Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 22: Pokémon

 Pokémon

On Friday, August 22nd, 2025, one of Paige’s childhood friends, let's call her Miranda, texted her and asked if she wanted to hang out that night. While that night didn’t work out, they scheduled a hangout for the following Friday. Not wanting to intrude, I reached out to my friend Clo and asked her if she wanted to hang out.

Now, for her own personal reasons, Clo moved in with her grandma a few months back. At 6:30, on August 29th, I left the apartment, got some bubble tea, and arrived at Clo’s grandma’s house around 7:15. What I thought was going to happen was, we would drink our Boba, maybe go on a walk, and talk about an installment I want Clo to write about her experiences as an autistic woman. Clo had other ideas.

“So,” Clo explained almost as soon as I was inside, “over the last year or so, I have been collecting a group of other autistics-”

“We’re not Pokémon,” I interrupted.

She laughed and continued, “I really think you’ll like them.”

Always wanting to meet new people, I agreed to go out. Before we left, Clo gave me an extra pair of noise-canceling headphones for me to keep. Clo’s grandma lives in an area that I am not used to, so Clo drove my car to where we were going. After driving for about 15 minutes, I asked where we were going, and she replied, “The Convention Center.” 

After we parked, we walked up to the convention center, and the door was locked. Someone saw us, opened the door, and dramatically hugged and greeted us as if she’d known us for years. It wasn’t until we walked away from her that I realized we had snuck in. As we walked around, I saw a ton of people cosplaying as comic book, movie, and anime characters. I do, in fact, consider myself a nerd, but I have never been a cosplayer, so while walking into that world was a bit overwhelming, I definitely had fun.

Clo introduced me to her friends. There were about 10 of them, and we spent the rest of the night wandering around, and it was so overstimulating that I can't remember all of their names. But that’s kinda the point… they didn't care. Now major disclaimer: What I am about to write is NOT a dig on any of my friends or family. I would say that, generally speaking, I’m a very confident person. But I have cultivated that confidence, over the course of my life, as a way to help mask my autism. I work at a school for kids with autism that I went to as a kid, and I'm very comfortable around Paige (I mean, I ought to be, I'm marrying her). My point is, I don't mask my autism as much as I used to.

I love being confident, and it's a huge part of who I am. But because it is so tied to my mask, it can get tiring being the most outgoing, confident person in the room all the time. In almost every relationship, there are expectations, and that's not a bad thing. But the beauty of Clo and my friendship is that because she is autistic, and she understands masking, she has no expectations about me doing it! I don’t have to be overly confident all the time when we hang out. After we left the Convention Center, I thought about my Pokémon joke. I realized that in the Autism community, generally speaking, friends are like Pokémon. Because we crave connection, there is this desperate desire to “Catch ‘em all,” and sometimes it’s really exhausting. I’m thankful that Clo introduced me to a group of friends that understand how that feels and were very accepting because of that.

Have a Greattastic day and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 21: Mitchmas (28) Part 2: Lost At Deer Creek

 Mitchmas (28) Part 2: Lost At Deer Creek

Now, as you know, I usually go on a Mitchmas trip with my “sisters,” the weekend after my birthday.  Arden has always been the planner for group outings, but in her happily ever after with Marshall, she has retired from that role. While I am going to start planning things for the group, even though Arden arguably gave me enough warning, I was not prepared.

On Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 1:00 pm, I went to Noah's house and, after picking him up, we drove to my old Kroger. After being stopped by at least 5 of my old coworkers, we finally got all of our snacks and were on our way. Now, a couple years ago, Noah and I went canoeing together, which in and of itself is a very funny story that I would like to tell at some point in the future. We drove from Kroger all the way to Trapper John’s in Grove City, which is just south of Columbus. 

We pulled up to Trapper John’s at around 3:00. When we walked into the welcome center, there was a group of employees playing cards. “We would like to rent a canoe, please,” I said.

“Unfortunately,” an employee said, “the river is too low, so there are no more groups going out today.”

“Well, that was a bust,” Noah said as we walked back to my car. I agreed. Despite that, we were both determined not to waste the day.

Deer Creek State Park is about an hour and a half away from Columbus, and another 20 minutes or so from Trapper John’s. We were already in our bathing suits, so we decided to go to Deer Creek Beach. We got to Deer Creek at 4:00. The State Park has a ton of trails and campgrounds, on top of having the beach. It is no surprise then that I got lost!

