If I could turn back time...

"Ho­n­ey, ti­me ma­r­c­h­es on and ev­e­n­t­u­a­l­ly you re­a­l­i­ze it is ma­r­c­h­in' ac­r­o­ss yo­ur fa­ce." Ahhh, words of wisdom from Steel Magnolias. I noticed in the mirror the other day that time really is marching right across my face.

It is approximately 10 months until my 30th birthday and anyone who has ever met me knows how absolutely terrified I am about turning 30. For that matter, I was scared to turn 26 too! I stayed 25 until this year. This year, I decided to begin admitting my age because I had to get glasses for the first time and figured that if I lied, people would figure it out. I mean, how many 25-year-olds do you know who have had perfect vision their entire life and suddenly need glasses? Because of my newly corrected vision, I've noticed a few changes in my face too. A few fine lines around my eyes; the line that has always been on my forehead is (thankfully) in a holding pattern, but I now have a slight indention between my eyebrows that was not always there.

Because of these recent discoveries, I emailed my dear friend and Aloette rep. and ordered a box full of moisturizers and anti-aging creams and sprays that claim to stop the signs of aging (before it's too late!). Then, this afternoon, as Joseph and I pulled into our driveway after our morning movie date and lunch at "the chicken store," it dawned on me... The reason I have a huge wrinkle spanning my forehead is because I'm always interested in what he has to say... and he always has something to say. The reason I have fine lines around my eyes (ok, it's the beginning of crow's feet) and parenthesis on each side of my mouth is because I have a hilarious little boy and I spend a good portion of the day laughing with him. I am so thankful for my son, who fills my life with so much joy and laughter. In fact, today, we sat in the car, in our driveway and laughed at each other for several minutes and for no reason at all before we ever got out of the car. I love the fact that we have these moments of spontaneous laughter. It really confuses my husband, which only makes us laugh harder. These are most certainly the days I will remember and cherish.

While I am thankful for all the reasons for my wrinkles, I cannot wait for my box of goodies to arrive so I can start turning back time. If this stuff doesn't work, I might be asking Santa Baby to slip some Botox under the tree!

Something Old, Something New

What a weekend!  The original title to this post was "Red, White, and Worn Out" but after reflecting on the most memorable portions of the long weekend, I realized that old and new was a much more befitting title.

I try to approach life with an attitude of gratitude.  Right now, I am thankful for my dear friend from high school because she has introduced my husband and I to some fabulous new friends.  We attended the new friends' daughter's first birthday party this weekend, and I must say, I don't know who had more fun-- the parents or the kids.  The party was so fun, it could have gone on for days if our kids hadn't worn us out! 

I find that the older I get, the more difficult it is to make new friends.  We become set in our ways and routines and can barely make time for our spouses, much less a whole new set of people.  Sometimes friendships simply become one more thing to maintain, like the yard.  But this friendship is easy, fun, and much more relaxing than yard work on a July afternoon.  I find myself smiling like a girl on a first date when we are together and hiding my phone to keep from texting too soon once we part.  Their friendship could not have come at a better time.  I think God most definitely knew what he was doing when he sent these new friends into our life and His timing couldn't be better.  Summer weekends are made for cooking out and hanging out and I intend to do that for the remainder of the summer... with our new friends.