Season 4 Step 1 Blog 12: Did he just say “Psych”?

 Did He Just Say “Psych”?

I got on the plane in Atlanta on my way back from Greg and Temi's wedding. I knew that on the following Saturday (7/3/2021), I would be getting on another plane at the Cincinnati airport on the way to Colorado. So the day finally arrived, and Aspen picked me up from my house. We drove the hour and 40 minutes to Marshall's house, and then we headed right to the airport.

Now I checked a bag, and Marshall thought it was a carry-on, so we got to the airport a little later than we probably should have. The line to check the bag was incredibly long. The only reason we actually made our flight was that almost everyone in the line was on the flight to Denver. When the people behind the counter figured that out, they opened up more lines. Still, we were some of the last people on the plane.

Marshall and Aspen sat together, and I sat between two ladies, one set of seats in front of them and in the other aisle. The plane took off on time, and we didn't run into any issues until we were approaching Denver. "Attention ladies and gentlemen," the Captain said over the intercom, "There is some weather over Denver so we are going to have to circle around a couple of times because for those of you who aren't familiar with aerodynamics we can't just stop the plane!"

I thought that was kind of rude because I would assume it's common knowledge that you can't stop a plane in mid-air… But, I don't know, maybe that's with me. So, we spent the next 20 minutes circling around the skies of Colorado until, eventually, he told us that we were finally going to land.

The lady who sat in the window seat opened her window shade which I really appreciated because I love watching the plane land. I watched as we slowly got closer to the ground, and I heard the wheels come out. When we were right above the runway, I was so excited to finally be back in Colorado. The wheels touch the ground, but suddenly without warning, the plane pulled up, and we started flying again!

"What?" Every passenger said in unison.

"Psych!" The Captain said over the intercom a few seconds later.

A few people throughout the plane laughed at that, including me. "I'm sorry," the lady in the window seat said, "Did he just say 'psych'?"

At that point, I realized how mad most of the plane was about our current predicament. So we circled for yet another 20 minutes. When we landed, the pilot finally explained that he had overshot the runway, so there wasn't enough room for him to slow down. I get why everyone was mad, but at least we didn't crash into the side of the airport!

To Be Continued...

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 11: Greg’s Wedding Part 3: Congratulations To The Bride And Groom!

Greg’s Wedding Part 3: Congratulations To The Bride And Groom!

"You may kiss the bride!" the pastor said at the end of the Western wedding. Everyone cheered! We bowed our heads for a quick blessing, and as I looked down, I saw Greg's wedding ring on his finger. Oh my gosh, they're married, I thought to myself in utter disbelief.

We processed out of the wedding in a botanical garden and got ready for the reception. The wedding party entered the reception, and Greg and Temi had their first dance. Then there were the mother-son and father-daughter dances, followed by everyone giving their speeches. When the speeches were finished everybody started dancing.

The plan was that Greg and Temi would make their exit and change into regular clothes at the end of the reception while I ran to the car and waited to pick them up to take them to a hotel. About 20 minutes before the reception ended, Greg came up to me. "Hey," he said, "I left my regular clothes in the rental car. Can you go and get them?"

"Of course!" I said with enthusiasm.

It was about 11:00, so the garden was dark, and I realized that I had no idea where the parking garage was. Lucky for me, I saw Greg's sister Melody and asked her if she knew where it was. Melody led me through a couple of buildings, and before we left the last one, she left the door open so that we wouldn't get locked out.

We got to the car, and after we got his clothes, we started to run back to the reception. But, unfortunately, the door that Melody had propped open had been closed. We both started to panic until we saw a security guard.

"I don't have a key to that door," he said. "Try going to the front desk."

Luckily as we were starting to head that way, we found a woman who had a key to a side gate. So we got back to the reception just in time to give Greg his clothes. Within a couple of minutes, Greg and Temi made their exit, and I picked them up and drove them to the hotel.

