This is 35

I had an awesome weekend celebrating my long-time friend Mike alongside 7 of our other closest friends. It was his “bachelor” party but it did not feel anything like a bachelor party of the past.

Instead of going to Vegas, or Austin, or Mexico City for a long weekend bender, we all drove a couple hours north to a camping ground with some cabins for just one day and night. While we all had some adult beverages, there were no shots or drinking games. My other friend Mike Cordoba also brought his 5 year old son to hang out.

We spent the morning and early afternoon playing a round of golf. And then spent the late afternoon and evening just playing catch and catching up on life with everyone. We stayed up later than normal and I was the first to tap out at around 1:30am which might be a record for a bachelor party for me.

This is 35 and I’m not disappointed by it. We had a ton of fun just telling old jokes and stories and catching up on where everyone is at. There is nothing like old friends and laughter. And despite not seeing some of these guys in 5+ years, it felt like nothing had changed.

At 7am, all 3 parents woke up before everyone else and sat outside playing wiffle ball with our friend’s son. I couldn’t help but think how much has changed these last 20 years. Even 10 years ago, we’d like be sitting there at 7am still partying from the night before.

While that chapter of our lives are closed, it does get me excited to get older and grow up with these guys. On this Monday, I’m feeling incredibly blessed and grateful for the life I have.