Jingle Bells, Finals Smell and Jet Setting All Break

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It's the end of the school year, I'm officially done with my finals and I'm back in my home town!

Where, oh where has the time gone? I have one semester left of graduate school and 2014 is almost over and graduation is right around the corner and it feels like just yesterday I drove out to Carbondale with my Dad and had thought to myself "This is going to be the longest 2 years of my life".

So. Loooooonnnnggggg.

HA!

Nothing could be farther from the truth! My time is almost up and I kinda can't believe it.

Finals week wasn't too bad...Only slightly discomforting. I had 2 very strong A's in 2 of my classes and I knew it would take a lot to bring them down, but for my Information Systems Management class (still not really sure what that even means either) I had too solid of a B to get even close to an A. Dang it. I would have needed to get 118% on the final to get an A...and my professor doesn't offer extra credit. Double dang it.

I'm sure I'll get over it.

Oh well. It's my best semester in grad school yet, so there's that. (not like I was failing, I just usually get more Bs than As) and I'm pretty happy it's over. Not my hardest semester school wise, but my hardest semester with work and school and learning curves and learning about myself. I am so ready for this break, you have no idea. But it's really odd to think that it's my very last winter break. For about 80% of my ENTIRE life I have been in school. Gross.

But all I know is school therefore this has been my life... summer = no class, fall = beginning of school year, winter = 1/2 christmas break and 1/2 frigid temperatures walking/biking to class and spring = end of the year and fun times. for 19 years that has been my schedule.
Now it's summer = work, fall = work, winter = work and maybe a few days off, spring = work.

And I want this. I think. No, I really do, I want that life and to be independent and to have a career and to be successful.

Keep telling myself that.

Blah all that's boring stuff so for now, I am just too excited to be back home. The last time I was home was this time last year, and even though I had been back to California a couple times throughout the year, I had not been to my home town or in my childhood house for a year. I flew back to Sacramento, got to visit a college friend and hang out with my Nana before my sister and mom came to take me back way way way up North to the homeland.

My homecoming was less than super exciting, more or less like a hey, sup, hows it going, *hughug* etc.

Womp womp.

But then I saw my dog. I was sitting at the table and she was asleep underneath it. Then she woke up and came up to my legs and then she started to realize that it was me. She started to wag and cry and climbed up higher into my lap, and tried to lick my face and I fell out of the chair with my puppy (she's like 8 or 9 not really a puppy anymore) licking my face all over and she was just way too excited to see me.

Puppy love.

Now that's what I call a great homecoming. Nothing compares to how much your dog loves you and I was kinda worried she wouldn't remember me.

Being home is great. I love going to work out with my baby brother, hanging out with my little sister and drinking morning coffee with my momma. They've shown me all the changes the town has made, like the new boutique, and the new candy shoppe and the diner down the street from my grandparents' house. My town is little but it's home and it wasn't doing too well for awhile there but I think it's on the up and up. Fingers crossed. While I may rag on it, and have no real desire to move back anytime time soon (or ever), I still have a lot of hometown pride. I have only about 2 or 3 people I really get to see that aren't immediate family that I really care about seeing but I'm ok with that.

But my stay at home will be a short visit. At the end of the week the fam-bam and I are headed to Hawaii for a tropical Christmas. Instead of snow and christmas trees we
will have a surfing Santa and palm trees. Totally ok with that too.

And then once we return from the island state, I immediately get on a plane and head to the East Coast. Specifically, Boston, MA, for a reunion with some college girl friends. I can't think of a better way to bring in the New Year than with my few close friends who I have known for most of my college career and have kept close since we we're super green and playing the wii instead of studying for finals. I'm going to fly in on NYE night, so I'm pretty much going to have to change from my shorts and flip flops into my parka and 4 different layers for Boston on the plane and try to get ready for a fun night with the girls. I hope the 'fasten your seat belt' sign doesn't stay on for the whole flight because I'm going need lots of time to get ready.

Can't afford first class but one day I want to travel like this .

Packing has been a nightmare though as I have to pack for 3 completely different climates and staying about 5-7 days in each place. Not enough days to pack 3 different bags but way too much for just one bag. Even though I tried but it was impossible, not with towels and bathing suits and parkas and sweaters and then regular jeans and shirts...just impossible.

But I'm so excited to get to spend break traveling and hanging out with my friends and family, especially when the future is such a large question mark.

But for now I don't have to stress about travel logistics or flights, but my biggest issue is which christmas movie do my sister and brother want to watch and how to decorate the ginger bread house that we're making together.

Cue a long sigh here.

And I am totally ok with that.

To be continued!

Aloha!

Turkey Day in good ol' Texas

Howdy Y'all! 

I am officially back from my very fun, very warm, very twangy Thanksgiving break with my aunt and uncle in Dallas.

So, not going to lie, I was a tad bit nervous going. Think about it, I'm hoping on a plane to visit my aunt and uncle, without any other family. No cousins, they are like me and live all over and will be visiting for Christmas, so they can't afford two trips so soon. It's a new city that I don't know, a completely different state at that. And growing up I only got to see them every now and then, at a holiday function, wedding, and occasional summer trip. We aren't like "The Modern Family" where everyone sees each other everyday or even on a regular basis. I had gotten to know my cousins better, naturally, as I'm the same age as one and only 2 years younger than the oldest. 

Yeah, so you know, yeah this could be maybe, weird. A little bit.

So...there's that.

But I wanted to get out of Carbondale super badly and it was only an hour and half flight so I hopped on that plane and said, "Here goes nothing."

It was way better than I thought. 

We watched movies, went to the Arboretum, the Dallas World Aquarium, went to downtown Dallas, ate way too much Thanksgiving food and played with the dogs. If being an only child is like that, man, I am so bummed I have siblings! (kidding, I love you poop-heads) We talked about traveling and all the places we have been. They told me how I need to go to Germany and that the wine tours in the south of France are the best they've ever been on. And I talked about how Switzerland is the land of milk and money and that the chocolate is heavenly. We talked a lot about our own family a lot. A lot, a lot. They taught me how to drink wine (not just drink it but really taste it and appreciate it) and that watching 3 movies in a row is totally fine when you're on vacation. I also learned that my uncle makes a pretty dang good gin and tonic. Like way better than any I have had at the bars around here. It was always warm (even if it got a little chilly at night for them...babies) and super sunny, you always needed sunglasses, it got to be 70, and I had left Illinois in the snow, literally, and there is a ton of concrete everywhere (nothing else can handle the heat), they drive like insane people and texting isn't outlawed yet so they go like 85 and text (super scary!) and they have pretty cool bar scene that's hip and cool but totally throws me off when our hipster waiter talks with an accent. What was I thinking, going to Dallas for break? Sounds down right awful...

#jk

My uncle and dad are brothers and it is painstakingly clear that this is the case. They walk the same, talk the same, make the same silly jokes, curse like sailors, I could keep the list going. Think of Chandler Bing and that's pretty much who they are.

