26 Things to Celebrate About Being 26

In honor of being another year older (hello late 20s!), I decided to look back and think about the things I want to celebrate about being 26. 2016 was a tough year in some ways but it was also really great in a lot of ways.  I've been 27 for a full week now, and I've finally finished my full reflections.  I can already tell this is going to be quite a year.  Here are 26 things that were worth celebrating last year, in no particular order.  

1. Rad glasses. I love my Warby Parker specs!
2. Charm being healthy. She sure has a lot of energy but I wouldn't have it any other way. Related 2b: Never having to set an alarm clock.
3. Starting to see a chiropractor (which has DEFINITELY helped my crunched up neck, and probably my migraines). 
4. Trying new diets to see what might help my headaches...Good: The Headache Diet (from this book, semi-impossible long term); Good and Sustainable: Low Tyramine Diet; Bad (for Kim!): Whole30
5. Discovering what kind of diet works well for me: Low Tyramine diet with some modifications, and an 80/20 mentality. 
6. Buying a house. Yeah, that happened. 
7. Ran two 5Ks after never running more than two miles straight at a time.
8. Started yoga. I loved yoga as a teenager and rediscovered it at the Wanderlust festival, then when I accidentally went to hot yoga one day I was hooked.
9. Tried out to be a barre instructor. I didn't make it, but hey, I tried!
10. Discovered the joys of slamming a sandbag from above my head. Great workout, better stress reliever. 
11. Started a business (a little baby one, but still!)
12. Ramen. Real ramen - and so much of it. Usually from this place. 
13. Stopped shopping so much. Living in small-ish apartments has helped me figure out what I need in my closet, house, and fridge, and I've become more conscious of how much waste I produce, so I've really stopped shopping as much as I used to. 
14. The best decisions I swore I'd never make: CMA Music Fest and a Pedal Tavern. So touristy because they are both SO AMAZING.
15. Dining out alone. My favorite trick during travel season is to go to dinner pretty early, sit at the bar, and chat with the bartender or people watch. This has led me to realize - why don't I do this in Nashville? I love it so much.
16. Chicago in the summer, something I’ve never experienced. Who knew it got above 80 there??
17. Sat 5th row at the Ryman. What a venue!
18. Being a guest on a podcast (and getting a shoutout for my #girlbossmoment on another).
19. Riding Wacky for the first time in years (at least 2, if not 3) and considering getting back into riding.
20. Snapchat filters of all kinds. The puppy dog face, geofilters, time and temperature stamps...so entertaining.  
21. Voted for a female President. 
22. Standard Market, my favorite thing about travel season. Hoping we can open one in Nashville...it would do so well here!
23. Being bolder when it comes to dating. Our generation seems to have forgotten the power of giving a guy (or girl) their number, in person, when you meet someone you like - it has a 100% success rate for me. 
24. Unroll.me. Simplifying my inbox, one email at a time.
25. Seeing friends across the country, and the awesome things they are doing in all those places. 
26. Chocolate chip cookies. Especially Doubletree cookies - those will never get old.

Side note: it's kind of awesome having a birthday that lines up almost perfectly with the new year...I feel like I would be living a split life if my birthday was in June or something!Happy birthday to me! Can't wait to see what 27 brings.