27 Isn't So Bad

After reading Jenn's post I want to clarify a few things. One, I don’t think 27 is “old,” per se. But it does mean I’m on my way to being old. Two, some of you know I don’t like it when people think I’m younger than I actually am. The answer to this apparent contradiction is simple: I don’t want to be old, but I don’t want to be a teenager either. I want to be treated like an adult, but still be young.

About a week ago I was looking at a picture of my oldest brother, Bret. He was wearing an outfit for Halloween that I will wear this year. At some point, my mom realized that Bret was 27 when he wore that outfit. I am now the age he was then. And now he is 41.

It’s a strange experience being the youngest in the family. As a child, you wish to be as old as the rest of your siblings. But at the same time, you have this ingrained illusion of eternal youth, knowing you will always be “the youngest.” So what does it mean when “the youngest” gets old?

I like the way things are right now. Sure, certain things could be different, or better. But all in all, I’m happy with where things are. Birthdays only serve to remind me that things are still changing. While change can be a good thing, and sometimes the best thing, I’m a sentimentalist, and I like things to remain “ever the same.”

Still... all of that aside, turning 27 wasn’t so bad. There is nothing special about turning 27. But given the way I was treated by Jenn and my family, it definitely felt like one of the best birthdays I’ve had as an adult.



As is tradition in my family, I opened my presents first thing in the morning. Jenn had a very nice display of gifts, balloons and signs. As you can see, I felt very zombie-like as I walked into the family room (I was a little sick). Notice my excitement at the thought of getting my very own crock pot. Sadly, inside the box it was just a stupid arcade-style NES controller to add to my retro video game collection. (Kidding, of course. I was there when Jenn bought it for me.) She also got me two vintage Dr. Pepper bottles, Advanced Wars: Days of Ruin for the DS, Lego Batman for the Xbox 360, and one month of Xbox Live Gold Membership. I was quite surprised how far she stretched the tight spending limit I gave her.

After that, Jenn went to work in the kitchen, making me a sauce-stuffed crust pizza (Frechetta’s sauce-stuffed crust pizza was my favorite pizza until they stopped making it), and a birthday cake. Both were delicious!

Then we went to my parents house for cake and ice cream, which is unusual for my family to do for the adults. But with it being Sunday, and my siblings often visit on Sunday, my mom decided to celebrate. It was a lot of fun. Just the family, sitting together, chatting and laughing. Good times.

So thanks to everyone for wishing me a “happy birthday” with gifts, cards, text messages, Facebook posts, e-mails, and in person. You made me feel very loved, and I love you all!

I guess being “almost 30” isn’t so bad. And I don’t think I will mind that much when I do turn 30, or even 40. After all, Bret seems to wear it well. ;)