Season 9.5: Meanwhile In Another Timeline 3 (Greattastic In Japan) Blog 5: I Love You (Across Times)

 I Love You (Across Times) 

On Monday, June 2, 2025, Ryan, Luke, and Josh stood up at the end of Shana’s funeral. Luke was in the middle with his guitar, Ryan was to his right with his guitar, and Josh was on his left with a harmonica. They began performing Warren Zevon’s Keep Me In Your Heart. I hadn’t told anyone that I was coming home, and I walked into the funeral home two minutes after the service started so I could slip in without being noticed.

At the end of the song, the pastor said a few words and a closing prayer, and the service ended. Everyone began to disperse, and I walked up to Mom. When she saw me, she jumped in surprise and hugged me. We exchanged condolences, and then more people started to come up to me. 

After the funeral, there was a reception at my parents' house. My grandpa, Pop-pop, had started dating a woman named Sara back in 2022 or so, and this was the first time I was meeting her. 

“So,” she asked after I had talked to her about my time in Japan, “what are your plans now?” 

“Ha,” I replied, “I don’t really know. I just kinda decided to move back home on a whim after I found out about Shana.”

“Well, that’s okay,” she replied, “you just got home. You have time to figure it out!”

Over the next year, a few things happened. I started working at Kobolt about a month after I got home, while I tried to figure out what I was gonna do next. After I posted an installment about my surprise return and Shana’s funeral, a classmate of mine, Elana, reconnected with me at Sam’s Fans event in October, in an attempt to lean on me after her sister, Natalie, passed away in March. 

For Thanksgiving, I went to Cincinnati and reunited with the Andersons. Around Valentine's Day 2026, Greg was in town, and we went out to dinner. At the end of February, I saw Box Seats for the first time, and Cousin Simple played a show in Dayton. Elana and her younger sister Jenna went to the Dayton show with us. After Cousin Simple played, Ryan walked up to us. Elana told him she enjoyed the show and asked when their next show in Columbus was. 

“Well, actually,” Ryan said, looking at me, “we are having a memorial show at my dad’s studio for my aunt on the anniversary of her death!” 

I was surprised, as this was the first time I had heard of it. On Friday, May 15th, 2026, at 8:00 pm, Cousin Simple got up on stage. I stood at the front of the crowd as the music started. During that first song, Mom came running up to me, dragging someone behind her. She practically threw the person at me, and to my shock, it was that girl from the ugly sweater party, Paige. 

I hadn't thought about her at all since I got on the plane to Japan. We started to talk, and the fleeting crush I had on her that night reemerged. At that moment, I knew that she was the one. 

Back in this timeline, I walked out of Dad’s office and back into Paige and my wedding reception. Paige was in the middle of the dance floor. When we locked eyes all of our guests and the room faded around us. As I walked toward her, I felt butterflies in my stomach, and I smiled. I felt it in my soul; no matter what decisions I had, or would have made throughout my life, it would not have mattered. I believe that no matter what, I would have ended up married to Paige Ulibarri.

Have a Greattastic day and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri, SBT

Season 9.5: Meanwhile In Another Timeline 3 (Greattastic In Japan) Blog 4: Not So Greattastic

 Not So Greattastic

On Tuesday, March 10th, 2020, Marshall received an email from Columbus State saying they were closing due to Covid. August, Arden, and Marshall made it back to the states 2 days later, right before Ohio shut down completely. I began FaceTiming my family and the Andersons daily for updates on everything as they went through the lockdown.

In Japan, the lockdown was not as dramatic as it was in the United States, since masking was already a prominent part of the culture. Yes, the trains were a little emptier, I had to distance a little more from the kids, and fewer shops and bars were open, but overall, the pandemic did not affect my plans too much. And that was almost more isolating. While my family and friends were “in it together,” I was on the other side of the world, not experiencing it the same way that they were. I began leaning even harder on Renee, her family, Yuka, and Ren. In December 2020, I prepared to write the Season 2 finale of Rules for a Greattastic Life. Before Covid, my idea for that final episode was going to be a summary of my time in Japan, and my last night before I went home. Knowing I couldn't get home, I wrote it with the half-truth that I was excited to spend another year in Japan. 

In early January of 2021, Cousin Simple released their first song since before the pandemic, and in June of that year, my other childhood neighbor, Greg, got married to his long-time girlfriend, Temi. Around the same time, August moved to Colorado with her boyfriend, Ben, and Marshall, and Aspen moved to Cincinnati (and Arden would follow the following year). In the middle of October, Luke and Josh followed in Ryan's footsteps and started their own band, Box Seats, and my cousin Paige got married on Halloween. In 2022, Luke, and Kid graduated high school, and my family went to my cousin's new lake house. In 2023 August got pregnant, and she and Ben had a son, Jasper. Around the same time, Greg and Temi had their daughter. Arden and Aspen went to see Taylor Swift, and my Aunt Cyndi got married. In 2024, both Greg's sister, Melody and Arden and Marshall got married, and Rich and Barbra prepared to sell their house. Then finally in January of 2025, my grandpa Papa died. 

I knew I could have gone home as early as 2022, But with all the marriages,  pregnancies, and graduations I felt like my life had gone on without me. On top of that it wasn't like my life was bad. I had made a ton of friends in Japan, I was about to publish my 3 and 4th books and I felt happy. I didn't own the people in my life. Why was I feeling so hurt that they had moved forward?

“Are you okay?” Ren asked me one night in February of ‘25. 

“Yeah,” I said, a little taken aback. 

