Boston For Memorial Day Weekend

Way back in March, my friend Kat and I started getting really anxious to see another one of our friends, Caitlin, again. The three of us had all been on Act 1 together for two years, but this season, I'm the only one still on the team. Kat lives outside of Boston, and we see each other quite a bit, but Caitlin lives a few hours away from me in Maine. We haven't all been together since 2017 TOI Nationals (almost a full year ago!). It was definitely time to plan something.

A few group texts later, and we finally decided to get together for Memorial Day weekend! Caitlin and I drove down to Kat's family's house on Friday night, stayed over, spent all of Saturday in Boston, and came home Sunday afternoon.

Friday night, we stayed in and spent some time catching up. We also made a drink run and ended up buying all of the pink drinks (PSA: the Cape Cod Cranberry Spiked Seltzer is amazing!) and ended up playing cards against humanity.

Saturday morning, we had a slow easy breakfast at home, then ventured into Boston. We made up a group of five: me, Kat, both of her sisters, Caroline and Elizabeth, and Caitlin. Our first stop was the Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Kendall Square. We rented their large canoe, and spent about an hour paddling around on the Charles. It was a really fun (and cheap!) way to start the day. We got to hear some of the Boston Calling Music Festival from the water, we joked that next year we should just rent the boats for a few hours and get to hear it that way!

Once we had completely sweated through our shirts, we returned the canoes and drove towards the Boylston Street and Copley area. We were all getting hungry at this point, so we ended up at Met Back Bay for a late lunch. Their patio seating was full, so we ate inside, and it was lovely! The food was amazing, and everything was cozy and conversational. I ordered their breakfast burrito, and I'm not sure I've ever had anything so perfect.

Once we were done eating, we went shopping! We went to Francesca's, where we spent most of our time. I ended up getting a really cute floral wrap dress. It's a little short, but I think it'll still be great for work and church, and I have a wedding in June I might wear it to. After Francesca's, we wandered into some more boutique type places before ending up at the Prudential Center. We pretty much just window shopped there, but it was still fun!

At that point, our group split up, and Kat, Caitlin, and I went out as the over 21's. We started at Back Bay Social Club, which was pretty good, and then eventually made our way down the street to a new-to-us place, Lir. We stayed there for the rest of the night, and it was a great chance to get a little goofy, catch up, and discover Iced Coffee cocktails (which are fantastic, by the way).

It was so fun to be out in the city the Saturday of Memorial Day. It was almost 90 out, and everyone was outside, hanging around watching soccer games and grabbing brunch. Between memorial day, the music festival, a ton of graduations, and the multiple weddings we passed, it felt like everyone was outside celebrating. Definitely a great day to kick off summer!

Sunday morning, we slept in and took our time pulling ourselves back together, before parting ways and driving home! It was so fun to be back with the ladies that share some of my favorite memories. We definitely can't wait a whole year before doing this again...we're already debating a Burlington VT/Montreal roadtrip this summer!

Hope everyone's Memorial Day was spent with good food, good people, and sunshine!

Happy Wednesday! Be the grittiest.

xoxo Gillian

For When You Realize You Grew Up and Became Toad

The Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel are some of the sweetest, most heart warming books you could ever read. They were a huge part of my childhood, and like all great children's books, are even better as you get older.

Toad is my favorite. Toad has bad days. He gets tired, gets frustrated, and has doubts. But sometimes, things go really well. And he's always ready to appreciate those moments.

Frog and Toad is about little things. It's about contentment, joy, hope, friendship, and putting others first. So for all the times when you realize you are Toad.....

For when willpower isn't one of your strengths...

And when diets are for the birds (literally).

For when you procrastinate...

Only to feel overwhelmed and guilty.

For when a little thing....

...turns into a big deal.

And we overreact.

And then realize how ridiculous we were, and feel bad.

And the only way to make it up is just to act from the heart.

For when inspiration runs dry....

...and all you really want to do is sleep.

For when you don't quite know why you're sad...

And all you really want is a friend.

For when you worry you're not wanted...

And then we don't know the right way to help.

And we make the wrong assumptions.