Sarcastic and goofy and a whole lotta of feigned expressions of "I'll try to care...and yep, sorry, it's gone." moments 

And they obviously married very similar women. Clean, orderly, list-making, kinda bossy(ok yeah, bossy), but very motherly so a lot of the dynamics are almost verbatim what my parents say/do. For instance, we were walking around the Arboretum but then we finished too early for my aunt's plans.

Aunt: "Well maybe we should walk around some more? I didn't think we would go so fast! It's too early for the next activity but we have so much time to kill!"

Uncle:"We can do whatever, I just don't want to walk and see any more trees."

Aunt: "Oh come on! We can sit and just chat, get some coffee, maybe go to a cafe.."(more harmless fussing)

Uncle: *Eyeroll* "Whatever you want to do."

Aunt: "No- don't sound so enthusiastic, dear...*slightly passive aggressive*"

Uncle: "OK! YEAH! SOUNDS GREAT! WOO-HOO!"

Aunt: "You're such a brat."

Pretty sure I've witnessed the exact same deal with my parents. Like exactly the same.

The look my aunt gives to my uncle on a regular basis. Shocker, my mother does the same to my father. All out of love.

So obviously there are some major differences but it felt like I was back home. We laughed a lot and they talked about life and how exciting this time for me will be as it was for them and gave life advice. Typical for any Family Thanksgiving, right?

Yuck. My usual response to that bombardment of life questions.

But I didn't mind it. My uncle is working on his doctorate, and has more than one master's degree. My aunt had kids young but works as a nurse in oncology and loves it. They didn't have the typical route of good job, married and kids but it worked out well for them. They have a beautiful home, 2 married kids who are doing pretty darn well, and seem overall pretty happy with where they are. 

I guess maybe hearing it from them made it sink a bit more than coming from my parents. Or people I see all the time.

My aunt really made me think about my life a little more deeply than I had before. She had it pretty rough. 2 kids right after getting married and then going back to school and working at the same time. I can't even imagine or fathom what that's like. We all complain about how hard we have it but that, yikes. No thank you. But there she was, successful nurse, loving family, 2 dogs and a home and stories of traveling and lots of smiles. I want that. I want to travel with my family and make some awesome memories, have a successful career, a dog or two, a home and to be smiling a lot. 

One day, I'll be this cool.

And who doesn't? It wasn't the easiest road, or the 'right' path or even at all planned but it worked out. They made mistakes, and had to move on but it was ok. And they reassured me that I was going to make mistakes. Some big ones, some little ones and I'd make a lot of good choices too. I'd choose the wrong job or the wrong guy to date, etc., etc. But I'd be ok. Maybe it was the holiday and being the season to be thankful, but I really was and am very thankful for my entire family. I am so loved, and have such a huge amount of support and am so blessed that I have family and friends who are in all corners of the world, Ohio, Texas, California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois and even Columbia, Italy and Germany but when we are together it's like no amount of miles or time has passed.

I love them all so stinking much. Just like whatever this girl loves.

It wasn't all serious business talk, but I did like getting to know them so much more. Cooking the turkey and mashed potatoes, comparing how being west coasters in the south and midwest is an odd culture shock at times, watching Interstellar in the 2nd row, so you come out of the movie theater with a sore neck, checking out the fish and sharks at the aquarium and just hanging out at home too. But most of all I loved feeling loved. And being with family. It sucks that we couldn't all be together at once. We faced timed with my cousins and grandparents but it's not nearly as good. But I will remember that trip forever and have so much more love for my aunt and uncle and be able to share that bond the next time we visit each other. 

To be continued!

So many people are in my corner and it's just, you know, like so awesome. *read it in my cali accent. I feared I was getting a little too twangy there.

Coming live from the Airport

Hey hey and Happy Turkey Day Eve!

Is that a thing? Thanksgiving Eve? Welp, now it is!

Anyway, I'm bored waiting for my flight to Texas to visit my aunt and uncle in Dallas.

My last blog post was just a quick recap of the flag tourney so now I'll get into the gory details of my life's happenings within the last 3 weeks. So school is ok. And so is work. Social life is more or less barely existent. Work has become my social life. Gag. If you're like my Nonna then you'll ask "Go on any dates?" HA! Nonna's got jokes... It's cool though, T-Swift and I are on the same page so there's that. My sleep schedule is super screwy, as I get up at 3am and then fight to fall back asleep and don't fall asleep til 5/6am and sleep til 8 only because I absolutely have to get up. Oh joy. I was getting headaches in class and at work, got checked out and I need glasses. Another sign my body is aging and deteriorating. Fun fun. I was having weird body pains, got diagnosed with PCOS, basically a non-threatening-ish condition in which my own blood cells attack my girl parts. Yay. I need another reminder that my body hates me.

#sarcasm

If 2014 could just be over with I would be totally ok with that.

I know things could be worse but I need a vacation stat. And that's exactly what I'm getting.
My dad's brother and his wife moved to Texas about 3 or 4 years ago and my uncle and I have this ongoing rivalry between college sports and how they suck, and can't play real sports, more asshole remarks, etc. but it's all out of love or at least a mutual like as we pick on each other. Anyway, he found out that I wasn't going all the way back to Cali for Thanksgiving and said "hey come on down to Texas".

At first I was like, that's a big trip for such a short time, I don't mind staying in Salukiville for the break, I did it last year and it was actually fun. But upon further reflection and talking to Dad who was totally on board I said, Ok, see you for the Holiday.

I'm actually excited to go to a new state and it'll be warm and my uncle already said that he's ok with me sleeping most of the time.

Thank you, Baby Jesus! So excited for a relaxing break. Sounds fantastic.

And now I have to run to a different gate to catch my flight! See y'all in a bit, I'm headed to the Big D, and no not that you perverts, Dallas!

To be continued!!

Flag Football, Freezing Temps and Fruity Drinks

Bon jour, all of you lovely people!

I'm going to quickly recap a few major events that have happened.

Remember the first time I went to a flag football tournament? It was in Notre Dame, freezing cold and I was pretty shell shocked and was wayyyyy out of my element but had a good time and learned a lot.

Well my co-worker and I made it back to that tournament for this year and it was again, at Notre Dame, still super cold and I was again shell shocked as I was asked to be on an official's committee.

But I learned probably 3 times as much as the 1st time around and really came to love my job even more.

I got to see some familiar faces, who not only I recognized, but recognized me too. I got to expand my professional network even more, start recruiting for my position next year (that's right, I'm going for a big girl job!) and learned how to evaluate officials on an entirely new level.

Not going to lie, I was probably the least experienced official committee member there. But gotta start somewhere, right? Right. I got the email asking me to be on the committee about 3 weeks before heading up and I immediately ran into Lane's office.

"OH NO! I got official's committee?!? Why? How?! I didn't do that last year! What are they thinking?? I've never done this before, why choose me?! I can't evaluate officials! Not in flag! That's not my strong sport!! LANE!?!!!"

Lane takes his usual approach, leans back in his chair, crosses his legs and arms.
"Breathe... your first response should not be "oh no"...maybe they want to give you a shot. Maybe they think you actually can add to the committee. Maybe you deserve this."

"I'm not ready!"

"We'll get you ready. You'll be fine. But you're going. You are definitely going."

Damn it.

