I do not have any plans to get married or have kids in the near future, but biologically speaking… I need to have kids in the next 10 years (MAX in my book…)…. So that’s really more like 5-7 years that I will. Shit that is SOON. That is CRAZY.  Kids will mean a whole new life.  A whole new list of hopes and dreams.  While I have no idea what I will want as mother or as a wife, I know what I want now. And I want to do everything I can to make sure I do these things. Not that I couldn’t do them when I was older, or had kids, but it’s much more convenient now.  More time. More money (for myself). I’m young and able-bodied. And my focus is ME ME ME!

I want to travel to:

• Greece
• Italy
• France
• Bahamas
• Switzerland
• Spain
• Iceland or Alaska
• Ireland
• Egypt and China (these would be cool, but I don’t think they would be realistic for this lifetime. They take super long to get to… I don’t like plane(not sure if this is realistic)
• Morocco/Costa Rica/ Dubai or some other cool country that I would never even think of visiting
• Hawaii (hotel facing the ocean!)
• San Francisco/San Diego/Hollywood
• Vegas with friends
• Disney World (with a boy. Well not just any boy, a boy I want to make out with.)
• Fox Lake
• Wisconsin Dells
• Ann Arbor
• St. Louis
• New Orleans
• Toronto
• Put in Bay with my family
• Dayton to visit Caitrin
• Michigan to see Mark’s family
• Texas/Atlanta (not NECESSARY)

Other things:

• Take cute family photos
• Zip line
• Do a doggie transport (help transfer dogs to a new home or holding place until they have a home)
• Make a music video
• Take a cooking class and a dance class (ballroom dance) with my future husband
• Swim up bars. Go to a restaurant in the water (Hawaii?)
• See a volcano (preferably not active)
• Go on a cruise
• Go to a doggie event (you and your dog go to either a beach event or like a dressy event)
• See a psychic
• Go on a vacay with a  bunch of girlfriends
• Shoot a gun
• Design my own house that has a lazy river ride in the back yard
• Ride a motorcycle
• Buy (or get ) a diamond necklace and earrings
• Go jet skiing
• Blow up photos of food to put around my house
• Ride a horse on a beach
• Play the drums in Eat to the Beat
• Get married on a beach or another cool place
• Take Dollie to a dog bar
• Double date
• Swim with dolphins
• Learn how to play golf
• Take a cool photo and blow it up really big
• Ice skate on an outside skating rink
• See Lady Gaga and Katy Perry live
• Be in the audience of a taping of a show
• Swim in a natural waterfall/little warm pool thing
• Go nude on a nude beach
• See a castle with a mote
• Wear a long gown (a prom gown) again… other than my wedding.

What else should I make sure I do before I leave this planet?

Sometimes, I think, “my life isn’t very exciting.” But then I go and read old posts and it makes me realize how far I’ve come and how many exciting things I AM doing with my life.

Talk to you soon, I hope!

’tis the season of slutty outfits, children on sugar-highs, and scary cocktails!

So, on the eve of my 25th Birthday, I decided I should probably google, “What happens to your body when you turn 25?”

Luckily, I didn’t get much.

Apparently I’ve been “aging” since I was 20. Wrinkles. Thinning skin and nails. Graying hair. Hair loss. I just don’t
understand if we are living to be 100… why would my body start deteriorating at age 25???

Anyway… let me tell you a little how I feel at age TwEnTy-FiVe (Or I will be in 12 hours…)

