Last day.

Today, August 16,2006, is the last day of my twenties. As cliched as it might sound, I can never quite stop myself from reflecting on birthdays. I am excited about starting my thirties, and up until today I have not really experienced much 30-shock. But for some reason today I am weighted down by an odd sort of melancholy.
This time ten years ago I was about to start my third year of college. I had declared a major, and I had lost my new-student confusion but had not yet developed the Senior-year cynicism. I was exceedingly silly, and took myself very, very seriously. I had just started dying my hair blond, using far too much sun-in at camop the previous summer. I had made some very bad decisions the year before regarding a boy and dumping all of my friends for his friends (yes, I was that girl) and when suddenly the boy was gone, so were his friends. So I spent my 20th birthday alone in Lynchburg. I went to a dollar movie (Dragonheart) and then to Easter Island, where I bought myself a new puzzle ring. My friend Lisa gave me a little black-and-white box full of plain m&ms.I remember lots of self-pity.
A lot of things have happened since my 20th birthday. Some highlights:
-- I got a BS in Biology
-- I have held 10 different jobs: Sandwich artist(STOP! LAUGHING!), camp counselor, teaching assistant, temp, processing tech level 1, protech level 2, performance improvement analyst, trainer, science teacher, and now my favorite, One-act play director)
-- I earned a teaching license
-- I killed four cars
-- I learned how to knit, garden, and shop online
-- I made a bedroom into a closet
-- My grandfather passed away
-- I had a cancer scare
-- I Learned to love Macintosh
-- I joined the ipod revolution
-- I have been to 3 proms, 2 ring dances, 2 winter dances, and a homecoming dance
-- I have traveled more than the first 20 years of my life combined

I have changed a lot since I was that 20 year old sitting in a movie theater. I think I have kept the best parts of myself and weeded out a lot of the junk. The 30 year old Erin is a much more likeable person that 20 year old Erin.

Looking over the past 10 years is fun, but I am really excited about the next phase. Farewell twenties...bring on the thirties!