After another hour of driving around and a very sarcastic camper who told me, “Maybe you should follow the signs,” (which I would have done if I had seen them), we finally found the beach, and we proceeded to have an amazing day!

Like I said, usually my sisters and I do something to celebrate Mitchmas. While I am currently looking for something for us to do when all of our busy schedules line up, again, as Noah and I had our fun beach day, I realized I want to expand my Mitchmas celebrations. I love the Andersons, and I love spending my birthdays with them. But at the same time, we don't live next-door to each other anymore, and I have more friends than just them. I said in part 1 that my birthday has become more about celebrating with my friends and family than being narratively important to my overall life story. I would like to expand that to more friends in the coming years!

Have a Greattastic day and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 20: Mitchmas (28) Part 1: The People In Your Corner

 Mitchmas (28) Part 1: The People In Your Corner

I woke up on my 28th birthday, at 6:00 a.m. After greeting our cat Charlie and saying good morning to Paige, I got ready for work. As I walked out of our apartment, I opened the Starbucks app and ordered my summer drink (a vanilla sweet cream cold brew). Usually, I get a Grande, but because it was free, I got a Venti. When I got to work, I got out of my car and pulled up the time clock app on my phone, so that I could clock in as soon as I was in the building. I put my coffee on the top of my car, where I always do, but because it was a bigger size, it was a little more weight than I was used to, and I didn’t balance it right. As my coffee poured down my car, a coworker yelled, “Merry Mitchmas!”

I picked Paige up from work at 4:15, and when she saw my back car window, mocking me, she laughed and bought me some replacement coffee. At around 5:45, Paige and I got dressed up and drove down to Barnes & Noble. Now, because I do so much writing, I can't read anymore. What I mean is, if I'm reading something that I personally have not written, I feel like I'm being lazy because I “should” be editing. When I was a kid, my neighbor Greg got me into Harry Potter, but Goblet of Fire was too long and a little too political for my third-grade self to wrap his head around. When Paige and I started dating and I told her I only got through year three (the third book), she convinced me to try again, and by October of ‘23, I had listened to all seven on Libby. Ever since then, I have listened to countless books in the car, on my way to and from work. Despite this, I do want to start getting books that I've read in physical copies to build a collection.

Paige ended up getting me two books that I've read before. All Good People Here, By Ashley Flowers, and Dracula. What's really cool about my Dracula book is, Barnes & Noble has a line of specialty prints of books called Barnes & Noble exclusives, and they can only be described as bible style bindings. They're huge books and they're very ornate. Barnes & Noble’s Dracula is a bright red, and the edge of the pages are lined with black.

Another bible-style binding that they have, though it's not necessarily a Barnes and Noble exclusive, is Les Mis. Everyone who was cast in the 2012 adaptation (Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, etc.) has a theater background, except for Russell Crowe. So while his singing in the movie isn't terrible, in comparison to everyone else, it's not great. While I was trying to decide what bible-style book I was going to get, a couple of guys walked in and made comments about how cool these books looked, and I laughed at a couple of their jokes. They saw Les Mis, and one guy said to the other, “Does this sing if you open it?”

Before I could stop myself, I said, “Yeah, but it's just Russell Crowe!” Instant best friends.

After we bought the books and a candle, we went to Bravo, which was in the same parking lot as the Barnes & Noble. Noah and the rest of my family were in attendance. After dinner, we went back to my parents’ house, and the boys went back to Ryan's apartment to get his new cat, Alfie. I opened presents, thanked everyone, had ice cream cake, tried to get our family cat Sammie used to Alfie, and just enjoyed everyone's company. 

Since Mitchmas (24), I have done multiple part stories about my birthday. Part 1 is almost always this exact installment. It's about my family going to dinner with Noah (and in later years, Paige), and going to my parents’ house afterwards. While this installment is in and of itself repetitive, over the years, the lesson has become more concentrated. Let me explain.

A few weeks before my family and Noah went to dinner in part one of Mitchmas (24), I broke up with my crazy ex-girlfriend, and during the dinner, I was in the middle of getting a restraining order. The entirety of Mitchmas (25) was built around a date that I had right before my birthday, that bled into the celebrations, and that led my ”sisters” to convince me to work on myself before I started dating again. Since both of those examples are about failed relationships, it is not lost on me that being in a stable relationship with Paige is the reason for the last three Mitchmaes being calm. But my point is, Mitchmas has become less connected to my overarching life story and more about celebrating with friends and family. And honestly, isn't that what it's all about?

