happy movember!

i'm in a teen daze

dear prostate cancer

i don't know about other dads you've met. but this is my dad. 

so you don't stand a chance. 

the story of little noodle

yesterday, as i was walking into my garden level apartment, i heard tiny cat cries down the hallway. i stuck my keys in my pocket and walked into the downstairs entryway. the nervous mews were coming from behind wooden boards that were leaning up against the wall. i made a little clicking noise and boom! a little grey cat came running out to greet me. skinny, white paws and a little white dollup on the end of her tail.

after crouching down to pet her for a bit, i stood up and said "well, little noodle! what ever am i going to do with you?" thinking the cat must've belonged to someone in my building, i started walking up the steps to knock on some doors in search of her owner. little noodle followed me up each set of stairs, walking alonside me and purring by my feet whenever i stopped. at one point she walked back down the stairs, but when she stopped to look up at me, i said "come on!" and she pranced back up them to join me at my side. four empty apartments and one "not ours" later, noodle and i walked back downstairs. i saw a girl getting ready to do her laundry, but she said the cat wasn't hers. that she and her boyfriend had seen noodle outside the night before and an old man from our building said the cat had been around for a few days. someone must've let her in.

i wondered what to do with noodle for about two seconds, before i just gave in. "fine noodle, you can stay." after that, it was just a matter of wrangling my friend kelly into going on a cat shopping spree. kell has always hated cats...but i think she must be developing a soft spot for my little bundle of lost love. thanks for all your help last night "auntie kelly." :)

so here we are. just me and noodle. and after one night with her, i can tell you this cat is loud, curious and loves to cuddle. so, yes, what i'm saying is: we're two peas in a pod.

i know that, being as domestic as she is, she probably did have a home. i'm going to have to post "found" signs around the neighborhood in the next few days to make sure she doesn't belong to some sweet old lady. still, a little part of me hope she's mine for keeps.

ps - how strange is it that all this happened the same day my friend from work posted this video. 

WEEO

my good friend ju-ju-bee has this big dream to start a women's group called weeo: women empowering each other. she has an anthem picked out and everything. she wants to start it because the sad truth is, not enough women love other women.

not enough of us remember that a win for one woman is a win for all women. we let our insecurities rule and our emotions get the best of us. we are mean girls instead of cheerleaders. jealous instead of supportive. foes instead of friends. we are taught to think that anything one woman has or gets only takes away from what we have a shot at. we are bombarded with reminders that this is a competition - for men, for jobs, and for other people's mental space ("do they think i'm the prettiest one? the funniest one? i can't believe they think she's smarter than me..."). but that is not the way it has to be. and it's not the way i want to be.

it's high time we put away our sass, our negativity and our fear.
we are on the same team and it's about time we all start acting like it.

if she's better at you than something, learn from her.
if she's nicer than you, follow her lead.
if she's got a better job than you, ask her for advice.
if she's funnier than you, stop being mad and just join in on the fun.
if she's prettier than you, i don't know... get up earlier and do your damn hair.
if her body is better than yours, she's annoying ;) just kidding! go with her to the gym.

the point is: there is always going to be someone who's better than you at something.
but you're the only one who can be the best you. you are special. and just because another woman
is, too, doesn't mean you're not anymore. and if there's a woman in your life who is bringing you down, you need to move on. because, i guarantee that in your lifetime, you are going to run into women who just don't get it. you are going to be face to face with a woman hater. it might be your sister, your friend or someone you barely even know. but whoever she is, she has no place in your life.

if there's a woman hater in your life, ditch her. go find a group of ladies who will pick you up, tell you're great and take you out for mojitos. those ladies are out there. and they're awesome. and if you are the woman hater, girlfriend, i just have to tell you that your life does not have to be this way. you need to just get over it. we've all been a woman hater before. for small things, for big things, sometimes for split seconds and sometimes for too long. it has just got to stop.

there are women out there who can fill our lives with joy. and they want to love us, for no other reason than the fact that we're women and we're in this together. so let them love you. ok?

in honor of weeo, here are a few hilarious excerpts from mindy kaling's new book is everyone hanging out without me:

holy, hannah! it's october!

gee-golly-gollerson! where has the time gone!? it's already fall - i can barely believe it! i am getting beyond bonkers excited for this weekend, because i'm going to the city (not whitney port's, people. i'm talkin' minneapolis). for what you ask? well, i'd be delighted to tell you!

