This past weekend was homecoming weekend for the Memphis Tigers and for Hayden, Eva, and me. None of us made it to the Tigers game, but we did spend time with friends and family. We stayed at a cabin with Hayden’s dad, sister Paige, brother-in-law Mike, and the nephews part of the weekend. I got to enjoy the grilled hot dogs and Rotel dip, carve pumpkins, and join in with the nephews in trying to scare each other. But I missed out on the fishing, hiking, and cookie-baking fun Saturday because I came back to Memphis to spend time with friends and my mom, whose surgery I couldn’t be in town for on Tuesday. (By the way, my mom’s surgery went fine. She’s a-okay. Yay!)
On Saturday, I had lunch with a few of my lady friends. The highlights included watching Elaina be a mom (it seemed extremely natural), seeing how adorable her daughter (the human Eva) is, and listening to Amber’s hilarious questions about babies. She is an only child and has never been around small children. She’s getting quite an education now that our friends are having children.
Because Sunday was Summer’s birthday, we started talking about being 27. It amazes me that people feel old at this age. I still feel young and like there’s so much I don’t know and haven’t done. Thanks, mom, for teaching me or genetically instilling in me the ability to not feel worried about getting older. There’s nothing I can do to stop it, so I might as well enjoy what new adventures and lessons come each year.
The age of 27 has certainly brought a lot of changes, and most of them have been quite good. It was rough going there for me for a while after we moved. I wanted to stay at the apartment most of the time that I wasn’t at school. Being at home felt calmer and safer than trying to navigate the unfamiliar streets of Chicago. Fortunately, I feel much more relaxed in my surroundings and more ready to explore…just as the weather is slowly starting to turn cold. But I plan to get some leggings/thermal underwear and snow boots and dive in.
–Apryl