This past Monday I turned 24 and while I am not usually a fan of celebrating my birthday or making a big deal of it, this birthday has me doing a lot of thinking.

Next year I will be 25, a quarter of a century. For some reason 25 seems like a very significant birthday to me. As I turned 24 I realized how different I thought my life would be by now, and all of the things I thought I would have done by my 25th birthday.

I used to think that I could plan things out and everything would just magically work and fall into place and be exactly how I would want. Like getting married before I was 23, having my first kid before 25, and moving out of Nebraska after graduating. Those were all things I wanted, or at least thought I wanted.

While I did get married at 22 the other 2 didn’t quite work out and I am thankful for that. I’ve learned that I can’t try to plan such concrete things. I can hope and I can pray but ultimately I have to just be patient and see where life takes me.

But I really struggle with this. I really like planning. And I really like lists. That is partially why I do my monthly goals. So while I know I can’t start planning long-term without knowing what the future will hold I will always have goals and ideas for the future. So for this next year I am making a list of 25 things I want to do or accomplish before my 25th birthday next March.

25 Before 25

1. Run 10 miles (at once)
2. Read (and finish) 12 books
3. Print wedding photos for our bedroom (I know… its been over a year)
4. Frame and hang our menus in the dining room
5. Finish re-decorating our bedroom
6. Clean out the basement (Well, its in writing. Now I have to do it.)
7. Go one month without online shopping (Wait, did I just commit to that… Can I take it back?)
8. Finish our wedding album
9. Go a full month of going to the gym at least 5 days a week
10. Finish the basement floor
11. Go one month without sweets
12. Clean out the bathroom/linen closet
13. Spend a weekend at the lake with my husband
14. Host my parents for a nice dinner
15. Go one week without Netflix, TV, movies, etc.
16. Try at least one new recipe a month
17. Clean off my computer and back up photos
18. Go one month without eating out
19. Host both of our families for dinner
20. Learn more about photography
21. Have a girls weekend with my mom, sister, and mother-in-law
22. Do yoga twice a week for one month
23. Unplug for 24 hours (no phone, emails, computer, social media, TV, etc.)
24. Write a letter to someone once a month
25. Spend 25 minutes each Friday night journaling, reading, praying or reflecting on the week.

What are some of your goals over the next year and how do you plan to stick to them?