my sweet friend kenzie - you remember her, yes? i'm happy to report that she is travelling through these parts for her twenty-sixth birthday! so, my friends cassie & rayna & i will be waking up on the bright-and-earlies on saturday to celebrate with that cute little miss. we'll be going to the shouthouse, a fun little dueling pianos joint in downtown. if you have the chance - check it. you will not be disappointed. swearzies.

in honor of this impending trip, here are some delicious pictures from other twin cities' area funspots: red wing shoe store (home of the biggest leather boot in the world! helloooo!), punch pizza and, of course, anywhere that my sweet superbro andrew is! no, really - we call him "superbro"...he's that awesome.

and we're back

at the ripe old age of 25, i find it's easy to feel restless and unsure, hoping for an idea of where to go and what to do next. it wasn't the same at 18. when i started college at msum. then, i was exactly where i wanted to be, with everyone i wanted to be with, excited for the world in front of me. every single day was full of wonderment, and exploration of the future was my only responsibility.

that's the hard thing about growing up...it's everything you thought you were looking forward to, but it's not what you expected. it's full of responsibility (or what i will now refer to as "freedom's enemy").

it was a welcome break to be reunited with old friends this weekend. because, for me, reminiscence is seeing the past through rose-colored glasses. and being with my first friends from college was an instant switch back to that mentality, to place where i have one foot on my favorite memories and one foot on edge of everything that life has to offer.

that must be why i adore weddings so much. because the only thing in the air is the assurance that your future will be full of happiness, love and of possibility.

and ain't that the sweetest smell there is.

gettin' real with paul

This weekend I went to my friend and former roomie Mike's wedding (pictures to come!). And, as has happened a few times during my circuit of wild wedding weekends, I was asked to read the ol' standby: part of Paul's letter to the Corinthians. And I have to tell you guys, no matter how many times I read it, that little snippet always, always, always just gets to me. 

I can feel you giving me eye rolls and oh-that-agains right now. But, honestly, whether you think it's cheesy or overplayed or obnoxious and whether you revere the Bible or scoff at its existence, you have to admit that Paul's definition of love is legit. It's my favorite. Especially the beginning. Because that kind of love is no joke. And that it's not easy. Then on top of that, Paul's all "Hey lady, now don't forget! You're supposed to offer that kind of love fully...and constantly...and to everyone."

Yeesh! Sometimes I can't help but be like "Paul, seriously, is this a joke?
Who do you think you are? I barely even like this person and you're all up in
my business telling me I need to love them?"  

And Paul's all, "Um, yes." 

And there I am, back in my place. Right where he put me. 

Dang you, Paul. 

I'm not talking about this verse to be preachy. 

I'm talking about it because it makes me think. 

What does it make you think? 

1 corinthians 13:1-13

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. 

free yo' mind fridays

When who you are isn't enough for someone, try killing them with kindness.
That's what my grandma would say. And my mom. And my first grade teacher, I'm sure.

But you know what they would also say? If that doesn't work, all you can do is
wish that someone the best and kick 'em to the curb. Well, they might not say
"kick 'em to the curb." I'm pretty sure it's just because of the generational gap, though.

Life is too short to be anything but yourself.
Especially when other people think you are awesome.
Which, you obviously are. (see: brotip #1)

So, here's hoping you take your kick*ss self
and have a fantastic weekend.
You deserve it.  

paintball

dearest friends, haaaave you ever played paintball? i played for the first time this week with a few coworkers and, i have to say, it. was. a. BLAST.

i mean, really. who knew that getting pelted with tiny balls of paint could be so fun?

after work on thursday, we carpooled to the middle of nowhere. just when i thought those gravel roads were about to lead us to a csi crime scene, we arrived at this little field set up with cable spools, doors and other things to hide behind. a paintball warzone. for nearly three hours we played various paintball games including capture the flag and gettysburg - in which your group stands in two lines, 50 feet apart, facing each other red rover style. you have one chance to shoot a person across from you and, if you don't yourself get hi, you take a step forward if you don't get hit, only to repeat the stand-off at closer range.

looking at the bruises on the inside of my legs, i'm not sure why i'd recommend this self-abuse. But, for some reason, chasing other people around like a sniper, knowing that you're about to get "killed" yourself, is a fantastic time. 

game day

college tailgating is officially off my bucket list! my friend emily's fiance is the punter for a local college football team - the NDSU Bison - and being the sugarplum that she is, she offered me free tickets for saturday's game. and let me just say: woah. 

