the best time is now

2007-04-14 - 11:16 p.m.

Did you think I gave up on my diary? Well, I sure did. For almost an entire year, but I am back...and however sporadic my entries may be, I am here to stay. Hmmmmmm, alot has happened since LAST MAY- For starters, WE GOT MARRIED! Yay for us! I'm not posting pictures because I am sure everyone I know has seen a kajillion of them and are sick of the cutest baby elephant ever (not to mention the most handsome groom ever)...It was an awesome wedding, I tell lies. Here's a pciture... and we are happy little newlyweds, I am pleased to report.What else....oh yeah, I got a new job teaching special ed. in China...and Mike is making a reality dating show in Shanghai called "My Cupid," and China is STILL crowded and still stinky and I STILL cannot speak Chinese. I know you would think that I would have learned something new in one year but all I have to show for my pathetic self is that I can now say "Cross that street, then go left..." to a taxi driver. Learning this phrase was no small feat. They seem like such small, insignificant words, but "cross" and "then" are very challenging words to remember, but they snuck their way into my skinny little Chinese vocabulary and I am so proud. At this rate of language acquisition (2 words a year) I might be able to tell someone what I like to do in my free time in oh, say, about 55 years. Now on to more important things- I turned 30. I never fathomed turning the big 3-0. I feel like Deana Carter. Only country music fans will know who I'm talkin about, but in her "Strawvberry Wine" song (which Janna bought me for a birthday somewhere in our 20's-21, 22, 23, 24??? and I was obsessed with the CD and played the song repeatedly and pretended that I was Deana Carter in her video and sang at the top of my lungs...) There's a line in the song that says, " I still remember when 30 was old..." Yea, I remember that too. Never thought about actually being that age until I woke up on March 14, 2007. It's so weird. When I was 18, I honestly thought that when I was 30 I would be so grown-up and adult-like and would somehow magically stop behaving like a 12 year old. Ha. I love how the people say "50 is the new 40" and "40 is the new 30" and, "30 is the new 20". No one says "20 is the new 10" but they might as well, the way those wacky college kids act. I guess 10 year olds don't go around getting rip roarin drunk and making asses of themselves...or do they? Is "10 the new infant baby"? So stupid, I know. Speaking of new infant babies, my new nephew is precious. He's such a baby. Cries alot and poops alot, and makes lots of puppie noises. No puppy breath though. Wouldn't that be weird. Now back to getting old. I don't feel older. Janna and I pretended we were turning 7. We had our 7th birthday at Joyland Skating rink in Cabot, so we had another one there for our 30th. They even played the old-school "Hokey Pokey" song for us. Here are some pictures. Enjoy! Also, um, it was the best birthday party ever. I'm not promising much, but I will try to write on here more than once a year. That's even worse than my Chinese skills. xoxo, Julie Pelino (yay!)

We got the band back together...and little Clayton tried to eat the entire birthday cake.

It's like no time passed since Amy last took her speed skates off back in 1987.

Janna had so much fun she joined a rollerderby team- no kidding!

We never won these stupid races when we were actually good on 4 wheels 20 years ago, and this picture proves that some things do NOT get better with age.My crack was showing, but we sure had fun.