Congratulations Greg and Temi! Wishing you a Greattastic life and a very happy marriage!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 10: Greg’s Wedding Part 2: Nigerian Ceremony

 Greg’s Wedding Part 2: Nigerian Ceremony

Temi, Greg's bride, is from Nigeria. As I mentioned in a previous installment, "Groomsman," I have known that they would get married long before the actual engagement announcement. What I didn't realize initially was that there were going to be two weddings. The first was a Nigerian ceremony on Saturday (6/26/21), and the second was a Western ceremony on Sunday (6/27/21).

Greg, the other groomsmen, and I arrived at the Nigerian wedding venue at about three, dressed in our traditional attire. We were introduced to the woman leading the ceremony (whose title name I cannot remember), and she told us not to be stressed. The groom's party took a sigh of relief as a group, and we were taken into a back room to wait.

The ceremony started without us because everybody (Greg and Temi's families then the groom’s and bride’s parties) entered individually. When it was our turn to enter, the leader told us to dance to the music played. I was trying hard not to stim (flap my hands/squeal in excitement), so to cope, I just had a giant goofy smile on my face. After we danced in, we were led through the ceremony. About halfway through, the leader asked, "By raise of hands is anyone married?" None of the groom's men were, so none of us raised our hands. Because I was still smiling, though, the leader saw me and asked me specifically, "Are you married?"

I knew she wouldn't take me seriously with the way I had been smiling, so I said, "No!" very firmly. It wasn't until everyone started laughing that I realize that it sounded like I was saying, "No, I'm not married and I don't want to be! I don't know what Greg is thinking he's crazy!"

When we finished our part of the ceremony, the groomsmen sat down, and Temi and the Bridesmaids entered. The Bridesmaids did their part of the ceremony, and then they sat down. When it was just Temi standing alone, she was directed to "choose" a gift that Greg's family had donated. The gift she chose was a bible, and in the package with it was a ring. Long story short, Greg had to "re-propose" to Temi in front of everyone! We watched him get down on one knee and profess his love to her. As he spoke the words, we all knew this was the most genuine thing he had ever said because of how he looked at her, and it was beautiful.

To Be Continued...

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 9: Greg’s Wedding Part 1: A Story About The Bachelor

 Greg’s Wedding Part 1: A Story About The Bachelor

I got off the plane in Atlanta, Georgia, got my bag from baggage claim, then met up with one of Greg's two best men, Timmy.

"So…" Timmy said, as we were walking into the rental car pick-up, "I'm gonna need you to step up and be the second person registered to drive the rental car. Are you ok with that?"

"Ummm, yeah, I can do that!" I said, not sure if I actually could.

After we signed all the paperwork, we got into the rental car, picked up a couple more groomsmen, and went to "the bachelor pad." There were six other friends of Greg's who were in the wedding party, and a few others joined us throughout the night.

We went to two different places for the bachelor party. The first stop was TopGolf where we played for about two hours. After that, we went to this incredibly expensive restaurant, and we all ate to our heart's content. Finally, we got back to the bachelor pad sometime after midnight. As we were busy the next day, Greg suggested that we go to bed.

"Well, actually," Timmy said, "I have asked everyone to prepare a little story about you and your character."

Everyone got situated, and we went around the room telling stories. Mine went a little something like this: When Greg and I were growing up we would have lightsaber fights. We would actually script out fight choreography because we were nerds. One summer evening, after a long day of dueling, Greg and I were sitting in his front yard talking. Suddenly Greg's front door opened, and his dad stood on the front step holding a lightsaber.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." I said.

Greg smiled at the reference, and we swung our lightsabers open. Greg and I charged his father, and the battle began. The fight was very intense because Greg's dad was fighting strategically, so we had to fight even harder just to stay in the game. Eventually, Greg and I got separated, and only Greg's dad and I were fighting. His dad took a swing, and my grip on the lightsaber was not tight enough at that moment, and it flew out of my hands. Before he realized that I was now defenseless, Greg's dad took another swing and hit me right across the face. I hit the ground in incredible pain. I saw Greg's face contort in rage as he let out a scream and threw his lightsaber at his dad, and hit him right between the legs!

