25 things that I love

Today is my birthday. I love all birthdays, and I especially love my birthday.

Spending the day today with my close friends and family here in Portland--so happy!

I thought I would spend today's post on some of my 25 favorite things (in no particular order...and I probably forgot things so don't feel bad if I didn't list you, you're on my list too.):

25. Portland when it is sunny. There is seriously no better place in the whole world.

Put a bird on it.
Source: google.com via Ann on Pinterest

24. Wine tasting. I love wine tasting because 1) it's cheap, 2) it's super fun to throw off the wino's by disagreeing with what they are tasting in their glass of Pinot Gris. Example: Oh, you're tasting peachy cherries? I'm tasting chocolate smoke.

23. Beer tasting. See No. 24 reason 1. But also, beer tasting leads to a more fun crowd. I really miss living close to the Redhook Brewery... Best $1 you'll ever spend.

22. Blogs. I used to think blogs were stupid, until I became a 'blogger.' Now, I love blogs. I especially love the ones I have listed on the right-hand-side of this blog. Check them out if you have time.

21. Environmental Conflict Resolution. It's funny where the recession will make you land. Being a planner, I was so sure I would see myself in the marketing/graphic design field. Been there, done that, wasn't that awesome. I love the field that I am in now, and I'm really looking forward to developing my skills and hopefully become more established in this field.

20. My hair straightener. I srrsly love my straightener. It's about 9 years old. Lime green. Heats up to about a billion degrees. It's gotten to the point that I can't borrow another person's straightener, it's just not as awesome. Also--you should love my straightener too because it's the only thing that stops me from looking like Cathy.

Ack!

19. My job. So, this is pretty related to No. 21, but I really do love my job. It's awesome to be able to work with my Mom, on important projects, and have the freedom to develop into what I want to. Not very many people get this amazing opportunity, and I'm thankful for it everyday.

18. Super talented people. Dear Super Smart Super Talented Super Amazing People of the World: you rock. Thanks for inspiring me.

17. My amazing/talented/brilliant friends. As I've moved to Portland, I've gotten the chance to reconnect with old friends, while keeping up with all my friend friends in the Seattle area. It's awesome to have such deep roots in two cities. It's even more awesome that these people are the most brilliant/fun people I know.

16. The Real Housewives. So smutty. So terrible. Everything that's wrong with 21st Century America. So awesome.

15. Coupons. I wouldn't call myself a 'couponer' but I freakin' love coupons. Especially for things that aren't groceries. However, I do not like Groupons. 

14. My beautiful/smart/hilarious sisters. Megan and Boo Boo are awesome. We laugh just as hard as we fight, and we have fun together. This is the longest distance the three of us have ever had between us (Megan is in Israel and Boo Boo is in California) and I can't wait for us to get back together this summer.

13. My supportive/fun/talented parents. I really lucked out with the most amazing family. They're supportive, while still being able to keep me steadily grounded. They're fun. And they're amazing at what they do. Pretty lucky.

12. My entire amazing/loud/quiet/fun family. My family, including my wonderful in-laws, is amazing. They are also extremely diverse. Some of us our loud. Some of us are quiet. Some of us are hilarious. Some of us are dirty. Seriously, so blessed in this department.

COOL KIDS FOR LIFE! 

11. Apple products. What did we do before the iPhone? Make phone calls?

10. Hunger Games.

9. Tina Fey. Even though I may be the only person in the universe that watches 30 Rock, I love Tina Fey. I love Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. I love Tina Fey as Liz Lemon. I love Tina Fey as Tina Fey. Srrsly.

Blarg. 

8. Projects. If you haven't noticed, my love of projects is the premise of this blog. I love projects. Of all sorts. I bet you could even trick me into eating an entire olive if you called it a project. Blech. Maybe not olives. Correction: I may eat a beet if you call it a project.

7. Cooking. This is seriously therapy for me. I love throwing a couple things together and seeing if it tastes good--most times things I make are at least edible--and sometimes they're even delicious!

6. March Madness. MAKE SURE TO FILL YOUR BRACKET OUT ON SUNDAY! I haven't decided if I am going to post my bracket on here...I wouldn't want anyone to have an unfair advantage in their pools...

5. Stuff You Should Know Podcasts. Today, I learned about how flooding works. As I'm writing this blog, I'm listening to how the Autobahn works. SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE!

4. Pinterest. I know there are some potential legal issues with Pinterest, and there are some controversies with it...but Pinterest is amazing and has endless possibilities. So much collabo possibilities. So much organization. So much awesome.

Check out my Pinterest

3. Jeggings + Ballet flats. The most comfortable outfit ever. (Besides jammies.)

2. Turning 25. I feel super fortunate to be where I am, with the people that surround me at 25. While I have some large improvements to make, I am genuinely happy with me. I'm not sure I was there at early 24. I definitely wasn't there at 23. I have arrived.

1. Being married. Not much has changed between Ben and I since our wedding day. This May will start our 10th year of being a couple--so there weren't many secrets that were unveiled in the past 5 months. But, I can say, without a doubt, I am the luckiest lady in the world. Seriously. Look at this stud:

He has a 50" vertical.

If you've made it through the list of 25, thank you. Again, these weren't in any particular order. I caused myself a mini-panic attack when I tried to put this in order...thus, let's say everything is just on 'Level Awesome' and don't need to be ordered.

This was a good excercise--what are your top 5 favorite things? (They don't need to be in order.)