
Today I am 25. I'm waking up this morning not feeling any different than the day before. I don't feel any wiser, I don't feel older, I don't feel ... old. These past few days I have spent a lot of time reflecting. When I was younger I thought a lot about where I would be at 25. I thought I would be long gone from those high school days. I thought I would be living in California, winning my first Oscar for best actress. I thought I would be married (check) and have a baby (not check). I thought I would have been a world traveler. I thought I would have made a significant impact in someway to someone. When you're younger you feel like you have to accomplish everything straight out of college. You feel this silent pressure to be accomplished now that everyone's first question to you is
"And what do you do?". You think by the time you are 25 you will have it all figured out. Yes, today I am 25. I may not have everything figured out. I may not have an oscar, have a baby, be a world traveler. I may not have made my giant footprint on the world just yet. I may still be asking myself what I want to be when I grow up. And that's okay, because what I have learned these past 25 years is that right now is just the beginning. I'm not that old lady I thought I would be, I'm just getting started. So here's to all you other twenty-somethings out there. Own it, love it, embrace it, cherish it. And happy birthday to me!!
What a beautiful post. Love it! I think, if anything, you've captured all our hearts with this lovely blog of yours - I've loved reading every single of one your posts. Happy birthday TJ, I hope you have the most amazing day today!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteI thought when I was 18 or at least 22, I was going to move to California and try to become an actress. Well, I never moved and my life took a different turn, now that I'm almost 27. I'm happy how it is turning out though!
25 made me feel older. Suddenly it was like... oh hey, I'm in my mid-twenties now rather than my early twenties. Happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY!! XXX
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday! xx
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday!
ReplyDeletenicely said. I agree with all. :) and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://littlemisstwiggy.blogspot.com/
Happy birthday T.! :)
ReplyDeletexx
http://gita-oddsandends.blogspot.com/
Very happy birthday! :) :) :) :)
ReplyDeletehappy birthday!!! welcome to the 25 club ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://helloshaka.com
Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeletecongratulations, I hope you have a great birthday :)
ReplyDelete♥
http://cestmoiavectoi.blogspot.com
happy birthday pretty lady! 25 is a good one.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! x
ReplyDeleteWill and I have talked a lot about this, actually, since we are also in this no-man's land of our mid-twenties---and our life does not at all look like anything we could have predicted even just a few years ago, but we are certain that we are a thousand times happier and more blessed because of it. I truly believe that the minute you let go of expectations and learn to ride the wind, life will blow you away with how it unfolds itself for you. Glad you are coming to that same resolution, and happy happy birthday to you TJ :) treat yourself!
ReplyDeleteHappy happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing post! Happy birthday to you. x
ReplyDeleteWhat an insightful post. I've found myself in a rut lately about where I'm at and what I want to accomplish but I found your post to be inspiring. Life really isn't about the accomplishments and you are so right about being young and feeling like we must prove something to ourselves. Gotta get out of that mindset. Anyways, enjoy your birthday!
ReplyDeletehappy b day TJ! so true, i feel like i need to do so many things but we have our whole lives! this is just the beginning.
ReplyDeleteNice, I loved this. And happy birthday! You share a birthday with my husband. :) fun.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Yes, you have your whole life in front of you!
ReplyDelete25 is very young! You still have time to win that Oscars :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday TJ!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3! 25 hearts for you!!!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY TANYA!!! Hope 25 is your best year yet!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday!
ReplyDeleteLovely post, it's definately made me think. xx
jillyinwonderland.blogspot.co.uk
Happy Birthday cute girl!! LOve ya!
ReplyDeleteXO
E
Ps. that one up there was me I forgot to sign out of my hubs account. haha!
happy happy birthday dear! i loved reading your thoughts, lovely words!
ReplyDeletelindsey louise
hellomrrabbitblog.com
happy birthday sweet lady! hope you have an amazing day :)
ReplyDelete25 is a lot of fun. i'm coming up on my last year in my twenties, and *that* is making me feel old :/ haha.
Well put!! Happy birthday!!
ReplyDeletehappiest birthday beauty!
ReplyDeletexo the egg out west.
happy birthday!