To Be Continued…

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 19: The Other Side Of Fear

 The Other Side Of Fear

After we got off the plane, Dad and Josh (who had driven down) picked us up, and we went to my cousin Paige’s house to celebrate my Grandma’s birthday. At that party, we met her second child, Piper. After that, we drove down to Cocoa Beach for a week. During that week, we spent a lot of time swimming in the ocean and visited a tiki bar on the pier a few times. One night while walking back from that pier, Dad and I saw a lady sitting in the ocean, but it was pitch black… she was either a mermaid or a demon… not sure which.

When our week was up, we returned to Orlando and stayed in a hotel there. Paige and I only stayed for two days because I had to return to get ready for school. On our second-to-last day, after Mass, my family dropped us off at a Starbucks. Paige attended middle school with a boy named Jack. Jack moved down to Orlando some time ago to work at Disney World as a roller coaster engineer. Because he works for the company, he’s able to get up to three people in for free. After Jack picked us up from the Starbucks, we went to Hollywood Studios. One of the first rides we did was the Tower of Terror.

Now, I'm not a big roller coaster guy. One of my biggest fears, in fact, is heights. However, Jack explained how that coaster works explicitly, and that there is some forced perspective that makes it appear taller than it actually is. Despite that, the ride in and of itself was terrifying. We spent a few more hours at Hollywood Studios before park-hopping to Epcot. Upon entering the park, Jack said, “We need to go on the Guardians of the Galaxy ride.”

Paige and I were both excited about that, but we kept pushing it back. For those who are unfamiliar with Epcot, the concept is that it is an educational theme park. One of its main attractions is the World Showcase featuring 11 countries. While each is relatively realistic, parts of each country have connections to Disney. We ended up “drinking around the world,” and around 7:30, we finally got in line for the Guardians of the Galaxy ride.

We were only in line for about 20 minutes before the ride shut down. Some people in the front of the line started to leave, but at Jack’s suggestion, we decided to wait. The park closed at 9, and by 8:45, the ride was still not back up. None of us communicated this, but we were all obviously thinking, if it doesn’t open in another minute or so, we should just call it a day. Almost as soon as we collectively had that thought, the ride reopened. And let me tell you, it was the best ride of the day! The best way to describe it is like surfing through space with 80s music!

Will Smith has a quote, “The best things in life are on the other side of fear.” The context of that quote is that he went skydiving, and it was the most “blissful experience” once he was out of the plane (even though he was terrified up until that point). As Paige, Jack, and I exited the park, I said, “I think I got over my fear of roller coasters today.”

“I mean,” Jack said, “these are Disney coasters. They aren’t the most intense.” He’s not wrong. But roller coasters are not something I would usually spend a day doing (even if they are at Disney). I'm not saying that I’m going to start riding all these really intense roller coasters. Still, if I hadn’t gotten over my fear and gone on the Tower of Terror, I wouldn’t have been able to experience all the other fun roller coasters that day, especially the Guardians one at the end.

Have A Greattastic Day and Be Safe

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 18: Plane Old Friends

 Plane Old Friends

For those of you who aren’t reading and/or listening to this live, this installment is one of five that came out on Saturday, August 16, 2025 (Give Me Fireworks Or Give Me Death 2 Parts 1 & 2, Giving Hamilton, this installment, and The Other Side Of Fear). There’s a reason for this. I have been on summer vacation since the end of June, and without having to go to work every day, I kind of lost track of any sense of routine. School officially starts back up on Monday, so I decided to do a summer dump.

On Saturday, July 26, 2025, at around 5:00 a.m. Paige and I finished packing up, said goodbye to our cat, Charlie, grabbed some stuff from her parents’ house, and got coffee. We then went to my parents' house and waited with Mom until it was time to Lyft to the airport for our 10 o’clock flight to Orlando.

