#23: Projects

I'm a busy little bee- not as busy as I'd like to be, or as I'm used to, but busy enough to not be painstakingly bored. Here are the fun projects I'm working on currently.

The biggest, and I can tell already most frustrating, thing I'm working on is our 5-year high school class reunion. Allison asked me a couple months ago if I knew of anything happening for our 5-year and I said no and forgot about it. Then in April she asked again and I took it upon myself to start planning because I figured if I didn't, no one else would. Our big idea- the Budweiser Deck at Target Field for a Twins Game. We created a group on Facebook, invited all the people we were still friends with and watched it take off from there. We graduated with about 300 people (I think) and half of those people are currently in our Facebook group (not bad if you ask me). People seemed interested, making jokes about how expensive the beer is at the field, so when I finally got around to calling Target Field, of course the Budweiser Deck is sold out for the season. I did reserve a bunch of seats in a section in July, figuring it was our next best option. I created an event on Facebook, invited all the people in the group and bam, there we go. This all happened last night so I'll be interested to see how many people end up RSVP-ing, not to mention the fact that clearly we're missing half of our class in the Facebook group. All sorts of people are chiming in with "helpful" tips (my parents, mostly) that I'd prefer not to listen to. Its my class reunion, I think I should be able to plan how I want to.

I wrote that about 2 weeks ago. I have renewed interest and excitement in this project now, looking in to bars in Bloomington where we can hang out for the night. I have my eye on Cowboy Jack's, this new "saloon" in Bloomington with a mechanical bull. I have been there 4 or 5 times in the past month and after passing judgement initially (lots of older people that first night I was there), I love it. Its such a fun place to go and just hang out- I don't think I've drank any of the times I've been, its just fun to walk around and watch people ride the bull. I ALWAYS see people I know there so I figured it would be a great place to hold our reunion. I am trying to work it out with their event lady and in the mean time, I'm coming up with AMAZING ideas like turning my computer into a photo booth, decorations and cupcakes. I'm actually looking forward to this again so I hope it turns out the way I want it to.

Sneak peek of the photo booth- I found these sweet props on Etsy. We are the Jefferson Jaguars, our colors are blue and white- HOW PERFECT IS THIS??

Another thing I'm doing now is through Hands On Twin Cities, a really amazing volunteer connection website. I signed on to be a project coordinator for an event called "Decorating Day" where we go decorate bulletin boards at the Benedictine Health Center in Minneapolis. I figured it would be a perfect thing for me to do since I'm a basically a bulletin board professional. I went last week to do the boards for the first time and it was kind of fun to talk to the residents of the center and watch them watch me put up the fish wrapping paper as the background.

Here is one of the five bulletin boards I redecorated for the month of June:

After signing on for Decorating Day, I ended up volunteering to coordinate another event called "Stock the Shelves" at the Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis. This project is a little more out of my comfort zone but obviously anything volunteer related, I enjoy doing. This project happens on the first Saturday of every month. Last month, we assembled hygiene kits, diaper bags and then helped sort through donated clothes. The event is happening again this coming Saturday and I'm expecting it to be totally different. It's an interesting experience and I'm happy to be a part of it.

You can check out the Impact Now programs (like Decorating Day and Stock the Shelves) at the Hands On Twin Cities website!

Other than all that, I'm still making cupcakes. I'm throwing Liz a birthday bonfire this weekend where I was going to make cupcakes but I'm actually going to make cake sushi instead (I'm branching out!) I'm baking softball cupcakes for a big company competition next weekend then more cupcakes for a coworker's birthday mid-June. I just started going to the chiropractor (3 times a week for the next 2 months), I'm still working out 2-3 times a week, I'm starting to look at grad programs again (I have 6 front runners so I'll have to work on applications and such this summer), and I have a "Sons of Anarchy" night weekly with Trudy, Mitch, Eric and Liz. Despite all of these things going on, I still am bored and not meeting my full potential in projects. I am so used to being busy non-stop that this whole "out of res life" thing is still weird.