For when making your to-do list is the most productive thing you do all day...

For when we want, with all our heart, just to be good...

And we get impatient while working for what we want...

For when the haters start to get to us...

And we begin to believe that we cannot do it.

"Toad ran back to frog.
"This kite is a joke," he said, "It will never get off the ground.""

But if you keep trying, it will.

You've just got to keep shaking it up to find what works. And when you've made it, you'll be so much higher than all the people that told you you couldn't do it.

For when the world starts to get to you.

And your head hurts. And your muscles are sore. And your heart is sore.

And you feel like you aren't seen, or heard, or wanted.

And the only thing you're sure of, is that true friendship is the most important thing in the world.

Happy Wednesday! xoxo

We Do Friendship Different

Dia and I as babies.

Hello everyone! Today is the last day of our July Everyday Geek Challenge. Don't forget to stop by Dia's blog for her post.

I've been looking forward to writing this post since the start of the challenge. It's actually something I've wanted to write about long before the challenge, but never put together.

You see, Dia and I are best friends (as if we haven't stated that enough already).

And we have all the markings of best friends. We go buy coffee together. We split huge portions of mall Japanese food. We dress up together. We do weird things together, like Dia plucking my eyebrows. We watch Netflix together. We giggle a lot, and usually end up walking into things.

But--when it comes down to it--we do friendship different.

And the only way I can describe it is that our friendship has hit a deeper level. Honestly, we treat it a lot like most people treat romantic relationships rather than friendships.

And the difference lies in how we deal with the not-nice side of loving people: the fights, the ruts, and the simple feeling of being ticked off.

For pretty much the first 8 months of 2014, Dia and I were in a fight. On both sides there were a lot of annoyances...some were petty, some were big. But bit by bit, we allowed them to grow and fester until we reached the point of perpetual-ticked-off-edness. We thought the problem was time apart, but time together felt almost forced. When we checked in to chat, both of us were short. There was a film between us, and no matter what, we couldn't fake it and pretend to not see it.

Finally, it culminated in a summer of not talking. No big blow up fight (well, not right away...) but no messages, no texts, no calls, from either side. We were both too proud to give in.

Eventually, in the beginning of last August, I called Dia. I had been planning this call for a week, and had even made the point to call her on my phone rather than skype, to catch her off guard. I wanted the upper hand (yes, I am sick).

And that's when we fought. We yelled at each other about all the times the other had been hurtful, had not showed up, had failed to understand. We yelled about misunderstood comments and the feeling of not being wanted.

And at the end of the call, I said, "what do you want to do?" And Dia said, "Let's cool off. And in a week, we'll skype and just talk about it."

And that's what we did. Exactly a week later, we sat down on skype and just talked. We explained where we had actually been hurt. We apologized. We brought up things the other had said in the heat of the fight for clarification. And we talked about what had made us grow apart, and how to fix it.

Since then, Dia and I have been so much better. We've had our arguments and certainly our ruts, but we're better at dealing with them now. And we've both gotten better about just admitting when we're mad (because it's a lot better than festering for 6 months!).

And here's the part I'm most proud of: I was retelling this story to a mutual friend, in an attempt to be helpful, and she was blown away by the fact that we were fighting. She had seen us in the midst of it, and even though she's a close friend to both of us, had never realized how bad things were between us.

And that's because even in the midst of it...we were best friends. We were sisters. Yes, we couldn't stand each other's presence for more than five minutes. But we still would have picked each other up on the side of the road at 2am if need be.

One of the things that was a huge underlying issue with me in our Big Fight was not feeling wanted. I was worried that I wasn't Dia's first choice, had been replaced, or wasn't needed. That my presence wasn't missed. I know a huge reason we've been able to deal with fights since then better is because we've established that that's not true at all! Both of us need each other, and want each other, and will always try our best to keep the other around. And it's only with that trust that these ups and downs are possible.

Dia and I say that we had to 'grow up' our friendship. Here are some things we've talked about, found, and believe in our friendship:

+ Family isn't limited by blood. And 'best friend' describes a much deeper tie than any BFF necklace could ever comprehend.

