Not to mention all the other big life changes going on. I've known people from my high school years who did the wedding thing and baby stuff way before me, but the social norm seems to be that the mid-20s to early 30s is when things all start happening fast.
One Weddingbee blogger's fridge — full of save-the-date magnets! (source)
After being dorks and finishing college early, we were all about the "careers first" route, which took us through the ups and downs of journalism, him into the challenge of grad school, and me through the hecticness of unemployment, job searching and moving across the country.
Now with the end of grad school and his current job only months away, it gets us thinking about what should be next. Do we change the focus and move, perhaps closer to our families and old pals? Do we stick around in a city with tons of jobs, gaining more years of experience? Do we "take a break" and travel to Ghana? (That last one was a serious option in college!)
We have spent many late nights pondering our next steps in life, and the wedding is a definite consideration. We don't want the stress of moving/finding a job/settling in a new town in addition to finishing the planning and having deposits and expenses dent our bank accounts.
Personally, all I really know now is that if we want to shake things up, we might as well do it at this age before we become "makers of tiny humans"** or bogged down with a mortgage.
For those who have jumped over this life hurdle, do you have any advice? And is anyone else in the same boat?
** Brownie points if you know which recent TV show's finale that phrase is from! ;)
I haven't seen it, but $5 says the quote is from Grey's Anatomy!
ReplyDeleteI mean this in all seriousness: You don't have to have children until and unless you want to. You never have to get a mortgage. (Some people, cough, are lifelong tenants and wait till they're in their 40s for kids.) You go, or stay, where the work is -- work that satisfies without compromising you. NEVER move anyplace to be closer to anybody.
ReplyDeletePhillip is absolutely right; having children isn't a requirement. However, as someone who wants kids and married someone else who also wants kids, we got married earlier because we want to enjoy being married for several years before tossing some kids in to the equation. We both want to wait until we are older to have kids. While we could have just as easily enjoyed our time together sans-kids without being married, the time was right for us and we knew marriage was the next step. I haven't regretted it a day since
ReplyDeletedo you see yourself like Carrie and Big or like Bill and Leda Chin? No kids or a whole clan full? Whatever you do just make sure you don't give birth to another Steven (hehe).
ReplyDelete