Official's committee is a group of people who really get the game and how to officiate flag football. They teach the refs at the tournament as it's a competition for them to get the chance to be selected to move on to the National Tournament. And I was now going to be considered apart of that group.
Gulp.

So we got ready. I went out to our own flag games, not as much as liked with my class schedule but when I could. I watched a lot of video. A LOT. I would watch it, write what I thought and how it should have happened, was told 'No, you're wrong, try again.' and would watch more video. I got advice from my student staff who had been to these tournaments before as well and high school football officials. Lane and PJ made me use cheat sheets for penalties since the last time I threw a penalty on the field was during Obama's first term as President.

And then what felt like way too soon, PJ and I made our trek up to South Bend, Indiana, home of the Fightin' Irish.

The next three days were kind of a blur and slow-mo all in one. I got to see my old student staff, remember WannaBeGA Guy?? Well he got that GA so he's no longer a Wanna Be. And it was really great to catch up with him and talk GA up's and down's and all that jazz. He was on the committee with me as well. There was a pretty funny moment when sitting with WannaBe and another committee member was asking us questions "So, what's your story? Why SIU, what was your major....(etc. etc.)?"
WannaBe -"Oh I can tell this one! Let me tell it, ok this is a great story, see she's a small town girl from California, don't let the blonde hair fool ya, and she was a political science major but her heart was in recreation sports since that was her job throughout college-"
Me- "Hey! Ok, smartass, he's asking me not you! Knock it off Michelle! (his nickname I dubbed him as he was the only male worker in the office last year)"
One of his officials sitting with us- "Michelle?? Oh that's precious, so using that one!"
WannaBe laughing- "No, no you can't, I won't answer. She can, she's allowed, she's my GA."

Everyone around laughed though and it was pretty hilarious. He did sit in on my interview for the SIU job and we did work a lot together last year. I can tell his story too though, don't get it twisted, that boy is a talker too.

I got a great chance to listen to some very good evaluators and watch some pretty good officials too. The games were not half bad but it was flipping cold so that always takes away from being super duper fun. The best part was probably when the leader of the committee was standing with me watching officials and said "Ok, I'm going to go to this other field, you got this?"

What.

"Um, yeah, sure. You know, I'll maybe ask so-and-so to come by and-"
"Ok sounds good see ya"

Oh. Ok. Oh crap. Ok. Ok. You got this, you can do this. You know that guy should be standing about 2 yards off the sideline and you know that back judge is farther than 17 yards out. Just tell them that. Work on the things you know. They'll listen. They won't laugh or won't listen to you. You can do this.

So the crew comes up to me at the time out and asks for advice. Oh crap. I'm alone and they want me to evaluate them. They're eager like little puppy dogs waiting for you to throw a stick for them to fetch. Make me better, make me look good. And I'm blanking. CRAP.

I swear to you it was an out of body experience because the next thing I know I started explaining how standing off the sideline can make your field of vision better and that sticking to your areas of coverage makes the whole crew a better crew, and I'm moving and talking and their nodding and then they're back on the field.

Whoa.

And then a bang-bang play comes and my guy who is know 2 yards off the line is in the PERFECT position to see the player get possession of the ball before being shoved out of bounds and he calls it correctly.

Yeah! Awesome job! And you listened to me! And it worked! Wait..I did that? I DID THAT

The rest of the weekend wasn't full of those moments but I did relish in those few times that I felt like I contributed. But again I was reminded how much I love this field and how I want to continue working in sports, a college setting and with students. And coming back to Carbondale was bitter-sweet because I'm one more flag football tournament away from moving on to the big question mark in my life...the next step.

Cue internal screaming and histeria.


To be continued!

October is Over?!?

WHAAAAA??? October is over?? And I haven't blogged since September??

Oh my goodness time is literally running out for me! My birthday month has come and gone, Halloween is over and I hear Christmas music everywhere I go now..

What. The. Heck.

October LITERALLY flew by. No joke. I feel like I blinked and boom, 31 days just went by without me noticing.
If I thought last year went by fast...yeah, no, this year is on Usain Bolt's level.

And.....mini panic attack over.

Let me just real quick talk about any and all major events

I threw a Baby Shower for my coworker/friend, Leanne. She works at the rec like me, as a GA but she's married and well, having a baby! A baby boy and I am going to spoil the doo-doo out of that baby! And then as soon as he smells pass him back to mom.
Kaylee and I went all out on decorations and food and had little onsies to decorate. It was super cute, balloons, streamers, bottles and diapers, all blue and rubber duckies and we had a blast. No stupid baby games or my water broke, baby bingo or anything weird. Just food, and good people and puff paint.
For future reference though, don't throw a baby shower the same day you have a special event, a triathlon that you have to help set up at 5am the same day...ugh. Longest day ever but it was so worth it to see the smile on Leanne's face when she walked into the room.

Love her to death but nothing tells me I'm so not having kids for awhile like a baby shower.

The biggest tournament of the semester had to be canceled due to rain. Sad face. I was pretty bummed but we couldn't justify having so many teams come out and ruin our baseball fields for a Fall Ball tournament. We would spend most of the season instead of playing, repairing the damage done and playing baseball in the cold rain would have made a lot of teams pretty sassy. So we opted out. That weekend turned into a do homework, drink coffee listening to the rain kind of weekend, so I wasn't that mad about it. It was fall break though, and I got increasingly bored as all my friends left town. Downside to living so far away from home.

How I spent my Fall Break. A lot of lying down.

Next was a conference up at the University of Illinois, the home of the Fightin' Illini. Whatever the heck that is. But I went with two professional staff members from my office and it was a pretty good time. Sandy, Amanda and I went on up and went to sessions, had a team building exercise with other Rec people from all over the state of Illinois. It was a good chance to learn how other schools do what we do but different, and to scope out potential job openings...gag. I kid, but really I was sniffing out anyone who mentioned anything about that little J-O-B word and I kinda felt like I was that kid asking for votes at his middle school student body presidential campaign. "Look at me! I'm fun and am going to bring candy to class and make recess longer and Friday's are going to be called Fun Friday's so, Don't be Wack, Vote for Jack!" only this time it was "Hi, I'm Marissa and I'm a second  year GA and I am willing and able to bend over backward for just about any job position! Hire me!"

How I really want to answer the awful "So tell me about yourself" interview question.

I hate this part. I'm not a good salesperson, especially when trying to sell myself and I abhor it. Loathe it. Don't like it one bit.

But, alas, that's the name of the game and others are already out there doing the same thing for those same positions so I guess I better get my rear in gear. The real world is right around the corner!

If you all thought I was excited for 18th grade...the first day of my big girl job is going to be super fun. 

Can't Wait! (sarcasm)((kinda))

But I got to see friends I have made from last year and met new people, handed out my business card a few times (love that part!) and all in all had a good time. Getting the chance to get to know other professional staff more in my office was maybe my favorite part. Sandy is awesome and really knowledgeable, but fun and silly. Amanda is shyer but has a big heart and the best way to get her to open up is to ask about her fiance. (Babies and wedding bells, our office is going crazy!) But they both gave really great advice and I enjoyed getting to know them on a more personal level.

