Unfortunately for Alex and I we are no longer experiencing the "good" kind of growing pains. Alex just turned 27 a few days ago, and my 26th birthday happens to be today. We are no longer growing taller or stronger (well let's be honest, I think we both hit our maximum height in the 8th grade). Nope, now that we're officially closer to 30 we're both starting to enjoy the effects of getting older. Don't get me wrong, we're both perfectly healthy, but it's interesting to notice the slight changes, like how we can't sit indian style for too long and how our back hurts when we sit in the car for hours on end.
All in all, neither of us mind "growing older," but what really makes us feel old, is not growing old itself, but watching others around us grow up. Witnessing all of our friends and peers getting married has been a blessing and it's so great to see them settle down in their happiness. For those of our friends that are having babies, you are definitely making me feel old! While we may be in our mid-20's we don't always feel that way at heart. Perspective is a tricky thing, sometimes I feel like high school was just a couple years ago and other times I feel older than I truly am. I also learned this past weekend at Jon and Jen's wedding that the Cleveland gang will never outgrow the double dutch, and the boys will never outgrow Ignatius or singing the alma mater... Somethings never change.
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| Jon & Jen's Wedding - 9.8.12 |
One of the most surreal experiences lately was seeing Ethan, Alex's youngest brother, off to college. When Alex and I started dating he was in 8th grade! He chose to go to OSU (good choice) and happened to end up in Morrill Tower, which is the matching dorm to the one both Alex and I stayed in when we were freshmen. While we were unloading the car and taking his stuff up to his room it felt exactly the same as it did when I moved in, but this time I wasn't the one moving in. I felt nostalgic at the time because I had wonderful memories at OSU, but I am definitely over that phase of my life and am happy to be where I am now. It will be fun to tailgate with Ethan and pick him up for holidays on our way up to Cleveland.
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| OSU 2007 |
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| Ethan's move-in day |
There was another Janesz that started at a new school in August named Alex. He started the two-year evening MBA program at the University of Kentucky. I am so proud of him for having the guts and the determination to go after his dream, although it has had it's challenges already. Now that Alex is back in school I feel like even more of a grown up because in order to support him and let him make the best use of his time I have the opportunity to do everything around the house (that's not to say that he doesn't help out when he can). I have told Alex numerous times already that I almost feel like his mother because I'm always hitting the grocery store and buying things for his dinner and asking him if he has finished his homework and how his class went.
While Alex has his full class schedule, he's also busy at work with his co-worker retiring next month. We both seem to be challenged at work and home lately, which doesn't always feel like a good thing at the time, but it forces us to grow as individuals and as a couple. There are still a few key weddings to go this season, as well as our two year anniversary, but we're looking forward to having a few weekends at home to enjoy fall in Lexington.
“Life is change. Growth is optional.
Choose wisely.” {Karen Kaiser Clark}
