growing up is hard to do...or is it?

bills, bills, bills. i've decided are what makes people grow up the fastest. we recently had our first scare when a bill was due the day we realized, but thank God for over the phone payments, no worries. but it def was a reality check (no pun intendend :) ).

so many things over my life have forced me to grow up. and i stress force. but who wants to grow up willingly? moving out of home at 18 and starting school and making new friends in a completely different place and living environment was def the beginning of it. "wait, you mean i have to wash my own clothes?? and all my childhood friends are staying home for school!?" but soon it became easy. friends came easy as did school, and before i knew i was graduated with my first "real job" that i actually love.

getting engaged was also another one that made me realize my days of no responsibility was a distant memory. planning a wedding on a next to nothing budget for 300 people was humbling in itself, but i learned how to make selfless sacrifices. sure, i could have forced my parents into drug dealing or some form of illegal high profit activity just to afford all the details that every bride dreams of. but i soon realized thats exactly what it is, a dream. and then you wake up...in debt. its very hard when you're in the midst of that time to see the bigger picture. i was fortunate and didn't get sucked in to the booming industry that weddings have become. i did have my weak moments, but maybe thats where my advertising background helped me as i was able to cut through all the clutter, gimmicks and projected "romance" that was evident in all bridal magazines and websites. i grew a lot in the experience and am thankful that i can look back and think that nothing i did was in excess. and now i get the joy of helping other frugal brides who don't want to break the bank over one day, yeah i said it. one day. **all the brides across america gasp** however, its one day that i wouldn't trade for anything. all in one day, I glorified God in a beautiful way (isn't that what its all about anyway?), was surrounded by my best friends and family, felt like the most beautiful girl in the room, married the man i love and prayed for a long time ago, and etc... ;)

but, marriage also knows how to grow a girl up. learning how to become a wife, a cook, an ironing expert, selfless, comforting, a stronghold, constantly encouraging, a masseuse, and so on will shape any girl into a woman. but even this was no match for the financial decisions and responsibilities that come with being married. not only have we grown closer over these last 7 months, but we've grown up some together. thankfully, joel has a good mind when it comes to finances and knows how to budget, but bills always have a way of sneaking up on us. well used to at least. now we have all our dates set and online payment options are our new best friend. our next challenge that im sure will grow us up a little more: tax season. ugh

i know i still have a lot of growing up to do and different things will happen that will once again force me. but im ok with that. ive come this far successfully, and being grown-up isn't as bad as i thought it would be. i am especially enjoying all the perks of being an adult :)