The next big thing in October was my birthday! My birthday fell on a Sunday, so naturally I took the whole weekend to celebrate. Obvi. It was also the weekend of "Unofficial Halloween" here in Carbondale.
Quick back story: Sometime in the 80's there was a huge riot that broke out on Halloween night in Carbondale. Burning couches, stores broken into, riots, craziness amassed in the streets of the normally sleepy old college town. So the town said enough of that crap, we're shutting down Halloween. No one is allowed out that night, no alcohol sold, no bars open, nothing. If you're out, you're automatically pulled over and questioned and usually arrested. (Sounds oddly a lot like Footloose but whatever)

So what do the students do? They say fine, we'll throw a big party on a weekend BEFORE actual Halloween just to stick it to The Man.

Unofficial? Like is this for real? The worst part is the town allows it! Idiots.

And boy oh boy, it is a freaking party.

Real Halloween is now back since it's been like 20 years but the students are kinda over it. The real party is Unofficial.

This happened to fall on my birthday weekend and unlike last year, I was in town for it. So I rallied the girls and we got dressed up on Friday for night #1 of Unofficial and my birthday. I was a pink Crayon. I was pretty cute, I thought, even though some people thought I was the tooth fairy...um what?
But it was fun and us GA's went out together for the first time in what felt like forever and had probably too much fun but I loved it. It wasn't ridiculously crazy amount of people that night but it was definitely popping. And the next day you could see people walking around in costumes and day-drinking on the lawns.

And then Saturday night came.

Oh. My. Gawd.

From the 80's but it really was like this. Not joking. In the slightest.

Words do not do this night justice. I do not have a vast enough vocab to describe the sights I saw.
The town goes freaking nuts. It was INSANE. Thousands, not hundreds, of students and people were everywhere. House parties at just about every college house in town, so many people filled the streets and don't even think about driving cuz it was like a street festival but it's in the middle of the night. The line to get into bars had a wait of up to 3 hours long and there's only about 6 bars in the entire town. Nothing new for some of you avid clubbers and go-out-ers?? Let me remind you that this is NOT Vegas, or LA people....this is CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS. A very sleepy college town that has one Walmart and one (small) mall and not a single Starbucks other than the one inside the local grocery store.

Kind of a big flipping deal.

Again, the girls were rallied and had ourselves a fun little girls' night. I officially lost my 22 status and became the irrelevant 23 but my friends were awesome and made it a fun time. I was Daisy Buchanan from the Great Gatsby but no one guessed actual Daisy and just said Flapper girl so I went with it. We weren't about to wait in any line for even the greatest party for 3 hours so we went to the bar that had a strict 21+ rule (yeah the undergrads were out and about like something fierce)

My response to all the craziness. Still trying to comprehend how one fake holiday can have so many flipping people that excited.

And we had a blast. One of the new GA's is also a bartender, so naturally, she gets my one free birthday shot, yells "It's her birthday!" and you'd be amazed how some people are willing to get a girl who is turning 23 a few free drinks. Who would have thought?? Not me, that's for sure.

But it was a fun night and the energy of all those people dressed up and going crazy definitely made it a memorable birthday. On Sunday while loafing on my couch on my actual birthday, I saw on the news that there was a car or two flipped over and that there were record numbers of students and people out and arrests made. Shocking? not really. They'll probably take Unofficial away so now the students will have an Unofficial-Unofficial Halloween.

 Unofficial 2014

 This was one house. ONE HOUSE! On one small side street. Times this by a bajillion and then you have Unofficial. (and I found Waldo!)

Geez. I think experiencing it once was enough just to say I did and then never ever again. And I didn't even flip a car and I remember all of it too. That's good ol' Salukiville for ya. We may not have the best sports teams, the best malls, or the best of anything really but they sure can make the best out of everything they do have. In that the Dawgs take the freaking cake.

And I'll leave it off there and talk about the rest of October next time!

To be continued!

My first time in the 'Real South'

Happy October, y'all!


I have officially moved into a new place! Woo! I can sleep again! I'm living out of boxes and my bed is a mattress on the floor with one blanket and an uncovered pillow but hey, it's college and I'm totally allowed to live like this. All my cooking supplies seem to be in different boxes (I found a pan in my bathroom stuff box...right along with my shampoo. when you try to move fast all reason and organization is out the window; if it fit, it went. ) so eating out is more or less the only way to go. I think I'm going to hold an Un-Packing Pizza Party and pay my friends with pizza and beer to help me unload everything. I already coerced my friend with a truck into helping me in exchange for a 12 pack of a select beverage, so, I mean, college kids are pretty predictable.

I would like to take a quick moment to brag....even with taking time to find a new place, have a week long sleep over at my friend's place, and literally pack and move everything I own in less than 5 days, I STILL managed a solid 21 hours at work (not including the weekend) AND rocked a 30 page excel business case analysis (got an A!!!) AND had a midterm on Business Policies (I did ask for some extra time but only 1 day for both, considering the circumstances I think it was fair) AND officiated high school volleyball (moving is expensive, every bit counts) AND had flag football clinics and captain's meetings to run AND had 4 club sport events on campus over the weekend.

I am fuqing super woman.

Wouldn't have been possible without daily phone calls home and support from those in Cali and Illinois. And a boss and coworker who let me have my time and space to figure it all out. I cherish you all. You the real MVP.

So moving forward, I'm going to tell you about my super fun weekend in Memphis, Tennessee.

Yee-Haw!

One of my UC Davis friends recently moved to Memphis to go to school at the University of Memphis. And know she's about 3 hours away and it's so awesome having her close by! Not only are we in the same time zone, but she's a quick drive/train ride away and it was a splendid time.

You know you found something good when you haven't seen somebody in literally months and months almost a full year and when you're together it's like nothing has changed. After the initial "AHH YOU'RE HERE! I'M SO HAPPY!!!" greeting, it was like we were back in Davis hanging at the local Fro-Yo place talking about work and our inner tube water polo team and taking the double decker buses and how you still bike when it rains but we were 2000 miles away from all of that.

I am so thankful for my friends. Even after all this time, it feels like I'm home when we talk on the phone or do get to see each other. I don't say enough how much I love you guys, but I do. XOXO

But so we went out to dinner in an refurnished movie theater from the 20's to a fancy restaurant circa 2000's and it was delicious. And fancy. My two favorites. We then went down Beale Street, the infamous strip with all the lights and live music, bars, little dives and diners and it was pretty freaking cool. Talk about culture shock..I've only been to the south one other time and it still gets me how everything from the food, the accent, the friendly "Hey y'alls" and just everything southern gets to me.

We spent the next day checking out this MASSIVE street fair/festival in the middle of Memphis. Vendors lined the streets for what felt like miles and miles, so many people and music absolutely everywhere. From School of Rock style (the kids were 9 at most I kid you not) to country, you could listen to it all. It was a beautiful day but so packed, I think the entire city was at the festival. We ended up taking lunch in a small mexican restaurant on a street corner, not out of hunger but just to get outside of the crazy crowd.

