When did I get so old?

I asked myself that question several times this weekend.

I spent Saturday (started at 4am) helping Morgan move into her apartment near her college. Though she is a trendy teenager (for 11 more months!) and an overachiever (only about school- you ought to see the mess that girl can make in a closet) she's really a good kid. A good kid? See I told you I was old- she's 19 for goodness sake! The trip up was uneventful, and by the time we got there (4 hours!!) I had been awake for almost 24 hours. She had two cars loaded down with "essentials" and had "conviently" forgotten to tell me that her place was on the 2nd floor. So after many trips up the stairs, we had the cars unloaded. Then began the unpacking (please visualize an eye roll at this point). Through all of this, please keep in mind that she has two roommates (both with 2 parents along for the fun) who are moving in at the same time and have probably twice as much stuff. I was very thankful that she is my sister and not one of the others.

As we began to unpack it immediately became apparent that, despite the magnitude of things we had carted up the stairs, she needed some more stuff. Like hangers. And laundry soap to wash the bag of dirty clothes (told you the over- achieving only applies to school) she brought from home and the new sheets I told her at least a week ago that she should wash. (Eye roll) So it was off to Super Wally World for supplies. $100 dollars and a full trunk later we were carting bags up the stairs again. Morgan worked on putting clothes away while I was doing other things. A short time later she realized that the 104 hangers she got at Walmart were no where near enough. So it was time for trip number 2.

This time we had half a trunk full of things to carry upstairs. However, one of these things was a put- it- together yourself bookshelf. Sooo heavy. Okay not really, but remember how long I'd been awake so I get to factor that in. Also, there was a 5 minute monsoon as we were trying to leave the store so we both ended up with the bottoms of our pant legs soaked from the mini- flood in the parking lot. She worked on putting the rest of her clothes away (78 new hangers this time). When she used the last of the new hangers and still hadn't put everything away, she decided to give up and put her jeans in a drawer. (Feel free to begin your own eye rolling at this point)

We got most everything put away and I started assembling her brand new bookshelf. Sigh. No screwdriver. Instead of driving back to Walmart (which in between the cussing I threatened to do several time) I proceeded to put said bookshelf together using a kitchen knife and a nail file/screwdriver wanna be (from my Swiss- army credit card that Mr. "pink makes me cry" gave me ages ago). This was a long, and often R-rated process. Finally the shelf was together and all was good. Morgan's roommate invited her to go to a party. She skipped it cause I was there, and then I passed out at 8:30. I slept until 9:30 the next morning and felt horrible. Not only did she miss the party, but she slept on the couch cause I was asleep on her bed. I'm a slug.

I left there and drove home (got lost briefly and woke up TR to talk to me cause I was still sleepy- not that he was much help cause I'm not sure he was ever really awake during our brief conversation) to get my stinky dog and visit my own home. A very long weekend.

Why did I feel old? Besides the lack of sleep and all the carrying?
1) My baby sister is in her second year of college and her first apartment. I remember her as a baby. Now she's a grown up, and a responsible one at that.
2) I remembered when I went to college (didn't stay long) and how long ago it was. People my age were old to me then.
3) I thought about all the things she's experiencing and how long ago it was that I first experienced them. Some are things that I'd never do now- cause I'm too old.
4) I looked at all these college kids moving in and making plans for fun things to do and thought they sounded like a good time. Then I remembered that I'm a married mom who is ready to go to bed at 10:30. Not exactly ideal for living life in the fast lane.

As old as I may be or feel, I'm happy with my life and for my sister. I like where I'm at and wouldn't trade it for all the kegs and body shots in the world. I'm also glad Morgan is experiencing all that college has to offer both in and out of the classroom. Good luck sweetie! Just remember that hangovers and 8am classes don't make for a good day!