New Blog Title!

I have changed the name of my blog from a "Quarter Life Crisis" to "Twenty-Five and Fabulous!" The new title comes as I recently celebrated my 25th birthday. I am hopeful that I will be free from crisis's related to my quarter life milestone from now on. A girl can dream right? But in all seriousness, as I enter this new chapter of life, I would like to use this blog to celebrate being twenty-five and all of the ups and downs of life.

My new title is inspired by a book I just finished reading by Mandy Hale entitled, "The Single Woman: Life, Love and a Dash of Sass!" Her book was so inspirational and motivating. It gave me renewed hope that God has a plan for my life and that single hood is something that every single person should celebrate! As the subtitle of my blog says: "Sometimes she doesn't know where she's going until she gets there. She hasn't got it all figured out, far from it in fact. But she loves God and she loves to dance, and she's her own better half." There couldn't be a statement that resonates with my soul more, and I am excited to see where the next year takes me!

I have been super busy lately with starting grad school, a new part-time job and a new school year! I also spent that last week celebrating my birthday with wonderful friends and family! I am so grateful for the people that God has placed into my life and that they all took the time to make my birthday incredibly special. Here are a few shots from my week of celebrations!

Here's to being 25 and fabulous! My goal is to "Let every moment be what it's going to be." because "What's meant to be will come my way and what's not will fade away."

twenty-four in 24

UPDATE: I will be 25 in less than 5 days! Not sure I am going to finish this list ... but I am proud of myself for the things I did accomplish! 

I will be 25 in less than SIX months! Yahoo! It is CRAZY to think about how quickly my 24th year of life has gone by. With only a few months left until my birthday, here is a list of things I have accomplished and/or would like to accomplish by my last day of being 24.

Let's see if I can cross off all these items on my list!!

1. Go to a concert (because I haven't been to one in a few years). Went to a Maroon 5 concert
2. Tailgate at a NFL football game. I tailgated the Ravens vrs. Cowboys game
3. Go hike a mountain or two. I have hiked both Great Falls, VA and Sugar Loaf Mtn twice
4. Do touristy things in D.C. (like visit the museums).
5. Try a new restaurant.
6. Save my money each pay period, instead of overdrafting each pay period. 
7. Learn to budget my money. A work in progress ... Some pay periods are better than others
8. Learn to say NO.  Another work in progress ... some times are easier than others
9. Run an obstacle 5K. Ran the Jungle Cup 5K
10. Run the Color Run 5K.  Ran two already and running my third in November! 
11. Make a difference in the life of a student. A.K. // E.S. // A.H.
12. Make a difference in the life of a friend.
13. Travel outside of the country.
14. Go somewhere I've never been before. 
15. Workout more.
16. Eat healthier.
17. Take better care of my hair (and grow it out).
18. Grow a closer relationship with God.
19. Manage living on my own for one year! 3 months to go but I've pretty much managed!
20. Make a decision and apply to Grad School. Applied to Grad School and was accepted!
21. Attend Grad School in the fall. Start next Wednesday! 
22. Grow professionally. I've taken 12 CPD's this year
23. Go to at least two PROFESSIONAL baseball games. I went to ONE ...
24. Travel to Florida. Visited Orlando, Florida for a week

friends

In life you will end up with a few select friends who are more like your soul mates. Cherish them, they will will be around when the party is over. <3 

Powerful :o)

Being single used to mean that nobody wanted you. Now it means you’re pretty sexy and you’re taking your time deciding how you want your life to be and who you want to spend it with.
Sex and the City

Rest in Peace Trayvon

Last night around 10 o'clock pm, I was out at a friend's barbecue enjoying bud light lime beers and hot dogs. Some guys were playing their guitars, sounds of Santeria feeling the living room in which we now huddled, after escaping the torrential downpour outside. One of my best friend's from high school texted me to see if I was at home, to which I responded no. It wasn't until around 2 A.M. that I realized why he had texted me at that hour. I had logged onto facebook, only to find out a few hours late that a verdict had been given in the case of George Zimmerman. Michael had been texting me to see if I had heard the news. All I could think about at that moment is that, while I was out being young and wild ... a ruling was given that made history. A ruling that will have an impact on the way these sorts of trials and cases may or may not be ruled in the future. 