I told that story because that's who Greg has always been to me. He has always defended and been there for me. He was with me when my "sisters" and I were fighting, he was there when I was coping with S.M.'s death, and he was there whenever I was having a bad day. Greg has been so loyal to me even when I didn't necessarily deserve that friendship from him, and I am so thankful for that.

To Be Continued...

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 8: Change

 Change

Last Sunday (5/23/2021), I pulled up to Marshall's house. After a quick lunch, we started packing his belongings into our cars. When we had gotten ourselves situated, Marshall sent me the address just in case I lost him, and we began a long drive to Cincinnati.

Marshall and I met each other in the spring of 2018 through my "sisters," but he and I didn't become my best friend until late 2019. We spent the early months of 2020 doing everything together. The plan was for  Marshall to remain in Columbus and graduate from The Ohio State University. I was excited about that plan because it meant that he would stay in town for at least another three years. When COVID-19 hit, I knew things would change, but I didn't expect it to change the plan.

During the pandemic, Marshall got a summer job in Montrose, Colorado, at Battelle. He ran one of Battelle Memorial Institutes Critical Care Decontamination Systems, which removed contaminates from N95 masks. Because of his experience with Battelle, Marshall got hired at P&G in Cincinnati when he returned to Ohio. Ever since he got back, he has been taking the daily trip from Columbus to Cincinnati for work. Realistically it just made more sense for him to move to Cincinnati and finish school there.

We arrived at Marshall's new apartment around 7:30, and after he gave me a quick tour, we started unloading all of the stuff from the cars. I had to work at Kroger the following day, and we were about an hour and 40 minutes away from Columbus, so we knew we had to leave pretty quickly. Despite this fact, I still wanted to see the surrounding area.

We ended up going to a park with a vast lake. Since we didn't have time to explore the whole thing, Marshall started explaining the layout. As we walked through the park, we saw a sign announcing that there would be some landscaping done in the park. The top of the sign read, "Changes are Coming!"

We laughed because of how appropriate the sign was for what was going on. As I thought more about the sign, I started to do a little self-reflection, and I realized I'm proud of myself. When I began Rules for a Greattastic Life, my "sister" Arden had just moved to Colorado, and my "sister" August was planning to move permanently as well. I've never been good with change, and those two significant changes deeply affected me and took up a lot of my focus in Season 1. 

I think I'm more okay with Marshall's move for a couple of reasons. For one thing, it's been a couple of years since all of that started. For another, since Marshall has been making the drive to Cincinnati daily for the better part of a year, so I know he will continue to come back to Columbus. Also, I now know I can make the drive there. I'm happy that I am getting better at accepting change!

Have a Greattastic day and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Book update: I have been trying to get the e-book version of The Greattastic Adventures: Miracle Child out for the last month, but I have been running into some technical difficulties. My family is going to Florida later in June so on the drive my brother Josh and I are going to figure out what's going on! Once I have finished the ebook I am planning to have a book signing. Thank you for your patience!

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 7: Book Rage!

 Book Rage!

Oh…MY...Gosh! It's been over a month since I last made a new installment in this series, but there is a reason! If you follow me on social media, you are undoubtedly aware that I was spending last month trying to get my book, "The Greattastic Adventures: Miracle Child," published. What a journey it has been!

The final push began in mid-February when my "sister" Arlo (Kid) started working on the front and back cover art. Now, Dad has an art studio called "Kobolt Design Studios, Inc." Once Kid had finished her part in March, I started working with one of Dad's employees to format and complete the cover. The employee’s name is Eoghan, and he was accommodating and spent a lot of time getting it to look the way I wanted it. Side note- just by sheer coincidence, Eoghan went to grade school with my other "sister," Arden, who is responsible for inspiring me to write the book in the first place!

I've been using Google Docs for all my writing, but the self-publishing website I used only had Word doc templates, and as a result, I knew I was going to need a little help. While Eoghan and I worked on the cover, my brother Josh and I worked on reformatting the manuscript. The biggest problem was we were having trouble accessing the manuscript on any other computer besides Josh's. I could open it on mine, but I couldn't see where the pages were as clearly, so I accidentally messed the entire format of the book up multiple times. A vicious cycle started to develop because when I would fix one problem, I would accidentally create another!

