Wherein I Ask Your Opinion
December 30th, 2010 § 15 Comments
Christmas is officially over in The Twenty-Fifth Year household.
My brother and sister-in-law came into town last night. Gifts were exchanged, dogs were canoodled.
Seriously, this poor thing doesn’t stand a chance with her Auntie Cait. I am a chronic dognapper.
There’s going to be a lot of this going on for the next few days.
And this.
I’m still in disbelief that another year is just a few days away. 2010 was so, so many things to me. I feel like I’ve conquered several life changes this year and I only see them continuing to roll through the next.
I’ve never been big on the whole New Years resolution bit. I’m an idle-Tuesday-morning-in-the-shower kind of goal setter. Still, I think it’s really great to create some insight with the turn of a calendar page. I haven’t decided if and what I’ll share, but if you’ve been a follower of the blog, you know I’m all about the mental health and happiness and that I love sharing. That being said, 2011 is scheduled to be a happy year that you’ll be hearing about.
As I find it quite natural, I see The Twenty-Fifth Year taking a turn in direction this year. It’s quite obvious I’ve fallen head over heels for photography, so that’s going to be a big part of it. However, if there ever was a time I needed some direction from you, Dear Readers, this is it. What would you like to see in 2011? I cherish each and every one of you checking in on me when you do and I’d like to make your stay enjoyable by accommodating your needs. I’m kind of like a four-star hotel in that respect.
So, go on – dish! spill! give it to me! More of this, less of that? I’d really like to know! And, no I will not be a food blogger. My gourmet diet consists of Green Monsters, Christmas cookies, coffee and vegetarian subs from Jimmy John’s. You will be bored.
For real, I want to know. So please, leave me a comment. Even if it’s one sentence of a suggestion. You can always email me, too, at thetwentyfifthyear [at] gmail [dot] com.
Oh, and it would be in your best interest to be honest. Now that Santa is on vacation, I’ve got my guard dog all over the, “You better watch out, you better not cry,” duties.
Bigger Than My Body
July 15th, 2010 § 13 Comments
So I’m sitting here, listening to John Mayer. What does that mean? It means a lot. That is a loaded question.
John Mayer is so many things to me. He’s the mysterious man on a greenish blue album cover stuck inside a jewel case that held the CD that was the soundtrack to my freshman year of college. I remember sitting on a bench, Discman in my lap, looking out to where the three rivers met at The Point and thinking – no, realizing – how much my life was changing. For the first time, I owned my decisions. They were mine. My consequences.
He wrote the song that played in my Mum’s minivan the day the boy my 17-year-old self thought I was in love with pushed my curls back from my face as we drove with the windows down. He’s the one who sang the tune that brought tears to my eyes five years later when that boy died.
His voice can carry me through sadness and doubt. It can make me unbelievably happy. It can speak to my life at every point in my life. It can make me hopeful.
Tonight it made me hopeful.
I’ve learned that my circumstances in Austin may not be what I originally thought. I’ve learned that while things may not pan out how I pictured them in my head, things will pan out how they are supposed to. I’ve been doing a lot of talking to Jesus and while I’ve never felt panicked or terrified or had a terrible gut feeling this was anything but the absolute best decision I can make for myself, I’ve been sad.
Perhaps sad isn’t the right word. To me, “sad” is a word that’s meaning is as loaded as the first question in this post. It’s a happy sad. It’s realizing the endless possibilities that await such a transformation. And I say endless because I believe they are endless. This isn’t sparkly words and lofty dreams. This is real. I know what I am hopeful for is going to happen. I think sometimes we say we have big dreams and high hopes, but only to ourselves. We think it’s not attainable – we’ll never reach that height – and we don’t want to be the one who talked about great things and didn’t live up to them. We don’t want to come off as conceited. We don’t want to be full of ourselves.
I’m going to be full of myself and put it right out there that my dreams will not only be reached, they will be celebrated, surpassed and links to dreams even bigger than I can imagine for myself right now. Tonight I fully digested the belief that who I am and the capabilities I possess are amazing, that I have inside me the character, the drive, the determination and the tenacity to chase after, and catch, what it is I am seeking.
