The State of Our (Re)Union(s).

Picture it! Aurora, CO; 2016. February 2^nd to be exact. I'm at work and I hear from across the workstation... "Ricka?!" I look over to see who called my name and find a bygone friend who I’d met in college thirteen years ago, but had fallen out of touch with over time. Astonished, I hop over, give my friend a big hug, and we immediately begin chatting about what has transpired over the last nine years.  There has been school, work, boyfriends, breakups, work, school, cross country moves, school, work, school, and too many wild hairstyles to count along the way. (I want it to be perfectly clear that there has been A LOT of work and school.) It is a wonderful reunion that leaves me feeling nostalgic, giddy, and excited about the possibility of having this friend in my life again. And the more I think about our chance encounter, the more I feel like this little reunion of sorts would look totally different had I been on Facebook over the last year.

As you may know I began doing “Facebookless February” (or “Facebook Free February”) in 2010. I wanted to see if I could handle a month without the social networking giant. (And just to be safe, I decided on the shortest month of the year.) It was a successful experiment, and I have been doing Facebookless February ever since. However, last year around this time I decided to challenge myself a little more and stay off of Facebook for a full year. I was already doing a Facebookless month, why couldn’t I stay off for a year? So, I did just that. A year and some change of Facebooklessness. After a year without Facebook, I’ve realized there are some things I missed about being so connected, and some things I haven’t missed.

Being disconnected from social media meant I missed out on some big life events. Some of you found love, got engaged or married, got divorced, got a faux hawk, had a baby, got a new job, started a new diet or workout regime, moved across the country or to another country, bought a house, etc. And I didn’t get to see it! I didn’t get to hear about the sleepless nights, or how wonderful your new partner is. I didn’t get to see how you styled your new faux hawk or how much you love your new job/city/country. And that’s hard. I want to know what things are going in your life, but without Facebook, I didn’t get to share or “like” those moments with you.

But the thing is, I did get celebrate all of those things (more intimately) with my friends! I didn’t need social media to tell me when one of my closest friends got engaged; she texted me! I didn’t need Facebook to tell me when my bestie bought a house; I was there every step of the way! I didn’t need to see every picture of my friend’s cross-country move; she texted me pictures and called me. And I didn’t need to read a post when my friend got a new job; she told me- in person! These connections required more effort on my friends’ parts, but they were willing to make the effort and so was I.

Having been disconnected for 365 days, I realized my close connections only became closer. There were hour-long chats on the phone, text message conversations that still make me laugh out loud when I reread them, email threads with 27 responses all regarding one Girls Night, Pinterest boards made with friends, and text messages with photos telling us saying that the world had welcomed a new baby. Sure, I missed out on some things, but if I lived in the not-so-bygone era before social media, I wouldn’t have been privy to many of those moments anyway.

Years ago, Kimberly and I co-wrote a post called “Reasons We Will Not Attend Our High School Reunion.” And we discussed briefly how Facebook has made the High School Reunion a thing of the past. If I want to know what has been going on with any of my Facebok friends from high school, all I have to do is search their name. But it’s not the same kind of reunion. Social media gives a disjointed reunion that has never given me the feeling of giddy nostalgia I had three days ago.

For me, there is no comparison between the NOTHING I would have felt if I had read on Facebook that my long lost friend was living in Denver, and the ABSOLUTE JOY I felt by finding out in this organic way. And I think there’s a place for both in my world- that’s the reason I’m getting back on line. For me, however, nostalgia requires a personal connection, not an Internet connection.

Freshman year of college, my high school friends and I had a little reunion of sorts. 

But that was the last year we had our little high school reunion. 

The next year/our Sophomore year, Facebook began. Coincidence? 

The Great Clothing Freeze of 2015.

How are you going to remember 2015? Will the year be remembered for the many weather records that were broken? Or for the records broken by you? For me, 2015 will go down as the year I went on a Clothing Freeze.

Clothing Freeze of 2015: No new clothes for a year!

What is a Clothing Freeze, exactly? I think it’s different for everyone who does one. I initially got the idea from "And Then We Saved" as they suggest doing a Spending Fast. My Clothing Freeze was a halt on any and all clothing spending. No new scrubs for work. No new workout clothes. Basically, no new clothes. Just like in 2010, the year I didn’t wear jeans, I didn’t tell many people about my goal until I had survived at least six months of it. Just in case I failed. I hate failing, and I really hate other people knowing how hard I failed. But here’s the thing: I did fail. Twice.

I bought a new outfit for an interview I had in March, and I bought a new dress for a wedding in October. And while I’m not so proud of those moments, I’m proud I didn’t buy anything on the other 363 days of 2015. I hold myself to such a ridiculous standard that I literally just used the word “fail” to describe my 363/365. (Which by the way is a 99.45% - an “A” by any standard.) At one point, I considered extending the Clothing Fast to make up for those two days. But, I realized that the 363 days when I didn’t buy any clothing meant more than the two days when I did. Maybe I didn’t do a perfect Clothing Freeze, but I did do a hell of a good job trying. And trying wasn’t an easy process.

Think hard about what a Clothing Freeze would mean in your world. What would you struggle with the very most? When you go on vacation, do you like to commemorate that vacation with a “Steamboat Springs” sweatshirt? Do you like buying new hats, scarves, and mittens in winter/flip-flops in spring/swimsuits in summer/jeans in fall? Do you like to buy a new outfit for special occasions? Because, I do. I like having new clothes; it’s true! So the Clothing Freeze was a hard task for me.

And maybe I didn’t do it perfectly. But I did it! And my family, friends, and coworkers knew about it (before July). And I’m proud of my attempt at a full year of no shopping.  So, 2015 is going to be the year I not only did a great job with a Clothing Freeze, but also the year I quit punishing myself for slip ups. 

