26 before 26

So the blog has a LOT of updating to be done. I am 26 and more than likely didn't even accomplish half of my list...raise your hand if you understand not accomplishing goals. I do like goals and list making so I want to make sure my 27 is just a bunch of fun things and maybe even some things I've done before but want to repeat. Let's see where we are at....

1. implement saving into my budget- I'm gonna give myself a 100 on this. My husband is a huge help but we've saved and paid off several things this year.
2. get life insurance - BIG FAIL. I'm just lazy.
3. look into botox #notashamed Looked into it and it's not in our budget right now + my husband isn't sold on the idea. He's all about loving me as I am..precious, right!?
4. make a bed time of at least 10pm on weekdays I may need 2 cups of coffee to get my day started but I wake up at at least 7am even on weekends now which means I have a much earlier bed time.
5. learn to love my body in whatever shape it may be - FAIL
6. eat fast food a maximum of {3x a month} FAIL
7. meditate 5 days a week FAIL
8. learn to wear lipstick FAIL
9. do yoga 3 days a week FAIL
10. read 1 book a month- I did read more books than usual which I need to update y'all on but not near 12 books. I'm gonna say 5, maybe which is better than the year before so YAY.
11. find a new hobby -I would say wellness has become a new hobby this past year in a huge way!
12. learn a new language -FAIL
13. have a date night at least 2x a month- Success! We've had several dates this year and I love each adventure with my boo.
14. lead a small group- Semi win? My work does a monthly bible study for women and it has been a blast to be a part of. It's new so we are learning as we go and I'm enjoying all of it.
15. open my business- Not what I had in mind when I put that on my list but I do officially own my own business!
16. become a tea connoisseur- hah, I have figured out loose-leaf tea! WIN!
17. grow Not A Mom- sad fail. I really love my blog and I hate that I gave up on myself in such a HUGE way last year. I hope I can stick it out and really stay in a somewhat positive headspace about myself.
18. get a facial {I've actually never had one}- Still didn't get one but I love me some at home sheet masks!
19. learn how to braid {sad but true, I don't know how}- NEGATIVE, argh
20. plant a garden- nope
21. whiten my teeth {it's an obsession}-I did some oil pulling but no actual strips or anything.
22. take a dance class - sadly no.
23. visit Lake Jackson, Ala {it's where they filmed Big Fish and I love that movie}- No but I did visit Dauphin Island, Ala which was a new place for me so I'm counting that as a win.
24. cut out sodas- SUCCESS!
25. get family pictures made-FAIL. It's so hard to do when you don't have kids yet.
26. volunteer somewhere I'm passionate about- I haven't volunteered but each month my work donates to one charity which I'm pretty proud of- we've done women's center, children's hospital, humane society and recycled cans.

so here it is my list for 27! My next birthday I will officially be older than my brother was when he passed away and I'm not sure how to feel about it. I definitely think it will hit me very bittersweet, I think about all the things he didn't get to see or do {which he was an introvert but still} I want to do things and I would like to think that he can see them and do them with me.

1. take a vacation with friends - we have something in the works!
2. take more pictures!
3. create a capsule wardrobe- {seems like this would fit me well with my budget}
4. go to a concert
5. get life insurance {it's the smart thing}
6. date my husband as much as possible
7. do a bible study
8. learn to accept life
9. embrace every season
10. eat significantly less sugar
11. take a class- in ANYTHING!
12. pay off 1 item
13. do 27 acts of random kidness [pay it forward type stuff]
14. unplug 1 day a month
15. fly in an airplane [never have, but am dying to!]
16. do a 30 day challenge of something
17. dejunk my house
18. get a tattoo {another one that is}
19. rewatch the wire and cry when I'm especially missing my brother {it was our show}
20. plant something
21. eat more veggies [my brother loved them!]
22. fight for my causes! {drug addiction, eating disorders, domestic violence & depression}
23. have more girls nights
24. do something scary
25. JOURNAL!
26. go to a comedy show
27. make something

so that's it, y'all! Let's see what happens. As I mark things off, I'll keep y'all posted. What are some things on your list?! 

26 before 26

hi pretty little friends! 

In case you were wondering how my Tuesday went:

That e-card sums it up pretty well.....so :)

Thankful to be back for another day with y'all here at Not A Mom! I finally got my list all ready for this new year and was able to come up with some things that I think are doable and appropriate for this new age so let's do this!!

1. implement saving into my budget-

My husband has taught me a lot about savings in the short year we've been married. He has quite the self-control when it comes to our budget while it's not as easy for me {can you say unnecessary target runs?!} so I am looking forward to gaining some self-control and really use the left over funds for our savings and not my subscription boxes ha!

2. get life insurance-

Y'all I'm getting up there in age and now I need to make sure my family is taken care of in any unexpected absence that I may have {completely not planning on going anywhere for a really long time btw} but one of my mentors strongly encourages life insurance especially starting at a younger age so I am making it a goal to get some for myself.{sidenote: my mom won't let me go scuba diving with my husband once I get this because she's watched too many lifetime movies ha.}

3. look into botox #notashamed-

 This is happening. No one can talk me out of it. My forehead is such a problem area, I currently have to keep some kind of long bang just to not let it drive me crazy and then having bangs is pretty high maintenance work. I don't know why my face decided to get fine lines early but thank goodness, it's a fixable issue.

