I hear them wedding bells

Not for myself of course. Dear god I'm only 22 after all!

Apparently this is one of those years in my life that's going to be wedding-y. I know that as I get older these years are going to be more frequent but I'm still hoping I have a while before they take over my summers again and again.

Most importantly my parents just set a date for their wedding which is super exciting. This is how the conversation went:
[During a family game of Wii Bowling]
MOM, "Did we tell you about June 1?"
ME, "No."
MOM, "Well, that's the day we decided we're going to get married"
ME, "..."
"Wait, really?"

Yep. My dear parents have decided to get married a mere two months from now. A small ceremony in our backyard and then dinner downtown. Before this gets confusing for you dear reader, let me explain. No, they are not renewing their vows, they are marrying each other for the first time. Clear? Now this poses a lot of questions/things I am worried about. What do you buy for your parents when they marry each other? They sure as hell aren't putting a registry together. Of course my mom's not getting a wedding dress but will be buying a new dress, obviously I'm most excited for this part, as I will be buying myself a new dress too. Now here's my dilema. I've been told that I can bring someone - like a date obviously - but this is no rando's wedding. So how do you invite the guy that you're sleeping with - but not dating - to your parents wedding without making a big deal out of it? Is it possible?
"Hey friend how would you like to come to a super intimate family ceremony and then dinner? You'll probably avoid really awkward questions because everyone will be too busy celebrating that a relationship 23-ish years in the making is finally experiencing some REAL commitment."
What if I invited him to dinner but not the ceremony? More appropriate? Like I'm already struggling with the idea of inviting him to a wedding in August because that's like, forever away. But I'll actually need someone with me at that wedding so maybe I'll just save the invite for that one. So difficult.

Also a very good friend of mine hinted to me that she could be getting engaged in December. Yes I realize that this is a while away but it's still frightening. I don't understand the reason why so many of my young friends are getting married at this point in their lives. We're at such a turning point - we've just graduated from college and have a large amount of debt hanging over (most of) our heads. We're struggling to find jobs that will help us take care of that debt and also make us happy. Why can't we wait a little while, get through this challenging time with the people that we love and when we're in a better position financially and emotionally, and we've solidified this relationship - THEN get married? Are we afraid that the challenging times will be a little easier to handle when we're tied to someone 'forever' with a ring? Maybe the true test of a relationship should be making it through tough times with trust instead of force.

These are just the ramblings of someone who's a little cautious when it comes to relationships though.

New & Exciting

Do you know what's weird? Interviewing at a place you already work.

Yep. Tomorrow I'm interviewing at my current employer for a job I'm actually interested in. I don't know if the money's much better. I'm pretty sure the hours would be terrible (6 am really?).But I do know It would be a full time position which is awesome, and I'm sure I would make more than the $7.00-ish an hour that I'm currently making (+tips - can't forget the $10 a day I make extra!). But really this is the one job I really want right now.

In fact, this has been a problem I've had while looking for new jobs. I get lost in all the postings. When you have no idea what you should do, where do you start looking? And should I really just look for something new and shiny with better hours and a better wage or actually something I enjoy? Will I get stuck in the cycle of doing what works out to the point where I can support myself or should I struggle a little bit and find something I like? There are so many questions when it comes to looking for a new job.

But finally there's something I think I could really enjoy. And I want it, bad.

I do this thing where I don't like to talk about something because I'm afraid it won't come true. While discussing whatever-it-is with friends I insert phrases like 'if it happens', 'well, we'll see', 'maybe', and I pretend I don't want it. Because that means no one will make a big deal about it, if it doesn't happen. But here's the thing, these things I try to pretend I don't want, happen or don't happen regardless of who I tell. I already told four people which is probably two more than I normally would, so here's to breaking old superstitions. And here's to my interview tomorrow.

-AA