Sunday, July 26, 2015

Let's Raise a Glass (It's the Adult Thing to Do)

This week brings my 33rd birthday. I enjoy birthdays. Mine. Other people's. I fully believe in celebrating and taking the time to remember to enjoy every moment. 




I remember being a kid and adults saying that time moves quicker when you're older. This didn't make any sense to me then. How could time move quicker? It obviously always moves at the same speed. But now that I am an adult the time between my birthdays has grown shorter. The time between holidays has shrank immensely. The time between one month to the next is almost non-existent (Didn't we just pay the rent??).

The thing about being in your thirties—getting very close to mid-thirties—is you don't feel any older. At least I don't. And talking to other people, they have all sort of said the same thing. I guess when I was younger I thought I would hit a certain age and feel like an adult. But the truth is I don't feel any different than I did at nineteen.


Okay, actually at nineteen I felt a lot smarter. Life has knocked me down a few pegs since then. So maybe I don't feel any different than I did at twenty three.

I thought when I moved out of my parent's house I would feel like an adult. I didn't. Maybe when I got married? Nope. So maybe when we have kids? Maybe then.

But I don't know, I have friends who have kids and I still look at them sometimes and think, who let you do that? Mr. McKay and I went to visit our really good friends in the hospital the day after they had their son (he's five now, and seriously, I feel like this was yesterday). We were standing around, talking, looking at the little alien creature and his little fingers and his adorable tiny mouth—when he started wailing.

I don't think I will ever forget the look on my friends' faces. A look of complete what-the-hell-do-we-do-now? I think the four of us wanted to find the nearest adult, but oh, that was us. When did that happen?

I definitely had a very vivid idea of what I thought being an adult would be like. Dinner parties. Adults have dinner parties. They have people over and they drink fancy drinks out of fancy glasses and everyone is very adult-like and civilized. The result is Mr. McKay and I own a ton of glasses. More than two people should. I just recently had to weed out some glasses from the cabinet because we couldn't fit any more on the shelf.

Why is this? Because when we got married six years ago we registered for glasses. We like to drink and we like to have people over. So we got drinking glasses, and pint glasses, beer mugs, martini glasses, margarita glasses, rocks glasses, and wine glasses. We don't drink wine. But we have friends who do and I thought it would be rude to make them drink wine out of a pint glass. 

I think I also thought that we were going to need all of these glasses. We would entertain and obviously have dinner parties and we would need glasses for all types of drinks.




But as it turns out, we still live in our rented townhouse that does not have a dishwasher. We figured out really quick that if we have more than two people over it's just easier to use disposable cups and dishes.  We throw a big St. Patrick's Day party every year. The first year we had it I made cocktails. We used all of our glasses. I feel like I washed dishes for days after that party.

Every year since, we get disposable everything. I still make cocktails, but everything gets served in a red solo cup. That is just how we roll in the McKay house.

So yeah, we still very much live like we are in college. I am not sure we will ever grow up. Maybe it's just us. Maybe we should be acting our age and making conscious choices to be more adult-like.

Maybe one day I will stop wearing graphic t's and ripped jeans with beat up sneakers. I'll buy nice clothes with 'dry clean only' tags because adults do things like dry clean stuff more than once a year (or in the three days before that wedding you have to go to when you realize your husband's suit jacket still smells like stale beer from the last wedding you went to).

One day I'll feel like an adult, right? But to be honest, I'm kind of glad it's not today.

You guys want to come over for my birthday? I'll make us some margaritas, but can you stop and buy some plastic cups? We're almost out.



17 comments:

  1. I'm singing Pink now. (which is fine, I do love her). I hear you on the glasses. We never use ours either. Although we do use my mom's silver as our everyday utensils. I don't think you feel like an adult until your parent dies and you realize you're the matriarch of the family. Weird feeling.

    Happy birthday week. I love 33!!

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    1. I do love that Pink song :) I think you should use the fancy silver every day, if you have it, use it! We do use regular glasses when it's just us, but I never think to get the fancy margarita glasses out, I always just use a pint glass or something.

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  2. Happy Birthday. I'm not sure I ever feel like an adult. I mean I manage the money, pay the bills, take care of doctor appointments, all the stuff adults do, but inside I'm still 16. At 60 I still wear ripped jeans and tees and beat up sneakers. When I dress up, I feel like I'm wearing someone else's clothes and they all look frumpy to me, like they are made for older people. Enjoy you're youth, Casey. Do things in your own time and there is nothing wrong with red solo cups. I even like the song, lol.

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    1. Yeah, I think I will still be wearing these clothes at 60. And there isn't anything wrong with that :) Thanks for the birthday wishes!

