i've been everywhere, man.

My dad has taken to referring to me as a 'female Jack Kerouac', because in the past 15 days I've been in 10 states,  Traveled about 3500 miles via airplane and 1750 miles by car to see friends and family, and had one heck of an adventure to start my summer.

state one: Illinois- I graduated from Trninity... but you knew that already.
state two: Indiana- fish lake long weekend with my Trin crew... but you knew that already too.
state three: Oregon- I got to enjoy the beautiful Northwest with my aunt and uncle. Seriously, send the toaster and the blender. I'm sold. It was the most beautiful place I've seen. The Oregon coast is like an adult jungle gym (romping around on huge lava rocks with my uncle was the most fun I've had all year!) It also helps that the views were breath taking and the weather was perfect. Uh. I can't say it enough, amazing.

state four: Las Vegas, Nevada. This is where things start to get interesting... I was supposed to fly back to Chicago on Thursday, but on a whim (and a good amount of coaxing) I changed my flight and left for Tucson Arizona (more that later).That flight change brought me to the Las Vegas airport for two hours. I'm pretty sure the architects of the air port used Dante's Inferno as their inspiration. It's the grossest air port ever, and has slot machines. literally the worst.

state five: Tucson, Arizona. So much fun. The flight change was fueled by my friend, Calob. He convinced me to change my flight, come hang out with him, and then drive 28 hours across the country with him to Chicago. Basically, it was great. We had some fun with his friends on Wednesday night,  lounged with Annie, the family dog who i just loooooooove (...and i pretty much hate animals, so that's saying something) and we hung out with his mom on Thursday for her birthday and then headed off onto the open road.


state six: New Mexico. We  (by 'we' I mean Calob, he's a trooper and drove the first seven hours!) drove through New Mexico all night, it's basically the Indiana of the Southwest. We saw a stray dog at the gas station and a stray drunk man soliciting beer from Calob. Terrible. 

state seven: Texas. We just had to drive through the pan handle, and Calob got to watch the sun come up while I was snoozin' and letting out cute little 'Annie Snores'

state Eight: Oklahoma! Sadly, I didn't get to stop and see my friends in Oklahoma City- but it was sweet just see familiar sights. We also had to take Oklahoma's John Kilpatrick Turnpike- home of the $4.00 toll. It was also hot. Nothing new there.

state Nine: Missouri. I love Missouri, and I really don't know why. The drive is pretty and the people are always friendly. The bill boards are also laughable, the state is home to the World's Largest Rocking Chair, the Meramac Cavarns and the Jesse James Hideout Musuem- what's not to love?

state ten: Absolute Bliss. Seriously guys, can you believe how blessed I am? My family is fantastic, my friends are the best and I got to spend one lovely afternoon with Annie. Unreal.

double whammy bonus fun- last night, 'Triple Threat' graduation party for my cousins Kelly, Emily and me.  Mexican Theme (or just cactus poster) and raucous fun. See what I mean by blessed?!

Trollin' Out

What's below has been sitting in my drafts folder for three weeks. I thought maybe if I didn't post it, it would all go away. Of course, that awful logic failed. So here it is world.
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Yep. back at the blog for a little more self reflection. As the year is winding down (and I'm slowly reverting back to acting like I'm 17 in hopes that it will give me a chance to do college again...) I've been thinking alot about the future- duh- and what things I'm leaving behind.

basically, this is a week of good byes.

It hurts, it's hard, it's scary- I'm really bad at it. I want nothing more than to act like life will always been like this- dinner in the caf, friends just around the corner and a community of believers who make me feel at home. I've defined myself in this place for the past four years, I'm not sure how to shape a new identity for myself away from Trinity.

...in short, I really, really, REALLY, don't feel ready to say good bye.

There's this great idea in Ecuador. Ecuadorians rarely use adios to say good bye. Adios literally translates "to God," and so, using it is very final- like you won't see someone again. Friends use ciao with one another, rather than sending their friends to God after every encounter. I like this idea that it's not over..

ciao TCC, adios to papers and tests and visiting hours. : )
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this ciao business really did happen,

...I spoke at our Social Work Senior Celebration about department memories and the collective experience the class of 2012 had within the department.

please note fabulous shoes and my favorite dress in the world.
oh yeah. and my friends. Aren't they cute!?

...Went to Honors convocation and thought I would die in the shoes I was wearing.
...Ate my last picnic dinner on the grassy knoll with KB.
...went to the Baccalaurate Service and heard from some of my  class mates what their Trinity experience was like. I got to 'give some remarks' about Trinity's community.
...then it was Saturday...
& I walked across a stage.
& moved my tassel
& took pictures
& shook hands
& had lunch with my family
& took Calob to the airport.
& cried. like a baby.

