If paddle boarding was an example of my self-proclaimed athleticism, then kayaking was a blatant example of my awkwardness and complete lack of coordination. So begins the story of my first kayaking experience through Living Social...
I should have known it was going to be a rough one when I got stuck in traffic for 30 minutes just trying to get to the event. We were supposed to be there by 5:00 to great the guests who actually BOUGHT the adventure, but 5:00 comes and goes and I was stuck in my car on North Ave where apparently, its normal to do construction during rush-hour. When I finally showed up, I was THE last Living Social worker to arrive. Excellent.
The next 30-40 minutes were fine - just checked in the customers and directed them to the "cubbies" where they could put all their stuff that they didn't want to take with them on the river. Most of the guests asked the typical question of what was the likelihood that they would get wet. I pulled some stuff out my behind since I have never kayaked before and simply said "it just depends - if its windy out there, we might hit some waves that get us a little wet." Sounded good to me and apparently it was a good enough answer for the guests. Mind you, I have never in my life been kayaking. But then, one young lady asked me "so, what are the chances of capsizing?" Um, excuse me? There is a chance I could CAPSIZE out there? I mean, I am a good swimmer, but I am definitely one of those people that if I get pulled under water in an unnatural way, there is a good chance I will panic.
I am not sure I was able to convince her as easily as the other guests since I had a deer-in-headlights look on my face. Instead, I awkwardly laughed and told her I am pretty sure there is a very small chance that that actually will happen. Then I walked away. No way was I going to continue conversation with her and allow her to sense that I had no idea what I was talking about AND was panicking.
So finally, we wrapped up the check-in and headed down to the river (Chicago River) for our brief lesson in kayaking. We got the basics - how to steer, how to slow down if we were going to crash into someone or something - you know, the important things. It was just me and one other Living Social worker (Morgan) manning the group of 34 guests. We did have 2 people from Kayak Chicago, the company Living Social works with for both paddle boarding and then this ridiculous adventure. The first thing we did was go through the instructions on land. Everyone climbed into a kayak that was on land and we walked through the different paddling techniques. Lucky for me, there was no kayak for me at the point, so I had REMEMBER what the Kayak Chicago guy said for when I was actually in the kayak and had a paddle. Great start.
After about 10 minutes of instruction, we headed down to the dock where, one by one, we hoped into our kayaks and started out on our hour and a half kayaking adventure down the Chicago River. I was the last person to get into mine, thinking that it would just be best if I rounded out the back of the group and let Morgan round out the front. What I DIDN'T calculate was the fact that I might not be that good at kayaking and that by rounding out the back, I would actually be in dead-last struggling to keep up.
As we started to kayak down the river, I tried to find a rhythm. I mean, how hard can it be? Paddle on one side, then paddle on the other. Piece of cake. Fail. Big time. I couldn't find a good balance between each stroke, couldn't find a good place to put my hands on the paddle, and because of that, I was splashing water into my kayak on every paddle. I did manage to get ahead of at least 3 of the 34 people. Once my ego kicked in, I refused to be dead last, not matter how awkward I looked trying to stay ahead of the others.
Kayakers look so smooth going down the river. Each paddle looks like its done with ease and there is never any splash coming up from the water. And then there is me. Not only was I slashing water into my kayak the entire 4-mile paddle, I was also splashing water on the kayaks around me (that's WHEN I was actually close enough to other people). On top of that, I kept hitting the paddle on the size of the kayak. We all know how loud heavy plastic on heavy plastic sounds. I was making that noise all night long. I would get a couple of good strokes in then BANG! BANG! Paddle, meet kayak.
Then, instead of gracefully placing the paddle back into the water, every stroke sounded like someone dropping a brick into the water. KERPLUNK! KERPLUNK! So, imagine that PLUS the sound of the paddle hitting the side of the kayak. The only thing I was missing for the whole imagine to be complete was a nose plug and a bathing cap.
I finally caught my stride with about 15 minutes left in the paddle. But before then, I made a decision that got me through the hour and a half trip. I decided that there was NO way all those people who were ahead of me for the fist half of the paddle were going to beat me back. Ok, well, some of them were because they were SO far ahead of me. But, I knew that at least half of them were going to be exhausted on the paddle back. I mean, its a serious upper body workout and some of the people on this trip looked like they had not done a push-up in years. No judgment - I just used this as motivation.
So, for the last half of the trip back, I was determined not to coast like so many of the guests were doing. I was going to paddle the entire way back, no matter how uncoordinated I looked or how wet I got. I was going to beat the majority of the people back whether they liked it or not. I crossed the finish line well ahead of the majority of our group and did a fist pump in my head when I didn't fall out of my kayak when I was getting out of it on the dock. That was probably the biggest accomplishment of the night because if anyone was going to fall out, it WAS going to be me. I'm sure nobody would have been surprised after seeing me kayak like I was a 3-year old girl playing splash in the bathtub.
The night ended with a cookout, a bonfire and games of cornhole right by the river. Guests enjoyed cheeseburgers, beer and chips before heading home. One thing that was amazing about the adventure was the fact that we followed the river into downtown Chicago just as the sun was setting and all the buildings were starting the light up. It was breathtaking. I wish I had my camera, but then I remembered I was sitting in 5 inches of water that I paddled into my kayak, so it was probably a good thing I didn't bring it. Again, one of those moments where I couldn't believe I was living in Chicago and getting to take part in all of these experiences.
So, just when I surprised myself with my ability to stand-up on a paddle board, I also surprised myself with my complete inability to kayak gracefully. I can officially cross that off my bucket list. I am pretty sure it was NEVER on my bucket list, but now, I can say I have done it. Been there, done that. I'll take a paddle board and strut my "athleticism" any day over revealing my true lack of coordination. If only someone had a video camera, it would have made an excellent youtube video.
Until next time, much love. Live Socially!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
DePaul Invasion: Watch out Ohio!
I have been on cloud 9 since Wednesday. For those of you who I have not been able to tell yet, I found out Wednesday afternoon that my admission counselor position at DePaul University will go FULL-TIME on Septmeber 12!!! I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone who kept their fingers crossed for me and kept me in your prayers. I cannot tell you how excited I am to join this staff full-time. As I have mentioned in the past, my co-workers are amazing and I am finally ready to be BUSY! There is only so much time I can spend bothering my other co-workers because I have half as much work to do as they do before they kick me out of their offices.
Part-time has been great in terms of having random days off. For example, on Wednesday, I spent the day walking around Lincoln Park and spending too much money at TJ Maxx and Bed Bath and Beyond. My intention for the day was to come home with a new shower curtain. I DID come home with a shower curtain, so that was successful. I also came home with new perfume, new sunglasses, a new collage picture frame and a new decortative wall-hanging for the bedroom. Those stores are just dangerous. I mean, where else can you find Calvin Klein sunglasses and perfume for 50% off the original price? And they put that stuff right at the top of the escalator so you have no choice but to walk by it. I think they have talked to the Ikea people...
About an hour after I got home, I got the phone call from staffing offering me the full-time position. The lady on the other end of the phone call got a little carried away talking about the great benefits DePaul offers to its employees. I wanted to just remind her that I was already working part-time at DePaul and that she could just offer me the job and stop trying to convince me to take the job by reciting the benefits manual. Finally, she got to the point where she asked if I would accept the job and I felt like a kid in a candy shop. I said yes and immediately called mom and dad to let them know that their daughter was FINALLY contributing full-time to society. I also don't have to be such a Frugal Fran all the time and don't have to hear Matt laugh at me when I complain about having to buy a $20 shower curtain. Still a Baller on a Budget, but with a little more wiggle room :)
Best part about the job: I get my own office! This will be the first time EVER that I have my own office. At Macon, four of us shared the attic upstairs in our office (which was an old, three-story house). Don't get me wrong - we had some very fun times. Sometimes work got put on hold because of it the casual atmosphere, but when four people are making phone calls at one time, it just gets weird. And currently at DePaul, I am in a cubicle next to the student interns. So, I feel like a real professional being able to move into my own office for the first time. Matt's not the only big-timer now, thank you very much. I have MY name on MY door too.
I start traveling next month and I will be visiting the exciting state of Ohio for about 5 days. But the following weeks I will actually be heading back down to Northern Virginia and DC! Our travel manager swears she didn't plan it that way, but I am not complaining. They will be quick trips though, filled with college fairs and high school visits. It will just be nice to start out my travel season in areas that I am familiar with (other than Ohio). But right now, its just a waiting game. I sill have to work part-time next week but only from 1-5 every day. It will be a nice way to transition into being back in the office full-time and catch up on some much needed sleep after dragging my butt out of bed for 6:30 AM workouts. My body does not approve of those, by the way.
I celebrated with my friend Tracy (the academic advisor for the men's basketball team here) on Wednesday night. She treated me to dinner, drinks and desserts. I think those are my three favorite words in the world that start with D...nothing says classy like a cheese pizza, sangria and cookie dough ice cream. For those of you who are thinking that Matt is a total skeeze for not taking me out to celebrate, he was actually at a work dinner with the entire staff that night. So, it was date night for Tracy and me. Matt and I are celebrating next Friday night at restuarant downtown that he went to when he came up for his interview in April. All I remember him telling me about this place was that they serve mashed potatoes with pieces of lobster in them and they have a butter cake for dessert. Yes, I WILL have both plus my entree.
But this weekend is reserved for not only enjoying the last official weekend of summer, but spending time with GREAT friends from Virginia. I am over the moon about seeing Scott and Amanda Day - Scott is the Sports Information Director at VCU and Amanda is his lovely wife who has so bravely left their 2 month-old baby boy Connor at home to make this trip. VCU Field Hockey is playing at Northwestern and Scott was able to get Amanda on the trip. Not sure what the plan is for tonight, but tomorrow I hope to show them around the Lincoln Park area and find a good place where the guys can watch college football and Amanda and I can catch up.
