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Fabulous living

Twenty-Five

Twenty-five, a quarter of a century, a full blown adult.

These are a few of the things that have been running through my mind over the last few weeks. 

Let me back up, I turn 25 next week and it’s a milestone birthday filled with all the emotions. Excitement, anticipation, nostalgia, and a bit of fear too. 

Growing up, I always thought when you turned 25, you were officially an adult. No longer a child, teenager, or even young adult, but a full-fledged adult, and you had to have it all figured out.

Spoiler alert, I’m almost 25 and I don’t have it all figured out and I’m okay with that, in fact, I’m glad I don’t have it all figured out. I’ve learned you don’t have to have it all sorted out quite yet.

Your twenties are all about growing and learning and taking risks and seeing where life takes you. My first half of my twenties were filled with graduating college, moving back home, starting a career, going through a pandemic, getting promoted, making new friends and meeting my boyfriend, that’s a lot of change for five years.

But, let me let you in on a secret, I have loved every bit of it, even the stressful days or the moments filled with unknowns. I’ve learned so much about myself and from those around me and I’m so happy where I am today. I’ve learned to savor every moment spent with family, whether it’s a major holiday or a Tuesday night dinner (just ask any of my brothers, I always comment how special it is that we are all together-and it drives them nuts.) I’ve also learned to be open to new opportunities, but to trust my gut and how it’s okay to say no to things if they don’t feel right. I’ve learned friendship works both ways and some friendships aren’t meant to last forever, some are only meant for a season, while others are forever.

Most importantly, I’ve learned to savor and love the little things in life, whether it’s a morning walk, a coffee with a friend or even going through an evening routine. The little things in life are often the things you will remember the most.

Now as I embark on the second half of my twenties, I am eager to continue to see how I can grow more and what things I can learn about myself. I’m also interested to see where I will be at age 30. Will I be married? have children? Living in the same city? So much can change in five years, but I also now so many things will still be the same. I know I will have a loving family by my side, I know I will have supportive friends and a caring boyfriend. I’m excited to see where these next few years will take me and how I will grow and change. I always like reflecting as big milestones come and go to see how far I have come and what I’ve learned. 

As far as what this year brings, I don’t have any big goals for this next year, I want to keep doing what I’m doing. I want to keep working hard at my job, putting family and relationships first, making sure I’m taking care of my body and self with different hobbies and I want to make sure I’m taking every opportunity available.  Because my birthday falls in May, I’m halfway through my 2023 New Year’s Resolutions and so far they have been going well, definitely room for improvement in some areas, but I have seen progress in other realms.

My birthday falls on Memorial Day and I’ll be working so I’m not quite sure what the day will hold, but I’m excited for what year 25 will bring!

Here’s to another year! Happy Birthday to Me!

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Fabulous living

21 Wishes…

Another year, another birthday, another milestone…tomorrow I am turning 21! I am very excited not only to celebrate another year on Earth but also to join the big kids club. Haha! I’m the youngest out of most of my friends, so I am looking forward to going out with them to celebrate. If we are being honest, I think they are more excited than me. LOL!

I’ll be heading to Pittsburgh in a few weeks to celebrate with my friends, but for tomorrow, I am celebrating with my family. Last year, I shared 20 things I learned in my 20 years of life, you can read it here. Today, I’m sharing 21 wishes I have for this next year of life.

Cheers to 21!

1. Surround myself with people who lift me up and motivate me to be the best version of myself.

2. Make every moment a memory.

3. Live in the moment and don’t get distracted.

4. Stop dwelling on what happened in the past, and focus on the future.

5. Graduate College.

6. Get a job in my field.

Always looking to the future

7. Be happy where I am at in life and not where I think I should be. 

8. Travel somewhere new with friends.

9. Listen to more podcasts and learn from every opportunity I get.

10. Be spontaneous and try something I’ve never done. It’s okay to step out of your comfort zone.

11. Go to more concerts.

Finding the joy in the little things in life

12. Spend money on experiences, not material things. Those will create the real memories.

13. Truly enjoy and take advantage of my last semester as a college student. 

14. Be more vulnerable when it comes to opening up to friends and family about things that are bothering me. If you listen to your friends, they will listen to you.

15. Forget the schedule/routine and just see what the day brings.

16. Be more intentional with my time spent with family and friends. Put down the phones!

17. Pick up a new hobby.

I know I’m where I’m meant to be

18. Have more conversations with people instead of just sending a text. Quality over quantity.

19. Turn my passions and dreams into realities.

20. Show more appreciation to the ones I love. If you love ’em, tell them you love ’em!

21. Be open to whatever the future holds for me. 

A smile is the best accessory

Some are more realistic than others, some will get achieved while others will be things I’m constantly working on. At the end of the day, I want to make these days count. We often get caught in the day to day life that we forget to stop and appreciate the life we are living. Cheers to 21 and to living my best life!