... and then I pulled it together to spend a few days at the lake with some of my best buds from TCC. We had a great time, and it was a nice way to cap off four years of the best years of my life.

Basically, none of this crap feels real. I'm writing this from the sunny yellow and blue plaid sectional that takes up half my mothers living room. There is an unruly pile of 'school stuff' sitting in front of the fire place, and I know I have to deal with it today. Only this time, I'm sorting the boxes into real life categories for my real life apartment with a real life lease. Away and onward, I'm just starting the journey.

hellow from my hiatus

It's been over a month since I last posted anything here.

...and it was kind of intentional. I've been fake busy and everything. 
I might be too lazy to have a blog. [the truth hurts]. Regardless, BGB marks milestones with lists, and last time I was here, I was 21. 
I've had a birthday since then and I follow the gregorian calendar...  Yes, I'm now 22. 
So we can call this one, 


"Happy Birthday BGB: what 22 things have you learned in your 22nd year?"


1.I am loved by a great big God. -- that's a safety net I can't outgrown. Even if I don't get a killer job May 13th, even when I am an absolute shit head to all of my friends, He still says, "your sins are forgiven." Grace is so good.
2. How to laugh at my self- There are few things more entertaining than a self assured fat girl. We might not be hot, but we're at least accepted in female comedy. 
3. I'm really selfish- i'm like a perpetual six year old.
4. I wasn't meant to wear any type of stretchy club dress from Discovery, ever.- can't drive that one home enough. At 22 I've got cellulite I didn't have at 16, and I'm a good five inches taller than the population the stretch dresses are marketed to. [the female cast of Jersey Shore] It's not a pretty picture folks. 
5. IF you ever think it's a good time to drink straight from the bottle, you are very, very wrong.- protip: there is fun to be had without alcoholic beverages on board. who knew'?! 
6.  How to write a rockstar resume- I have yet to see this yield real results, but on paper I look sooooo employable. 
7. Even though my family is comprised by a bunch of wack-a-doodles [my 8 year old cousin Kevin used the term first], they're the only family I've got so I need to love them the best I can.
8. The wack-a-doodles don't define me, even if it's easier that way. Culture is a cause and a then a choice... 
9.it's ok to have feelings- your friends are the people that ask about them and listen to the response. Good friends ask back, and listen too. who knew?
10. It's so not about me- see #3
11. not every adult is a "grown up" & college doesn't make you one- and I don't have to be a complete "grown up" right away either, but I need to be working my way there.
12. I am perpetually five minutes late- I am who I am, but I should probably start making an effort. 
13. I am beautiful-  you are too!
14. It's kind of stupid how easy my life is/has been. -seriously... always fed, clothed and housed. College wasn't even a question. #iluckedout. 
15. stop waiting for the arrow at Justamere and Oak Park- take the long way. It still saves time.
16. greek yogurt exists- & it's stupid-change-your-life-good!
17. "Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff." thanks Dad.
18. It's still not about me- see #10
19. Pinterest- serious life changer. Roasted vegetables, the no- heat curl, glass cutting with yarn, how did I live without it?!
20. I need to be single for a hot minute... even if I don' t like it.
21. College is a farce- anyone that tells you this is real life must not like you. Life doesn't start at 11am, dinner isn't always ready at 4:45 and no one is going to offer to "flex" that for you. You also don't get extensions or the option to "pass/fail" in real life.
 22. oh yeah.. it's not about me. I'm along for the ride because God saw his little world, and knew we needed a savior. His son moved in with us and taught us how to live, how to look outside of ourselves and back at Him. If it's about me, then it's not about Him. And if it's not about Him, then it doesn't matter.






See that? Self- reflection all neat and tidy. What did you learn this year?
Make lists, feel good. 

Maybe its just me...

but I'm pretty sure I lied when I said "March blogging starts Monday"

but anyway...

Maybe it's just me, but being critical is one of my most consistent personality traits.
I'm not saying that's always a good thing. It can certainly tear people and their ideas down. It makes me seem picky, or that I don't like anything.
But. I think a healthy amount of criticism keeps us on our toes. If we are critically engaged in what we're reading, watching, saying, hearing and doing- we're at aware. We are holding others to awareness. We are then responsible for what we say and do, because we're so much more than mindless. But like anything true in life, it's a dance. There has to be give and take, somethings we examine and tear apart- other things we gently dismantle... but we deconstruct things if they're not true. If we're dancing with someone and they're doing it all wrong and stepping on your feet [her name is liz brice.] you correct them, right?