ReplyDeletekw ladies in navy
ya happy birthday!! perfect way to think about it. lots of life ahead of ya so why rush to accomplish everything. life is a journey so we might as well enjoy all of it. i'm 27 and still getting started! have an amazing bf of 8 yrs , a good job, and great family. that's all that matters now. the rest i'm enjoying as it comes. happy celebrating!
ReplyDeleteMemoriesOfTimesPast
happy birthday! and what true words :) you're on a road uniquely your own and that's what makes it so amazing! hope this year is the best yet tj!
ReplyDeletexo,
kristyn
happy birthady, have a nice day!
ReplyDeletehttp://rockinglace.blogspot.de/
Happy Birthday TJ!!!!!!! Lovely words...it's so funny. Minus the actor and traveling the world, those are the exact expectations for 20s/25 :P Have a lovely day darling :D
ReplyDeleteI suppose that's pretty common to think you'll have it all together by twenty-five! I did the exact same thing when I was younger and had a mini-panic at 24... but soon realized, as you did, that goals are great but life evolves as it should and not as the benchmarks we set in our minds arrive. That's a wonderful mindset on your birthday! Have a fantastic day! You deserve it!! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday :)
ReplyDeleteHappy "you finally get cheaper car insurance" birthday ;)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday TJ! I had the same thoughts the day of my 25th birthday. I turn 28 this year (OLD! haha jk) and theres a LOT of things I havent checked off my list. It just means life and the years to come are going to be THAT much more exciting then the past. I love your excitement for your birthday, embrace it! You only turn 25 once, and you have 364 more days to enjoy it! :) Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Kathryn
-lifeandlaughter.typepad.com
hell YEAH! happy happy 25th birthday my youth :) wish you all the best!!!
ReplyDeletewhat a gorgeous report!? i'll be 25 in approximately 2 months and still saying i'm 23, but you know something? 25 it's OK! i feel exactly as you girl! i feel young!
have fun today and every day :) cheers!
xxxFiC.
Happy Birthday to you :) You are amazing! I hope your day is just as amazing as you are :)
ReplyDeleteXo Lourdes
i LOVE this! i often have to remind myself that not having every little thing decided and planned and knowing how to answer the 'what do you do?' question is a-okay.
ReplyDeleteenjoy your day and happy birthday!!
Hope your birthday is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI love this!! Happy Birthday girl :) hope your day is as lovely as you are!
ReplyDeletehappy birthday ♥
ReplyDeletehappy birthday pretty lady!!!
ReplyDelete-L
Happy Birthday!!!
ReplyDeletei totally relate to this! that is how i felt in december when i turned 25. it's so crazy the expectations and stuff we had for ourselves by 25. i always thought it seemed so old, but you're right! it's not! and i am loving it so far! i hope you do too!
ReplyDeletehappy birthday!
<3
Kenzie
Happy Birthday!!! I am sure that 25 has many amazing things in store for you! I can remember turning 25 and feeling like I hadn't accomplished so many things I thought that I would have, but it turned out to be one of the best years of my life, and one that i look back on now and smile big about - I hope it's that kind of year for you.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, TJ! You are completely right.. our world {at 25} is only beginning!! Cheers to many many more years.
ReplyDeleteYou're gorgeous, lady!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy 25! Somehow there seems to be a big diff between 25 and 27......when 30 is really looming......it makes ya nervous!! Happy bday!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so beautiful! I hope that you had a great birthday!
ReplyDeletelove this. happy birthday!!
ReplyDeletehappy birthday! :)
ReplyDeleteHow lovely, TJ! Hooray for birthdays - wishing you a wonderful day filled with new memories and doing something you like. :) Your last sentence is lovely - do cherish this.
ReplyDeleteHappy day, TJ! I know you'll totally "own" 25. :)
happy birthday! I have four friends that share your birthday! And yes, you are so very young still, enjoy it, embrace it! xo
ReplyDeletehappy birthday TJ!
ReplyDeleteHappy 25th birthday beautiful <3
ReplyDeleteStylejourneys
Happy Birthday, TJ!
