A page from my journal

I was flipping through my journal the other day and landed on a page that I still resonate with. I thought I'd share it here in case one of you feels the same way. 

Always the Bridesmaid…

There's something about your mid-twenties. It's like someone flips a switch and suddenly everyone around you is getting married.

Well...everyone except me.

One day you're making dream wedding Pinterest boards with your friends, talking about bridesmaid dresses, florals, and joking that maybe the cute guy down the dorm hall is the one you'll end up marrying. Then, somehow, you blink and it's real. You're getting a picture of your best friend's left hand with a brand-new ring on it, followed by a bridal shower invitation in the mail a few months later.

This year, I'm standing beside two of my favorite couples as they say "I do."

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a post about feeling sorry for myself or taking away from their happiness. I couldn't be more excited to celebrate them. But I'd be lying if I said it hasn't made me think. 

If you've seen 27 Dresses, you probably remember Jane. Twenty-seven bridesmaid dresses, countless weddings, always helping someone else celebrate their happily ever after. Then, somehow, she meets Kevin—the charming wedding reporter—and everything falls into place. 

Roll credits.

As a kid, that ending felt inevitable. Of course Jane would meet someone. Of course she'd get her happy ending.

Now that I'm twenty-five, I'm realizing life isn't wrapped up in a two-hour movie.

There isn't always a perfectly timed meet-cute. There isn't background music telling you this is the moment everything changes. Sometimes there are just weddings. Lots of weddings.

Lately, it feels like everyone around me is getting engaged, getting married, buying houses, or starting the next chapter of their lives. Meanwhile, I'm wondering if I’m too old to still be to be playing Pixies Hollow and whether my DoorDash habit is getting a little out of hand.

And honestly? I like my life.

I just started a career that I'm genuinely excited about. I'm getting closer to moving into my first apartment. I'm finding routines that make me feel more like myself. My life feels full in so many ways.

But every once in a while, usually somewhere between the bouquet toss and the last slow dance, a little voice sneaks in.

When is it my turn?

Not because I want anyone else's life. Not because I think being single is somehow incomplete. Just because it's human to wonder.

I think we spend so much of our twenties comparing timelines that we forget they're not actually assigned to us. There isn't a schedule that says you should meet your person by twenty-five or be married by twenty-eight. Those are stories we absorb, not promises we're made.

Maybe my story just has a different pace. Maybe this season is giving me memories I'll miss one day.

Maybe one day I'll be planning my own wedding and wishing I could go back to these quiet evenings, girls' nights, bookstore trips, and decorating my first apartment exactly the way I want.

For now, I'm choosing to celebrate the people I love without letting their milestones make me question my own. I'll happily wear the bridesmaid dress. I'll cry during the vows. I'll dance all night at the reception.

And when I catch myself wondering, "When is it my turn?" I'll remind myself that my life isn't on pause just because my love story hasn't started yet.

After all, Jane got her happy ending.

Mine just hasn't been written 

♡ Ashley

Welcome to The Girlhood Files

If you're reading this, welcome!

Whether you somehow stumbled across this little corner of the internet or you're someone who knows me in real life, I'm so happy you're here.

I'm Ashley. I'm 25, currently navigating that weird in-between stage of life where you're old enough to be responsible but still feel like you're figuring everything out as you go.

I recently started my career, I'm getting ready to move into my first apartment, I'm always trying a new skincare product, buying more books than I can read, convincing myself one more iced coffee won't hurt, and learning that growing up doesn't happen all at once. It happens in little moments.

That's really what The Girlhood Files is about. Not having all the answers. Not pretending life is perfectly put together. Just documenting this season of life as honestly as I can.

I wanted a place where I could share the things I'm loving, the lessons I'm learning, and the little moments that might otherwise get forgotten. Some posts will be about beauty, books, apartment decorating, a hot take, playlists, or the random things I'm currently obsessed with. Other days, it might just be a life update or something I've been thinking about.

I don't really know exactly what this blog will become yet, and I think that's kind of the point.

Maybe it'll grow with me. Maybe in five years I'll look back at these posts and laugh at who I was.Or maybe I'll remember exactly how this season felt.Either way, I'm glad I'll have it written down.

If there's one thing I hope you take away from this blog, it's that you don't have to wait until your life feels "finished" to enjoy it.

You can celebrate the small wins. Romanticize an ordinary Tuesday. Buy yourself flowers. Take the long way home. Start the hobby.Read the book. Try the recipe. Wear the outfit. Call your friends. Document your life. Because one day, these ordinary moments will become the stories you miss the most.

So here's to girlhood. To growing. To changing. To making mistakes. To celebrating little victories. And to figuring it out one chapter at a time.

Thank you for being here.

I can't wait to fill The Girlhood Files together.

With love,

Ashley ♡