In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fabulous Labor Day weekend. I know my parents probably have something fun planned with neighbors and friends, and I hope everyone else enjoys the last official weekend of summer. I know, I know - you all will still have about a month and a half left of summer weather. I will be living vicariously through you all when it suddenly turns cold here. I have heard fall is amazing in Chicago (the one month that it lasts), so hopefully I can enjoy it.
Happy Labor Day weekend - enjoy the time spent with loved ones!
Part-time has been great in terms of having random days off. For example, on Wednesday, I spent the day walking around Lincoln Park and spending too much money at TJ Maxx and Bed Bath and Beyond. My intention for the day was to come home with a new shower curtain. I DID come home with a shower curtain, so that was successful. I also came home with new perfume, new sunglasses, a new collage picture frame and a new decortative wall-hanging for the bedroom. Those stores are just dangerous. I mean, where else can you find Calvin Klein sunglasses and perfume for 50% off the original price? And they put that stuff right at the top of the escalator so you have no choice but to walk by it. I think they have talked to the Ikea people...
About an hour after I got home, I got the phone call from staffing offering me the full-time position. The lady on the other end of the phone call got a little carried away talking about the great benefits DePaul offers to its employees. I wanted to just remind her that I was already working part-time at DePaul and that she could just offer me the job and stop trying to convince me to take the job by reciting the benefits manual. Finally, she got to the point where she asked if I would accept the job and I felt like a kid in a candy shop. I said yes and immediately called mom and dad to let them know that their daughter was FINALLY contributing full-time to society. I also don't have to be such a Frugal Fran all the time and don't have to hear Matt laugh at me when I complain about having to buy a $20 shower curtain. Still a Baller on a Budget, but with a little more wiggle room :)
Best part about the job: I get my own office! This will be the first time EVER that I have my own office. At Macon, four of us shared the attic upstairs in our office (which was an old, three-story house). Don't get me wrong - we had some very fun times. Sometimes work got put on hold because of it the casual atmosphere, but when four people are making phone calls at one time, it just gets weird. And currently at DePaul, I am in a cubicle next to the student interns. So, I feel like a real professional being able to move into my own office for the first time. Matt's not the only big-timer now, thank you very much. I have MY name on MY door too.
I start traveling next month and I will be visiting the exciting state of Ohio for about 5 days. But the following weeks I will actually be heading back down to Northern Virginia and DC! Our travel manager swears she didn't plan it that way, but I am not complaining. They will be quick trips though, filled with college fairs and high school visits. It will just be nice to start out my travel season in areas that I am familiar with (other than Ohio). But right now, its just a waiting game. I sill have to work part-time next week but only from 1-5 every day. It will be a nice way to transition into being back in the office full-time and catch up on some much needed sleep after dragging my butt out of bed for 6:30 AM workouts. My body does not approve of those, by the way.
I celebrated with my friend Tracy (the academic advisor for the men's basketball team here) on Wednesday night. She treated me to dinner, drinks and desserts. I think those are my three favorite words in the world that start with D...nothing says classy like a cheese pizza, sangria and cookie dough ice cream. For those of you who are thinking that Matt is a total skeeze for not taking me out to celebrate, he was actually at a work dinner with the entire staff that night. So, it was date night for Tracy and me. Matt and I are celebrating next Friday night at restuarant downtown that he went to when he came up for his interview in April. All I remember him telling me about this place was that they serve mashed potatoes with pieces of lobster in them and they have a butter cake for dessert. Yes, I WILL have both plus my entree.
But this weekend is reserved for not only enjoying the last official weekend of summer, but spending time with GREAT friends from Virginia. I am over the moon about seeing Scott and Amanda Day - Scott is the Sports Information Director at VCU and Amanda is his lovely wife who has so bravely left their 2 month-old baby boy Connor at home to make this trip. VCU Field Hockey is playing at Northwestern and Scott was able to get Amanda on the trip. Not sure what the plan is for tonight, but tomorrow I hope to show them around the Lincoln Park area and find a good place where the guys can watch college football and Amanda and I can catch up.
In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fabulous Labor Day weekend. I know my parents probably have something fun planned with neighbors and friends, and I hope everyone else enjoys the last official weekend of summer. I know, I know - you all will still have about a month and a half left of summer weather. I will be living vicariously through you all when it suddenly turns cold here. I have heard fall is amazing in Chicago (the one month that it lasts), so hopefully I can enjoy it.
Happy Labor Day weekend - enjoy the time spent with loved ones!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
IKEA = Domesticated
Sorry for the delay, folks, with the blog. So, I will just jump right in!
Matt got back LAST weekend after a 10 day trip to France with the basketball team. Thanks to an international phone plan the staff was hooked up with, I actually was able to talk to him multiple times when he was on the trip. The team traveled to Paris, Monaco and Nice before heading back to the states. Most importantly, the guys went 4-0 against a couple of the French club teams! Hopefully, the guys came home with some confidence in themselves and their teammates so when practice starts (in less than a month!) everyone will be ready to to work.
While DePaul was putting the hurt on the French teams, Georgetown faced its own kind of hurt when a fight broke out between their team and the Chinese team they traveled across the globe to play. Apparently, one thing led to another and the Georgetown team found itself outnumbered and on the other side of some punches. When I talked to Dad about this, he said he hoped nothing like that would happen to our guys. I reminded him that we were playing the French and that they don't fight back for anything...
I wish there was more to write about during those 10 days while Matt was away, but I mostly worked. I lucked out in that I ended up working 8 of the 10 days that he was gone, so at least I kept plenty busy. The first weekend, one of my co-workers had us all over from the office to her place for a get together and the following weekend was another co-worker's birthday. One thing I absolutely love about our office: everyone actually hangs out outside of work with each other. Apparently they even had a sand volleyball team this year but I joined the office too late to participate. Next year, though.
Catching up to speed, Matt and I were very domestic this weekend. Yesterday, we took a trip out to Ikea! It was my first time to an Ikea EVER and Courtney warned me I would be overwhelmed. Had we not been on a mission and knew exactly what we needed, I definitely would have had an anxiety attack. We got off to an obnoxious start when we noticed that someone had placed a flyer on the windshield of my car. Apparently it had been there so long because it had melted to the windshield and we couldn't get it off. Thankfully, the guy at the gas station we had to stop at to gas up had a razor blade (weird, but I didn't question it...) and scraped it off for us. Then, we noticed that we had to drive on toll roads and neither of us had cash or change. So, back to the house it was.
We had no idea how much the toll was going to be, so I grabbed the entire canister where we keep out change just incase. A half and hour later, we were FINALLY on the road. While Matt was driving, I fished out $5 worth of coins. Turns out the ONE toll we hit was $.50. Fabulous for my wallet but obnoxious that neither of us even had $.50 before hand.
So, our mission in Ikea was a new bed frame. We moved to Chicago with one but it is just straight up noisy. I am a VERY light sleeper so whenever either of us would move in our sleep, I would wake up. I am not sure I have even gotten a full night's sleep since I moved here. For a while, I was just refusing to buy a bed frame. I am way too cheap and was just going to work through it. But, the other day, I just snapped. I couldn't take it anymore. So, Matt suggested a trip to Ikea for that specific purpose. Again, thank goodness we had a game plan because we both could have spent some SERIOUS money in that store. Its unreal. I would pay someone to just box up entire rooms and come set them up in the same way in our apartment.
Matt kept us on track until we stumbled across the living room furniture. There, he eyed a new entertainment center/TV stand. And the color matched perfectly with our bookshelf and coffee table. I didn't think I was one of those people that needed furniture to match. Turns out I am. I hate that sometimes our apartment looks like a college apartment because we have mix-matching couches and end tables. So, I was pumped at the idea that we would at least have all our main furniture (minus the couches) match one another. I started feeling like a real adult.
After making our way through the store, we had to find all the pieces to our new bed frame and TV stand and get the heck out of there before we bought anything else. We had high hopes that we could fit everything in my little Hyundai. Matt figured out that my back seats fold down giving us some extra trunk room. I had no idea my little guy did that. You learn something new every day.
We spent 15 minutes trying out different ways to make everything fit. Finally, we realized that if one of us had stayed home, we definitely could have fit everything because we could have used the front seat. So, we had to change plans and have everything shipped to us. Nice thing about Ikea is that they ship same day for $50 (if you are in a close enough area, which we are). Crappy thing about Ikea is that they give you a 4-hour delivery window. So, we drew the lucky time block of between 5 pm - 9 pm.
On our way back to the city, we actually met up with one of Matt's friends that he has known since 3rd grade. He moved to Illinois when he was in 9th grade, but they have kept in touch on and off for a couple of years. Dan happened to be just outside of the city for the day, so we met him for lunch. Of all the places there are to eat in Chicago and the surrounding areas, the guys chose Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. Really, guys? But the two of them had a great time catching up, so I managed to swallow my annoyance for the slow service at BW3's and let them have their time.
Matt and I finally made it home right around 4:30. Again, we were trying to be optimistic about the delivery time. I guessed it would be here about 6:45. Matt guessed 7:30. Fail on both sides. The truck rolls up at, that's right, 9:03 PM. Fabulous. All the while, there was a live band playing at the park right down the street from us. Unfortunately, we were not able to enjoy the beautiful night with free music because we were waiting for Ikea. Good thing we like each other or that could have been an annoying way to spend a Saturday night.
