Almost 29...time to reflect on this past year

I am almost TWENTY-NINE years old! I created a 28 things to do while I am 28 list and I want to reflect on those things and see what I can improve upon for 29! 28 was not a great year for me but I want to brush it to the side and take on the world at 29. Making notes next to my old list will really help me be accountable for knowing what I want and not going for it. 

28 THINGS TO DO WHILE I AM 28

1. GET IN SHAPE…shed some extra lbs. I actually dropped 15 lbs in the span of this year. I need to get back to the gym though so I don't pack them back on! 
2. Enjoy life…figure out what my “happiness” is and how to start traveling towards it. Still haven't figured this out but I am working on it :) 
3. Date a better quality of men. No more D-bags for age 28!! Ah....lets just say I hit rock bottom with this so yet again another year to look forward to it being better. 
4. Visit my family in Ohio more. A few measly times a year is not acceptable!! I didn't have a lot of chances to go home but I did make a surprise visit to see my brand new nephew.
5. Make some new friends! I definitely did that this year and am looking forward to making many more.
6. Travel to Miami to see my bestie Devon. I didn't get to do that this year nor did I get to see NYC #7.
7. Travel to NYC to see my good friend Nicole and just see NYC for the first time
8. Start a new career path, one that will be the one I was meant to travel one. I DID IT!! I made it into the internet industry in sales. Finally #8 I can check you off. I truly hope that this opportunity really launches a better me and a better future.
9. Get over my fear of flying, or at least make an attempt and get on a plane. Another one that I did. I took a trip to NC for work! This was perfect because I couldn't even think twice about flying. I had to do it!
10.  Get a new car!! Vroom Vroom. Not even close to this....but my old girl is hanging in there. 
11. Waste less time online tweeting & facebooking. I realized social media isn't a waste at all and the time I spend online doing it is very valuable. I met a lot of great business people and friends!! Social media rocks and I'm going to continue to stalk it ;)
12. Blog more (not a waste of online time). I unfortunately was so bad at that this past year but I want to get better. I want to have guest bloggers and more followers. I love hearing feedback. 
13. Volunteer for a nonprofit that I actually care for. Still have somewhat of a bad taste in my mouth from nonprofit and the complete disgracefulness that I have seen behind doors. I'm going to continue to take a break for now and just work on me as a person. 
14. Look into becoming a mentor to kids. On the To Do list of the future. Becoming a better me first can only benefit everyone in the future. 
15.  Get a new tattoo or two. “Just Breathe” first' Not yet but it will happen. Refer back to #1...gotta get my ass in shape first lol. 
16. Drink a lot less pop, like 75% less than what I drink now. This has been tough. My pop drinking is at an all time high right now but now that I'm looking at this I'm going to put the pressure on myself 
17. CHILL OUT...stop stressing about everything. Life will work out. Hahaha....will I ever do this? It's just my nature. 
18. Convince my roommate to sign a 2nd year lease in our townhome :) Aww...he did but then he had to leave for work. Miss him! 
19. Find some hobbies that get me out and enjoying life. Spent some more quality time with friends just having good conversation.
20. Go to more festivals and Chicago activities. I think I did that this past year. Got out to some unique events this year. 
21. Wear a dress. Ok this sounds weird but I have been wearing one a year and it was for a gala I did, and now that I'm no longer involved I need to really push myself to do this.  Haha not gonna happen once during age 28.
22. Let my family and friends know how much they mean to me. I really hope they know this but I do tell them frequently. I even like to tell them on FB sometimes to embarrass them lol. 
23. Take more pictures to remember the great memories with those I care about. Still need to do more of that. 
24. Go to a Michigan Wolverines football game. I didn't get to do that but I have truly enjoyed a kick ass season!
25. Stop shaving and start getting waxed..I know TMI, but hey it's MY list :) Need to switch over 100%.
26. Add a few colors other than black into my wardrobe. Color has entered my wardrobe lol. There will be more to come but I just love black I can't help it. 
27. Stop having so many phobias and face my fears and overcome them. I'm still a wuss...this will go on my next list lol.
28. Vote for Rahm Emanuel to be the next Mayor of Chicago!! I DID!! He won!!

