Two for One!

Ok, ok... I can't wait anymore! I  have to tell you about Saturday night of our vacation and meeting the Friend I Never Met Before.

So, Mike went to another St. Louis Blue (hockey) Game that night. I didn't go to that one as the only affordable tickets we could have purchased weren't even together. I really love Mike but I don't really love hockey so much. I had no interest in going if we couldn't sit together. It worked out well, though, because I had another plan in mind.

Do you remember AKM? Click here and you'll remember; I'm sure of it. She has been following my daughter's blog, Little Things are Big forever. When I started blogging, she began following mines as well. So, I contacted AKM because she lives in the St. Louis area. I was nervous to ask, because she is a very busy grad student, but she agreed to meet me. She and her mom both came and met me in the lobby of our hotel in downtown St. Louis. I got to meet two new friends! You can tell they are related, can't you?

It was fun to actually get to know AKM and her mom. I was rather awkward but they are nice people! It was kind of weird, though. As I told her, she knew a lot more about me than I did about her. I also wished I'd gone back and reread her interview before I met up with them as I had forgotten some of the things that I did know about her.

Nevertheless, they were both very gracious and kind. We ate dinner together at Imo's Pizza. It was my first time eating the special thin crust St. Louis Style Pizza. AKM explained that the cheese is a unique blend, different than the traditional mozarella I'm used to. It was delicious!

We visited for a long time and then I showed them our room at the hotel. I was quite pleased with our hotel room (I'll show you why another day) and thought they might like to see it.  I forgot, though, to point out one little weird thing about the bathroom in our room. Do you see anything weird?

Hint: It isn't about what you see, but rather what you don't see.

Something you might need...

Toilet paper anyone?

I had to bend down under the counter to discover 

where the toilet paper was hiding.

It was fine, once a person knew the secret, but kind of 

weird and I am guessing has led to more than one person 

feeling a bit of panic at a crucial moment.

Anyway, moving on. I didn't really mean for this post to be about toilet paper.

After a tour of our room, which didn't take too long, we went bar hopping. Not really! I was just wondering if you were paying attention. We did go to one bar, though. I suppose that is no surprise now that you know I spent last Sunday morning in the basement of a bar. This was not in a basement, though... quite the opposite.

Our hotel had a rooftop bar/restaurant. In order to go there we had to first take the elevator down to the lobby. From there, we had to have one of the elevator guys get us up there. What is an elevator guy? Well, they are guys that dress in black suits, wear ear pieces attached to coiled wires and look just like secret service men. Yes, I have seen secret service guys. The elevators there were strange anyway. They had little computer screens on the wall. It was there that you had to tell it what floor your were going to. You couldn't change your mind on the way up as there were no buttons inside. However, only the secret service guys could enter the code for that top floor.

So, with the help from men in black, we went to the top floor and spent just a few minutes up there, enjoying the view (click and wait a few seconds until you see the photo of the ballpark below). I think all three of us felt rather out of place. The people up there were mostly dressed in fancy clothes. There was loud party music going and the whole scene seemed more like something from a movie than from anything I could reference in my own life. It was fun to experience for a bit but we were all ready to leave moments after arrival.

After saying good-bye to AKM and her Mom down in the lobby, I turned around and got back in the elevator line again to go to my room. Two twenty-something beautiful girls came up beside me. I was standing there in my jeans and gray sweater. They were wearing sparkly formals. The elevator guy, who was quite pretty himself, turned to them and said, "You look really lovely." The girls smiled and thanked him. I waited a second, my idea of a comic pause, and said, "Thank you!"



It was a nice evening, though. I was pleased that AKM wasn't a serial killer or anything. Oh come on! I'm just saying what everyone else was thinking. I bet she felt the same about me!



I was sorry Maria wasn't with me as I know she would have liked to meet AKM in person also. Well, since AKM wants to one day move West, maybe she'll come here someday. AKM, you are welcome to visit us, and bring your mom along as well!

An Interview with AKM

Today I am introducing a reader named Angela, also known as AKM.  

Angela (AKM)

I think you will enjoy getting to "know" her a bit better through her interview.  I've enjoyed her upbeat and fun personality!  Here's my interview with her...


What is your earliest memory and how old were you?
    I THINK I remember the Fourth of July when I was 2 years old. I remember seeing fireworks and I distinctly remember sitting on a magenta plaid blanket we had. My mom says she doesn't remember that time specifically, but that it's definitely possible. 

Tell me something about which you feel passionate.
    I'm passionate about helping the disenfranchised, the marginalized, the oppressed. Jesus' best friends were these people, so that says it all to me. 

Tell me something about your childhood.
    I was fairly lonely as a child. I was tested and found to be gifted after I began reading early, and I never did fit in with the other children. I prayed and prayed for a little sister for years. Finally, when I was nine, I got a sibling...but it was a brother! EWW! A BOY! NOT what I ordered! 

Patrick and His girlfriend, Ashley

Once I met him, though, I instantly decided that we would be lifelong best friends. And we are.  

Tell me of an experience from your past that was incredible or amazing to you.
    Seeing the mountains of Colorado when I was sixteen was truly incredible. What majesty created by the Father! I decided then and there that I would someday live in Colorado, and I'm still sticking with that plan. I hope to live there once I get my MSW in two years.  
Tell me something that frightens you.
    Driving on bridges. Snakes. Driving in the rain and/or at night. Large statues of people. Clowns. Getting into a bad car accident. (Notice a theme here?)

Tell me something you have accomplished that pleased you.
    I still have a 4.0 so far in my second year (of four years) of grad school. 

