Tell 'em that it's my birthday.

Another birthday has come and gone, and much like every other birthday, I don't feel any different. In fact, I'm pretty sure I said out loud "it doesn't even feel like my birthday" on six separate occasions the night of. I guess once you turn the big 21, all of your birthdays mesh into anniversaries of 21. Or is that just me?

In the card my boyfriend gifted me, he wrote, "you are now a year wiser." He was probably being fecisious (he also wrote that I would never be as wise as him, so I should stop trying), but I think what he said perfectly envelops what birthdays actually mean as you get older.

I made mistakes at 22. I triumphed at 22. I started a new relationship at 22. I traveled around Europe for three weeks. I started my first big girl job. I made a lot of big decisions and a lot of small decisions that eventually led to bigger changes in my life. 

Case in point, as you get older, you stop caring about presents and parties and you start caring more about what the last year taught you and what the future holds. 

So here's to 23! I have zero idea what's in store, but I guess that's half the fun. XO

WAIT, WHAT, I'M ALIVE.

Can I have a second to breathe, please?

June is flying by. Moving into my new place has come and gone, my birthday is in two days and my New York trip is at the end of this week. Between all that, I managed to make my month at work (for once), play kickball for the first time in more than 10 years, and celebrate my birthday a little early with some of my closest friends. Needless to say, I haven't had a spare second to stop and regroup.

Life has been hectic the last couple of months. And scary. It's all been a huge change. The last year has been a huge change, in nothing but good ways. I've had my ups and downs, but I can't say I remember the last time I felt genuinely unhappy. Things are so good, and I'm so fortunate.

Regular posts will be up and about this week. XO

Monday Shmonday.

Wait, how is it Monday? Ugh, work week, I'm SO over you and your weekly routines! 

The good news is that I have so much to look forward to! That's what's been keeping me going during the last few crazy weeks. I can't believe my birthday is only eight days away; New York follows two days after that. Honestly, I'm only excited for my birthday because my parents are taking Ryan & I to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. As I'm getting older, I care about birthdays less and less - I really just want to spend time with the people I love. And I want the people I love to feed me.

On another note, most of my shtuff is moved in at the new place. Except for 3/4 of my clothes and, you know, my bed. I feel like I'm living in three different places right now: my place, my parents' house, and Ryan's. Hopefully I'll be all situated by the end of this weekend! 

My room is nowhere near complete, but here's a little sneak preview thus far. I'm so excited for it to come together, but I feel like it's going to be a lawwwng process.

I can't wait to start doing a tour of the apartment series! Until then, this is all you get. Happy Monday, my bubbly friends. XO

Go home, work week. You're drunk.

This week has left me completely and utterly zonked. My mind is spinning in a bazillion different directions, I have a thousand things on my to-do list, and yet my productivity level is at an all-time low. On top of all of the expenses, frustration, excitement, and necessities that come with moving, I'm in the midst of planning a trip to NYC, making my month at work and overall, just trying to get my shit together.

In conclusion, I'm declaring this week an official 'miss.' Did I try my best at work this week? Let's just say I've tried better. Was I proactive in terms of packing everything up for the move? Eh, not so much. Am I capable of performing better in all aspects of my life at the present time? Absolutely.

Unproductive days blow. Unproductive weeks are even worse. The trick is realizing when you're having a rough day, a rough week, even a rough month and knowing that you can and you will be better the following days, weeks, months. Getting caught up in the bullshit is easy - calling yourself on your own bullshit and making a commitment to work harder isn't always. XO

Expectations Vs. Reality.

I'm less than two weeks away from turning 23. The two year anniversary of my 21st birthday, if you will. My early twenties. The time in my life that I should be able to relate to 257 different BuzzFeed articles about how to "make the best" of these years. 

To be honest, when I was a teenager, I imagined a life completely different than the one I lead now. 

Expectations: Living in a big city somewhere, trying to "make it big" in Hollywood or working for a magazine in New York, going on dates with a bunch of different guys, getting fancy drinks with friends every night. I wanted to be the 21 year old version of Lauren Conrad in The Hills, much like everyone else in 2006.

Reality: At 22, I'm living in a city only 30 minutes away from where I grew up. I graduated from college and continue to work in said city. I plan on staying in this city for awhile. I'm in a serious relationship. Sometimes I get fancy drinks with friends, but most of the time we just stick to one, and we definitely can't afford diamond martini glass charm bracelet trinkets for each other (Hills reference...c'mon, guys).

Want to know something? And I'm sure you've already figured it out at this point: 

I'm so, so happy that my reality is astronomically different than my expectations at 16 years old. 

I love living just a hop, skip and a jump away from my parents. I love the friendships I developed in college, and the friendships I continue to grow from high school. I love nights in with Ryan. I love [most days] my steady job. And I'm not just saying that to say it - I genuinely love my calm little life. Because it's mine, and because I love the people in it. 

So here's to entering my fourth year of my twenties with a job, great friends, great family, and my amazing-beyond-words boyfriend. Life could be one helluva lot worse. XO