Second star to the right, straight on 'til morning.

I really like being growed up.

I happen to quite enjoy driving a car. Staying up late. Kissing my husband. Wearing makeup that isn't pretend and doesn't have the options of blue, purple, and hot pink for eye shadow. Not worrying about who I'll play with at recess. Watching a movie, and THEN doing the dishes. Eating half a bag of Hershey's kisses just because I want to. And yes, I knew I'd feel sick. So what?

But sometimes...just sometimes, I miss the happy meal toys at McDonalds. Not getting motion sicknessy by swinging on a swing. Being fascinated by the time it takes a potato bug to cross the sidewalk. Having time to be fascinated by watching a potato bug cross the sidewalk. Reading a book I actually want to read. Watching Saturday morning cartoons and eating cereal that has marshmallows in it, without worrying about what it's going to do to my appetite for the rest of the day. 

I miss calling up my friends on a land line phone and asking them to "play." Thinking that call waiting and caller ID were soooo awesome. Having sleepovers and dress up parties. Shows on TGIF. Singing the opening songs to Pinky and the Brain and Fresh Prince. Playing Oregon Trail during free Fridays in computer class. Getting scared while reading Goosebumps. Taking a Beauty and the Beast lunch box to school. Totally crushing on Nick Carter from Back Street Boys and Jonathan Taylor Thomas from Home Improvement. Listening to the radio all day long just to hear that new song I loved, and recording it on my TAPE player so that later I could listen to it on my walkman. Being totally determined to find Waldo no matter where he was hiding. Squeeze its. Treasure trolls. Pogs and virtual pets. Playing MASH to find out if I really was going to marry my crush and have 8 kids, even if we did drive a shopping cart and live in a shack. 

And wishing for the days when I got to go to college, get married, have a job, have a car, have a credit card that wasn't actually my mom's old calling card...calling card!

I am feeling nostalgic. Could you tell? I blame Julie. Last night, she and I pulled out our old Sega Genesis. It was pure magic. We even had to blow on the game at one point to get it to work! I was in heaven.

It makes me wonder what I'll think 5, 10, 15 years from now. Will I feel the same way? Will I feel sorrow for all the time that I wanted to pass, so that I could get somewhere else? Or will I feel content that I enjoyed it as much as I could have, and didn't waste a moment by wishing for what wasn't only to miss the wonderful things that were? 

I always want to be that little girl, with bright eyes and bouncy steps, thinking that everyone in the world has a smile for me. Looking forward to the little things in life because they ended up being the biggest things after all. 

And never ceasing to be amazed at just how beautiful life really, truly is.