i may not the biggest sports fanatic out there, but i am the biggest fan when it comes to getting together and cheering for a common cause. 

plus, i knew there would stadium food there. and there's no way i would miss an opportunity to mow down on dirty sports food. I stuffed myself with bavarian almonds, pizza and nachos. self control is not one of my strong suits. especially when that weird nacho cheese sauce is involved. 

hope you had a wonderful weekend yourselves, friends! 

life, lately

these days i'm:
back on the sauce - after a year of decaf only, i'm back to drinking regular coffee. and lots of it.
wearing anywhere from 2-6 vintage watches at time (pun!) - none of which actually work.
listening to foster the people "houdini" on repeat
traveling, traveling, traveling
living it up at weddings
biting my fingernails again. don't judge me.
thinking about grad school
searching for a white blazer
getting ready for fall fashion - boots! scarves! sweaters! oh my! it's all very felicity and i love it.
missing my family
thinking about piercing my nose - quarter life crisis?
eating enough sushi to get jeremy-piven-style mercury poisoning
chowing down on "egg slop" on saturday mornings
feeling creative
trying to plan a trip to visit little sister
contemplating ways to redesign my bloggie
waiting for a big change, or hoping for it anyway

adventures in college

i'm sure, due to the title of this post, you were expecting me to divulge the ridiculousness that was my post-secondary career. but in an attempt to keep this blog mostly pg13, i'm going to keep it high level and just say, simply: i loved college.

i seriously did. forget what you've heard about america - college is the real land of opportunity. you pick your friends, you pick your life, you pick yourself. college is fresh slate, a new adventure and a chance to be whoever you thought you could, should or might want to be - whether that's who you always were or not.

as of last weekend my little brother started his own adventure and moved into his new dorm at macalester college. visiting him there was like getting an early birthday present. it was so exciting to see the beginning of his new little chapter, remembering what it was like to be at that place myself.

starting your freshman year of college is like jumping off the edge of a cliff in that  it's a horrible mess when you land you have no idea what's about to happen and the entire world is at your fingertips.

it's a thrill. and it's the best.
or it can be, if you let it.

best of luck little brother.
you're gonna be great,
i just know it. 

howdy, stranger

First of all - friends, I am so sorry for having neglected you and your need for blog-time. Whether you actually love my little stories or you just seriouslyneed something to do while you're at work, girlfriend let you down. But now I'm back (to show you, I can really shake 'em down).

Last week was a blur of work and that 48 hour sickness that goes around each time the seasons change. That's the boring stuff. The fun part was the wedding of my friends Andy & Sarah, two hilarious and wonderful people who met just over a year ago and were married this weekend (insert aaaaws). Their ceremony & reception were at the Goss Opera House in Watertown, SD. Everything about this place was beautiful and it was perfect for A & S. I love weddings in general, but I especially love seeing how people's weddings reflect their character both individually and as a couple. For these two it was groomsmen in black converse (the groom's were red!), Sarah's dad's prayer during the ceremony, wild flower bouquets, skinny neon ties and a photo booth full of props. For me, it was so much dancing. When we left the reception the bride said to my date, our friend John, "Thanks for bringing her. More than one person has said to me 'she looks like she likes to have a good time.'" Because I do. And because their marriage is something to celebrate.

Note: Great things said in the speeches included "A lot of you think Sarah's too pretty for Andy. And you're right." And "I always wondered who would be the right man for my friend with the leopard print flats, until I met Andy. I think he was born with a bowtie on."

I know what you're thinking...I look really good with a mustache. 

woot, woot.

These pictures are fromt last week. I know, I'm the worst when it comes to timeliness.
And washing my hair. And talking too loud. And a bunch of other stuff.
But I'm pretty good at celebrating - which, I'm sure, you've noticed.

My standard treat-Thursday-like-Friday festivities were amped up by the fact that we were celebrating Ju's birthday and the fact that Liz the Wiz is officially a registered dietician.

It was also extra wonderful, because I was able to:
a. catch up with one of my favorites, Ash (redhead/twin/campus coworker/ultimate funtime)
b. run into my lovely Sarah (curly hair/barista buddy/hilarious)
c. see a few of my best high school guy friends, who were on their way to Minneapolis

It was just one of those night where you feel right, because you're doing nothing but being
happy with the people you love.