ground zero

Yesterday my old friend Pat showed me a family picture he took over Thanksgiving break. I've known Pat since he was a Freshman at VHS and I was a Junior (actually I met him when he was in 8th grade but we won't count that.) His brother Daniel must have been in middle school, Kevin in elementary school and his youngest brother Steven was years from being born. This picture Patrick showed me had his mom, little brother Steven (who is not all that little anymore,) and four men. I had to actually look carefully to tell which one was their dad. I guess this makes sense since its been over 9 years since I met Pat and today is his 25th birthday. Baby Steven was born when I was 19 or 20 (the years run together now, another sign I'm getting older) and now he's in elementary school and probably has conversations with people and does chores and all that, but it seems like yesterday I was seeing him for the first time when he was a day old. Jeremy, who introduced me to Patrick and lived across the street, is married and lives in another state, but still texts me to let me know that he's watching "Stand By Me" with his wife, since he knows its my all time favorite movie EVER. Then there's me....how in the world am I 26 (and a half?) How in the world do I have a boyfriend who is 30? How do I live in a home that has a mortgage and does not belong to my parents?! It seems that barely any time has passed at all. I keep watching movies that I think came out a few years ago, and then realizing they came out in the 90s, which was at least 9 years ago. Its weird when I think about how much has changed since I turned 18 (or 17...or 16....) but how much has stayed the same. Like, say....I'm STILL not done with college...but I live in a new city, a new county, with a boyfriend I can't imagine not knowing, but who I knew nothing of until I was 21. I have my own dog because I actually live somewhere where I can HAVE a dog, not a tiny apartment. Okay...the condo is tiny also, but we own it, so we can have a dog dang it. Time to get back to work and stop thinking about how 9 years from now I will be 35.