“No you're not,” Yuka said, “you used to be so happy and energetic. You’ve just seemed really depressed over the last few months.”

“I’m fine!” I said, “I just feel a little homesick I guess.” 

“Well, why don’t you go home?” Yuka asked. 

“Cuz I’ve built a whole life here… Ohio hasn’t been my home since before the pandemic… and I’m sure everyone else has moved on.” 

“Well you could at least go back for a visit,” Ren suggested.

“I think it’ll just be too hard for me,” I said, “like if I go I don’t know if I’ll come back.”

I held this position until on Friday, May 16th 2025 around 2:00 pm, I got a phone call from my mom. “Hi Mom,” I said, “why are you still up? It’s like midnight for you.” 

"Mitchell,” she said, “I’m sorry, but Aunt Shana just passed away.” 

I froze. Shana was my favorite aunt growing up. During my teenage years, Shana had her own life struggles and so from my perspective, the aunt that I knew died over a decade ago. Despite that I knew I couldn’t miss this funeral. I had to go home.

To Be Continued…

Season 9.5: Meanwhile In Another Timeline 3 (Greattastic In Japan) Blog 3: Korona Daisaiyaku

 Korona Daisaiyaku

When Renee first talked to me about teaching abroad in the summer of 2019, I was under the impression that Japan had a year-round school schedule. That's not entirely true. The school year starts in April. The first term of the year is from April to July, then summer break is from late July to late August, the second term is from September to December, and then they have winter break from late to December to early January, and the third term is from the end of winter break, to late March, Then they have a spring break before the next school year starts. Minamiwa Municipal Elementary School reopened on Tuesday, January 7th. I spent the first couple of days of 2020 getting acclimated to Minamiwa, setting up and starting my podcast, and spending time with Renee and her family. That week, I recorded every blog from Season 1 and started writing the first blog of Season 2, about me landing in Japan and going to the New Year's party.

I was Renee's teaching assistant. On the first day of school, at 8:45, Renee greeted the class. “Good morning, class!”

“Good morning, Mori-sensei,” the class replied. 

“So as you can see,” Renee said after asking the class how their break went, “I have a new teaching assistant. This is Mitchell Ulibarri. I taught him piano when I was living in America. He is still pretty new to Japanese, so you might need to ask me questions he doesn't understand. But he is learning along with you. I expect you to treat him with the same respect that you treat me!” 

Over the next month or so, I got really good at my job, figured out the train route, got 2/3 of the way done with The Greattastic Adventures: Miracle Child, went to a ton of festivals with Ren and Yuka, and got to know a lot more about them. Ren was the math teacher, and Yuka was an art teacher. Both of them were 24. At some point during this time, I started hearing people talk about something called “Korona Daisaiyaku.” It was only in passing, and I didn’t think to ask what it meant. 

On Saturday, March 7th, 2020, I woke up to a phone call from Yuka. “Would you like to run some errands with me,” she asked from the other side of the phone, “and then we could go to the park afterward?”

“Sure,” I replied, not suspecting a single thing. The day was mostly uneventful. It wasn’t until around 6:00 that I started to get suspicious. We had been out from 10 AM until about 3:30 running her errands. We got to the park around 4:15, and while I enjoyed spending time with Yuka, I was ready to leave by 5:30. By 6:00, when we were still hanging out there, I knew something was up. 

“What’s going on?” I asked for what felt like 1000 times. 

“Nothing!” She insisted. 

I was still not convinced, but I let it go because she wasn’t giving me anything. At 6:30, we finally made it to Renee’s house, and when I walked in, sure enough, August, Arden, and Marshall were standing in the middle of the main room!

“Surprise!” all three of them yelled together. 

“Oh my gosh, what are you doing here!” 

“We missed you,” Arden said, “and we thought this would be a good way for me to celebrate my birthday!” 

I was excited to see my friends again, and we decided to go out to a bar to celebrate. The bar that we went to was mostly dead, but I liked it that way. While I've always liked being the center of attention, when I go to dead bars with my friends, it feels like we are the only people in the world. I spent the night translating what my new friends were saying to my old friends, telling stories about my adventures in Japan, and dancing. “So,” Marshall asked, about an hour in, “How do you feel about Covid?”

“What-vid?” I asked. 

August and Arden screamed, “You haven't heard about Covid?”

Yuka and Ren looked at me, waiting for me to translate. August,  Arden and Marshall, then explain to me what Covid is. Once they explained the term “novel Coronavirus,” I realized I'd heard about it before: “Korona Daisaiyaku,” I mumbled under my breath. 

Recognizing the phrase Yuka and Ren joined the conversation, and both groups helped me realize what I had been ignorant of because of the language barrier. “I don’t know,” August said, “It seems kind of apocalyptic.”

“The Coronapocalypse,” I mused. 

To Be Continued…

Season 9.5: Meanwhile In Another Timeline 3 (Greattastic In Japan) Blog 2: Welcome To Japan

 Welcome To Japan

On December 31st, 2019, at 4:45 p.m. local time, I got off my plane in Tokyo. I had been traveling for about 16 and 1/2 hours. I asked Siri what time it was in Columbus, and she replied with 2:45 a.m. the same day. Then I asked what time it was in Colorado, as Arden was living there; 12:45 a.m. Immediately, I felt a pang of homesickness. 2020 was a mere 7 hours away, and yet my friends and family still had the entirety of New Year's Eve to go through. In other words, I would spend the first day of the year alone due to time displacement. So this is how Steve Rogers felt, I thought. Before I could process my thoughts farther I got a call from Renee. With her guidance, I made it to baggage claim and eventually to arrivals, where she picked me up.

