I'm not sure what possessed me to start writing this blog again, but here I am. Before jumping in and writing, I made sure to go back and read what 24/25 year old Joanie wrote. I came up with a few conclusions:
1) Wow...we drank way to much
2) I had a LOT of time on my hands
3) I never gave Roommate's actual name
4) I really thought I was funny.....and I am
My life has not ended up like I thought it would. If you asked 24 year old Joanie what her life would be like at 30, she would have told you:
"Well, I will probably be married and living in Chicago. Thirty is pretty old, so I will more than likely have a kid but I will definitely have another Dane. Roommate, Sarah, Kennice, Kate, Nicole, Al and the rest of my close friends will probably live within a five minute walk. Of course, nothing else will change. We will still spend Saturdays at the Gin Mill watching Spartan Football and Sundays at BDubs watching the bears. We'll be old, but we'll be cool old people."
Twenty-four year old Joanie is an idiot. Her brain is severely damaged from all the alcohol abuse she and roommate took part in. Time to cue Miss "3 second car bomb" how her life is different.....but awesome!
The biggest surprise, even to me, is that I don't live in Chicago. I am a Chicago girl through and through and never thought I would leave my city. The older I got, the more open I was to living in other big cities, so it shouldn't be to much of a surprise I moved. Except I moved to ARIZONA! Twenty-four year old Joanie can not believe this. We HATE the heat and live for the fall. Arizona is about 10000 degrees and doesn't have jean/slip flop/hoodie weather. However, I have adjusted to the heat and I really like it here. (I do really really miss the fall!)
I am not married an do not have a child. BUT...I do have a Dane! Brody is awesome, a lot of work and is giving me gray hair, but awesome. I adopted him when he was 10 months old from the Great Dane Rescue, Inc. They are an awesome rescue and have some really great dogs that need homes. I encourage everyone to check them out and tell your friends about them. Not only did they give me Brody, but I even scammed Lyndsay (the AZ rep) into becoming my friend! I'm pretty sure she likes me, but she may be pretending because she knows she can guilt me into temporary fostering a Dane for the weekend. Nothing says crazy like two male Danes in an apartment.
The Gin Mill closed a loooong time ago, but I still spend every Saturday in the fall watching my Spartans. I just watch it now from a more laid back bar....or someone's house. Same goes with Da Bears. I don't think I've set foot in a Bdubs in over three years! Now on to the friends:
Allie: She's doing amazing! She has her MSW, has a really touch job she is amazing at, still singing, and Sophie is still alive!
Roommate: A big to-do at her ad firm, jet sets around the world, is still an asshole!
Sarah: Married, has the cutest little girl and her master's degree!
Kate: MARRIED! (The caps due to she was "I'm never getting married"), has been to Hawaii more times than Dog the Bounty Hunter!
Nicole: Married, making big adult life changes, we still need to write that romance/sci-fi/spy/wine infused novel that will make us rich!
Kennice: NOT living on our couch anymore, awesome job, keeps me entertained with stories, is my personal relationship guru and San Diego trip buddy!
They are all still in Chicago, for now. I don't mean that to sound shady, but we never know where life will take us. I know mine is taking me in some interesting directions. I am excited to see what the future holds.
Yep, this was a long post and not really funny. Sorry about that. In the end the answer may be, "well she isn't much more mature, but she sure the hell is boring." We will see where this goes. For whatever reason I got it in my head to start blogging again. Kennice may be the only one who reads this, and that's ok. At the very least I hope everyone visits the GDRI page and checks out the awesome Danes needing new homes! I will try for funny next time.
~jo