Items in blue are completed.

Items in red were not done but lets not give up!

29 THINGS TO DO WHILE 29....coming soon!

One week ago we met...and it's been love ever since ;)

Don't get too excited...I'm talking about my new iPhone 4s. Don't judge me ;) I definitely am loving my new phone. I thought I would have the shakes after parting ways with my Blackberry but I can't think of one reason why I'd want to go back to Blackberry. Not just that but I went back to Verizon after 7 years and I'm happy to say all is well on that end. T-Mobile was an absolute nightmare. I won't say Verizon is perfect...it's been a week but so far so good!!

FAVORITE APPS SO FAR: 
Facebook
Twitter
Foursquare
Google Maps
Blogger
Instagram- such an awesome ap for pictures.
The Weather Channel
Flashlight
My Verizon
iMailG (for my work email)
RedEye
HuffPost
Chicago Trib
LinkedIn
GrubHub
Yelp
Groupon
SportsCenter

APPS I DOWNLOADED TODAY TO CHECK OUT:
WhosHere
My Disk
PhotoFunia
Flixlab
Backgrounds
ColorSplash
Big Button
Pic Frame
postagram
Photogram

Are you an iPhone user? What am I missing?!

29...wow

Wow 29 is creeping closer, it's about a month away. My birthday that is. I can't say that I am ready for it. This morning I spent some serious time thinking about whether or not I was going to celebrate it. My hesitation was that yet another year older and not closer to what I really want in life. I decided that it's much better to look at it as an end to a rough year, and a new year where I have unlimited opportunity. Sometimes I think birthdays are much better starts than New Years. The older I get the more I realize I don't know whats next. I cannot control things as much as I thought I would be able to. I think I need to stop putting so much pressure on myself because I don't have the power to wiggle my nose and make things happen. Maybe age at 29 I will finally give myself a break and maybe taking a step back and a deep breath will help me get to where I need to be this year....where ever that may be.

The Fear of What's Next...

The fear of what comes next has always been a big one for me, especially when I cannot plan it ahead of time. I have spent too much time in life trying to super plan every step of my life when I think I need to just take a step back and find the right opportunity. It may not fit into the plan that I already have but quite frankly that plan is as flawed as they come. I thought long and hard about what was most important. Before it was living in Chicago and finding an opportunity here. I think I was looking at things wrong. The best opportunity needs to come first. I think I may have to be ready to take a risk and maybe even make a move to really find success.

I have a fear of what will happen next and where will it take me. I know I have to stop living so close to safety though. Moving across the United States may be what it takes. I may be that woman climbs to the top of the most amazing companies, but that for sure is not going to come to me. I have to work hard to go to it and find it. The idea of moving absolutely frightens me especially because I do not know many people in other main cities. I just want what is best for myself and my family. I want to see them more and regardless of distance, I have to be able to afford the trips. I do not want to be paying Sallie Mae off for the rest of my life. I want to pay Sallie Mae off while I can still enjoy life. I want to buy a new car. These are all things I cannot do when I jump from small opportunity to small opportunity, time for something great. Age 29 is quickly approaching, its time to really take the wheel back and control my life and not cruise through. Wish me luck :)

Should parents be friends with their kids on Facebook?

