goodbye, twenty five.

I turned 26 last Tuesday, and even though I couldn't get my blogging together in time, I still want to reflect on 25 in the same way that I reflected on 24 last year, so here it goes: 25 things that made my 26th year amazing. (And coming tomorrow, 27 things in my 27th year.)

1// I took an epic road trip with my best friends to Portland, ME.
2// I got my sixth tattoo on my 25th birthday.
3// I had my favorite meal of the year (maybe ever) in SF in April. I still think about it now.
4// I got my absolute dream job just a few days after my birthday, and it's been the best year of my working life.
5// I was converted from a football-hater to a football-butt-lover who also appreciates the game.
6// Got to meet and interview one of my girl crushes, Ayesha Curry.
7// I moved into an amazing house with my two best friends, and it's been a party since day one.
8// Went on a brewery tour in Portland and got drunk off tastings (aka, the best way to do it).
9// I MET SHAQ. NBD.
10// I caught the essences of Max and my relationship on video, and it's my favorite thing in the world.
11// I finally invested in business cards and reopened my Etsy shop.
12// Celebrated Max turning four.
13// And Sky turning one (!).
14// I perfected the homemade bacon, egg, and cheese everything bagel. Seriously.
15// I started up the #alessiacommutes hashtag again with my classic platform photos.
16// I started off 2016 with a new one little word: contentment.
17// I spent a week with my babies in California, and it was the most fun we've had.
18// I traveled to SF twice, and fell in love with it.
19// Started spending more time with my little cousin Sam, who I swear is actually my twin sister.
20// Got to celebrate my pooch's first real birthday on the leap day.
21// Celebrated my first Christmas not living in my parent's house, which was weird, but so much fun.
22// I saw Ed Sheeran for the fifth time.
23// I also saw Taking Back Sunday two times within four days because they're still my favorite band, and probably always will be.
24// Got myself a work wife who works remote from Chicago, and as if that's not the best thing that happened to me this year, actually getting to meet each other in June takes the cake.
25// Celebrated the end of 25 and the beginning of 26 with all of my favorite people on a party bus.

Bring it on 26.

26 things: half year (and a bit) update.

For my birthday this year, I made a list of 26 things that I wanted to accomplish in my 26th year, and now that I'm half (okay, just over half) of the way through the year, I wanted to catch-up with how I'm doing and figure out what I still need to accomplish before I turn 26 next March.

11 out of the 26 items have been crossed off so far, seven things are in progress, and eight things are completely unfinished. On the list of completed items, I've traveled to a new place (Portland, ME), gone to four concerts (Ed Sheeran, again), I moved out, got a new job, and went back to California (twice!).

Of the seven things in progress, I've mostly kept up with the month-by-month ones — writing a handwritten letter/note every month, and buying myself flowers — though, I've forgotten most months about the polaroid photos. I've been cooking for myself a lot, and trying to come up with a bunch of staple dishes to make all the time and get really good at (I set the goal at five staple dishes, though I can already make way more things, so it's kind of (?) completed).

Of the things that are unfinished, I either know I'll likely get around to it — like taking some sort of class, maybe calligraphy or copy editing — or unless I really dedicate some time, I probably won't — like brewing beer, or knitting something. The reality of the things that are unfinished is that since moving out and starting my new job (which requires me to write for 40 hours a week), hobbies — including this blog — have hit the back-burner kind of hard. I've tried and tried to keep up with project life, picking up new hobbies, and blogging, but the fact of the matter is, I'm loving life right now, and spending most of my free time with my roommates, seeing friends, going to events for work, and exploring my new town; so I'm not completely mad at myself for having so many things unfinished with my birthday just over four months away.

As with last year's birthday project — 25 things — I have adapted over the course of the year and reevaluated the things that I want to really do. And as with last year, I'm okay with that. I do want to get back to blogging more regularly, and have been saying it for the past six months, but it'll be a slow burn. So I'm not quite close to accomplishing all 26 things yet, but I do feel alright about it all, which is fine by me for now.

26 things in my 26th year.

Last year I tried completing 25 things in my 25th year. I was kind of ish successful in that I did about half of the things on the list, made some of them very close to happening, and figured out what type of goals do and do not inspire me to get shit done. This year I am trying 26 things in my 26th year, and am hoping that I have changed it up enough to complete all of the items and not feel like they are a chore.

1// MOVE. OUT. (May 1, 2015).

2// Get a new, permanent, salaried job. (Hey, Popsugar. March 16, 2015).

3// Take a road trip. (October 2015)

4// Reopen my Etsy shop. (February 2016)

5// Learn to make five staple dishes from scratch well enough to make them without needing a recipe.

6// Spend less money on things and more on experiences.

7// Get a new tattoo (March 8, 2015).

8// Send a handwritten note once a month (taken from last year, it was my favorite item on the list). [|||| |||]

9// Downsize my closet when I move out so that I stop having the issue of a full closet with nothing to wear. This. Needs. To. Happen. (May 2015).

10// Buy flowers once a month because man, do they bring on good moods. [|||| ||||]

11// Go to at least four concerts (again) [||||].

12// Knit something.

13// Go to California. I know I keep putting so much emphasis on Cali, but I need the golden state back in my life asap. (April 2015)

14// Take more photos of my every day life.

15// Travel to a new place. (Portland, ME!)

16// Take a class to improve some of my hobby skills (such as HTML, DSLR photography, photoshop, or calligraphy).

17// Get together with all four of my college housemates at once. (June 2015).

18// Organize my photos on iPhoto. So much garbage (phone screenshots and twenty of the same photo) is clogging it up.

19// Take a photo with my polaroid camera at least once a month.

20// Watch the entire series of Breaking Bad, because if one more person tells me what I'm missing... (March 23 - April 3. Oh man, so good).

21// Make something that contains all of the photos of my time with Max and Skylar over the last two years. (April 2015).

22// Try brewing beer.

23// Do something that scares me. (Interviewing this girl crush of mine was frightening, but I'm so glad that I did it.)

24// Get back into watching more YouTube videos and reading blogs on an almost daily basis.

25// Come up with a new feature for the blog that makes me happy and gets my creative juices flowing.

26// Write myself another letter to open on my birthday next year.

Roll on, 25.