How rude!

I believe in the goodness of people.

A Saturday trip to Whole Foods changed all that.

First of all, the aisles are small. There is hardly enough room for one cart, let alone two trying to pass one another. Add three wrestling, joking, trash talking stockboys kicking boxes around and laughing, and it was a disaster. And I ran into them in at least three different aisles.

Then there are the sullen ones. You know who I mean. They walk around with pinched faces, avoiding eye contact. When I don't move my cart fast enough and apologize with a smile, they just stare at me and keep going. No acknowledgement, not even a dirty look.

There are the giggling teenagers, meandering slowly along without a care in the world.

And then there are the old ladies.

I promise I am not generalizing here. I am talking about two specific older ladies, perhaps in their 60s or 70s, who parked in the aisle of the natural soap section and talked while everyone gingerly pushed their carts around them. I had to bend down for some soap on the bottom shelf and almost got a cart in the eye. Twice. The woman saw me, ignored me, and kept talking.

Am I expecting too much? Am I too entrenched in my belief in southern hospitality that I am so easily shocked by rudeness?

Or is this article true? There was a recent study that found that many people who buy organic foods tend to be judgmental and rude. I know for a fact that this is not true for all people. But it was at Whole Foods this weekend.

At least one good thing came from my trip.

Dirty Thirty

This past Wednesday, I turned 30.

I didn't wake up with a hunchback, extra wrinkles, or in need of an adult diaper. (But my knees and back hurt a lot...)

And although I know my 30s are going to rock, and I was excited about it, I couldn't help but feel a little mourning for my 20s.

Because my 20s? Were a hell of a decade.

20: Still attending Agnes Scott College (the best all women's college around, in my unbiased opinion). Humming along as a history/anthropology-sociology major. 

21: The big year! Had my first alcohol drink (ok, first legal drink), started waiting tables at Chili's, met and started dating my future husband, and graduated from college.

22: Left Chili's and started working at My House, a facility that cares for medically fragile infants and children. Fell absolutely in love with those children, and the world of non-profits.

23: Still at My House. Still dating my boyfriend, we enjoyed doing absolutely nothing but hanging out and enjoying Atlanta cuisine (meaning, Taco Mac, Bambinelli's, and Thai food).

24: The boyfriend moved to San Antonio for a job. I followed about 6 months later. Waited tables for about a month, then started working at a non-profit for teen mothers. Bought a house.

25: Got engaged and eloped in New Orleans.

26: Had my first baby.

27: Juggled working and motherhood.

28: Quit my job to stay home (daycare is friggin' expensive), had my second baby.

29: Started grad school, had my third (FINAL) baby.

While that may seem boring to some, for me it was the start of my independence. I lived on my own (well, with a roommate), worked for my own money, paid my own bills. I was an actual ADULT. I had jobs with benefits. Sure, I stumbled. Sure, I thought about moving back into my parents' house. But I overcame it. I maintained old friendships, even after moving 1500 miles away, and made new ones. I became a homeowner, a wife, a mother, a grad student.

Like I said, it was a hell of a decade.

RIP, Roaring Twenties.

Join me, won't you?

It's official.  Hell has frozen over. 

I am giving up meat.

Well, not totally.

Due to some, ahem, digestive issues, and just a general feeling of gross after I eat meat, I've decided to become a weekday vegetarian/pescatarian (yeah, sorry, I ain't giving up my fish and seafood).  I'm hoping this will help me start feeling better, give me more energy, and jump start my quest to live an overall healthier life.  I also am joining the Y this weekend to get back into the Couch to 5k program.  They also have yoga classes (seriously, who am I?!)  And daycare.  Yeah, that's the real reason I'm joining.

Now, I'm not going totally vege/pesca-tarian.  If someone plops a medium steak in front of me, I'll eat it up like there's no tomorrow.  And I'm not going to force my family to do this with me.  In fact, Steve almost cried when I told him my plan.  But I figure if I'm making some meaty meal for the fam, I can make a small substitution for me. 

Or maybe I'm just crazy.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, check out our new cat!