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

Season 8 Goals And Dreams Blog 10: Book Rage 2: The Other Mitchell

 Book Rage 2: The Other Mitchell

I was single when I published my first book, The Greattastic Adventures: Miracle Child. I purposefully set Paige and my first date for two weeks after I got her number because I was publishing my second book, Once In A Lifetime: A Song For Sam. As I have said before, I hate “publishing Mitchell”; he’s filled with stress and anxiety, and he takes it out on everyone that “proper Mitchell” loves.

On February 24, 2025, Kid and I left Kobolt after working on my third book, The Greattastic Adventures 2: Fractured’s book cover, with Dad’s employee, Kate (The Fractured Book Cover). As Kid drove off, I smiled. My original plan was to publish Greattastic Adventures 2 in March and Greattastic Adventurers 3 in Late August or early September. At this point, I seemed to be on track, and publishing Mitchell had not reared his ugly head.

Pins Mechanical is a bar/duckpin bowling alley that started in Columbus. Kobolt has created all the graphics for Pins as they have expanded across the country. Now, all the writing I do is on Google Drive, but the template for formatting a book for the company I use is in Word. Unfortunately, my laptop does not support Word. As a result, I have to reformat everything on Mom’s laptop. There was a new Pins location in Austin, Texas, and everyone had to go down there for two weeks in early March. I was unaware of this development until the day before everyone was about to leave, when Mom asked me to watch the family cat, Sami.

This led to some understandable stress, and publishing Mitchell came back with a vengeance. Because I was single when I published my first two books, I was a little nervous about publishing Mitchell existing around Paige. Not that she couldn’t handle him; he appears every time I post an installment to this series. Still, I felt guilty exposing her to him for more than the usual hour or so. Especially because at this time I was already putting her through a lot, because I was sneaking around to get things set up for our engagement!

“Hey,” I told Paige when Mom finally got back from Texas, “I might stay at my parents' house a couple of nights this week.”

“What? Why?” She asked.

“I don’t want you to be around publishing Mitchell anymore than you need to be,” I explained, “I feel a little guilty about it.”

As any good soon-to-be fiancé should, Paige replied, “That’s understandable. But you shouldn’t. I would love to help you with this. We can go to your parents' together and we can work on it!” 

While there were still many major struggles with getting it published, even up to last week, but I officially published The Greattastic Adventurers 2: Fractured on Wednesday, May 28, 2025! The name of this season is Goals And Dreams, as I am trying a new system to better organize (and as a result, achieve) my goals and dreams. When the book was published, I smiled because I knew that I am now one step closer to achieving my goals this year, and my system is clearly working!

Have a Greattastic Day and Be Safe

J. Mitchie Ulibarri!

The Greattastic Adventurers 2: Fractured is available on Amazon as a paperback and A hardcover, now!