7 Ways I Feel Like a Certified ADULT

There are days where I still call my mom and ask her how to cook chicken (seriously, why can't I ever remember?) And then there are days where I realize that maybe I've kind of, sort of got this adulting thing down. 

So here are 7 reasons that have made me realize I'm #adulting

1. I am still using Christmas-themed body wash, lotion, and hand soap. 

So, normally, a few days after Christmas I would replace my lotion and body wash with something Winter-smelling, but not Christmas. But I still am washing my body with Twisted Peppermint and using Winter Candy Apple lotion. Part of this is because I keep forgetting to replace it with my tried-and-true winter favorite of Warm Vanilla Sugar, and part of it is because I think to myself "there's still body wash left, so why replace it now" (Though, I'm not going to throw it out, just put it away til next December).

2. I listen to radio talk shows on my way to work. 

I used to not understand why my parents listened to these (seriously, can we just listen to some music?!) But, now I find myself enjoying my ride to work listening to the talk show rather than a few songs with a lot of commercials. 

3. Speaking of work...

I have a full-time, 9-5, real job. And I have paid holidays. I don't know why, but having President's Day off just makes me feel like an adult.

4. I have wine and popcorn for dinner sometimes. 

And that's perfectly OK. 

5. Sometimes, I wear the same shirt twice.

So maybe I wear a sweater or something one day when I'm not doing much. And then a few days later I'm going out and realize that would be the perfect sweater. Non-adult Ashlyn wouldn't have any of it. Adult Ashlyn says, "okay!" and wears the sweater. 

6. We do the dishes after dinner. 

Okay, this is a more recent one, and one I hope we can keep up. But, just doing the dishes from the day after we're done eating dinner makes me feel like I have my life together (and makes my kitchen look better)

7. I don't shave everyday.

I used to think "I don't shave often" and thought I was being rebellious and whatever. But now, I actually only shave my legs once a week (for dance rehearsal). And probably shave my pits every other day. Gross? Maybe. Do I care? Definitely not.

I don't think any one of these really requires you to be an adult (minus the wine). So, really, all I'm doing is living... but at least I feel old?

The Next Step

Movies and TV shows have put a certain expectation on the emotions associated with choosing to move in with your significant other.

Take Grey's Anatomy, Season 2, Episode 10:
Cristina finds a key in her coffee cup in the morning

And then when she tells Mer, it's a big deal.
"Burke keyed you?"
"I got freakin' keyed before coffee"

Not only that, but Cristina feels like this a huge next step, one they're perhaps not ready for. Considering they were broken up for a bit at the beginning of the season (and this is only episode 10), I'd say maybe things are moving a bit fast for C and B... but it's a TV show - and those tend to dramatize things.

Still, I thought moving in with my boyfriend would be a big deal - something really ground breaking. And it wasn't. At the risk of sounding a bit robotic and a bit like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, it was the logical next step. We had been long distance for three years, we had both recently graduated college and were ready to start being real adults with real jobs - so why not do that in the same city? And if I'm going to move half way across the country - I'm not going to live with a random roommate. Like I said, logical.

Now, don't get me wrong - I love living with him. But the act of doing so was a little boring, almost nonchalant. There were no fireworks, I didn't build him a house made out of candles to prove I was ready... we just did it, we packed up and moved in together. Sometimes I have to say to myself "we live together now" because maybe this time it'll be a big deal. Instead, it always just seems so normal.

And maybe that's not a bad thing. If it were such a big deal, we'd constantly be striving to maintain that kind of excitement in our lives. But instead, we get to build a life together.

Making Goals

During your time in school, you'll usually come across teachers who assign a "goal-making" project.

What are your goals for this project?

What are your goals for the semester?

Did you achieve your goals?

Why or why not?

And they talk about how you shouldn't set your goals too high, and you should have an action plan on how you're going to achieve your goals (a goal to reach your goal?).

So, I took their advice - and that of my Erin Condren planner - and made goals for November.

I'll be blogging more about my wonderful planner later, but for now - let's focus on goals!