Now, no matter what, I always write on the plane. On the day of the flight, I was already planning on doing the summer dump, but I had only written Give Me Fireworks Or Give Me Death 2 Part 1. Since I didn’t want to dig through my bag and get on my computer, I created the document for part two on my phone and wrote the first paragraph while waiting for Ryan and Luke to arrive. While I’ve described the covers for Greattastic Adventures 1 and 2, I don’t think I’ve ever focused on the cover of my second book, Once In A Lifetime: A Song For Sam. On the front cover, there is an image of S.M. and me above the title. I chose that image because it’s the image that people who know us generally think of when they think about me and S.M. The back cover is an image of Elizabeth that her sister thought would be nice. Ryan wrote some of the chapters in Greattastic Adventures 2 (specifically the ones about Cousin Simple). While the boys have read parts of my books and most of my blogs, they haven’t read all the way through the books. Ryan’s authorship encouraged them to do so.

None of our seats were together. Paige sat toward the front of the plane, and while I could see the rest of my family, none of us were in the same row. Luke and I were the closest. I had an aisle seat, and he had the window seat, the row behind me. After we had boarded, a group of ladies who were probably in their 60s boarded. They were clearly on a girls' trip. I noticed that one of these ladies, who sat a few rows diagonal from me, was missing one hand. Two of these ladies were in my row. 

Once we were in the air, I pulled my tray table down and opened my computer to continue working on Give Me Fireworks Or Give Me Death 2 Part 2. But since it hadn’t been connected to Wi-Fi since my parents’ house, the document that I created and started working on at the airport didn’t exist on my computer. “Well,” I said out loud, but mostly to myself, “I guess I’m actually not going to write.” 

“What do you write?” The lady in the middle seat asked. 

Once I (briefly) explained the books and this series, the lady in the window seat said, “Oh my gosh, our sister also wrote a book! It’s about her life with only one hand.”

We continued talking, and I learned a few things about them. 

1. They were on their way to Florida for a Baptism.  

2. The one in the window seat lives relatively close to Paige and I. 

3. While the two sitting with me were biologically related, most of the group are “sisters” in the same way the Andersons are mine. As the conversation continued bouncing back and forth, I slowly explained the concept of all the books. Specifically, I spent a lot of time on Once In A Lifetime.

At some point during that part of the conversation, I turned around in my seat to stretch and saw Luke reading his copy of Once In A Lifetime. Now, what actually happened was that my brother, who was coincidentally reading my book, heard me talking about the same book, and was completely prepared when I snatched it out of his hand. This is what my new friends saw: a nearly 28-year-old author turn around, and with way too much confidence, pluck a book out of a random stranger's hands, and it just happened to be his own!

When they recognized the third-grade version of me on this cover, I could practically hear their inner voices screaming, How famous is this guy? Obviously, after I played it up just a little bit, I explained our relationship. As we got off the plane, we exchanged numbers and made plans to meet up when we were all back in town.

To Be Continued…

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 17: Giving Hamilton

 Giving Hamilton

Back in 2022, Hamilton came to Columbus. I went with Kid, Marshall, and his Granny (Wait For It). While Paige did in fact want to go then, at the last minute, that plan fell through. Back in March of 2025, after I picked Paige up from work one day, I saw on Facebook that it would be coming back to town in July. I immediately bought two tickets for July 9th. I chose that date since I was already planning to propose on May 9th, and the show could count as a two-month “engage-iversary” gift. This gift became even more poignant when Paige’s exact quote when she  saw “The scroll of proposal” was “It’s giving Hamilton.”

As I said in the previous installment, on the 4th of July, my car broke down. From that Friday (the 4th) to Wednesday (the 9th), I used Veo bikes to get around. On the 9th, Paige had a girl brunch with both of our moms and went shopping with her mom for my family's upcoming Florida trip. Meanwhile, I was at the library working on a writing project that I will not disclose at this time. 

Around 5:30, I got on the Veo bike that I rode to the library. I rode back to Summit Crest Apartments and started getting ready. Then Luke and Josh brought my car back after Dad‘s car guy had fixed it. 

The show started at 7:30, and Paige and I were in the Ohio theater by 7:15. Now, even though Paige had not seen the musical when it came to town, she has seen it on Disney+. I don’t wanna act like I wasn’t excited to see it again. Lynn Manuel Miranda is a genius; I’m convinced he’s this century's Shakespeare. But writing Rules for a Greattastic Life has had at least one negative impact on my psyche.

