Season 3 The Empire of Friends: Blog 1: Hope In Crisis

Hope In Crisis

Congratulations Eva And Zach!

Dad was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, moved to Michigan for a short while, then spent the remainder of his childhood in Orlando, Florida. He has two sisters, Alicia and Eva. Alicia is a realtor in the Orlando area! Eva is an electrical engineer! Eva and my grandpa, who we call Pop-pop, come up to visit us every year for Thanksgiving. They have been coming every year for 24 years.

In 2016 Eva came to Ohio from Florida for a summer internship and she lived with our family. Right before she came up, she met a guy named Zach. When the internship ended, Eva returned to Florida and she and Zach started dating. The following summer, my family went down to Florida to visit Dad's side of the family. This was the first time I met Zach. This meeting was really significant for me because even though Eva is very close to my immediate family, Zach is the first boyfriend of hers that we met. I can't say that from the moment I met him I knew they were going to get married, but the circumstances of how I met him definitely made him feel a lot more permanent, so I wasn't surprised last summer when we found out that they were engaged!

Most people in their life experience something that I call, “the age of weddings”. You know, that period of time when all of your friends are getting married. Eva is 27, and I'm about to turn 23. Because we are relatively close in age, and because I'm old enough to really enjoy weddings now, Eva and Zach’s wedding was going to kick off my “age of weddings”. On top of that, it's Eva and Zach's wedding!!! We are so close, that I thought it was perfect that Eva and Zach's wedding was going to be the one that kicked it all off! Of course…there was a slight hiccup with the wedding that no one could have anticipated…COVID-19.

We had been in quarantine for maybe two days when I was going to the cabinet to get a snack. Hung on the cabinet door, was a card that read, “Save the date for Eva and Zach's wedding 4/25/2020.” It was at that point that I realized that the wedding probably wasn't going to happen, at least not in the traditional sense.

For those of you who know me, you know I'm a social being, to say the least. This quarantine has literally been my worst nightmare, but that's a story for another time. I was still excited for Eva and Zach's wedding, but I thought the fact that we weren't going to be able to be there and that we would have to watch it through a glorified FaceTime call, would make it somehow less awesome. However, I would now make the argument, the fact that it was through that FaceTime call that actually made it MORE awesome!

I went upstairs to my computer because that's where I take all my zoom calls since that's where my podcast mic is. They started the zoom 15 minutes before the wedding actually started, so that everyone could get on and not miss anything. Those 15 minutes were filled with wedding music, which just built suspense.

The wedding finally started and the camera moved from inside the home to Eva and Zach's backyard. I was really excited, but I wasn't ready for what was actually about to happen. It started with Zach walking down the aisle with Eva’s mom, Julie. Zach's family was stuck in New York in quarantine, so they couldn't make it to the wedding. That fact paired with the fact that I wasn't actually expecting Zach to walk down the aisle, caused me to cry a little bit… don’t judge me!

Pop-pop walked Eva down the aisle, Eva and Zach stood together, they said their vows, and the woman who was marrying them (who was originally Eva's maid of honor), said, “You may kiss the bride!” Directly after that, Eva and Zach moved to a designated area and had their first dance. As we all watched them dance, we couldn't help but smile. Despite everything that was happening in the world, Eva and Zach changed all their plans, and still got married, all in the name of love. By doing so, they became a beacon of hope in a time of crisis for all of those watching.

Congratulations Eva and Zach! Can't wait to watch your Greattastic life together unfold!

Your Loving nephew,

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 2 The Coronapocalypse: Blog 13: Don't Wait

Don’t Wait

As time has gone on during this crisis, I've spent more time inside. Yes, I have been distracting myself by working on projects, such as this blog, and the podcast, but I'm still having trouble with the whole social distancing thing. I understand everyone really is, but I think I'm having trouble with it for different reasons.

In early December 2019, I had already decided what my New Year's resolutions were going to be. I was going to build a friend group. As you well know from earlier this season, I had a pretty good head start. It all started with Marshall.

I met Marshall through my “sisters” who as you all know, have moved away. My “sisters” and I had our own little friendship throughout most of our childhood and through all of our teen years. A big part of the season one blogs, was me accepting the fact that ¾ of my “sisters” were moving away. Admittedly that's something that I still haven't completely accepted, but I am definitely better than I was when they started moving. As I mentioned before, I met Marshall through my sisters. While literally, this wasn’t what happened, it felt like Marshall was kind of a goodbye gift from my “sisters”. A “ friendship starter pack”, if you will.

