Thirty Something

 

I remember being in my elementary and middle school years and thinking thirty was old.  I would even see previews for the show Thirty Something and wonder why anyone would want to watch a show about middle aged people.  How depressing.  Somehow I suspect I would really enjoy the show now.  Even more depressing.

Anyway, being thirty something isn't so bad.  In fact I really enjoy my thirty somethings.  I have a pretty good set-up over here.  Great husband, beautiful home, good kids, fun part time teaching gig (gymnastics), and cool church, but it's really our wonderful friends I'd like to talk about today.

We have two sets of friends that we go to dinner with.  One set Steven and I have known the wife since high school and the other set we met when the wife became our babysitter to Little Man and Little Miss when I was working.  I'm not disclosing their names on here because I'm going to tell a story of one of date nights with both couples that makes me chuckle every single time I think of it.

About a year ago, Steven and I convinced both couples to try a new restaurant in a popular area of our city.  Steven and I had been there before and the food was really good and the atmosphere was quaint.  We decided to all meet there around 6 without kids so we could enjoy an evening out.

Unfortunately, the restaurant didn't live up to our memory, but we weren't going to let that spoil our kid free evening.  We decided to try the coffee shop two doors down where one of the couples knew the owner.

As we stepped inside it was packed out, but it was very apparent we did not fit in with this crowd.  It was one of those young hip, earthy type coffee shops where environmentally sound individuals sit and discuss saving trees and recycling.  Not for thirty somethings like us.

I believe the live music up front consisted of a small group of women and men who may or may not have arrived with shoes.  Nonetheless, not one musician was sporting any.  It was also very apparent that we were the only couples who seemed to mind that people were just hanging out with no shoes in a place where beverages were being served. Call me old fashioned, but I like the "No Shoes, No Shirts, No Service" saying.

Even with the earthy crowd and  non-shoe wearing musicians, Steven and one of the other guys were determined to get some coffee.  One of the other guys hates coffee, but he was peer pressured into ordering some.

Now I'm not a strong coffee type of girl.  I'm more of a foo-foo drink girl.  The kind of girl who likes a little bit of coffee with my creamer.  I should have ordered our friend's coffee.  Not the 'I like my coffee like I like my women (black and strong)' boys.  They ordered him up the strongest coffee.  They are mean.

After our friend had been slowing sipping on his coffee, Steven ventured to ask how he liked it.  I believe our friend's exact words were, "It taste like a$$."  Then he told us of a story where he went to breakfast with his co-workers.

Our friend is an engineer and is the youngest guy in his group of co-workers.  When they went to breakfast our friend, not liking coffee, ordered a chocolate milk.  After placing his order he went to the restroom.  When he came back his found his chocolate milk had been served...in a sippy cup.  After he got up to use the restroom, his co-workers asked the waitress to bring his milk out in a kid's cup.  Too funny!

And that my friends was all it took to get me laughing.  It still makes me laugh.  It all goes to show that we are not as young and hip as we would like to think we are.  We're just a group of thirty somethings who enjoy our time together whether we like where were at, whether we fit in, or whether we like coffee or not.