So long Twentysomethings

So. I have left my 20s. I am no longer a "twentysomething," that newly-ish coined phrase meant to capture in one word a wide swath of my generation, a group of people, who, on the whole, seem to be taking longer to grow up as we experiment with the myriad of choices out there in the big, wide, wonderful, economically imperiled world.

We have big dreams because we've been told since infancy that we matter, that our self-image is a prime consideration, and that we deserve to be happy because, well, we're worth it. We tend to have big hearts and want our work to make a difference in the world. And a lot of us are smacking pretty hard against reality when we suddenly realize the world does not, in fact, revolve around us. (See Jean Twenge's book, "Generation Me," for more on this topic. It is an EXCELLENT read.)

I've always been a little uneasy with the term "twentysomething." I never liked being lumped in with a bunch of egocentric whiners. But at the same time, I really could see hints of that twentysomething aura in myself. And that bothered me.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVED my twenties. I saw a lot of the world, and anyone who has known me for more than two minutes knows that travel thrills me. I come alive when traveling. I am the most me when traveling. I enjoyed all...oh, about 20...jobs I had. It may not have been that many, but there were a lot. I liked college. I dated one really excellent man in my 20s, and am so, so, so glad I did not embrace the promiscuity of my generation. As I enter my 30s, I am still ridiculously old-fashioned in that realm. I am guarding my heart (or doing my best, at least. The heart is unruly at times.) until I meet a man who will treat it with as much care as I do. Rabbit trail...

Anyway, yeah, I liked my 20s. But I've been volunteering at the senior center these past few months, and I find myself deeply admiring older generations' stability. I find myself thinking all these seniors DESERVE to make art, play pool, shout bingo, read books, eat good, cheap food, and go on excursions to Applebees (the nearest one is 2 hours away) because they did their time. They got married and stuck with it. They worked hard at just a few jobs until retiring on a solid financial foundation. And now, they can delight in hours of conversation over coffee at the senior center.

Will my generation be like that? Or will we still be searching for fulfillment at 80? What if we're just moving too fast to see that fulfillment doesn't come in that next thing or person or activity down the road if we could just get there fast enough?

We must learn to invest our time, money, effort, attitudes and choices into others. We must fight bitterness and that mad rat race of keeping up with the Joneses. We must forgive the hurts that will fester and rot us to our core if we don't. And we must commit. At least to the things that matter.

Now, I am a wanderer at heart. And I think God can use wanderers, so I'm not proposing we all commit to one job for the next 40 years. But we do need to commit to people. We need to put in the work of being a good friend, of keeping our good friends. We need to commit to serving the people in our church and loving, somehow, someway, the people outside our church walls that may very well not return our love at all. We MUST commit to our marriages and our kids. That, in itself, would radically turn this world around.

I realize I'm beginning to wander in this post. I suppose I'm just saying I was a little surprised by how much introspection turning 30 brought to me. I am grateful for my twentysomething era. So grateful. I love my life. But I'm also ready to move forward a little more steadily. I want to be committed with all my heart, soul, mind and strength to my Lord. And I want to be a steadfast and loyal friend to all those folks out there who may be frantically seeking the next big thing even though they really just want to sit down and enjoy a nice, leisurely chat over a cup of coffee...or four.

So. So long twentysomethings. It's been fun. But I'm really quite happy to be 30 now. Bring on those crow's feet and laugh lines. The more the merrier.

BMW

After returning from my 49 by 29 adventure, I took every opportunity I could to be a BMW.

Not the car.

As a lesser known acronym, BMW also stands for Burly Mountain Woman...a nickname lovingly bestowed upon outdoorsy sorts of gals by my dear friend Sarah (who is, herself, one of the best of the best when it comes to being a BMW).

There is no handbook for how to be a BMW. Just get outside and get going. And really, the burlier the better. Haul a 30-pound pack into the wilderness. Climb a peak. Kayak a river. Bike up a mountain. Sleep under the stars. Make coffee under a tree as the sun rises. Don't shower for days.

Breathe that mountain air and love every second of it.

I am lucky enough to live within an easy hour of some ruggedly breathtaking mountain country. And I'm also lucky enough to have a dad who likes to get into the hills as much as I do. We were able to take a couple father-daughter backpacking trips into the Big Horn Mountains in August, and I just want to 1) make a shout-out to my adventurous dad for his willingness to trek along with me (I had a great time, Dad!), and 2) share a snapshot or two (or twenty) from our excursions.

Near Park Reservoir in the central Big Horn Mountain area.

My mom joined us for our initial "test backpack" to Park Reservoir. Aren't they an adventurous looking couple?

Onward and upward.

Our campsite on our first trek, destination Wolf Creek falls.

Coffee! In the mountains! YES!

Me and my dad.

My dad and the giant spider web that nearly ended up on our faces.

Looking over a valley on our way down to Wolf Creek falls.

Wolf Creek.

Burly Mountain Dad.

Creek on our way into Lost Twin Lakes in the Big Horn Mountains.

Lost Twin Lakes.

Cold, fresh, refreshing. 