+ That being said, your friends being your family takes more work, and has more ups and downs. But while there are lower lows, there are also higher highs. And it's worth it. Considering someone to be your sister means you love them even when you don't like them. It means you show up regardless, no ifs ands or buts.

+ You don't need to see each other all the time to maintain a friendship. Dia and I live pretty close, but have drastically busy and opposite schedules. We have long stretches without seeing each other, but that distance never leads to problems when we're together.

+ That being said, don't be a hermit. Dia and I both have hermit tendencies, and really have to force ourselves to do something...but we always are glad we did! Step out of your self for your friends.

+ To outsiders, there is never a problem. It's like the 'don't fight in front of the kids' thing. Be careful who you let know about your little tiffs.

+ Always be honest. Don't shy away from hard conversations or awkward questions or big fights. Playing guessing games is horrible.

+ Swallow pride, let things go, and forgive a lot.

+ The best thing you can do is just to let that person know you want them. I personally find it so easy to be self-absorbed. My schedule, my job, my skating, my school, my room to clean, my problem to address. Step outside of yourself. Listen to the other person. Stay up later than you wanted to so you can catch up over skype. Don't finish your to-do list perfectly so you can hang out. Text them on lunch hour just to find out what their day is like. Let them know that you want them in their lives. People give so much more when they know they're wanted/needed/loved.

Now, in full disclosure: Dia and I have been in a bit of a rut lately. But, it's not like last summer's. And we're working through it so much better than we would have two years ago. I love you Sister Dearest. Thanks so much for putting up with me.

Us this May.

Since we don't have a vlog for tomorrow, this is the last day of our challenge! Thanks for reading through, and my sincerest apologies to you guys (and Dia!) for my lack of participation lately. 

Just a heads up: If you enjoyed our Character Vlog Arguments, (Firefly, LotR), then look forward to a vlog project between the two of us in the near future. And I can guarantee you (whether that be in a month, a year, or five years) that we will joint-post again! In the mean time, stay up to date with Dia on her blog, facebook, tumblr, and twitter. And as always, don't forget to join me on tumblr. Thanks for reading!

Happy Thursday! xoxo

Friends Are People You Dress Up With, Apparently

Day 2 of the July Everyday Geek Challenge! Today's prompt is Geeky Friendship Memories. Don't forget to check out Dia's blog!

Growing up part of a pretty geeky community, it's not surprising that some of my favorite memories with friends have had plenty of geeky connections.  Lord of the Rings was my first fandom love, and for years that meant AJ and I played 'ongoing games' where we created characters and had to act like them every. Single. Day. 

I was always a hobbit named Rosie (who eventually grew up to marry Sam. Duh), who worked at The Green Dragon (the kitchen) and occasionally went on adventures with Legolas (my brother) through the woods. Proudly sporting our polyester capes, we would go on adventures (walks with Grandma) while dodging black riders (any car), and coming home with a large collection of walking sticks.

We had similar games on rotation through most of our under-10 years, with some variations but generally the same. For a very brief time we switched over to Narnia, and then had a phase of pretending the house was Hogwarts. Our bath 'robes' become our school uniforms, and doing science meant doing 'potions class', while history was usually 'muggle studies'. 

In the end, though, we always went back to our familiar and beloved Middle Earth. AJ and I even went as Legolas and Gimli for Halloween once.

And the dressing up didn't stop as we got older. When the first Hobbit movie came out, we pulled together a huge group of friends and went to the movies all dressed up.

A Hobbit's Take (movie review)

 And then there was the time we wore our Harry Potter uniforms to a 4H Awards Night.

Or when Dia and I bough coordinating purple superhero t-shirts at Walmart and insisted on everything them almost every time we went out together (until Dia lost hers, that is).

And then there's this past season, when my team and I had 'superhero day' at practice.

Especially when Dia and I hang out, we usually turn to something geeky. This past spring when she was making my prom dress, we watched Firefly episodes while she sewed (and I helpfully watched TV, obviously). 

And this Christmas, she gave me the most amazing hobbit-door necklace, which I've worn pretty much every day since. Such a fun way to honor my fandom and my friend!

