Let's Start at the Beginning

So here goes nothing...

I'm starting this blog as a diary of sorts. Mainly to remember because as I get older, I'm sure I will forget what it was like when I began. Details will escape me. Important things. Non-important things.

A little about me and why I named this blog 31 and Over.

For one, 31 is my age. I will be 32 in August. After several years of relationship misfires, I'm also single. In being realistic about my singleness, I'm learning that I'm comfortable being single - dare I say happy?- and really tired of putting forth the effort to date (and fail miserably). In short, I'm lazy when it comes to dating. All of my close friends are married with kids. ALL of them. For the most part, our group met while I was in graduate school and one by one, they found significant others, said "I do's" and began to increase the gene pool. I'm the last one on the single bus.

The second reason for the blog name is that I've tried it all when it comes to dating. Match, Plenty of Fish, OKCupid, Meetup.com, trolling the gym, blind dates, friends setting me up, cousins setting me up, chance encounters in grocery store parking lots. I've been in short term relationships, friends with benefits relationships, long-term relationships, and "what am I thinking?" relationships. I'm over it all. Cue Katharine McPhee because I'm SO OVER it. 31 and Over.

And lastly, 31 and Over is a play on the phrase "21 and over." The implication that after age 21, you're an adult to make your own decisions. You can buy alcohol and then choose to be responsible or choose to ruin your life. It's up to you. At my age of 31, I feel like I'm finally at a place where I can make sound, quality decisions as an adult. I have a great job, a small bit of savings, a car that's paid for (albeit old), and a promising career. I'm fairly young to be thinking about this on my own, but I think now is as good a time as any. I'm old enough to accept my current status, and choose my next step.

So what's the next step? Well, I believe that it is becoming a mother on my own. As I'm single and have no readily-accessible sperm like most married or dating couples, getting pregnant will require finagling and biological know-how, but it's possible with some good quality sperm (from a donor) and a visit or two (or more) with a reproductive endocrinologist, OB/GYN, or midwife. This blog will largely share what it takes and what I encounter as a 31 year old with no known fertility issues. My case is also a little different from most fertility/SMC blogs in that I'm not 35+ or closer to 40 and age is on my side for now. We will see how far it gets me in my pursuit.

So that's it. 31 and Over. I hope you stick around for the wild ride to come...