As you can see, at first I was very vague with my goals - just a general "what do I want to accomplish in November?" Then I went back and gave each goal a value. If I simply plan to blog "more," posting once would certainly accomplish that. But, I want to create habits - so I'm quantifying it with once per week. Furthermore, I counted how many weeks are in November, and planned blog posts for each week so there can be no excuses!

Knitting was hard to quantify - if I receive orders for Ashlyn's Point, it might change how many things I knit (for example I can knit multiple coffee cozy's in a day, but would need a few days to complete a bigger project). So, I simply plan to try and knit something each week. My goal in October was to promote Ashlyn's Point with more Facebook posts. I feel I've gotten in a pretty good habit of doing so and will continue this through November!

Running - I have a free gym membership at Planet Fitness, but I never use it! I want to get back in shape, and stay active, so I plan to work on my cardio by running at the gym three times per week. At first I was going to try for being able to run 5K by Thanksgiving, but decided that I should take it slow, so I wouldn't discourage myself. I'm using the app "10K Runner" which encourages running 3 times per week.

Finally, I want to read more. I've been reading the 4th Game of Thrones book since about February. And am only half way through! And my "books to read" list just keeps growing. As does my "movies to see" list - since half of them are also books, which I'd like to read first. So, I plan to read at least three times per week!

So, those are my November goals - and how I've quantified them. As for a "goal for accomplishing my goal" - checking in with these weekly.

Did I make progress this week?

If not, how will I adjust next week so I can better work towards my goals?

If so, what did I do that allowed me to work on them and how do I imitate that next week?

Quotes

Quotes can offer guidance, inspiration, and wisdom in times of need. They can also make you laugh, cry, or think. My mom shares little inspirational quotes on Facebook all the time - some people think it's annoying. But, many people have thanked her for sharing them; you never know who needs to hear what you have to say (or what you have to "share"). 

For a long time my favorite quote was by a famous dancer, 

"I do not try to dance better than anyone else, I only try to dance better than myself"

- Mikhail Baryshnikov

I think this mantra can be applied to all parts of life - don't try to be better than the kid next to you in class, or your coworker, or anyone else - just try to be better than YOU were the day before, and you will continue to improve.
That said, a little healthy competition never hurt anybody, it's a good way to push yourself.


I also really enjoy this quote by Dr. Maya Angelou.

Perhaps this quote came at a good time in my life - though I was happy with my life - I was living at home after graduating from college, and not necessarily working in my "field."

But, per this quote - I liked myself, what I did, and how I was doing it. So therefore, at that time - I was successful in what I was doing. 

Another quote I enjoy comes from another wise man;

"And though she be but little, she is fierce."

-William Shakespeare

I think this one is obvious why I like it...

And lastly, who doesn't love a good Dr. Seuss quote

"Today you are you, that is truer than true, there is no one alive that is youer than you!"

Again, just something to remind you that you don't have to be anybody but yourself.

Getting Back in the Saddle

The time has come (again) for me to try to blog more regularly (...again)

This time I've found a handy  "31 Day Blog Challenge" to give me conversation starters and keep me going. 

My name is Ashlyn! I recently graduated from college with a BA in Dance. Right now I'm working as an Assistant Manager at Planet Fitness and I also teach dance classes. I absolutely love both of my jobs. I plan to move to Nashville, TN in the fall - so right now I'm just saving up money! 

I GOT A NEW CAR... and a loan to go with it.

What do I do after graduating from college and acquiring millions of dollars in student debt? (Okay, not millions...)
Take out a loan for a new (to me) car.

A little bit about my decision to get this new car, as well as what it's like to change up what you drive...