While working at Kroger, I met a blind man named Noah, who I started hanging out with. I introduced him to Marshall one time, and we planned to all start having adventures together. There was however a catch. Noah needed to have eye surgery done in February and March, shortly after I introduced him to Marshall. Marshall and I decided that while he was recovering from surgery (because he was not in Columbus for the surgeries), we would have our solo adventures. Then we’d start hanging out with Noah again when we got back from visiting my “sisters” in Colorado.

There was one other person who I did mention once, and who I planned to bring into my friend group. Her name is Anna. She and I went to grade school together, and we reconnected In January. We had breakfast a few times and planned to start hanging out more. My plan from that point was to start hanging out with everyone, together or separately. I’d continue to build out my friend group, from those three people.

That's not even mentioning, the friends that I have at both of my jobs. I'm upset that all of my plans have to be postponed, but there is a bright side to this. As many of you know,  this is the last blog I will be writing for season two, and I will be spending this time away from writing catching up on the podcast. On top of that, my hope is when this is all over, we will be in a new world. We will be in a world where people don't wait to do the things they want to do. A world where people don't take anything for granted. A better world then we left behind.

Have a Greattastic Day and be safe! 

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 2 The Coronapocalypse: Blog 12: Flood on Meadow Park

Flood on Meadow Park

I have been writing my blog for a little over a year now, and in all that time I'm surprised I have not brought up Meadow Park Drive. Meadow Park Drive is the street I grew up on, and where I still currently live.

Before we get to this week's story, I must explain the layout of my street. At the top of Meadow Park Drive are a church and funeral home. I worked at that funeral home for a small period of time…Oh my gosh, do I have a good story about that funeral home…another time. Anyways across the street from that is a bank. Those two establishments are at the top of a hill. Once you pass those two buildings there are houses on either side of the street. At the bottom of the hill, is a cul-de-sac, lovingly referred to as the “circle” for its shape. Directly behind the circle is the brick house that I grew up in.

The Friday before last I had been stuck in that house for eight days, because of Covid-19. Unfortunately, things were about to get a lot worse. As I said, my street is a hill and we live at the bottom of that hill, and there was a lot of rain early that morning. Mom got up, around 6:00 am and walked downstairs. Our cat was begging for food, so Mom walked down to the basement and realized that it was flooded. The carpet on the finished side was soaked and stuff was floating on the laundry room side.

Dad owns an art studio downtown. So when Mom told him what had happened, Dad got in his car, drove to the studio, and got his water pump. My brothers and I got up, and when dad got home we started trying to get the water out of the basement.

At this point we had realized that it wasn't just our house or our street, it had happened all over Clintonville and in other parts of Columbus. Mom started calling the neighbors to see if they were ok. At one point, she and I were upstairs, while she was on the phone. We saw one of our other neighbors, Donna, outside walking away from another neighbor.

Mom told the neighbor she was talking to that she was going to get a little more information from Donna, then hung up the phone and ran outside, and I followed. By the time we caught up to Donna, she was already in her driveway. We talked to her for about 10 minutes.

“You know,” Mom said, when we were ending the conversation with Donna, “Someone should probably check on Lisa.”

Lisa is Donna's next-door neighbor. Before Donna and I could reply, Mom was already on her way to Lisa's door. Donna and I continued the conversation until we heard mom exclaim, “Oh my gosh, I smell gas!”

Donna and I ran as fast as we could to the door. The smell hit us immediately when we got onto Lisa's property. Mom told me to go get Dad, and I ran as fast as I could. Dad, the boys and myself returned and Dad said “call 911”. Dad and I started banging on the doors and the windows, calling for Lisa.

We woke her up and got her out and got her out of the house. We could hear the sirens off in the distance. I was expecting maybe one or two fire trucks. Instead, five or six started barreling down our street. They said we had been their 7th or 8th call about a gas smell. It was happening because the water was putting out water heater pilot lights. It was a good thing we called though because we found out later that it wasn't just a pilot light, it was Lisa’s main gas line where it enters her house. The gas levels in her house were at 10%, and she couldn’t even smell it. I'm just glad we caught it in time and everyone is safe at Meadow Park Dr!

Have a Greattastic Day and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 2 The Coronapocalypse: Blog 11:The Coronapocalypse

The Coronapocalypse

Marshall is a “Student Ambassador” at Columbus State Community College. He plans a lot of the student events at Columbus State. He plans to graduate from Columbus State this spring And go to The Ohio State University in the fall with the goal of graduating with a science major. Our whole time in Colorado, Marshall was getting emails about events that he had helped plan be canceled. As we drove back from St Mary's Glacier, Marshall checked his phone.

“Oh my gosh!” he exclaimed, “Ohio State just closed!” August and I looked at him in shock. We all knew if Ohio State was closing, Columbus State would be following soon after. Little did we know, that was only the beginning.

