There's A Last Time For Everything

Let me start by giving a huge shout out to Brad Paisley and his new song "Last Time for Everything." You know this guy has talent when he can write a song about choosing fishing over his girlfriend and then turn right around and write a song that just makes you feel all the feels. But it's also Jason's 25th birthday today, and I think that is my ultimate muse. So in my sentimental stupor of writing, I made a list a short, short list of my "last time's for everything."

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1. There's a last time for sneaking out.

One of my favorite things in high school was sneaking out with my friends and begging my brother not to tell our dad. I've made memories of hopping fences into gated pools and golf courses. I basically had bad decisions written over my forehead but it was fun and a miracle that we were never caught.

2. There's a last time for school dances.

I had the luxury of spending half of my freshman year and all of my senior in public school. Growing up in private school you kind of miss out on the real experiences of homecoming and prom. I loved the Saturday nights spent dancing with my friends in dresses from "Deb Shop" and then pulling all nighters at diners only to come home at 4am and crash on the living room floor.

3. There's a last time for your first broken heart.

Oh the first broken heart. One of my worst and fondest high school memories. A fond one because I wouldn't trade that life lesson for the world. For weeks I tortured myself listening to Sara Evans' "Stronger" on repeat on my iPod Nano. In my 17 year old brain the world was over and there was no one on earth who could compare to my crush-since-elementary school heart throb.

Surprisingly, I had a really hard time writing that list. Not hard like sad, but hard like I couldn't think of anything. There were so many "lasts" I was halfway through writing only to realize "those aren't lasts, those are just getting started." My biggest struggle I've had and that I've written about before is the heartbreak I feel when I realize that adult friendships are harder than childhood friendships. I mean, I'm pretty sure if I asked any age group if they've ever grown apart from their best friends, I would get a solid 9 out of 10 "yest" votes. But knowing that, I have to turn right back around and thank God that there are so many new friendships in my life. When I think about not being able to get away with rules I broke when I was 17, I think about how many new and legal experiences I'm allowed to have as a young adult.

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Tonight I will surprise Jason with an evening at the Escape Room and the night spent at a hookah bar. But I planned with his friends; his friends that are now our friends. These plans require ID's that confirm we are over the age of 18; that we are adults.

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This will be the last time Jason ever turns 25 on August 20th. But celebrating with friends, falling asleep on his dog (my current view), and avoiding the dishes are things that will never be "lasts" for him. 25th birthdays are momentous ones. They are the life's "quarter life crisis" where the world begs you to be insecure about "where you should be by now." But "being where you should be" isn't even measurable. No matter what your age, as long as you are moving forward and being thankful for where you are going, I think that is exactly "where you should be."