But it was super fun and I ended up trying to slyly get Kate a gift but the vendor wasn't understanding me when I told her to give the bag to Kate and just say "Happy birthday", so my surprise wasn't much of a surprise. Oh well. She got her gift and I had fun hanging out with her dietician school friends and enjoying the sights of Memphis, Tennessee. I actually loved all the cowboy boots and the country playing. It felt like everyone lived and breathed it, so it wasn't forced or the 'cali country' the surfer/cowboy I listen to the pop-country while watching the sunset on the pacific I'm used to. This was the Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood type of country my parents introduced me to back in the day and I loved it. Talk about back to my country roots. Yikes. But I can't wait to check out an actual country concert in the south. Can you even imagine?? I can hardly.

Bday dinner with mah girl :)

Only found in select states in the south and east coast...and it's so good. Cali has never ever seen this but it's a new fave.

As graduate students, we actually had work to attend to that weekend so we spent her birthday sipping wine, making dinner and working on theses. Nerd Alert.

Sweatshirts and wine. My kind of Saturday night.

But we giggled a lot, took a late night drive for the hell of it, and had a blast. One of my favorite nights ever, that's for sure.

I was sad to leave since we had such a short time together but it was fantastically fun and I want to go venture into Memphis more so I think a spring visit is definitely in order. (hint hint Kate :) )

Beale Street!

Oh hey Tennessee

Couldn't get a better pic but this was such a fun day I couldn't help but share!

But that was almost a month ago!! And so much has happened between then and now, I'm so far behind on these blog updates!! Maybe I'll bust out another instead of studying for my midterm. ;)

To be continued!

On a more serious note

I wanted my next blog post to be on how I spent a splendid weekend in Memphis, Tennessee with my dear friend from UC Davis (you will get your blog post, Kate, promise) a while back but I'm going to blog about something else.

This past weekend I experienced a home invasion. Someone shattered my sliding glass door late one night while I was home, in my bed. I'll save the details, but the cops came and found me locked inside the bathroom with my baseball bat rand on the phone with the 911 dispatcher.

I have never been so scared in my entire life for my life.

I am currently writing from a coworkers apartment, whom has so graciously offered her place so that I can stay until I move into a new apartment at the end of the week. While she has been more than accommodating and I am so grateful to everyone who has offered me support, a place to stay, and their sympathies, I still can't find myself able to sleep until the later hours of the morning, when the sun is about to rise. Not out of fear but I've just been rattled to my very core and the dark and the night and being alone with just my thoughts are the worst times for me.

While it is not something I automatically offer to anyone and everyone, most people who need to know, do know about the incident. And I didn't want to make it public but some comments have been made and over heard that have upset me a great deal.

Nothing was stolen, they/she/he ran off once I started screaming and turning lights on. I was not physically harmed other than a bruise on my hip from slipping on the bathroom tile trying to get into the only locked area in that part of the apartment. I am very lucky, and I am very aware that it could have been a lot worse. I feel violated and so incredibly helpless. Replaying the incident over and over in my head, I think of all the things I could have done differently but I was in survivor mode and what happened, happened, and it worked out. The next morning was worse. I thought I could handle it. I couldn't. I can't. They may not have stolen any property but they did steal my peace of mind. I have to move. 

And herein lies my major issue with people who meddle and offer their two cents when it is not warranted. Whether you agree with this or not, that is not your decision to make. Yes, moving is a hassle. Yes, it was almost 100% certain that it was an isolated incident and even more likely it won't happen again at that exact place. Yes, it is expensive to find a new place to live and time consuming and yes, it would be easier to stay. And yes, in hindsight it was a bad decision to move to a first floor apartment, live alone, not have a back porch light, etc. etc.

But shame on all of you who have had these thoughts cross your mind. That is blaming the victim in every shape, way and form. No one prepares for things like this. And if they say they do, the plan is't fool proof. No one can possibly comprehend what I am feeling or coping with and I don't need anyone to. I am not asking for pity. 

Do not think that I am stronger than that one bad thing or that I am a lesser victim since nothing was taken nor was I harmed. Do not think that this would have never happened had I just had a roommate. Do not tell me that by moving, I let the intruder win, that I forfeit the problem and am running away. And do not tell me it is not that big of a deal.

It is a big fuqing deal. And damn straight I am running away. I'm running away to hopefully being able to feel comfortable living alone again. I am running away from bad memories and towards forgetting and completely forgoing the forgiving part. I did not ask for this. But I have to do whatever it takes to make it ok for Marissa, and not give a damn about what anyone thinks Marissa should do.

Until you have been brought to your knees, you cannot even fathom how you would react in a traumatic situation. That was my lowest moment. My home was invaded. My safe place had a cement block thrown through the glass door. My sanctuary and peace of mind, literally, shattered to pieces that night.

I am done defending myself and any and all of my actions and decisions.

I came back to the apartment to grab some more things today and found that the door was replaced but the cement block was still there. Just sitting on my back porch. Sitting there like it was laughing at me. I cried for the first time since the incident. The cops found me with dry eyes, and I never once shed a tear talking about it. But here I cried and cried and I grabbed that cement block and threw it over the back fence. 

I am stronger than this. This will not define me. It was unfortunate, and I do not wish anything like that upon even my worst enemy. But I have to deal with it in my own way and no one, not even I, really knows what that means. I now understand why in moments of complete helplessness, people do irrational things or choose to do or not to do something. And it may seem simple to any outsider looking in. Maybe most others would have stayed. Maybe not. But I now understand what it means to find out who your true friends are. And I now finally understand that I need to be selfish sometimes and only care about whatever is best for me. It may have taken a cement block to crash through my life but I get it now. And to all of you who did think or say those things before...bye.

To be continued.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Holla friends!

I find that this year has barely started and then I go, whoa, I'm in the 4th week of school...
Father Time, I'm going to need you to slow your roll...this is crazy!

Quick 20 second snap shot of what those 4 weeks have consisted of-

IM clinics
High school Volleyball Officiating
Falling asleep in class (my classmate woke me up before the professor noticed)
Needy Club Sports (see below)
Meetings, meetings, and more meetings
Reports
Paper work
Paper work
...did I mention paper work?
not passing my first test
getting A's on everything else
Not sleeping
looking at job ads
not looking at my resume
Drinking pots and pots of coffee everyday
not sleeping

Whew...

Yeah. That's pretty much been my life. So let me explain in a not 20 second version...

I'm running about 41 club sports and numerous IM Sports. My coworker has the IM side down almost perfectly so a lot of my time is devoted to sport clubs. To be fair not all 41 need a whole lot of help. There's about 15-20 that are especially needy...practice times to reserve, equipment to purchase, travel, insurance, etc, etc.
But that's my job. It just means that I max out the my spending limit super fast because I buy things every day and buy obscure things like paint ball guns, archery quivers, rugby balls, soccer jerseys, equestrian award ribbons, quidditch brooms, etc, etc.
It all adds up super fast. And the next thing I know, I've maxed out for the month and it's only 11 days into the month.
Oops...

Other than that, we're changing a lot but it's somewhat working out. I think we're doing an ok job. I love it, I'm getting to know most of the clubs really well and trying to spread myself out 41+ different directions. But it's all good.