I was just watching the news and a clip of a press conference came up of an angry mother who was telling everyone that if you child has nothing to hide then they should let you be their Facebook friend. This made me thinking, do kids really have to "friend" their parents on Facebook. Isn't Facebook sort of the modern day diary? I'm 28 so there was no Facebook when I was younger, I had diaries. So isn't friending your parent like handing them a pass to see your diary? I think it is. You're not necessarily going to put your deepest darkest secrets on Facebook, but kids surely get close enough. When I was working at a school I would see kids pages that had pictures of them drinking and much more that would completely frighten me if I was a parent. I think kids are doing way more than they should and their parents should do better policing of them but I do not know if being their Facebook friend is really going to make a difference. I see it from both sides. Parents should absolutely want to know what is going on in their kids lives but I think this is where they need to do better parenting and help their children trust them so that they can talk to them. Don't scare your kids so much that they won't talk to you and don't be their best friends so that they do not fear you. Bottomline is that Facebook is not the answer and it won't give you all the answers that you need.

College athletes should not be paid

Everytime someone brings this up, I admit I am a tad disgusted. College athletes are paid. They get free room, board, food. They don't really have bills during college. A free degree isn't payment enough? I know my degree cost me over $60,000 and by the time I pay it off it will have been doubled so about $125,000. So that isn't worth it to them? It's complete bullshit. Not only that but if you think of college sports like a regular business, most regular businesses make a ton of money off of their hardest working employees who don't make nearly enough. So guess what....welcome to the real world. You get a free degree for all your hard work. That is the trade off. You do not deserve to get paid. People have been working for way less than their worth since working began, it is basically just how life is. I don't know why this is so shocking or such relevant now a days. I agree that it should be punished and not considered.

Lesley Ryder of the Huffington Post made a great point, "Depending on the school, a full scholarship can be worth upwards of $200,000. A free degree (especially from a prestigious university) in this economic climate is a godsend. It's hardly slave labor." [article found here:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lesley-ryder/pay-college-athletes-_b_968479.html ]

I really want to know everyone's thoughts on this though. Please share!

Kindness to a stranger

Have you ever considered how a moment of your time and your kindness could mean the world to someone. I never really thought about it on this level before but it's true. You never know when your kindness could help someone desperately in need of perspective and a few positive words. A few words could snap someone out of a negative state and bring them back down to reality.

One day, on the train I was watching the most touching interaction between an older man and a young man. The older man had just gotten off of work and looked so tired. The younger man looked like he just got off a plane with his luggage and he looked down. The older man struck up a conversation with the young man and it led the young man to saying that he had screwed up. His demeanor was even sadder than before. It was like he just revealed a huge secret to this man. The older man told him to hang in there and things get better. He told him that we live in a microwave society and all of the young people want what they want right now. He tried to explain to the young man that life did not always deliver immediate results. I started to see the younger man straighten up his stance and look a little more freed of his stress and frustration.

When the young man got off the train I took his spot standing by the door and I told the older man that what he did was great. The fact that he took his time to share his wisdom really helped that young man out. I also told him that I loved the term microwave society. It is one of the truest things I have ever heard. We all do want what we want immediately. I am very guilty of living a life with little patience. The man and I continued to talk until I got to my stop. He was very genuine and kind. Society is missing that easy, yet very genuine conversation that strangers have when waiting patiently to get somewhere. We no longer wait anywhere patiently and we do not give strangers the time of day.

When I was in my early 20s I would always say hi to passing people and smile to give off warmth and not have such a cold self-involved demeanor. Now that I am in my late 20s I realized not too long ago that I completely stopped doing that years ago. I stopped without giving it a though, probably because most hellos were not returned. But why should that matter if they are returned, who cares. If you make one person smile because you are being nice for no good reason than it is totally worth it. A good friend of mine is great at saying hello to everyone and spreading her positive attitude by simply acknowledging people and saying hi.

Challenge yourself to say hi to at least five people that you don't know everyday. You don't have to go home with them or anything but say hi in passing. See if they say hi back. If they do, you might be surprised at how refreshing it feels to share a positive moment with someone. Even if you may never see them again. We as a society need to regain perspective, we do not have to do everything to get something in return for it. And if you do, think of the return being making someones day.

Oh and by the way....HI!!