We hugged, she helped me get my bags into her car, and we began driving to Minamiwa, a small city just outside Tokyo, where Renee and her family lived. On the hour-long drive, Renee asked me how I was feeling with my fluency in the Japanese language. I told her I felt pretty confident, but that I'm more of a hands-on learner. “Well, the reason I asked,” she said, “Is because we are having a small gathering to celebrate the New Year tonight. It'll mostly just be my family, but I invited a couple of people who you’ll work with at my school. If you need any help, just let me know.”

When we arrived at her house at about 6:00, I greeted her husband, Rob, and reintroduced myself to her daughters. At about 6:30, her parents, her brother, his wife and kids, and her two co-workers, Ren and Yuca arrived. As soon as they met me, Ren and Yuca started asking me about my life.

“What do you do for fun?” Yuca asked in Japanese. 

“I like hiking,” I said to the best of my ability, “and spending time with friends. And I do a lot of writing!”

“What do you write about?” Ren asked.

“I have…” I turned to Renee and asked in English, “How do you say autism?” 

“Jiheisho,” Renee said to my new friends. 

I continued in Japanese, “Yes, ‘Jiheisho,’ And I have a blog about my adult life which I'm about to turn into a podcast, and I'm almost done writing my first book about my childhood! Renee's actually in it!”

When I said her name, Ren and Yuka looked at me, confused. “Who?” they both asked.

Then Renee jumped in and explained that “Renee” was her American name.  Her real name was Mori Hibiki. I felt confused and, honestly, a little guilty that I didn't know that about her. She then told me, in English, “Don't feel like you need to just start calling me my birth name. It would be weird for me if you did.”

I have always been a picky eater, and while I knew that this would be something I'd have to deal with when I got to Japan, I wanted to be respectful. During this get-together, I had a bit of trouble eating.

“You okay?” Yuka asked. 

“I have a bit of an issue with texture, because of my Autism. So I'm just figuring out what to eat.”

“Oh! Do they know?” She asked. 

“Yeah, I told umm… Renee… But I want to fully immerse myself while I'm here.” 

“Oh,” Yuka said, “Take your time, I promise no one will be offended!”

I knew she was right, but I still felt really awkward. Even back home, I’d always felt uncomfortable advocating for myself when it came to food in other people's homes. It just felt completely rude in another culture. But I was happy that Yuka was making me feel more comfortable and not guilty about it.

To Be Continued…

Season 9.5: Meanwhile In Another Timeline 3 (Greattastic In Japan) Blog 1: The Ugly Sweater Party

 The Ugly Sweater Party

On December 21, 2019, in this alternate timeline, Mom, Dad, and I walked into a friend's house for their yearly ugly sweater party. This house belongs to someone Ryan went to high school with. I was dressed in a Grinch costume that I bought back in 2015. There was not a contest by any means, but based on everyone's reactions, if there had been one, I would have won. 

I spent the first 20 minutes of the party mingling with everybody that I had gotten to know as a result of Cousin Simple. At that point, I got around to talking to the little sister of one of my brother’s friends. Her name was Paige. Now, Cousin Simple had been together for almost three years, and I had talked to Paige a handful of times before. However, she was a lot more reserved than I was, and we never had a full-on conversation. But this night she was drinking and as a result was a little more talkative. 

“Hi Paige,” I said to her.

“Hi Mitchell,” she replied. “I love your costume.”

“Thanks,” I said excitedly, “There's a great story behind it.”

“What is it?” she asked.

The Grinch has always been my favorite character. My “sisters,” the Andersons, and I had a piano teacher growing up, named Renée. She was from Japan and had two daughters who we would watch while she gave lessons to other people. In the spring of 2016, Renee and her family moved back to Japan, and it was really sad. For her last Christmas recital (Christmas 2015), I asked her if I could play You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch, and that’s why I bought the costume.

In the summer of 2019, I realized that college was not for me, so I dropped out. That same week, Renée and her kids came back for a quick visit. She told me she taught English as a second language and said that if I learned to speak Japanese over the next semester, I could come to Japan for a year and teach.

“So,” I told Paige, “That’s what I’m doing! A week from Monday, I’m getting on a plane, and I’m going to be spending at least a year there!” 

“Oh my gosh! That sounds awesome!” She exclaimed. 

“Yeah, I’m really excited,” I said, “ and it’s gonna be really nice because I’m working on publishing my first book, and I’m starting a podcast this year, and I feel like being away from my real life will be really helpful for getting that done!”

Paige and I talked for another 15 minutes or so, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a spark. But number one, she was my brother’s friend’s little sister, and number two, in about a week, I was going to be some 6,000 miles away for (at least) a year. So as I left the party, I knew I wouldn’t think about Paige for a very long time.

On Monday, December 30th, 2019, my parents and my brothers walked me to security at John Glenn International Airport at 7:30 in the morning for my 9:00 flight to Vancouver, with a connection to Tokyo.  After we said goodbye, I walked through security, and I felt butterflies rising from my stomach to my chest. I had only counted my adult life as starting a year before this, and now I was starting a whole new chapter, and I was excited to see what the future held.