You want to know the greatest part of this realization? I know it’s inside of you, too. I know it to be true. I know that you have things inside of you that are awesome in the true sense of the word. I know your capabilities are what you believe them to be. No, they’re more than that: they’re that highest high you’re too afraid to admit you want. I promise you – what you want, you can get, you will get if you believe it to be true.
Perhaps it’s the fact that I am simplifying my life down to what can fit in the back of an SUV this summer that’s brought on this post. That with each piece of furniture I watch get taken out the door, with each bag of clothes I give and donate and with every added bare spot in the rooms of my house, I can feel myself gaining. I’m gaining the true insight of what really matters in my life. I’m gaining the experience that a leap of faith to a place without a “real job” isn’t something that should be looked down upon as silly or stupid. It’s something courageous. It’s something exciting. It’s something that’s mine. I own my consequences.
Perhaps it’s the uncertainty of the future. Perhaps it’s the wine (not really, because I hate wine, but it sounds so poetic). Perhaps it’s the buzz of excitement every morning I wake up, knowing I am one day closer to that day.
Whatever it is, I’m really starting to love it. And believe in it.
I also believe no matter where you are in life – no matter the “if’s” and what big events and changes are in your horizon – you’re capable of being full of your beliefs and believing them to be a reality. What do you think? In the words of my elusive John Mayer, “Say what you need to say.”
Le sigh
May 20th, 2010 § 14 Comments
Imagine me taking a big, deep sigh as I sit down to type this. It’s loud. And probably drawn out, border line annoying and right in your ear.
OK. Now. For the words behind that sigh.
I have been in a funk lately. If you’re a regular visitor, reader, friend, blend, etc., it’s been pretty obvious through my severe lack of posting that something is up. Now I will commit the two biggest blogger annoyances. I will tell you that I am sorry for my lack of posting (and also my complete withdrawal from your blogs, but more on that in a minute) and I will also tell you there is a reason for all of this and it is a reason I cannot share here.
How rude is that?!?! I know, I know. But just know that there are reasons beyond listing here why I cannot just let it all out. Please believe me when I tell you I’d love to gather all of us together around a big table and just spill what I have been going through over here. In a perfect world, I totally would. Then after we cried, hugged and laughed through tears (the best emotion IMHO) we’d go dance to Lady Gaga and everything would be OK. In reality, though, the little table we’d gather ’round? It’s got ears and eyes and by that I mean Google. We all know the power of the Internet and the ease of finding things out if you know what to look for. So for now, things have to stay unknown to you. Just know that I am healthy, my family is healthy and I am not disappearing from blog0sphere and your lives forever. Also know that if you’re the praying kind, giving a shout above in my name is greatly appreciated as I have found more strength in my faith than I ever could have imagined. There is power in prayer y’all.
I’ve done some exciting share-worthy stuff since I last wrote and I promise I’ll get to it. Promise. For now, I just wanted to let you know I am, in fact, here and I miss everyone dearly. It may be silly to post this and I hope you don’t think it’s simply for self-validation. Rather, I love this community and what it’s brought to my life. I love what each of you bring to me every day. I love reading and commenting and supporting all of you. And just like if you were my gal pals around the corner or down the hall, I’d like to think you deserve a little hello and an explanation from me. This one isn’t very exciting and quite broad at that, but I know you understand. I plan to clear out my 1,000+ Google Reader, finish regrouping and join the party just as soon as I can.
I leave you with my daily read. (Thank You Heather)
James 1:2-8 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
Number One
December 9th, 2009 § 7 Comments
Hola friends! My apologies for not posting last night. It seems that some sort of virus has inhibited my body and I was completely wiped out last night. I usually only get sick once a winter season and I have been trying to stock up on flu prevention – vitamins, vegetables, Green Monsters, constant hand washing, etc. However, when you work with the public, I suppose it’s bound to happen. I just hope my manly voice subsides in the next few hours because sounding like Peter Brady is not cool, mmk?
Anyhow, let’s continue on with holiday chat shall we? As you can see, I love Christmastime. Crazy shoppers, constant carols and terrible traffic aside, it really is a wonderful time of year. However, as we age and grow up, the season becomes quite different. Being in your mid-twenties can mean a lot of changes. Aside from the general excitement of a new toy subsiding at age 10, if you have older siblings (check!) they may have families of their own that they spend the holiday with. Or, maybe you’re the one that’s spending time away from your family. Me? Homegirl’s spent every Christmas with Mum and Dad. And I’ll admit, I’ve never really had to even buy a man a Christmas present. The last time I had a boyfriend this time of year was in sixth grade. I bought him a Weird Al Yankovic CD. We broke up before we went on break. Guess who was jamming out to “Amish Paradise” then?
