Hostest with the Mostest

Hello there!!!

It's a FABULOUS 60+ degrees out at 9am and I am wearing shorts and sandals! Finally!

But since I haven't been totally caught up with my blogging since oh probably ever, I have even ore adventures to tell you about.

So sit back and enjoy the ride!

My mom and brother went to Columbus, OH for his spring break to see the Ohio State University. The little dude has set his bar pretty high, as he should. He's an Allen. I applied to Duke U, and UC Davis was my safe school. It turned out to be the best decision ever (I only applied to 4 schools and so I was more or less forced to go but I loved it obvi) but we were taught to not only reach but achieve the goals we set. I knew I was going to go to a 'big' 4-yr university, SeaStar (sister's nickname) was going to make a name for herself in the show world and went to major competitions across the nation and now baby Brudda (nicknames are kinda my thing, if I love you, you have a nickname) is trying to make a name for himself outside his sisters' shadows. He'll do fine and if he does end up at Columbus maybe I'll be around the midwest to just be at least a mental comfort for him to know that big sissy is only a drive away instead of a couple flights.

The Brudda is sorta rad. He's working on his mustache too.

But on their way back they drove from Columbus to Carbondale and spent the weekend with me.

I was so excited to see my mom and brother, it hadn't been since Christmas that I had seen any of my family and 4 and 1/2 months is a long time.

But the day before they came into town, I went slightly crazy.

Remember when you were little and your grandparents came to visit and mom would start cleaning frantically, pull out her best recipes and if you didn't help clean and dust and vacuum you were better off dead? "Pick up your legos RIGHT NOW, Nana and Poppy are coming in 7 hours!" and there was always a timeline for when they would be waiting at your door.

Well I sure felt like that. Something about having your mother visit that makes you start cleaning like a madman "I can live on my own! I can do this, Mom! I'm not barely getting by, I have my life together, I promise! Look, my laundry is done, my bathroom is clean and toilets are scrubbed, and look no dishes in the sink!!!"

Must. Clean.

So mom and brudda got into town and came to see me at work. They got a tour of my rec center and then went to the club baseball game with to me before we went to my very clean (i hadn't had time to fold my last load of laundry so I hid it behind my bed. Mom found it. Go figure.) apartment. I even had all my decorations up and it looks homey even. Go me.

We went to dinner to a local restaurant that even I hadn't been to yet and we had delicious food, an even better dessert and the waiter was funny and we laughed and caught up and I was so incredibly happy to have them here.

Brudda talked about high school and his friends who I still envision as the bratty 12 year olds that I often had to watch after little league or basketball practice and that would play hours upon hours of video games at my house and eat all the chicken nuggets and pizza rolls we had. Brudda was the littlest always, shorter and weaker than his friends but that's no longer the case. He's almost 6'3 and he can pick me up when we hug. He's definitely not the 12 year old little guy I left when I went to college all those years ago. He's super witty and he gets himself into trouble because he has a smart mouth but he's quiet and reserved at times too. He's got that sneak attack sense of humor. He's shy and takes awhile to open up and then he'll say something sassy and you're like 'Whoa! Where'd that come from??'

How I'll always thing of him. That little one ruining our awkward tween photos.

All us Allen kids have lots of sass. It must be genetic. Sarcasm is spoken fluently in our house.

We spent the rest of the weekend looking at furniture for my place (mom said it was cute but that I needed a tv stand and a coffee table) and just checking out Salukiville. I got a tv stand and then before we got ready to go to dinner, Brudda goes 'Let's just stay in and make dinner. I don't want to go out, let's just watch movies and cook.' Ok. Brudda wants to just chill and hang with me? Chalking it up as a win.

We watched the Lord of the Ring and Horton Hears a Who and ate fajitas that mom made in my little apartment. It was perfect.

That night was also when the rec students were headed out to all meet up at the bars. Everyone from IM's to Fitness and Facilities were invited to hangout as they all had the Rec in common. So after mom and brudda went back to their hotel (my apartment is nice but little and my mom likes a nice bed and a bathroom not full of make up and hair straighteners and dryers) I met up with some friends and went out.

It was a fun night and we walked all over from place to place and it's nice to not have to bundle up like an eskimo. I saw my colleague and talked about how she just got back from an on-campus interview for a big girl job. She said it went well and I hope that she gets it. I'm already getting anxious about finding a job next year and I haven't even finished this year yet. She has more interviews upcoming at the big conference everyone in our field (minus me and the other 1st years. still kinda bitter about it but i'll get over it) so she has lots of decisions to make. But if she has options than here's to hoping I will too.

Even though it was meant to be an outing all together, immediately we split off in our distinctive groups. I was with the IM guys and said hi to the others but really, I know my people better so we're going to hang out, sorry bout it. One of the guys on my staff was there, I call him A-Team since he likes to say that he's the best supervisor we have. He kinda self dubbed that nickname but it stuck. That's up for debate but he's not a bad sup. I see some officials and more club people and I know of them but not really well. We officially get introduced and are talking about the NBA playoffs and how Jabari Parker just officially entered into the draft (and I was upset about it) and how I work a lot with club sports and will work with them even more next year. A-Team kinda butted in there and goes hey. *points at me, looks at his baseball crew* respect. *nods and continues talking to someone else*

Definitely chalking that up to a win. Huge win.

