the would-be writers guild

A decade ended yesterday. My twenties are officially over.

I didn’t think that turning thirty would bother me at all but as it creeped closer, I felt less sure. For as long as I remember, I’ve felt incredibly young. Growing up at the tail end of my family, everybody was always older and experiencing everything else before me. I was forever rushing to grow up and wishing that I wasn’t so perpetually behind in life’s little races. I still remember the first time my older sister, April, walked with her friend, Debbie, to the local grocery and bought ramen noodles (the latest craze) with her babysitting money. I was SO jealous! I sat in awe as they cooked them in our kitchen, then held singular noodles by the end, swallowed them, and pulled them back up. Oh my gosh, growing up kicked asphalt!

Eventually it was my turn to do everything. I graduated from high school, moved away to college, bought my own groceries, paid my own bills, hung out until 3:00 a.m., ate enormous amounts of french fries, got engaged then married, bought my own cars, had a baby, worked, worked, worked, decorated my house, then worked some more, read some bedtime stories, got my own credit cards, began putting my husband through school, cried over daycare, worked, regretted my credit cards, worked, regretted my french fries, worked, dieted, worked, got better jobs, worked more, had another baby, began writing again, had church responsibilities, scrubbed toilets, folded laundry, hired babysitters, went back to school, worked, and fell into bed at night completely exhausted.

I was right, growing up is awesome.

So, now Ryan and I (he turned thirty approximately five hours before me) are staring down the chute of our next amusement park ride. I ran so hard and fast to get here, I didn’t expect to be so taken back by the view. It’s pretty spectacular, if not a little intimidating. Me? I belong here? Are you sure? Cause I’m pretty used to that last ride. Comfortable, even. I was getting the hang of riding with my hands in the air the last few times.

The babysitter will be here in an hour to give us a few hours to try out being thirty. We don’t really have a plan, but I’m thinking it would be kind of cool to go pick up a couple packages of ramen noodles…