I'm also officiating high school volleyball occasionally to get some more money. It's fun and I miss playing a lot. It's kinda cool to be up on the stand watching the girls and thinking "Man, that was me...8 years ago...god I'm old!"
But then I get a check and I'm like sweet deal! I'll take a few outbursts from coaches screaming at me for that money.

Meetings, and paper work...that's a given. I'm a graduate student with a (part) time job (parenthesis because it feels like a full one) and that just comes with the territory.

I'm starting to look at big girl jobs more and more now. Yikes. That sure is frightening. Not a whole lot of positions open right now, but it's never too early to start thinking about it, right?

My professional staff thinks so too and they're really great about giving us more chances to prepare. Like impromptu interview questions that throw you for a loop in front of everyone at the GA meeting and you start to babble and ramble like you're back in high school and you say 'um' over 17 times in just one answer...

Well..that sucked.

Ugh. That was a bad day. But it's all in the name of helping me prepare. Right? (Just nod your head and say yes.) We also sit down and do mock interviews with the staff and you bring in your application for a job that you would actually apply for and they go through the whole process AND video tape you so you can watch it afterwards to take note.

I had a mock last year. Let's just say it's probably the scariest movie I've ever seen. It's worse than Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Silence of the Lambs.

Me, watching myself on tape. Horrendous.

But all the constructive criticism is good. (again, just nod your head and say yes) It is helpful, honest, it brings you down to earth and reminds you just how unprepared you are for the real world. I'm currently working on not laughing/giggling when I'm nervous or scared, saying 'um' and 'like' every other word. (the Cali girl in me comes out REAL thick when I'm nervous...I almost flipped my hair but restrained from pulling a complete Clueless moment.)

It's just uber painful to go through it and try to better yourself. It did kind of put me in a panic though after I bombed just the one interview question. I immediately ran to my boss the next day and fretted to him.

"I'm not ready! I'm a terrible GA! I can't make it as a real boss! I'm just a like silly student supervisor on steroids, and I'm going to fail! Why aren't you helping me!?"
He kinda leans back in his chair, folds his hands...
"What's today's date?"
"September 15th, but what does that have to do with anything I just said!?"
"Right, September. Exactly. M., you've got 8 more months with me. You're barely a second year GA, you probably are more of a first year than a second year right now. We have time. Calm down. I got you."

Maybe the best thing for me to hear at that point.

He probably wanted to do this but I'm glad he didn't.

Sorry but it's scary for me. Just 12 months ago I was blogging about how I was worried about my staff liking and respecting me and how I would like living in Carbondale. And now I'm fussing over my next big step. The actual real world.

Why does life through so many big life changes at you when you're so so young? WHY
First big one is going to high school. Hindsight, it was the easiest of them all but man, those halls were terrifying the first day.
Next college apps, and SAT's, and then bam! you're out of high school and it's the big move to a new place, a new home and you're only 17/18 years old?? Who thought that was a good idea??? You go through scared as hell but having the time of your life at the same time and about 4 years later society goes "Hey, congrats! You're done! Now settle down and find a real career and become a contributing adult with bills and obligations and responsibilities! What you always dreamed of!" Umm...no thanks.
And then, if you're like me you go on to grad school to just post pone that last part of life, and it's like college all over again, apps, and loans and scholarships and interviews and BAM (again!) you end up moving 2,000 miles away from home. AND THEN....it's finding new friends, figuring out school, you're scared as hell only you have to put on a good face because they put you in a work setting and you're just internally screaming "I've only lived for less than 25 years! 25!!! That's like a blip on the Earth's timeline! Who thought that that's enough time to be ready for ANY of this!!" And they say that 2 years is plenty of time and that you need to start being more professional and market yourself and sell yourself for potential employers and be better at everything and you're still just smiling but  screaming internally "I'm not ready! Is anyone listening?? I'M NOT READY!!"

No explanation needed.

whew. sorry. rant over. But that's a lot of big BIG changes and detrimental life choices to be making and you're barely old enough to drink legally.

That's wack.

But ce la vie, life goes on, and as much as I try (and I really do try) to slow down time it keeps on trucking along and I have to do everything in my power just to keep up.

Sometimes it takes a blog update and a phone call to my daddy to make me a little less crazy but it's all good.

Now I'm going to go check on my beloved sport clubs that have tournaments this weekend and then maybe I'll think about updating my resume. Or maybe I'll save that for tomorrow. It is only September.

To be continued.

My First Day of 18th Grade!

Hello grad school year number 2!

And don't you look great!

Yep. My last year of graduate school. In approximately 9 months I will have 3 letters behind my name…

give me an M..

give me a B…

and give me an A…

what's that spell??

Master's of Business and Administration baby! Those 3 letters will mean that someone thought I was smart enough to work in the real world and that I had spent 2 years getting by in finance, accounting, organizational behavior, marketing and promotion classes with crazy professors and even crazier students. They'll also mean that I spent 2 years getting those letters Free of Charge because the school hired me as a graduate assistant and worked my ever-living butt off in exchange for an education.

You can bet I'm walking across the stage on graduation day like this. Because my MBA makes me oh so fancy.

Sounds like a pretty legit deal for me. And it is. 

I'm so excited for this year and the first day, first week, first month is chaotic and kinda crazy but I'm so glad to be back at it. 

Don't believe me? Ask my student staff. 

The day before classes started we had Supervisor Training. Last year I was nervous, had never met them and was worried over what they thought of me and it was like the first day of high school all over again.

This time around…I wanted to hug them all when they came into our office. Saying hi's and hello's how was summer's and I was too happy to have my students back. Grinning ear to ear, I didn't even mind that I was planning on staying in the office for around 9 hours on a Sunday. My goons are back and that's all that matters.

They're BACK! YAY YAY YAY!!!!

Training went well, I hope, we talked a lot and only saw a few of the goons nodding off but then being brought back to attention when I coughed violently a few times (pay attention class!) After the training we had another meeting with our sport clubs. We hold a draft for practice times and field space. They pick numbers out of a hat and we hold it like a the NFL draft, no trades for position but you choose when and where you would like to practice and if someone picks your spot, you can put up offers for trading. It kinda feels like a stock exchange room when it's happening, men's lacrosse negotiating with women's rugby to use this field on monday in return to share a space on thursday, etc. etc. 

After the clubs left kinda happy we then turned to finishing up our registration for our IM Sports. The new GA, JT, is really good at this part. He gets the system we have online and he rocks at it. Having him around is pretty sweet, he catches on fast, has pretty, actually really good ideas and is fairly funny which makes for a fun work environment.

But then the real fun began…Hello Welcome Week! Cue the club sign ups, the tabling, the marketing, the "Where the heck is ___ Hall?" and "How do I get to ___" questions from a bajillion new, young, naive and scared freshman. It's ok guys, you're going to be fine, but here take a brochure and what the Student Rec Center can offer you!

From BBQ's, Greek Life, Sport Clubs, Meet and Greets oh and did I mention regular class, all of that wrapped up in one whirl wind of a week. Whew. Just rethinking about it makes me kind of dizzy. And it felt like everyone and their mother's wanted me at this event, or that social gathering pushing IM's and Sport Clubs and then class and my email has literally 3,000 emails everyday and my clubs are so needy…ok they do have some validity in getting some equipment and other gear but it's just crazy…

Somedays I kinda wanted to yell this at anyone and everyone who came within 3 feet of my desk.

