officially old

Last week, my doctor scheduled an appointment with a podiatrist for me. I've been battling an ingrown toenail for the last three or four years, and I finally decided that I needed professional help. My appointment was this morning. I figured he'd look at it and set up an appointment to actually do something about it like cut out the ingrown part...amputate my toe...you know...whatever it is that those feet people do. Well, I underestimated the process. Apparently they just go ahead and cut it out right there. A how-do-you-do? and then they stick a needle in your toe and you walk out with your toe looking like a giant q-tip.

Actually I found it all kind of cool. First he numbed my toe, which actually hurt really bad because of the stinging (apparently most of the stinging's from the alcohol that he cleaned the area with before inserting the needle...I asked). Then he just kind of dug in there for about two minutes, and it didn't hurt, but I could feel pressure in my toe. He bandaged it up, and I was good to go. I was glad I'd worn flip-flops because I don't think I could've fit my foot into a whole shoe.

The fun part was driving with a numb toe. The other fun part was sitting at work, touching my toe, and not being able to feel it. It never got old.

Here's a picture of what my foot looks like right now. Warning: it's not pretty (the icky yellow color is from the stuff they had to wash my foot with).

Yeah, I'm officially an old lady who goes to the foot doctor.

girls in white dresses

I knew it was coming. I've watched it happen to my older friends and relatives, and now it's my turn. The weddings start this year. Not in general, of course, but for my friends. I've hit that age where it seems like everybody's getting married. I think it's supposed to make me feel old, but it's having the opposite effect on me. I feel like the baby, which isn't much of a change for me actually. All Most of my friends are talking about weddings and houses and babies, and I'm trying to figure out which school I'm going to go to in the fall. Weddings and houses and babies are way too far away for me right now. I realize I'm a little behind in the whole choosing a school department, so I guess that's kind of okay; it's just weird I guess. I mean we always talked about getting married and starting families, but we also talked about going to Columbia and becoming lawyers who saved the world while wearing really cute shoes. It was always just a far off dream.

It probably sounds like I'm whining, and that's probably because I am a little bit. Don't get me wrong though. I'm elated for my coupled friends, and I'm so excited to start going to their weddings. I guess I'm just feeling a little bit left behind. Not by anyone's fault. I mean seriously, I have the best friends when it comes to making sure I don't feel like a third wheel just in general. Most of them even keep PDA down to a minimum (unlike the couple I saw in the hall at school today who were literally on top of each other...why do people think that's alright?...because it's not). But there's that inevitable moment when you're hanging out with your best friend and you can tell that she would seriously rather be with her significant other than having a girls night. It's not like she says anything, but you can just tell. Probably because that's how I would feel if I were her. And I can't blame her. It's just the way life goes. I'm dealing.

Kind of in the same direction...I was recently talking to Morgan about how much fun it is when people ask if you're dating anyone or engaged, and then proceed to say, "you better get on that," when you let them know you're not. Really people? Really? I'm twenty-one for crying out loud! It's not like it's the nineteenth century anymore, and my welfare depends on a prudent marriage. I have time, and I actually like the way things are going right now. In fact, I think I'd be perfectly fine if I never married at all. That's not to say that I don't ever want to get married because some day I might. Someday is just definitely not today or tomorrow. So seriously, stop making me feel like a loser for still being single. Trust me, there are so many other things that make me a loser, and I don't think being single is one of them.

And to all of my currently engaged and soon-to-be engaged friends, I really am very happy for you :)