Season 7 Be An Advocate Blog 8: Spring Break 2024 Part 2: Totality

 Spring Break 2024 Part 2: Totality

In part 1, I said my spring break lasted until April 8th. That wasn’t 100% true. That day was the day of the solar eclipse, and I had an online work meeting from 8:30 to 10:30, then I had the rest of the day off. Now, you might recall back in July 2020, there was a comet called NOEWISE that passed by Earth. I’m not super interested in big solar events, but I enjoyed seeing NOEWISE with my family because we were in the heat of the pandemic, and that event was a pretty cool distraction. I thought that the eclipse was going to be very similar but without the backdrop of a global pandemic to elevate how cool it was.

On Saturday the 6th, Paige and I left the cabin in Hocking Hills and drove back to Columbus. When we got to my parents' house, Mom asked, “What are you guys doing for the eclipse?”

“We were going to watch it downtown, so I was going to stay at her apartment because of traffic,” I replied.

“Well, we're planning on going to the Mitrey’s house because they'll be in totality,” Mom explained.

After my meeting on Monday, Paige and I went to my parents' house. My parents, Ryan, Luke, and Josh, got there around noon, and by 12:30, we were on our way. When we got to their house, the Mitreys (Aunt Melissa, Uncle Andy, Alex, Maci, Nicholas, and Ellie), were making a charcuterie board, and other food, with three of Maci’s sorority sisters. By 1:30, Aunt Cyndi, her kids, Caitlynn and Cameron, my Grandpa and Nana, and one of Andy’s co-workers, Erin, had arrived.

The eclipse started around 1:50. Everyone started going outside at that time, and we periodically put our glasses on and looked up. Right away, I thought I was right because it wasn’t living up to all the hype. That's not to say we weren’t having fun together; it’s just that the first hour was no different than any other family gathering.

Somewhere between 2:50 and 2:55, everyone who was there stood on the back steps to get a group picture. We wanted two group pictures; one without the glasses and the other picture with them. Getting those two pictures exactly how Mom and Melissa wanted them took 5-7 minutes. Now just something to know about my family, we tend to hate group pictures. Pictures, in general, are fine, but trying to get everyone to just stand there and get the pictures done so that the moms are happy with it is very frustrating. We were all complaining so much that we didn't realize how dark it was getting until the pictures were done.

I'm just estimating, but I'd say at this point we were at about like 97% totality, so it looked like it was dusk. Over the next 10 minutes, we watched as the moon took over the last bit of the sun. Language is funny…there are some emotions and experiences that are limitless, but humans aren’t, and as a result, language can’t often describe something that is.

As of the posting of this installment, it has been almost two weeks since the eclipse, and despite how much I have thought about it, I don’t think I will ever be able to accurately describe how amazing it was! It was not, as I expected, slightly boring without a global pandemic to elevate it. All I can say is that the stillness at the moment of totality was something I have never experienced, and it is something I will remember for the rest of my life!

Have a Greattastic day and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 7 Be An Advocate Blog 7: Spring Break 2024 Part 1: Paige And My 1-Year Anniversary

 Spring Break 2024 Part 1: Paige And My 1-Year Anniversary

Hey everyone! It's been a while. The last installment I made was about Melody and Rob's wedding. The wedding was on March 2nd, and this installment is being posted on April 13th. A lot has come up over this last month, and I will be addressing it in some upcoming installments. The reason for the gap is not important for this installment. However, the gap in and of itself is…

My spring break was from Friday, March 29th, to Monday, April 8th. Now, April 4th just happened to be Paige and my 1-year anniversary. Originally, over my spring break, I wanted to take a trip to Florida so she could meet my family and we could still have the weekend to enjoy our anniversary. However, Paige's spring break started on the Monday after Melody and Rob’s wedding, so we decided to go on a weekend trip to Hocking Hills, which is about an hour southeast of Columbus.

I picked Paige up from Columbus State on Thursday the 4th; we got her bags and drove to Hocking Hills. The cabin we stayed at was owned by Lazy Lane Cabins, and it was called Castaway. After getting the keys we drove the half mile to where Castaway was. About halfway down the road that Castaway was on, it turned into a ravine with two forested hills on either side. On the left-hand hill was a steep gravel path, and the Castaway cabin was in the middle of the forest at the end of the path. It was romantic and secluded… in spite of the minor horror movie vibes.

The cabin itself was super homey. There was a hot tub on the front porch, though Paige and I had not noticed it and did not bring swimsuits. There were three rooms in the cabin, a living room/kitchen with a TV, a bedroom, and a bathroom. It was freezing cold when we got in there, so we immediately turned on the heat. After looking around, we realized we still needed a few essentials, so I drove on my own to a Kroger 13 minutes away, knowing that Paige would definitely get car sick if she came with me. By the time I got back, the cabin was really warm. We spent the night eating dinner and watching TV before we went to bed.

On Friday, we got up and ate breakfast. I got us coffee while Paige worked on an essay, and by the time she finished, it was time for lunch. After lunch, we started working on an outline for another book. Side note, I'm kind of mad that it took me a year to start utilizing her as a writing partner; she's really good at it. After we finished working on the outline for the day, we went to Old Man's Cave.

Now, for those of you who are not local to Ohio, Old Man's Cave is a really popular part of Hocking Hills State Park. It's named that because a hermit named Richard Rowe lived there back in the 1800s. I've been there a handful of times throughout my life, and Paige went there once when she was little. As we walked through this area I'd seen before, it was like I was seeing it for the first time.

I've been super stressed pretty much since September of last year when I finished writing the rough draft of my fourth book (A Writer's Place). I think that's because I have spent nearly 7 years motivated to get those books done, and now that Greattastic Adventures 2 and 3 are in my editor's hands, there is nothing I can do. My motivation isn't what it used to be. Plus, with trying to start a non-profit, work, and life in general, I don't know…I've just been off.

While I tend to have multiple gaps between installments per season, I think this is the most significant one that has ever happened, excluding the pandemic-related lockdown between seasons 2 and 3. Usually, the gaps happen because I’m waiting for something that is blog/podcast-worthy. But with all the stress that has been going on, I haven’t been feeling myself and it really hit after the wedding. But this cabin trip was exactly the break I needed; it recharged me, and I’m ready to get back on track!

To Be Continued…