Combat with Kindness

When I was living in Logan, going to Utah State, I had the best job a girl could ask for. I was on the orientation staff, or as we were lovingly named, the A-Team. This job gave me countless friends and experiences that I may have never had otherwise. 

One of those friends, Adam, was a father of 5 kids (at the time...little Wink hadn't arrived yet) and had an awesome wife, Tiffany, that would make dozens and dozens of homemade donuts and offer their home to us to come be friends together. They would invite people for game nights, they would let people come watch their kids (I say "let" here, because they are seriously the greatest kids ever. I love them, even though they probably don't even remember who I am anymore). The point is, I look up to this family so much. Their kids are spunky, hilarious, kind, unique, and all-around great kids, with great parents. I marvel at some of the posts on social media from Tiff about something one of her kids did that shows me they are being raised right and are truly remarkable. 

So, when I heard that their oldest daughter, Taylor, was the victim of some cyber bullying, it was a little hard to believe. It's been a few years since I've had the chance to interact with Taylor, but when I did know her, I knew her to be a funny, outgoing, lovable teenage girl that got along with everyone. I'm sure since that time she's only grown to be more lovable. 

So, Adam, being the sweet father he is, decided he would do something about it. He didn't show up at this bully's house with a shotgun. He didn't retort on Twitter with hateful words to this person. He didn't tell Taylor to tell this person where to go. Instead he decided to be positive. He reached out and had people tweet to Taylor, letting her know she is valued, worth something, loved and appreciated. Nobody deserves to be put down, and my Aggie family made sure Taylor knew that. 

Since yesterday, the response has been amazing. Taylor has received hundreds of tweets letting her know she's wonderful. It has been incredible to read these tweets that are combating with kindness. This family, this 15-year-old girl with a heart of gold, my peers, all have made me see how much brightness there can be if we are simply kind to one another. 

Join the movement by tweeting to @Taylor_Vail and let her know that she is so much more than those negative words. 

#TaylorVail

#bepositive

The Electric City

The Office. 

Okay. People can think I'm lame. People might not get it. In fact, Kameron always tells me, "It's just a TV show..."

But here's the thing, everyone. 

To me, it's NOT just a TV show. It's much more. 

I was first introduced to The Office when my dad got the first season on DVD as a gift. I was probably 13 or 14. We watched all six episodes right then and I was hooked. I loved the feel of the show. I loved the humor. I had a mad crush on John Krasinski. I loved how uncomfortable it made me feel. I loved how Jim loved Pam. 

From that point on, I was watching every clip of every talk show I could find that had a cast member on it. I watched countless YouTube videos people made about Jim and Pam. I sat in my classes at school and wrote down all the quotes I could remember and decorate my notebooks with them. My friends would give me homemade shirts and cards that had to do with the show. I could name every episode of season two by name, in order. I remember I spent hours finding pictures of John Krasinski to put on a bulletin board which still hangs in my room at my mom's house. I was extremely obsessed. Unhealthy? Yeah...maybe. But the show made me laugh. It cheered me when I was down. I felt like I was making friends with these made-up characters that felt so real.

I vividly remember the night of the season two finale. Jim and Pam. Jim kissed Pam. Pam might love Jim. It was everything I had been waiting for and nobody was home but my mom, and she didn't get it. I ran upstairs, trying to have her understand. I was squealing pacing. My little teenage heart was racing as I ran downstairs to rewind and rewind and rewind the DVR. I watched that single tear roll down Jim's face and I got the chills. I still have his whole speech memorized like, 7 years later. But I was invested.

Then I joined an online chat group appropriately named The Office Chat. It was just a little chat room where fans could get together and talk about their mutual love for The Office. I made so many friends there, many of whom I still talk to, though we've never even met. I earned the nicknames of Soup, Sopu and Soupy because my chat name was SmellsLikeSoup. (Props if you can name the episode it's from). I would stay up into the wee hours of the night talking with these people that loved something as much as I did. They understood.

I will admit my devotion has not always been as strong as it was in Jr. high and high school. My interest began to wane a little bit after I moved out and got busy with college, but I never gave up on the show. I faithfully watched. 

Now, the end has come. I warned Kameron that I might cry as we watched and he just chuckled. But really. I watched that first hour where the cast reflected on the past nine years and I got a little teary. I was brought back to the time where all I thought about was this show. I remembered certain episodes and where I was in my life when I watched them for the first time. I remembered little quotes that mean nothing like, "Their bread is VERY good" and it was the strangest thing, because I kept telling myself how ridiculously lame it was to be emotional over something that was fabricated in writing rooms for famous people that have real lives. None of it is real. Jim and Pam are really John and Jenna, both married to different people and Jenna with a child. 

But. I. Cried. 

I don't know how else to explain it other than to say it was like a best friend. A brilliant, funny, heartbreaking, but reliable best friend who I met when I was 14, and while we fought occasionally, it will still always be a friend. 