I don’t like to repeat an experience more than once. Obviously, there are traditions that I am okay with (the Red White & Boom party, Mitchmas, Holidays, etc), but typically with those, there are some new experiences that (usually) happen. Hamilton is a musical. And a very popular one at that. I’ve already written an installment about Hamilton. It would be redundant to do a second because the play will never change (outside of the cast itself).

 Boy, was I wrong! For legal reasons, I don’t think I can actually describe to you what happened. And as I previously stated (repeating it again as a disclaimer for what I’m about to say), I love Lynn Manuel Miranda. But this cast is so much better than the cast I saw back in 2022, and in some very specific ways (please don’t kill me), the original. I think the reason is because now that it’s on Disney+ and practically everyone has seen it, you think you know what to expect going into it, and when this cast changes up a few tiny little things, it elevates the entire experience! I guess what I’ve learned is, don’t go into any situation expecting to know how it’s going to “play” out. You could be surprised!

Have A Greattastic Day and Be Safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 16: Give Me Fireworks Or Give Me Death 2 Part 2: The Fan-Club

 Give Me Fireworks Or Give Me Death 2 Part 2: The Fan-Club

Now, in the first Give Me Fireworks Or Give Me Death installment, Noah’s girlfriend at the time coined that phrase based on Noah and my love for fireworks. The first time she saw our love for fireworks was about a year before (2021) when I went on a double date with them and my ex, about 45 minutes away to see fireworks.

The reason we had to go 45 minutes away was because 2019 was the last year that the realtor who funded our local community’s fireworks planned on doing them. On the night of July 3rd, 2025, after Dad fixed the scissor lift. I found out that a committee had been formed, and at the last minute, they managed to get enough funds to put our local fireworks back on!

That night, the Andersons came over to my parents’ house to sleep, Aspen made drinks, and we all played games, well into the night. The next morning, Arden, Marshall, Aspen, James, Kid, and I went to a coffee shop called Roosevelt Coffee for a late breakfast. When everyone had left, I got in my car to return to my parents' house. Unfortunately, as soon as I parked, my car stopped working!

Because I couldn’t go and get Noah, he had to use his blind transportation service to get to Meadow Park Drive. We went to our neighbors, the Crawfords’ (Stephen, Robin, Megan, and Rachel‘s) house for dinner. My family, Paige, Noah, and I spent the dinner mingling with everyone. Noah and I, in particular, talked to Ryan about the new EP that Cousin Simple is putting out for the rest of the year.

The fireworks started at 10, so at 9:45 we walked down to Whetstone. We made our way to a field. When the fireworks started, however, we realized that we were definitely not close enough, and trees were blocking our view. “Okay, guys,” Mom decided, “let’s move a bit closer!” 

We all stood up, and I followed everyone from behind as I guided Noah. Five minutes later, we were resituated, and Noah pulled out his phone and opened his voice memos. “Hey Fan Club,” he said into his phone, “I’m here with Mitch and his family at the Whetstone fireworks! Anything you want to say, Mitch?”

I knew he recorded a lot of his life on voice memos, but I never realized he had an audio journal. I laughed, leaned in, and said, “Give me fireworks or give me death!”

While I try to teach a lesson in each of these installments and have a major theme about autism in each book, my writings also double as a diary for me.  Noah recording things live has inspired me. For one thing, I can use audio clips for the podcast. But more importantly, I really admire how he is able to find moments that he appreciates in almost any situation. Cuz that's what it's all about, right? Finding fulfillment in the things that you do and the people around you.

Have A Greattastic Day and Be Safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 15: Give Me Fireworks Or Give Me Death 2 Part 1: The Scissor Lift

 Give Me Fireworks Or Give Me Death 2 Part 1: The Scissor Lift

On July 3 every year, in downtown Columbus, there are fireworks set off at COSI, in an event called Red, White, & Boom. My parents always host a party on the roof of my dad’s studio, Kobolt, to watch the fireworks. I have always loved fireworks, and when they didn’t have them during the pandemic, I was very upset. So the installment I wrote about the first Red, White & Boom post-COVID was called Give Me Fireworks Or Get Me Death. I am recycling that name here, because it’s a really good theme for this two-parter.

Paige and I got to Koblot at about 6:30 p.m. on July 3rd, 2025. Nimba, Uncle Scott, Lexi, Aunt Shana’s best friend, Jamie, and her family were already there. Paige’s parents and her little brother Brennan arrived shortly after us, along with one of his best friends. Our family friends Tim and Kristin arrived next, followed by Arden and Marshall, Noah, and finally Aspen, Kid, and Aspen‘s friend James. About 30 others were in attendance as well.

