Have a yard sale - Day 1 of my yard sale was a huge success! Day 2, it poured the rain. Oh well, I still made almost $200!

11. Go camping - While I truly appreciate all of the hard work and effort Beth put into our camping trip, I will never, EVER, camp again! Not my style. It was all fun and games until we had to lay down in that tent and go to sleep. No fun.

12. Have a new first with Matt - We've been together for almost 3 years now, and sometimes it seems like we do the same things over and over. We went on our first trip together to Columbus and had a blast (even if I did have the stomach virus!)

13. Go to Camden Park - Every time we tried to go, something came up! I was sick, it was closed, the weather was bad, etc. So, no Camden Park YET.

14. Do a handstand - This one came more easily than I expected! I guess it's like riding a bike!

15. Watch 3 classic movies I haven't seen - Shout out to Lindsay Rotella for letting me borrow her Audrey Hepburn movies! This will be an ongoing goal because there are still so many I need to see!

16. Read more - Another shout out to Lindsay for letting me borrow her book, Psychos! FANTASTIC! Also, my Aunt Ann let me borrow one of my Grammie's old journals to read, which has been really fun!

17. Get a tan - I had a tan for a little while, but I will stick to my spray tans! Much easier! Plus, I get to have a little girl time with my Z-gang!

18. Travel - I went to Columbus with Matt, Washington D.C. with Matt, Tara, and Adam, Charlotte with Matt, Scott, Olivia, and Josh, and Emerald Isle with Matt's family!

19. Volunteer - Aside from Zumbathons, I went to the Putnam County Animal Shelter and walked dogs with Helen. This is definitely something that I will keep up with!

20. Workout on the beach - Not as great as it seems in movies and on TV! Sand is a problem. I won't throw the cliche "sand in places" line at you.

21. Sing in public alone - I totally forgot that I have done thing! On my cruise I sang Reba McEntire's Fancy, and gave QUITE a performance!

22. Buy a car - I purchased a brand new 2015 Mazda CX-5. I'd been looking at SUVs for about a year, and when I finally went car shopping, they had the exact car I had been wanting right there in front of me. It was a sign! I love my new car!

23. Teach Ozzie new tricks - Ozzie can now twirl, speak, sit, and will come when he is called!

24. Host game night - Game Night was super fun! We played pictionary, charades, scattergories, and ate tacos in a bag!

25. Do a photo shoot - Megan and I had a photo shoot before my pageant because I needed a head shot! I ended up winning Most Photogenic, so yay!

To anyone thinking about doing a list, I highly recommend it! My advice is to give yourself more than a few months! I have been cramming things in right and left! I am already thinking about my 30 before 30 list! I truly appreciate all of the people who have messaged me to let me know how my list inspired them to make a list, or helped to encourage them to try something new! It is so wonderful to accomplish something you never even thought was possible! I wish all of you the best of luck in accomplishing each task on your list!