25

I could wax nostalgic about reaching a quarter of a century, but you know what? 25 feels about the same as 24. I am still in this Middle Place, striving toward my Great Dreams. For years now, I have wanted to be There already, but I’m not. I’m Here. And maybe the only thing I can say about 25 so far is that I’m finally okay with Here.

Because Here has love and family and friends, and puppy kisses, and orange leaves swirling in the wind. Here has slow weekend mornings and socked feet and chocolate-covered almonds. Here has laughs that are too loud and jokes that are so, so awful. Here has more good than bad, and a whole lifetime of things to look forward to. Here may not be what I ordered when I was a kid, but I see now that it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Oh darn, looks like I waxed a bit nostalgic after all.

For my birthday, Andy and I went out to a nice dinner, played with Riley, and then Andy’s dad came to visit and we all went to see the Bills take on the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. We’re Bills fans, so the game turned out great. I like to think of it as my little Birthday Miracle.

bills at bengals 008
At the game

a boy and his dog 004
Bunny dog!

a boy and his dog 011
Man’s best friend


19 responses to “25”

  1. T.S. Bazelli Avatar

    Happy Birthday! It sounds like you had a great day :)

  2. Sonja Avatar

    Happy birthday! Now you can rent a car!

    (Or am I dating myself? Can under-25s rent cars these days?)

  3. Rachele Alpine Avatar

    Happy birthay! It sounds like life is pretty darn good! Hope this year is your best yet! :)

  4. Jon Avatar

    Happy birthday! Hope that 25 is an even better “Here” than 24. But 24’s “Here” doesn’t sound so bad after all.

  5. Sarah Avatar

    That would have been a great game to see (I’m a Bills fan too, but the Steelers are my fav, of course)!

    Happy Birthday. I wish I was closer to 25 than 35, but the middle ain’t bad. xx

  6. Les Avatar

    Happy Birthday! Sounds like a good one!

  7. Shari Avatar

    Happy Birthday! So glad you had a great one :-)

  8. Amanda Kendle Avatar

    Happy birthday Kristan!
    My life from 25 (which is not all that long ago … well almost a decade, yikes) has had all the best bits. I wish you the same!
    Hugs from Australia.

  9. Alex Avatar

    Happy birthday, sis! :-)

  10. Katie Avatar

    What they don’t tell you about being 25 is that you’re also 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11… (Sorry, I couldn’t resist a Cisneros reference when you said being 25 doesn’t feel any different than 24).

    Katie

  11. Trisha Avatar

    So, the next ‘birthday’ milestone you have to look forward to is the Senior Discount. ;-)

  12. Aisha Avatar

    omg haha that bunny dog pic is so cute (how has no one else commented on that??)

  13. Lindsay Avatar

    Happy Birthday, Lady. 25 is everything you didn’t know you wanted it to be, promise.

  14. Kristan Avatar

    Thanks for all the birthday wishes, y’all!

    Sonja-
    Well, you can rent a car starting at 21, but you have to pay a higher rate until you’re 25.

    Trisha-
    LOL oh great…

    Aisha-
    HAHA I don’t know, but I’m glad you did. It cracks me up every time I look at it.

    Lindsay-
    Good to know. :)

  15. Meghan Ward Avatar

    Happy Birthday, Kristan! I remember when I was 25 (barely). It felt like a big deal, like I had to have my shit together, because I was halfway to 30. Well, guess what? You don’t need to have your shit together for a long time! Love the photos, and love your appreciation of the NOW. Great to hear what people are thankful this week of Thanksgiving!

  16. Kristan Avatar

    LOL oh good, because my shit? Definitely not together. :P

  17. Torie Michelle Avatar

    Happy (belated) Birthday!!

  18. elissa janine Avatar

    aw, I’m so late on my bloggy visits, but Happy Birthday! :)

  19. Kristan Avatar

    Heh, no worries. Thank you!