Friends, I love activism. I love a well done social media campaign that engages youth. I love when American kids start talking about other people's problems [but not in a high school cafeteria way.]

All of that brings me to KONY 2012. 

It was so well done, Jason's son is the cutest, and Invisible Children is just so great!
Why am I being critical of Kony 2012?
I've got a few reasons that are stupid.
 it's too shiny and polished and popular. [hello, that's stupid. you want awareness- you'd like something to be  popular.], it over simplified a really huge foreign policy issue, that whole bracelet business just seems silly.
I've got at least one reason that is less stupid.
it's my opinion [as an entitled white American who has been told she's entitled to an opinion.] that military involvement may not be the way to solve this. Of course, I don't know what is. Just the idea of fighting guns with more guns makes me sick. [not to mention US defense spending is through the roof. but that's another conversation.]
...but i'm not the expert. 
The guys over at Invisible Children have big hearts for Africa. I really think they are in this for the right reasons. And if we're being honest, they're freaking social media geniuses.

I didn't think before I re posted the Kony 2012 video. I didn't listen to what other people in the conversation had to say. I had a fairly critical conversation with myself (not out loud, relax) about the film, but didn't want to seem like a heartless jerk to my friends.

But this is a safe space. So here's what I've been reading. Just think for yourself. 

the original KONY 2012 video
one of the most talked about responses (this blogger also does a really terrific job of posting scholarly research on the issue.)
Read "We Got Trouble" first, then "Not Alone" -Visible Children
IC's response- Critiques


What do you think? What have you heard about it? Join the conversation.
According to Jason, the "Revolution has already begun!"

el Fin por Febulous

2012 means we got an extra day of Febulous this year. 
[it actually means we all got an extra day of February, only the poor shmucks that read this blog got an extra day of Febulous.]

My leap day was jam packed with fun (that seems to be a theme for Febulous.) I had the day off from work and I checked off everything from my to-do list (maybe that doesn't make you as happy as me. but it's a big, big deal to me. )

so to impart my last nugget of Febulous into 2012, I'd like to introduce you to the Mom Hang. Mom Hangs are the best. Different than hanging out with your biological mother- this is a hang with women who happen to be moms (or old enough to be your mother), but also happen to be your friends. I don't know where you can pick up a mom to hang with- I found mine at church. : )

Jenny is the coolest person I know. She's got an amazing husband, sweet kids, a beautiful house and at one time she owned the world's fattest cat (no joke, Buster the 30 pound-furried wonder had legitamate sleep apnea. Gross.) Anyway, she had dinner with me on a Wednesday. Too much food and good wine later, we met up with her best Tinley Park girlfriend and mine... it got mom-tastic. Two generations of Tinley Park in one teeny, tiny bar [duh, Teehans.] Couldn't have asked for more. They shared great stories about their kids, and baseball uniforms. We talked about the perils of dating [both online and off] and how we're still not sure we're grown ups. Turns out these "grown ups" don't feel so grown up either. [mom hang magic!]

Hanging out with a mom that's not yours is just the best. You get all the wisdom, insight and ability to pay for dinner but less harsh criticism and weird, over protective crap. There's also the weird piece of me that deep down is a mom. [seriously, i came out of the womb acting about 45.]

Short and sweet today- but go get yo self a mom friend!









**March blogging will start Monday. This month the theme will be "Mabye it's just me..." or "Maury Povich would be an ideal husband because..." [guest posts by Connie Chung]. Thoughts?!**

Febulous Finds & Fun.

Everyone that reads this blog knows me, I think, or at least I hope.
...and if you know me, you must know that I'm a girl that loves fun.

Not-frisbee-in-the-park fun, rockclimbing-excursions-until-you-bleed fun, nor Magic: The Gathering fun; not even, drink-beer-watch-sports fun.
I like my fun served straight up.

I want to laugh until I cry with my best friends and make some mems.
I also want to find great outfits for real cheeep.
oh yeah, and I like Fun. too.
[click that link and hear snippets of their new album. Sasha & I have been lovin' it. Baby boy Lostotter says it's "unimpressive." #hipsters #snob]

So we'll start from the beginning, because this weekend was full of freaking Febulous Fun.