I guess what I'm trying to say is the last month or so has been incredibly stressful. I'm a writer- a storyteller… Formatting is not my strong suit. What made it so frustrating was that I couldn't write anything because the technical stuff was always hanging over my head. The moral of the story: Don't let anything stop you. Even if it's annoying and stressful and consumes all of your time, you will achieve all your goals if you persevere!

Have a Greattastic day and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

The Greattastic Adventures: Miracle Child is available on Amazon now! The e-book is coming soon!

A portion of all proceeds will go to Sam's Fans.

Season 4 Step 1 Blog 6: A Rant About Love

 A Rant About Love

Before we get into this installment, I need to talk about guest bloggers/podcasters. Last year, I had my friend, Nikki, write a blog in memory of her daughter, my best friend, Samantha McCarthy (S.M.), on her 22nd birthday. At the beginning of that blog, I said that I would have a guest every year on her birthday who had/has been touched by S.M. or Sam's Fans. In case you are unaware, Sam's Fans is a non-profit founded by Nikki that supports music and art therapy for terminally ill children in Ohio hospitals. Last year S.M.'s birthday landed on the weekend that lockdown started for Covid. At the time, schools were only supposed to be closed for three weeks, so I thought things would be okay within a month, two months maximum… Oops. As a result of things still being up in the air, I decided not to get a guest blogger this year because it would be nearly impossible to get the podcast version recorded. I decided to take the opportunity to write something that I don't know when I would write it otherwise.

The story of my grief started at S.M.'s funeral. After that, I lost three other peers under similar circumstances, and miraculously I ended up coping with all of the loss and trauma through Sam's Fans. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm done grieving. Now, I understand that grief technically never ends, but I have gotten to the point in my life where emotionally, I am as okay with the situation as I'm ever going to be on a good day. Or almost as okay as I'm ever going to be because there still is one thing that I can not accept.

I met S.M. when I was in kindergarten, and by the end of third grade, I was absolutely in love with her. I know I have said that I loved her before, but for people who don't know me, I don't know if I've been clear enough about what I mean by that. We say "I love you" to so many different people, and in terms of friends and best friends, it doesn't mean the same thing as if you were saying it to someone you are attracted to. Yes, I call S.M. my best friend because that was the relationship we achieved, not because we were just best friends.

I'm having a problem with this because I have told S.M.'s story to so many people in my everyday life. When I tell them that I loved her, I'm usually met with the same expression. I can't describe exactly how the face changes, but I can tell you precisely what they're thinking: "Okay… sure this girl was your best friend and you definitely had a crush on her, but saying you were in love with her is just you romanticizing that crush because she is gone."

It doesn't bother me that people don't believe me. I honestly don't care; I know I'm telling the truth about how I felt. What bugs me is when people cut into the story and verbally say what they're thinking because it feels like they're trying to change the story to fit what they're comfortable with, and then I have to fight to keep the story intact. And the worst part is I don't think people know that they're doing it… It's just kind of something that happens on instinct.

S.M. was by far the kindest person I have ever met. She stood by me when I was getting bullied before I was diagnosed with autism, and she would help me get through my "autism meltdowns" when I had them...even though the crap she was going through was much more severe and traumatic than anything I have personally faced. And don't even get me started on her sense of humor, okay? I tend to stay away from writing or talking about it because it's just so hard to explain, but she was just so innocent and goofy it was the perfect mixture, even that isn't a good description of it. She was all of this and so much more for so many people. I'm not going to change the way I tell the story because some people don't understand it, but I'm also not going to sacrifice the rest of the story because I'm defending my feelings. She deserves that, at least! I guess that's why I'm writing this installment, really to hold me to the mark a little better!

Have a Greattastic Day and Safe

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

You can find more information about Sam's Fans at www.samsfans.org or by following them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @samsfans15! Also If you are reading this on March 15th, Every year to celebrate S.M’s birthday, We all eat ice cream (her favorite dessert) and post it to social media with the hashtag ice cream with Sam. Please join the celebration!