The Five Things I’ve Learned in the First 32 Years of My Life

Well, I knew that I had left my "youth" when middle aged men stopped flirting with me.  =D  I say that in jest, but in seriousness as well.  Aside from the physical changes of age I am growing in confidence and increasing less concerned with how others perceive me--and more concerned with how I perceive myself.  Can't say it was a specific year, but I recognized that I was no longer a baby-faced, naive, timid individual.  I vocalize my thoughts (only in the appropriate environment and in a professional, considerate manner--most of the time).  And though I am gaining more patience, I have found that I am less tolerant in some respects as well.  I am less inclined to make excuses for myself and am willing to accept responsibility for my actions.  Admittedly, I would LOVE to have the healthy body of my late teens, early to mid 20s, but I will take my fortitude and charming, warm, witty personality over that any day.  =)  Yay for having the opportunity to age!! 

I'm only 21, so maybe I'll have a greater age revelation later in life, but for me it was 20. I joked with my friends about becoming "Stesha 2.0," but it kind of actually stuck, and I started looking at things and going about life differently. In 20 years I'd never really lived for myself, I'd always been giving everything to someone else, be it my little sister, my parents, my boyfriend, my employer, the public school system, whatever...when I turned 20 I realized that I could live for myself and be happy and that it didn't make me selfish, it made me a better person. It's a process and I'm still working on it (with lots of help from a different, much less demanding boyfriend), but I'm a lot happier than I have been in a long time.

This one is easy for me, you see, I am also 32 this year; and it was this year is when I've finally started figuring stuff out. I left a 13 year relationship in September, I turned 32 at the end of December and this year, this age has felt different. Is it because for the first time in my adult life I'm independent? That's probably part of it. I think mostly though that it's because I'm finally ready to be open, honest, and real. I jumped off the cliff, I dared to start over from scratch at 31 with 2 kids in tow. Even now, looking at that written down, scary. I'm ready to be the best me, to see what life has out there for me, to learn and grow. And this is not middle age, I'm older then you (not by much) and I'm the best I've been in my opinion. Am I at my thinnest? No, but since that was during anorexia and really quite skeletal, that's a good thing. Am I at my healthiest? Again, no. I am working on that though. I do feel like I'm at my smartest, about life, and at school. Amazing the difference paying for it yourself makes in your level of dedication. I am funny, smart, weird, a little crazy, but good crazy. I'm loyal, I'm a good friend, I think when I'm ready to be I'll make a good partner for the right guy. Now I just have to get me to the point where I need to be to start looking.

I turned 37 this year.  The past couple of years have really driven home the point that not everyone gets to live by the script, even a little.  My life has taken twists I never would have imagined at 18 or 19, and apart from when I got engaged, I can't think of a moment when anything went according to plan.  Some of those detours were a result of my choices, and many of them were a consequence of things outside my control, but I'm approaching 40 and I've had to throw out the script so many times, I'm starting to wonder if I even have one.  And if I have to write it myself, fine, but I'm old enough to really be feeling the pressure to figure out what it will say.

Love the new hair!  You look so professional!

For me it was right around when I was 27.  I would say that's about the age that I really began to grow up and take more responsibility for myself.  Up until then, I'd really been nothing more than a man-child, living at home with the parents, going to school for nothing more than being a professional student and working just enough to fund my leisure time.  But in between my 26th and 27th birthdays some life changes came about that woke me up, so to speak, and encouraged me to move out of the parents house for good and make it on my own.  I can't say I grew up overnight, or in a matter of weeks or even months, but I can say that that age was the beginning of self-realization, where my once-stunted emotional growth began growing again and I really started the transition into adulthood and adult responsibilities. 

