Can I just tell you how different it feels to say “I’m 29” compared to saying “I’m 28”. My gosh. I am 29 years old. And on any given night when I’m not at work you can find me lounging on the couch, binging on Gilmore Girls on Netflix and sipping a hot chocolate in an over-sized Tinkerbell mug. Because the only person I have to worry about at 29 years of age is myself. I’m like a child again. An old, 29 year old, child.
But then again I’m not. I’m a 29 year old, independent woman. I have my own apartment. In an incredible suburb. With a great view. I share it all with an awesome dog. And I have a job that I enjoy. With a salary I can tolerate. I have a life. Yet…. it feels so weird being 29 years old and answering to… nobody. No strings attached. No husband. No children. It’s just…. me. And then when I think about it that way, It makes me feel different. Because most people my age are married or have a kid or three.
I turned 29 on Saturday. It was like any other Saturday in the middle of winter in Colorado. Cold. Sunny. Relaxing. I was treated to a nice BBQ lunch in old town/downtown Louisville. In case you aren’t familiar with Louisville – it pretty much reminds me of Pleasantville. Yes, I live in a Colorado bubble.
Louisville, Colorado
Lunch was followed by a trip to the mall where I hit up a semi-annual sale with a gift card I actually received last Christmas. The rest of the evening was spent doing what most sports addicted people spend their Saturday evenings in January doing – watching the playoffs. It’s hard to think that such a routine day could change the overall feeling of my life. I turned 29. 29! When did that HAPPEN? What happened to the last 8 years since I turned 21? I remember turning 21. My dad and I went to Chili’s in Stockton. What happened to the past 10 years? I celebrated my 10 year high school reunion Thanksgiving weekend. 10 years!!!
Elementary school friends together again at our 10 year high school reunion
My little gray Toyota Corolla S celebrates it’s 12th year this year. My little brother has it now and it’s still running strong (always, always buy a Toyota). I feel old. And again, I think I feel this way mostly because of the course my life has taken. Unmarried. Childless. I’m getting up there in age. I have family members who show no hesitancy in reminding me of this. A previous acquaintance of mine shared a book on Facebook that her husband wrote and recently released on Amazon titled, “Fund Your Adoption” and I took advantage of the 1-day-freebie download they offered to celebrate it’s release. Because hey, you never know! As I was recently told- the clock is-a-ticking! (Did you know you can almost entirely fund your $30,000- $45,000+ adoption through grants?! No kidding!)
In any case, I’m determined not to actually live like this 29th year of age status freaks me out. I’m going to Embrace that I’m still in my 20’s — and not yet 30! Whoo-hoo! And to do all of this – I’m creating a 30 before 30 list! I will post said list tomorrow. Stay tuned!
| jenn at home | 
Girl, you’re just having a quarter-life crisis! The average age for first marriage in the U.S. is 27 for women and 29 for men. But society is socially wired to make us think we are Netflix spinsters by the time we’re 24, 25. It’s a bunch of bull. The reason people give you crap/guilt-trip you is because because they view your contrary life/choices as a judgment of their own decisions because you’re not twinsies. Period. It’s their insecure cross to bear, not yours.
I would encourage you to step back and recognize the awesome adult that you are. You’re a freaking nurse! You have a wonderful fur baby! (That dog is gorgeous.) You have TIME FOR NETFLIX! My married friends (especially those with kids) turn green with envy when I tell them about going to the movies, spur-of-the-moment weekend getaways, watching TV cuddling with my cats, buying a new outfit/purse/etc., time spent volunteering, doing Happy Hour on a weeknight, sleeping in until 10am on weekends… they MISS the life I’m living. They MISS having time to do the things they want as an individual vs. what their family wants to do. I have spent the last four years since my age-25 divorce fully embracing my freedom and relishing in this season of my life!
My newfound confidence has proved a magnet for good things. I just got engaged last week, and I now wish I’d waited until this point in my life to get married in the first place. (Hindsight is 20/20.) I’m excited to turn 30 in March, so much so I’m throwing a PARTY to shout it from the rooftops. And I’m going to go to Peru to see Machu Picchu. I want babies, but I’m fully open to adopting them whenever if the timing doesn’t work out right. Babies will always be there. Just like all the kitties and puppies.
I don’t really know that much about you (a friend passed me your blog post link) but I know this much… you sound like you live a great life, and you have no reason to be blah or down about it. Keep on kicking butt!
Oh, and follow the My Friends are Married Tumblr. It brings the LOLZ every time.