I turned 26 years old last week. Yes, it’s still strange to me. But what an opportune time to share 26 things I’ve learned in 26 years. 🙂

1. God IS good. Not gonna lie, there have been many times in my life when I’ve questioned God and been very angry with Him. But I can now look back and see how He’s allowed certain things to happen for my good. Ultimately, God is good, God’s plan is good, and He loves us.
2. Always be grateful in every circumstance.
3. It’s okay to be “strange”. Judge me all you want. I’m used to it.
4. You miss all the dogs you don’t pet. I don’t want to regret not petting a single dog. PET ALL THE DOGS.
5. Life’s too short to wear boring clothes. I will dress however I want, even if it means always being overdressed.
6. Honey is honestly amazing for healing burns. I once splashed hot oil on my hand and cried like a baby. All it took was cold water for 15 minutes and honey slathered all over it for the burning to go away. And no scarring! Honestly, amazing.
7. Ice cream is always an appropriate meal. Even if you’re lactose intolerant. Don’t question it.
8. Happy healthy couples argue. Happy healthy couples also talk it out and compromise.
9. Although it may feel like it sometimes, my anxiety doesn’t control me. I control it.
10. Be curious! Ask questions, ask for help, Google random things and go down a Wikipedia blackhole. Trust me on this. It’s fascinating.
11. Take care of your skin while you’re young. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I have a bunch of blog posts that can help!
12. Kindness is not weakness. Forgiveness is not weakness. I’ve learned that it’s actually really easy to be mean and hold onto anger. It takes a lot of strength to be kind and forgive.
13. Shopping at the mall is overrated (and pretty bad for the environment). Buying secondhand is so much more thrilling.
14. If you eat too many cherries, you may end up in some gastrointestinal trouble.
15. Adventure as much as you can. Leave your comfort zone. Sure, I miss Kaua’i all the time, but I must admit that moving to Las Vegas has brought a ton of opportunity.
16. Carl’s Jr. french fries are far superior to McDonald’s french fries.
17. Be aware of yourself. Know who you are; know your faults, your strengths, your weaknesses. Don’t be disillusioned by who you think you are.
18. Be honest. What we think are “white lies” to protect someone can end up causing pain when the truth comes to light.
19. Rest and self-care are vastly underrated. Take care of yourself. Give yourself some downtime. Manage your physical and mental health.
20. Surprisingly, I still want to have kids someday. It’s scary to think about raising children in today’s society, but I have hope for our world.
21. Sure, FOMO sucks, but staying at home with your fiancé and dog is more fun than going out.
22. Chase success and accomplishments, but don’t forget that you are already successful because you exist. Your existence was not an accident or a coincidence.
23. Be able to admit when you’re wrong. Be willing to apologize.
24. Giant slices of pizza are better than little slices.
25. Respect and be kind to everyone regardless of age, status, or wealth. I always made it a point to be respectful to the kids I worked with because of how belittling it felt to be disrespected by people who thought I was too young or unimportant. I wanted to teach them they were worthy of respect despite their age.
26. Lists are hard to write. Really hard. If you read this far, you’re wonderful and I’d like to give you all of the virtual hugs and birthday cake. ❤️