Once it finally arrived, we were both way too excited to NOT put it together. We tackled the bed first and by "we" I mean mostly Matt. I really did want to help but we only had one screwdriver. I was there for moral support. You know, I brought Matt water when he got thirsty, cleaned the kitchen from dinner, read a book in the bedroom while he was working JUST IN CASE he needed a extra hand...
All I can say is Matt is the best. He put that entire thing together in 2 hours and for the first time since I have been here, I had an undisturbed night of sleep! It was incredible. I felt so good that I went to the grocery story to buy breakfast food to make us a nice big breakfast which consisted of a turkey veggie frittata and fresh fruit. Fancy, I know.
Today, we have just been spending the day in and out of the house. We spent a good amount of time in the park since its sunny and 75 degrees. We were entertained with a kick ball game that was going on. Being a film guy and basketball coach, Matt was analyzing everyone's footwork in the game. I was too distracted by the obviously drunk center fielder who kept turning around and flitting with a group of guys laying out. She looked so sad when she turned around for the last time and realized that they were gone and didn't event bother to get her number.
Tonight, we have a double date with one of Matt's co-worker and his girlfriend. Great way to end a gorgeous weekend!
BUT, more importantly, so glad to hear everyone back home is safe after this crazy week of natural disasters! I miss you all and am glad everything I have heard from people is "we are lucky - it could have been way worse." Matt and I are thinking about you all through all of this! Hopefully next weekend will be slightly different :)
Monday, August 15, 2011
Change of Pace
There is a new show on TLC called Surprise Homecoming where members of the U.S. Military surprise their families and friends by coming home and not telling them ahead of time. Some show up at their daughters' schools unexpectedly, others surprise their moms' at work. Every show is emotional and if you cry easily, you cannot watch this show without tissues. Its a breath of fresh air compared to the other reality shows that flood our TV. People are addicted to the joke of a show Jersey Shore as we idolize 20 somethings that are literally making money from partying, tanning and physically fighting. I am no different. I have a weakness for Real Housewives and justify this ridiculous obsession by saying it makes me feel better about myself knowing that I would never act the way that these out-of-touch-with-reality women act. No matter how much I try to justify it, I am one of the millions that encourages this type of behavior by being a loyal follower of their sickening actions.
This new TLC show is the first reality show that really does put things in perspective. You do not need any justification to watch this show and if you cry, do not apologize. It tears at your heart strings as you watch these families come together after months and even years of being apart. In most cases, the loved ones of the military personnel have limited contact with their husbands, mothers, sons, daughters, etc and are left on a daily basis worrying about the status of their servicemen and women. In an age where you are only a text message away, I cannot imagine being in that position of not knowing. So, when these men and women come back from serving overseas to surprise their loved ones, its hard not to feel the emotion that pours out from everyone involved.
Its hard to remain stone-faced when you see the 7 year-old girl crying in her dad's arms because she is so overjoyed to have him safely home. I was blessed to have a dad who was at every home basketball game, at every softball tournament and every one my sister's and my big life events. We were lucky to have a mom who greeted us every day when we got off the school bus, most of the time with freshly baked cookies. Its easy to take for granted everything our families were able to provide for us thanks to the brave men and women that fight for this country on a daily basis.
I have also been blessed to have met the love of my life who works in the very chaotic world of college men's basketball. There are long nights at the office, long road trips and once he becomes an assistant coach, there will be long recruiting trips. It can make for lonely nights and rough weeks, but at the end of the day, I know exactly when he is coming home and that he is safe. I know that after a game at Notre Dame, the team will hop back on the bus and come home. He might not make it home until 2:00 AM, but he is coming home. Worse case scenario, he will be upset over a loss.
Our first year of dating, Matt and I hit some rough patches in our relationship because we were both adjusting to life as a coach at VCU. I will never forget the moment that gave me an entirely new perspective on our life together. Before this TLC show aired this year, there was a short-lived TV show on another network with the same concept. I had been traveling for my job at R-MC, so I did not have to go into the office that Friday morning. After being on the road for a week, our boss would let us take the morning off and come in around lunch time. That Friday morning, I kissed Matt goodbye as he headed into the office and I remember him making fun of me because I was getting ready to watch this new TV show. He knows how sensitive I am, knew I was going to cry, so he joked about getting out of there as soon as possible.
As I sat there in Matt's apartment watching the show I had DVR'ed the night before, it all hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been feeling sorry for myself because Matt worked late nights and traveled a lot - for a GAME. For a game that I love as much as he loves it. Matt's life isn't on the line each day. He is not facing a war zone and I don't wake up every day wondering where he is and if he is okay.
When you are facing your own problems and issues in life, its so easy to forget to take a step back and put things in perspective. Its easy to get sucked into feeling sorry for yourself and wishing things were different. At VCU, I was blessed to have an amazing support system through my girlfriends who were all facing the same thing. Even here in Chicago, I have unbelievable co-workers that have helped take my mind off the fact that Matt is in France for 10 days. It goes without saying that my parents have been there for me during all of this as well. As Matt and I continue in the basketball world, I will no doubt continue to meet incredible women who have supported their husbands throughout the years and have made it through the ups and downs. But as tough as college sports can be, nobody has it harder than the families of those serving our country overseas.
Whether or not they want us to feel sorry for them, I think it should be noted that these men, women and children are the strongest people I think any of us will ever meet. I pride myself on being independent and being able to go about my life even when Matt is not around. I cannot honestly say that I would 100% be able to do that as a military wife, daughter or girlfriend. Who do they use to gain perspective? I mean, when times are tough for Matt and I, I always just take a step back and thank God that he is college basketball and his life is not on the line every day. I cannot imagine being in a position where it is.
Even though the show is hosted by the overly-cheesy Billy Ray Cyrus, its worth watching if only to take a short break from the useless reality TV shows we are all so used to. If anything, it puts things in perspective. If you don't see the show, just remember that whatever you may have going on in your life, there are others who are battling as well. But more importantly, its not just the men and women overseas that are sacrificing themselves for us, but also their families. I have the utmost respect for these men, women and children and cannot imagine ever being in their shoes.
I know it sounds harsh that I use their lives to help me feel better about my situation, but it is out of pure respect and admiration. God bless all the men and women fighting for us here back home - and just as importantly, God bless the loved ones of these me and women who are strong enough to be constant support for them.
There is a quote from my favorite book I have ever read - Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resistance and Redemption - that I have come to live by. I have always had a very different relationship with God than the rest of my family. I have always questioned a lot of things surrounding religion and faith especially with the state of our world. But I stumbled across this quote and I think its appropriate for this post. The book is about a WWII U.S. pilot who survived for 34 days on open water in enemy territory before being taken as a POW by the Japanese. For years, he willed himself to survive as the Japanese did everything they could to try and kill him. He eventually made it back home to the U.S. but could not adjust to life back in the states. One day, his wife was able to get him to go listen to Billy Graham in Los Angeles. The man was so out of touch with religion, as would be expected, that he got up to leave in the middle of sermon. As he was walking out of the tent, he heard Graham say the following quote as referring to God:
"If you suffer, I will give you the grace to go forward."
In this true-life story, the man turned back around, sat down and from that day on spent the rest of his life working with troubled teenagers who were dealt a bad hand. It is the most heartbreaking, disturbing, inspiring and unforgettable book I have ever read and I highly recommend it to anyone who is has a passion for non-fiction. But more importantly, it is the quote, that along with some serious perspective, has helped me through difficult times.
I know this post is way out of the ordinary. I am prone to blogging about my missteps paddle boarding or finding the most amazing nacho helmet ever. But its hard not to blog about this as I sit here in my Chicago apartment, watching the end of Surprise Homecoming and missing Matt while he is in France. This is all part of my experiences and adventures here in Chicago and I felt like I could not leave this one out just because it didn't recount an incident of me living it up in the big city. I can't promise that every time Matt is gone on a long trip that I won't feel sorry for myself even if its just for a brief second. But I have come to realize that I am blessed beyond belief and that nothing will be put in front of me that I will not be able to get through without the help of perspective and truly believing that someone is granting me the grace to go forward.
This new TLC show is the first reality show that really does put things in perspective. You do not need any justification to watch this show and if you cry, do not apologize. It tears at your heart strings as you watch these families come together after months and even years of being apart. In most cases, the loved ones of the military personnel have limited contact with their husbands, mothers, sons, daughters, etc and are left on a daily basis worrying about the status of their servicemen and women. In an age where you are only a text message away, I cannot imagine being in that position of not knowing. So, when these men and women come back from serving overseas to surprise their loved ones, its hard not to feel the emotion that pours out from everyone involved.
Its hard to remain stone-faced when you see the 7 year-old girl crying in her dad's arms because she is so overjoyed to have him safely home. I was blessed to have a dad who was at every home basketball game, at every softball tournament and every one my sister's and my big life events. We were lucky to have a mom who greeted us every day when we got off the school bus, most of the time with freshly baked cookies. Its easy to take for granted everything our families were able to provide for us thanks to the brave men and women that fight for this country on a daily basis.
I have also been blessed to have met the love of my life who works in the very chaotic world of college men's basketball. There are long nights at the office, long road trips and once he becomes an assistant coach, there will be long recruiting trips. It can make for lonely nights and rough weeks, but at the end of the day, I know exactly when he is coming home and that he is safe. I know that after a game at Notre Dame, the team will hop back on the bus and come home. He might not make it home until 2:00 AM, but he is coming home. Worse case scenario, he will be upset over a loss.