148-154: Week Twenty Two/Picture a Day for a Year

148/365: I'm planning our high school 5-year reunion and just downloaded this awesome program that turns my computer into a photobooth! I'm excited about it and have created this design to print out on the photo collages. I can make traditional strips but I like this 4x6 layout.

149/365: I love my red Toms and the beautiful steps down to the river at the Boo's cabin. It was a lovely day on Lake Wissota (even though we didn't go boating).

150/365: Liz's 21st birthday! I bought her this cool shirt in Vegas. She loves it.

151/365: I volunteered tonight and made dinner at the St. Stephen's shelter in Minneapolis. We made an Indian meal and when I got home I was super hungry (I tried but did not eat the food we made as we made just enough for the men at the shelter). I decided to make an "egg in a hole" and boy was it tasty! It hit the spot.

152/365: Mom dumped her purse out today looking for something and this is what came out of it. YUCK. What she was looking for ended up falling on the floor so she couldn't find it for a while anyway.

153/365: When it storms, Jazz hides and/or curls up into a ball someplace. Poor puppy.

154/365: I wasted a lot of time at the Asian market looking for matcha (green tea powder) this afternoon. I ended up trekking to the Mall of America and purchasing it at Teavana. I made tasty cake sushi for Liz's birthday party!

141-147: Week Twenty One/Picture a Day for a Year

141/365: I brought the boys out for breakfast the morning after the best night ever (Mitch's birthday). I ordered a hot chocolate and our waitress brought it out with a side of whipped cream because it didn't fit in the mug. I thought it was so weird.

142/365: I failed to take a picture today but here's my favorite Post Secret from today. I often felt like this when I was an RA but I always was good at my job and didn't want to jeopardize that. So I waited til my residents moved off campus and THEN we had some fun.

143/365: Liz and I walked up to Scoops today and I bought Jazz a "baby cone" of vanilla. He enjoyed the ice cream but was confused about the cone. He's spoiled.

144/365: This is one of five bulletin boards I worked on today at the Benedictine Health Center in Minneapolis. Its one of my volunteer projects for the next few months. Its not nearly as elaborate as the BBs I'm used to making but many people (residents and employees at the center) passed and commented on how colorful and fun they were so that was good.

145/365: Steve bought Twizzlers today and I got a bunch. I was drinking flavored water and used the Twizzler as a straw. Yum!

146/365: This is vanilla in cream. I like this picture because there's a little heart in the top left corner of cream.

147/365: This was a mascara mishap but I totally want a beauty mark next to my eye. How cool would that be?

134-140: Week Twenty/Picture a Day for a Year

134/365: When I met Heidi at the hotel tonight (the Ostroms were in town for a wedding) this is how I found Rybecat- passed out drunk on the bed. He woke up and talked to me, fell back to sleep, then woke up again and said hi to me like we hadn't conversed before. Love it.

135/365: My OJ this morning had double rainbows! I love clever packaging and advertising like this.

136/365: Even though I told Jazz I didn't want him to go in the lake at the dog park, he did it anyway. He walked right in and laid down because he loves the water so much. Then he gets skinny chicken legs. Its amusing but also gross and smelly.

137/365: The lovely Miss Yvonne made this for me in high school- can't remember when or why but I LOVE it and it stays in my car for perfect sunny days like today that need a soundtrack.

138/365: My favorite thing about this cupcake stand is the tiny wrench it comes with to take it apart. I thought it was useless but I really did need it the last time I disassembled that thing.

139/365: Green puppy paws!

140/365: I was driving behind this guy on my way to work- I can't figure out if he wrote his own license plate and taped it to his truck or what that is...

Post Grad Book #7

The Girl I Left Behind: A Narrative History of the Sixties by Judith Nies
Finished: May 8, 2011
Page Count: 303
Why I read it:
I was killing time at the library before meeting a friend for lunch and this book was on display in the adult non-fiction section.  The cover caught my eye and with my background in women & gender studies, I figured it would be a good addition to my vast reading list from the past few years.


