So, what else do you do? Um, I teach swimming lessons.

Matt took Theo to the father and son campout last weekend and, of course, rather than go to bed and get some sleep, I watched French Kiss (???)(I honestly was just trying to feel closer to my sister who is currently living in Paris) and when it ended at midnight, I proceeded to read my sisters' blog archives. "We fight sleep and continue seeking entertainment!" - Jerry Seinfeld

(Of course I chose to go to bed at 2 a.m. on a night that Ida chose to sleep 12.5 hours straight. At least I got to sleep in a little.)

Anyway. So then I moved on to my blog archives and I randomly came across this old post from the summer of 2002. I was living with my parents. Matt and I had just started dating, kind of, and then broken up, kind of. I was 19 years old and worked 20-30 hours a week yelling at kids and getting sunburned--the rest of the time I either slept, watched junk TV, or weeded the backyard. Mostly slept.

Awesome hair by the way, right? I was bringing the '80s back years before teenyboppers were recycling their moms' legwarmers. This is what the kids in Ogden circa 1987 would dub a "kickin' burro."

The post is really rambly so you may not want to read it. Many names have been changed, by the way, to protect me and others from too much embarrassment. But if you do read it, my point in posting about it is that I am glad I can look back at my 19-year-old self and laugh, and know that I have grown in seven short years. My social skills still leave much to be desired in a few areas, but I think I have become more gracious and comfortable in my own skin.

It's really funny how awkward I was. Whenever I re-read old journal entries I cringe at some of the social memories they bring up. I still am a little bit awkward, but nowhere near what I was. Do you know, I kind of credit Matt for that. I have been thinking some more about that marriage article I posted a while ago that intrigued some and offended others. Matt and I were very young when we met--I was 18 and he was 24. I know I'm not much older now--barely older than Matt was then--but my point is, we have in a sense grown up together and are continuing to do so. He has helped me become more confident, become a better listener, become more alert about what others might need from me, definitely become a better person than I was before we met. I hope that I help him even a fraction as much as he helps me.

Just some thoughts for today. Hope it's not too heavy for a Thursday morning!

A quote from another, unrelated post made me laugh: July 2002: "The married couples were in the living room talking about carseats for about 17 hours, so I said "Ugh" and went to help my mom with the dishes. After the dishes were done, I entered the living room once more only to find they had moved on to strollers. Time to go to another room. Haha. I guess once I'm married and have kids/am pregnant/etc. I'll find such topics fascinating, but until then, I'll abstain."