Tuesday, December 4^th, was a very special day. It was both my mom’s and best friend Nicole’s birthday. (Happy birthday Mom! Happy birthday Nicole!) And since it would be nearly impossible to write a post on what life should be like when you’re 40-something (right, ma?) Nicole and I decided to write a joined post on how 25 is a “drastically different” age than 24 while we were away this weekend. Luckily, I still have a few months to do foolish-24 year old things, and then I can look back at this advice and be the best quarter-of-a-century-old person I can be.

First thing’s first — we thought about the things you can get away with when you are 24 that you can no longer when you’re 25. Some include, in no particular order:

You are allowed to funnel a beer (Nicole, Bud Light cruise, FloRida concert) or shot gun a beer (Laura, outside trailer in Alabama, unclear.)

You are allowed to lock yourself in your apartment.

You are allowed to go to the wrong airport terminal and spend three hours wondering why you cannot check into your flight. (You are, however, not allowed to miss the flight.)

You are allowed to be hungover.

You are allowed to be confused and sometimes lonely.

You are allowed to clean your apartment not often as you should, and let laundry always ends up at the end of your to-do list.

You are allowed to not own a smart phone/ or not understand how the iPhone works and continuously and accidentally call your ex boyfriend.

You are allowed to spill coffee on white things.

Things you must be able to do once you turn 25:

You must be able to make coffee in any situation, with any sort of contraption, with or without sugar packets.

You must be able to drive up an icy hill with skidding tires, sand, and sticks.

You must be able to start thinking about starting your own business and what that entails.

You must have a general idea of what you want out of life for the next five years (because then you’re 30 and that’s horrifying).

You must know how to self improve.

You must know how to no longer be passive aggressive. 25 is the age you must actively start sticking up for yourself.

You must know how to get places with a real map. Besides, the new iPhone maps app is very confusing and will get you lost, and oddly, some places in the world do not get cell phone service.

You must be able to start a fire. (You are allowed to use matches but are not allowed to use gas from portable camping stoves. That is a 24-year-old thing to do.)

You must know how to cook a few decent meals (sweet potato quesadillas, stuffed squash, banana walnut pancakes, and the damn-best scrambled eggs for examples)

You must find a friend who loves listening to the same band album over and over again and be perfectly content doing so. This will serve you well on road trips and weekend getaways.

You must pay your rent on time.

You must understand that 25 is an age for adventure, but realize you have to always journey back towards a path that permits some sort of  stability and thoughtfulness for others.

You must treat your body well. Go for a run. Maybe take a multi-vitamin. Stop going to tanning salons and stop smoking cigarettes. Always wear your seatbelt. This will guarantee longevity.

You must be happy or know what makes you happy … and continuously work on getting there.

Happy, happy birthday mom and Nicole. Love you both very very much 🙂