Sucky and Super Memorial Monday

Ooh, good alliteration, Mon. [Insert self back-patting here.]

Hello, dear readers! Thank you for spending some of your day with me. I don't ask too much of you readers, but I do have one request of you today. While you're enjoying the last leg of your three day weekend, please take a small break from National BBQ day to reflect on the true meaning of this holiday. Take some time to thank a vet or stop by a cemetery with some flowers.

I'll step off my little soap box now and jump onto a Sucky and Super train.

Sucky:

• I had a very unexpected melt-down Friday evening.  I was in a great mood and happened to drive past the apartment complex that one of my closest friends and her boyfriend lived in. You may remember them from zombie dates and this going away letter. Anyway, I just started bawling out of nowhere. I hadn't even been thinking about anything specifically, but damnit I miss my friends. I think it especially hit me hard because Memorial Day weekend my friends and I used to have a giant day-long party.
• I had to say "no" to my Little for the first time this week. I've realized very quickly that she is a typical only child who is used to always getting her way and I don't think she hears "no" very often. It wasn't over anything major, and I could have easily caved in, but I needed to stand my ground. While making the "no" decision, I knew if I hadn't given her that answer, she would know immediately how easily it could be to walk over me. It was difficult to do, because I don't want to be the stern rule-enforcer, but rather, the fun person she enjoys hanging out with. It is also hard to tell where my boundaries are in this non-familial relationship. I stood my ground and after a little bit of begging threw out the "the answer is no" line and she finally accepted it.
• This afternoon I will be visiting the cemetery to visit my friend, the one I got this tattoo for:
  
  Visiting the cemetery is such a bittersweet feeling. On one hand, it's a very real reminder that he is gone and after nearly 9 1/2 years since his death, I am still incredibly overwhelmed with a slough of emotions. I miss him so much and it's still so hard to grasp that I am four years older than he was when he died. However, as sad as I get, sitting out in the cemetery is the best way I have ever been able to cope. I sit at his grave remembering and talking to him. It's the most peaceful and soothing place I have been. I'm having a bad day and want some space, what do I do? Sit out there and cry to my heart's content in privacy. I need to get lost in my thoughts? I sit out there for hours contemplating life. I just want some peace and quiet? I bring a beach towel and book out and read by myself. I don't care if any of this is weird or creepy. It brings me solace.

Super:

• Although I wasn't able to throw a major bash yesterday, I was able to put together a successful cookout at Pamperin Park with plenty of snacks, drinks and grilled food. I am growing much closer to  getting to know Man Friend's friends. I think I can safely say I have started to think of them as our friends or even my friends too, and not just his friends. The weather was mostly cooperative, and it was quite fun, even though Man Friend had to run to Wal-Mart to get a little grill since all the park ones were occupied. Man Friend and I also walked around Celebrate DePere for a while and got to listen to a local band, The Shaker and the Egg. Also quite enjoyable. 
• Man Friend and I have been actively trying to lose weight and better our overall health. We both downloaded the My Fitness Pal app, which has helped tremendously. Far more than I expected it to, actually. It has been a struggle staying within my allotted 1340 daily calories, and have gone over several times, but I have hit my goal of one pound a week for these first two weeks of recording. That app is so nice to help keep track of what you're eating, not to mention a good eye-opener for the amount of things you put into your body. It also tracks the exercise you put in, which is equally as helpful. However, the most helpful thing is to have someone right by your side doing the same thing. We're able to encourage each other and since we're both trying, we aren't keeping any junk food in the house. I already feel less lethargic and it's so nice to be back on track with a healthier lifestyle.
• Despite having to say "no" to my Little, we have been having a lot of fun every week. We've been able to spend our time outside and enjoying nature. In the last two weeks, we have walked through a woodsy area on a nature walk and went to the Wildlife Sanctuary. We walked around feeding the ducks and looking through some of the exhibits. I learn new things about her every week and always enjoy our time together. 