I celebrated my 32nd birthday yesterday and it was suprisingly different than all the others before. Past six month I've been working on something that I truly love and enjoy, struggling in my efforts to turn it into my future calling. Maybe thats the reason this birthday was, for me also, kind of different :)

i have had this type of "revelation" moment twice in my life so far.  it happened at 33 the first time (i remember thinking how interesting and important it was because Jesus died at the age of 33).  at the time i had lost a large amount of weight and my life had changed in ways that didn't make sense to me.  and for the first time in my life i realized i didn't want to fit into society's idea of a "pretty woman".  the way people treated me seemed so fake.  it reminded me of the first time i had lost weight (b/t junior & senior year in high school).  kids who had never talked to me before (the "popular" kids - both girls and boys) were coming up to me and talking to me for the first time.  they were not the kind of people i wanted to be friends with.  evidently this fact didn't hit home hard enough because i had to relearn the lesson at 33.

the second time is in progress right now.  i am 41.  when in my 30s i had an epiphony that all i really wanted in life was to spread love.  it is still my biggest goal in life.  but what i am learning about and working on now is fear.  they say fear is the absence of love.  this would lead me to belive i wouldn't have fear because i love to openly and freely.  well, here's the hitch.  although i openly love others - my family and friends, i have never felt worthy of anyone's love for me.  i guess i feel unloveable.  in this way, i guess love lets and fear protects.  love lets me give freely and open to others.  fear protects me from potenial hurt/disappointment/abandonment.

40 years is a long time to live in fear.  and it's not really living.  my last 40 years have been lived for others.....helping them, being there to comfort them, to assist them in their dreams and wants.  i don't know how many more years i have and i haven't overcome my fear yet.  but, i'm working on it and once i concur fear, i will finally be able to think about what MY dreams are.  what I want out of life.  it may seem odd to most, but i have never ever thought about what i want out of life.....what would give me joy to do, to be, to see.

congratulations on your discoveries.  i pray you will stay open to them as your life continues and won't be deterred by any forks in the road you hadn't planned on.  listen to your heart and soul and you will live the life you were meant to life......whether it agress with your "happily ever after" or not.  hugs!  :)

Great article, Single Dad...thanks!

I definitely the thirties are a great time because you suddenly realize that you aren't young anymore and that most people around you aren't young and that we all are sharing in many of the same details. We have kids, we work, we have sorrows. The number starts to lose the significance it had when you were in your twenties. I wrote a blogpost to my friend about this very thing when she turned 30 last year which I will shamelessly link to here in case you'd like to read it. Thirty-two was the age when I first looked at myself in the mirror and realized I looked older. This year I will turn 36 and I'm kind of not worried about it anymore. We'll see how 40 hits me :) 

http://mplsthrumywindshield.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/through-the-gateway-to-thirty-something/

I'm in the process of figuring this out right now.  Following a really difficult year (including the divorce of my parents, the loss of a relationship I thought was rock-solid and had the potential to be long-term, my little sister's slow recovery from her eating disorder, my own depression and struggle with self-harm): my nearly 28-year old self is learning that life is a choice.  I feel like I've failed in so many aspects, while in reality I can choose to look at the positives, learn, and grow.  I don't know if I ever believed in fairy tales or happily ever after; if I naively did, I definitely no longer do.  I think that's the painful part of growing up, but also very liberating.  Once you know that things can't be perfect, then you no longer expect them to be.  I'm still trying to define - and chase - my happy, and believe that the path I'm on is the right one, at least for now.  I want to believe that prince charming is out there somewhere, but my older and more wary self will be a little more careful about falling quite so hard and so far for him.  I think the single most important lesson I've learned so far: acceptance.  Accept what is, accept what was.  Accept who you are right now.  Accept change, and accept what life throws at you. 

Hope you get the cheesy video I (created &)posted on your wall. Happy birthday(*ahem* 2 days late...) ! Oh, and 32 feeeeels so different because of the apocalypse approaching(harharhar). ;)

35 was the year for me...I remember walking across a tarmac at 18yrs, heading for college and thinking that I had no idea of where my life would be at 30 - at 35, it occurred to me that I was 5 years beyond the 'unimaginable' and life was good. :)

When I turned 30, I was having a mini-mid-life crisis. Though I'd been married to my "handsome prince" for 3 years, and had been happily teaching elementary school for 7, I was missing something vital - children. Now, 12 years later I have 3 amazing children. I'm still married to the same prince, though the lustre for both of us gets a little more rusty as we get older. I'm no longer teaching, but found another calling, and get to spend time volunteering up at my kids' school, which fulfills me.I suppose everyone hits a certain age and feels reflection, and really looks at where they've been and where they're headed.I will say this. I've been doing a lot of reading of Fairy Tales lately. Not all of them end "happily ever after." The Little Mermaid (SPOILER ALERT) dies. And the ones who do find happy endings usually have to have something tragic happen to them before the happy ending - like eating a poison apple, being put into a sleeping death, or fighting off (or caring for) creatures until there's some payoff at the end where we learn the creature is actually a cursed human boy.I guess it's all how you look at it. 

