1. It means I'm not dead yet!
2. I'm living in the place I most wanted to live (long term).
3. I like myself a lot more now than I did at 21.
4. I'm physically much healthier than I was at 21. Or 25. Or even 28.
5. This is the year I will run a marathon.
6. This is the year I moved within 90 seconds of a Super Target:)
7. My kids are old enough to take almost anywhere (theoretically, anyway).
8. I know much more about myself now and have discovered that I'm a much different person than I thought I was at 16 or 18 or even 20.
9. I've lived long enough and in enough places to recognize how amazing my friends are. I have them all over the country (and a few internationally!) and I didn't have that at 21.
10. Wow, it sounds like I hated being 21, huh?
11. I didn't -- it's just the easiest reference point.
12. I've seen all of my sisters get married to great guys and am finally close enough that I can play Favorite Aunt to all of my nieces and nephews.
13. This is the year we will finally FINALLY pay down debts from dental school.
14. I get to decide what I want to be when I grow up sometime this year. Because next year it's back to school for me!
15. By this point in my life, I have been through some seriously rough stuff. And I made it through, which has shown me that I'm stronger than I thought I was.
16. But back to my 20's -- a lot of good things happened, but there was a lot of getting fat and losing it just to get fat all over again.
17. I'm more comfortable just being myself now and don't feel as much pressure to be someone I'm not.
18. If life is divided up into trimesters like in pregnancy, isn't the second trimester always the most enjoyable? In that case, things are about to get really good.
19. Wow, 31 things is a much longer list than I thought.
20. Boone is not a student anymore.
21. Boone is not owned by the military anymore.
22. I get to watch my husband enjoy his work and witness the realization of his biggest career goal.
23. My family is much bigger than it was 10 years ago, and I really enjoy all the newbies (kids AND adults).
24. At this age people don't bother to do the math when they find out how long I've been married.
25. Which means they don't automatically wonder if I got pregnant and had a shotgun wedding.
26. I'm now 2/3 of the way to having a built-in babysitter!
27. I choose to ignore that this countdown is also accurate for the length of time I have until being the mother of a teenager.
28. I'm mostly in between the zit phase and the wrinkle phase (except for the monster brewing on my chin).
29. I'm old enough to realize that I won't always be this young, so I am more appreciative of the phase of life I am living.
30. I'm not 30 anymore. Most of the year that I was 30 was really stressful between surgeries, injuries, moves, etc.
31. I get to eat whatever I want today, because birthdays are guilt free!
Happy Birthday Nicole! You are way cooler than you used to be, and also too wiser, and more liberal, and not as poor as you were at 21, and a better wife, and a better mom (sometimes), and you eat tomatoes and onions and peppers and sushi like a real grown-up (and you LIKE these things!) Way to go!
8 comments:
Oh Happy Happy birthday! I thoroughly enjoyed this list. Sometimes I cringe at how much cooler I am now than I used to be... and then I cringe at how I'll feel looking back at myself in a few years because I have so much "arriving" still to do. That was just my introspective feeling I had while reading this post.
31 is a great age... I try not to wish away my twenties--- "getting fat and losing it just to get fat all over again," aka--baby making years, are sometimes such a drag. I wish I could be cool and in my 30's like you!
Hope you have a spectacular day! Here's to all your dreams a comin' true!
First: When did you start eating tomatoes?
2nd: What are you going back school for?
3rd: Yay for living closer!!
4th: See you Saturday. We are so excited!
5th: Happy Birthday!!!
I must echo Vanessa "I wish I could be cool and in my 30's like you". Cause face it, it's damned hard to be cool in your 50's - those hot flashes keep you warm.
Amen (to the 31st power)
Great list. 31 rocks, but I'm sure you didn't spend it with 6 of your besties, making crafty flip flops and Hello Kitty paper dolls and getting your ears pierced. Or did you?
#25 - I did the math, shotgun or no at least you didn't bring your baby to your weddin.'
Did Super Obama have any special birthday wishes for you?
For your birthday you should go online and watch the Obama's rock out with Paul McCartney. Good 'ole Paul sang Michelle My Belle and everything.
I wonder what Paul would sing to YOU?
31 is a lot of things, but it's worth it because it IS way better than being 21. Well, at least I think so. I'll get back to you in about 6 months.
Sushi! Good for you! Everyone should love sushi. So go eat some. And then eat some ben and jerry's. Birthdays rock! Happy day, girlie! Tomorrow I will birth a human in your honor.
Nicole, I'm so, so, so sorry I didn't call on your actual day. I was at girls camp. (I KNOW!!!!) Actually, it was pretty fun, and rather than hiking to a scraggly pine tree atop a ridge (which is what we did every year that I was at camp) we hiked to a castle ruin. Really. The kids here are spoiled. Next week they're going to EFY in England. Rough life. Anyway, you know I love you and I will call today!!!
I'm still exhausted from the drive back down to Georgia so I have nothing funny to say. But I love you. Happy Birthday!
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