Now, as I explained in the installment I wrote about the first time we watched Red White & Boom from the roof when I was a kid, (Kobolt’s Red White & Boom Party!) Dad took me, Ryan, and one of our neighbors to the studio, and we climbed up to the roof using an extension ladder (which Mom did not appreciate). It turned into a party from there, and we started using a scissor lift (though the ladder is still propped up). I have operated the scissor lift since I was 16.

This year’s lift was a bit bigger than usual, and when I started taking people up at 8:30, the lift struggled a few times. Everyone was up on the roof by 9:15, and I spent the next hour mingling with everyone. The fireworks usually start at 10, but for some reason, by 10:10, they had not started yet. It was then, as I was talking to Noah, that Paige pulled me aside and said she had to use the bathroom.

I turned on the lift, we went down, and I waited for her to return. As Paige was walking back to me, the first fireworks went off. I turned on the lift, pushed the joystick up, and nothing happened. I turned it off and back on, but nothing changed. “Oh no!” I exclaimed, starting to feel a bit anxious because of FOMO.

“It's Okay,” Paige said, stopping a full-on autism meltdown, “let's just climb up the ladder!” 

We climbed up the ladder, and we only ended up missing about 2 minutes of the fireworks. All things considered, not bad. When the fireworks ended, I told Dad and Josh what had happened, and they went down to fix it. As the line began to form, I said to everyone, “So the lift gave out on me. They are trying to fix it now, but if they can’t, we’ll just have to start a new society up here. I’ll be your leader! Everything will be Okkkkay!”

To Be Continued…

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 14: Just Our Luck! Part 2 : The Wanderers

 Just Our Luck! Part 2: The Wanderers

On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at around 4:00 P.M., I sat at Crimson Cup and waited for Lily to walk in. When she did, I ran up, hugged her, and we ordered our drinks. We picked up right where we left off. We talked about pretty much everything that has happened to both of us since 2021; most notably (on her end), she and Owen just bought a house!

Paige got a promotion, so she was working until about 9. I was on summer break, and Owen was out with a friend, so after we finished our coffees, we decided to go on a walk. Lily left her car at Crimson Cup, and I drove us down to the duck pond. After walking around the pond a few times, we decided to walk on the Olentangy Trail.

Now, from the duck pond, the trail takes about an hour and a half to get to OSU’s campus. But there are not a lot of discernible landmarks until you are on campus. At 6:30, I realized where we were. “Are we on campus?” I asked rhetorically.

“Oh my gosh,” she replied, “we are!”

We were both hungry, so we decided to go to Blaze Pizza. By the time we had walked to Blaze, ordered and eaten our food, and stepped back outside, it was already 7:30. Now, from where we were, it was a straight shot back to my car. “We could find a Lime scooter,” I suggested. She thought it was a good idea, and I opened the app- there were none in the city.

After realizing our situation, I texted Paige and told her that she was going to need to get someone else to take her home, and then Lily and I just started walking. About an hour and a half into our walk, we stumbled upon Insomnia Cookies, a place I'd always wanted to visit but had never tried. Another 30 minutes after Insomnia Cookies, we finally made it back to the duck pond, and I drove Lily back to Crimson Cup.

When I got back to the apartment, I told Paige the story, and she told me, “Yeah, they took Lime out of Columbus back in April- but there's a new bike and scooter app called Voe now.” 

“Really!?” I asked. Paige insisted, and I looked it up. When I confirmed it, I laughed and said, “Well, that’s just our luck!”

In the previous installment (before this two-parter), I talked about how Paige and I went to dinner with an old friend of mine and how I have been misreading how friendships change as we grow. In light of that, I thought about Lily’s falling out and the adventure we had just had, and I smiled, happy that we had rekindled our friendship.

Have a Greattastic Day and be safe!

