{25 before 25: 12, 13, 15, 19, 21, 22, 24 check!}

So I’m sure some of you have been wondering about my list and how far I was able to get…well…here it is! I didn’t finish it, however, to be fair (to me at least) I did start two months before the end of the year and didn’t anticipate how crazy my life would be in that time. I did my best and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I’ll just have to move what I didn’t finish to my 26 before 26 list.

12. Organize office and make functional: This was a tough one as our office was literally a disaster zone (all that was missing was the yellow tape). When you move you don’t really realize everything you have until you have to pull it out of the boxes and find a place for it. I was shocked at how much we had accumulated, especially because I cleaned our office thoroughly right before we moved. We got rid of at least 6 bags of trash. Ack! However, now I’m very happy to report that the office looks lovely and has plenty of space for some projects I will be cooking up this new year!

13. Publish 25 blog posts: I just barely made the deadline, however it was perfect as my 25^th post was on my 25^th birthday. I am very proud of my commitment to this new endeavor and I can only hope that it continues to grow!

15. Keep plants alive until at least 25: I do not have a green thumb…at all. I look at a plant and it suddenly begins to wilt. However, for this past year I’ve been able to maintain two cacti and a hanging plant. Unfortunately the week after my 25^th birthday, one of my cacti kicked the bucket which was sad (have you ever seen a deflated cactus?) and my hanging plant is turning somewhat yellow. I water, I let them sun. I don’t know what else to do. If only I had my mother’s magic touch. I’m open for suggestions.

19. Work on investment portfolio: So this is a very important one for the future. I’m pretty sure by the time Jesse and I get around to retiring, no one will be handing us any free money, so we have to start building our little honey pot now. Luckily, my dad is an amazing investor and was able to give us some great stocks to consider investing in. We have savings, but he explained that we’re not making much money there and what will really help us is to invest in companies that will double what we can earn from savings. It makes sense when you think about it.

21. Start GRE practice: One of my goals is to attend grad school sometime in the near future. For the programs I’m interested in, I have to take the GRE, this big scary test that can determine whether or not I get past the first round of applicants in the application process. I’m not a very great test taker, so I know I have to study very hard in order to do well. It’s nice that we’re in the age of technology and there are tons of apps out there that can help with practice for different parts of the test. I’ve downloaded several for my GRE practice on-the-go and I have a giant book for practice at home. Maybe my 26 before 26 goal will be to register and take the test…

22. Try a new food: In 2011 I tried many new foods; mushrooms, mussels, oysters, etc. However, the most bizarre was Ackee Fruit. It is yellow, looks like scrambled eggs and has almost the same consistency. Dad Ellis made a codfish dish this Christmas Eve for us and one of the main ingredients was Ackee Fruit. I was a tad skeptical about trying it, but I did it anyway, and while it’s not my favorite, I have at least made my pallet a little wider.

24. Finish name change: This one was tough. I guess I never noticed this before, but my name is everywhere! Credit Cards, Magazines, everywhere! Some people take their time doing this, but I’m the type of person that likes to get it all done in one shot. I did have to space it out over a few days, but now I’m officially an Ellis.

So for future reference, if you need to do this and want to cover all your bases, here are some places/items on which you will need to change your name:

Licenses

Social Security Card

Passport

Debit/Credit Cards

Magazine Subscriptions

Car Title & Registration

Health Insurance

Car Insurance

Homeowner’s/Renter’s Insurance

Email (although for this one, you just have to create a new one---if you want)

Taxes

Airline Miles Accounts

Rewards Accounts

Hotel Accounts

Preferred Customer Cards/Accounts

Membership Cards/Accounts

Facebook (or any other social media)

Prescriptions

Workplace documents

Vet’s office (if you have a pet)

Bills (electric, water, phone, cable, etc.)

Also,

- Get two copies of your marriage license when you apply and order it—-one for nostalgia, one to handle your business…hehe

- Take your marriage license everywhere you need to go to change your name

- Take the old document to each office when going to request your name change

- Contact each office to find out what documents they need you to bring to complete your name change

- Be patient, it takes a little while.

Although I have gone through this whole process, it is still taking time to get used to my new name. I’ll get there eventually.

