Many a lassie as everyone knows'll try to be married before twenty-five

This will be it. My final posting like this. No more will I do this. It is finished.

The next time I post, I shall be a quarter of a century old. Ugh. The thought makes me cringe. I will be 25--25 years old!!!!!!!!!! Sunday is D-day. I was jokingly asking my friends here in Carson to knock me out on the 19th, so I could be in a coma on the 20th, and when I woke up, I'd be 25 already. They laughed at this proposal, not necessarily realizing that the joke was only a half of one.

Let's see . . . by 25, I guess as a kid, I expected to be married and such. After all, by the time my parents were my age, I was alive and bringing the joy that only a firstborn can do. :) Back in the days when I'm certain that my perfections were numerous, and they doubted I'd be anything but an angel for the duration of my life. How right they were . . .

So, I've composed a list to help me feel less trepidation at the approaching milestone age (The next birthday I'm looking forward to is whatever one comes after menopause for obvious reasons. Hey, anyone else think it's weird that the word MEN is in that word?). This list contains 25 good reasons why I like being me and this age. One for each year, I guess.

1) I'll be able to legally rent a car in any state.
2) I've traveled to Europe twice.
3) I've actually said hello to a real, live queen--after she greeted me first!
4) I have a great family.
5) I have wonderful friends whom anyone would be pleased to claim as their own.
6) To quote Devon and something that just stuck with me, "Don't you think it's a credit to us that we're the sort of people who know now that there is no possible way we can do everything we want to do in life?"
7) My life is always adventuresome to some extent.
8) I am at least moderately intelligent.
9) I can almost always find the humor in a situation, and enjoy laughing at it.
10) I thrive on my independence.
11) I tend to be pretty healthy.
12) I enjoy having fun, and can find a way to do it.
13) I am able to get along with all people of all ages.
14) I have taken advantage of many unique opportunities, and they just keep coming!
15) I have been told that I look good in my three favorite colors: purple, yellow, and dark green.
16) I can always find a way to entertain myself, and I honestly cannot recall the last time
I was bored.
17) I have earned respect in many different fields and from many different people.
18) I am able to do many of the things I love (i.e. theatre, reading good literature, travel).
19) I have a good education under my belt.
20) I do not have to use Cliff's Notes to understand Shakespeare, Austen, etc.
21) I am pretty comfortable with who I am.
22) I know I'm taken care of--God has shown me over and over how He provides for me.
23) I tend to be fairly articulate, and have a good ability to convey what I mean when I speak.
24) I think that overall, I am well liked (though there are exceptions to this one).
25) It's 368 days until I turn 26!

I got the title from the song "Waitin' For My Dearie," once again, from Brigadoon. I just wanted to use it, because it talked about people before they hit 25. I am not really worried about the marriage thing. If it happens, it happens. If not, well, that's okay. Stephanie A. and Gina talked to me about it a bit last week at rehearsal. I told them how strange it feels to me that my parents were married and I was alive at this point in their lives. Stephanie kept saying, "Well, 25 isn't what it used to be. People are waiting longer, and that's fine!" Gina kept saying, "Better to be 25 and single, than 25 and in a bad marriage, Lynette." When I mentioned that I like being single, Stephanie said, "Maria [her daughter] says that, too. She doesn't mean it either." Sigh.