My old car (Speedy Claxton) is a 1992 Buick regal that was hoovering my bank account for repairs. It still "works" but I had just put brakes on it for the umpteenth time, and it needed a new strut. Plus it was always stalling for no reason (no "fix" any repair men made actually fixed it). So, I was fed up with the thing.
Then, my dad was saying he had seen an '09 Honda Civic when he went in to test drive a car earlier that day. (I was hoping to purchase a Honda due to their longevity). So I looked at it online, and IT HAD A DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER! Which Speedy Claxton also had and I was disappointed to have to give up when I made the leap to the current millennium of cars.
So, I went and test drove it. Judging a book by it's cover - or car by its looks - I loved it. Love at first drive, however? Eh.
It was a bit awkward at first. I could actually touch the pedals (unlike Speedy), so it was more sensitive to my foot movements. And the steering wheel was smaller than mine so it seemed awkward at first.
But, still, I knew. I knew I wanted this car. I knew I would grow to love it. (And I have!)

So after all of the financing and such - I drove home my Honda Civic that following Monday evening. It took some getting used to, and still does. I went from a 2-door to a 4-door, I went from a boat to a Matchbox Car, I went from a broken antenna to a working radio, I went from having to try three times to get Speedy started to always *knock on wood* starting on the first try. Overall, I would say I "upgraded," but some of these changes did take some getting used to. And watching my 15 year old brother driving for the first times, I realized that driving was awkward at first - and I'm sure it will be awkward each time I get into an unfamiliar car.

So, if you're looking to buy a car - it might be kismet, AND you might have to learn to love.

Doing Nothing and Organizing...

Not surprising, I'm still working on unpacking from moving home after graduating college. I'm trying to purge as I go (I'm getting better at letting go of birthday cards from when I was 14...) as well as pack away things I don't need until I move out (toaster oven, pots, pans, etc..). So, it's a slow process!
I also house sat for a week, which put a "pause" on the unpacking while I was staying with their dogs and cats!
Here are a few helpful tips/ideas that I think could help anyone!!

Doing Nothing
It seems like a dream, right? "A WHOLE DAY TO DO NOTHING!"
That's what I thought...
But, let me tell you - it was horrible. I didn't actually do nothing; I knit, I read, I took care of the animals in the house I was house sitting... but at the end of the day - I felt like crap!

A few days later I had another day with "nothing" to do. But, I made sure to shower, get dressed (in a new pair of sweats anyway), and stick to a somewhat normal schedule (for meals). It helped! Even though I still knit, read, took care of the animals, etc... doing it in an organized way made me feel less groggy at the end of the day!

So, the next time you are SO excited to do nothing - DO SOMETHING! :)

Organizing 
I'm not the most brilliant "organizer" and I probably read this idea on Pinterest once upon a time. BUT, here's what I did with all of those extra/little things you find when organizing!

Every year when I moved in to the dorms (I lived in the dorms all 7 semesters I was in college) I would receive a bunch of samples - face wash, dish soap, laundry detergent, shampoo, you nanme it! Personally, I think that samples aren't really going to do anything - how do you know if a product works for you by using it once?! You can't!
Anyways, so I have a bunch of samples just sitting in random bins in my room because I always say "Oh, yeah, I'll use that" - and then never do.

Here are a few close ups of samples I found:

 

Overall, I found shampoo, conditioner, heat activated hair product, body wash, body lotion, feminine pads, a lot of face wash, and a few facial moisturizers. I also found travel sizes of  body wash, lotion, and body spray.

So, that's what I did! This thirtyone bag, which I only use to carry toiletries when travelling, became my storage place for all of them!
In on of the zipper pockets I put all of the small samples. In the elastic bottle holders I put the travel size body wash and lotion.
In the side mesh pockets I have the body spray and a bottle of Pure Romance Coochy conditioning shave cream. (There's still a tiny bit left of the shave cream - but I have a newer one in a scent I prefer in my shower).
In the front zipper compartment I put a travel kleenex and some feminine products. Seriously, never travel without some feminine products - even if your "time" is like clockwork, you might save someone else by having it with you!
In the large center compartment I added a couple more travel size lotions and body washes (not pictured) as well as a travel pack of Q-tips!

Now, next time I go on a trip or just away for a night, I don't have to stress about packing! I can throw in my toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, and makeup! I suggest if you have a certain bag you always use, and if it's already taking up space - use the inside of it as well!