ReplyDeleteAll the best ever! ^^
But you're still beautiful, right? :)
ReplyDeletehappy Birthday, friend!
Happy Birthday!!! You still have tons of time. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! I turned just 20 a few weeks ago. Isn't it funny how birthday's make you very reflective? I was pretty sure that I was going to be married or at least engaged at this point....and I don't see that happening for a very long time! Hahah.
ReplyDeleteGreat post :)
Happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully put, happy birthday lady!
ReplyDeleteso true! happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteso much time for so many adventures as long as you're living each day. happy birthday to you, my dear, and many happy returns.
ReplyDelete25! And look what a wonderful life you have at only 25! Happy happy birthday, girl!
ReplyDeleteMy 25th birthday was just on Wednesday and I can totally relate! Being 25 doesn't mean you should have accomplished everything yet-it means you still have so many years ahead of you to continue towards your goals!
ReplyDeleteJenn
With Luck Blog
Happy birthday! May this year be a great one!
ReplyDeletexoxo
i'm just turning 21 but i have had some of hte same feelings. happy birthday pretty lady!! <3 <3
ReplyDeleteI love this, lady. This year will be my 21st and I already feel old haha.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have the loveliest day. Eat some yummy cake! Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday TJ! Enjoy this time without babies, school and lots of big responsibilities. Glad you'll get to do a little world traveling soon in Germany!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday, lovely lady! Aaaaaaaaaall the very best, with oodles of health, love, joy and fun. And, hey, I just turned 28 a month ago and I STILL don't have things figured out, hahah. Some I do, some I don't. C'est la vie! xo
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Love this post so much, especially this line--"what I have learned these past 25 years is that right now is just the beginning." SO true. I think we have these set up expectations in our head of where we should be at certain ages, but we are exactly what we are supposed to be and time brings better things than we could have expected. You are always SO FABULOUS...that picture is AMAZE! You are amazing and I hope you have a fun day and year!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday TJ! I love your perspective on being 25.
ReplyDeleteI am so convinced all the magic is in your thirties!! ha ha...but I think you just might be lightly sexier this morning...just sayin'. Happy Birthday!!! Love you girl and hope it is the best!
ReplyDeleteThis post is almost as awesome as you! A year older then you so thanks for that shout out:) HaPpY BiRtHdAy you darling twenty five year old you!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy 25! You're not old until you're 40, I say.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday! :D And you're exactly right, we don't have to do everything straight out of college. Keep doing what you love and you'll end up where you want to be. :) Beautiful picture, hope you had a great day.
ReplyDeleteaww HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday TJ! I hope you've had a wonderful day in the sunshine! Love your post, and as a fellow twenty-something, I feel the same about life at the moment :)
ReplyDeletexx Ellie
www.ellalogy.com
happy birthday! i just turned 23 and felt the exact same way!
ReplyDeleteThis is perfect.
ReplyDeleteHappy Belated Birthday! Hope you had a fabulous day.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy all the expectations and dreams that we have when we're younger and then what we actually accomplish when we get there. I never actually had any idea though of what I would be doing or any thought of all the stuff I've done. So crazy.
Always,
Mostly Lisa
Hope I'm not too late! Happy Birthday pretty lady! Hope you've had a fabulous quarter century!
ReplyDeleteLove this! I thought I would be so much more "together" in my mid-twenties, but I'm slowly learning that even people my mum's age don't always feel they have it "together". You've just got to go with the wind and make the most of what you have. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! xxx
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I'll tell you one thing, not in ten million years would I have ever believed that I would have seven kids by the age of 34. So I know what you mean. Some things happen the way we think and some don't.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are just getting started. Have fun.
Shauna xo
the happiest of birthdays to you! you have so much ahead of you and I expect only amazing things. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday!! My 25th birthday felt like a big one, but not for any reason other than I was happy with where I was, happy to be celebrating another year and excited for the next.
ReplyDeleteYou speak the truth! Thank you for your encouragement. You're awesome!
ReplyDeleteHave a very Happy Birthday!
Nicole
settleinn.blogspot.com
Happiest of birthdays to you! xo
ReplyDeletei'll turn 24 this year and i don't even know how i feel about that. ha!