There you have it! Look out for 26 before 26 coming to a blog near you!

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{25 before 25: 2 & 20 check!}

Wooo!!! Welcome back to 25 before 25! So I’ve been a little busy, although not according to this list as I still have a lot left to accomplish. Life has just been crazy; which is an understatement as this is the holly jolly holiday season! However, amidst all of the chaos, I have had time to cross a couple things off my list.

Goodbye #2 & #20!

1.  Create an original recipe: I have been a busy little chef lately and this week I was inspired to tackle #2 on my list. Drum-roll please….Fusilli Pasta w/Chicken Sausage & Spinach in a Garlic Cream Sauce! (Recipe to follow in an upcoming post)

While it is not a very complicated recipe, it is still original. I came up with the measurements myself and looked to no recipe for guidance—-total and complete blind cooking. I was so happy with my results I submitted my recipe, (with a few tweaks), to Allrecipes.com my favorite go to site for new recipes. It is still awaiting review so we’ll see if I make the cut. I’m sure I will improve upon it over the years, but for now, I’m very pleased!

2.  Pick a non-profit to support: This one was important to me as one of my strong core values in life is giving back. Of course we shouldn’t limit our support to just one cause, but realistically we don’t have the resources to support every cause under the sun. By choosing one to focus on, the opportunity to transition from supporting member to active member becomes very feasible; you can donate more time and money without feeling like you’re cheating on your other causes.

So which one did we choose? The Atlanta Humane Society! You may think we were coerced by those heartbreaking Sarah McLachlan commercials (and you would be partially correct), but actually Jesse and I love animals and couldn’t think of another cause we could be more passionate about. We have two rescues (our wonderful yet crazy lab mixes Sasha & Oliver) that Jesse talks baby talk to and pretends are lap dogs despite their size. It’s sad to think that they were abused as little babies yet we have made a commitment to give them the best lives possible with love, patience (tons of it—especially during their chewing phase), and lots of peanut butter filled Kongs!

So we’re going to start our support by signing up for the volunteer class the shelter requires you to take and hopefully soon we’ll get to work with some animals that need tons of lovin.

Until next time!

The Mrs.

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{25 before 25: 1, 5, & 7 check!}

Another project I’ve been working on (like I really need another) is a 25 before 25 list. Inspired by another blogger, I’ve decided to create a list of things I’d like to accomplish before my 25^th birthday (which is literally right around the corner). I think it’s something I would like to do every year. I only have a month and a half before 25 so, I have to get moving. I’ll keep you guys posted as I progress.

So far, I can officially mark off a few.

1.  Start Couch to 5k Program: I’ve never been much of a runner (outside of my lacrosse days) but I have wanted to get into it for awhile. It costs no money (unless you get really serious about it) and is a great way to get in shape and build up your endurance. I found a program which is designed to help non-runners build up to a 5k and have jumped right in. It only requires a three day/week commitment, which is very convenient, as well as some willpower. As long as I have a good playlist, I’m good to go. Hopefully I’ll be signing up for my first 5k shortly after the New Year begins. I’ll get Jesse to tag along (he doesn’t need a program as he’s already a very good runner who scoffs at my ten minute mile). I’ll let you all know how it goes!

2.  Start blog: This has been a big “to do” on my list for a long time but I never quite knew in what direction I wanted to go with it. After getting hitched and realizing how far away we’d be from family and friends it just made sense to use it as a form of communication. Let’s just hope I can keep up with it!

3.  Re-start work-out and healthy eating regimen: An important one! Before the wedding planning chaos, I was very consistent with this and it felt great. I took my vitamins and drank green tea every morning, worked out right after the work day, and was very conscious of everything I put in my body. Since slipping away from that lifestyle it has affected my mood, energy, and body image. It is crazy how much of an impact what you eat and how active you are can have on your body. I have said enough with excuses, I want to live a long healthy happy life, so it is time to get back on track. I re-started last week and I have already started to notice changes! Let’s just hope the holidays won’t veer me off track too much.

I hope this inspires a few of you to make your own lists. I’m sure there are things you are hoping to accomplish!

Love, peace, and reeses pieces!

The Mrs.