To Be Continued…

Season 9.5: Meanwhile In Another Timeline 3 (Greattastic In Japan) Blog 0: A Message From A Teacher

 A Message From A Teacher

Growing up, the Andersons and I had a piano teacher named Renee. When we were teenagers, she moved back to Japan, and it was very heartbreaking for all of us. You, the audience, might remember that there was a brief moment where I almost moved to Japan to teach English as a second language with Renee, back in 2019. Unbeknownst to me, during her pregnancy (2023), August got back in contact with Renee. Unfortunately, August and Emerald were unable to attend my wedding. As the rest of the family was there, and Emerald was supposed to be our flower girl, August was very upset. Arden snapped a few pictures of us after Fr. David said, “You may kiss the bride,” and sent them to August. Feeling even more left out after seeing Paige and my first kiss as husband and wife, she reached out to Renee and let her know what was going on.

Paige and my first dance ended, and I kissed her. Unfortunately, my tux shoes were not that comfortable, and I really wanted to take them off, but I knew that I had to wait. We had the father-daughter dance (they danced to "My Girl"), then the mother-son dance (we danced to "Father and Son"). During that time, the members of Cousin Simple were filing onto the stage behind Mom and me. When Mom and my song ended, our DJ, Ed called my dad and Mrs. O'Brien up to the dance floor as the band started playing the intro to Nothing Sweeter. Paige walked up to meet my dad, and I walked up to meet her mom.

Mrs. O'Brien and my dad were both a little flustered as they made their way to us. “Hi, Mom,” I said to Mrs. O'Brien with a smile as she took my hand. We danced to Nothing Sweeter, and I was very proud of myself for managing to keep this secret since January. About halfway through Nothing Sweeter, Will, the lead singer, called all of the guests up to the dance floor. After Nothing Sweeter, Cousin Simple played Vacation (Taylor Swift), Fast Lane, Talk, Poison Ivy, and then Will called Paige and I up to sing Prima Donna with them. The original chorus for Prima Donna goes, “You're a Prima Donna, it's okay, I am too. Said your name was “Maddie,” Maddie I like the view.” Will decided to change the name “Maddie” to “Paige.” It was honestly a dream to sing with them, and I know I will never be able to sing the words right again. When we had finished, Ed started playing our wedding playlist. I ran to the dance floor and noticed that my coworker, Elizabeth, had taken her shoes off. Since she had already done it I ran as fast as I could to Dad's office so that I didn’t miss much of the reception.

As I untied my shoes, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was roughly 9:00 a.m. the next morning in Japan, so Renee had just woken up and seen August's text, and she immediately sent me one and congratulated me on my marriage. As I read the text, I thought about the time I almost moved to Japan. My life would be so different, I thought, if that had actually happened.

To Be Continued…

Greattastic in Japan Trailer

 Greattastic in Japan Trailer

As you might recall, back in season 1, there was a brief moment where I was going to live in Japan for about a year. I had just dropped out of college, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. A piano teacher of mine, Renée, moved back to Japan in 2016, and came for a visit immediately after I dropped out. She taught English as a second language and suggested that I join her for the 2020 school year. The problem was, as I would later learn, the program wanted me to have four years of college experience (didn’t have to be in education, but I had to have a degree), which kind of defeated the purpose. But that wasn’t how it had to be.

In an alternate timeline, on Saturday, December 15, 2019, I sat with Arden at her parents' house. The previous Thursday, the 13th, Arden (with help from Marshall and me) had flown back from Colorado to surprise the other Andersons, her friend, Jane, and a few others. “So when are you leaving?” Arden asked. 

“On the 30th,” I replied. 

“That’s crazy,” she said. 

“I know!” I continued, “I’m excited about it, but it’s really weird, my last day at Kroger is next Thursday!” 

“Well, that’s exciting!” She said. 

“Yeah,” I said sadly, “it is, but I’ll miss Lilly. And you guys.” 

“That’s fair…” she smiled, “ but you’ll make new friends in Japan!” 

“I know,” I said, “ I guess I’m just feeling a little anxious about it.” 

“It’ll be fine!” She said, “You’re going to be.. Greattastic!”

Rules for a Greattastic Life Season 9.5: Meanwhile In Another Timeline 3 Greattastic in Japan will be out soon! 

Season 9 Vol. 2 The Age Of Weddings Crown Jewel Finale (Blog 25): Invisible String

 Invisible String

Taylor Swift's Invisible String is on her Folklore album. It is about the invisible string theory. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's the idea that basically, from the moment you are born, there is an imaginary string tying you to your soulmate. You know what it's like, it's kind of like the romantic equivalent of the Six Degrees of Separation Theory. Which is something that, as a person, I accidentally abuse. I was once described by a friend as someone who knows everybody on a “I know a guy through a guy” basis. Paige and my love story is yet another prime example of this. Before we get into this, I wanted to say that most of this information can be found in other places in my writings, but I wanted to put everything together in one space, and as Paige and I were having our first dance, a thought occurred to me that I thought would make this installment complete. So what I'm going to do is go through the things that connected Paige and me before we started dating, in timeline order.

1. Mom and Mrs. O'Brien (I should probably stop calling her Mrs. O'Brien; she's my mother-in-law) were in the same interior design classes together at OSU, and we recently found out they actually lived in the same dorm building at the same time.

2. While I didn't meet Noah until 2019, Noah went to grade (and I believe middle) school with one set of Paige’s cousins. 

3. When I was probably 3, I met a family friend of the Andersons, the McCanns (their son, Henry, is included in the epilogue of Once In A Lifetime: A Song for Sam). It turns out that the McCanns are actually cousins of one of Page's cousins.

4. Speaking of Anderson's, Rich Anderson worked out at the gym with Paige's grandma and one of her uncles for years.

5. I also went to school with one set of Paige's cousins, and the youngest one in that family was in one of my first classes as a teacher. 