Our first year of dating, Matt and I hit some rough patches in our relationship because we were both adjusting to life as a coach at VCU. I will never forget the moment that gave me an entirely new perspective on our life together. Before this TLC show aired this year, there was a short-lived TV show on another network with the same concept. I had been traveling for my job at R-MC, so I did not have to go into the office that Friday morning. After being on the road for a week, our boss would let us take the morning off and come in around lunch time. That Friday morning, I kissed Matt goodbye as he headed into the office and I remember him making fun of me because I was getting ready to watch this new TV show. He knows how sensitive I am, knew I was going to cry, so he joked about getting out of there as soon as possible.
As I sat there in Matt's apartment watching the show I had DVR'ed the night before, it all hit me like a ton of bricks. I had been feeling sorry for myself because Matt worked late nights and traveled a lot - for a GAME. For a game that I love as much as he loves it. Matt's life isn't on the line each day. He is not facing a war zone and I don't wake up every day wondering where he is and if he is okay.
When you are facing your own problems and issues in life, its so easy to forget to take a step back and put things in perspective. Its easy to get sucked into feeling sorry for yourself and wishing things were different. At VCU, I was blessed to have an amazing support system through my girlfriends who were all facing the same thing. Even here in Chicago, I have unbelievable co-workers that have helped take my mind off the fact that Matt is in France for 10 days. It goes without saying that my parents have been there for me during all of this as well. As Matt and I continue in the basketball world, I will no doubt continue to meet incredible women who have supported their husbands throughout the years and have made it through the ups and downs. But as tough as college sports can be, nobody has it harder than the families of those serving our country overseas.
Whether or not they want us to feel sorry for them, I think it should be noted that these men, women and children are the strongest people I think any of us will ever meet. I pride myself on being independent and being able to go about my life even when Matt is not around. I cannot honestly say that I would 100% be able to do that as a military wife, daughter or girlfriend. Who do they use to gain perspective? I mean, when times are tough for Matt and I, I always just take a step back and thank God that he is college basketball and his life is not on the line every day. I cannot imagine being in a position where it is.
Even though the show is hosted by the overly-cheesy Billy Ray Cyrus, its worth watching if only to take a short break from the useless reality TV shows we are all so used to. If anything, it puts things in perspective. If you don't see the show, just remember that whatever you may have going on in your life, there are others who are battling as well. But more importantly, its not just the men and women overseas that are sacrificing themselves for us, but also their families. I have the utmost respect for these men, women and children and cannot imagine ever being in their shoes.
I know it sounds harsh that I use their lives to help me feel better about my situation, but it is out of pure respect and admiration. God bless all the men and women fighting for us here back home - and just as importantly, God bless the loved ones of these me and women who are strong enough to be constant support for them.
There is a quote from my favorite book I have ever read - Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resistance and Redemption - that I have come to live by. I have always had a very different relationship with God than the rest of my family. I have always questioned a lot of things surrounding religion and faith especially with the state of our world. But I stumbled across this quote and I think its appropriate for this post. The book is about a WWII U.S. pilot who survived for 34 days on open water in enemy territory before being taken as a POW by the Japanese. For years, he willed himself to survive as the Japanese did everything they could to try and kill him. He eventually made it back home to the U.S. but could not adjust to life back in the states. One day, his wife was able to get him to go listen to Billy Graham in Los Angeles. The man was so out of touch with religion, as would be expected, that he got up to leave in the middle of sermon. As he was walking out of the tent, he heard Graham say the following quote as referring to God:
"If you suffer, I will give you the grace to go forward."
In this true-life story, the man turned back around, sat down and from that day on spent the rest of his life working with troubled teenagers who were dealt a bad hand. It is the most heartbreaking, disturbing, inspiring and unforgettable book I have ever read and I highly recommend it to anyone who is has a passion for non-fiction. But more importantly, it is the quote, that along with some serious perspective, has helped me through difficult times.
I know this post is way out of the ordinary. I am prone to blogging about my missteps paddle boarding or finding the most amazing nacho helmet ever. But its hard not to blog about this as I sit here in my Chicago apartment, watching the end of Surprise Homecoming and missing Matt while he is in France. This is all part of my experiences and adventures here in Chicago and I felt like I could not leave this one out just because it didn't recount an incident of me living it up in the big city. I can't promise that every time Matt is gone on a long trip that I won't feel sorry for myself even if its just for a brief second. But I have come to realize that I am blessed beyond belief and that nothing will be put in front of me that I will not be able to get through without the help of perspective and truly believing that someone is granting me the grace to go forward.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
How to Rock Paddle Boarding
Its hard to explain the feeling I had on Tuesday night when I was out on the lake going through my training with LivingSocial. We had a training session for our next event - paddle boarding - and the only way you can work the actual event is to do the training session. After working a full day, I was so close to calling Kate, my LivingSocial manager, and telling her I wasn't going to make it. On top of work, I was going to have to drive to the location since the public bus didn't stop close enough to the beach. It would not have been such a problem had it been in the morning or afternoon. But, I knew we wouldn't get out of there until after 9:00 and I didn't want to make that 20 minute walk back to the bus alone. I have common sense.
The thought of getting stuck in traffic and trying to find a parking spot was causing me minor anxiety. If there are two things that really make me uncomfortable they are traffic and large crowds. If I am not the driver, the traffic is never a problem. As far as large crowds go, I usually have to mentally prepare myself for events with large crowds (the trip into a baseball stadium, leaving a sporting event, etc). But, that's a whole other issue.
So, as I walked home from work, I decided not to punk out and just deal with the traffic. If nothing else, it was an extra $50 that I would miss out on if I didn't go to the training. Well, in reality, it would be a lot more since I then wouldn't be able to work the event at all. Another reason to slightly panic: the instructions in the email said "wear your bathing suit and bring a towel for when you get out of the lake." Ok, I KNEW we were going to paddle board training. But part of me was secretly hoping that we would not have to get in the water if we didn't want to. Have any of you felt the water up here in Lake Michigan? Its NOT warm. Its not even cold. Its miserable. So, I put on my bathing suit, grabbed my towel and said a little prayer that this was a joke and we wouldn't have to get in.
Being 5:45 on a work day, I knew I was bound to hit some kind of traffic. The destination was only 4 miles away. However, on Monday night, Matt and I had a dinner to go to for the basketball team and it was 9 miles away. It took us an hour to get there - I wish I was exaggerating. So, I alloted 30 minutes to get there on time and talk about perfect timing! Thankfully, I was going the opposite way of traffic. The only thing that slowed me down was Google's directions. It took me the most awkward way possible before getting on the highway. I am going to assume it took me so far out of the way so that I would not get stuck in the traffic that gets off close to where we live. For now, thank you Google Maps.
I arrived a little after 6:00 but had trouble finding a parking spot. The park by the beach was filled with cars since it was a gorgeous day. After squeezing my little Hyundai into the smallest spot I have ever parallel parked in, I grabbed my towel, change of clothes and tried to figure out where the heck I was going. I figured my best bet was to follow the black-top path back to where I had seen a building in the distance. Deep down I was thinking if I wasted enough time "getting lost", I might be able to skip out on getting in the freezing cold water. But, the path led me straight to the Dock Restaurant where the rest of the LivingSocial group was waiting. I had met a couple of the other part-timers on my tubing trip, but the majority of the young crowd consisted of new faces. I joined the circle of staff on the beach where the wind proceeded to throw sand in our faces. Kate told us that she had originally reserved tables for us on the patio of the restaurant but Lance, one of the guys in our group, decided it would be cooler to sit on the beach. Coincidently, his back was to the wind so none of the sand reached his face.
After about 30 minutes of housekeeping things and having my face sand-papered, Kate directed us over to Kayak Chicago, the company that we will be working with on this event. And this is when my fear became a reality. We were given life vests, paddles for our boards and told to leave anything we didn't want to get wet up at the building. "Anything you don't want to get wet." Oh lordy, this is really happening. I should mention that at this point its 7:00 at night so its already started to cool down. Fabulous. Even the sand was cold at this point.
However, my competitive side kicked in and I decided there was no way I was going to be the only person to not go in the water. After some brief instructions, we were told to head down to the lake, grab our boards and walk waist deep into the lake. No, No, No, No, No. I was hoping I could just sit on the board and have someone push me into the water. Anyone?
I braced myself for the worst as I struggled to pick up my board. It wasn't so much heavy as it was awkward with the wind blowing. I was trying to balance this huge board with the wind blowing directly at me. Graceful. So, I waddled into the water and all I can say is that someone was watching over me that night and sensed my anxiety because the lake was like bath water. It was amazing. I almost cried I was so thankful!
I was too excited about the water temperature to notice what was brewing. Other than showing us how to paddle, we didn't learn anything else. I assumed that's all we needed to know. I mean, its paddle boarding. We got the paddling down. All that's left is the board. What they didn't tell us is that steering the boards is a little difficult. So, by the time I finished silently celebrating about the water, it was too late. I had crashed into a cluster-F of other paddle boarders. There were about 4 of us who hit each other before we had even attempted to stand up on the boards. So maybe "crashed" is too strong of a word. It was more like "floated" and the awkwardly tried to straighten out.
After about 10 minutes, people finally started spreading out on the lake and the brave ones started to stand up on the boards. No way was I going to be shown up by the blonde with a high pitched voice who looked like she had not eaten in days. So, I hopped up. I owned that board. No problem at all. I started thanking Jillian Michaels again for her kick-ass ab workouts that were clearly paying off when I noticed that almost everyone else was up on their boards. Ok, so maybe the boards are made to make it easy. Whatever. So then I decided to turn it into a secret competition. I started keeping track of how many people fell off their board before I did. Most people did. I started to get a little cocky when people started commenting about how athletic I was and that I was "rocking" it. Yeah, I know. If only a wave had not snuck up behind me at that point and knocked me right off the board. Perfect timing. And OBVIOUSLY I feel gracefully off the board as my butt hit the board, the paddle hit my knee and then I back-flopped into the water. That is why we sign waivers.