Tuesday Tunes. ::: The Waiting by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers :::

Good morning, and Happy Tuesday Tunes to you all!

How was your weekend? And what all did you do? I worked this weekend, so I didn't get to enjoy many weekend activities. But this Thanksgiving week was one of the best and busiest. My mom, dad, and I did the Turkey Trot in the morning. My friends had Friendsgiving in the afternoon. And then we had a family Thanksgiving that night. On Friday, I was able to see my friends, Krystal and Rafael, who were in town or the Thanksgiving holiday. And I was (finally!) able to give them their wedding present from Colorado Woodcraft. 

Remember how I'm working on being patient? Remember how it's a complete and utter struggle not to chase things down and instead, be patient, and let things fall into place? Yeah, me too. It's also been on my mind a lot. So, today's Tuesday Tunes reflects that.

Today's song is "The Waiting" from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Because, sometimes "the waiting is the hardest part" and you "can't let it get to you." Anyway, I hope you are having a good beginning to your week! Enjoy!

Sunday Funnies. ::: Real People, Fake Arms :::

Happy Sunday Funnies, my friends.

I hope you have had a great Thanksgiving week and weekend. Did you need some comic relief after spending so much time with family? I can honestly say, that the mix of friends and family was great this year.

Just in case you need some humor in your life, I have two videos for you today. And the name doesn't even give it justice. On Halloween, I showed my friends these videos. They were fairly skeptical when I told them the name: Real People, Fake Arms. But the videos did not disappoint. Obviously, I'm a little biased as two of my favorite people (Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake) are in this video.

Real People, Fake Arms. With Justin Timberlake and Steve Carell. Part 1.

Real People, Fake Arms. With Justin Timberlake and Steve Carell. Part 2.

Alright, friends. I hope you enjoy these videos and the rest of your weekend! 

Tuesday Tunes. ::: I Will Wait by Mumford & Sons :::

Good morning, and Happy Tuesday Tunes to you all!

How was your weekend? And what all did you do? I didn't have to work this weekend, so I was actually able to enjoy some weekend-y activities.

On Saturday, I went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with Kimberly and Ayana. They have an exhibit about whales, which have been my favorite animal since elementary school. So needless to say I wanted to soak that up as much as possible. Ayana wanted to do the interactive activities, which was pretty entertaining to watch. Side note: Do you know what Wolverines look like? Please look it up, if not. (And don't just search for "wolverine" because you may just get information on the character of Wolverine.) I can honest say that I was totally surprised by their appearance.

On Saturday night, I went over to Sonya & Brendan's house and played with little Sawyer until it was time for him to go to bed. We watched silly youtube videos, talked, and had dinner until it was time for  us to go to bed.

Sunday night I had to work, but in the morning, I explored a new type of workout. I went to Miraas Aerial for my first ever Aerial class. I've been wanting to try Aerial yoga and aerial classes in general for the last 2 years. I'm not certain why I never did it but, I'll be going again soon (tonight, actually). As a former gymnast, I noticed many similarities between aerial and gymnastics. Mostly, I noticed the need for body awareness that is needed for both activities.

So, for today's Tuesday Tunes, I've picked "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons. I don't know if I ever told you about this, but for the last two years on New Year's I pull one Tarot Card for several of my friends. The card I pulled for 2014 for me was the "Patience" card and how fitting. As I was typing up everyone's Tarot card meaning, I got to my own and, because I was doing it last minute, I just figured I wouldn't type mine up. When I told my friends this, they laughed. I was lacking patience, completely. In this year, I've been working on my patience and this song has been one that I've gone to when in need of some help on the whole patience thing.

Okay, while the song is symbolic my 2014 goal to be patient, it also combines some of my very favorite things. 1) A favorite band: Mumford & Sons. 2) My favorite state: Colorado. 3) My favorite concert venue: Red Rocks Amphitheater. 4) A favorite way to hear a favorite band: In Concert.

Sunday Funnies. ::: He Was Injured. Injured Bad. :::

Happy Sunday Funnies, my friends.

How are things? And what have you been up to over the last 3 months? I hope you've been able to enjoy some fall activities and stay warm. Dang, it was cold a couple of weeks ago!

Things on my end have been ridiculous. Seriously. Moving, Halloween-ing, Housewarming, working, staying warm; I'm exhausted! So, writing here has taken a back burner. Particularly the back left burner, because I never use that one. (Is that just me? Just curious.)

Regardless, I'm back today. I make no promises for the rest of the week. But can we celebrate that I'm writing today? And if so, can we celebrate by watching this video? And laughing and the frankness of the boy in this video? Okay, good. I'm glad.

Sunday Funnies ::: Robin Williams :::

Happy Sunday Funnies, my friends.

The passing of Robin Williams is no longer news at this point. And, as we seem to do with every one's life (and death), we've figured out all of the sordid details. We've stopped remembering all of the great roles he has played in our lives and we've started to pick apart his life.

Well, I've stopped watching and listening to the media's coverage of this man's death, and I've been focusing on who Robin Williams was to me. He was my English teacher who jumped onto his desk and told me to "Seize the day." He and I flew together to Neverland to defeat the evil Captain Hook. He was my father, who pretended to be my housekeeper, just to spend time with me after school. He was also my father's flamboyant partner who owned a spectacular cabaret. He was my Genie who granted my three wishes. And he was the psychologist who challenged me to open myself and I challenged him right back.

If I could, today's Sunday Funnies would be every single one of these roles (and many more). But I don't think any of us have time for that. So, in lieu of watching every single movie, stand up routine, and TV show appearance of Mr. Williams, I will leave you with this.