ReplyDeletehappy birthday TJ! Wish you another adventurous year of life
Happy birthday darling:) I hope you have a phenomenal year!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday..a great post.. hope you have an amazing year.
ReplyDeleteHope your birthday was AMAZING! :)
ReplyDeletexo, Yi-chia
Always Maylee
Happy Happy Birthday :)Gorgeous Picture. Gorgeous Girl :) Happy 25!
ReplyDeletehappy birthday darling! 25 was a great year for me!
ReplyDeletethanks for your sweet comment on my blog. i'm now following you & hope you follow back xx
www.vicariousLA.com
oh, you're just lovely. it's ok, you've got pleeeenty o' time to check off all those things. and probably have some good surprises along the way too! happy 25th, sweetheart.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday beautiful!!!! You look gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeletexo Dinah @ sunshine super glam
Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way when I was younger. I remember fretting about turning 25 for a few weeks before my birthday because I hadn't "accomplished anything". But four years later I know there is still so much life to live and I have done some pretty amazing things!
Keep enjoying your moments!
Cynthia
danceitoffblog.blogspot.com
That's so funny - I was just talking to my boyfriend about how old 25 sounded when I was a little girl, and how much I thought I would have accomplished by then. Looks like you have tons to celebrate, though :) Happy Birthday, lady!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Your blog is adorable. I agree with everything you said too, there is so much pressure to have your life planned out at such a young age now a days. We have time, though. It's a great thing to hear.
ReplyDelete<3 Misha
mishyme.blogspot.com
Happy Birthday! I love this post :)
ReplyDeletexx
MacK @ SoulMakes Blog
Happy Birthday TJ! It's always such a treat to see what you're up to, and this post doesn't disappoint - so honestly and beautifully written! Have a most fabulous day and come back to tell us all about it! xx
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday beautiful girl!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday!!
ReplyDeletexx
Viva la Trucco
Happy birthday! May this year be your best yet! :-)
ReplyDeletehappy birthday lady :) You have so much in store for the near future, you are going to have a wonderful new year!
ReplyDeleteYes, Happy Birthday to you!
ReplyDeletewith love,
H&H
http://hemingwayandhandbags.blogspot.com
Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteShannon
httpp://GBOfashion.com
Happiest birthday to you! You are lovely!
ReplyDeleteI hope you had an amazing birthday TJ! xxx Hayley-Eszti
ReplyDeletewww.hayleyeszti.blogspot.com
Happy Birthday!!!
ReplyDeleteBTW: thanks for stopping by my blog -- I am a new follower!
xx
josie
www.straightNOchase.com
Happy birthday! Hope it's most excellent!
ReplyDeleteHappy Belated Birthday! I love this post.
ReplyDeletexo Jo
http://www.whiterosesandcoffee.com/
Happy birthday friend! 25 suits you!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday TJ and what a beautiful post! I thought I would be married with 3 kids by the time I was 23 but I'm nowhere near that part of my life! x
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday!!! Love the red lips, you're totally rocking it in the photo! ;)
ReplyDeleteEverything you said in this post totally reflects how I felt turning 25, and even now after just turning 26. I thought I would feel so much older and have so much more accomplished. 25 sounds so much older when you're younger haha. Happy belated birthday, hope it was a fabulous day:)
ReplyDeleteHappy belated Birthday!! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting :)
ReplyDeleteNew follower here! You take such stunning photos , and your husband and you are such a beautiful couple xo Best wishes, cant wait to follow along
Raiana
TJ!!! Happy Late Birthday!!! I was trying to not miss it as we were celebrating our anniversary on the 25th but oh freaken well!!! Im soooo glad to have met ya via this blogging world!! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteI missed it! Cheers to a great new year in your life TJ! :D
ReplyDeleteYou are beautiful! I love your blog! :)
ReplyDeleteHow do you get your photos to look so vintage?
xoxo,
kate from kateemari3.blogspot.com
For me it's the same, when I was 15, I thought I would be rich and married with two kids. Now I'm 27 and I don't want to grow up! ahaha
ReplyDelete<3