6. Obviously, my brother Ryan and Paige's brother Ryan went to high school together and played on the same soccer team (that's actually how we met), but the Ryans (and our parents) met (or, in the case of our moms, we were reintroduced) when both boys started playing basketball against each other in 4th grade.

7. One of Paige's little brothers’ best friends lived four houses up for me for most of my teenage years. 

8. Okay, fine, this one is kind of cheating- Paige went to high school with a lot of people I knew from OLP. We lived less than 3 miles away from each other, and we both went to Catholic schools, it was kind of inevitable. 

9. This one is also sort of cheating, for the same reason- Mrs. O'Brien and S.M.’s mom knew each other pretty well, because they had lunch duty together a lot at St. Charles. Again, a big Catholic school, but still, the fact that those two specifically knew each other is very big. At the wedding, Nikki McCarthy asked Mrs. O’Brien, “How do you know the Ulibarris?” Mrs. O’Brien replied, “I’m Paige’s mom!”

10. As I've mentioned before, I do a ton of speaking at OSU in a class for incoming teachers through my public speaking mentor, Dr. Brooks. At some point during the pandemic, I did a Zoom class for Dr. Brooks and Paige's best friend, Nicole was in the class. 

Paige and I have only been together for 3 years, and we have a lifetime ahead of us. I'm sure there are other tiny little connections that I either couldn't think of when I was writing this, or we don't know about yet, and we'll find out eventually. But I’m honestly not bringing up these little connections because I think they are the foundation of our relationship. I think they show that we would have found each other eventually, and the invisible string Theory is very cute. But the main reason I’m bringing it up is all the people who connect us, and even those that don’t had profound impacts on Paige and I individually.

I listened to the lyrics as Paige and I had our first dance. As I looked into her eyes, I thought about every moment that had led me here. Every friendship, every fight, every friendship that ended, every death, every failure, every success… I mean, even the pandemic. Everything that happened before Cousin Simple played Newport in March of 2023 made Paige and me the people we needed to be to start dating. And everything that happened after, well, that led us to this moment. Paige is now my wife. To everyone who made us what we are, thank you! 

Mr. & Mrs. Ulibarri, SBT

Season 9 Vol. 2 The Age Of Weddings Crown Jewel Blog 24: The Wedding Reception, Part 1

 The Wedding Reception, Part 1

After we got pictures with both of our extended and immediate families, as well as the bridal party, Paige, Ryan, Nicole, and I got into Nicole’s car and drove to Kobolt. We did not walk in the main entrance. Instead, we went to a door that leads to Dad’s office. Now there was a guy who was clearly on… something, and I mean, a woman in a wedding dress walking down the sidewalk is going to draw attention no matter what. He said something incomprehensible to us, and then, as Nicole and I watched, he dipped into the front of the studio. “Did he just…?” I asked.

“I think he did,” Nicole replied. 

“Well, nothing I can do about it,” I said. It turns out, though we won’t find out until the next day, this guy talked his way into the reception and was there for 30 minutes before he signed our guest book and left, which, honestly-good for him.

After (or shortly before) the guy left, our DJ, Ed, came into Dad’s office. He told us that everyone had arrived and asked when we wanted to go in. It was about 5:45, and we had not planned to arrive until 6:15 or 6:30, but we decided to enter then to enjoy some of the cocktail hour. 

This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) by Natalie Cole started playing, and Ryan and Nicole made their entrance. Ed asked everyone to stand, then introduced Paige and me. We walked in, and everybody cheered, and then I dipped and kissed her. Just because of the sheer number of people there, Paige and I split up to cover more ground. I talked to my side of the family, some of Paige’s coworkers, Greg, his sister Melody, and her husband, Rob, Dr. Brooks, and her husband, Mr. Brooks, Arden, Marshall, Aspen, and Kid, Nikki and Dan McCarthy, and very briefly, my New Story coworkers. 

Around that time, Ed announced it was time to eat. Paige and I made it to the sweetheart table, and the caterers served us, and everybody else was released by table number to go to the buffet. Once the last table had gotten their food, Nicole stood up and started her speech. First, she talked about their nearly decade-long friendship and the little moments that made it. From carpooling to school while having their own personal concerts, constant laughter, and their Myrtle Beach trip. Then she transitioned to when Paige told her she “met someone.” She talked about how shocked she was, as I was Paige’s first boyfriend, but that as soon as she met me at Top Golf, she knew I would eventually be Paige’s husband. Then she told a summarized version of the Michelle story I wrote about earlier this season. She ended her speech by talking about her fiancé, Carson, and how she has loved watching her and Paige’s romantic relationships grow together, and then she wished us a good life!

Then Ryan gave his speech. He started it by making a joke about how long my hair had been before the wedding haircut, which was hilarious. Before the toast part, Ryan’s speech was broken up into two parts. Part 1 was his interpretation of Chapter 7 of my first book, when I jumped into a duck pond to get a toy of his. From my perspective, that event is the inciting incident of my life, but he used it to depict my loyalty. I have a little more to say about part 2. 

About a decade ago, I played in a Christmas Piano recital, dressed as the Grinch. In 2019, I went to an ugly sweater party in that costume, and that is the night that I developed my crush on Paige. Ryan used this to talk about Paige seeing through some of my antics and falling for me. But I think there is even more of a metaphor here. Autism is not fun. I love myself and being an advocate, and I try to be a positive person, but sometimes, no, a lot of the time, it just sucks. Asking a friend or a family member to take on my autism never seemed to be that big of a deal because I masked the hard parts of it. But I didn’t want to mask with a partner, and with my exs, no matter how I tried, I couldn’t completely take the mask off. Paige is the first person I could completely show the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of autism, and she has made me a better person.