I'm 25, I'll admit I haven't hit that age yet where I can really just accept the way things are. I'm always upset when things don't go my way, or I let the good things get away from me. But I do know you can't truly appreciate the good without the bad. I really really want to get to the point where I don't care what others think of me, hopefully I can get there soon. :) That's always been my biggest struggle, the constant "Am I nice enough? Am I pretty enough? Am I good enough?" It's exhausting.

35 was the year I think I had a long look at myself and said grow up.  I came to some of the same conclusions, especially about worrying.  I had been operating out of fear most of my life and decided that all my worst fears were realized, so why bother worrying about it.  I, like you, had failed at my first marriage with quite a bit of help from my ex-husband, lost a great deal of income and a job at my family's business, and was watching my family and life dissolve into a messy sticky horrifying scene from some soap opera.  I decided that I didn't have to be the star in that show and I could split off and do my own show where I wrote a new script with new characters and a positive outcome no matter what.  I quit blaming myself, my parents, my ex and started accepting my faults, working on building my self esteem and just doing what I liked to do.  I'm happier, healthier, debt free and my children are doing so much better.  Nothing is perfect and that is okay.  I still make plans for my future.  I'm house shopping for the first time in five years and it's scary as hell to think I'm gonna be responsible for this all on my own, but it's also fun to think this is going to be MY house.  I think the most important thing I've realized is there has to be balance.  Yes, I'm scared to be on my own, but I'm also excited about living my new dreams!  I'm worried that my kids will be angry at me for decisions I've made, but glad they will get to know a mom that is happier and positive!  I still get angry at the people in my life, but I have learned to be angry at their behavior and to be a little more patient with them.  Now if I could just balance my diet!! LOL  Good luck this year with all your life brings your way and be excited about change!!  One guarantee is all things change!!

I don't think I've hit an age that made me ponder things like that. It's been more like emotional events that make me stop and ponder about my past and about where I'm going with my future. I think leaving my ex (well, him leaving me is more accurate) was the most sobering moment in my life. Things were so terrible, depressing, and miserable, and when I went home, after being in colorado with my army unit for two weeks, to break up with him, he was already moved out and 2 weeks later married to someone else he had knocked up. It made me angry. I probably almost had a nervous breakdown. But over time I realized I was a better person because of it. I knew myself better, I had grown emotionally as well as mentally. I became more aware of Life in general, what was going on around me, up until that point I felt like I was living with a cloud around my head, a haze that I couldn't be bothered to penetrate because it didn't matter. And then it did matter. Because I had a daughter to care for, because I had myself to care for as well, and I spent the next 5 years picking up the pieces and putting myself back together. I don't think my age played a part in any case. the other sobering event was coming home from Army Basic Combat Training and having to attend my senior year of high school. It was like a light bulb went on, none of the high school drama mattered, everything would change in the next year anyway, and then real life would start happening. Needless to say I had a serious case of senioritis that year :)

Happy Belated Birthday. Hope ya had a good day.

I am 34. And i sure hope 32 is not middle age. Lol.

I agree with Anne...what does that say about the rest of us that are well past that but just consider ourselves just coming up on middle age? :P

For me, it was 25.  I got married at 19, was divorced by 24, and at 25, I was at rock bottom.  And then, somewhere within that year, everything changed.  My perspective, my work ethic, my relationships - all changed (not all for the better), but I realized that I hadn't been living my life for myself before that point.  I'd been living it for my ex, who drained all the goodness out of me and made me resentful and bitter.  So, for the first time in my adult life, I was free to do what I wanted, when I wanted, and the way I wanted to do it.  As liberating as that was, it was also very frightening.  I was afraid that I'd end up alone, so I surrounded myself with friends and I spent my free time trying things I hadn't done before.  I learned that year that it was okay to be alone - that being alone doesn't necessarily mean being lonely.  I found self-respect and self-acceptance.  I learned that to be able to be happy in a relationship, I first had to be happy with myself.  My friends taught me those things, and my family was more supportive than ever.  That was almost 5 years ago, and it was the single most awful and most wonderful time in my life.  I just got married, and this time the relationship is not only a hundred times stronger, it's also more honest and balanced.  I still continue to explore ways of improving my life, but that one year was the most dramatic change of all.

