Adulthood

Happy Sunday!! I want to start this week's blog by giving a little advertisement to one of my favorite peoples blog, Amanda. She has a great blog and I think everyone should check it out! We grew up in the same small town of Vienna and it is crazy how different our experiences were in the little town and we both moved away after college. If you read her blog, you must promise not to desert me and come back to my blog sometime.. So here it is.... The link.. Go read it!! ozarkfeetinnorthernsoil.blogspot.com..

Okay, back to the topic of this week's blog... Adulthood is such a desirable word when you are 16 but such a scary word when you are 24. It is described by some as a number, 18 by the government by allowing us to vote, 21 by the law for allowing us to drink and gamble (I think the government is a tad confused), or 25 by the auto insurance and auto rental companies (I got my insurance plug in for the post :)). Adulthood can be described by some by life events, graduating high school, going to college, getting a big boy/big girl job, marriage or even parenthood.

I used to think adulthood was achieved the day you turned 18. I remember I couldn't wait to become an "adult". I remember thinking I would have all the freedom in the world and wouldn't have a care in the world. I will have to admit that part of my adulthood in which I was looking forward to was not having to listen to my parents are anyone else. My parents had other thoughts on my adulthood once I turned 18. I was still living under their roof so their rules still went.. However, we are getting closer to the day when I first felt like an adult.

August, 2006 was probably the month in my life in which I grew the most, mostly out of necessity. I remember August 2006 like it was yesterday. My parents, sister and boyfriend dropped my off in my dorm room without knowing anyone and worse, without having a vehicle.. I remember being forced to learn things myself and figuring out every situation which was thrown at me. Luckily, I met my best friend in the entire world this first day. I was also lucky enough to have her as a roommate so that made my first weeks of college way better than I ever expected. I think I should maybe write Mizzou a thank you letter for my housing situation. I do believe that after getting through my first weeks of school that I still was not completely ready to be on my own. I remember going to Wal-Mart for the first time without my parents and with my own debit card. My mom was always strict about not letting us have much sugary snacks in our house. I always, always wanted her to buy the Gusher candies and I remember her baffling at the price compared to quantity of Gushers. I was determined to buy these Gushers on my first big girl shopping trip. I remember marching to the aisle as I couldn't get these candies in my cart fast enough. Then it hit me, they wanted this price for that few of candies?! I felt my appreciation for my parents grow a million times right then and there. I think that was one of my first memorable experiences into my adulthood.

We can fast forward to April, 2012 (yes, today, you are swift) :). I am now 24, married, have a big girl job and successfully go grocery shopping every single week without my parents. In case you were wondering, I refuse to buy Gushers just like my mom.. My husband tells me that I am turning into my mom every day and I have to admit, he is right. I am okay with this because I happen to think my mom is one of the best women in the world so I will take this as a compliment. I am not sure if I have completely mastered adulthood. There are so many times that I wish my parents would just make my decisions for me just like they used to in my younger games. I always laugh about how most parents don't let their children make any huge decisions until it is time for them to pick a college. In my experience, my parents backed off and told me to make my own decision on college. Hello!? You hardly let me decided what I wanted to eat at McDonalds and now you are telling me to make the biggest decision of my life without much help.. Maybe a less important decision would have been better for my first decision.. I do know why they did left this decision for me and it did completely help me grow.. My sister, Emma, is a junior now in high school and she gets to make the big college decision next year.. I am sure she probably has the exact same thoughts as me but I am sure in the future she will appreciate our parents letting her enter into a part of adulthood with this decision.

Today my adult decisions aren't what college to go to or what to buy at the grocery store, it is what house to buy and when to have kids. My husband and I were talking about when someone knows to have kids and we have decided that we will probably never know. We will have to one day (not now) make a decision and go with it even though we will be scared to death. We laughed because it would be easier to just let our parents tell us what to do but if it was up to them, we would have had their grandchildren already. I am sure for the rest of my life that I will have decisions in which I don't know the answer and don't feel adult enough to make. I'm a little sad to say that I am going to be 25 this year but on the flip side, I couldn't be happier to keep growing as a person. Plus, getting older beats the alternative.. A friend once told me that time is on a 2000 year winning streak. If I can't beat it, I might as well embrace it..

As always, thanks for reading my blog and be sure to check out my friend Amanda's blog!!!

H