Booklist review:
Nies, author and activist, offers a refreshingly candid look at her own life as a product of the 1960s and 1970s. After completing graduate school overseas in international affairs, Nies returns to the U.S. in 1966 to race riots and the burgeoning antiwar movement. She marries a Treasury Department employee, then lands “the most interesting job in Washington,” working as an aide to a group of 10 liberal congressmen. Against the familiar backdrop of assassinations, the Chicago Democratic Convention riots in 1968, and the invasion of Cambodia and the Kent State shootings in 1970, Nies outlines her own hostile work environment during those years. After writing an article on the “institutionalized sexism prevailing on Capitol Hill,” she lands a new job working for a congressman’s wife. At the same time, her own marriage is disintegrating due to the chasm between her activism and her husband’s administration job. Nothing really new here, but Nies’ personal take on the ripple effects of the women’s movement—both on those involved directly and those who followed—is honest and engaging. --Deborah Donovan


What I thought:
This was a fantastic read after all the articles, anthologies and books I read in my WAGS courses.  I love that I knew what she was talking about, who people were, and that I'd read some of the things she had read (though she was reading the articles in the middle of the feminist movement while I was reading them thirty years later).  I always love a good account of what it was like for a woman living in the sixties and seventies during the changing times of our country.  Nies' experiences were very different from that of the typical housewife of the time- she held several jobs on Capitol Hill where women were still meant to be seen and not heard.  She did a lot of important work and I'm sure never got the recognition she deserved.  She mentioned a lot of people from Minnesota (senators, activists) that I've never heard of so it was cool to have that "hometown" connection.  She talked a lot about the Vietnam War and made occasional connections to the current war in Iraq.  It was just a really interesting book about her life and the girl she had to leave behind in order to conform into the rigid roles of marriage and womanhood in the sixties.  She ends the book saying she's happy with the life she ended up leaving, even having to leave a lot of her goals and ambitions behind.  I guess my reaction now is of disappointment for her having to push some of her ambitions aside- I hope to never face a situation where I have to give up something I love.  

127-133: Week Nineteen/Picture a Day for a Year

127/365: I volunteered today and found this while we were sorting donated clothes. I would TOTALLY want my child to wear this super cool Snoopy sweater (also in my favorite color!).

128/365: This picture is hilariously creepy. We hugged mom goodnight for Mother's Day and made Jazz join on the group hug. Then Liz held him up like people and I laughed then took this picture.

129/365: I have short hair! I'm still kind of freaking out but I'm happy.

130/365: I used my sweet new cupcake measuring cups to make cupcakes tonight! Allison and I had to test them the other day to make sure they were accurate- they are. Thanks Boosalis family!

131/365: I got this cookie from Milio's for lunch today (Nurse Appreciation Week... we totally count). It looked like someone had taken a bite out of it then wrapped it back up. I ate it anyway and it was GOOD.

132/365: New shoes! I bought red Toms because I'm getting a red polo for work and need something to match. The black ones are just because I love black shoes. I love Toms and two kids in Africa got a pair of shoes because I purchased these! Yay!

133/365: We went to Scoops tonight and I texted this picture to Liz- she didn't actually paint this when Scoops opened but we always joked that she had. I still find it amusing.

#22: My Year of Rejection: A reflection of my life one year after graduation

I don't mean to sound so cynical or mopey but looking back on the past 365 days, rejection popped up more than once. And as you'll see in this post, it mostly turned in to a good thing. Still, everyone wants to be wanted and rejection, though a recurring theme in my life, sucks. You think I'd be used to it by now.