I turn 32 this August. Like you, I actually feel different this time. Almost as if my age has finally caught up with my life. Almost.

I take serious issue with 32 being middle age. If the average man lives until 83, then I think you have at least until 45! :)

I remember thinking and feeling the same way when I was 30-something. I'll celebrate my 58th birthday soon. And I'll surely be blessed if the next 25 years provides a similar degree of evolution.

I just turned 30 in March. Honestly, I didn't feel older; however, I felt like I had finally gotten rid of my 20s, which was much like your life a roller coaster of highs and lows including relationships, schooling, jobs, and money.  My 30s are starting off much better...I am moving to Boston, starting law school, and leaving behind all of the bad mojo that has drug me down for the past few years. I have also gone gluten free, and my health is improving beyond belief! I even started blogging again about my life and my gluten free cooking. I haven't felt this good in years, and I finally starting to lose weight again and feel healthy! In the end, I enjoyed turning 30, but I think it was 29, I realized I had to make some changes, and I did. Instead of freaking out like many of my friend did when they hit 29 (and rounded the corner to 30), I embraced it. 

for me it was 30. I decided to stop buying into the crap being slung at me, and started a different path which has taken 2 yrs to get ready for.  now I have done the school and the light dues.  Now I'm starting at the bottom rung and hope to go up. I already have a good promise of a better work/private life ratio.  Excited for that to happen BIG TIME. 

I'm almost 31 and over the last few years I have figured out that my dad was right - "If you're going to do a job, do it right."

I'm not sure that any specific age brought any new insights. I can tell you that experiences have. Abuse in my teens. Anorexia / bulemia. Dropping out of college to be admitted to a psychiatric facility. And all that during what outwardly appeared as a really nice life, except for on and off health issues. Then getting married, losing a baby, having five kids, losing twins. Then increased illness that landed me using canes or a wheelchair. Perhaps the greatest life lessons occurred with the physical limitations of my illness, which blessed me with the time to realize and focus on what's really important in life. The ages of my kids, though - they've hit me harder than any age I ever reached. I have a TEENAGER. And a four year old. And three kids in between. That three of my kids are going to be "double digits" within the next two months blows my mind! 

As I approach my 23rd birthday, I'm starting to learn which relationships to keep alive and which ones to let go. It took me from age 20 to now to finally let go of an individual who was sucking the life out of me while giving nothing in return. In letting go of such ones, I am now free to pour my love and energy into the people who truly matter, the "roots" of my friendships-the ones that anchor me and keep me nourished and strong. I'm just happy I've learned this lesson now instead of later.

Yeah that was age 26 for me.  25 hit me hard because I was almost on a cane for it. (i refused and stuck to my crutches.  I had been run over by a front end loader and was relearning to walk. yeah that happened. lol)  but 26 I realized my son was going to be 6 only 5 short months later.  I realized how much time I had lost working my life away trying to give him the best, but he wasn't getting the best of me! That following year I quit one job.  Started working on my book again.  Started spending more time with my son.  Stopped worrying so much about finding Mister right.  (still looking but not looking quite so hard!) Started to realize the only opinion that matters is mine!  And life has been a lot better since then! Can't wait to read your revelations on your revelations! :D

Haha, wasn't going for sad, was going for suave. ;)

Eyes speak the truth... No matter what you are going for... ;)

<3 <3 <3....!

You look so sad Dan. :( Happy belated birthday!

Your eyes look sad in that picture. Like you so don't want to be there. 32 really is strange, isn't it? I turn 33 in September. I wonder how that will feel. I can't wait to read your upcoming posts. Thank you for sharing.

32 huh? Wait till you hit 50, hell, wait till you hit 65!!!!! You will be a wise old man but no one listens anymore! LOL

Happy Birthday Dan!!! Oddly enough my birthdays pass without me feeling any different. What really makes me think of all the things we still have to accomplish are my kids birthdays. Those are the ones that hit me. I wake up on their birthday and realize omg I am the mother of an 11 year old and I haven't taken him to the Grand Canyon yet. His birthday was on Friday. My heart just stops when I think about how fast they are growing.

