27 before 28 list {frocktober, day 4}

Remixes:
Dress: 1, 2 // Cardigan

Eegads, it's that time again. An entire year has gone by and I'm sitting here as a fresh 27 year old. I very vividly remember lamenting my last few days as a 25 year old last year, and 27 somehow seems like a rather giant leap from that version of myself. So much has changed, and it has been a wonderful year.

Last year I made a list: 26 before 27. A little list of big things and small things that I wanted to accomplish over the course of 1 year of my life. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out. Although I didn't get a pixie cut or a nose ring, and I didn't travel to a new country or ride in a hot air balloon or complete a rough draft of my book, I made conscious choices all year long to do things I love (and I may have changed my mind about getting that pixie cut. Again). We bought a house and are getting ready to have a baby boy. We saw the Grand Canyon, discovered new local favorites, made new friends. I started writing for Hello Giggles, and have read a ton of great books. We have experienced joy, struggle, heartache, and love. So many of the things I was stressed or worried or unsure about have been resolved over the last 365 days, and I am left feeling incredibly grateful for it all.

I'm not quite as nervous about turning 27 because it's going to be the best year of my life. I spent my last day as a 26 year old making French macarons, which allowed me to cross one last thing off that old list. But I'm ready for this new list. It is going to be full of wonderful, monumental things.

Without further ado, here's my 27 things to do before I turn 28.

1. HAVE A BABY {due 12/30/15} William Boyer! 1/6/16.
2. visit north carolina in the fall A September surprise is close enough!
3. move in to our house! #casaschan is open!
4. decorate baby boy's nursery we settled on Harry Potter/Winnie the Pooh/Lion/Adventure etc...
5. host a dinner party
6. learn to speed read
7. set a weekly date night
8. wear a fantastic halloween costume {big belly and all} Emperor's New Groove!
9. stencil a statement wall
10. sign up for eMeals again
11. finish 12 paintings (only accomplished a few!)
12. baby's first plane ride! {take a trip} many trips! Portland, Chicago, Columbus, Charlotte...
13. attempt to DIY concrete countertops attempted...and we'll be getting real countertops ASAP!
14. go camping it was freezing but I got my hammock time
15. use my pressure cooker (nope...that thing still scares me)
16. buy house plants {and keep them alive} bought one cactus...and he's hangin' in there
17. send more snail mail
18. make cat coasters
19. plan an out-of-country vacation
20. start learning a new language Italian!
21. deck out the new house for winter wonderland!
22. find and purchase a bar cart
23. clean out my closet had an Instagram sale!
24. average at least 2 published articles a month
25. read a new book series The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg! Love all of her books!
26. upgrade to a better camera / lens
27. reconfigure the day job Full-Time Mom! Woooo!

This will be a great year for learning, changing, decision-making, loving, nurturing, creating, nesting, dreaming, planning, snuggling, struggling, and more. I'm looking forward to every bit of it. 

26 before 27

I think 25 has been my favorite age so far. It's the perfect age, really. I love it.

And today is my last day of it. Thank goodness it's a Saturday because I have got to do things! I've got to paint the town a bright color or kick up my boots or something!
I'm about to turn 26. And. Yup, I'm starting to panic.
I don't think I really like the idea of being in my late twenties. Because this is official, now! There's no avoiding it. I'm crossing that line into real adulthood. Of the "you're old" variety. It's a very different line than before, I can feel it in my slowing metabolism.

I've wanted to make this list for a few years now, but never got around to making it. So to cheer myself up and to also encourage myself to get excited about a productive year of happiness and change and goal-making, I've decided to create a list of 26 things to do before I turn 27. 

1. create the perfect lavender latte thank you, Verismo machine 12.20.14
2. find a signature scent classic burberry 10.6.14
3. aim to write 500 words per day still writing - slowly but surely
4. find a house! we bought a house! 6.15.15
5. travel to a new country
6. learn how to braid my own hair
7. go to the renaissance festival opening weekend! 2.7.15
8. get my nose pierced
9. visit colin and victoria they came to AZ! 4.25.15
10. learn to speed read
11. commence the gatsby club
12. visit the grand canyon with colinoria! 4.30.15
13. make homemade macarons eureka! 10.4.15
14. ride in a hot air balloon
15. dye the ends of my hair purple and I love it! 11.26.14
16. get a video-camera to film our adventures working on iPhone video skills! 
17. achieve my health {weight} goals MADE A BABY INSTEAD! Due 12/30/15. #schantababy
18. read 36 books 25 - I'm getting there!
19. be more relationally intentional {darn you, telephone} Getting a little better - I've even called some people this year. On my own. Without being coerced.
20. get a pixie cut!
21. finally watch casablanca with my dad
22. complete a first book draft
23. go on a camping trip
24. plant a backyard garden
25. decorate a friends-inspired kitchen
26. roadtrip to a new state 4th of July in Utah! #schanclanUT15

Throughout the year I'll return to this list to cross things off.
Just like new year's resolutions, there is a pretty big chance I won't finish this list. My motivation for doing this isn't to make a bunch of empty promises - it's more about being intentional to set aside time and really think about what I'd love to accomplish this year. Laying out a list of wishes.

This list is a mix of new things and classic givens. For instance, going to the Renaissance Festival is obviously going to happen. It's basically giving myself a freebie. I went to the Ren Fest (it's what us cool people call it. I use the word cool very loosely) every year growing up, and moving to Virginia broke that streak. I have missed it quite fiercely. I can't wait for Spring!
There are also the new and more challenging things on my list. Some of them I'll chicken out on, or decide against, or totally change my mind about - maybe instead of making macarons I'll just buy a dozen of them from a cafe and call it a day. But in making this list, I realized a lot of things I've often thought about doing or trying or learning that manage to slip through the cracks of daily life. Like braiding my hair! Eegads, I really just need to learn to do that. It'll only take a few YouTube videos and practice runs, but it's something I always forget to try. Now I have a list and a mental note to cross it off.
Many of these items will be success stories, and I'm pretty excited to find out which ones.