After Ryan toasted, we hugged him, and it was time for us to cut the cake. As we walked up to the cake table, I came to the horrifying realization that throughout all the wedding planning, we had not discussed how we were going to feed the cake to each other. 

“Do you want to twist arms?” I whispered to her, thinking of champagne instead of cake. Paige looked at me like I was a crazy person (I mean, fair), and I didn't know how to explain what I was asking in the heat of the moment. So we ended up cutting one piece of cake,  and each taking one bite ourselves, which caught Ken and both of our moms off guard. Immediately after we cut the cake, it was time for our first dance. As Paige and I walked onto the Dance Floor, Invisible String by Taylor Swift started to play.

To be Continued…

Season 9 Vol. 2 The Age Of Weddings Crown Jewel Blog 23: Wedding Day

 Wedding Day 

T-24 hours 

At 3:45 on Thursday, May 14th, 2026, I walked into the bathroom in the breakroom at work. I looked in the mirror, and I smiled. At that point, we were 24 hours (and 15 minutes) out from Paige and my wedding (25 hours or so from actually being married). I started stimming (bouncing my legs, flapping my hands, and vocalizing) out of excitement, and as I clocked out, my coworkers congratulated me. 

The Rehearsal Dinner 

I picked Paige up from her parents' house immediately after leaving New Story, and we got to our apartment at 4:20. We got dressed and headed to St. Tim's for the rehearsal. The rehearsal went well. The funniest moment was when Paige was walking down the aisle, and our Priest, Fr. David, told me to “greet your bride,” so I went and hugged her (he meant to escort her up onto the altar). And that's why you have rehearsals, everybody! After the rehearsal, Paige and her family and my family, my cousin Maci, aunt Cyndi and my cousin Cameron, Nimba, Grandma, Joe, Pop-pop, Sara, Eva, Zach, Uncle Paul, Aunt Alicia, Austin, a couple of Paige's uncles, and Dad's high school best friend Martin and his wife Pam, went to my parent's house and ate from the Habanero's food truck that Mom & Dad had arranged. While I was excited for the reception, the rehearsal dinner was really fun because it felt like a mini-reception and was much more intimate than our actual wedding reception. 

Coffee 

At 5:00 a.m., on Friday, May 15th, I posted, Greattastic Life Special edition: For Shana, and headed to Crimson Cup to do a little writing, then met up with a coworker of mine named Lexi. She and I hung out for about 3 hours before I had to get going.

 First Look 

I went back to the apartment, fed our cat, Charlie, then found a Voe scooter and left for my parents' house to get dressed for the wedding. About an hour later, at 2:30, Austin drove me to St. Tim’s. Our photographer, Ken, let me into the church, and after we talked for a minute, we went to a prayer garden outside. About 2 minutes after I got out there, Paige came up behind me and told me to turn around. When I saw her, I was so excited I bounced on the balls of my feet, and I couldn’t stop stimming. 

Waiting Game

Immediately after the first look, Ken took a few more professional pictures, and Nicole took a picture on her phone and sent it to Mom so she could have Dad and her employee print it up for the reception. The next hour and a half was kind of excruciating. Not bad by any means; Paige and I were both so excited we could hardly contain ourselves while all our guests arrived. A few minutes after 4:00, Fr. David came into the waiting area and told Paige, Nicole, Ryan, me, and Cameron, who was the ring bearer, that it was time to start. Ryan and I walked into the church to wait for the procession to start. People heard us walk in, looked back, and everyone smiled. 

Mr. & Mrs. Ulibarri 

The ceremony started. Mom and Dad processed down the aisle, followed by Fr. David and me, Ryan and Nicole, Cameron, and finally Paige, escorted by both of her parents. Maci and Paige’s cousin, Catherine, each did a reading, and one of Paige’s oldest friends, Miranda, sang. During the homily, Fr. David surprised us with a literal knot-tying ceremony and an analogy using a rose. After the homily, we exchanged rings and finished the rest of the mass with a few special blessings just for Paige and me. And then at the very end, Fr. David said, “By the power invested in me by the Roman Catholic Church and the state of Ohio, I would like to introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Ulibarri. You may kiss the bride!”

Paige and I turned to face each other. In the second before I kissed her, I briefly thought about all the weddings that I’ve been to before. Aunt Shana and Uncle Scott’s, both of Aunt Cyndi‘s, Uncle Bob and Aunt Erin’s, Greg and Temi’s, my cousin Paige’s, Savannah’s, Melody and Rob’s, and Alexander’s. Before Paige and I started dating, I wasn’t really sure if I would ever get to this point. With the communication deficits that come with autism, it just seemed so unlikely. As I leaned in and we had our first kiss as husband and wife, I felt so incredibly overjoyed because Paige was worth the wait! 

To Be Continued…

Season 9 Vol. 2 The Age Of Weddings Crown Jewel Blog 22: Goodbye Samantha McCarthy

 Goodbye Samantha McCarthy

I step out of my car and take a breath as the wind blows past my face, and with a heavy and full heart, I walk up to your grave.

Three years have passed since I last stood here and cried, and yet I still remember how it felt when you died. “Time heals all wounds.” That saying is true, but I know I will never be as sad as the day we lost you.