Que sera sera
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Fabulous living

Ed Sheeran Concert

Hello guys!

I had planned a pretty big post for you, but life got away from me. This past weekend, I headed to Pittsburgh to see Ed Sheeran in concert. I had gotten tickets back in February, so this was a long time coming. I don’t have a favorite band, but Ed Sheeran has been a constant favorite of mine for a long time now. I love his music, his message, and his style. The concert has kept me going especially with the past few weeks filled with school and work. It was so nice to get out and have a fun Saturday night and weekend. I had so much fun, that I took very few pictures…oopps! That’s when you know it’s been a good time when you are rarely on your phone!

Concert ready

On Saturday, my mom picked me up from school and we headed to Pittsburgh. We got food on the way and got to the venue (PNC Park) in plenty of time.

Mom and I

We had great parking, only a block from the park. It was great. The weather wasn’t too bad especially for the end of September. It was breezy but comfortable.

Our seats

We had great seats, right above the dugout (the stage was in the outfield).

Anne Marie

Anne Marie was the opening act. She sings the popular songs, Rockabye and Friends. She was personable and a great opening act.

Snow Patrol

Snow Patrol performed next. I was most excited to hear them perform the song “Chasing Cars”, famous for being heard on Grey’s Anatomy. It was incredible to hear it being performed live.

Full stage

Finally, Ed Sheeran came out. He did a fantastic job, he played for 2 hours with an encore.

He played hits like “Perfect” and “Photograph”.

Up close

Some of his earlier songs like “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”.

More stage pictures

A few of my personal favorites like “Nancy Mulligan” and “Bloodstream”.

Just a guy and his guitar

He was so personable and down to Earth. It was just him and his guitar. Although, there were almost 40,000 people there, it felt like you were in a club listening to him perform. I had a fantastic time, especially enjoying it with my mom. After the show ended, my mom and I headed back home for the rest of the weekend.

Phenomenal Show

This is where the pictures end. I think I took maybe two pictures while I was home. I was able to enjoy some quality family time, home cooked meals, some shopping and unplugging. I was only home for 30 hours….haha, but I made the most of it.

Sunday afternoon, I caught the movie Life Itself, and it was absolutely phenomenal. The story, the cast, the score, and most importantly the message was beautiful. It was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Definitely take the time to see it.

Whew…it was a very busy, but super fun weekend. It was so good to get off campus for a bit and spend time with family and get home for a bit (I haven’t seen my family or been home since the beginning of August). Now, it’s time to get back to the books and start prepping for midterms!

Have a super week!

Categories
Fabulous living

Love the Season You are In

Hi Everyone!!

These past few weeks have been super busy and have flown by. Right now, I am in the midst of finals week and finishing up work before it’s officially summer. And by summer I mean, I finish my one job on Saturday and start my summer job and internship on Monday. Yes, I am busy. But, I am loving these last few weeks of school, classes are finishing up and I’m saying some hard goodbyes to a lot of my friends who are graduating. Needless to say, it’s a bittersweet time.

I did want to take a moment to reflect on enjoying where I am in life. I was recalling a passage from Emily Ley’s book, Grace Not Perfection…she spoke about the importance of loving the season you are in through life. I think that is so important. Whether you are a senior in high school, a college student getting ready to take on a career for the first time, or a mom balancing three different spring sport schedules, enjoy the season you are in.

There are often so many times when I find myself remembering past memories or getting excited about the future that I forget to live in the present moment and enjoy where I am in life. I also find myself sometimes wishing away stressful moments or long days only to find that I will miss the days of the past. It’s funny sometimes the days that I dread or I get overwhelmed about, I end up making the most memories. The same goes for moms juggling different spring sports and graduations, yes it is stressful but at one point, there will be no more carpooling or graduation parties and the house will be quiet once again. Same goes for college students, finals may be taking over your life but don’t let that stop you from creating memories with your true friends. You are only in college once.

What is the point of me saying all this?! Enjoy where you are in life. Yes, it may not be perfect, it may be messy, exhausting, and overwhelming but it’s life and it only happens once. Embrace the disorder and chaos and live for the moment. Instead of taking selfies of the exciting moments, be present for them instead.

Life is all what you make of it. Make your life memorable.

Sorry for a shorter post, but these past few weeks have been busy. Looking forward to writing more this summer.  Until then…

xoxo

Ending this post with my favorite Office quote that I remind myself of daily. Live for today.

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Fabulous living

Let’s Get Real: Homesickness

Hello All!

Today’s post is going to be a bit more on the serious side. Besides, showing you the latest trends and how to organize areas in your home, I like to be real and honest about what life as a college students is truly like. So, we are getting real about homesickness. What a fun topic for a Tuesday. In all seriousness, let’s get real.