 J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 13: Just Our Luck! Part 1: Lily‘s Falling Out

 Just Our Luck! Part 1: Lily’s Falling Out

Lily was a coworker of mine at Kroger and one of my first friends there. One of her most notable appearances in Rules for a Greattastic Life was in Season 1 when she and I accidentally broke one of the sliding glass doors together (Just My Luck!). We had a falling out a few years back. This is that story:

Lily had the strangest effect on her friends. A year after she started working at Kroger, her best friend, Maya, started working with us. Maya's brother, Ethan, started working with us shortly after that… and then the floodgates opened. After Lily moved to her new Kroger, her boyfriend, Owen, worked with me for a short time. Then Chloe, Lily, and Maya's other friend began working at Lily's new store. Heck, even Lily's nemesis, Summer, started working at my store along with their other friend Izzy (who I almost moved in with before Shane).

Late in the summer of 2021, Lily started causing some drama within the group. While I will not disclose the drama itself, I tried to stay out of it, despite how hurt I was feeling about it. On Thursday, September 23, toward the middle of my shift, I was on carts. While I was out there, Lily drove up to me. “Hey,” she said. I didn’t reply. “Look,”  she continued, “I really want to work this out. Can you please talk to Maya and Chloe about meeting up?”

When I went on my break, I found Maya and told her what had happened. By the time I was getting ready for bed that night, she had sent a group text to me, Lily, and Chloe, suggesting that we all meet up the next day.

Around 4:30, we met in a local high school parking lot, and from there we walked to a nearby duck pond. I knew that Maya and Chloe were going to team up on Lily, so I was there for moral support, even though I didn’t agree with Lily. We sat down at a shelter house at the duck pond, and Maya and Chloe spent the next hour laying into Lily. When they had said everything they needed to, they dramatically stood up and left.

As we watched them walk away, Lily became more and more distraught. She began asking me why they were acting that way, and I couldn’t really hide that I agreed with them on some level. We walked back to the high school, reminiscing on our 3 years of friendship, knowing that it was the end.

“I don’t want our friendship to end,” she cried when we got to our cars.

“Neither do I,” I replied, “maybe in a few years we can reconnect.”

“I would like that,” she said sadly.

On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, I went shopping at my old Kroger on my way home from work. While the store has been updated a lot since I left in early 2022, it still looks similar enough that I started feeling a little nostalgic. When I finished shopping and had brought everything into my car, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Lilly.

To Be Continued…

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 12: Evolution Of Friendship

 Evolution Of Friendship

Back in March, Paige and I went on a double brunch date with my childhood neighbor, Melody, and her husband, Rob, after having not seen them since the previous summer. After we hugged and said hello, we began talking about how long it had been. “I Haaaaaate adult friendships!” I complained.

“Yeah,” Melody agreed, “we can’t just go next door and hang out with the Andersons anytime we want.”

The first friend that I made at Haugland was a guy named Max. Max is at the beginning of two major stories in my life. First, his special interest in movies is what inspired me to convince my “sisters” to make Miracle Child. Secondly, as an adult, I reconnected with our Haugland principal, Kathy, through Max, which led me to start working at Haugland (now called New Story).

The last time Max appeared in Rules for a Greattastic Life was the season 3 finale in December of 2020 (A Story About Friendship). My intention was to bring him back into my life as things opened up post-COVID. And while I have seen him three or four times since then, it’s not as often as I would have liked. Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025, was Max’s 10-year high school graduation anniversary! That day, he had people over to celebrate. While I had wanted him to meet Paige, the night before was my aunt Shana’s funeral, and with all the stress of that, I didn’t get back to him till it was too late. At 6:00 pm on Wednesday, June 4th, Paige and I pulled up to Max’s house. After we walked in and I introduced them, I asked Max, “Sooo what do you want to do?”

“Ummm, I don’t know,” he replied, “whatever you want to do!”

I did some research and found a Northstar cafe nearby. As we walked down to the restaurant, ordered our food, and sat down, Paige was getting to know Max. Meanwhile, I was in deep thought. As an autistic person, change has always been a struggle for me. While I have learned how to cope with changes in my relationship with my “sisters,” I am still having problems with changes in my other relationships. The easiest example is my friend Anna. 

As you might recall, Anna is my oldest (living) friend, as the current version of my relationship with my “sisters” started in 7th grade, and I met Anna in kindergarten. She and I reconnected in 2020, and we remained close throughout the next few years. Since her last appearance, she has started dating a guy, become a doctor, and gotten engaged to that guy. We will have dinner about once a year, but it’s not the same as it used to be. I think the reason I have been struggling with Anna and my relationship, and why I hate adult friendships, is that I have been thinking of friendships as all-or-nothing.

