28 things I’ve learned in 28 years

Hi friends! Last week was my TWENTY EIGHTH birthday! (O.M.G) On one hand I can’t believe I’m only 2 years away from being 30, and on the other I don’t know how I’m not 87 years old haha. If you didn’t know, I’m a low-key grandma and I love it. In bed by 830? Count me in!

I saw this tag going around last year and now that I have finally started my blog I thought why not do one for my birthday this year! It gives me an excuse to go down memory lane and really hone in on some of the best lessons I’ve learned that have help me get through whatever life throws my way.

• 1. It’s ok to be weird. I’m soooo weird, and I freaking love it. And Jon loves how weird I am too! Being yourself is ALWAYS better than trying to be someone you’re not.There are so many quirky things that I do that make me ME.
• 2. Learning to love yourself can be hard, but SO worth it. It is so important to never depend on somebody else’s words of affirmation to make you feel good about yourself. It’s true when they say ‘you need to love yourself before you can love somebody else.’
• 3. A pet can completely change your life. I tell Penelope every single day that she is my absolute best friend and there isn’t a way to express in words how much I love her. And although I am a huge dog lover, and have grown up with dogs my entire life, and still have 4 dogs at my parents house, Penelope has changed my life for the better, and Jon and I could not have dreamed up a more perfect dog for the two of us. 

• 4. Don’t take kitchen scissors and cut your own bangs when you’re 7 years old. Not only that, but I didn’t think my mom would notice that before I went down for a nap I had no bangs, and when she came to wake me up I had a straight across CHOP about 1cm from the top of my forehead. Also, don’t try hiding the evidence throughout all of the trash cans in the house… it wont work.
• 5. Flip a coin if you can’t make a decision. Once you flip the coin in the air, you will automatically realize which thing you will want more. 
• 6. Don’t make someone a priority when you’re just an option to them. So if a guy you’re talking to lives next door and texts you all the time, but never wants to hang out, realize that you are actually not that important to him. Move on! Don’t waste your time, because there is someone out there that will treat you like the princess you are.
• 7. Treat others the way you wish to be treated. I think this one is pretty straight forward, but this is one of the first life lessons I was ever taught as a child, and it has stuck throughout my entire life. 
• 8. Skincare > Makeup. I would rather spend 65$ on a moisturizer/serum than a foundation. If your skin doesn’t look good under your makeup, how can you expect your foundation to look good? 
• 9. Always wash your face. Just freaking do it. I know some nights it can seem to be the hardest task in the entire world, but you will feel SO much better when you do it. Going out drinking? Keep a little to go pack of make up wipes in your purse if you know you’re terrible at taking off your make up when you get home and use it in the Uber if thats what it takes haha.
• 10. Not everyone you meet will like you and that’s ok. It’s the cold hard truth. We all have such different personalities so it would be impossible to please everybody. Sometimes you’re just not someones cup of tea, and although they have no reason not to like you, don’t stress out over it. Don’t let their opinion change who you are, what you’re doing or where you’re going. 
• 11. Everyone you meet will know something that you don’t. Listen and ask questions when you are talking with people, because 9/10 times you will learn something new. 
• 12. Weighing yourself every day is not healthy! I remember a time when I would weigh myself 2-3x a day. It was extremely unhealthy. Rather than stepping on the scale, try taking progress pictures as a better way to measure progress than a stupid number on a scale. 
• 13. Dry shampoo will, and should be your BFF. Aint nobody got time to wash their hair 3-4x a week. I’m a once a week wash kinda girl, and those 6 other days, you better believe I have dry shampoo in my hair! 
• 14. Take as many vacations/trips as you possibly can. Traveling is one of the very few things that you can spend money on that makes you richer.

• 15. When in doubt- wear black skinny jeans and a (faux) leather jacket.No explanation needed, trust me.
• 16. It’s ok to not like the taste of alcohol. Or to not want to drink when everyone else is. BUT if you do want to drink, but hate the taste of alcohol, order a dirty Shirley. You can thank me later. You’re welcome. 
• 17. A spray tan can change your whole mood. I can’t count how many times I have felt down on myself and I get a spray tan (or self tan myself) and BOOM, IM BACK BABY! I know it seems dumb, but hey, it works!
• 18. Quality over quantity. In high school and college I would be jealous of the girls that had 15 best friends. But now, from experience, I would much rather have four shiny quarters over 100 dingy pennies any day of the week.

• 19. Your opinion is not the only correct opinion. It is important as an individual to have your own opinion, but instead of bashing that opinion against other people, to be more understanding of their opinion as well. 
• 20. It’s perfectly fine to lay in bed and binge Netflix once in a while. If you didn’t start and finish a season of something in 48 hours, did you even #netflix?
• 21. Crying doesn’t make you weak. Sometimes it will be for no reason, or because your watching the notebook for the 28th time, or sometimes it will be because your boyfriend sucks and cheated on you. Either way, you don’t need a reason to cry. 
• 22. Invest your money in staple pieces of clothing. I am much happier with my wardrobe after investing in some staple pieces like a nice denim jacket that will go with basically everything else in my closet. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but invest in pieces that can stick around in your closet for a long time. 
• 23. Make family a priority. Through thick and thin family will always have your best interest at heart. Call your parents every day and tell them you love them. I facetime my mom at least every single day haha and some may say thats excessive but she’s my bff4l. At my lowest of lows, my parents have always been there for me and I will never take them for granted. 
• 24. Collect memories not things. In 40 years, you are going to look back and you wont remember what handbag or shoes you were rocking, but rather the people you were with and the inside jokes that will carry on for decades. 

• 25. Social media is a highlight reel of peoples lives. Please please please, DO NOT compare your real life to someones heavily filtered, staged photos that took 98 times to get the “perfect shot”
• 26. Its never too late to start. One step in the right direction is better than standing still.
• 27. Be nice to the voice inside your head. I talk to myself pretty much all day and if I didn’t have her I would be completely lost in this life.
• 28. Relationships aren’t easy, but they are sooo much easier when you’re in love with the right person. Before I met Jon, I had 3 long term relationships. All of which were fine, but after a few years in with each of them I was kinda just.. over it. I wasn’t excited to hang out or even text, but I stuck with the relationships because I was either afraid of being alone, or just simply afraid of hurting the other person. Fast forward to my relationship with Jon… complete 180. Or is it 360? Idk, you get the point. If we’re both home and I have to go grab the mail, he will come with me. Or when he gets home from work and jumps in the shower, i’ll sit on the bathroom floor and talk with him while he’s in there. I never even DREAMED of a relationship like the one that I have with Jon. He is my best friend (other than Penelope, of course) and I really think that’s what makes our relationship so great. I can count on him for anything and I know that whatever I am going through, he will be by my side, and that is such a wonderful feeling to have. I know that no matter what dream or aspiration I have, he will support me 100%. When you’re in the right relationship, things are exponentially easier and it’s so much more enjoyable. Plus…. YOU’LL GET TO MARRY YOUR BEST FRIEND LIKE ME!