I just turned 31 at the beggining of the month; and I have had a lot of blow outs lately with very dear friends. Which is something I had in highschool and worked hard to never have a re occurance, but life doesn't work that way I get it. The blow outs are due to miss communication, and the miss communication is because life is changing fast all around us and we are all struggling to keep up with all these growing pains. I've decided we are all growing, and while we welcome it, we are saying good bye to old traditions. ie. late night phone calls, skipping work for a road trip, having a full weekend free which is now being replaced with falling asleep before 10, working more and vacationing less, and dating someone with kids and spending the weekend at their cheer squad competetions vs. driving around the country side taking pictures and drinking beer deciding when the next all night poker game should be. Once I realized (just over the weekend) that everyone around me was going threw this and I wasn't to blame I have had some peace. I don't deal well with change ..... and I hope my friends and I can grow without growing apart.

Happy Birthday yesterday, Dan! I hope it was AMAZING! Mine was Saturday and I turned 33, holy crap, I feel old! Isn't it a major bummer having a birthday that almost always falls on Memorial weekend and/or Memorial Day! Yay us! LOL! You're awesome! :)

32 did that for me, too. I lost my husband to mental illness shortly before that (suicide), and our business was destroyed in the process. It was the first time I felt like an adult- after all, these were old people problems. Old husbands die, old people run out of energy to keep their lives on track. I not only felt like an adult, I felt like i'd gone from kid to old woman in what felt like a moment. The truth is, it was a long road of pain on the way to that moment. I didn't know my husband had bipolar when we got together. He successfully hid it for years before suddenly going off his meds. When he did, I tried so hard to save him, to be supportive and understanding, to make sure he had the help he needed. But it wasn't enough. And it took it's toll. I can only say, there has to be a reason. The things I have gained from the experience are compassion; understanding how good people can fail while trying so hard, that 'laziness' isn't always a fctor. I learned how anger, sadness and bitterness can make you stronger, IF you can let them go.

I look forward to your discussions. Here is perhaps the reason 32 feels differently for you. The obvious answer is you are different. Perhaps the blog, the book, your son, they all contributed to something changing in you, and you are a different person. I know it is also different for a different reason. 32 is that threshold when you are old enough to know you don't know everything, that life is full of surprises, and young enough to look forward to the adventures ahead. Happy 32! May you find what you want in the years ahead, and what you didn't know you needed, too.

Happy Birthday dear Dan. Hopefully God always bless you with happiness and success.......

I wrote a blog post about the whole Fairytale Happily Ever After thing. Check it out at www. murph4slaw.blogspot.com. I had the whole starry-eyed optimism/naivete nonsense going on. I married a gorgeous, talented guy after spending an excruciatingly short time dating him. He swept me off my little girl feet. And then he went on to sweep OTHER girls off THEIR feet while he was married to me. THAT, my friend, was a wake-up call. He tried to prove to a marriage councilor that I was insane so he could take our adorable daughter. There were all kinds of mind games.

But out of that magma of self-hatred and depression I emerged like one of those fireflowers which spring up after the lava has cooled. I went back to college and graduated with two degrees and high honors. I had two full-time jobs and 19 credits at the time. I danced every chance I got, joined a tour choir, and was the token girl in our caving group. My daughter grew up incredibly well-rounded, self-assured around adults (even gave dating advice to my guy friends when she was 4), and whip-smart. I married my best friend and favorite caving buddy and had 5 more children with him. Life has never been what I thought it would be when I was young. I was going to be a ballerina. I was going to marry someone adorable and perfect. We were going to live the whole Happily Ever After Myth.

But there's something to be said about being tested in the fiery furnace. You either come out charred into bitter ash, or you come out a sharp and tempered blade. Those who never have such tempering tend to break under stress. Everyone has some kind of challenge. Every time you walk by those lurid magazines in the checkout lines you see a bit about some famous person with piles of money whose spouse is sleeping with someone else, or they're dying of cancer, or drugging themselves to death. They have not been tempered--or their tempering is taking another form.