For me, true friendship has always been when we can unapologetically obsess over something. I'm so grateful for all my friends, and the fact that we always get each other's references. Most of our conversations start with 'oh my gosh, you need to watch this show'.  While we don't always share the same level of fandom-love across the board, we do share the fun of expressing that love. 

Thanks so much for reading! Want to share your take on this prompt? Chime in on your blog, tumblr, instagram or twitter and don't forget to use the hashtag #everydaygeekjuly. Can't wait to hear your stories! Just a heads up, tomorrow (Day 3) the prompt will be phases of life through books.

prom (and gushing)

You know what's cool?

Being really, really different. Really, really, you. Really, really, un-cool.

We had prom last week. These are our photos. These sexy people are so, so dear to my heart. And every single one of them is so un-cool in the coolest way possible. I'm bragging for them today, because they're all too kind to brag enough about themselves.

From left to right:

Skyler is probably one of the most genuinely kind, gracious people I have ever met. She works so hard at her fast-food job, and her house-cleaning job. On top of that, she helps her mother (who's in politics) and rocks homeschooling. Plus she swing dances. I know.

Lily (my cousin!) is straight up hilarious. She plays basketball, and rides horses, and works weekends. She's one of my favorite people to get phone calls from, and is always up for adventures.

Rachel, aside from looking like a fashion model, is wicked smart and driven (she's doing early acceptance for med school!). We have a pretty constant email-stream going, and she's always so supportive and kind!

Also, let's talk about my dress. Even though she was in the middle of finals, Dia made it for me after I was complaining about buying one. This is just one example of all the times she's gone out of her way to do something special for me. I cannot gush about her enough. :)

Turner has an awesome, sarcastic sense of humor, composes his own dubstep, and is working towards his pilot's license. Oh, he also has a DJing business. And he DJ'd prom. So yeah.

Caleb is a dork. But he's also one of the most loyal, true friends I've ever met. He's really good at acting, mumbling funny comments under his breath, and is generally one of the best partners-in-crime around.

AJ (my brother!) wore purple high tops to prom, so there's that. Also he built his own PC, plays piano, has overall great taste in music, and let's me take advantage of his Dunkin Donuts gift cards.

Jacob is an emoji aficionado, shows dairy cows with 4H, and went to the Junior Olympics for fencing. :) He's always up for a video chat on skype, and tolerates Dia and I's craziness. Sorta.

Moral of the story: be so uncool you're cool. These dorks have my heart (and also: thanks for putting up with me guys).

Happy Weekend! xoxo

friends

It sounds cheesy, but my sorta-ish-new-years-resolution was to 'be more social'.

I love people. I love connecting. I really need close people around me. But, sometimes I forget.

There's been times when I've easily gone a month without actually hanging out with friends. I talk to people at skating, and work, and class, obviously, and maybe I texted and skyped with people, but I didn't hang out. Or make time for a real catch-up. I've always known I have the tendency to do this. There are so many examples of when me and my best friends go a strangely long time without really catching up. It's what happens when you're both busy people pursuing different things.

^^Ancient Photo

But what I hadn't realized before was the necessity of connecting. I'm sure everyone is rolling their eyes at this point, but it honestly wasn't until this past winter I realized that I get really, really cranky when I haven't seen my best friend. I get frazzled. And anxious. And definitely more negative and more insecure.

I am so, so grateful for all the people in my life. I've been blessed with amazing family and friends and friends that have become family. I'd say at this point, I have some of the closest relationships I've ever had. 2014...wasn't the best. But now, I can see how it pulled together the great connections I'm having now.

I can be a hard person to be a friend to. I can be clingy, and I can drop off the face of the earth. Sometimes I'm spontaneous, and others I want to do absolutely nothing. I'm busy and never have time for anything and can sometimes be very selfish. It usually takes me a long time to form a close friendship, and I don't do very well with a more casual friendship. But the one thing, is that I don't let go. I believe friendships can (and should) last a lifetime, and aren't meant to be dropped after one fight or one falling out. You have to fight for them, just like any other love.

So, friends, thanks for sticking with me. Loving me. Fighting with me. I'm beyond blessed to have all of you.