I resurfaced and tried to get back on my board. Former collegiate athlete here trying to drag my washed-up self back on the board to regain my dignity. Did you know there is no dignified way to climb back on a floating board in water when you can't touch? Found that one out the hard way. Its more like trying to roll back on. And with a life jacket on, it looks hot. Very attractive. Some people, after multiple falls and being stripped of their dignity of trying to get back on the board, just stayed in the water and floated around in the waves for the rest of the time. Had I not been so locked in on taking the blonde barbie down, I might have as well.
About 45 minutes into our hour and 15 minute trip out on the lake, I started to notice the waves picking up. And that I was not going anywhere. Ideally, you paddle board in an area that has no waves. If you saw the picture on the LivingSocial website, it shows a woman gently gliding along a gorgeous body of water with the only "waves" being the ripples made from her paddle. The only thing that picture got right was the sunset in the background. Because apparently Lake Michigan was NOT the body of water in that picture. Our instructor told us its easier to paddle into the waves because they won't knock you off balance. I am no expert, but I am not convinced that's true. In addition, its very hard to paddle INTO the waves. I was using my Jillian Michaels' "sculpted" arms to paddle as hard as I could. I swore I was making progress. Until I turned around and noticed people were catching up to me and catching up fast.
In my defense, they were paddling along side the waves and not into them. Nonetheless, still a little blow to my ego. Once I stopped cursing our instructor in my head, I looked up and the view was absolutely breathtaking. To the left of us was the Chicago city skyline. To the right of us, the sunset. My mind just went blank. There are no words to describe that moment when you realize how great life is. As cheesy as that sounds, I had that moment. The only thing I was thinking about was how the only way this moment could be any better would be if Matt was there to experience it with me.
Only a couple hours earlier I almost talked myself out of doing this because I was worried about the traffic, the water and all other things that I had no control over. But that moment out on the lake, it was just an overwhelming feeling of being truly blessed and taking full advantage at what life throws at me. Everything I have done since I have been here has made me realize that I was becoming very comfortable in Richmond. While Richmond has been the best home I could have asked for the past 24 years, I was doing things that were too familiar. Right down to eating the same food at the same restaurant every single time. This move to Chicago has forced me to take risks, face adventures head on and truly enjoy every aspect of them. I think it all started with the Cheeseburger pizza that Mom and I ordered at Gino's East on her last day here in June.
Next up - a trip to Indiana this weekend to see some great friends. So excited to see Ciara, Donny and baby Magnolia who are visiting Ciara's parents. Even though I just raved about the move, my home will always be Virginia and the amazing people who built my 24-year-old foundation.
The thought of getting stuck in traffic and trying to find a parking spot was causing me minor anxiety. If there are two things that really make me uncomfortable they are traffic and large crowds. If I am not the driver, the traffic is never a problem. As far as large crowds go, I usually have to mentally prepare myself for events with large crowds (the trip into a baseball stadium, leaving a sporting event, etc). But, that's a whole other issue.
So, as I walked home from work, I decided not to punk out and just deal with the traffic. If nothing else, it was an extra $50 that I would miss out on if I didn't go to the training. Well, in reality, it would be a lot more since I then wouldn't be able to work the event at all. Another reason to slightly panic: the instructions in the email said "wear your bathing suit and bring a towel for when you get out of the lake." Ok, I KNEW we were going to paddle board training. But part of me was secretly hoping that we would not have to get in the water if we didn't want to. Have any of you felt the water up here in Lake Michigan? Its NOT warm. Its not even cold. Its miserable. So, I put on my bathing suit, grabbed my towel and said a little prayer that this was a joke and we wouldn't have to get in.
Being 5:45 on a work day, I knew I was bound to hit some kind of traffic. The destination was only 4 miles away. However, on Monday night, Matt and I had a dinner to go to for the basketball team and it was 9 miles away. It took us an hour to get there - I wish I was exaggerating. So, I alloted 30 minutes to get there on time and talk about perfect timing! Thankfully, I was going the opposite way of traffic. The only thing that slowed me down was Google's directions. It took me the most awkward way possible before getting on the highway. I am going to assume it took me so far out of the way so that I would not get stuck in the traffic that gets off close to where we live. For now, thank you Google Maps.
I arrived a little after 6:00 but had trouble finding a parking spot. The park by the beach was filled with cars since it was a gorgeous day. After squeezing my little Hyundai into the smallest spot I have ever parallel parked in, I grabbed my towel, change of clothes and tried to figure out where the heck I was going. I figured my best bet was to follow the black-top path back to where I had seen a building in the distance. Deep down I was thinking if I wasted enough time "getting lost", I might be able to skip out on getting in the freezing cold water. But, the path led me straight to the Dock Restaurant where the rest of the LivingSocial group was waiting. I had met a couple of the other part-timers on my tubing trip, but the majority of the young crowd consisted of new faces. I joined the circle of staff on the beach where the wind proceeded to throw sand in our faces. Kate told us that she had originally reserved tables for us on the patio of the restaurant but Lance, one of the guys in our group, decided it would be cooler to sit on the beach. Coincidently, his back was to the wind so none of the sand reached his face.
After about 30 minutes of housekeeping things and having my face sand-papered, Kate directed us over to Kayak Chicago, the company that we will be working with on this event. And this is when my fear became a reality. We were given life vests, paddles for our boards and told to leave anything we didn't want to get wet up at the building. "Anything you don't want to get wet." Oh lordy, this is really happening. I should mention that at this point its 7:00 at night so its already started to cool down. Fabulous. Even the sand was cold at this point.
However, my competitive side kicked in and I decided there was no way I was going to be the only person to not go in the water. After some brief instructions, we were told to head down to the lake, grab our boards and walk waist deep into the lake. No, No, No, No, No. I was hoping I could just sit on the board and have someone push me into the water. Anyone?
I braced myself for the worst as I struggled to pick up my board. It wasn't so much heavy as it was awkward with the wind blowing. I was trying to balance this huge board with the wind blowing directly at me. Graceful. So, I waddled into the water and all I can say is that someone was watching over me that night and sensed my anxiety because the lake was like bath water. It was amazing. I almost cried I was so thankful!
I was too excited about the water temperature to notice what was brewing. Other than showing us how to paddle, we didn't learn anything else. I assumed that's all we needed to know. I mean, its paddle boarding. We got the paddling down. All that's left is the board. What they didn't tell us is that steering the boards is a little difficult. So, by the time I finished silently celebrating about the water, it was too late. I had crashed into a cluster-F of other paddle boarders. There were about 4 of us who hit each other before we had even attempted to stand up on the boards. So maybe "crashed" is too strong of a word. It was more like "floated" and the awkwardly tried to straighten out.
After about 10 minutes, people finally started spreading out on the lake and the brave ones started to stand up on the boards. No way was I going to be shown up by the blonde with a high pitched voice who looked like she had not eaten in days. So, I hopped up. I owned that board. No problem at all. I started thanking Jillian Michaels again for her kick-ass ab workouts that were clearly paying off when I noticed that almost everyone else was up on their boards. Ok, so maybe the boards are made to make it easy. Whatever. So then I decided to turn it into a secret competition. I started keeping track of how many people fell off their board before I did. Most people did. I started to get a little cocky when people started commenting about how athletic I was and that I was "rocking" it. Yeah, I know. If only a wave had not snuck up behind me at that point and knocked me right off the board. Perfect timing. And OBVIOUSLY I feel gracefully off the board as my butt hit the board, the paddle hit my knee and then I back-flopped into the water. That is why we sign waivers.
I resurfaced and tried to get back on my board. Former collegiate athlete here trying to drag my washed-up self back on the board to regain my dignity. Did you know there is no dignified way to climb back on a floating board in water when you can't touch? Found that one out the hard way. Its more like trying to roll back on. And with a life jacket on, it looks hot. Very attractive. Some people, after multiple falls and being stripped of their dignity of trying to get back on the board, just stayed in the water and floated around in the waves for the rest of the time. Had I not been so locked in on taking the blonde barbie down, I might have as well.
About 45 minutes into our hour and 15 minute trip out on the lake, I started to notice the waves picking up. And that I was not going anywhere. Ideally, you paddle board in an area that has no waves. If you saw the picture on the LivingSocial website, it shows a woman gently gliding along a gorgeous body of water with the only "waves" being the ripples made from her paddle. The only thing that picture got right was the sunset in the background. Because apparently Lake Michigan was NOT the body of water in that picture. Our instructor told us its easier to paddle into the waves because they won't knock you off balance. I am no expert, but I am not convinced that's true. In addition, its very hard to paddle INTO the waves. I was using my Jillian Michaels' "sculpted" arms to paddle as hard as I could. I swore I was making progress. Until I turned around and noticed people were catching up to me and catching up fast.
In my defense, they were paddling along side the waves and not into them. Nonetheless, still a little blow to my ego. Once I stopped cursing our instructor in my head, I looked up and the view was absolutely breathtaking. To the left of us was the Chicago city skyline. To the right of us, the sunset. My mind just went blank. There are no words to describe that moment when you realize how great life is. As cheesy as that sounds, I had that moment. The only thing I was thinking about was how the only way this moment could be any better would be if Matt was there to experience it with me.
