Day 22: The FUTURE!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

Yikes! 15 years?  I'll be 45.  That's almost 50.  That's halfway to 100.  And now I'm thinking about it for this blog and it feels like it's right around the corner!

Here's an interesting fact I found out tonight.  I was online registering for a 5k (the only 5k where I've officially medaled).  I was checking out last year's results to see if my current time per mile would earn me another medal, and low and behold, when you hit 30, you're supposed to run like lightening!  The 18-29 year olds medaled with times in the 30's.  TOTALLY DOABLE.  The 30-45?  20, 21, 22 min.  I'm screwed!  I missed my chance.  Last year was my golden year.  Now, apparently I'm supposed to be FASTER?  Where is the justice?  I thought my new age group ensured a win, since when I was running with the "young crowd" I had no competition...  I'm in a deep state of depression.  Getting old is terrible!

So, anyway.  All race-day tears aside, looking towards the future.  Five years from now I see myself with a 6 year-old-almost-seven-year-old who is in school.  GULP.  I also see myself with at least one other baby and perhaps a third.  Scott and I have a goal to be settled in our permanent home by the time Audrey is in kindergarten (possibly 1st - 2nd grade) so I also see myself living in a slightly larger house with the jobs we are both going to have for a while.  Hopefully it all works out so that we are still in this area and I'm still working at my perfect job.   6 months ago we had no idea Scott would be working his current position so with his job I feel like anything is possible.

10 Years from now I see our family entering the fun years.  Soccer practice, ballet recitals, swimming lessons, piano practice... I hope Scott is at a job where there is less work on the nights and weekends and we're able to do more family weekend activities. I know Scott will always be involved in college athletics so I see us at many sporting events with our favorite little sports fans in tow.  I'm hoping to find some kind of job where I can work 80 percent or so.  Not sure how that's possible or what that job is, but my goal is to have some time to volunteer in my kids classrooms while staying involved in education.  I don't really have a desire to get another Masters degree, or pursue a doctorate, so I won't be at a university, but perhaps some sort of job share?  I think it's apparent in my other posts that I love teaching, so I don't see myself leaving teaching, but I wonder if I could teach (have my cake) and work 80 percent or so (and eat it too???).

15 years from now, I"ll be 45.  I'll still be in the freaky-fast age category at the Windsor Labor Day 5k.  I won't be able to run a 7 min mile and I'll be looking forward to when I turn 46 and I have the possibility of medaling again.  Sucks I have to wait 16 years to medal at an event. 

I'll have at least one child who is SEVENTEEN! That's driving, college visits, AP classes, school dances, etc.  How exciting.  I'll also have other kids entering middle and late elementary school.  Where did the time go?  I'm hoping we live in a house that has dark grey shutters and have time to have a nice yard and go on family vacations every year.  I hope I've made a trip to Europe and that I live close to all of my brothers.  I hope our families get together all the time so our kids can play and I hope that one of my brothers marries someone who likes to shop so we can ditch the boys and take the kids annual back-to-school shopping (hear that brothers?  You have 15 years to provide Audrey with aunties/uncles and cousins.  That's plenty of time).

I would have never predicted, 7 years ago, that we would be living in Greeley, Colorado, so who knows where our life will actually take us.  Scott and I try to never close any doors and always try to think positively about our future prospects. Fifteen years is a long and short time.  It's going to be a fun ride.

And 16 years from now, I hope to win another medal in the Windsor Labor Day 5K race.