Reality Check

Sometimes, I don't know why I have a Facebook. That's right, I said it. Self-proclaimed Facebook addict has it in writing that some days I want to deactivate the thing. And here's why. Not one day goes by that someone isn't posting about fabulous things happening in their life. Nothing gets me more bummed than to pull up my news feed to see someone posting pictures from a fabulous vacation or honeymoon or an event they attended. Or the number one culprit, seeing someone who just got hired for their dream job. Hell, even someone who gets a promotion at work irks me. I see all these things that I'm not doing and my mood instantly drops. I will even publicly admit in front of the Internet and everyone that it makes me bitter. Crabby. Resentful, even. Financially, vacations are not feasible right now. Even if I could manage to save up for a trip, my current job does not offer any vacation time at all. Taking a vacation with unpaid days off is nearly impossible. The three days I take off for Rock Fest every summer fucks me for weeks after, but it's the only "vacation" I get. So I take the blow and go. I cannot afford to take time off for anything else, nor can I afford to go to big events or buy myself presents. I am not in my dream job, or even a permanent one for that matter. So I go on Facebook, get down on myself, and contemplate deleting my number one source of communication. I start moping about how my life sucks and how everyone has a greater life than me. And that's a problem. This is when I need to just grab myself by the shoulders and shout to myself, "Mon, would you shut the fuck UP and LISTEN to yourself?!"

Not only is it not fair to myself, but constantly comparing myself to others is exhausting. Not to mention inaccurate. Frankly, I've led a pretty damn good life thus far, and have already accomplished and experienced so many things. Since I'm currently in a really great mood, I have decided to come up with my checklist of why my life is already awesome. So when I'm in a salty mood, I can come here and give myself a reality check. This is for me to remember that just because I may not be exactly where I want to be in my life right now, I've already gotten pretty far. And this just proves that since I know I've accomplished this much, I have plenty of years ahead of me to accomplish everything else I want to.

• I've gotten to do a decent amount of traveling, and mostly because of school. I've already visited:
• Memphis, Birmingham, Selma, Montgomery and Atlanta on a Civil Rights Pilgrimage. I learned more on that trip than all my years of schooling and got phenomenal, once in a life-time first-hand accounts of the Civil Rights Movement.
• Oklahoma City on a week-long Habitat for Humanity trip. This week was so rewarding and gave a lot of things a new perspective.
• Hawaii, which was by far the most gorgeous place I have seen so far. Absolute paradise
• New York City, Washington DC and Chicago
• I've been to music festivals like Rock Fest and Summerfest on multiple occasions, which allowed me to see countless concerts and try new foods.
• I've been able to see my top five favorite bands, most of them on multiple occasions.
• Actually, I've been to quite a few concerts in general
• I've known I'm a writer since the third grade. I didn't have to struggle with a major or focus in school. I already knew.
• I graduated with my Bachelor's in Writing with a Women's Studies minor in four years and with honors. 
• I've gained a lot of confidence in the last few years. 
• Although my self-esteem has been shit for the better half of my life, it's building. I'm learning to appreciate and respect myself. A big part of that has come from encouragement from the wonderful people around me. I'm gaining confidence in my abilities and am learning there are some things I am really damn good at. And it's ok to say it.
• Speaking of people surrounding me, I have the very best friends I could ever ask for. And I'm pretty sure they're better than yours. Even though my closest friends are the farthest away, I know that they are only a call or text away if I need them. Even if I just need a good laugh, I can count on them.
• I found the love of my life at a relatively young age.
• When my scumbag ex cheated on me and therefore ended our engagement, I didn't think I would ever love again. Never mind that I was merely 21 years old and tons of people that age haven't even had a boyfriend yet. I never wanted to feel that gut wrenching pain again. Luckily for me though, I was able to find love again. A much better, more honest and true love. I fell head over heels in love with Man Friend and knew it after only three weeks together. And I have fallen even more in love with him every single day since. Accepting his date offer was one of the best decisions I have ever made. (Ok, sorry. You all have permission to vomit now.)
• I experience the joy of volunteering every week. Giving back to those kids has changed my life and taught me so much. I look forward to seeing my Little all week long, and I anxiously wait for Y events to be a part of. 
• I have a car to myself that's in good condition. It's reliable and perfectly nugget-size for 5'2 me. It's no Mustang, but it sure as hell isn't a junker either.
• I've been able to move out of my parents house. I got to experience living with my best friend for two years and now get to live with Man Friend.
• I've been able to attend two Packers games.
• I've been camping, which I found out I love. It may not seem like much, but to someone who has never been outside city limits or living, it's a big deal.