Only a couple hours earlier I almost talked myself out of doing this because I was worried about the traffic, the water and all other things that I had no control over. But that moment out on the lake, it was just an overwhelming feeling of being truly blessed and taking full advantage at what life throws at me. Everything I have done since I have been here has made me realize that I was becoming very comfortable in Richmond. While Richmond has been the best home I could have asked for the past 24 years, I was doing things that were too familiar. Right down to eating the same food at the same restaurant every single time. This move to Chicago has forced me to take risks, face adventures head on and truly enjoy every aspect of them. I think it all started with the Cheeseburger pizza that Mom and I ordered at Gino's East on her last day here in June.
Next up - a trip to Indiana this weekend to see some great friends. So excited to see Ciara, Donny and baby Magnolia who are visiting Ciara's parents. Even though I just raved about the move, my home will always be Virginia and the amazing people who built my 24-year-old foundation.
Monday, August 8, 2011
I love you, LivingSocial
Thunderstorms, a man who almost drowned, a naked guy and a busted innertub. Just a day in the life of leading a group of people tubing down a river in Indiana. Just want to preface this post with the fact that this LivingSocial event was a BYOB event. LivingSocial encouraged drinking on the river and people took full advantage of that.
Yesterday morning, I showed up outside of Hop Haus bar in downtown Chicago to meet my fellow LivingSocial experience coordinators. This was my first LivingSocial event and I really did not know what to expect. I should have known it was going to be one heck of a day when the meeting place for everyone was outside of a bar. The event was a lazy river tubing event down a river in Indiana and you had to be 21 years or older because you could bring your own booze. And people did. In large coolers. There is nothing like seeing 120 people show up with coolers of beer, wine and liquor on a Sunday morning. Living life to the fullest, that's for sure.
We boarded 2 huge charter buses and our bus driver started the day off with giving a 5 minute lecture on not using the bathroom to well, you know. He said if it was an emergency, he would be more than happy to find a rest stop and let someone relieve themself. It should have just been a 30 second plug. But apparently someone broke this rule the past weekend and the bus drive was stuck with the smell the rest of the day. So, it turned into a 5 minute speech. Thank goodness he got to everybody before they started drinking. Otherwise, all bets are off. We had a 2 hour bus ride to Indiana and I was hoping everyone had listened to Vince and his speech.
I spent to 2 hours getting to know Lance, my new co-worker. He is a total bro. He went to school in Hawaii, loves to surf and spent 3 months back-packing through Europe after graduation. Fun fact: If he could live in any city outside of the United States it would be Barcelona. Sounds like a great choice to me. He was great, though. He was so laid back about everything and didn't treat me like it was my first event.
What's important to note is that the people on the bus were allowed to bring drinks on the way TO the river. As you can imagine, the partiers went directly to the back of the bus, beers and jello shots in hand. I had to burst their bubble at one point when Vince told me they were not allowed to have a beach ball bouncing around in the back. They didn't yell at me too much - I blamed it on Vince so that helped. The front of the bus was a little more reserved, with people reading books and listening to their ipods. We had people of ALL ages. We had groups of twenty-somethings who all came out with their friends to middle aged couples who just wanted to spend some quiet time together. Unfortunately for the latter group, that peace and quiet didn't come until they were halfway down the river.
So, two hours later we finally arrived in the middle-of-no-where Indiana for our tubing adventure. We had not been off the bus for more than 7 minutes when we got hit with torrential rains. A huge thunderstorm snuck up on us and the rain was coming down horizontally. And it was NOT warm rain. I was in a bathing suit shivering to death. Others used the opportunity to use the mud, rain and tubes as a giant slip-n-slide. I decided to huddle with some of our guests to use body heat as warmth. After about 20 minutes of waiting, we were given the OK to head into the river. No lie, as soon as we got into the water, the storm stopped and we didn't see another cloud in the sky for the rest of the trip. It was pretty wild.
As far as responsibilities, I was in charge of staying at the front of the pack and making sure people didn't get too far ahead. Some how though, I ended up with the group who had the jello shots. Some girl made over 75 jello shots and was sharing with everyone. Yes, even though I was working, I was still allowed to have a drink or two. So, I took Lauren up on her offer for a couple of those delicious treats. After about 30 minutes of floating with Lauren's group, I noticed that 2 groups had really gotten a head of the pack, so I tore myself away from the jello shots and floated closer to the front. For about another hour, I actually just floated by myself and took in the sights and sounds of Indiana. Not much to see, but the area was absolutely gorgeous. After a long alumni weekend, this was just what I needed.
I finally caught up with the group in the front and it turned out to be 4 girls who had been friends since high school. They all went to high school together, went to separate colleges, and all ended up moving back to Chicago at the same time. They reconnected and now have weekly girls nights. Such a cool group of girls. They were so laid back, very welcoming to have me join their floating group and invited me to eat with them at dinner at the BBQ.
After about 3 hours, we reached the end of the tubing part of the adventure. Since I was in charge of the front of the pack, I had to help people get out of the river and up to the buses. This sounds easier than it actually was because....
PEOPLE HAD BEEN DRINKING FOR THREE HOURS ON THE RIVER!
My most difficult challenge actually came with a middle-aged man who wasn't drinking. Him and his wife were on the trip together and we were a little worried for them from the beginning. He was VERY big - probably 6 foot 5? And he wasn't a thin 6 foot 5. He wife was not a great swimmer and proceeded to wear a life vest for the entire trip (the whole time, the water was waist deep). The trip ended after we floated under a bridge. We were supposed to go directly right after it. Well, he drifted towards the left. So, I walked out the middle of the river and helped pull him in on his tub. About halfway to the river bank, he decided he wanted to get off the tube and walk. Problem was, he could not, no matter what, get his footing. So, he tried to swim. He asked me to just let him swim, and I watched him for about 20 seconds. He was doing NOWHERE except further down the river with the current.
I made the executive decision to NOT let him swim any more. He told me he has swallowed too much water and couldn't swim for much longer. It took all my strength to get this man to the river bank. Jillian Michaels - I owe you a big thank you. Your workouts helped me save a man :) His wife met me at the river bank where he was still on his stomach holding himself up with his hands. It took both of us to get him to his feet. He still had NO balance at all and literally stumbled back down and landed on his face. At this point, I really started to question whether or not he had been drinking. I think he might have been completely dehydrated. It was just a very strange situation.
Getting every body else out of the water seemed like a breeze. Once I realized the guy from the tubing company was there helping people out, I high-tailed it out of there back up to the buses to get my towel. Apparently this caused me to miss the "highlight" of the trip. About halfway through the river trip, some guy decided to use the bathroom on one of the embankments. And when he got back in the water, he lost his bathing suit. He actually lost his bathing suit and had nothing with him to cover up. He spent the rest of the trip floating naked down the river. For the most part, he stayed under the water, but there was an issue when he had to get out of the water. He was so drunk that he didn't stay in the water while his girlfriend went to go get his towel for him. Lance saw the whole thing. He saw him just come right out of the water without a care in the world.
We had another incident with a guest who was smoking on the river and accidentally put a small hole in his tube with his cigarette. He slowly started to lose air in his tube, and by the time I left his group to head to the front, he was halfway under the water. Thank goodness the entire time he could touch the bottom of the river. Regardless, when he showed up at the end of the trip, he some how had a fully inflated tube. His exact words to me: "Please don't ask me how I managed to fix this." Yeah, he didn't have to worry about me asking after that comment..
We finally got everyone out of the river and onto the buses and were able to head over to the BBQ. We had a good hour to just sit and eat. A few people were able to sober up some, which was nice. Only problem: there was only one bathroom for EVERYONE at the park. Some people spent half of the time waiting for a bathroom instead of eating. The food was great and everyone was relatively calm. We boarded the bus and headed back to Chicago right around 5:00. Within 10 minutes, half of the people on the bus were out like a light.
We hit a huge storm coming into Chicago, lost AC on the bus, then ran into traffic right outside of the city. But, our bus driver has been doing his job for over 20 years, so he knew all the short cuts when traffic arose. Out of no where, he spoke these exact words when someone commented on his ability to get us out of traffic via back roads: "I can get you to O'Hare in 40 minutes when the traffic has you backed up for and hour and a half. I go through the hood where you white people don't go." We lost it - it was the funniest thing we had heard all day. It outweighed the naked guy incident by far. Because it was true.
Vince got us safely back to Chicago and we successfully got everyone off the bus and on their way. Thank goodness for public transportation because most people were in no condition to be driving. But, I survived my first LivingSocial event and had an absolute blast! Lance actually commented that this was the best group he has had, which made me wonder what the heck the other weekends were like...
Also, I got paid $80 to do it. I love you, LivingSocial.
I couldn't help but think about how amazing these past couple of months have been while I was floating out there on the river. I was in Indiana, enjoying a gorgeous summer day on a river without a care in the world. I just laid there, reflecting on how the heck I got to where I am today. Thorugh LivingSocial, I am going to be able to meet so many new people and try things that I wouldn't normally think of doing. For example, tomorrow, we have our training session for paddleboarding. As simple as that might sound, who would have thought I would be on Lake Michigan paddleboarding and getting paid for it? I feel like for the first time, I am really putting myself out there and living life the way a 24 year-old should be. And that's not just the river talking.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and I am going to try to post another blog BEFORE 2 weeks go by!
Yesterday morning, I showed up outside of Hop Haus bar in downtown Chicago to meet my fellow LivingSocial experience coordinators. This was my first LivingSocial event and I really did not know what to expect. I should have known it was going to be one heck of a day when the meeting place for everyone was outside of a bar. The event was a lazy river tubing event down a river in Indiana and you had to be 21 years or older because you could bring your own booze. And people did. In large coolers. There is nothing like seeing 120 people show up with coolers of beer, wine and liquor on a Sunday morning. Living life to the fullest, that's for sure.