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  3. Hi Casey, Happy Birthday to You! I must admit we do use glasses, I never used plastic or pretend, well when my boys were little maybe they did! I must like washing up as a dishwasher does not reside in the Rose household. I am now 55 and when did that happen I do not know, Inside I feel young, outside I feel ancient and waiting for this grandchild to arrive feels like time is passing so slowly. I never knew nine months to last so long! I hope you and Mr Mckay have a great birthday celebration. Oh to be 33 again!
    love Jan,xx

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    1. Hi Jan, thanks for the birthday wishes. You're only as old as you think you are, right? 55 is not old! I think the months you spend waiting and anticipating do go slower. Your grandbaby will be here before you know it!

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  4. I think you're young at heart and will always be so!

    For me, feeling like an adult happened after I graduated college, got a "real" job in my field and became totally (financially) responsible for myself.

    I do use real glasses and dinnerware when I have people over, but I have a dishwasher. I would like to use my china (I have 2 sets), but I don't because it has to be washed by hand. The dishwasher makes a big difference.

    Good post.

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    1. We didn't register for china when we made a registry for wedding gifts because we knew we wouldn't use it. Who wants to spend the time hand washing stuff? And we have already broken so many dishes in the time since we lived here that I am glad it's all replaceable and inexpensive! One day I will have a dishwasher... maybe then I'll feel grown up ;)

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  5. I love this post! I don't think you ever feel like an adult--I can think of sooooo many situations where I just wanted one of my parents to handle THIS for me. I still can't believe I'm 50+, how can that be?? It feels like I'm still in my 20s. How do I have kids that are approaching their mid 20s? I think I'll be dying my hair and wearing jeans and sneakers until I'm 80. I refuse to "act my age." Enjoy.

    Oh, and btw, I keep red solo cups on the counter at all times, even though I have a dining room FILLED with glasses of every shape and size too. :) Happy Birthday!

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    1. Yeah, I am done adulting. I really do wish I could just have someone do it all. Being an adult is highly over rated!

      Speaking of dying hair, I need to do that soon, my greys are showing! Thanks for the birthday wishes :)

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  6. I met P when I was 33, had a baby in my 40s, now I'm approaching 50, I try to keep in mind what I've achieved, rather than the actual years and ignore the grey hairs and creaky joints. Mentally, I'm nearly nineteen :)
    Oh yes, paper plates make regularly appearances in our house and we do have a dishwasher!
    Happy Birthday!

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    1. It always makes me feel better when people tell me they started having kids when they were older than me. I know my body is getting older and time is ticking, but damn it I am not ready yet! So you just made me feel better :)
      Thanks for the birthday wishes- I think we're all just nineteen year olds posing as grown ups, right?

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  7. Happy Birthday! I know what you mean about not feeling like an adult. I'm 43 and I STILL sometimes wonder when I'm going to be one! :) We also use red Solo cup like they are going out of style. Sometimes I think we keep that company in business. I had my kiddo at 36 and we had that "uh oh, where are the grownups???" feeling when we first came home! Alexis Alvarez

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  8. LOL! Me too! I think it's all of us. In my mind, I'm still 12. No, wait, that is my maturity level! My mom has the same. She says to me 'I look in the mirror and wonder who the old bag is looking back at me'. Maturity level of 13 for my mom... ;)

    I think young at heart and laughing is so good. You and Mr. M have an awesome relationship. I've always thought that. I think it's those things that drive you down a few pegs that make you that person, you know? You see with your hear and not your eyes what matters. I am not sure what that meant but I'd just seen an advert for The Little Prince so it's important. Anyhow, I love you and I would LOVE to have drinks with you (out of plastic is fine, I hate washing dishes and my husband is washing ours now as I write this). So in October???? :D Love you lady.

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  9. Happy Birthday Casey! I don't feel my age either, I don't think you ever do. But that's a good thing, otherwise you'd be acting all old. How the hell wants to do that?

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  10. I posted a Happy Birthday message! I love this post!

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  11. Totally agree with you (and everyone else) about waiting for the mythical "Finally feel like a grown-up" point in your life which never happens. I mean, my daughter is an adult now. You'd think THAT would make me a grown-up.

    The 'time speeding up' thing does make sense though. Time is relative. When you're five, the time between one birthday and another is 20% of your life so far. When you're fifty, it's only 2%. Which is why birthdays come round ten times as quickly as they used to!

    I am impressed by your collection of drinking glasses, though. Until recently, the only wine glasses I had were Halloween ones. Proper glass ones with stems and everything, but with pictures of spooky-looking owls and bats and stuff. Gets some funny looks at Christmas and Chinese New Year parties.

    I would love to pop round for drinks. Mine's a dry white wine. If you would like to serve it in a pint glass, I would be VERY happy.

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