I kneel at your headstone and flower your grave, and I send myself back to that very first day. I stand at the playground of Our Lady of Peace, and you sit on the bench plain as can be.

You seem somehow older, like you’ve aged up with me, but of course, I know, that surely can’t be. I sit next to you, and we say our hellos, and it’s as easy as it was 20-some years ago. You ask me how I’ve been, and I tell you what you’ve missed, and then as I finish, you say, “I was there for all of this.”

I smile to think of all you have followed, and then I tell you, “I’m getting married the day after tomorrow.”

“I know,” you say with a smile, “and I’m happy you got here; it’s taken a while.”

“I’m glad that you’re happy for me, but I must confess I feel guilty for how I’ve grown away from you,” I say, stressed.

“You’re allowed to move on,” you say, “in fact, I prefer it! I really hated to watch you going through it. But I understand why you don’t want to leave me behind. So I’ll tell you one thing you can do as a sign. Take one minute a day, or just whenever you can, to think about me and the others who couldn't stay.”

I smile and promise you I will try my best, and you tell me to go home and get some rest. I give you a hug, and as I bid my leave, I look at you and say, “Goodbye, Samantha McCarthy.”

Season 9 Vol. 2 The Age Of Weddings Crown Jewel Blog 21: T-2 Weeks

T-2 Weeks

Wedding Haircut

On Thursday, April 30, 2026, 15 days before Paige and I got married, I walked to the salon where Aunt Shana’s stepson’s fiancée works. She cut my hair, and it was so long I was able to donate it. I bring this up because I wanted to donate in honor of S.M., and while I don’t know who will get it (or if they are a child), I hope that they enjoy it!

Playlist

On Saturday, May 2, 2026, 13 days before Paige and I got married, we drove to Luke, Josh, and Nicholas’ campus apartment, lovingly referred to as the 245. Shortly after we arrived, Ryan showed up with pizza. Shortly after that, we began listening to music for the reception. After we made the playlist, we played a “Mitchell Jeopardy” game Nicholas had made for my bachelor party, but we never got to it. Needless to say, I won.

Ulibarri-Mitrey Family dinner

My brothers, Nicholas and his siblings (Alex, Maci, and Ellie), and Alex’s new girlfriend, who we’re gonna call Sophie, are on a club soccer team. On Wednesday, May 6th, Nicholas left for a six-week study abroad trip. Knowing that this was coming, as Paige and I left the 245, Nicholas suggested that the following day, both families go to watch the game, and then the Mitreys would join my family for our weekly family dinner.  After the game and dinner, we made a fire and enjoyed the night together.

Noah’s Move 

A few days before my bachelor party, Noah finally purchased his first house! Noah and I hadn’t seen each other since my bachelor party because we were both preparing for some major life changes. Noah’s last day in his apartment was May 3rd. So before I went to the soccer game, I drove to Noah’s apartment to help him and his girlfriend deep-clean the remainder of the apartment. I’m so proud of him for achieving this goal, and I can’t wait to make new memories in the new house!

Cinco De Mayo

There is a Mexican restaurant near my parents' house, introduced to us by one of their neighbors. We have become friends with the owner and one of the bartenders, Ammy, who bartended Dad’s 30th anniversary of Koblot, and who ended up bartending our reception. After Paige and I got our marriage license downtown, my parents, Ryan, Paige, and I went to the restaurant and got a table with some of the neighbors on Meadow Park Drive. It was very fun to see my parents interact with their friends!

Luke’s Big Weekend Pt. 1: Birthday & A Show

Friday, May 8, 2026, was the date of the last show in Cousin Simple’s most recent tour (The Falling Into Tour). The show was at Skully’s Music Diner. May 8th also happened to be Luke’s 23rd birthday. Before the show, my parents and their friends, Tim and Kristin, and my Aunt Melissa, Alex, Sophie, Maci, and Paige, and I went to Rusty Bucket. Skully's is where one of the first Cousin Simple Shows was, and it is (theoretically) where Paige and I met almost a decade ago. I thought it was crazy that this was the last time we would see them play before we were husband and wife. In the middle of the set, Will told the crowd that it was Luke’s birthday, and he was handed some ice cream (his favorite dessert) on stage.

Marriage Retreat

On Saturday, May 9th, 2026, Paige and I drove to a church in Powell for an educational event we had to attend before the wedding. Apparently, before 2020, this was a weekend retreat, but obviously, that couldn’t happen that year, and it hasn’t quite changed back yet. I was a little disappointed because the best part of a retreat like this is meeting other engaged couples, and I knew we wouldn’t have time to really get to know anyone. However, we sat with a couple who I’ll call Zane and Quinn, and at the end of the day, I got Zane’s number. While they are not getting married until January, I think they will be great friends for Paige and me throughout our marriage.

The First Arrival

On Friday the 8th, Grandma and Joe drove up from Florida, and they arrived on the 9th, shortly after Paige and I finished at the marriage retreat. That night, we went over to my parents' house and had dinner with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Joe, and Ryan.

Luke’s Big Weekend Pt. 2: Graduation, Mother’s Day and a Dance Party

Sunday, May 10, 2026, was not only Mother’s Day, but it was the day Luke graduated! He didn’t actually walk because he graduated from OSU, and they don’t even call people by name, so it wasn’t really worth it, but we had dinner at my parents' house. The O’Briens (Paige’s parents, her brothers, Ryan and Brennan, and Ryan’s girlfriend Yvanna), my brothers, and Nimba arrived around 7:30, and after dinner, we had a cake to celebrate Mother’s Day, Luke’s birthday, and graduation. Mom and I had not practiced our mother-son dance as much as we should have. After cake, we practiced a few times, and when Paige saw what we were doing, she turned on the wedding playlist, and we danced the rest of the night. 