Until next time, my friends, enjoy your lives.

Sucky and Super Sunday

Sucky:

• Someone made a rather inappropriate and totally uncalled for remark to me this week. Considering it came from someone I have absolutely zero respect for, I should not have been as upset as I was. But damnit if I didn't want to tell them GFY. I know, I know, "Sticks and Stones," right? False. Words stick with you way longer than any punch to the face would.

That's it! That's the only Sucky thing that happened to me all week. And I have to admit, if that's all that really happened to put me in a sour mood, I must be doing ok for myself. In fact, as you will see, my week was actually pretty phenomenal. My life is finally turning around in the way that I had been hoping it would for so long. Although there is still a fair amount of stress in my life, it has dramatically decreased. Finally, week after week, good things have been coming into my life. Positivity is crawling out of the woodwork. And frankly, it's about damn time.

Super:

• Tuesday my little and I made Mother's Day cards
• Thursday's mail brought me the custom-made Chuckies I designed

• I volunteered at the Y's Healthy Kids Day for a second year
• I had a fabulous Pure Romance party

Volunteering has been having such a positive influence on my life, and I cannot be more thankful for the Green Bay YMCA or the Green Bay Big Brother Big Sisters. Working with these children has probably helped me out just as much as it has them. It is so rewarding being able to help someone else and to know that they have someone there for them who WANTS to be there. 

I've only been a Big for about three weeks now, but we have so much fun together every week. This was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. Little decided she wanted to make Mother's Day crafts as our activity this week. Her mom does a lot of crafting/scrapbooking, but has never really had the chance to help Mom out at all. I was excited that she was so excited, particularly because I enjoy stamping and scrapbooking so much. I told her the ridiculous amount of supplies I have and she grew even more eager. Fast forward to when I actually pulled out my supplies (and not even all of them, mind you) and her eyes lit up and jaw dropped so far I thought I was going to have to pick it up off the floor. I showed her my stamps, inks, stickers, markers and paper, just in seventh heaven to be able to share my interests with her. She was in such awe that she just sat and stared at everything for a good five minutes before starting. 

I'm starting to learn how funny Little is, and not just for being nine years old. Her Mother's Day card read, "Mom, I remember the first step I ever took. Actually, I don't but I'm sure you were there." She used one of my little footprint stamps and wrote [Little] 7 lbs 8 oz. I asked if that's how much she actually weighed when she was born and she said, "No. It just seems like that's what a lot of people weigh so I figured I'd just put that." She makes me laugh every time I'm with her and I hope she holds on to that sense of humor forever.

Saturday's Healthy Kid Day was so much fun I hadn't even realized my three hour "shift" was up so quickly. I was at the Master Gardeners station which ended up being far more enjoyable than I had expected. I was in charge of the micro-greens, which were baby kohlrabi, kale, arugula and a Japanese lettuce. I got to tell the kids what they were and instructed them how they could eat the greens. Surprisingly, most of the kids actually enjoyed them. It was funny to watch them so diligently pull off one single leaf to eat when there were about ten full trays full of the greens. I was a bit disappointed at how few parents tried them, though. There were some awesome parents who tried the greens with their kids, and high fives all around to them. However, many did not. How can you ever expect your child to try new things if you don't try it with them? And you wonder how you have such a picky eater? Give me a break. 