It has been 12 months since I walked across that stage in the McCown Field House at Winona State University. I said goodbye to the home where I lived for 4 years and moved back to my original home, the one where I lived for 18 years prior to leaving for college. I started working full time that Monday. While my life hasn't been nearly as exciting as it once was, it feels like I haven't stopped moving. At the end of my senior year in college, I was so looking forward to some routine in my life. At WSU, I never knew if my phone would ring at an odd hour with some emergency, when the fire alarm would go off, when I'd have to roll out of bed to tell the boys down the hall to shut the hell up, when I would have to deal with a staff issue or a resident issue or a friend issue. I never knew what was coming next in my life and that was EXHAUSTING. I was looking forward to waking up every day, working 9-5 then coming home to relax. Turns out I don't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I now miss the crazy energy that was Lourdes Hall. I miss deciding whether or not I would wake up for class that day (definitely can't do that with work). I miss being important and in charge and needed (I know, I'm kind of full of myself but at least I admit it). Transitioning home from college was WAY harder than I expected it to be and I think I'm still trying to figure out my place here.

First thing's first: I am very blessed to have a family that welcomed me back home with open arms. I've heard that most college graduates aren't as lucky as me and don't have this cushion to fall back on, this great support system. While I love my family, I do not so much love living at home. I don't hate it but I definitely miss the independence I grew so used to over the past 4 years of college. I miss my apartment at East Lake from the summer of 2009. Living at home is good. I will be living at home for the next year so I guess I'll just get used to it (there used to be the possibility that I'd move out but I came to my senses/joined a gym and decided to save my money for grad school instead of rent). At the end of the day, it is nice to fall asleep at home and know that I am safe, warm and loved.

I should also say that I'm very lucky to be employed. That was a great success for me right away after graduation. Some may say that I was handed the job but it wouldn't have been offered to me if I didn't deserve it. And I'm sure as hell earning my pay right now. I'm lucky to be valued as an employee at my company and I really have nothing to complain about job-wise.

And now, for a recount of the rejection I've faced over the past 12 months. Don't worry, its not as depressing as you think it'll be (I hope its not, at least).

The downfall: In September, I liked a boy. He fit in great with my friends. He agreed to accompany me to the Wolpers Wedding and he seemed to enjoy it. I was happy for a long time, having someone to talk to and send good night texts to. I think I was also making things out to be more than they were (I have a tendency to do that- I blame Disney princesses and my oftentimes overactive imagination). Still, I thought that we were at least friends. Then my birthday rolled around and for the second year in a row, the man that meant the most to me at that point in my life (besides family) didn't wish me a happy birthday (and if you know me, you know birthdays are the most important day of the year). And then he disappeared. For no reason. If that's not rejection, I'm not sure what is.

The silver lining: I guess the lesson here is that you live and learn (unfortunately, I feel like I learned this exact same lesson twice in the past few years). Its hard to find the silver lining in rejection like this but I'm surviving as a single independent woman, the way I have for the past 23 years. I'm getting sick of it but obviously I'm not meant to be with him.

The downfall: I was really excited about Colorado State. I LOVE Colorado. I dream of those mountains, the cornflowers, the fresh air in the high altitudes. I was excited for a change of scenery, a change of pace, and big life change in general. I feel like everything I've done thus far has been safe. Safe isn't necessarily bad but I'm in the prime of my life for traveling, trying new things and being adventurous. Colorado would have been perfect for me. That was quite the blow to my ego, I'll admit that. I guess CSU is still an option (and to clarify, I got in to the SCHOOL just not the specific PROGRAM) but how can I go back to something that already tossed me aside?

The silver lining: I'm home for another year and available for many things I really wanted to do but wasn't sure if I could due to the time restraints of going to school in the fall/late summer. Mainly: I get to VOLUNTEER. I think that is the best thing to come of me not going to school for another year. I just finished working with Breakthrough St. Paul/Youth Venture's trial run as a collaborative effort for a bunch of dedicated and inspired middle schoolers to create social change. Hopefully I'll get to work with them again next school year. I just signed on for a monthly volunteer opportunity called "Decorating Day" putting my RA skills to use by organizing a bulletin board-decorating night at the Benedictine Health Center. I think I also just signed up for another monthly project JUST BECAUSE I CAN (and I love to volunteer, of course). I'm going to take part in a cohort group this month of people meeting to discuss/volunteer with a specific cause- we're targeting homelessness in May and I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of it. I'm happy to be home so I can put to great use the vast amount of resources and volunteer opportunities available in the Twin Cities. I suggest you do the same, wherever you are.