The Tux

Monday, May 11, 2026, at lunch, I got the text that my tuxedo had arrived at Men’s Wearhouse. When I got home, I drove there and tried it on. I was very excited because it was a tux with tails! I thought it looked good, and the employees confirmed. I drove back to my parents’ house to show my parents, Grandma, and Joe. Once I got it on, Grandma told me to sit down, and the pants were too short! In a panic, Mom and I drove back down to Men's Warehouse, only to find out that, apparently, tuxes are supposed to be shorter. Which was a little bit frustrating, but at least it turned out okay.

The Rings

About six weeks before Paige and my wedding week, Tim and Kristin’s son got married at Kobolt. Tim recently took up woodturning and made his son’s ring. Around that time, Paige and I were still trying to find rings we liked. Tim and Kristin learned about our ring search at their son’s wedding and offered to make ours for us. On Tuesday, May 12th, Paige and I met them at my parents’ house so they could present the rings to us. Thank you so much, Tim and Kristin; they are beautiful! 

The Ladybug 

I really, really suck at texting. I’ve gotten better, but wedding stress has made me lose any real progress I made. On Saturday, the 9th, in Cincinnati, Kid was cutting up some vegetables. In the middle of a cut, she saw a ladybug. As I’ve mentioned before, a ladybug is a sign that S.M. is near. As she made the cut, Kid knew that if the ladybug had been an inch closer, she would have killed it. Kid took a picture of it, and texted me immediately, but because I suck at texting and Paige and I were at the retreat, I didn't look at the picture or reply to the text until Wednesday morning. Inspired by the picture, that afternoon after I dropped Paige off at work, I drove somewhere I have not been in almost 3 years…

To be continued…

RSVP (Season 9 Vol. 2 Trailer)

 RSVP (Season 9 Vol. 2 Trailer)

At the same time that Paige, Elana, Jenna, my parents, Josh, and I drove to Dayton for the Cousin Simple show, Paige’s mom took the invitations that we hadn’t handed out personally and mailed them to our nearly 200 guests. While not everyone was able to RSVP yes, and we were not able to invite everyone we wanted, just due to space, by the end of April, we had our final count of 142 people.

In the first installment of this season, I said, “I believe that while everyone’s personal Age Of Weddings doesn’t necessarily end with their own wedding, it is the crown jewel of their personal Age Of Weddings.” Paige and I got married a few days ago, and we couldn’t be happier with the day!

Rules for a Greattastic Life, Season 9 Vol. 2: The Age of Weddings - Crown Jewel will be coming out within the next couple of weeks. See you then.

Greattastic Life Special Edition: For Shana

 Greattastic Life Special Edition: For Shana

Shana Marie Savage was born to Bev and Jack Savage on June 22, 1979. Her siblings, Bob, Sandra, Mellisa, and her younger sister Cyndi, were some of her closest friends. Growing up Shana was caring, fun loving and artistic, she loved animals and to paint and draw.

Shana was best friends with a girl named Angie throughout all of high school. They graduated in 1997. During her senior year, Angie found out that she was pregnant and Shana was a huge support for her throughout the pregnancy. Angie was not the only person in Shana’s life who was expecting a baby that year. Her sister, Sandra, my mom, was pregnant with me.

Now, my initial plan for the Greattastic Life Special Edition installments was to describe the lives of people in my life who passed away before they met me. This is an exception to that outline. See Shana was my favorite aunt growing up.

Two years before I was born, Dad started Kobolt. As a young married couple who were starting a new business, suddenly being parents, added a few complications. Specifically child care. Shana filled that void. She would take me pretty much anywhere she went. I spent a lot of my time, during my first few years of life with Shana and her college friends, going on playdates with Angie’s daughter, Zoe, and most prominently, at the mall.

On what feels like a daily basis (though in reality it was probably weekly), Shana would take me to Tuttle mall and we would spend hours there! I would play on the indoor play ground, which at the time was food themed, we would eat pizza by the slice, and she gave me so much sugar! My second memory ever is of Shana, giving me one of those huge cookie sandwiches, with the icing in the middle, and her making me swear not to tell my parents.

Shana had a lot of personal struggles. By around 2011, Shana wasn't really coming around. I published The Greattastic Adventures: Miracle Child in 2021, and so at that point the aunt that I knew, had been dead for about 10 years. Because of that, Cyndi took on the narrative role of my favorite aunt in that book (and in the majority of my other writings), since we had gotten closer over that decade.

The day that I post this installment May 15th, 2026, is the same day that Paige and I get married. I'm literally uploading this installment in both forms, brushing my teeth, grabbing my regular clothes (my tux is at my parents’ house) and leaving the apartment, and I will not be back until Paige and I are married. As I said in the trailer for this installment, it was a complete coincidence that Paige and my wedding will be on Shana’s one year anniversary of death. I know that Shana understands, but I feel a little guilty for how I have depicted her in my writings. I kinda just hid her away because she wasn't who she used to be and it made me sad. So to make up for that I am dedicating our wedding day to Shana, and all of those who we have loved and lost who got Paige and I here.

Have a Greattastic day and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri, SBT (it’s crazy that that’s the last time I'm saying that before I’m married * screams in excitement*) 

Rules For A Greattastic Life Season 9 Vol. 2 will be out soon!