Time to Grow Up

Sometimes I forget how old I am. Not that I think I'm a teenager again or suddenly believe I'm in my forties, but sometimes I'll step forward or back a year or so. Today I remembered that I'm 25 years old, not 24 or 26. Have I finally gotten to that point in life where age is just a number? Remember when you where little and you couldn't wait until you were 15 because you could get your learner's permit or 16 because you could drive on your own with a license. 21 is the big milestone because kids (yea, I still felt like a kid when I was that age) can purchase and drink alcohol legally in the States. So at 25, I can rent a car without paying premium... woo hoo.


As we get older, milestones are no longer determined by age, but by events that occur in our lives... getting engaged, purchasing your own place, marriage, having a baby, etc. Well, soon I will be officially moving out of my parents' house and into one of my own with my husband. Even though we've been married for over a year and have had the house since last October, I still don't feels as if it's my own or that I'm truly living life as a grown up. I've been living mostly in my parents' residence for the past two years due to nursing school, which is located in Maryland and not in Virginia. Since nursing school is over I will hopefully take my boards sooner rather than later and start looking for a job down in Virgina closer to my own house. I will start paying bills which I have never had to pay in my youth and young adult life. Sometimes I will have to spend weeks alone during times when my husband ship goes out to sea (at least until November when he gets out of the Navy). In the near future I want to start thinking about having kids and starting my own family.

As we get older we crave independence. I recall wishing that my parents would treat me more like an adult. Now that they do and now that complete independence from them is becoming a reality... I'm kinda scared. I know this is normal and that everyone feels this way when they set off on their own. I'm lucky in that I've found my partner and never have to truly spend my life alone, but the notion is scary none the less. I've spent 25 years of my life surrounded by the same people and seeing them on a daily bases. I've slept in the same room for the past 20 years. Even though I am excited for the change and welcome it, there is always the level of fear towards the unknown and unfamiliar.

I've been blessed with a great childhood. Not too many kids had it as easy and as wonderful as me and my brother. We never wanted for anything, our parents were always there for us, we never were exposed to pain and suffering some people experience early in life. We never really had to struggle. That's not to say life was always easy and we were given everything, but I had a happy childhood. Even my teenage and college years were fulled with great memories. I actually liked my high school years. I finally realized what it means to be nostalgic towards something. I'm going to miss living at home with my family. I do miss those younger years, but I'm glad that the memories I have to remember are happy and wonderful ones!