Thanks Dunder Mifflin, for being such a big part of my growing up. 

"There is such a thing as good grief. Just ask Charlie Brown."

On Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day hasn't ever really been a noteworthy holiday for me. I never really had a Valentine until I was married, and quite honestly it never bothered me. I always thought that once I had a special guy in life, Valentine's Day would just be flowers, chocolates, and a fancy restaurant. 

Those things are wonderful and I love receiving them, don't get me wrong. I still have my flowers Kam gave me two weeks ago for our anniversary, despite how sad they look. But that's not what made my Valentines Day today. 

What made my Valentine's Day was having a cute husband who made me open my gift (a new knife set!) the day before Valentine's day because he couldn't wait. 

It was sleeping in a little and laughing together at the weird things our cat does while laying in bed.

It was going to Buffalo Wild Wings instead of a fancy restaurant because wings are just something we both can't get enough of. 

It was making up stupid lyrics to songs we had stuck in our heads on the ride home. 

It was snuggling up and watching an episode of Shark Tank in our pajamas together. 

In reality, Valentine's day was just like any other day. Today I just had a little reminder to let my best friend know a few more times that I love him with all my heart and what an extremely lucky girl I am.

Flowers die. Fancy restaurants are expensive. Chocolates go straight to my thighs. Me? I've got a guy that looks good with a beard that smacks a goofy smile on my face on a regular basis. And that lasts forever. :)

One Year!

Hooray!

Today is the first anniversary of me marrying the best human.

Currently, I'm at school, but upon my return home we have plans to get a couples massage (chocolate dipped strawberries included) and eat at this place. I'm extremely excited for dinner. We'll pretty much be eating things we've only seen on Food Network.

I'm mostly excited to celebrate us and the fantastic year we've been married to one another. This guy makes me so happy and nearly every day I realize what a perfect fit we are. I made the best possible decision when I agreed to spend my life and more with him. He makes me laugh, he allows me to be every version of my crazy self, and he makes me want to be a better person. I couldn't ask for anyone better. :)

They say the first year is the hardest. That means things are looking pretty darn good for the rest of eternity. 

And now, some pictures!

Learning

Hello sweet friends!

I'm back to blogging! I tend to forget about my blog, and I kind of want to make it more of a habit to blog. So here's to the first post of 2013!

As I think I mentioned in my last blog, I'm commuting to Logan for school this semester from Salt Lake. I have a few classes that USU requires me to take on the Logan campus in order to graduate. It's a total of three hours of driving, three days a week, with another two hours on Thursdays for one class in Brigham City. So, folks, that means every week I'm driving roughly 11 hours total. That's a lot of time and gas. 

So far, I've made the journey only twice, since school started Monday and I go to school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. My first class starts at 8:30 in the morning, requiring me to wake up at 5:30 or 6:00 am to get to Logan on time. If you know me well, you see why this is a problem. I HATE mornings. I'm nearly falling asleep writing this. 

Now that I've complained a whole bunch, let me tell you why all of it is worth the fuss. I have a couple of reasons.

The first reason is simply being that I love USU. Early on in my freshman year I started to realize what a special and awesome place it was. The campus is beautiful, the people are friendly, the atmosphere is exactly what I wanted when I chose a school. 

The second reason is so I can get my degree. This is the simplest, cheapest and quickest way for me to get my degree. That alone is worth it to me. It has always been my goal to be a college graduate and do anything and everything in my power to earn that degree. This isn't how I always imagined it going down, maybe, but I will be so proud to say I've accomplished one of the most important goals I've made in my life. 

The last reason is a little different and a little less tangible. I was sitting in my English 5300 class today. Right now we're reading The Last of the Mohicans. Honestly...not the most exciting. It was written in the 1800's, the language is a little difficult and the genre isn't all that interesting to me. I've had classes like this in the past, classes that involve novels that are just plain uninteresting to me. I zone out, I have a hard time paying attention, and I stare at the clock way too much just willing it to tick faster. However, today I found myself really paying attention. Listening to every word. Now, let's not get carried away...I wasn't clinging to every word, but I was definitely listening. As I noticed I was listening, I thought about it. I wondered why all of the sudden I could stay alert and listen despite how tired I was. I came to a conclusion.

It's been a long time since I've been in school. It's been a year since any school and a year and a half since I've been in school in the United States or USU. I never thought I'd be the girl to take a year off of school, but I did. I don't regret it. I got married, I settled into married life with no stress of school, I worked, and I got to do a lot of cool things. But I don't think I was ever really doing anything that made me think critically or really learn. Honestly, I never knew how much I like to learn until I finally came back to classes at USU. I was hearing things I've never heard. I was learning things, comprehending them, and thinking critically about them. I was analyzing literature again. And it felt good. 

So the main reason I wake up early, pop on a podcast, and drive for an hour an a half to get to classes that are less than an hour is to simply learn. To think. To stretch my brain muscles. To become smarter. 

I think that's worth it after all.