Banzai!

My 26th birthday was mostly uneventful ... which I suppose is a good thing. Ryan made it home from his business trip a day early, so was actually home for my birthday (good husband!) We went to Banzai, a Japanese Steakhouse, for dinner. As they usually are, it was a good time. The first time we went there we had a cook who gave out Saki shots if you caught the zucchini in your mouth, said something funny, or generally looked in his direction. His catch phrase? "Waaassaaaabbbiiiii." Our guy on Thursday was fun ... but no Saki shot guy.

It's strange to be 26. Ryan and I decided that you don't hit your late 20s until 28 ... but it's still kind of a surreal age for me. Everyone at work talks about what a baby I am and yet I look at my or Ryan's sister and think how grown up we are. Not old ... just grown up. Our daily dialouge with friends and family is about careers, home projects and children. Autumn is due any day now. She's having a baby. It's strangely comforting knowing that I am able to support myself, own a house, and make adult decisions. I wake up every day next to my husband and thank the Lord for him. Then as I go about my day I realize that I'm married. Someday I'm going to be the parent. I wonder if anyone ever really feels like the grown up. I sure don't.

Tomorrow I leave for another business trip. I'm one of those people. Those traveling people. I watch my frequent flier miles and buy travel pillows. I do almost all of my clothes shopping on business travel (not one of Ryan's favorite activities). I have colleagues. They think I'm a grown up too.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about when I met Ryan, almost 9 years ago. We were 17 and even then we knew we met too soon. Now, 9 years later that 17 year old boy is my husband. I don't know that I pictured our life today when I was 17, but I don't think anything I pictured could have touched the reality of my life today. I think the moral of this story is that 26 is going to be a good year.