I'M AN ADULT -Andy Sanberg

I'm beginning to realize my excuse of being "too young" is starting to get... well... old.

Because the fact of it is that I'm no longer too young.

One of my patients told me so last Thursday. He was the most adorable old man ever. Actually he asked if I was married, and then asked why not when I said that I was not. He laughed when I told him 20 was too young. He also said that Drew was the lucky one.
Two days before that, I was mistakenly assumed to be Drew's wife.

I've been pushing the things I want out of my mind for years now. I keep telling myself not to be silly and entertain the thoughts.
I tell myself all things in due time.
I tell myself things will happen when they happen.
I tell myself I will get it when I'm older.

I've generally held the opinion that my classmates who have had gotten married or had children already are out of their mind. That they are wasting their young adult life.
I comfort myself with the idea that taking that path myself would ruin everything. That I'm not ready.
That it's not in the cards for me.
That I'll be better off the way things are going.
That I'm not ready to be an adult, a wife, a dog owner.

But when responsible, mature, intelligent, and reasonable Kelly John and Andrew Jolly (yep, another one!) get engaged, it's suddenly thrown in my face that the way I'm keeping my thoughts at bay isn't exactly 100% true.
I admit to myself that I am responsible with money and finances, that I am driven and get things done, and that I am capable.
I realize (with a nasty shock mind you) that at almost 21, I AM in fact, old enough. Old enough to own a car as some of my friends do, pay rent like I do, hold a job and find an income like I do. That I am indeed an adult.
That only a few years ago I regarded this age as OLD. Well now I'm here.

It's interesting.

I'll allow myself to admit, just for an instant, that, after four years, maybe being engaged isn't something to brush off for a later time.
To admit that while I was overjoyed at the news that Rachel and Brian were engaged, I allowed myself to shed a tear or two of pure jealousy. Over the fact that they started dating, got the dogs, got the house, got engaged, will be married, and most likely having children AFTER Drew and I started dating yet BEFORE we can have any of that ourselves.
To admit that for years I've been making lists of what I want our house to be like. Making mental notes of colors I think would look good in our kitchen and in the bedrooms. Learning to cook and learning how to take care of myself so I can make sure I can take care of Drew and the family we will create one day.
To admit that for the past two years, through birthdays and Chirstmas and any other occasion where I am asked, "What do you want?" that the first thing that comes to my mind is a ring. That the image of Drew down on one knee asking me to spend the rest of our lives together flashes through my mind before I tell him that if he really must get me something a movie or text book would be fine.
To admit that I thought it might happen in Montana, in Disneyland, in Hawaii.


But I know that no one follows the same path, and there are no rules that define the miles stones of relationships and when they have to happen.
So I just go back to smiling and saying, "All things in due time."

Well, this was supposed to be posted like two days ago, but blogspot was apparently having issues so.... well that's that I guess.
As of now, all my things have been moved out, living temporarily in either the new apartment's living room or in David's spare bedroom. The carpet has been vacuumed and the apartment cleaned.
My keys were turned back into my landlord about 5 hours ago.

So now I'm just chilling at David's house, waiting until I can just go ahead and fall asleep because the sooner I go to bed, the sooner I'm waking up at 4:30am to get to the airport by 5. This time, I'm going through Atlanta, which seems very much the wrong direction, but I'm still getting home by noon, AND I'm getting a crap-ton of miles. Miles that will get me home in October for Rachel's wedding.
He's watching the finale episode of Smallville. I haven't seen an episode in about 8 years and I am generally uninterested.
What am I going to do for two hours until he presents me with the ice cream he promised?


Yesterday I finished my last final of the semester.
As of now, I am officially a Grad Student.
It's an odd feeling.

Studying

I am particularly fond of this particular slide in my notes about weather-related illness. I don't know why.

In the near-ish future, it may be required that I carry and know how to use a rectal thermometer if and when I am covering a sporting event as a Certified Athletic Trainer.
Who wants to help me practice eh?

Caramel Frapachino Light*

Starbucks is a treat I indulge in maybe once or twice a month. Not because I can't live without my Starbucks, but because mom and dad sent me a gift card for Easter, which makes it a double treat, because it's not even my money.
Would I support the -local scene- of coffee houses if I didn't have the giftcard? No, probably not. From what I've seen, they are full of tea-slurping hipsters who don't know the meaning of the word "headphones," and cost just as much, if not more, for the same drink.
Plus, I'm not about to go on a 20 minute bus ride for coffee when I have my own cheap tea in the cupboard.

I am The Champion of Tetris.
Ok, maybe not THE Champion, but I'm pretty freaking good at Tetris-ing the crap out of everything and maximizing the amount of things I can put into a plastic container when it comes to moving.
By the time my 6th year rolls around I'm going to be so efficient at this we'll pack up one car full of my stuff and be like "yup, that's everything." Sure, it will weight about a billion pounds, but it will be very -compact-.
Or maybe not actually. Given that Marie, who is one of the girls I am moving in with next year is also in PT school with me, she and I may just stay in that apartment until we are done with school. Even if Nichole goes off somewhere else for Grad School and Lindsey gives into her hipster soul and moves to Portland, I know at least one of our other PT classmates who has expressed interest in living there. I mean, roommates aren't hard to find when rent and utilities and cable/internet is only $250 a month.
As much as I love packing things into boxes (seriously, I do. I know, I'm weird) it will be nice to not have to move again for a while.

In more academic news, Cog Motor final was roundhouse kicked in the face. Depending how just how well I did I may actually be able to scrounge an A out of that class. Worst case scenario still has me an AB that is very close to an A. Which wouldn't be as cool for my GPA, but as far as not caring at all about a class, an AB is pretty good.
Why Marquette has a grading system that goes A, AB, B, BC.... instead of A, A-, B+, B.... I don't know. I feel that having the -,+ in between full letter grades would give me a chance at a higher GPA in most instances, but whatever. I'm sure The Man is just trying to keep us down. Or it's easier for our grading program to handle less options. One of the two.

Last night Nichole and I were studying for our Cognitive and Motor Learning final, which is on Monday morning. After about two hours, we both decided we were done and that making Whole Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies would be a better use of our time.
So now those cookies are breakfast before I go to the gym for my scheduled run (16 minutes of running and only 4 minutes of walking!). Which I think is an excellent choice for breakfast before exercise. Carb it up you know?

I just want it to be Thursday at 7pm already. I'll be done with finals, done with working at the bookstore, and getting ready for a End-Of-Finals get together at the other apartment; waking up on Friday morning to hurry and move the rest of my things to the other apartment, ensuring I get my whole security deposit back from my move-out inspection by my land lord, and then... waiting for 4:30am to roll around when it's time to go to the airport and GO HOME!

Artichokes were on sale today. Dinner was delicious.
Then I broke another glass.