This is 28.

My hope was to be writing this from that wine bar, with a glass of rosé, that you all probably think I live at by this point. But I'm not. I'm in my pajamas watching Bravo. Which really are the only two places you'll find me. That and shopping for shoes.

I write once a year to reflect on what's happened and how I've grown and to also showcase how funny I am.  You can read the previous posts here and here. All my thoughts from those still hold true. It's insane to me how confident and sure of myself I was when I turned the wise old age of 25. I skipped last year because I was hanging with Adele, stuffing my face with deep dish pizza/stuck in an airplane for 6 hours longer than planned. But I've invested $15 in making this blog kinda pretty so I will write at least once more. Maybe.*

The last year, the last half of a year, has been all about choices. Career choices, life choices, making better wine choices, eating less carbs choices, growing out my hair choices. 

And hopefully 28 will include some time spent learning and growing from those choices. I've been lucky that in the last 28 years the ones I've made have all fallen into place pretty nicely. Either that or I've always erred on the side of caution and never made a choice that wasn't 98% guaranteed to work out.  So it was about time I experienced a little chaos, right?! 

Anyways, here's what I've learned. 

1. Ice cream has always been my favorite food but I'm not its favorite consumer anymore. It now gives me heart palpitations, maybe because my love for it is so strong and its very unrequited.

2. Fresh flowers instantly make me feel chic and like I have my shit together. Even if I get them for $3.99 at Trader Joes.

3. Asking for help can be really hard but it doesn't mean you're weak.

4. The Goodwill is the bomb.com. Here's two of my favorite reasons why: they have new with tags items from Target, including home decor. Really. New. I swear. Also, you can pick up some really cute books for reading or decorating for like $1-2.

5. Sometimes we don't realize how shitty of a friend we are until we're in a spot where we need a friend. Always, always try to be a better friend. Ask more questions, check in, get together, do all the things we swear we'll do but never have time for.

6. Doing something nice for someone (friend or stranger) is good karma and will instantly make you happier. Unless you try to give a homeless person a donut instead of cash and they reject you. But at that point you just have an extra donut.

7. I'm starting to stray from sky high stilettos and now have a growing block heel collection. If making sensible footwear choices doesn't scream you're getting older then I don't know what does. I hope they stay in style.

8.  I will never, ever, ever be able to do a proper burpee. Things to strive for, right?

9. I can only cook a meal if it's all in one pot or dish. I can not multitask in the kitchen.

10. I often ask other people's opinions on things because I want them to validate mine. Please take this into consideration next time we talk. And do the right thing. And by right thing I mean agree with me.

11. Cereal really has no nutritional value. Like at all. I don't think there's any vitamins in Cheerios. Please someone show me that I'm wrong because I've eaten more cereal in the last 2 weeks than the last 2 years out of sheer laziness.

12. I read a book this year, maybe the first one since college, that wasn't purely for entertainment. It was still enjoyable. However, no one in any job interviews asked me, "What was the last book you read?" and I was totally ready.

13. Ke$ha is BACK and I'm all about it.

And that's all for now folks. Hopefully you'll hear from me before next year.

Xx,
Annie

(That's a very European and chic sign off, ya know.)

*I've already written a second blog post.