But the new GA's and us veterans survived. Week 2 was a little less chaotic, ok not really, but I'm starting to get used to it again. Like riding a bike, just jump back on and you're a little wobbly at first but then it's smooth sailing.

Yeah sure. Ok…

Class is ok. It's more or less the same old same old…smaller classes with some familiar faces this time but still the same overly pretentious and chatty professors who make you sit up front so no chance of not paying attention..little does he know that no one can pay full attention for over 3 hours of lecture. It's mind numbing but eh, we'll survive. We also have a bunch of group work already (GAG) but this was expected…although it's still not welcomed.

The professors' reaction when we plead for individual projects. I swear they get the biggest kick out of watching groups crash and burn.

And then Labor Day weekend came and went way too fast and here it is week 3 and already september.…geez that went by fast. Only 4 more months in 2014…holy smokes! That's too much for me to wrap my head around at the moment so I'm going to go to bed and attempt to act like I know what I'm doing. Fake it til you make it, still my motto!

To be continued!

Roommates, Lifeguards, Sun burns and Summer Concerts

That's what my summer was made of.

I know I know I know I've been seriously slacking on the whole blog department.

Summer is officially over for me, as I am now reinstated as a Graduate Assistant for the SIU Rec Center and we have training, prepping and all around madness is about to start again. Get ready for those blogs because I'm sure they will be full of new and fun and super chaotic adventures.

But I'm spending my last hour of freedom at a coffee shop sipping my coffee with a splash of cream and 2 sugars reflecting and slowly waking before the madness that is my job/school/life starts up again.

So…let me tell the story of my summer in the Dale that has been my home for the last 12 months.

The title sorta says it all. I worked as a life guard, both at an indoor pool and at a lake for a camp of elementary students. It was a Jewish camp that lasted for a month and EVERYDAY the kiddos came out to swim. I got to know a lot of them by name and learned some hebrew (mostly bad words though) and on some days they even fed us life guards lunch. I got a pretty sweet tan line and made some great friends with the other guards. A typical day would be set up and clean the beach area, clean off the dock of any duck poop, have the kiddos check in, make sure they were dowsed in sunscreen and then we'd take our positions for about 2 hours around the beach and lake shore and watch the crazy kids jump off the dock, play sharks and minnows and just be hooligans. Eavesdropping on their conversations about how Jessica likes Benny but Benny already told Joshua that he wants to be on Sarah's team after snack time was probably my favorite thing ever. Kids really do say the darndest things.
One of the boys, Benny, loved to show me how he could "dive" off the dock. He wasn't a very good diver in the slightest but he did get better over time. He also was a charmer. Girls would always splash him and tease him, typical of 4th grade flirting antics. One day as he was showing me his umpteenth millionth dive, a girl splashed us and said "HEY! Benny!! I gotta tell you a secret!"
"Ok"
"No…*looks at me* you need to come over here"
"Um why?"
"Just Cuz!"
"*Groan* Fine"
Jumps in and swims 4 ft away.
Yells/whispers"Jessica likes you!! Go talk to her"
"Cool. No thanks. I'll see her at crafts"
"No Benny! Go now!"
"Sorry, I don't deliver." and swims back to the dock.

I almost fell into the lake. I was dying of laughter. He doesn't deliver?! Genius. He climbs out and just smiled, shook his head and said "Females…" and rolled his eyes and gave me a cannon ball to show off.

The kid is pretty suave for a 4th grader and that line…oh man. Highlight of my summer right there. He must have an older brother who has just as much swag and charm and knows how to play the game if you know what I'm saying. Whew…just typing it out I'm starting to giggle all over again.

The kids were pretty cool all around though and what a life to spend an entire month out in the woods in cabins and swim everyday at a beautiful lake and not have a worry in the world minus mosquito bites and whether or not Benny likes Jessica back.

To be 10 years old again…but being a life guard was probably the coolest summer job to have. I'm seriously bummed that I'm not going to continue. Maybe next summer.

The other aspect of my summer was that I got a roommate.

Yes, the girl who swore up and down that living alone was the only way to go and that roommates had always led to problems and who needs companions anyway, got a roommate. To be fair, he was my friend who was helping me workout. He was in kind of a tight spot, out of one apartment, not allowed in another til the end of summer and kinda homeless. The place he was just using while a buddy was back home didn't work out, so one day at the gym he kinda casually said that he hadn't a place to go. "Calvin! Are you kidding me?! You don't have a place to live?!? Why didn't you ask? You can stay with me!"

And well yeah, careful what you say because he moved in about a day later.

It wasn't that bad either. He was pretty easy to live with, took out the trash while I did the dishes, the shared spaces were clean for the most part and he played handy-man and fixed some things around the apartment. I now consider him a very dear friend because it's hard not to bond with someone when it's summer in the Dale and most days you're just chilling talking about everything and nothing at the same time. We would meet up with friends and go to Trivia night, play sand volleyball, and go to the Sunset Concerts that were put on in the park every Thursday night. Kinda nice to watch horribly awful movies with (don't waste your time with 'Noah'. Awful.) or the baseball game while drinking some hard mike's lemonade. (he loves them but don't tell any of his friends because they're girly drinks.) My summer would have been a whole lot more boring without him. I probably will miss that but I know I won't miss him fogging up the bathroom mirror from his ridiculous long showers (he's a dude for pete's sake) and how he used my shampoo (he said he liked how it made his head tingly…good lord) or how he used every dish in the entire apartment for one meal (why do you need 8 plates to cook chicken? How is that possible???) or his absurd amount of protein shakes he drank on the daily or having nothing in the fridge but beer, eggs, and cottage cheese (he ate an absurd amount of cottage cheese. Like 5lb tubs of it. I wish I was joking).

Another highlight was my mom and sister coming to visit. It was a short stay but it was super fun. Now my entire family has seen where I live and work and my mom either must love me a lot or she secretly likes this place because she's visited 3 times now.

We spent our time going to the sunset concert, catching up, cooking, going out to my new favorite restaurant, Global Gourmet, and we went to the St. Louis Zoo and the Arch. But before all that when they came in I picked them up and brought them back to my apartment to just hang out for a bit. They met Calvin and I had kinda warned him that my mom would probably ask a bajillion questions but that my sister would say "Hi" and then not another word. She's shy and only really talkative around her those she's close with. But oh no…she walked in, said Hi to Calvin and then she did not shut up the entire time. She kept talking and telling stories about her friends and her summer working with kids and their 4-H animals for fair, etc, etc. Us Allen girls do love to talk and when you get us together…let me just say that I apologize in advanced if you ever should see it. We're loud. We laugh. We're really really loud. And we laugh really loudly too. And we're kind of a lot to take in and handle. I'm pretty sure Calvin didn't say 2 sentences the entire time and that we scared him away for sure. We're 10000x worse than any Ya-Ya girls. It's quite the scene.

Verbatim how my dad reacts to the women all back together. And Calvin's response to me and SeaStar's conversation as well.