• My teenage-like tendencies are still here. I still want to be busy all the time. I’m still irrational, jealous, demanding, and dramatic. But there is also a more grown-up part of me. I’m self-sufficient (for the most part…). I enjoy learning. I want to succeed in my career and one day have a management position.  And I have to think beyond just what will give me instant gratification… opps, I still eat whole medium pizzas…
• I realize it’s too early to think about marriage… that tick tock tick tock clock doesn’t mean too much anymore. Some of my friends are married and that is wonderful for them… but it’s not me.  I always thought I’d get married by age 26.  I wanted to stop the family tradition of having children way too old (My mom had me at age 36 and her mother had her when she was 40).  That may or may not happen, and I’m OK with it. You can’t rush things. They will evolve and come together on their own.
• Do I feel ready to give up MY life for the lives of other little children? Not at all. I don’t even have enough time to do what I want to do!   If I had children I wouldn’t even have time to take a shit!
• I find it extremely hard to separate from my parents. They have been there for the past 25 years guiding me, telling me what to do, supporting me, and more. I still call my mom to ask her advice on stupid things I should decide myself.  The other day I called her when I was at TJMaxx. I one-by-one told her what I had in my cart, and she told me what I didn’t “need.” (which was everything haha… but I did end up getting a cute dress and a present for Dollie…of course).
• I know my Birthday won’t quite feel like my Birthday. No one is wearing tea party dresses in my princess-themed birthday party with games and prizes and palm tree piñatas… and no one is getting super dressed up with heals and getting black out drunk with me…
• I am no longer working out to try to be that super skinny self I always dreamed of.  I am working out to be healthy… and maybe lose 5 pounds.
• I can act like a wild 21-year-old, and people won’t think much, but I can also act like an adult if I want too…not exactly sure when the second part happens
• Time is flashing before my eyes.
  There is never enough time in the day.
  There are so many things I want to do and accomplish in my life on this planet, and I’m afraid I’ll run out of time.
• I have had a tator (a puppy-poo named Dollie) for two years now.  Happy Adoption Day Dollie Lady Pritchard!
• I realize I could end up alone. My parents are getting older.  My sibling is starting her own life. Your friends are starting to get married.  Good thing I have Caitrin to be with me forever…  <3
• I realize adults are just big kids.  They pretend like they have all the answers, but really, they are f’ed up too…
• I know who will be involved in the rest of my life… those special friends and family who have tolerated me even through my craziest moments.
• I am not exactly with the boy I thought I’d be with… but it’s so much better.  I’m surrounded by so many new and exciting adventures.  My apartment could one day be filled with two drumsets, four guitars?, a keyboard, and more CDs than my whole family has had combined.  At least he wouldn’t be able to complain about my Target habits

Have I grown in the past year?

DEFINITELY. I now have my first real job. I have a boyfriend. I moved and my address actually says “Chicago” as opposed to “Evanston.” My life is stable, and predictable… yet includes the right amount of adventure.

What are my goals for this year?

Do the things I love and be with the people I can’t live without.  I hope to get over my increasing fear of planes so I can travel the world. I want to continue to learn about photography and graphic design.

Top Ways I know I’m 25

* If you text me at 10 P.M. I won’t answer, I’m sleeping.

* My ponytail holder wraps around my hair three times
instead of two.

* Two huge lines on my forehead.

* 1 A.M. is late enough on bar night.

* Going out consists of wearing jeans and a t-shirt in a pony tail.  OK maybe sometimes I will wear heals… but there will be a pair of flip flops in my purse.

* I don’t get ID’d nearly as much.

* I’m no longer one of the youngest ones at my work.

* I wasn’t upset when my high school/college boyfriend told
me he had a girlfriend the other day.

*No more hitch-hiking for me! When I am on vacation, I can actually rent a car… I mean good thing they waited til I was 25 because I totally couldn’t handle it a year ago… (?!?!?!)

*It’s officially like gross for me to have a crush on anyone not 18 (or I’d even say 21…) or older… that fact alone is weird.  I feel like just the other day I was singing “I’m gonna stay 18 forever… so we can be like this forever…and we’ll never miss a party, cuz’ we’ll keep them going constantly…” by Brand New.

 I am entering my late twenties for crying out loud!!!!!!

After the day after tomorrow I WILL BE CLOSER TO 30 THAN TO 20!!!

And Now I will share with you a photo from my 22^nd Birthday… one of my drunkest Birthdays. I can assure you no shots will be involved this weekend.  That’s how old I am!

Check out what I’ve done/have planned for this summer:

• Dinner/dance cruise on
       Lake Michigan
• Glee concert
• Puppy beaches
• Botanical Gardens  
• Oak Street Beachstro
• Fox Lake
• China Town
• Shop on State Street
• Buckingham Fountain
• the first McDonald’s
• Chicago the musical
• Chicago Cares
• See boyfriend play live:
       Jim and the Povolos
• Beach days
• Family vacation for the
       first time with a boyfriend
• Taylor Swift concert
• Segway tour of Chi town
• Cub’s Game
• Chicago Ghost Tour
• Lincoln Park Zoo
• Horse carriage ride around
       Chicago
• Victoria’s Secret semi-annual sale
• Rock and Roll McDonald’s
• Maifest in Lincoln Square
• Bike rides downtown Chicago
• Golfing for the first time
• Softball with my work friends

& more!  ”We-we-we so excited!”

The Rockstar & I before our cruise on Mystic Blue

Glee was my first concert since Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. Seriously.

My review? It was AMAZING!

“Brittany” is an amazing dancer!

“Rachel” sure lost a ton of weight!

And my boyfriend knows Darren… how cool is that! He was FABULOUS!

Don’t worry… I won’t have another dry spell on the concert front.  I’ve already got plans to see Taylor Swift in September and go to the Pitch Fork Festival in Chicago next month.  Yay~!

Without his love, guidance, support, and crude jokes, I would not be who I am today.  Thanks, daddy!

Here are some photos of him on his train as a railroad engineer!