It’s not that I have never had a boyfriend. I have dated quite an array of men – and that’s putting it very, very nicely. I just have a hard time weaning myself from the independence I have built up for myself in the last 25 years. It takes a special kind of man to understand what my needs are. I mean, who wouldn’t want this?
Haha. But, seriously, the holidays can be a rough spot for singledom, no? No “plus one” for Ugly Sweater Parties, no one to pull under the mistletoe or string the lights on the tree. Wahhhhh. I know, right? You’re probably thinking, “Dude, shut up. Quit feeling sorry for yourself.” or, “It’s no wonder your ass is single you crazy bia.” And, hey, that’s cool, you’re entitled to your own P.O.V. There’s some days it can be a struggle for me, and others when I just roll with it. Like when my friends are crazy mad stressed because they don’t know what to get their significant other? Point! Or when they’re pissed because their partner’s holiday party coincides with their traditional girls’ day? Score!
So I usually rack up some major points in December, until said friends send me a picture message Christmas morning of the beautiful bracelet from Tiffany’s/pimped out iPod/brand new car/$1 million dollars from their man. I’m all like, “Yeah?? Well, I, umm, got this really pretty sweater!!!!” Just doesn’t have the same effect, people.
Someday, I’ll be on the flip side, snapping sweet shots of my loot and getting entirely too sentimental making new traditions. For now, though, I think I’ll just continue loving the fact that my Christmas shopping does not involve trips to electronic stores or trying to pick out the best giftset at Bath & Body Works for my mother-in-law nor do I have to endure awkward family dinners with creepy Uncle Joe. Point!
Stay tuned – I’m planning an update for December to Remember next post! How are you doing with yours?
What about you? Are you a fellow single holiday party goer? Or is it just the opposite and you find it hard to split time between families and make everyone happy? Let the commentary begin!
Hue are you?
November 15th, 2009 § 3 Comments
A few weeks ago, Ellen at Fired ‘N’ Fabulous posted an interesting “experiment” about our tendency to gravitate toward celebrities having the same hair color as you. I totally agreed, thinking of my favs – Reese Witherspoon, Kate Hudson, UMMM….CARRIE BRADSHAW aka SJP – sorry sometimes I think that character is real.
P.S. She is on this month’s cover, too. Just came out..go get it!
I was born a blond and through the years, I’ve played a lot with the color. I got my first highlights when I was in eighth grade – they were cap highlights, do you guys remember those? Pulling the itty strands through that awful bonnet with the tweezer-like gadget? Ouch! I stayed pretty blond through high school and began experimenting in college. I had the longer, honey blond:
Then as it got longer, I started adding in dark underneath. Sometimes it was dark brown, or a reddish, at one point it was pretty close to black.
I even got some extensions (clip-in ones – real hair) and would wear them when my hair was at an in-between length.
Man, I loved those extensions. Maybe a little too much? haha
When I moved to Philly, I got my hair done at a really expensive salon (as in, I am ashamed to ever tell anyone how much I spent there) right in Center City. The man who did my hair made me a bit uncomfortable (don’t you hate that?) and said to me, “Oh you’re smart, keeping your hair long. The weight helps pull down on the curl to make straightening easier.”
A month later, I did some research, found an adorable place in South Philly and said, “Chop it – Victoria Beckham style.” I cut a good foot-and-then-some off and it hasn’t passed my shoulders since.
I’ve continued to experiment with different cuts and shades since then. Most recently, I got tired of the whole straightening bit and just let it go au naturel curly as you have seen in many pictures.
Yesterday, I decided it was time for a change.
Quite a change, eh?
Blond no more! I am officially a brunette. And although I can’t quite say that comfortably yet, I’m working on it.
Do I think my celebrity preferences will change? Tough to say. I guess it’s time to live out Ellen’s hypothesis and see if I change my mind!
What do you think? Does hair color play a role in preference?
