Columns

Life comes and goes and while we are here, I figure I might as well make the most of it. There is a set of columns on the campus of the University of Nebraska Lincoln that were the original columns on campus that gated it off from the rest of the city. They now stand near Memorial Stadium holding tribute to the U's beginning. Legend has it that if a girl graduates without ever being kissed, the columns will crumble and fall. A little dramatic, huh? Well, they are still standing tall so at least I know that I live in a place that doesn't lack opportunities for me ;) So I've got that going for me...which is nice.

I relate those columns to some of the beginnings in my life that help me along. My mom and dad, my brother, my education, my stubbornness and my friends.  Throughout my short life I have gone through different phases. I know that I have not had it hard. I have loving parents, a fantastic brother and a great family. I have friends who love and support me and I have never wanted for much. But even though my "charmed life" as my dad calls it seems to be intact, I was definitely questioning it for a while. I graduated college at the worst possible time in the 21st century. There were no jobs and very little hope.

I was living at home when I got a phone call from a former colleague at the University. She was offering me a job and asked if I could be in Lincoln the next day. Hallelujah! I'm pretty sure my skin was glowing, my hair was shinier and I had an unmistakeable bounce in my step. I felt like I was on air floating so high that nothing could ever bring me down. I have been working for the last 4 months and finally feel like I have a place. I cannot even begin to tell you how lucky I feel. I love what I do and it only makes it better that my coworkers are fabulous. We are always on the move, making changes, adding new programs and trying new things. This week, we are serving ice cream to incoming students in the afternoon. The best part of that: we get to eat the ice cream. Awesome. Who knows what next week will bring.

When I go on my daily runs you wouldn't believe what I see. Memorial stadium flanked with the Champions Club, campus and a longstanding tradition of excellence and glory. What is written on the side of the stadium: In the deed the glory. As I make my way through campus I see students and professors each with an agenda: to learn and to teach. This institution stands for so much and there is so much I want to give back. I round out my run with a stop at the columns. The place where it all began and as I stand there reveling in what has been before me I sigh with gratitude and elation for what is still to come. With perseverance, love, hard work and a lot of prayers, my columns have stood tall and have not crumbled, indeed the glory.

Summer Sweetness

    How beautiful is this? A shot of the welcome gates at Rosenblatt.

My Big Brother Graduates!

For the last 2 years, my brother has been a dedicated boyfriend/husband, brother, son, professional, friend and graduate student. You can't even imagine how much time he has dedicated to furthering himself by pursuing his Master's degree. He didn't take lunch breaks. He studied. He didn't go out with his friends. He studied. He didn't go on family trips. He studied. Well, this weekend my sister-in-law got her husband back! He has graduated on Father's Day weekend and is off and running with a new super awesome job. We are all so proud of him and this great accomplishment. Now he can have his life back. Good thing, the baby is coming in a short 2 months!

Embrace the Little Things in Life

On a fairly regular basis I take advantage of the small pleasures in life that I enjoy. I know that everyone doesn't have the ability to buy a new pair of shoes on a whim. Oh, how I love to buy new shoes. The thrill of looking for the perfect set, the colors that pop out at you tempting you to "pick me!" "pick me!" Finding the exact pair that will complement that top that has felt so forgotten all of these years. And oh, the display shoes! I'm pretty sure that I have magical feet because I can slip on all of the display shoes and they fit my feet. I don't have to forage through the boxes looking for my size, it's always just...there.

Yes, the simple things in life. Shaken iced green tea from Starbucks (one pump sweetener and a hint of non fat milk), a smile from a stranger on the street, my green Nalgene bottle I couldn't live without, and most importantly, the strength and health I have. Be thankful for these things.

Other things to be thankful for: Chocolate and candy, pearl earrings, allergy pills, online television, swimming pools in your backyard...SPF, fabulous friends, a loving family and....ice cream.

Take this moment to glance back at the first and last things I wrote on that list. Chocolate and candy and ice cream. By the looks of my list you can tell that it is a hot summer in Nebraska. I mean really, allergy pills?! Yes, people! I have really bad allergies, ok? And it doesn't help that I try to spend all of my time outside running or swimming and if I'm not doing that I'm buying and arranging flowers. I take the blame, I'm definitely not helping my cause. Anyway, sorry about that tangent. Ok, candy and ice cream.

So over my lunch hour today I took a nice stroll downtown to grab a Starbucks iced tea and stop at the bank. As I was enjoying my jaunt checking out the scenery, watching all of the incoming freshman students tour campus and the downtown professionals eating their lunches outside I thought to myself how it really is the minor things in life you need to embrace and enjoy to make the journey worth it.

As I'm finishing up at the teller line and about ready to turn around and walk out, a little girl practically ran right smack into me. "Um, um...(she started to say to the teller) can I have the bowl? The big bowl, the really big one over there that has all of the candy in it? Please, please, please?" The teller looked so confused and surprised she stood motionless for a second staring at the tiny girl standing on her tip toes while resting her chin on the counter. This little girl knew what she wanted, where she could find it and who to ask for it. She was embracing the little things. The things that come for free and bring happiness to those around them. I walked away with a big grin on my face and laughter in my stomach picturing the anxiety and anxious need that little girl had for that dang candy.