Also at the Master Gardener station the kids could learn about canned veggies. We had a few tables with fresh veggies next to their canned cousins so the kids could see where canned veggies come from and how they start out. They each got to pick a packet of seeds to bring home to plant and at the end of the station could also plant a sunflower seed to bring home to grow. As always, it is super cool to see how excited the children are to learn and try new things. Every day is such an adventure to them, even if it only eating baby lettuce. 

Saturday night I also had a highly successful Pure Romance party. This was the 6th party I've attended, but every single party is a new experience and just as fun (if not more) than the one before it. It was a good time to have some ladies-only fun, drinks and yummies. One of the things I love the most about Pure Romance parties is how educational they are. Although the parties certainly do focus on the toys, products and sexiness, they are incredibly informative. Even though I had attended several parties before this, I still learned new things. In fact, I think I learn something new every party I go to. I have to admit I had a fairly thorough sex-ed class in high school, but I had no idea the things I didn't know until I started attending PR partes. I've learned so much valuable information about my body that I cannot believe I didn't know prior. It also helps that my consultant is amazing. She's so knowledgeable about the company, her products and sexual health. She's confident, funny and personable. Seriously, ladies, if you're in the GB area and looking to have a party, check out her Facebook page. We all had a lot of fun at the party and since my sales were so successful, I got tons of free stuff. Holla! $150 worth of product for $52. Plus, one of my friends decided to become a consultant through my party! 

As if the week hasn't treated me well enough, it's been a gorgeous weekend and I'm of to enjoy the weather. 

Fictional Characters I Want to Know in Real Life

Recently, I re-pinned a "some e-card" that said "Finishing a TV series on Netflix and thinking 'I'm really gunna miss these guys,' as if the characters are somehow now your friends." That pin was far more true than I should ever publicly admit. Seriously, it's embarrassing. When I finished the series finale of Greek, I bawled my probably-too-old-to-enjoy-this-show eyes out. I'd like to think that it was because it was the same week my former roomie moved across the country and I was relating my real-life sadness to the characters' moving on and away. But realistically, I know that an equal part of me knew I was going to miss those characters and watching every single detail of their fictional lives. Hey, don't judge.

Anyway, it got me thinking to how many fictional characters I feel like I know in real life. Or for that matter, wish I knew in real life. A significant portion of these characters are because the script or book is so incredibly well-written that I feel like they are actually people. Patricia Cornwell has her characters so strongly developed, she talks about them as if they're real people and I don't give it a single thought. Sometimes it's just because I really enjoy the characters because they're fun. And want to be their friends. If I had it my way, I would make these people be my friends, whether they cared to or not.

Here are some characters I either feel like I already know, or wish I could be BFFs with:

• Scarpetta, Marino, Lucy and Benton from Patrica Cornwell's Scarpetta series
• Casey, Rusty, Cappie (ahh I'm swooning), Ashley and Calvin from ABC Family's Greek. Actually, almost everyone from this show except Evan Chambers. He's a douche and I hate him.
• Benson and Stabler from Law and Order: SVU. Kragen too. He's pretty bad ass as well.
• Savich and Sherlock from Catherine Coulter novels
• Nina Reilly from Perri O'Shaughnessy's series
• The How I Met Your Mother cast: Lily, Marshall, Ted, Robin and Barney. (My life would actually be a thousand times more awesome if I was part of their friendship.)
• Most of the Walking Dead cast, but particularly Rick, Michonne, Daryl and Hershel. Well, really anyone aside from the Governor. That psycho does not need any friends.

Becoming a Big

Hello dear readers! About two months ago, I had come to the decision I wanted to become a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I had never really considered the idea until my cousin mentioned how much her friend loved being a Big. Why this had never occurred to me, I don't know. But it was almost like a light switch had gone off. If I was a cartoon character, a nifty little light bulb would have appeared over my head. I just felt it in my gut that this was what I needed to do. The number one thing on my bucket list has been to make a difference in someone's life, particularly a young girl. Working with adolescent or pre-adolescent girls is what I've wanted to do with my Women's Studies minor. This could be it; this could be my calling.