What was your first job for money?
    I was always a babysitter as a teenager, and I was a good one. I would clean up the house as much as I could after the kids went to sleep, because I thought it would be a nice surprise for the parents. Kids loved me because I took the time to listen to them and I always had great books or movies or activities planned. My first real job was at Express, the clothing store, at Christmas my freshman year of college. It was kind of fun, and I spent every dime on Christmas presents for others and clothes for myself. 

Tell me about your first experience leaving home.
    I lived at home until I was 24, because I helped out so much with my brother. He was driving himself around by then and I finally decided to try the independence thing, so I moved into a small cheap apartment. I was still in college and I made $800 dollars a month working as a proofreader and receptionist at a local newspaper, and my rent was $200. I didn't have a thing, but I had tons of friends and tons of fun. It was probably the time I made the least amount of money as an adult, but it also might have been the time when I was happiest. Correlation, perhaps?! 

Do you think of yourself as an organized person?  Why or why not?
      I've always been peripherally organized -- I'm a secretary by trade -- but grad school has forced me to become organized to the very last detail. I plan out my budget, my work/school/practicum schedules, household chores and cooking schedules, assignment due dates, shopping lists/menus...I have to know where every penny goes and where every minute is spent. The more organized I am, the more relaxed I become. 

Is your adult life different than you expected?  If yes, how so?
      I always thought I would be married with children by now. I am almost 37 and single and without children, so it may never happen. I am satisfied with being a singleton, though, if that is what God has called me to be.

Is there a particular person who had great influence on you and if so who and how?
      Both of my grandmothers had a big influence on me. Grandma Gerry was my mother's mother, and I get my generosity, honesty-to-a-fault, and big heart from her. 

Grandma Gerry

Grandma Fran is my father's mother, and I get my wacky sense of humor mixed with a no-nonsense personality from her. 

Grandma Fran with Patrick's Dog, TJ

I am also influenced by Jesus Christ (of course!), Saint Francis (animals and simplicity), Martin Luther King (social justice), and Sir Paul McCartney (music and animals).  

AKM's Cat, Jackie

Tell me something about your views on spirituality.
       I came back to the Catholic Church last spring after a hiatus of at least ten years. I love receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. I love how the Holy Spirit moves me and guides me. I love knowing that I have a direct line to God at any time! (How cool is that?!) I love Mother Mary and I often get teary at Advent and Christmas when I consider the love she had for her baby boy, who would one day suffer and die so that others might live in the Kingdom forever. I love the austerity of Lent leading up to the great joy of Easter. I love loving my brothers and sisters here on Earth, as well as those who have gone before me, whom I will see again one day. I love babies, born and unborn, and I am pro-life.  

What do you do for a living?
      I am a secretary at a university in the St. Louis area and a part-time social work grad student. I will have my MSW in two years and I then hope to head West. (If Colorado isn't an option, I'm also considering states like Montana and/or Alaska.) I may try to get a federal job and work on an Armed Forces base. (Proud Army helicopter pilot's daughter here!) I also hope to serve in the Peace Corps at some point in my life. I am also currently an Inquirer learning about the Brothers and Sisters of Charity Domestic Expression, founded by John Michael Talbot, and I am considering becoming a celibate sister -- yes, a nun! -- and living at his Little Portion Hermitage in Arkansas someday. (http://littleportion.org/home.html)

What do you currently most enjoy to do with your free time?
      I love Sundays...Mass, family, friends, books, and relaxation. Sometimes I go out with friends on Friday nights and we do karaoke, which is a hoot. I'm kind of a homebody, though, so I am often at home reading, cooking, and snuggling with my cat.

Tell me something new you've recently learned.
      I've been immersed in domestic/sexual violence advocate training for my practicum, which is at a domestic violence agency from now until July/August. I have become passionate about the movement and it may be my social work niche. Everyone on the planet should feel safe in his or her own home and no one deserves to be abused. 

Is there something new you plan to learn?  If so, what?
      I have been kinda-sorta learning Italian for a few years. I'm not very good at it unless I can read it. (For whatever reason, I am good at learning foreign languages, but only specifically at reading and writing them; speaking them becomes a challenge. I think this might be because I am very much a reader and a visual learner.) 

Whether I've asked a fitting question or not, tell me anything about yourself that you wish to tell!
      -- I'm kind of a foodie and all of those "acquired taste" foods, like blue cheese, anchovies, and black licorice? I love 'em, and I have from the first time I ever tried them.
      -- I love coffee and tea and I must have some daily. I like all kinds of both.      -- I have never broken a bone or been stung by a bee.
      -- My favorite songs are "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen, "Tin Cup Chalice" by Jimmy Buffett, and "In My Life" by the Beatles.
      -- I like tattoos, NPR, pigs, green olives, mob movies, British comedy, and Twizzlers.
      -- I am the guardian of one very spoiled and very beautiful one-eyed cat named Jackie.
      -- Like Pastor Mike, I am a huge St. Louis Cardinals fan. I also love Kentucky basketball and Notre Dame football. 

 

...and we have a WINNER!

Thank-you to everyone who entered my latest give-away via comments, FB sharing, etc.  As per the rules, some names were entered multiple times to match the different aspects of entering the give-away.  I'll just tell the story through the pictures:

I laughed that AKM got 1st, 2nd and 3rd place!

AKM,  this covered round box and a pair of Russian Jade earrings will be shipped soon.  I do have your address from your last order from Wyoming Rose.  I will hold off a few days so if your address has changed please e-mail me at onlythemanager@yahoo.com. 

Also, I so appreciated all your entries I decided to throw in a pair of cross earrings as well!  You've made comments that let me know you are a Christian so I thought you might like them.  If your address has changed since your last order, please let me know.