The other day I was going through some old photos, and I came across a group photo of all my girlfriends during prom. There were about 15 of us in the picture. I started pointing at each one: “Married. Married. Married with two kids.” Then I came to me, who was sitting at the end of the line. “And single.” Out of the 15 girls, I was the only one still single. It made me laugh.

Unfortunately, I’m not really in touch with any friends from High School. I feel we live very different lives now.

But last week I went to a baby shower for one of my best friends from High School—Lindsey. It had been a couple years since I saw my high school friends, but Lindsey was a close friend, and I wanted to see her.

Nevertheless, I still feel out of place at these things. I have nothing to contribute to the conversations of the birthing process and baby toys. I sit there and smile while they talk about if they prefer boppies to bumbos to bouncers, and I sit there disgusted when they talk about dilating and ripping and placenta abruptions.

I was tempted to jump in and talk about my puppy, and how I prefer the larger rawhide bones to the smaller ones, and that the flavored bones aren’t worth it because the color can sometimes bleed onto things.

Then I overheard someone say, “It’s so weird how we’re all here now talking about babies and kids.” She didn’t realize I heard what she said, for it wasn’t true.

Not ALL of us are at this place in their life yet. And I’m not ready for it yet. Tomorrow I leave for another trip abroad: I’m going to Vietnam and Cambodia for two weeks. A golf buddy threw it out there to me a couple months ago, and after some thought, I said to myself, “Why the hell not? I’m still young, single, and…well…free.”

And I love that feeling. So if you think my traveling is excessive, I’d like to share with you the follow poem from the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien from The Fellowship of the Ring:

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

Remember, “not all those who wander are lost.” Not all those Mormon girls are dying to get married and have kids (yet). I still have some more things to see.

**Ah, Jenny’s adventures just never seem to stop. Please follow her latest on www.datejenny.com. She’ll be trying to update daily.