As many of you know, I've done quite a bit of volunteering for the Y in the last two years. I love it fundraising for the Strong Kids Campaign, and GNO has made a tremendous impact in my life. As much as I love working with the GNO girls, though, I was starting to feel like I wanted something more. I wanted to have a more one-on-one experience, or be able to directly impact someone's life. I decided that this could potentially be the perfect opportunity for me.

At the beginning of the year, I made a vow that this year I was going to stop "talking about it" and start "being about it." Becoming a Big was my first stop in the Be About It journey. I knew that if I didn't jump on this desire right away, I would put it on the back burner, never do anything about it, and feel lousy. I looked up BBBS online, gave it less than a week's thought, and called the Green Bay office. I went in for an orientation meeting, and two weeks later, I had an interview set up.

I knew the interview would be pretty intense since it was for the responsibility of taking care of a child, but holy shit. It. Was. Insane. I think it's fair to say it was the most intense interview I've ever had, far more so than any job interview I've been on. It was super intimidating, and by the end, my nerves were shot. The questions were far more difficult than I ever could have anticipated, and were pretty loaded.

After three agonizing weeks, I got a call that not only was I accepted, but they had found me a Little right away! The enrollment specialist at BBBS told me a little about her, and I couldn't have been more excited to me her. She's an only child who is adopted and has been struggling emotionally, particularly with being adopted. I personally don't have any experience with adoptions, but my parents divorced when I was in middle school. I struggled with it a lot and eventually went to counseling. I hoped with my past of questioning parents and my position in the family that I might be a good resource for her or might be at least a little relatable. I accepted the position and antsily waited another week or so to meet her.

Last week we were officially matched. The "match" is mostly paperwork. A lot of paperwork. It was actually kind of dull, but absolutely necessary. The enrollment specialist went over the organization's rules, guidelines and policies and Little, her parents and I signed a rain forest worth of documents. After we had signed our names so many times I was fairly certain I had just signed my life away, Little and I got to hang out for the first time. I took her to experience Smart Cow yogurt bar for the first time and she loved it. Naturally, as any other nine year old would, she dumped in so many sugar-coated toppings that she couldn't come close to finishing her portion.

Before meeting her, I was told my Little was a little on the shy and quiet side. I was fully prepared for her to not talk to me at all, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much she engaged in conversation. She answered all of my questions and even initiated a few of her own. I had quickly started to learn about her and she is pretty damn awesome from what I can tell so far. She doesn't like Bieber, but does love P!nk (one of my all-time favorites), hates swimming (samesies) and likes Monsters, Inc and Despicable Me. She's self-proclaimed obsessed with horses, loves bike riding and Social Studies and hates Math. I know next to nothing about horses, but I'm excited that it will give her something to teach me. All in all, we're pretty much a match made in Big Sister heaven.

Things My 15 Year Old Sister Will Never Understand

Hello dear readers! A few weeks ago, I saw a picture on Pinterest of something from the 90s that kids now will never get. And it got me thinking. There's so much that has changed in the last decade and a half in our world, particularly with technology. Although I'm sure my grandparents and parents would say the exact same thing about my generation, technology has very rapidly come such a long way that nearly everything (or at least everything awesome) about my childhood is obsolete. I've come up with a list of things that teenagers and especially children today will never know, understand or appreciate. So here's to you, kids of the 90s (and early 2000s). Let's reminisce, shall we?