Our campsite near Lost Twin Lakes our first night on our way to Bighorn Peak.

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View of Sherd Lakes on our way up Bighorn Peak, elevation 12,324 feet.

Summit pic...sorta. We were originally headed for Darton Peak until a last-minute route change put us on our way up Bighorn Peak. We didn't have time to reach the top and get back down before darkness fell, so this is about 200 vertical feet from the summit. Still a gorgeous view, though, and that elation of reaching a goal together.

Hiking in the upper reaches of the Big Horn Mountains essentially consists of miles and miles of boulder hopping.

View towards Cloud Peak, a challenging 26-mile trek (round-trip) to 13,167 feet that my dad and I hope to do next year.

Crossing a snow field. Darton Peak is in the background.

View from our campsite on our second night in the Cloud Peak Wilderness.

So green.

We were back there somewhere.

Creek crossing.

Me and my trusty Subaru, Sam, are ready to head home.

49 by 29: The coffee

Not to go into blog post overkill on this whole 49 by 29 adventure...but I've got one more. I promise it'll be my last. And it involves coffee, so it's gotta be good.

With no further ado, I present "49 by 29: The Coffee."

 

Hotel coffee; Billings, MT; 4:45 a.m. June 28



Starbucks; Minneapolis airport; June 28

Delta Airlines coffee; in-flight to Orlando; June 28

Folgers Instant; Ochlockonee River State Park, FL; June 29

House blend; Coffeeheads in Alabama; June 30

Cafe au Lait and beignets; Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, LA; June 30

House blend; Il Posto Cafe on Dryades Street in New Orleans; July 1

House blend; Community Coffee House on Magazine Street in New Orleans, July 1

Crescent City Cafe, a gourmet breakfast ministry for the homeless; New Orleans; July 2

Camp coffee; Chemin-A-Haut campground, northern Louisiana; July 3

Gas station coffee; somewhere Tennessee; somewhere around 4:30 a.m. July 4

Hazelnut blend; Panera Bread in Nashville, TN; mid-morning July 4

Ethiopian drip brew; Greyfriar's Coffee and Tea Co. in Chattanooga, TN; July 5

Sonic coffee; drive-thru on way out of Chattanooga; July 6

House blend; City Bakery Cafe in Asheville, NC; July 6

Camp coffee; Riverview Campground near Johnson City, TN; July 7

Starbucks; Princeton, WV; July 7

Fresh ground, percolated French roast, served with condensed milk; Anthony and Rachel's home in Princeton, WV; July 8

Camp coffee; Broken Wheel Campground near Weston, WV; July 9

House blend with cream; Blue Moose Cafe in Morgantown, WV; July 9

Diner coffee, black; Pamela's P&G Diner in Pittsburgh, PA; July 10

House blend; Crazy Mocha Coffee Company in Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Pittsburgh, PA; July 11

Earl Grey tea with milk; Te Cafe on Murray Avenue in Pittsburgh, PA; July 12

House blend; Commonplace Coffeehouse on Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh; July 12

Hazelnut blend; Panera Bread near the University of Pittsburgh campus; July 13

Worst blended cappuccino I've ever had; Kiva Han Coffee on Craig Street in Pittsburgh; enjoyed by a cool fountain at Carnegie Mellon University; July 13

McDonald's coffee; on drive out of Pittsburgh, PA; July 14

House blend; Peregrine Espresso in Washington, D.C.; July 15

Latte; Newseum espresso bar in Washington, D.C.; July 15

Percolated with milk; Joel and Jolene's house (Jer's sister and brother-in-law) in New Castle, DE; July 16

Keurig single brew; Joel and Jolene's house in New Castle, DE; July 17

Percolated, black, with homemade pancakes; Joel and Jolene's house in New Castle, DE; July 18

Hazelnut blend; Wawa in Wildwood, NJ; enjoyed on beach at sunrise; July 19

Diner brew; Star Diner in Wildwood, NJ; July 19

Never-empty goodness; Honey's in Philadelphia, PA; July 20

House blend; Peet's Coffee and Tea in Philadelphia airport; 5 a.m. July 21

House blend; The Coffee Beanery in Detroit, MI, airport; July 21

Grande mocha lite frappuccino; Starbucks in Indianapolis, IN; July 21

French press of Snooze blend; enjoyed at bridesmaid breakfast at Sarah's parent's house in Indianapolis; July 22

Fresh ground Snooze blend, drip brew, black; Perrott house in Indianapolis; July 23

Catered coffee; wedding reception for Ben and Sarah Hilmer in Indianapolis, IN; late night July 23

General Mills drip brew; Perrott house in Indianapolis; post-wedding July 24

McDonald's McCafe blend; Indianapolis, IN; before church with Aunt Karoline and Uncle Lyle July 24

Drip brew with milk; Aunt Karoline and Uncle Lyle's house in Indianapolis, IN; July 25

Latte; Copper Moon World Coffees in Indianapolis airport;  3:30 p.m. July 25

House blend; La Brea Bakery in Minneapolis airport; 8 p.m. July 25

French press, black; home in Sheridan, WY; July 26