Anna and I met for breakfast every couple of weeks at the beginning of 2020. We talked on the phone all the time during the pandemic and alternated between the two until about 2023. Because of the changes in both our lives, it felt like our friendship was over. As Max, Paige, and I ate our food, I realized that the reason I have not been seeing Max as much, despite my best intentions, is for the same reason I was worried about Anna and me. Because I was thinking of friendships as all or nothing, I felt like Max and I were not friends anymore because we weren’t as close as we used to be.

But that’s not how friendship works. Just because The Andersons don’t live next door to me anymore, doesn’t mean they are not my “sisters.” Just because “Dr. Anna” is super busy now, doesn’t mean she’s not my oldest friend. Just because Max and I don’t see each other as much as we used to, doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends. As we grow and change, our friendships must evolve to survive those changes. And while it can be difficult, it doesn’t mean the relationships are over. 

Have a Greattastic day and be safe!

 J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 11: Keep Me In Your Heart

 Keep Me In Your Heart

In loving memory of Shana Marie (Savage) Tackett

June 22, 1979-May 16, 2025

On Monday, June 2, 2025, Paige and I got to my parents' house on Meadow Park Drive at about 3:45. We got out of the car and walked to the funeral home at the top of the street. My mom’s sister, Shana, passed away on May 16th, about a week after Paige and I got engaged. We entered for the visiting hours and spent that time talking to family and friends, which included my dad’s side of the family from Florida.

The service started at 6. After everyone had talked about their favorite memories about Shana (I was the last one), Ryan, Luke, Josh, and I stood up and prepared to play a cover of a song called Keep Me In Your Heart by Warren Zevon. As my brothers started playing the intro (Ryan and Luke on guitar and Josh on harmonica), I thought back on Shana's impact on my life.

Mom was about 6 months pregnant with me when Shana graduated from high school, and I am the oldest grandchild on Mom’s side. As the first baby, I know I had a very special place in Shana’s heart. On my end, Shana was just a college kid; she wasn’t a full adult like Mom and Dad or Aunt Melissa or Uncle Andy were. On some level, I was able to watch Shana grow up, even if I was completely aware of it. This dynamic led me to see her more as a friend than as my aunt.

From the time I was 2, Shana would take me to the mall. Whenever we were together, she was very interested in what was going on with my life, and that continued as I grew up. I spent many nights sleeping at Shana’s house, telling her about the struggles I had making friends as an autistic child. It was during one of these sleepovers that I held the first baby I ever would: Shana and Uncle Scott’s daughter, Lexi. While Shana and I didn’t see each other as much after Lexi was born, it was evident that Shana was born to be a mom.

On Saturday, September 30, 2023, Aunt Cyndi and Jeremy got married. While I wrote an installment about it (The Wedding Of Cyndi And Jeremy), their relationship was obviously the point of that installment. On that date, Paige and I were just days away from our 6-month anniversary. Paige and Shana met for the first time at the wedding. The whole reception, Shana was jokingly saying, “So you guys are going to get married next, right?” At the time, Paige and I had already discussed the possibility of getting married, but we didn’t tell Shana then. Despite how sad I am about her death, I’m glad that the last thing she knew about me was that Paige and I got engaged!

Now, even though my books are available on Amazon, I make more money if I sell them myself. As a result, I don’t pay too much attention to the book reviews. When you publish a sequel, it takes about 24 hours for it to be connected to the rest of the series. The day after I published The Greattastic Adventures 2: Fractured, I was obsessively looking on Amazon to make sure everything had worked properly. As I was scrolling through, I noticed a review on my first book, The Greattastic Adventures: Miracle Child. It read as follows:

Shana Tackett-  Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2023

MUST READ!! LOVE this book!! His story is so endearing, and he has this awesome positive outlook on life. I think he is so inspiring to everyone, not just to those living with Autism, but all people all over! Definitely purchasing his next one!

Now, is that review anything special? No. But me finding it now as opposed to back in 2023 makes me feel like it’s Shana saying, “I’m okay.”

As the boys and I sang the song, I looked out at Shana‘s friends and family. I imagined Shana standing in the back of the room and smiling as we finished singing, because I think she would have really loved it.

I love and miss you, Shana.

Your nephew- John Mitchell Ulibarri