A work in progress:

• Rewinding a cassette tape with a pencil eraser
• Listening to the radio all day waiting to record your favorite song. On said cassette tape, of course.
• Or just a cassette for that matter.
• The inevitable skip while listening to your disk-man in the car
• The anxiety of not feeding your Nano Baby/Tomagotchi for the whole eight hours of school 
  
• Pressing the tracking button on your VCR to get the lines to go away while watching a movie
• Recording a tv show onto a VHS
• Or a VCR and VHS
• Watching TGIF, going to bed, and then waking up to One Saturday Morning
• Snick. I don't care if it's still on. Is it still on? Anyway, nothing will be better than All That, The Amanda Show and Keenan and Kel
• Also, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Land of the Lost, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Clarissa Explains it All, Aaah Real Monsters, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and the Adventures of Pete and Pete
• 
  Stick Stickley
• Floppy disks
• Waiting for dial-up to connect
• Making someone get off the phone so you can use the Internet and vice versa
• Having a complete AIM profile
• Setting your AIM away message as seemingly deep lyrics
• Matinee movies for $5.50
• Having to blow on a video game console for it to work
• The satisfaction of angrily slamming a flip-phone shut
• How indestructible the Nokia brick/flip phones were
• the epitome of boy/girl groups. Hello... BSB, Hanson, N*SYNC, 98°, Britney, Christina and the SPICE girls
• MTV actually having music videos
• TRL, Daria and Beavis and Butthead
• Calling your parents from a payphone to pick you up from the mall
• Gellies, platforms, belly shirts and one-shoulder-hooked overalls
• Lee Pipes, tech vests and "The Rachel" haircut
• Lisa Frank
• Trolls and beanie babies

• Having every color of gel pens on the face of this earth
• And lastly for now, but certainly not least, actually having an imagination and creating fun for yourself without technology!

Finally Settled In

Hello dear readers! It has been a while since the last post, but I am finally all settled in to the new digs, minus a few boxes left at my grandma's. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of moving, unpacking and setting up our new place with everything exactly where we want it. Oh, and no Internet for a week. Can't forget that First World Tragedy. Anyway, now that almost everything has found itself a home and I missed work today because of the weather, I finally have the time to sit down and write. Which, by the way, is being done from my and Man Friend's office. I've never really had an area outside of my room to be able to write in peace and I'm wicked excited about it.

Since we're on the topic of the office, I must say it's one of my favorite parts of the apartment. Man Friend and I were lucky enough to find a two bedroom in our price range and this room was one of the big selling points of the place. Man Friend and I each get half of the room: his half for his gaming and my half for writing and possibly scrapbooking. Also, it has my magnificent walk-in closet. Seriously, it's huge. And alll mine. As I was unpacking my plethora of clothes boxes, Man Friend told me he was astonished that I hadn't finished yet. At that point, I was a good three storage bins in and had at least two more to go. I actually get to have all of my clothes up at once without packing away out of season outfits. I didn't even realize how wonderful it was until I had everything all hung up.

Although moving in general stresses me out more than I'd like to admit, this was by far the smoothest move I've ever done. Since I had been temporarily staying with my mom's friend in between moving out of Roomie's house and into the apartment, a good majority of my stuff was already packed and ready to go. The day that we moved the most stuff, Man Friend and I had three people helping us move which helped tremendously. My cousin spent the whole day with me going back and forth from Temporary Residence, my storage shed and the apartment. It saved so much time having two people load and unload my car. It would have easily taken an extra day without her. Man Friend's best friend and his brother helped move our furniture. Since all three of them have trucks, they were easily able to each grab some pieces instead of Man Friend needing to make close to four trips by himself. Plus, carrying heavy and awkward furniture up a flight of stairs singlehandedly would have proved to be nearly if not entirely impossible.

One of the most exciting aspects about moving into your own place is being able to put everything away the way you want. Man Friend and I have been able to set up everything exactly the way we want. I didn't realize how exciting it would be until we were able to do so. Who knew deciding where to put the pots and pans and how to arrange furniture would be so exciting? Holy shit. I just came to the terrible realization that I am frickin OLD. See ya later, early twenties. Hello, being a grown up. Guess there's no way out of that one, huh?

Welp, I suppose on that note, I should go do something else grown up with my time. I'm sure I can find something else to put away...