Life of Stef

I went back and forth about the first topic that I wanted to discuss, but landed on the infamous 20’s. Meaning being 20-29 years old. I’m 25, soon to be 26, and I constantly hear, read, and see people’s ideas and perceptions about being in your 20’s. While I agree with a lot of what people say, I wanted to share my own thoughts about being in your 20’s. But, one thing I want to make clear is that I’m only halfway through. I’m no expert. And everyone, literally everyone, experiences their 20’s differently. Don’t compare your 20’s to someone else’s 20’s. Don’t compare your accomplishments, situation, or status to others. That’s for everyone. But, here we go:

Your 20’s are hard, but is that any different than any other age of life? For sure you’re figuring your life out in your 20’s, but I know plenty of people in their 30’s, 40’s and even older who are still figuring their life out. Do we ever really figure it out? There’s such a pressure in our 20’s to “figure it all out.” People tell us in a kind way that “Oh don’t worry your 20’s is when you figure it all out,” but does anything really happen when we turn 30 that requires we have gotten everything figured out? My opinion is that every year of life is a discovery phase. You’re constantly growing and evolving, so don’t feel pressure in your 20’s to have it all figured out, lined up and settled by the time you turn 30. Also, let me say “figured out” one more time…
Money is a pain in the ass in your 20’s. You receive so many mixed messages about money during these years. Make sure you’re saving a ton so you’re set up for retirement. Make sure you’re enjoying life in your 20’s, that’s your time to do what you want. Uh, excuse me. I can’t backpack through Europe every year while simultaneously being set up for retirement. I know money is a pain in the ass most of the time, but I feel like only in your 20’s are you expected to do such extremes with your money. So, my opinion, do what you want with your money. Retirement is great, I have a 401k, but also life experiences are great, I lived in an Airstream for 10 months. Find a balance. And don’t feel shamed by people who are older if they don’t agree with your decisions.
Your 20’s cram the most transitions into a single decade. You are in college, you graduate from college, you start a career, a lot of people get married, and some even have kids, ALL DURING THEIR 20’s. Name another span of 10 years when you go through that many transitions. There isn’t one. So consider that when you feel overwhelmed with the amount of growing pains you encounter or the amount of times you feel like you’re being forced to make decisions. It’s because you are going through the biggest transition phase of your life. And you’re not an exception, you’re the norm! So don’t feel isolated.

I think the long story made short here is the fact that your 20’s are overwhelming. But, they’re overwhelming for everyone. I can only speak from personal experience, but I’ve quit jobs, made moves, lost touch with friends, dealt with family, picked a career path, gone on life changing trips, saved some money, spent some money and been unsure about basically all of those things. Only to get to the other side and realize I’m still totally fine. Big decisions seem exactly like that, big and heavy and hard, but when you make the decision, you usually get to the other side only to forget you ever had that stress. So, be smart, be intentional, but be confident in your abilities to do what’s best for you. And have fun. Because one cliche I do agree with, you’re only in your 20’s once, and you’re only as young as you are right now, right now.

Like I said, this is my own personal journal, and I’m mostly writing this to remind myself of these things in a few months or a year when I’m feeling overwhelmed and unsure. But, I also want to reflect on how much has already changed and happened in the last 5 years. The best way I know how to do that, creep myself on Instagram.

Done with college

And heavily used IG filters…

Went on a trip w/ Chad

First time for that!

Got a big girl job!

And my own apartment!

Celebrated birthdays

This one was 23! Cheers!

Cheered on Chad

He was in college 2 1/2 years longer than me. Thanks football and Masters degree.

Moved into a place w/ Chad in Fayetteville

First time living in the same town for 5 years!

Got a new job and travelled a lot for work

Took advantage of the travel for sure!

Bought and renovated an Airstream

Moved it all around and ended up in Nashville!

Saw all over the country

And really embraced change
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Officially moved to Nashville!

After 10 months of living in the Airstream!

Obviously there was so much more in between, but it’s pretty crazy to look back on how much you’ve done, accomplished, and dealt with over the course of a few years. When I say that my 20’s have been a half decade of change, I mean it whole heartedly. My location has changed. My mindset has changed. My priorities have changed. You just change so much during this period, and you just have to embrace it! It’ll be hard. You might cry. You’ll definitely laugh. You’ll probably be frustrated. But you’ll always be okay.

Are you in your 20’s?

I already have a blog. It’s a food and travel blog where my boyfriend and I share our travels, the food we eat and a little bit about our lives. But. I’m a big writer. I love to write. I want to write a book. And I also want to write about more than food and travel. Although I love them both, I decided to make a little online journal. Basically taking blogging back to where it originated. Before Google Ads and affiliate links. Before every blog post had to serve a purpose or answer a question for a reader. I’m taking it back to good ol fashioned sharing my life and my thoughts and my interests.

The other day I shared a “thought of the day” on my Instagram stories, and I felt like a straight psycho. My ramblings on the workings of traffic and wishing to have control for one day was not well received by my Insta followers. My Insta followers are mostly a combination of people I knew in high school (the two I went to), people I met in college (only a few of whom I care about), and the few select people I have met in my adult life. (Making friends as an adult is such an ordeal). And then more really random people or deleted accounts which Instagram hasn’t cleared out. They didn’t care about my traffic theories, and anyone who may read this probably doesn’t either, but this is my long winded way of saying I want a place to freely share my thoughts of the day without having to show my face on Insta stories!

A little about me.

I love food.

My hobbies include reading, taking photos of my food, scouring Facebook marketplace for a gem, and hanging out with my dog cat and boyfriend.

I overthink everything. Got a finance degree to put that to some sort of productive use.

I had a full time job. I quit the full time job and lived in an Airstream traveling for 10 months. And now I have a full time job again, settled in Nashville for the foreseeable future.

Before I lived in an Airstream, I was living in Fayetteville, AR. You may love Fayetteville, but I had felt trapped in that city for at least 5 years. I graduated from college there. Got a job there. Got another job there, and felt like I could never find a natural progression out of the place I really didn’t want to be. I would apply to jobs within my companies, apply for jobs outside of my companies, and even look into going back to school all in the name of leaving AR. None of it panned out. I felt like the world was trying to force me to stay there.

But then, I realized no one was standing in front of me forcing me to stay. Just because I couldn’t leave in the natural progression that everyone else did, didn’t mean I was stuck. Hello! We have free will and the choice to change our lives. So, that’s when we bought an Airstream. I quit my job. And we left. We just left. I can’t tell you how freeing that was. To drive out of AR knowing that I had done it. I had found a way out, and it was my own doing. And don’t let me fool you. It wasn’t an easy decision to quit my solid salary, benefits and all that jazz. I have been trained my whole life to get hired and stay hired. I had anxiety through the roof, shook like a leaf for days leading up to quitting, and cried obviously. BUT IT WAS ALL WORTH IT.

I had a life changing experience traveling the country and seeing the beauty that most people don’t even know about. And then we ended up in a city of our choosing. A place we chose to be. A place we love. And a place that sparks joy and inspiration, and gives us a daily feeling of “Oh shit we live in Nashville and we love it!”

So, if you’re reading this, I hope you viciously pursue all things that spark joy for you. Inspire you. Give you the life you want for yourself. Because I know from experience that chasing what you want is worth it. And if it doesn’t turn out being what you want, having tried is still worth it!

Cheers to pursuing this little piece of the internet in hopes that it’s an outlet that I want, that sparks joy, that inspires me, and maybe even inspires a few of you!

The Infamous "20's"

Hi, I'm Stef!