I will be honest in stating, I do not know all of the details per say in relation to this case. I did not follow the case closely [day to day] and I think social media has put an entirely different spin on this case than what should have been. What I will say is that, I've read countless articles on CNN and other websites that stated that Zimmerman was advised to remain in his car, on the evening that Trayvon lost his life. Why he chose to pursue this young man [who was a potential threat] versus waiting for back up is beyond me. I know that many people have mixed opinions about whether or not this case should be tied to race. However, to me, it is tied to race and I care because I think of my younger brother who is also 17 years old. I would be absolutely devastated if he was pursued and shot [in an act of self defense]. And the problem remains that in this country, there is a significant chance that my brother may be mistaken for something that he is not, and the course of his life could be altered at the hands of another man for the color of his skin alone.

I read an article on Thought Catalog that I thought was well-written. In a sense, it captured some of my thoughts and feelings regarding why this case is related to race, although in my heart of hearts, I sincerely wish that it was not. At the very least, I hope that lessons learned as a result of this trial inspire individuals of all colors and nationalities to become agents for change. And the first change I would like to see take place is that we are all doing all we can to decrease and/or eliminate gun violence.

President Obama released a statement this afternoon saying: "The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son. And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. We should ask ourselves if we're doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that's a job for all of us. That's the way to honor Trayvon Martin."

Although my heart hurts for Sybrina Fulton and her family tonight, I think she has the right mindset: "God is still in control."

All Things Come Full Circle

 “No matter the deviation, all things come full circle. You begin and end your journey in the same place, but with a different set of eyes.”

Outgrowing Your Friends

A website that I SWEAR by is The Single Woman. The author of the blog, Mandy Hale, is a god fearing, single woman whose posts seem to always be exactly what I need to hear in the moment that I am reading her site. I am sure I sound like a broken record, writing about the SAME topics year after year, however lately I have been feeling the sudden change in the atmosphere [or powers that be] once again. I can tell that things are changing. I feel myself leaving one season and entering another. At this particular moment, I feel as though my circle of friends is changing once again.

So of course I felt compelled to read Mandy's blog, and she wrote about none other than: outgrowing friendships. In fact, two quotes that she posted were:

• "There are certain people who no longer belong in your life no matter how much you want them to. You know who they are. Let them go." - Robert Tew
  
• "One of life's challenging realizations is that sometimes you outgrow your friends." - Steve Maraboli

It amazes me how real these quotes feel to me in this moment, as I recognize that I have lost several friends over the past year and I continue to feel as though some friendships no longer serve the same purpose in my life. It is upsetting to realize you are growing apart from people that you once held so dear. What hurts me the most is that, many of these friends were once considered my DEAREST friends. I thought for sure we would be friends until the end of time. It stinks watching their life change, and knowing that your life has changed too in two totally different directions. It also makes my heart ache deeply, because in hindsight, I wonder if it was my actions or lack thereof that contributed to our parting of ways.

There is yet another quote that seems so fitting right now that says: 

• "Life doesn't hurt until you think about, how much things have changed, who you've lost along the way, and how much of it was your fault."

I felt the need to write this post because I logged onto facebook tonight to find out that my "best friend" of sixteen or seventeen years got engaged today. We have been growing apart for some time [although I could not tell you if it was her fault or my own], but the news still struck me like a ton of bricks. I like her husband to be and think that they will be wonderful together. What hurt me was that I had to find out through facebook. I suppose we are not as close as we once were ... and as a result, she did not feel the need to text me or drop me a line to share with me this exciting news in her life. Ouch.

So I cried for a good ten minutes. Sobbed really. It hurts to think that about how much things have changed in one year. How much I have changed in one year. It huts to reflect on some of the friends I have lost over the past twelve months. To think about whether or not our parting of ways has anything to do with my actions, or my changes in personality. Then I cannot help but wonder, is this God's doing?
Mandy Hale wrote: "No one is forever anything. No matter how much we might want to be, life does not come with a pause button. We are not here to stop, to hesitate, to grow stagnant in any one particular season or place or era of life. We're meant to move, to grow, to change, to evolve." 
Although I know this to be true, it does not make my heart hurt any less.

So the question remains: What do I do now? What do you do when you realize you've outgrown friends, or perhaps even more heart-wrenching, they've outgrown you?