4. make a bed time of at least 10pm on weekdays-

We're awful about going to bed at 11pm or later then waking up at 4:30am and dragging all day. Unless we're like exhausted then we crash at like 9pm but we need more of a balance or a routine with our night schedules.

5. learn to love my body in whatever shape it may be-

Right now, I have the mindset that once I hit a certain weight then I'll be happy with my body but that's a horrible way to look at things. Am I happy with my body?! No. Am I being healthy? No. I really try to make my body journey more of one about being healthy and not about a number. It's extremely hard but before I even think about having kids {especially a daughter} I want to love my body so she will love to learn hers.

6. eat fast food a maximum of 3x a month-

Instead of like 3x a week because it's the easy thing to do. Being a family of 2 this is so easy for us especially when we've both worked all day.

7. meditate 5 days a week-

I've found so many great benefits for meditating and they make so many apps now to guide you through it. I haven't figured out if I should put it in my morning or night routine.

8. learn to wear lipstick-

Y'all I am 25 and still have never worn lipstick {accept for at my wedding and I hated it then}. I need to find a color and use it, this concealer habit has gone on way too long!

9. do yoga 3 days a week-

I am currently doing a 21 days of gratitude at my studio where you go 4 days a week to get points, write in a gratitude journal and post on instagram about your gratitude to earn points to win a $400 basket of yoga goodies so that's helping make a routine of going to yoga at least 3 days a week.

10. read 1 book a month-

Why is this so hard for me to start?! So I couldn't do 2 books a month with my last list so I decided to start smaller and try to get at least 1 in. I bought For The Love- Jen Hatmaker for my birthday and have still not started it....any tips on how y'all put reading into your life?!

11. find a new hobby-
Last year I found hot yoga so this year I am excited to try something new! Any suggestions?!

12. learn a new language-

I actually never took any foreign language in high school or college so I would love to add one into my arsenal. Tripp says I should do Spanish, what do y'all think?

13. have a date night at least 2x a month-

We need this for our marriage! It's hard because you think that dates are so expensive but I know that we can be creative and find some cheap dates too. This is extremely hard during wrestling season but I am determined to do it.

14. lead a small group-

I am going to sign up starting in January hopefully to do a fitness style {think barre/pilates} one for ladies, so excited to think of more ideas for it!

15. open my business-

More details to come....

16. become a tea connoisseur-

I love tea but I feel like that it can be kinda complicated with all the different choices and stewing options. I tried to incorporate black tea into my morning routine and it made me sick..what did I do wrong?!

17. grow Not A Mom-

I love this place and I hope it is fun/beneficial for people so I would love to grow my little place on the internet.

18. get a facial {I've actually never had one}-
I finally got a massage for the first time not too long ago and now I would love to try a facial. My face is RIDICULOUSLY sensitive so it would have to be a mild one but I've heard nothing but good things.

19. learn how to braid {sad but true, I don't know how}-

So my mom never figured out how to braid and I didn't have a sister, therefore at 25 I don't know how to braid my hair. Braids are always a favorite look of mine so I would love to be able to do different things with my hair besides straighten it.

20. plant a garden-

We have the perfect spot to add a few veggies in our yard minus the multitude of bunnies that we have but I am looking forward to starting one in the Spring. It would be great to get free veggies! Now to figure out what you are supposed to plant in the Spring.

21. whiten my teeth {it's an obsession}-

Yes. I would love to go to the dentist for a whitening treatment but I would even settle for strips. Teeth are just a huge deal for me and no lie, the dentist scares me.

22. take a dance class-

I've mentioned a ton of times that I did karate growing up so since I've given that up I would love to try dance. I have always been obsessed with dance but I have never taken any type of class, like barre classes are the closest thing I have come so I think it would be fun to try even just once {I know I'm a little old for this one}.

23. visit Lake Jackson, Ala {it's where they filmed Big Fish and I love that movie}-

Do y'all know this movie?! Well they filmed it here in Bama and some of our friends visited it this year and it was gorgeous in the pictures so I am adding it to my list to visit ASAP since we don't have any big vacations planned for the next year.

24. cut out sodas-

Sodas are my guilty pleasure and Tripp just informed that he saw #WARNING an article where they dissolved a rat into a coke that's how toxic it is....SO gross and I keep putting that stuff into my body. My dad set a horrible example of having a diet of cokes and cigarettes his whole life and I didn't pick up smoking but sure enough did the cokes.

25. get family pictures made {major fail for 2015}-

Had some planned....cancelled and realize neither of us were super into it this year. I would love to have one picture of us with the 3 pups but it just didn't happen for any kinda Christmas card this year. Definitely a goal for 2016.

26. volunteer somewhere I'm passionate about-

In high-school I volunteered like a mad person but in college I had an awful attitude of why work at somewhere that wouldn't pay me. I think just the stress of paying all my bills for the first time really got to me and my internship frustrated me enough on the not being paid issue but now I realize how important it is and how easy it is especially if you are passionate about the issue. Looking forward to finding a cause to help out.



Well y'all how does my list look?! Have any advice for how to tackle something on it, please help!
Hope y'all have the happiest Wednesday there ever was!