We boarded 2 huge charter buses and our bus driver started the day off with giving a 5 minute lecture on not using the bathroom to well, you know. He said if it was an emergency, he would be more than happy to find a rest stop and let someone relieve themself. It should have just been a 30 second plug. But apparently someone broke this rule the past weekend and the bus drive was stuck with the smell the rest of the day. So, it turned into a 5 minute speech. Thank goodness he got to everybody before they started drinking. Otherwise, all bets are off. We had a 2 hour bus ride to Indiana and I was hoping everyone had listened to Vince and his speech.
I spent to 2 hours getting to know Lance, my new co-worker. He is a total bro. He went to school in Hawaii, loves to surf and spent 3 months back-packing through Europe after graduation. Fun fact: If he could live in any city outside of the United States it would be Barcelona. Sounds like a great choice to me. He was great, though. He was so laid back about everything and didn't treat me like it was my first event.
What's important to note is that the people on the bus were allowed to bring drinks on the way TO the river. As you can imagine, the partiers went directly to the back of the bus, beers and jello shots in hand. I had to burst their bubble at one point when Vince told me they were not allowed to have a beach ball bouncing around in the back. They didn't yell at me too much - I blamed it on Vince so that helped. The front of the bus was a little more reserved, with people reading books and listening to their ipods. We had people of ALL ages. We had groups of twenty-somethings who all came out with their friends to middle aged couples who just wanted to spend some quiet time together. Unfortunately for the latter group, that peace and quiet didn't come until they were halfway down the river.
So, two hours later we finally arrived in the middle-of-no-where Indiana for our tubing adventure. We had not been off the bus for more than 7 minutes when we got hit with torrential rains. A huge thunderstorm snuck up on us and the rain was coming down horizontally. And it was NOT warm rain. I was in a bathing suit shivering to death. Others used the opportunity to use the mud, rain and tubes as a giant slip-n-slide. I decided to huddle with some of our guests to use body heat as warmth. After about 20 minutes of waiting, we were given the OK to head into the river. No lie, as soon as we got into the water, the storm stopped and we didn't see another cloud in the sky for the rest of the trip. It was pretty wild.
As far as responsibilities, I was in charge of staying at the front of the pack and making sure people didn't get too far ahead. Some how though, I ended up with the group who had the jello shots. Some girl made over 75 jello shots and was sharing with everyone. Yes, even though I was working, I was still allowed to have a drink or two. So, I took Lauren up on her offer for a couple of those delicious treats. After about 30 minutes of floating with Lauren's group, I noticed that 2 groups had really gotten a head of the pack, so I tore myself away from the jello shots and floated closer to the front. For about another hour, I actually just floated by myself and took in the sights and sounds of Indiana. Not much to see, but the area was absolutely gorgeous. After a long alumni weekend, this was just what I needed.
I finally caught up with the group in the front and it turned out to be 4 girls who had been friends since high school. They all went to high school together, went to separate colleges, and all ended up moving back to Chicago at the same time. They reconnected and now have weekly girls nights. Such a cool group of girls. They were so laid back, very welcoming to have me join their floating group and invited me to eat with them at dinner at the BBQ.
After about 3 hours, we reached the end of the tubing part of the adventure. Since I was in charge of the front of the pack, I had to help people get out of the river and up to the buses. This sounds easier than it actually was because....
PEOPLE HAD BEEN DRINKING FOR THREE HOURS ON THE RIVER!
My most difficult challenge actually came with a middle-aged man who wasn't drinking. Him and his wife were on the trip together and we were a little worried for them from the beginning. He was VERY big - probably 6 foot 5? And he wasn't a thin 6 foot 5. He wife was not a great swimmer and proceeded to wear a life vest for the entire trip (the whole time, the water was waist deep). The trip ended after we floated under a bridge. We were supposed to go directly right after it. Well, he drifted towards the left. So, I walked out the middle of the river and helped pull him in on his tub. About halfway to the river bank, he decided he wanted to get off the tube and walk. Problem was, he could not, no matter what, get his footing. So, he tried to swim. He asked me to just let him swim, and I watched him for about 20 seconds. He was doing NOWHERE except further down the river with the current.
I made the executive decision to NOT let him swim any more. He told me he has swallowed too much water and couldn't swim for much longer. It took all my strength to get this man to the river bank. Jillian Michaels - I owe you a big thank you. Your workouts helped me save a man :) His wife met me at the river bank where he was still on his stomach holding himself up with his hands. It took both of us to get him to his feet. He still had NO balance at all and literally stumbled back down and landed on his face. At this point, I really started to question whether or not he had been drinking. I think he might have been completely dehydrated. It was just a very strange situation.
Getting every body else out of the water seemed like a breeze. Once I realized the guy from the tubing company was there helping people out, I high-tailed it out of there back up to the buses to get my towel. Apparently this caused me to miss the "highlight" of the trip. About halfway through the river trip, some guy decided to use the bathroom on one of the embankments. And when he got back in the water, he lost his bathing suit. He actually lost his bathing suit and had nothing with him to cover up. He spent the rest of the trip floating naked down the river. For the most part, he stayed under the water, but there was an issue when he had to get out of the water. He was so drunk that he didn't stay in the water while his girlfriend went to go get his towel for him. Lance saw the whole thing. He saw him just come right out of the water without a care in the world.
We had another incident with a guest who was smoking on the river and accidentally put a small hole in his tube with his cigarette. He slowly started to lose air in his tube, and by the time I left his group to head to the front, he was halfway under the water. Thank goodness the entire time he could touch the bottom of the river. Regardless, when he showed up at the end of the trip, he some how had a fully inflated tube. His exact words to me: "Please don't ask me how I managed to fix this." Yeah, he didn't have to worry about me asking after that comment..
We finally got everyone out of the river and onto the buses and were able to head over to the BBQ. We had a good hour to just sit and eat. A few people were able to sober up some, which was nice. Only problem: there was only one bathroom for EVERYONE at the park. Some people spent half of the time waiting for a bathroom instead of eating. The food was great and everyone was relatively calm. We boarded the bus and headed back to Chicago right around 5:00. Within 10 minutes, half of the people on the bus were out like a light.
We hit a huge storm coming into Chicago, lost AC on the bus, then ran into traffic right outside of the city. But, our bus driver has been doing his job for over 20 years, so he knew all the short cuts when traffic arose. Out of no where, he spoke these exact words when someone commented on his ability to get us out of traffic via back roads: "I can get you to O'Hare in 40 minutes when the traffic has you backed up for and hour and a half. I go through the hood where you white people don't go." We lost it - it was the funniest thing we had heard all day. It outweighed the naked guy incident by far. Because it was true.
Vince got us safely back to Chicago and we successfully got everyone off the bus and on their way. Thank goodness for public transportation because most people were in no condition to be driving. But, I survived my first LivingSocial event and had an absolute blast! Lance actually commented that this was the best group he has had, which made me wonder what the heck the other weekends were like...
Also, I got paid $80 to do it. I love you, LivingSocial.
I couldn't help but think about how amazing these past couple of months have been while I was floating out there on the river. I was in Indiana, enjoying a gorgeous summer day on a river without a care in the world. I just laid there, reflecting on how the heck I got to where I am today. Thorugh LivingSocial, I am going to be able to meet so many new people and try things that I wouldn't normally think of doing. For example, tomorrow, we have our training session for paddleboarding. As simple as that might sound, who would have thought I would be on Lake Michigan paddleboarding and getting paid for it? I feel like for the first time, I am really putting myself out there and living life the way a 24 year-old should be. And that's not just the river talking.
I hope everyone had a great weekend and I am going to try to post another blog BEFORE 2 weeks go by!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
You Call This a Job?
I know - its been a while since my last post. Not going to lie - for about a week, I forgot all about it. Then, I started to write a post to recap the entire week lost and got distracted. Typical. So, instead of trying to fill you all in what's been going on for the past 2 weeks in an extremely long post, I am just going to bring you up to speed with this weekend's events thus far.
Yesterday was the start of the men's basketball alumni weekend. Unlike at VCU, I was actually invited to all of the gatherings! Matt even brought home 2 brand new Nike dry-fit t-shirts that Coach Purnell had the graduate assistant order for me. Apparently, girlfriends even get taken care of here! The night started out with a caravan to a bar downtown where drinks and food were free. The entire bar was full of DePaul fans and alumni which was a really cool thing to be a part of. There were a handful of returning women's basketball players there along with two returners from the men's team. All I can say about the women's team is that those are some BIG corn-fed girls! They definitely belong in the Big East.
After 3 drinks, 4 pieces of pizza and three cake balls (free dessert too!), we boarded the bus down to Navy Pier for the second part of the evening - a boat cruise. But lets call it what it was - a booze cruise. We left the current players behind and headed out for a 3 hour booze cruise. Again, free dinner and drinks for the entire 3 hours. I met a lot of different people from the athletic department - Tracy, the academic advisor - Jackie, the director of operations for softball - Jessica Thomas, former UNC women's player and current development officer. Tracy is simply a saint. She has to basically babysit the entire men's team when it comes to their academics. A little fun fact - thanks to Tracy, the men's team last year boasted the best GPA the team has had in a long time -3.0!
Back on the boat, we were surrounded by former players who were part of the team when DePaul was actually a powerhouse. I wonder what those players think of the program now. Had I had one or two more drinks, I might have walked up and asked them that very question. But, I was not feeling quite that bold, so instead, I just took in the sights and sounds of DePaul basketball. About 45 minutes into the cruise, the DJ kicked in. You have to understand - I have never been a part of this type of event where I have to keep in mind that I am the girlfriend of a staff member. Can I drink if there are players around since Matt can't? Who can I talk to without having Matt introduce me first? Its all very new to me and I know in some places there is definitely a code. So, when the DJ turned the music up, I panicked. I didn't know if I should go out on the dance floor if Matt wasn't dancing. And I love to dance. I mean honestly - even if you hate the song, who can resist the Cupid Shuffle? Tracy answered that question for me when she pulled me on the dance floor to Michael Jackson's Pretty Young Thing.
