Do you remember when?

There are certain moments in life you remember like they were yesterday.  You can recall exactly where you were when they happened. Maybe you even remember the mood of the day...the weather...what you were wearing...or who you were with.

I still remember being in Mrs. Dennison's 2nd grade class when we got word The Challenger exploded. I walked home with Kristin Mackey and we watched it on the news. I couldn't believe the astronauts, who all seemed like really good people, could be gone.

I also remember watching the news in high school-- Mr. Trowbridge's French class to be exact--when we saw the O.J. Simpson verdict announced. I'm pretty sure that's the first time I ever cussed in front of a teacher when I heard the words "not-guilty."

It seems like only yesterday I was working my first job in TV news as a Master Control Operator, when I turned around to watch the live feed from New York, and saw the first plane hit the World Trade Center. That day, I thought surely the world was falling apart.

I also remember seemingly insignificant things like the time I stood up for myself and yelled at a boy in high school who wouldn't stop teasing me. I remember getting grounded at around age 5, and using the time in my bedroom to jam to the song "Footloose". I also vividly recall the restaurant I used to go to in college that made my clothes reek every time I ate there.

Now, I'll likely remember January 17th, 2011 for the rest of my life.  That's because this is the day.... I found my first gray hair. Sigh. When did I get so old?

It started off as a normal day, celebrating MLK. Because of that, Mike has the day off of work. We decided to go get breakfast, and while I was getting ready in the mirror, I looked closely at my hair, thinking I couldn't get my roots done soon enough this week.  And then, wait...what is that? That hair is really blonde...oh wait, it's not blonde, it's...it's...it's, GRAY! I yanked it, and immediately held it up next to a black dress in my closet to see if perhaps I was mistaken.

I was not mistaken.

I was not ready for this day. I told Mike, preparing to hear my younger-than-me husband tease me about it. Luckily, he didn't, instead he showed me that he has a few gray hairs too. And this was his response, "I'm excited to get gray hair. People take you more seriously that way."

Oh men, do you always have to have a positive outlook on everything? It's kind of annoying.

Do you ever feel old?

I think for all of us there are specific moments in life when you just feel old. For me, I remember a few specific examples....

* Being called "Ma'am" by the cute guy who works at my gym

* The time I told the young gal washing my hair at the salon that I was a newlywed and she replied back with, "Oh awesome, I want to wait until I'm older to get married too!"

* Finding my first gray hair (January 17, 2011). Of course, I blogged about it... http://jeanniecrofts.blogspot.com/search?q=gray+hair

* And today. Finding out a former classmate of mine, who is the same age as me, is going to be a grandmother.

What??

Courtesy:fullhot.net

I was perusing Facebook when I saw this friend posted one of those creepy sonogram pics of a baby. You know, where it looks like a little alien or the dancing baby from Ally McBeal. I was expecting to read the caption, "I have exciting news to share!" but instead it said, "I'm going to be a grandmother. I'm so excited!"

Really, is she excited? She's 33, so her son has to be 15 or 16.

I haven't even had a child yet, and now friends are having grandchildren?? The reason I'm waiting is because I don't feel like we're financially stable enough. Hmm...I'll have to find out what kind of job the 15-year old has, because it must pay more than mine.

Bruce Springsteen at Wrigley in Chicago

"I've realized as long as live, I'll never be as cool as The Boss," Michael Evanchan (my hubs).

I've found in my 30's, I do a lot of self-reflection. Am I a good person? Am I fun? Am I living up to my full potential? I don't have answers to many of these questions but I do know one thing: when I'm 62 years old, I hope I'm at least 1/2 as cool as Bruce Springsteen.

Mike and I went to the Springsteen concert last night in Wrigley, and it. was. awesome. The man went for 3 1/2 hours with only a couple of quick water breaks (and a fast chug of a concert-goer's beer), and apparently he went just as long and energetically on Friday night. That means over a two-day span, a man who's the same age as my mom sang, danced and bopped for 420 minutes. Isn't that crazy? I had to sit down twice because I was so exhausted.

The Boss not only belted it out, he danced the entire time. He played several guitars. He ran off the stage and into the crowd. He plucked a young girl from the crowd and carried her on his shoulders. He also jumped on the piano to perform and happily kept going when the rain started coming down. He simply tilted his head to the sky, closed his eyes and let the rain wash over him. You could tell he enjoyed every stinkin' wet minute.

 One of my favorite moments is when he belted out "Dancing in the Dark." I remember when this song came out in 1984. When I heard it on the radio or MTV, I tried to shake my 6-year old booty just like he shook his in his delightfully tight gray jeans. At the time, I just knew it was a catchy song. Now I can relate to the lyrics, which talk about aging and self-doubt. How great is this line? "I ain't nothing but tired. Man I'm just tired and bored with myself." And who can't relate to, "I check my look in the mirror...wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face!"

After the show, the rain continued and of course, there wasn't a cab to be found. So Mike and I walked from Wrigley to Lincoln Park and got soaking wet during the 1.6 mile jaunt. When Mike seemed shocked that I wasn't complaining (like usual), I said, "Bruce just went 3 1/2 hours for us. Walking home in the rain is the least we can do for him." Mike laughed.

Well done, Springsteen. Well done.