I personally would rather be the blade than the ash, for now I know that the sweeping fire of opposition will come whether we want it or not. Such knowledge comes in the face of experience. Welcome to the furnace, my friend...;o)

I felt somewhat like this the day I turned 36.  It was a sunday, I went to church alone that day because my family was out of town .  The pastor spoke of how quickly life can go...like the steam flowing up form a hot cup of coffee: its there just a moment then disappears right before your eyes.  He talked about the average age we live to be...he used the number 72...making me smack dab in the middle of mid life. It hit me hard. I was not happy with mine and it was half over already.  I thanked him for kicking off my mid life crisis as I walked out that morning.  It was said tongue in cheek, but in reality, it was very very true.  That night my dad, my favorite person in the whole wide world, went into the hospital at the age of 57.  He left 14 days later when we burried him.  I finally felt grown up...and old...and angry, and sad, and unhappy with my life (not because of his death, but because of a bad marriage) and how quickly it went and how i still hadnt found happiness. Now, nearly three years later, creeping up on 39 I can actually see a future further than the next day.  In the last few years I've been through hell and back, felt like a scared child and also a major grown up...something i fought for years.  In a nutshell, I left a marriage of 18 years, moved away from my boys (for a job) who my ex made it nearly impossible for me to care for.  I have learned to rely on myself rather than being the child bride who depended on someone for everything.  I stayed in this miserable marriage because i didn't want people, mainly my dad, to know how terrible it was and that i had made a big mistake.  I didn't want my dad to know how i was treated or how i felt...it would have broken his heart.  I didnt want that. Recently in counseling, my therapist said that maybe with my dad's death I was given that freedom to leave...his last gift he gave me.  My dad gave me so much...and now, as i grow up, move forward, go on...I am thankful for that final gift. My once dreaded birthday now has new meaning....     

It wasn’t an age so much as an event that made me appreciate life; after 15 years of an emotional abusive marriage, and being betrayed I got divorced. That freedom from my cage made me realize life is for living and nothing is going to stop me except me.  I am 41 years old now, and have done more in the last 3 years since my divorce, than I have done my entire life...life is for living, and I realized, if I don’t like where I’m at, I’m the only one with the power to change it.  I no longer fear death, it’s not for me to worry about, it will come - can’t change that - I don’t have tomorrow, I have NOW and I intend to use it to my advantage with every breath, beat of my heart and waking minute.

In my 20s I wondered if, are you who you are or are you only what others perceived you to be. I spent so much time trying to show everyone who I really was but by 30  I no longer cared. I knew who I was, Liked me even, so who gave a shit what other thought. Now that I just turned 40 i'v learned that living in the past can cause you to be depressed and living to much in the future can cause you anxiety. So I'm learning to live for today and enjoy every second because that is were happiness is found. Money comes and goes, friends come and go, even lovers, so I enjoy the time with them and never worry about losing them. only learning from them and enjoying the happiness they bring to my life today.

First thing is age is just a number.  It really has no meaning except what we give it.  Think about it, now 40 is middle age.  A few hundred years ago it was the extreme of old age!  It's not the years of your life, it's the life in your years.  Having said all that each time I take stock and look back I am amazed at the maturity I have gained.  It just shows that we are never as mature as we think.  :-)  We are never too old to learn, live or love. 

The age that a true appreciation for life hit me?  Now.  I like to practice gratitude and focus on the wonderful things that I have in my life instead of looking at things I wish I had or things that I wish were better.

I am turning 45 in Sept, have 2 great kids, a wonderful husband...I think this will be the big birthday.  I am really realizing I keep saying, "oh, we'll do that later...." but now is the later I need to be doing those things.  Life is passing me by and I'm letting it.  I need to wake up by Sept or I'll blink my eyes and I'll be 65 saying, "I wish I would've...." I am very happy though even though we struggle.  My boys and hubs are everything to me, and everyday I take a moment to let them know how wonderful they are and how grateful I am for them.

I'm 36 now, and each year I just get happier and more comfortable with who I am and what I want out of life. My teens and twenties were full of insecurities. I certainly still have some, but mostly in ways that I feel like I can take charge of them. If my weight bothers me, I work on changing it. If my friends upset me, I talk to them about it. I used to spend hours worrying about what other people were thinking or worrying about all the ways I was somehow "wrong"... now I just address the things that are worth addressing and don't worry about the rest. Life isn't exactly how I want it to be - I'd like to find true love, for example - but I truly understand now that it will happen when it's right, and stressing over it won't get that moment here faster. I made some changes in life in the last year especially that reminded me that I have to seize opportunities when they arise and be ready to find my own luck. Happy birthday...it just keeps getting better!