But I had a blast hanging with my SeaStar and mom and it was good to see them once more since I won't head back to Cali til Christmas most likely. They met my friends and they got to see Carbondale in the summer time. A little more relaxed and a little bit slower living but still a good time.

I also went to Chicago one last time to visit a friend and we had her "congrats on getting a big girl job/end of summer/graduation" party and they took me to the Polish Festival and I learned that Polish people love to drink A LOT and that I was ill prepped for such a weekend full of booze but I loved spending time with her and her family and hope to visit them again really soon. I mean, when they had set up shots of Crown Royal just waiting for me once I arrived, it's kinda hard not to like them. They're sassy and sarcastic-y just like me and their go to fix is alcohol too. So it's like I found my long lost relatives!

It'd be Crown Royal but this basically how the family reacts... "How many bottles do we have? Just 10? We're going to need more than that."

And that's pretty much it. That was my summer. Now on to committees for conferences, IM sports and Sport Club training, the new 1st year GA moving and getting acclimated (I'm a second year….what???) and class, books, pretentious teachers and having my last first day of school ever. It's going to be a great year though, ups and downs to be had but I don't think I've ever been so excited to get my life going. And if it was anything like my summer, it'll be full of surprises, but it'll be pretty dang good.

Times up! Time to buckle down and start my last year. Adventure awaits!

Goodbye Summer

To be continued!

LA Wedding: Final Installment

So July is almost over…whoa…again apologies, this blog post about the wedding has taken wayyyy longer than originally planned. It's amazing how my day really only consists of life guarding and some remedial errands and I'm just wiped out. I love sleep and I've been a total grandma, reading after dinner, bed by 10, up at 6:30/7. Who am I?

So…I left off at the rehearsal dinner. Next day- Wedding Day!

We did breakfast around the corner from the hotel and checked out Old Pasadena. My Nana wanted to see the Proctor House, like that Proctor and Gamble, Proctor, because it was super old, but really interesting architecture and blah blah blah. No, it was cool to check out I'm just still kinda confused why it was such a big deal, it's a big old house, why do I have to pay $12 for a tour? 

Anyway, after that adventure the Nana, my mom and I went to meet the bride at the hair salon so that she could get her hair done. We got lost (thanks, Siri. Not.) and ended up walking about 5 blocks to find the place but eh, it wasn't that hot and we only almost got hit by a car or 2 like once. 

You could tell that she was excited but pretty calm for the most part. She had flowers in her hair, that matched her bouquet and she looked simply beautiful. Very subtle and not extravagant but stunning and very her. 

And then it was a mad dash to get ourselves ready. My sister and I probably changed out outfits a bajillion times leading up to this event but who's counting…I was worried about getting cold once evening came along and got a cardigan. To that, my Nana said to my sister "Just make sure she has enough to drink and dances a lot, she won't get cold."
Cool. I'm the drunk granddaughter/niece/cousin at this event. I'll take that crown and wear it, thank you. And it's called being fun. Duh.

Jokes aside, I kinda was. Most of the guests are older and there was only one other family that had kids, and then our new family of cousins by marriage so…cue awkward meet and greets where you just don't have a whole lot to say or really relate to. And my other favorite part of being awkward? Being tipsy AND awkward. So bring on the wine!

The wedding was held at the couple's house, a beautiful domed building on top of hill over looking the college's soccer field and part of the valley that makes up Pasadena.

The ceremony was perfect. And I'm not going to do it any justice talking about it. The bride and groom exchanged vows they had written themselves, both quoting songs but before you get judgy wudgy and say that's so cliche let me explain…she quoted a rock song from Metallica, Nothing Else Matters. Yeah. My aunt is totally rad.

But actually when she read her vows it fit and was actually pretty sounding and it kind of hit everyone that this is happening. Tammy and Angus are getting married. Right now. Like. What? If you weren't there and didn't see her walk up the aisle and see his face of pure joy but how he was sweating because it's SoCal and well, you know, he's getting married, and saw the two mothers sitting there next to the alter looking beautiful and so proud and happy, I don't think anyone would have believed it.

It was a short but very sweet ceremony and there was not a dry eye in that place even if we were standing in the grassy garden of the front yard and Polly, the dog, was whining because she didn't quite understand why she had to stand away from her mom and dad and not jump around all these fun new people to play with.

After the ceremony, the tears aside, the happy still flowing, and the fun began. Food and drinks were a plenty. (no joke though, I think there were 12 different types of hors d'oeuvres and that wasn't even the dinner that was provided) And there was a dance floor and adorable decorations of T&A everywhere. Our cousins kept the party alive by dancing, even getting my Nana to dance which was adorable.
Me and the SeaStar went out and got down a time or two. Our cousins were the real stars though and pulled out the grocery shopping cart, the lawn mower, sprinkler and my personal favorite, walking the dog. A new one was introduced, the taking a shower where you turn on the water, adjust it for temp, lather up, rinse off and towel dry. Hilarious. But it was a lot of fun and the awkwardness had gone away completely.

After filling ourselves with shrimp and fruit and little finger foods that were enough to feed an army, a food truck pulled up. Yes, like a roach coach, taco truck. But this was no ordinary taco truck. It was Korean BBQ and had the best quesadillas and tacos EVER. Hands down. Spicy and delicious and so cool to just walk right up to the taco truck next to the dance floor at the wedding and order a burrito or taco from a taco truck. Attention Future Hubby: We are having a taco truck at our wedding. It's gonna happen and you don't get a say in the matter, sorry I'm not sorry!

And you know how every family has that one family member, the crazy cousin/aunt/uncle that is a nomad and has lived a crazy nomad life mostly moving around the country on his motorcycle and only popping up randomly for like a week at a time and would have all these crazy stories about his adventures and the people he met along the way? Well low and behold, even our family has one, good ol' Uncle Bob, and my aunt had sent him an invite via email since she didn't know where he was living or if he even had a permanent residence. And he showed up to the wedding! So it was a great family reunion and we heard about how he is currently in Southern California for now but still has the bike and rides to Arizona every now and then and the man is in his 70's. Like the dude lives an epic life. And the last time I saw him I think I was 13 or 14. So definitely good to see him.

We spent the rest of the night dancing and eating more and more little finger foods that kept coming out even though we had dinner already. Seriously never ending food! But that's how Angus likes it. We ate, we danced, we drank and we were very merry. And it was beautiful and a perfect evening.

And now I'm officially done with my story about my aunt's wedding, it only took me way too long and sorry about that but here are pictures of the day! Enjoy!

Getting fancy!

Obligatory photo of the decorations

SeaStar from the Dome terrace.

Pops 

My nana waiting patiently

The mothers and the happy couple.

Ta-da! They're officially MARRIED!

Good looks run in the family.

The infamous 'Dome'

Food Truck! I already told the driver that in about 5-10years I'm going to have him at my wedding and to pencil it in for sometime in September.

Quick! Take a photo before he leaves again! The Nana and our nomad Uncle Bob!

T loves A :)

Obligatory photo of decorations at night.

LA valley

Get your groove on.

:)

Love you, mean it.

To be continued!