The reality however, is that I am not a teenage anymore. Thank goodness for that! I don't fight with my parents anymore. Couple arguments are also much fewer and farther in between. I may have lost a certain freedom to responsibilities and obligations that come with having a family, a job, a house... but I've gained other freedoms. I can't get grounded or be told I can't do something anymore. I make my decisions and live with them - whether they're good or bad. And I look at the young girls and what they're wearing and wonder which new styles I can pull off (totally digging my new "skinny" jeans) and which ones I should not even think about trying (just can't bring myself to do "tights")!

Embracing who I am now doesn't mean letting go of who I once was... or growing up completely! Although I've grown a lot and lived a lot in the decade since high school - that girl is still inside me. She makes an appearance from time to time. She keeps me young - for better or for worse?!?

A.