Before I started college, almost two years ago, I was worried about being homesick. Many family and friends had assured me I would be so busy I wouldn’t be able to get homesick, or it would go away after a month, someone had even told me that by Fall break I wouldn’t even want to come home because I would be loving school so much.

They were all wrong.

Yes, I was enjoying school, and I was making friends and I was most certainly busy, but that didn’t change the fact that I was homesick. There would be times when I was lonely, or I craved a homecooked meal or I wished I was back in my own room. But, I didn’t let that stop me from enjoying college life. Christmas rolled around, and I was told that I wouldn’t want to be home for a whole month and I would soon get bored and I would be thrilled when I could go back to school.

Nope, it was still hard going back.

Spring semester brought more hope and more experiences. But I still had my moments of weakness and some tears. Once May rolled around, I was so proud of myself for making it through a full year. I thought, if I could accomplish that I could do anything.

A few months later, Year Two rolled around. It brought new experiences, new friends, new challenges and new beginnings. I didn’t get homesick as much, mostly when I was getting dropped off from being back home from a break. I had gotten used to falling back into my routines at home, it was hard to get adjusted back at school. There were times when I was overwhelmed and stressed and wanted a break from school and just to be home, but I had to push through. That’s the thing about homesickness, you can take a bad situation and make it better.

How can you handle those moments of weakness and homesickness?

  • Have a good cry (yes, we all need a good cry to let ourselves go and feel all our emotions that we keep buried deep within.)
  • Take that time to be alone but not too long, make plans to go out with a friend to grab dinner or go to study.
  • Share how you are feeling. It may be uncomfortable, but who knows you may find someone who feels the same way and doesn’t know who to talk to about it. You can be there to help each other through it.

Homesickness is different for everyone, others don’t have it all, some only have it until their first fall break, but for few like myself, it never goes away. As I close on my second year of college, I still have my moments where I am homesick. I don’t let that dictate my life. I push through the pain, sometimes I cry, sometimes I watch my latest binge show, sometimes a phone call homes helps. But, I carry on, and I keep on living life. As i look back on the past two years, I don’t remember being homesick or sad but rather the joy, the laughter, and the memories that came with friends and family.

Whether you are a first-time college student leaving home for the first time or you are gearing up to start your first job in the new world, we all miss home, it just means you feel so much love from home that it’s hard to be without it.

Until next time,

Elspeth

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Fabulous living

Things I’m Thankful For

With Thanksgiving, this coming week, I’m taking some time to remember what I am thankful for. We all get busy and caught up that we forget what’s truly important. So, here it goes, the things I’m thankful for.

  • My loving family. Both immediate and extended. Always there when I need them most. From texts to care packages. My family knows me best and I couldn’t be more thankful for have them in my life especially this past year.

Family over everything

  •  My supportive friends. The older I have gotten the smaller my circle of friends has gotten. I am beyond thankful to have such good friends who have always been there. My friends from high school are always there to remind me where I have come from. Who else would I text about our favorite TV shows with?!  My friends from college remind me where I’m going. I know I have people in my life to sing Beyonce with, spill tea with, dance and eat the night away at a Semi Formal dances, and have real life talks with.

My favorite chick in college, Shay

Two words. Squad Goals. Spending time with these two is never boring. High school friends last a lifetime.

My first friend in college, Danielle and I have been through it all

  • My dogs. As cliche as it sounds, one of my favorite places to be is at home, on my couch cuddling with my pups. Just being with my dogs relaxes me. Plus, how can you say no to this face?!

One of my favorite parts about coming home.

  • Good Health. I’m thankful I can happy and healthy along with my family. Health is so important especially for all the sickness in our world. I’m thankful I can wake up every morning healthy.
  • My job. I took on a new job this year and although there have been some challenging days, I have great coworkers who I have grown close with over the past few months. I have learned so much about myself through this job and I can’t wait to see where else it takes me.

    New year, new opportunities
  • The country I live in. I thankful for living in a free country. I am so lucky to live in such a wonderful country.

    Land of the Free and Home of the Brave
  • I am thankful for the things that bring me joy. I have interests, hobbies, and activities that make me love life.  I am thankful for all the opportunities that fulfill me.
  • I am thankful for going to a school that I have grown in many ways. I have learned so much in and out of the classroom. I have be given so many opportunities and I could not a picked a better school to attend.
  • My faith. I am so thankful to have a deep rooted faith. When times get tough, I always know God is there. I am thankful for the friends I have made through my faith.
  • I am thankful for people to look up to, whether they are family members, people in the industry I hope to work in one day, authors,bloggers, actors, and anyone else that inspires me. I am thankful to have inspirations in my life.

There are so many things I am thankful for, but these are just a few. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with loved ones. I will be taking Thursday off, but will be back on Tuesday! What are you thankful for this year?