The downfall: Then came the most recent upset, the maurices model contest. Sure, 550 women entered. Sure, it was basically a popularity contest (which didn't really dawn on me until I didn't make it to the next round). Still, I thought I had a chance. I got my hopes up, yet again, and was disappointed when I found out I didn't make it to the next round (550 girls were cut to 50 based on internet votes). I've never aspired to be a model but I thought it would be a unique opportunity that would allow me to grow as a person. Apparently I will have to grow from this rejection instead.

The silver lining: I'm still trying to figure this one out. I guess I just have to learn to stop getting my hopes up. Maybe I need to seek out more attainable goals. Modeling just isn't for me at this point in my life (though I won't rule it out for someday...).

My life is good. I'm happy, most days. I started working out weekly (except last week when I decided to wallow in my own misery instead). I lost 15 pounds between January and March by cutting portions, watching what I eat and trying not to eat past 9 p.m. I'm trying to create a healthier lifestyle for myself because I figure I have nothing else to do. Yes, I'd like to be a happy couple like Allison & Phil or Jaci & Ryan but that can wait. I'm no less of a person because I'm still single. I am by no means alone. I have some amazing friends from various points in my life and I know I'm lucky for that. Honestly, I'm just lucky to be alive. I'm not religious nor am I spiritual but I do believe in God and I understand that this life I'm leading is a gift and not something to take lightly. I know I'm going to make a difference in this world, the rejection is just something I'm going to have to get used to.


And now for the more fun part of my recap (if you've survived my sentimental ranting)...

Best Memories of the Last Year:
1. Harry Potter World tops the list. OBVIOUSLY.
2. Allison & Phil's wedding
3. My surprise birthday party
4. Volunteering
5. Trips to Winona
6. Being in the Holidazzle parade (chance of a lifetime)
7. Various celebrations with friends (Roaring 20s, grilled cheese, Star Wars, Fall Feast, Christmas brunch, mother/daughter tea)
8. Vegas with Mom
9. Working on my list- it was fun to write it and its been fun to work on it
10. Being back home with the girls
And because I love pictures so much, here is a collage of my top 10 memories:

In other news, this blog is one year old! I love Blogger for keeping stats of where people are reading my blog and how many page views I get (its great for my narcissism). Here is some interesting info about my blog. Thanks for everyone who reads it (or at least skims through my excessive picture posts).

That's just over 1500 page views as of April 28, 2011- and that does not include my own page views because if it did, that number would be astronomical.

To my international friends- thank you. I know Venezuela is from Eli and the UK is Danni. I'm assuming the USVI was Brooklyn and Canada was Hannah. Yay for friends in fun places! Also please note that Macs win over PCs. Suck it.

#21: Dresses

Wear more dresses is #8 on my list of things to do before I turn 24. I am hoping this summer will open up many opportunities for dress wearing (if not, I'll make reasons to wear dresses). My closet is filling up with recent purchases- I just can't help myself! I'm going to crash a wedding reception later in May and Heidi wanted to see all my dress options. Because you know I love pictures, this is my picture post of all the dresses I currently possess/that will more than likely fit me since I've lost some weight recently.

#1: My newest dress, a recent purchase at Penney's. It has pockets!

#2: Also new from Penney's.

#3: I got this from Penney's a few weeks ago- its a Mary Kate and Ashley dress. Love it.

#4: Got this dress in Vegas. I think I still need to lose a little more weight for it to look right.

#5: I have black & white polka dot Keds that match this dress.

#6: This is my sexy Victoria's Secret dress.

#7: Graduation dress.

#8: This one, like most of my dresses, still has the tag on it.

#9: Obligatory little black dress.

#10: This is one of my favorite Res Life banquet dresses.

Which one should I wear for dancing the night away and celebrating with these two crazy kids?