25 in 25

Well, bloggers. Today is the day.

The dreaded time that I move from early-twenties to mid-twenties.

I'm not happy about it.

In fact, I'm downright bitter.

Almost as bitter as the wine I'm drinking to help me forget I'm that much closer to a senior discount.

In all the years I've graced this beautiful, sometimes cruel world, I've managed to learn a few things along the way. 

25 things I've learned in 25 years of life on this rotating rock:

1. Life is NOT a fairytale. Remember reading Cinderella and dreaming that one day you'll find your Price Charming? That story was bullshit. Don't get me wrong, I found my one and only. But I guarantee that, had he lost me and only had a shoe as a clue to track me down, he would have given up after 30 minutes of trying. Plus, wearing that dress she had on just would have been a real bitch..
2. The quote "according to science, alcohol is a solution" rings true more often than not.
3. High school is the prime of your life. College is high school without the curfew or parents, but with a $40,000 tab.
4. Dating is like a dementor in that its sole purpose is to suck the soul out of you. But damnit if those first-kiss butterflies don't make it worth the trouble.
5. You will never truly know what you want to do until you're forced to do something you hate.
6. Best friends are the ones you can go months without talking to, only to pick up exactly where you left off.
7. Fight for the ones you love and let go of the ones you don't.
8. Enjoy sleeping until noon. Soon your internal clock will screw with you and you'll be up at 8 am on Saturday mornings just for shits and giggles.
9. The freshman 15 will find you. It may not be freshman year, but it will find you.
10. Dogs are a man's best friend. Period.
11. Cats are evil.
12. It is impossible to outgrow calling your mom to cry your eyes out when someone hurts you. 
13. On that same note, your dad will never outgrow the urge to kick someone's ass when they hurt you.
14. Siblings, no matter the age difference, are the strongest bonds you will ever have.
15. Music cures all wounds. Except, like..actual wounds. You're going to need a doctor for that. 
16. You're never to old to hug the crap out of your grandparents. 
17. Having bills to pay sucks. Big time.
18. Never go to the grocery store hungry. You'll come home with bagel bites, 12 different kinds of cheese, and a selection of meat a caveman would envy.
19. If you didn't marry your best friend, you married the wrong person.
20. Laughing until you cry is better than chocolate, wine, beer, and a good chick flick - combined.
21. Life is WAY too short to spend time matching socks.
22. If you're going to sing, sing LOUD.
23. Embrace your inner weird. 
24. Always say "I love you" if you feel the need to say it. One day it might be too late. 
25. Finally - and this is the most important lesson I've learned (and am still trying to understand) - don't let anyone tell you how to live your life. The one thing you have on this Earth that is as solid as the ground we stand on is our ability to be our own self. The second you lose sight of that, you become a human molded by the forces around you.

I have control over who I am, what inspires me, what brings me to tears, and what brings me happiness.

No one else has that power over me. 

That, my friends, is the greatest gift I have been given in this life. 

And just for fun - some old pictures.