Next thing I know, I am out on the dance floor with an academic advisor, a development officer, a softball coach, 2 former players and who else but Coach Oliver Purnell. Yes, Coach Purnell made an appearance on the dance floor! Then his lovely wife of 32 years (Vickie) showed up. Mind you, I have only met OP once and have never met Vickie. It will be a nice ice breaker for when we do finally officially meet. "Yes, we haven't officially met but I remember you from the dance floor on the booze cruise...nice moves"
After the Cupid Shuffle, we headed up on the top deck to enjoy the skyline. It was breathtaking. Matt and I just kept looking at each like "I can't believe we live here..." We watched as Andy unsuccessfully tried to pick up some random older woman on the cruise with a different party. Its always painful to watch Andy strike out. It happens a lot and you see it coming from a mile away. Don't get me wrong - he is a very good looking guy. He is just TERRIBLE with women and has no clue. I have tried to tell him that before. He disagrees with me. We finally docked around 11:00, and after stopping for one last drink at our corner bar, we headed home where I passed out from exhaustion (it really was from exhaustion this time).
This morning, I was up by 8:00 because Tracy and I were going to head over to the open practice the team was having for staff and alumni. Tracy and I took our friendship to a whole new level this weekend when she showed up with not one, but 6 hot-out-of-the-oven, homemade cinnamon rolls from a neighborhood restaurant. We brought them into practice with us for our breakfast and only intended to eat one each. Matt said every time he looked up in the stands, he saw us eating. So, not surprisingly four cinnamon buns disappeared before we decided that we should probably stop. We passed them off to Andy after practice who informed us that in the future, he could 100% be bribed for those cinnamon rolls. Noted.
After the practice, we boarded a shuttle up to Wrigley Field where we had roof-top tickets. For those of you who have not been to Wrigley, I will try and explain what that means. There are about 8 buildings that are actually across the street from the Wrigley Field outfield. On top of those buildings are stadium seats. So, you can see the game as if you were sitting in the outfield. BUT, you also get free food and drinks. And its catered food by a local bar. I'm just saying - after seeing a game in that style, its going to be hard to pay $7 for a beer and $4 for a hotdog next time we go. DePaul spoiled me and I am not ashamed to admit it.
We stayed for about 6 innings and headed out when the Cubs went up 10-2. For normal teams, that would mean the game is over. Not for the Cubs though. No lead is safe. I am assuming they won, but if anyone else knows anything different, please correct me. Matt had to get back for practice at 5 and all the other coaches were already back in the office. Tracy and I headed out for a run when we got back to TRY and make up for all the alcohol, sugar and friend food that we ate throughout the past 2 days. At this point, we probably would have run a half marathon...
Tomorrow, I am headed out on a lazy river tubing adventure with Living Social. Oh yeah, I get PAID $80 to do it. I would PAY $80 to do what they are paying me to do. Not a bad weekend.
The team leaves for France on Thursday and are completely booked up with events and practices until then. So, I probably won't see much of Matt until he is back in the states. Probably for the best though - I need to cleanse my body. I tend to be more successful with that when I am eating at home by myself and not drinking and eating out. That will give me a good 10 days to get back on track.
I will let you all know how the tubing event goes tomorrow! I guarantee you something interesting is going to happen. Its just in my nature.
More importantly - good luck to my dad and sister who are about to run a half marathon tomorrow! They are laying poolside at my cousin's house as we speak. No doubt mentally preparing for tomorrow :) Its my sister's first half marathon, so wish her luck!
Best part about this post: Jacoby Ellsbury just hit a 3-run jack to put the Sox up over the Yankees 7-2. Against C.C. Sabatheia. Got. To. Love. It.
Yesterday was the start of the men's basketball alumni weekend. Unlike at VCU, I was actually invited to all of the gatherings! Matt even brought home 2 brand new Nike dry-fit t-shirts that Coach Purnell had the graduate assistant order for me. Apparently, girlfriends even get taken care of here! The night started out with a caravan to a bar downtown where drinks and food were free. The entire bar was full of DePaul fans and alumni which was a really cool thing to be a part of. There were a handful of returning women's basketball players there along with two returners from the men's team. All I can say about the women's team is that those are some BIG corn-fed girls! They definitely belong in the Big East.
After 3 drinks, 4 pieces of pizza and three cake balls (free dessert too!), we boarded the bus down to Navy Pier for the second part of the evening - a boat cruise. But lets call it what it was - a booze cruise. We left the current players behind and headed out for a 3 hour booze cruise. Again, free dinner and drinks for the entire 3 hours. I met a lot of different people from the athletic department - Tracy, the academic advisor - Jackie, the director of operations for softball - Jessica Thomas, former UNC women's player and current development officer. Tracy is simply a saint. She has to basically babysit the entire men's team when it comes to their academics. A little fun fact - thanks to Tracy, the men's team last year boasted the best GPA the team has had in a long time -3.0!
Back on the boat, we were surrounded by former players who were part of the team when DePaul was actually a powerhouse. I wonder what those players think of the program now. Had I had one or two more drinks, I might have walked up and asked them that very question. But, I was not feeling quite that bold, so instead, I just took in the sights and sounds of DePaul basketball. About 45 minutes into the cruise, the DJ kicked in. You have to understand - I have never been a part of this type of event where I have to keep in mind that I am the girlfriend of a staff member. Can I drink if there are players around since Matt can't? Who can I talk to without having Matt introduce me first? Its all very new to me and I know in some places there is definitely a code. So, when the DJ turned the music up, I panicked. I didn't know if I should go out on the dance floor if Matt wasn't dancing. And I love to dance. I mean honestly - even if you hate the song, who can resist the Cupid Shuffle? Tracy answered that question for me when she pulled me on the dance floor to Michael Jackson's Pretty Young Thing.
Next thing I know, I am out on the dance floor with an academic advisor, a development officer, a softball coach, 2 former players and who else but Coach Oliver Purnell. Yes, Coach Purnell made an appearance on the dance floor! Then his lovely wife of 32 years (Vickie) showed up. Mind you, I have only met OP once and have never met Vickie. It will be a nice ice breaker for when we do finally officially meet. "Yes, we haven't officially met but I remember you from the dance floor on the booze cruise...nice moves"
After the Cupid Shuffle, we headed up on the top deck to enjoy the skyline. It was breathtaking. Matt and I just kept looking at each like "I can't believe we live here..." We watched as Andy unsuccessfully tried to pick up some random older woman on the cruise with a different party. Its always painful to watch Andy strike out. It happens a lot and you see it coming from a mile away. Don't get me wrong - he is a very good looking guy. He is just TERRIBLE with women and has no clue. I have tried to tell him that before. He disagrees with me. We finally docked around 11:00, and after stopping for one last drink at our corner bar, we headed home where I passed out from exhaustion (it really was from exhaustion this time).
This morning, I was up by 8:00 because Tracy and I were going to head over to the open practice the team was having for staff and alumni. Tracy and I took our friendship to a whole new level this weekend when she showed up with not one, but 6 hot-out-of-the-oven, homemade cinnamon rolls from a neighborhood restaurant. We brought them into practice with us for our breakfast and only intended to eat one each. Matt said every time he looked up in the stands, he saw us eating. So, not surprisingly four cinnamon buns disappeared before we decided that we should probably stop. We passed them off to Andy after practice who informed us that in the future, he could 100% be bribed for those cinnamon rolls. Noted.
After the practice, we boarded a shuttle up to Wrigley Field where we had roof-top tickets. For those of you who have not been to Wrigley, I will try and explain what that means. There are about 8 buildings that are actually across the street from the Wrigley Field outfield. On top of those buildings are stadium seats. So, you can see the game as if you were sitting in the outfield. BUT, you also get free food and drinks. And its catered food by a local bar. I'm just saying - after seeing a game in that style, its going to be hard to pay $7 for a beer and $4 for a hotdog next time we go. DePaul spoiled me and I am not ashamed to admit it.
We stayed for about 6 innings and headed out when the Cubs went up 10-2. For normal teams, that would mean the game is over. Not for the Cubs though. No lead is safe. I am assuming they won, but if anyone else knows anything different, please correct me. Matt had to get back for practice at 5 and all the other coaches were already back in the office. Tracy and I headed out for a run when we got back to TRY and make up for all the alcohol, sugar and friend food that we ate throughout the past 2 days. At this point, we probably would have run a half marathon...
Tomorrow, I am headed out on a lazy river tubing adventure with Living Social. Oh yeah, I get PAID $80 to do it. I would PAY $80 to do what they are paying me to do. Not a bad weekend.
The team leaves for France on Thursday and are completely booked up with events and practices until then. So, I probably won't see much of Matt until he is back in the states. Probably for the best though - I need to cleanse my body. I tend to be more successful with that when I am eating at home by myself and not drinking and eating out. That will give me a good 10 days to get back on track.
I will let you all know how the tubing event goes tomorrow! I guarantee you something interesting is going to happen. Its just in my nature.
More importantly - good luck to my dad and sister who are about to run a half marathon tomorrow! They are laying poolside at my cousin's house as we speak. No doubt mentally preparing for tomorrow :) Its my sister's first half marathon, so wish her luck!
Best part about this post: Jacoby Ellsbury just hit a 3-run jack to put the Sox up over the Yankees 7-2. Against C.C. Sabatheia. Got. To. Love. It.
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