10 Years Since 21

 

Today’s my 31st birthday. YIKES. Really, I haven’t thought much about it or had many feelings about it…. until, like, yesterday.

{ Note to self: Thirty-one is too old to still be using “like” as a sentence-filler. Stop it. }

Suddenly, in my mind, 31 sounded OLD.

Thirty was kind of a bridge, like I was barely out of my late 20’s. But now I’m a whole year into thirty. No more in between. I’m legitimately in my 30’s now.

Today I was reading a few other ladies’ blogs about turning thirty-one, and one of them pointed out that it’s been an entire decade since we were 21. WHAT? I’m not even sure how that’s possible. So I went to the old trusty Facebook, to look at some pictures and statuses from my year of being 21. I share a few of these treasures here….

I felt like 21 was “too old” to have an actual birthday party (since my family & friend group were not alcohol-drinkers), so instead I had a few girlfriends over for a non-birthday backyard cookout.

It was the year of weddings. I was a bridesmaid once, help host two bridal showers, and attended at least one additional wedding. It was strange to watch my friend group start marrying off….

I was part of an amazing women’s Bible study group that had a huge impact on my life and my faith. Still so grateful for these women to this day!

Also, thank you, Early Facebook Years, for that time when our currently-known-as “Timeline posts” were called “status updates” and were extremely basic and usually started with “Ashley is…” I got a good laugh out of reading a year’s worth of these.

I was also reminded how we used to actually use Facebook to keep in touch with friends. Yes, really. Remember writing actual messages back and forth to each other?

I suppose I’m digressing… but hey, thanks for indulging my reminiscing of life ONE DECADE ago. A lot has happened in that decade. For one, I figured out that God loved me whether I felt like it or messed up or what. I also moved out on my own for the first time, got my associate’s degree, found my calling into camp ministry, dated for the first time, “fell in love” with about three or four different guys, traveled the world, figured out that I like sushi, went through an intense questioning-and-wrestling season with God, moved to Alaska, and met my husband.

And then turned 31.

Remember when we were teenagers and imagined what kind of adults we would be? The 30’s seemed so far away then — so old and mature, being settled in, knowing all the things and having life figured out.

Ha ha!

If you’re still young enough to have that idea, let me be the one to tell you that being in your 30’s is not quite the grown-up-and-figured-it-all-out picture in your head. I still feel young most of the time (unless I’m around college kids, who have way too much energy). I still get mistaken for a 20-year-old at least a couple times a year. I don’t have kids yet, which I imagined I’d have years ago and be well into “mom life” by now. I don’t know what I’m doing with my life next year, much less in five years. I love where I live, but wouldn’t say I’m “settled” – we still consider ourselves in a pre-settled, transient lifestyle. I still bum off my parents’ Netflix account. I don’t own a house or have a retirement fund, and I got most of my furniture for $50 or less. Also, I still use “like” in a sentence multiple times a day.

It’s definitely not what my teenage self imagined that thirty-one would look like. But it’s my life, the life God has given me. Thirty-one years on this planet has been one epic, joyous, bittersweet adventure, and today, I’m right where I’m meant to be.

{ Bonus, hubby and I decided that in another 10 years, when we’re forty, we can have a midlife crisis and do something crazy and unexpected. Like, you know, buy an RV or something. }