Later on in the day, I was about to hit my 2:30 dead zone. I really feel like the American work environment needs to take a note from other cultures that embrace the afternoon siesta. Man, wouldn't that be great? I have been trying to cut down on the amount of coffee I consume (hence the addiction to green tea) in order to detoxify my body and clean out my system (I need to stop reading online articles, they are feeding me all of this liberal nonsense) but really miss that kick in the afternoon the caffeine supplied me. Today, it was a little thing in life that has gotten me through the afternoon. Ice Cream. Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream. Any flavor, any toppings, any time. On any given day, no matter the temperature (even in the dead of winter, ice cream can still warm the soul) there is a good chance you could find me at my favorite local ice creamery. My favorite kind of ice cream: Cornbread and honey. I will buy it by the gallon.

We have a marketing gig going on at work for the next month in which we are offering free ice cream to incoming students after their long orientation day. Bonus: staff gets to enjoy this ice cream as well. Remember, it's the little things in life. This is pretty much going to be the best thing every, except for my bikini-ready body.

Good thing I bought a cute onesie this year.

Wedding Karaoke = Bad Decision

The proposal has happened. The screaming has subsided and the rigorous, stressful and up-all-night planning has begun. Da da dum dum....it's wedding season! After playing a part in several weddings whether it be standing up for one of my best friends, supporting my big brother, cutting cake or manning the guest book I have to say, the role of wedding coordinator has definitely been the most interesting.

I have come to realize that all brides try to out do any other bride they know of, especially if they run in the same circle. Case in point: I know a girl who said, and I quote "My ring kind of looks like hers, but MINE was shipped to Europe because there was a special diamond there waiting to be placed in the setting that my fiance designed himself." My thought: No.One.Cares.

Weddings have turned into these lavish affairs that are meant to do what? Impress people? Make others jealous? Personally, when I get hitched (there's a line boys, so start taking numbers)I want my friends and family there to help my husband and I celebrate the beginning of our life together. Yes, the flowers will be amazing (I kind of have a thing with flowers). And yes, the food will be delicious. I go to weddings to eat good free food, not crappy free food. Ok, ok, and I guess a little extra moolah will be spent on the cake. But lets be honest, dry crumbly cake covered in gross sugary frosting is simply not worth the calories or the extensive effort of the cake cutters. So, all in all, my wedding is not going to be out of the ordinary, outrageous or gigantic.

Then, there are those who would disagree with me. "I want something DIFFERENT!" " I want people to remember MY day!" Ladies (and gentlemen) think carefully before choosing something "different".

You may want to think twice about that karaoke DJ you think is such a fabulous idea and different from what any of your friends did at their wedding. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good karaoke bar. Yeah, I love it when I'm drunk, with my friends and know that when I'm belting out a Miranda Lambert song, I totally sound better than her. Take a que from me, folks, save it for the bar.

Well, I was working a wedding the other weekend and the couple (very nice people) hired a DJ who offered karaoke. Dammit. I knew this was going to happen. After the party got started, food was inhaled, cake was cut, gifts were loaded into the cars and the mature crowd was thinning out, the Deej started setting up a "special area". I was informed by a coworker and I made a beeline to the door. I needed to wait this one out in an area totally isolated from that disastrous noise that was excruciatingly painful to listen to. I found solace in a lovely bench outside.

The breeze was cool, the air was fresh, the stars were bright and the football stadium shined radiantly in the moonlight (Dear football season, please hurry up). All of a sudden I was yanked out of my peaceful state and thrown back into the reception to encounter, "The Duet".

Yes, I titled these performers. They were something else. I don't think "incredible" is quite the right word, nor is "spectacular" or even "good". And most definitely not "compatible". No, this couple requires a different word and I'm going to go with a pretty standard one..."weird". To paint a picture in your mind, think about a tall Caucasian man holding a microphone in one hand and wearing his heart on his sleeve. He's middle aged and wants to dedicate a ballad to his lovely wife. Her favorite movie is "Ghost". What better song than "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers?

And the performance begins...as the vocalist is hungering for her touch and needing her love he feels a real touch. What is this? Another vocalist steps in. A duet? you ask. Yes, but the duet-ee is not the wife. It is an Oscar-from-The-Office look-a-like. Now, your eyes are taking in a tall Caucasian male and a squat Latino singing side by side, pouring out their hearts and souls into the great beyond and you feel...confused. That's how I felt anyway. Very, very confused.

As they were Godspeeding their love for the last time, my giggles started to subside and reality set in. The reason this oddity even happened was because in some bleak corner of the bride and groom's minds they had the brilliant thought that karaoke would be fantastic and super fun at their wedding reception. Please, God, never let me witness such a disturbingly funny sight again, I don't know if I could handle it a second time around.