He's a leader of the team as he's older and the guys look up to him. And he just gave me the approval nod and let his whole team know that he respects me as a leader and they should do the same. He may not even know that what he did meant so much or that he was doing anything other than hey guys, that chic you just met, she's not half bad. But it was a big deal to me.

It may have taken almost an entire year but I finally feel like I don't have to prove myself anymore. Right there, he did it for me. And my own boss has given me so  much more responsibility and I know that he doesn't worry anymore when he's not around. He's gone from now until next Monday and we have playoffs and are finishing up everything this week but I got it. I'm going to be just fine, so is this program and everyone knows that. I think they know it more than I do.

I did it.

I am at the spot I have tried to get to for so long and their were lapses and there is still going to be but I won. And I couldn't be happier. It's still stressful, I still make mistakes and my staff and boss know it. But they know I work hard and they work hard too but I think they work hard for me. And that's the biggest win I could ever get.

Cue the hair flip, I'm walking on cloud 9.

Fast forward to me and mom and brudda to spending a wonderful Easter together making breakfast in my little apartment, walking on campus and showing them everything that had become my little home in Carbondale.

And then they left for the airport and I cried a little but then I had to get back to my life that is school and work. But Brudda did say that I was kinda cool and that was kinda cool and a win so it was ok and then I punched him and he shoved me and it was ok.

This is how we show our love for each other. xoxo

Work was going to be crazy because my boss, coworker, some staff, other professional staff were all leaving mid-week to go to a conference. The same conference I got my job at last year, but there was a catch now…I had to stay back to hold down the fort. Lame.

Not gonna lie, this is the biggest conference of the year, THE conference of all conferences and all of my davis peeps were gonna be there, old and new and the friends I had met at all the tourneys and conferences I had gone to.

But that's the deal, only those looking for a job or ga get to go and the little first years do their time and stay home.

Ugh. Green is so not my color.

But on Monday the new GA who is going to be my partner in crime next year came down to Carbondale from Notre Dame for an extended pit stop before heading to the conference with the boss man.

We'll call him PJ and we had met a few times before but didn't know each other well by any means. Well that sure changed after just a day and a half of hanging out. We didn't plan it, or plan much of anything and what we did plan didn't end up happening. But long story short we hung out a lot, he stayed on my couch, we talked through the night, we went apartment hunting for him, checked out local eateries, he watched me panic and stress over im's and then we went to a concert together and then he left.

Whew! What a whirlwind! But it was fun and we got to talk and bond and I'm SO excited for next year. He's creative and good with new ideas and quiet but funny and we have similar tastes in music and we both like hot wings from Buffalo Wild Wings.

Later that night was a concert at SIU, Capital Cities. There a little bit electronic, indie, hipster, fun, dance, whatever you wanna call them that would maybe fit. They have a trumpet in the band, they play that super catchy song 'Safe and Sound' and their fun. It was for $5 so ridiculously cheap and as soon as I found out I texted all my friends to get tickets.

They were like ummm idk, i only know like one song umm yea probs not.

WHAT

Meanwhile in Davis…

All my friends were like WHAT that's so COOL! OMG I'm super jealous they're awesome i would love to go! And for $5?!?! Stop. That's not fair. Stop. You're lying. That's stealing. You can't get anything for $5 not anything. I don't believe you.

And therein lies the difference between Southern Illinois and Northern California people.

We like our music. We pay a lot for our music. We're spoiled by having super cool bands and no namers come out to the west coast that we totally claim to have known about first before they got big and started playing on the main stream radio. snaps to us. we're like so hip, brah. music, sunshine, and the beach, that's california.

No that's lies. But I and a lot of my friends would totally pay to go to a concert or a music festival over pretty much any movie premiere, trip to vegas, etc. like between coachella vs. a night out at vegas we'd go with coachella. hands down.

At the concert there's hardly anyone there. I feel bad but we sit and wait for the band to come on and when it does, they probably see the little crowd, go well, fuq it, let's do this. and they put on a show.

The music was awesome, the light show was super cool and the band was living it up. They had moves and were funny and looked like they were trying to have a good time. So we did too. PJ and I danced like weirdos, took snap chats and had lots of fun. If you would have told me that one of my first times hanging out with my to-be coworker was at a concert dancing I'd have told you that was a good one but nice try.

You can bet that we got down on the dance floor. 

Jk, I'm white and can't dance.

So it was a interesting but fun beginning to the week and PJ and I got to know each other outside of IM's and sports. So here's to having an awesome time next year! And am I the best host or what? Chya!

And now I'm chilling (freaking out) with my staff and it's just me and the other first GA's trying to get ready for this weekend's big triathlon event and continue with Im sport playoffs oh and try to throw some school in there. Nah better not. Who needs to go to a conference in Nashville anyway?

Let the freaking commence.

To be continued!