The "vacation buddies"

Friday I hung out with my childhood best buds. We are second generation girlfriends- because our moms go way back. Basically, I've known some of them since the womb. [which is just weird to say]. We sat around and ate pizza (with the moms!) and laughed, until beer came out of my nose, about all the hijinks we got away with that they are just learning about now. I love sitting at a table surrounded by old school pals that knew me when...
I had braces
I had the Kate Gosselin haircut
I thought I would marry Lance Bass
I screamed "JACKPOT!" at a bag of potato chips
I was judgmental
I was scared to swim in the lake "all the way to the booies"

from granny to "all gravy baby"

Saturday was chock full of Febulous Friend Time [FFT!] thrifting with the lizard [what's better than friends that share your name!?] She just returned stateside from three weeks in New Zealand. To welcome her back we visited my all time favorite Salvation Army store [87th & Harlem]. She helped me hem a dress, and respected the nun-esque shoes I purchased.

Let's talk about this dress. Seriously looks like something someone's Great Aunt Mildred would wear. But the pattern is so great. Basically, a little snip snip, scarf and sweater later... I was lookin' Febulous. It was also a sweet deal- $2.50 [only half a lincoln!?].

I left the lizard to help Kim & Adam celebrate their wedding at Blokes & Birds in Lincoln Park and saw some of my other best gal pals-- the high school ones.

...then I landed in Rogers Park for a night of raucous laughter with the one and only Kathleen  Leahy and her lovah boy [& my friend in real life], Bill.

I woke up, sped from the northside, dictating texts to Bill, to have brunch with Tinley Park's #1 stunnah- Tom Brice. [that guy knows how to have fun, breakfast is never before 10am.]

To round out this FFT... The [former/future] roomies + me + Kelsey + Jeanette watched the 84th annaul Academy Awards. [srsly. Billy Crystal? GET THE HOOK!]


...Oh, you wanted details? pues, Baby Girl's tired.
 I'll spare ya. We laughed, we drank, we ate. [push repeat]. There was minimal dancing, good-natured needling, and just a lil craftin' : )

[i don't say this enough] I love my life. [I'm so blessed]

Don't say you don't love it. 

Febulous Fat Tuesday

So it's Fat Tuesday.
Or Mardis Gras.
Or Paczki Day.
... or a day where some people eat pancakes.
.... or a day where some people decide to what to give up for lent.

That's just cute, righ? And mildly reminiscent of the ads in the
St.Stephen's bulletin. 

I live a life steeped in tradition. For better or for worse I am acutely aware that who I am is largely a prodcut of who I come from and what they do. [see my thoughts on the Southside Irish]. Well. I grew up Catholic, and we "did" lent. [I say "do" lent because apparently some people don't do lent... whatever that means.] During the entirety of my childhood, today was the last day to get your fill [of whatever you were giving up for lent...pop, gum, swears, beer, baked goods- you name it we gave it up] and tomorrow was Ash Wednesday,  it was meatless, solemn and devoid of vices [which one is not like the other?].



...what does that mean for me as an adult? What does my Lent look like?

... and isn't Lent just for Catholics and Hipsters?

Please Google "Lent", you won't be disappointed.

Some people give things up for lent, others try to add something new into their routine to get closer to God and form new habits in anticipation of the Resurrection. There are people who go to fish frys, start bible studies and some who fast [i call them super human, i like to eat].

Then there's me. I used to give up pop every year, I've tried to give up smoking, and freshman year of college I even gave up Facebook. This year for lent, Baby Girl Brice [BGB] is giving up swear words. [kind of a big deal. you can read about "the other f word in my life" here] Not because it makes me holy, or because my mom made me [true story: giving up something for lent was  required as a kid] ... just because. It will be like a fast for my mouth. Maybe I'll learn to think before I speak, maybe I'll say kinder words. Maybe I'll come up with less profane, more creative insults. who knows.

I hope that going swear free for forty days will make me aware of the rich tradition that I'm a part of by following Jesus, and the part of that tradition that prepares for Easter [which i've equated to Jesus' debutant ball] in an intentional way. The tradition that believes Jesus is here and His work is ongoing- and that our Hope arrived on this earth and brought a new way. The tradition that believes He brought the kingdom of God to a bunch of ragamuffins who were totally clueless [and my guess- totally swear-ful] by eradicating sin and death from life as we know it, by laying down his life on a cross.
There is nothing I could do to truly grasp what the resurrection means, that this love came and moved in with us, took the trash out for us and said, "there's a better way to live." 

 I hope this little tiny thing [no swears] will make me feel a little more connected to that big thing [death and Resurrection] by a change of consciousness, not because there's no room for swears in the kingdom of God. 





What about you, how do you "do" or "don't do" lent? Are you giving something up this year?