Twenty-Nine

Jamie and I were talking last night and I asked him how he feels about being married to a 29-year-old. Twenty-nine. It sounds so old. He reminded me that 29 is not yet 30 (he's so wise). I told him I feel like 29 is a bigger deal than 30. This is the end of my 20s. The end of an era. Well, a decade really. Next year will be the beginning of a whole new era. I feel like in your 20s you become a grown-up. Finish college, get a real job, leave your first real job, get another real job, get laid off from that job, get yet another real job, get laid off again (maybe that's just me), get married, start a family, buy your first home. I mean, a decade ago I was a kid. And now I have kids.

Next year, when I turn 30, I feel like I'll be celebrating the beginning of a new phase of life. I can't wait to see what my 30s have in store! Thirty feels like the start of a new adventure. I won't be a new graduate, a newlywed or a new mom. I won't be "new" anymore. I'll have some experience under my belt. It's like graduating from Adult 101 and enrolling in Adult 201. Sophomore grown-up. I'll still have a lot to learn before I'm considered an upperclassmen, but I'll at least know my way around campus.

Thirty feels like the start of something new, but twenty-nine? For some reason, that feels like an ending. And as excited as I am to find out what this year holds for me, I feel a little sad about saying good-bye to my 20s. I guess I better live it up and make sure I finish up my 20s in style!