Apparently I’m the Adult

I’m not entirely sure what’s happening, but I actually had a pretty damn good week.

I know. I’m just as shocked as you are.

Don’t get me wrong. Work was still work. My email box didn’t magically disappear, nobody canceled all my responsibilitie, and I certainly didn’t wake up to find that someone had cleaned my house and folded my laundry.

But there were some genuinely exciting things happening this week.

And considering how much time I normally spend questioning people’s common sense, complaining about being tired, or wondering what fresh bullshit adulthood has planned for me, I feel like this deserves some recognition.

First of all, I went to my very first hockey game.

At 43 years old.

And WHAT THE HELL HAVE I BEEN MISSING?!

I’ve always been a baseball girl. Give me my Dodgers, a good game, and some stadium food, and I’m happy.

But hockey?

Holy shit.

I went to see the Trenton IronHawks with Parker, my bestie Nikki and her hubby, and I has the BEST time.

Was I screaming? Absolutely.

Was I cheering? Obviously.

Did I know what was happening the entire time? Not a chance.

But did that stop me from acting like I’d been following hockey for the past twenty years?

Of course not.

I was fully invested.

And can we discuss the fact that hockey is basically a boy aquarium?

Because whoever decided to put a bunch of men on ice, surround them with glass, and let us watch deserves some kind of award.

I’m just saying.

Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, I genuinely loved the game. The energy, the speed, the excitement. It was so much fun.

But I’m also a single woman in my forties, and I have functioning eyeballs.

Both things can be true.

And honestly, as much as I loved the hockey, one of the best parts of the night was getting to spend time with Parker.

Because these days, that doesn’t happen nearly as often as I’d like.

Between school, work, friends, and everything else he has going on, I feel like I barely see him anymore.

I know that’s what happens when your kids get older. They become more independent, they have their own schedules, and suddenly you’re no longer the center of their universe.

Which, by the way, I don’t remember approving.

One minute they’re little and want to spend every waking moment with you, and the next you’re checking their schedule to see if they can squeeze you in.

Apparently I need to make an appointment with my own child.

And don’t get me wrong, I’m proud that he’s busy, responsible, and building his own life.

But I miss him.

I miss just hanging out with him without one of us having to be somewhere to be or something we need to get done.

So getting to spend that evening together, laughing, cheering, and enjoying something new, really meant a lot to me.

And the fact that we both had such a great time made it even better.

Now I just need to figure out how to convince him that hanging out with his mom is still cool.

Although, considering I was screaming at a hockey game and making comments about the boy aquarium, I may have already ruined my chances.

Oh well.

And then, as if my week wasn’t already exciting enough, MY BROTHER CHRISTOPHER AND DANIELLE GOT ENGAGED!

FINALLY!

I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am for these two.

And yes, I may have been waiting for this announcement for awhile.

But seriously, there’s something so wonderful about watching two people who genuinely love each other find their person.

You can see how happy they make one another, how much they care about each other, and how right they are together.

And in a world where relationships can be so complicated, it’s really nice to see a love that makes you genuinely happy just witnessing it.

Danielle also works with me, so she’s not just someone I see at family gatherings. She’s part of my everyday life, too, which makes this even more exciting.

After the engagement, there was a celebration and I got to spend time with everyone and celebrate the happy news.

And it was such a nice time.

Just being together, sharing in their excitement, and celebrating something wonderful.

I feel like sometimes we’re so caught up in everything going wrong in the world that we forget how good it feels when something goes really, really right.

And this was one of those moments.

I’m so incredibly happy that Chris and Danielle found each other, and I cannot wait to see what their future holds.

They deserve every bit of happiness coming their way.

Of course, somewhere in between discovering hockey and celebrating an engagement, I still had to go to work.

Rude, honestly.

You’d think the universe could’ve given me a few days off to enjoy all of this excitement.

But no.

There were meetings, interviews, emails, things that needed to get done, and the usual assortment of questions that somehow always find their way to me.

Sometimes I think my actual job description should just say, Figure it out.

Because that’s pretty much that I do all day.

And then I come home and have to figure out dinner, laundry, what needs to be cleaned, and why there’s always something that needs my attention.

Being an adult is exhausting.

Zero stars. Would not recommend.

But this week was different.

Not because anything about my responsibilities changed.

I was still busy. Still tired. Still trying to remember everything I needed to do.

There were just some really good things mixed in.

I got to spend time with my son, which is becoming more precious the older he gets.

I discovered a sport that I apparently should’ve been watching years ago.

I got to celebrate two people I love finding happiness together.

And I got to enjoy time with my family.

Noting particulary complicated.

Just a really good week.

Imagine that.

And you know what? I could get used to this.

Not that I’m expecting every week to be filled with hockey games and engagement announcements.

Although, if anyone would like to arrange that, I’m available.

Preferably after 5 p.m. on weekdays, and please give me enough notice so I can mentally prepare to leave my house.

Because apparently, I’ve reached the age where I want to be invited to everything but also reserve the right to complain about having plans.

It’s a delicate balance.

Anyway, I’m heading into the weekend feeling pretty good.

My brother and Danielle are engaged.

I’ve apparently become a hockey fan.

I got some much-needed time with Parker.

And I survived another busy workweek.

Not too shabby.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some very important things to do.

Like look up when the next hockey game is.

For the love of the sport, obviously.

And maybe a little more time at the boy aquarium. 😉

Apparently life was actually pretty good this week.

Suspicious as hell. 😂