Remember how fun it was to have a birthday when you were younger? Today is my BFF ry’s 27th birthday (sorry to out you ry :) ) Out of our close group of friends, because her bday is in January, or “Ryannuary,” as we’ve taken to calling it the last few years, she is the first of us to turn the next age. This caused all kinds of jealousy when it was her 21st bday…and 22 and 23 were pretty alright, but sometime after college ended and we entered the letdown of life known as the working adult world, these yearly turnings of older have become increasingly more anxious times of our lives, and less of the fun to the max that it once was.

I remember a few of my birthdays from being really young…a bowling alley trip, an ice-cream sundae making party, a slumber party here and there, a bouncey house day, etc. I remember going to a bunch of friends’ parties, and oh the excitement! Cake! Ice Cream! Games! Orange soda! Goodie bags!! It was almost like a secret competition to have the coolest goodie bags at your party, with the most pieces of crap Double Bubble gum that turns into rubber after five seconds of chewing. And there was a theme to be chosen, streamers to hang, presents to rip open!

And there were so many cool “years” to look forward to. Turning into a teenager at 13, driver’s permit at 15, license at 16, all the adult possibilities of 18, legal drinking at 21…now I’m 26 and ages to look forward to are…well…..I can retire when I’m 65? Or 75, at the going rate of the economy.

We had a party for my 25th…I went to Chicago for my 26th…this year at 27 (holy moley…27??) I’m hoping to fall asleep on April 27th and wake up on the 29th and pretend it never happened. Skip right over 27. Because at 27, I think I have to officially admit myself to the hall of the “late twenties.”

They were good years for US history…I think I would have liked to “roar” along with the flappers and swanky parties and Hollywood life. That’s where I would have headed. And my life’s been really good to me, so I’m sure these late twenties will be alright. Definitely not where I thought I would be at this point in my life, but I am wearing a bright yellow sweater to work today, so that’s pretty cool.

Great quote of the day from a student in my Spanish class this morning. He is about four feet tall, so tiny that when he lifts up his backpack, sometimes he falls down, and he has teeth like a chipmunk and when he gets in trouble for talking, he tells me its not his fault he’s Cuban! Today he tried to debate the differences between sleeping on a bed of noodles. It would be comfortable if they were cooked, not so comfy if they were raw. Later I found out he was confusing the saying about sleeping on a bed of nails.

I opened up the door to the class this morning, he walks in, takes a deep breath and exhales.

“Ahhh….Miss Weight. There is just nothing like the smell of fresh classrooms in the morning.”

Classic.