2 Days Til 30

There's a birthday card that has the message, "30, it's all fun and games until it happens to you." A friend received the card some years back, and I found it hilarious; the message has been popping in my head a lot these past few weeks. What's funny is how true-to-life the card's message is. A week ago, a friend of mine had her 30th birthday on October 4th; on her birthday, I blasted her with jokes about being 30. And, now- it's my turn to undergo the change from my 20's to my 30's. I told a student that I was turning 30, and his response was, "Oh my God! You don't look that old!" Yeah, thanks buddy, way to make a lady feel good!

I think my biggest problem with turning 30 is that it changes how other people, especially those younger than 30, view me. It's like being 3o is an illness. When people hear you're turning 30, they're like, "Oh, that's big." And, the pity in their voice is a thick as syrup when they say it. "Uh, 30! Poor dear."

Society has expectations of each age group; there are certain things that you could get away with in your 20's that you just can't get away with in your 30s. I remember when I was younger, really young, I thought of 30 as being so old and grown up. I can't help being a little amused at life on the other side. I look at my friends who are mothers and fathers, and they are my age. I can still see the middle school personalities in my friends even now; we haven't changed all that much. We are just wiser and a lot less naive. We are still learning.

As this is one of my last days as a twenty-something-year-old woman, I feel I should commemorate my 20s with a list of all the things that I loved about my 20s.

1. Having a father that was still living.

2. Turning 21

3. Living with my godson Drake when I was a nanny.

4. Monthly trips down to California

5. Nights out Dancing

6. Weekend dinners at Dave's.

7. Playing Open-Mic nights

8. Getting my Mustang!!!!

9. Getting my house!!!!

10. Feeling optimistic

11. Graduating College

12. Getting my masters degree

13. Getting a job as a teacher

14. Producing short films

15. Writing screenplays while working at Spectrum Apartment Locators

16. Hanging out until late hours of the night with my friends

17. Having friends that still called weekly

18. Going to Canada

19. Going to Europe in 2007

20. Going to Hawaii with my mommy

21. Going to Maine with my mommy

22. Going to Europe 2009 with my mommy

23. Paragliding in Interlaken, Switzerland

25. River rafting in Colorado with my mommy

26. Going to Wet 'N Wild with Sidney, Dave, and Rena that one time :)

27. Getting my first iPod

28. Getting my first Apple laptop

29. Getting Bizbee

30. Not being 30