Turning Thirty

I remember a decade ago thinking that being 30 was old. Now I'm 30. Am I now on the inevitable downslope towards oblivion?

Okay, I have to admit, I was scared. Never believed in the whole 09.09.99 thing, or the world ending with the beginning of year 2000, but I really thought that when I turned 30, my life would cease to exist. How wrong I was.

To commemorate the end of my twenty-something being, I decided to drag a few (older) people along to a quaint cottage in the bustling metropolis that is Arthur's Pass. By the way, we spent Easter 2006 in exactly the same cottage. Once there, I spent my last two nights as a twenty-something indulging in 'comfort' food (crisps, chocolates etc) and plenty of alcohol, in an attempt to block out the event that was taking place on Sunday 01.07.2007.

The weather the week before had been cold so Arthur's Pass being situated at an altitude of 800 m had snow.However, during our time there, it mostly rained so we missed most of the snow. Even though it was wet, the weather did not affect us as we spent most of our time sat in front of the roaring fire chatting and playing board games. Obviously, Trivial Pursuit came out, and was eventually won by Helen. It wasn't just a weekend of gluttony, though, as we ventured out for a look around the township and a walk up to the Devil's Punchbowl to view the surging waterfall. Of course, we did pop in to the pub (The Wobbly Kea) for a couple of cheeky ones after our exertions!

I spent the last few weeks of being a twenty-something reflecting on the previous decade. I always thought that perhaps I could have done better, and bigger and more…. But, in all honesty, when I started to list all the things I have achieved, I actually felt like gloating! Yes, I am proud of my achievements to this date. Living in various countries, having travelled round the world twice, buying two houses abroad with Pete (although having two mortgages is no fun, really) and all the fun I had! Hoping that the fun part does not disappear? A few milestones will no doubt take place in this coming decade to keep me on my toes. I guess Pete and I will have to set a date to get married, and from then on I will have to behave like a responsible adult?

All in all, I am now thirty. And I can say that it is just a number! As long as I still get asked for ID in the supermarket when buying alcohol, I am happy!