Age 28 (or 2010 vs 2015)

Today has included a decent amount of reflection and nostalgia. On one hand, it's Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent and when people either give up negative habits or take up positive habits for the season. On the other hand, it's my birthday! So, there's that. This isn't the first year where Ash Wednesday falls on my birthday and it's kind of an odd mix, especially since Ash Wednesday includes fasting.

Anyway, I'm 28. Just like the first week of a new year, it might take me a little bit to commit this new number to heart when it comes to filling out paperwork. It feels kind of weird, but the difference between 27 & 28 doesn't seem as big as what I would imagine it'll be between 29 & 30. A co-worker told me today that for him, turning 30 really wasn't that big of a deal, but 40 is what got him by surprise. I'm not sure why talking about getting older can be scary, but maybe it's that fear of the unknown. Okay, let's change the mood.

Fun times! Puppies! Ice cream!

Whew, that's better.

So, when I was in Ohio, Michelle was looking at her old blog entries and found a couple that compared her life at the time of writing to who she was five years prior. Since today has that reflection piece already, I figured this would be a nice way to start being 28.

2010 (turning 23) VS 2015 (turning 28)

Round 1: Where do you live?

2010: In a res hall housing high school juniors and seniors that are taking college classes early. The res hall is part of a small college campus in a small town in northwest Missouri (Maryville).

2015: In a res hall housing traditional college students, particularly first-year male athletes. The res hall is part of a small college campus in the Green Bay area.

Winner: Just looking at the buildings (aka my living environment), 2010 because of the building-wide community. Looking beyond that to the surrounding area, 2015 because there is so much more available.

Round 2: What do you drive?

2010: Well...  Ford E-350 vans, 15-passenger vans, and the occasional car, minivan, and shuttle bus (all for work, if you couldn't guess)

2015: Mercury Milan that's mine. I mean, I'm still paying it off, but it's still mine.

Winner: 2015 hands down. Not having my own car in 2010 made it even tougher to get away when I needed some time off-campus.

Round 3: Where do you work?

2010: The Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics, and Computing, which is an early-entrance-to-college program that is a department within Northwest Missouri State University, a DII public university. I was a Residential Counselor, which did a huge hodgepodge of things.

2015: St. Norbert College, a DIII private Norbertine (Catholic) college. I'm a Hall Director, which is still a hodgepodge, but a little more controlled than the Missouri Academy.

Winner: In a way, this is a major tossup. There are things I love about my current position, but I definitely miss things about the Missouri Academy. I'm going to call this a tie because I don't know if the 23-year-old me in Missouri and the 28-year-old me here would reach a true consensus on what would be the better spot. (If I was just staying as 28-year-old me, I'd probably have 2015 win in the end.)

Round 4: How do you survive?

2010: Not cooking, like, at all. Really simple stuff like sandwiches or the Union or Station. 

2015: I don't regularly cook, but I've done some things here and there, including a full Thanksgiving dinner for RAs who were around.

Winner: Yeah, 2015. I wish I could reflect on a larger growth, but it's still definitely a work in progress. Then again, the Thanksgiving dinner was on point, so there's hope.

Round 5: What is your plan for life?

2010: Work at the Missouri Academy for a bit. Enjoy not having classes. Maybe doing grad school to study math education (but definitely not pure mathematics). Mainly give this life a try and see how things go.

2015: Get back into grad school, but focusing on Student Affairs this time. Use this position to expand professional experience and after my time here, transition out of Housing but to something else in the Student Affairs umbrella.

Winner: 2015, since I feel like I have more direction. Yes, I worry that since I'm older, I should have my life figured out, but at the same time, I have more experience in the field and with living by myself.

Clearly, the overall winner is 2015, but that's partly because I have my life experience from being in Missouri. As I said earlier, there are things I miss about the Missouri Academy, although my first year there was really focused on learning about the program and seeing how I fit into the structure (as well as starting the journey that is proper work life/personal life balance). Thinking back 5 years ago does seem fitting when I turned 23, I was in my first spring semester at the Missouri Academy and turning 28 includes me being in my first spring semester here at St. Norbert.

In a way, I can look back over the past 5 years and think that while I am unsure about the next 5 years, I know I'll pull through it.

Today is Pluto Day & Battery Day, but the holiday that sticks out from my childhood is Cow Milked While Flying in an Airplane Day. I remember reading a Disney Adventures magazine and seeing that on a February calendar of different historical events. I don't know much about the cow, but it certainly picked an awesome day to make history. :P

DFTBA