What's my age again?

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then is age, as well?

‘Cause if it is, I’m a senior citizen.

I’ve come to the conclusion that this 26-year-old is really much older mentally, and I have several recent justifications to back up my case.

No. 1. If I stay up past 10 p.m., I become crankier and more obstinate. In fact, my nightly goal is usually to be in bed by 9 p.m.

No. 2. I actually referred to 18-22 year olds (students I teach) last night as “those kids.” And something else about how they just aren’t as reliable as we were. You know. Back in the days.

No. 3. My five-year plan includes moving into a house where we’ll hopefully stay for the rest of our life.

No. 4. I’ve seen 5:45 a.m. more times this summer than I had in the previous 26 years of my life combined.

No. 5. I start my morning with coffee and reading the news.

No. 6. I don't get the rap music today. What happened to Tupac and Notorious B.I.G.? Oh, wait...dang...

Granted, some of these aspects are positives, and I like to say they show my maturity. Such as the fact that I’m already trying to determine when I can retire and if I’ll have enough money to retire on. And Nos. 3 and 5, I believe, are highly positive. I’ve got a game plan.

Sometimes, I try to remember that I’m a twentysomething. Don’t other twentysomethings do something besides watch Shark Week and King of the Hill reruns? Like…I don’t know, um, party and do wild and crazy things (and I can’t even be more specific, because I don’t know what those “wild and crazy” things would be)?

Turns out for those I know…they don’t.

I heart staying home and just cuddling with my husband and dog while watching TV. I heart having a quiet evening with friends with a few “crazy” experiences thrown in. I heart the fact that my work pretty much requires me to be knowledgeable about what’s going on with the news, which allows me to sit in my office and read the news. I heart that my husband and I have a short-term game plan and a long-term one. And, most definitely, I heart that I have great friends who feel the same way.

Here’s a few other things I don’t mind missing now that I’m classified as “old” (haha):

*The requirement of dressing up. Don’t get me wrong. I like to dress up, but when I go to hear my husband play music, I don’t feel the need to put on the 4-inch heels and be overly sociable. Why, you may ask? So I can be a smart aleck and tell people when they ask, “Oh, yeah, the hot keyboardist up there? He’s mine.”

*Dorm rooms and roommates. For the most part, I had outstanding roommates. However, I hated dorm showers. I hated dorm rooms. I hated feeling like I was living out of my suitcase. I hated some of the places I lived in. Now, I have my own house. My own shower. My own refrigerator. My own cable. Yes, it’s very nice.

* Procrastinating. I was a decent college student, but I wasn’t the best. My application skills left something to be desired. 4-6 page research paper, WHAAATT?! You expect me to find three sources, too??? I have a hard time remembering how hard that seemed now when I just turned in two research papers that were 12 pages and one that was 20.

There are other things as well, and this is getting lengthy, and I think I made my point. (Wait, did I actually have a point??) I may think I’m old and I may be acting like a mature, responsible adult (those of you who know me, stop laughing!!), but at this point in my life, I wouldn’t trade a second of it for the world.

NOTE: Please continue to pray for Casey and Kate. Their first appointment did not go as well as they hoped, but they have another one next Thursday, when hopefully they will find their child. Thank you!

NOTE 2: A few of you may notice that I finally switched my name from something totally made up to something that's actually me. Since this blog is public, I'm not wholly comfortable sharing all my info, but this one is actually my nickname and something that's me. So...yea? Lol.