25 years & 31 Days - A Checkpoint

    Every few months or so, I like to add another installment to the reason why I started this blog; to document the first real decade of adulthood. So, without further ado, here I am exactly a month, (31 days) after my twenty-fifth birthday. Roughly five more years are left in documenting this fraction of my life on earth.

    1. Sunni, our toddler, is growing like a weed. She'll be 2 in a few, short months. She's talking more & more each day-- at least two-three new words entering her vocabulary by the time she lays her head down on her pillow at night. Her hair is growing so awkwardly & looks like a mullet right now; it makes Joey and I laugh.

    2. Sam & I are coming up on the one-year mark of starting our Podcast, 2 Ghouls. It's been a road of learning more & more about myself, how to handle business conflicts, & learning that I'm capable of doing anything I set my mind to. It's been such an empowering journey, and Sam means more to me than I think she knows. I see her as my big sister, now, and can't believe I ever lived a life without her there in the capacity that I have her, now.

    3. Summer 2022 flew by. We didn't get to go to the ocean as much as I would have liked, but that's because we were so busy with work, house chores, running up and down the road from Kilmarnock, visiting family, attending horror/witchy conferences, eating good food, laughing, and loving as we were. I'll get to my ocean this weekend as a farewell to Summer 2022.

    4. I miss blogging. I would like to get back to it, and I think I will. Impulsive Twenties is something I never "shut down". I left it on in the background of my life. I always knew I'd come back to it.

    5. Joey and I are celebrating three years of marriage in two days, (Aug 17). We can't believe it's been three years since our wedding day. The weekends spent enjoying each others' company that come and go after long work weeks are tinged with bittersweetness, as I can tell I'll miss these early days of our marriage. I love him more than I think he'll ever realize, but I try to show him in little ways, just as he does for me. This summer was one I'll never forget. I'd love to print some pictures & make a scrapbook of our memories again.

    6. I've lost some friends, learned to let things go, moved on past some traumas I once thought I'd never get over, and learned more about myself than I ever have. I've learned to prioritize my mental health, my family, my small business, & my overall well-being. I love this time in my life. I remember how lost I used to feel. The 20s are good for self-acceptance, learning, and love, I'm learning. If you truly love someone, it's okay to let them go, maybe they will come back... maybe? Maybe not. And that's okay.

    7. I've questioned the topic of death more & more lately, as I have a crippling fear of it and the unsure answer to what comes with the "after". Joey and I have picked up a book on spirit hunting & how to properly speak with the dead. I have a spirit box my father got me for Christmas that I've been using more & more, and I've found answers to some of my questions. Of course, this is currently ongoing.

    8. I've been learning that I have such an over-abundance of love in my heart, but that I can only do so much for people. I'm learning that love is a choice and that I can choose those I pour my heart, time, & soul into. Those that I do pour into, I pour heavily & intentionally into.

    9. I've come to terms with my body. She has new stretch marks, freckles, bumps, & humps. But man, do I love her and what she's accomplished. I'm losing these last 15-20 pounds, but in my own time. What's the rush, man? I say that out loud for myself to hear: What's. The. Rush.

    10. I've been learning that my home is what I make it. For so long, I've moved from place to place, never really having a place I felt safe to let myself express my creativity through art & decorating, but now I've released that part of myself and started finding pieces for my home that Joey & I both love. Many home-improvement projects have been in the works, and it's been a beautiful process to watch unfold & be a part of.

    11. I'm learning my own religion is what I decide for it to be, not what others tell me. I'm learning so much about myself for the first time. I'm releasing the "people-pleasing" Kati, and moving forward with my life with me, myself, & I in charge. No one else.

kati