Sooner than I care to admit, I will be saying good-bye to my 20s and hello to my 30s. I am not happy about this. I suppose turning 30 beats the alternative of not turning 30 (or any age after that), in that case, 30 doesn't sound so bad. But truth be told, I had issues when I turned 20. I wasn't happy about that, I was all omg am I supposed to be all grown up now? And I'm sure I'll have issues with 40 too. A relative of mine just turned 50 and she said 50 was a piece of cake. She said she struggled with 30, but 50 was fine. So as I face the big 3-0 I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the good (and perhaps a few not so good) things that happened in my 20s.
Twenty started off decently enough. I was a sophomore in college and I remember celebrating twice at college. Two of my friends surprised me with a cake one evening and another group of friends surprised me with another cake later. I also celebrated with friends at home later on. Sophomore year was decent enough. I ended the year by throwing shoes into a tree--yes, you read that correctly. It was a bit of a tradition where I lived. I spent the following semester at a university in Nova Scotia and I can honestly say it was one of the best semesters of my college career. I met so many wonderful people and had such a great time. I miss those days. The rest of college back home was filled with typical college things: school work, studying, partying, new friends, frustrations, fun, student government, shopping, evenings out at bars and restaurants, ice-cream, hanging out with friends, cramming for tests, getting dumped, new crushes, new friends, dancing, movies, tv, two vacations to Nova Scotia, and one to Florida (good times on all three), and I believe somehwere in there I also made a trip to Claremont, NH (shout out to Natalie, Michael, Megan, and Jess), applying to graduate school, and well, you get the idea, typical college stuff. And I got to be a bridesmaid for the first time in my life (little did I know I would be a bridesmaid many more times in my 20s). I also went skydiving, what an amazing time that was! Sometimes I still can't believe I did it.
I also got accepted to the graduate school I really wanted to go to and the September after graduation (after a not so much fun summer job) I moved to Boston to work on my Masters degree. I had a fabulous time during the two years I spent in Boston. I wish I could have stayed longer, but I couldn't find a job in my profession. I had many fun times and fond memories while I was in Boston. I also studied and worked and learned a lot (in and out of the classroom). The Boston days also consisted of several weddings, a trip to Vancouver (fabulous! Vancouver is gorgeous), one to Martha's Vineyard (had a good time though it would have been better if we'd seen the sun) and Cape Cod, and I think it was during the Boston days that I also made it to Nantucket for a day trip. They also consisted of new friends, new crushes, a fun part-time job, lots of time waiting for the T, many trips downtown with friends, shopping, good times with my roommates, parties, fun nights in front of the tv, fun nights out, movies, seeing the Red Sox win the World Series (finally! woohoo), going to my first BC football game, a couple of apartments, crushes, fun walks, lots of weekend trips, a new boyfriend, stressing about the MCAS (I passed them all, thank goodness!), the joys and expenses of one's first apartment, the struggles of carrying groceries on the T, stressing about tests, writing papers, baking, the BHP, the Kong, learning how to do what would be my future job, my first job in my field, spending many a fun evening near Fanueil Hall or Harvard Ave. You get the idea. Overall it was fabulous. My one regret (besides not being able to live down there longer) was that I think sometimes I studied too hard instead of enjoying life, but that's how I am sometimes I guess. I also was in my best friend's wedding (bridesmaid).
Moving back from Boston to NH was tough. I did NOT want to live with my parents after being on my own for two years, but I was offered a part time teaching job back in my home town and I didn't own a car or have any money so I didn't have a lot of options. I walked to work the first two months--later I got a car. The job was only temporary so I spent another month of that year subbing and working as an aide before getting another temporary job for the end of the year. That year I was in another wedding (maid of honor) and slowly started getting used to living at home, though I was so busy I wasn't home too much and I had a boyfriend who lived out of state so I spent many weekends in Massachusetts and one weekend in Mystic, CT, (had never been there before). That year and a few other years in my 20s I also got to spend a weekend here and there in Newport, RI, which was a city I really liked. I also got to travel to San Diego, which I LOVED (the weather, the zoo, Sea World, a day trip to LA, many good times!). I did finally get a full-time permanent position that summer. I think that year I also went to Florida to visit my grandmother (I must be getting old because some of the years are blending together now!).
It was quite the school year, learning new things, facing challenges, the stresses that come with work, and meeting some great new people. I also got to go to Seattle that summer, which was wonderful and I went to Nova Scotia again (perhaps my favorite trip to NS to date). Seattle included a day trip to Victoria and the San Juan Islands, visiting a friend from grad school, and of course doing lots of touristy things. Another great trip. The year ended on a sad note, when my grandfather died. That hit me pretty hard and was definitely one of the low points of my 20s. His death involved a second unexpected trip to Nova Scotia that year, where I said good-bye and gave one of the eulogies at his funeral. On the work front, I began meeting more people at work. Socially, life was decent.
The following year included another trip to Nova Scotia and a trip to Toronto. We saw the Red Sox play the Blue Jays, went to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the CN Tower, visited my cousin, and did a little shopping. It was also the year of my first cruise. Three of my college friends and I went on a cruise that went to British Columbia, Alaska, and ended in Seattle. I LOVED the cruise. Aside from a few rocky moments (I mean that literally the boat was rocking), I had an amazing, fabulous time. So scenic and so much fun. The sights, the trivia, the shopping, the cool new people we met, the food, the glaciers, the ice-cream, the food, the games, I could probably just blog all about the cruise!).
My late 20's consisted of some amazing trips which included Belize for a graduate course. I spent 9 days there with some teacheres and guidance counselors from NH and after overcoming my initial nervousness I had an amazing trip (do you think I've overused the word amazing and fabulous in this blog? UGH!). I got to observe and teach in some schools there. I also had the opportunity to spend a day and night in a Mayan village. I met some great people, learned a lot, and at the risk of sounding completely cheesy, I'm kind of proud of myself for going. It is so unlike me to go to some random country with a bunch of strangers (I mean I got to know the strangers during class before we went, but prior to taking the class, I didn't know anyone). That same year I also got to go to England for two weeks (loved it!) to visit a friend from my Nova Scotia semester. She and her parents were the perfect tour guides/host(esss)s and showed me all around--London, York, Scotland, The Lake District. Let's just say I took over 200 pictures. :) Several weeks after returning from England, I went on a cruise to Bermuda (now don't go thinking I won the lottery to be able to take all of these trips, the cruise was a gift and quite a nice one at that!). Bermuda was beautiful and the cruise was enjoyable--enjoayble enough that I went back with some friends the following year.
And year 29 has proved to be shall we say busy. It was filled with the usual crazies of life, work, etc, but it was also the year I finally bought a home, after trying to find and purchase one for over a year, someone finally accepted my offer on a location that yes, needed some work, but wasn't completely falling apart like some places I looked it. Of course home ownership like anything else comes with its own trials and tribulations (or whatever that experssion is), but I am thrilled to finally have my own place. And of course since being a home-owner depletes your bank account, I had to fit in a trip before I made the big purchase/move in case I couldn't afford one for a while. So I went to Colorado to visit my brother, then from there to Arizona to see a friend and to Vegas to see another friend. Since I blogged on that trip all ready, I won't bore you by repeating the details. So although I certainly had my stresses (who doesn't?) and days where it seemed like my world was falling apart, I guess thinking back on my 20's, I had some amazing (and fabulous ha ha ha) times! This doesn't make the thought of turning 30 much easier, but I guess it gives me hope that perhaps the good times will continue into the next decade of my life.
20's I will miss you, but here's wishing me well in the 30s. :)