We landed in Cleveland on Thursday, and Marshall's father and sister picked us up. We had a quick lunch, did a bit of shopping and then started the two hour drive back to Columbus.

“Hey Mitchell,” Marshall said when we started the drive, “Before I take you home, would you mind if we stopped at Columbus State? I left my violin and a few other things in the office.”

“No problem!” I replied.

When we were about 45 minutes outside the city, mom texted me. She told me that all of the schools in the state were closed, effective the following Monday, for (at least) 3 weeks. This presented a problem for me. As many of you know, I work at a school for kids on the spectrum. I don't write about my job there, but only for the privacy of the children. I love working with the kids and really like my coworkers. I was kind of mad that they were closing (even though I understood the reasoning).

One of my earliest posts on this blog was about the giant Christopher Columbus statue on the Columbus State campus. It was about how he pointed me in the direction of my bus home one day when I was lost. When Marshall and I got on campus, it was completely empty. It was the creepiest thing because there are usually so many people there… It just felt wrong. Even the Christopher Columbus statue seemed like less of a guiding force and more like a commanding officer, telling me where to go and more importantly, telling me to stay there.

When we left the campus, Marshall started to vent about why he was frustrated about this situation. Not going to lie I was frustrated too, but I wasn't going to tell him that. Not because I didn't want to or I don't trust him, but because one of us had to be the voice of reason…You know the world's ending when I'm the voice of reason.

He dropped me off at home, we hugged, and I watched him drive away. As he drove off, I got really sad. I don't know when I'm going to see him again. Or when I'm going to see my “sisters”, or my Haugland coworkers. No idea when I'm going to see anyone from Sam's Fans, or Cousin Simple again. And guys, I'm really angry about this one, I'm going to miss my aunt's wedding in Florida.

The only thing getting me through this is the hope that this will pass. I don't know when, but I have enough faith to know that we're going to get through this. We are not alone, and as long as we are not alone, we will survive this. I pray that everyone reading this stays healthy, and happy during these trying times. I am going to continue with my blog and podcast, but until we meet in person again, know that I love you all.

Have a Greattastic day, and be safe!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 2 The Coronapocalypse: Blog 10: Mitchell and Sam Best Friends Forever!

Mitchell and Sam Best Friends Forever!

Hey guys! As you might know, today is a very important day. It is S.M’s 22nd birthday. Last year I made a blog post about her on her birthday (and the podcast for that blog will be out in a few weeks), but I didn't want to write another blog about her this year. Not because I couldn't think of anything to say (if you get me started on her I will never shut up), but because I wasn't the only person she touched. From now on every year for her birthday, I'm going to ask someone who loved her or has been touched by her to write a blog for me. For this first year, I have chosen a person who still to this day, fights to keep her legacy alive. Of course, I'm talking about her mother. I've already taken up too much time. Without further ado, Nikki McCarthy:

Perhaps I should start by introducing myself!  Not only am I S.M.’s mom but I am also the Founder of a nonprofit called Sam’s Fans.  If you read this blog you are likely familiar with what we do to support music and art therapy programs for seriously ill children and their families. I don’t want to talk too much about that so if you want to learn more go to www.samsfans.org

Thank you, Mitchell, for the gift you have given me to write about Sam today.  It seems like a significant day today, her 22nd birthday. It is not 21 or 25 or anything special but 22.  She was 11 when she left us and it will be 11 years in October that she has been gone… after that, we will forever be going in the direction of more years lost than what we had… does that make sense?

The friendship that you and Sam shared was an incredibly special one.  It was love. A love rooted in a friendship that started in Kindergarten.  You were there for each other all the time and I have the fondest memories of after school playdates using your imaginations and making up games only the two of you knew about!  I recall how you would protect each other and be the one the other could ALWAYS count on and I know that meant so much to both of you. The faith that you shared back then was and is still so strong and nothing was going to shake it and I think it is something that carried her through the hardest times as it has for you.

Unfortunately, I do have some regrets as I look back.  I wish that we had done a better job of keeping your friendship together after we moved away.  I wish we had not lost touch over those years. It makes me sad that you were not able to see Sam as much as you both probably needed to.  I am sure you remember but I can’t even recall how and when you came back into my life but I am so glad you did. Now the friendship I share with you is yet another connection to Sam. I often forget that so many other people lost someone they loved when Sam died and how it impacts their lives differently than mine. You show me that every day and your uninhibited love for her and your friendship has helped me be more vulnerable and open and I am grateful for that.  I have watched you grow so much over the last few years and I am so proud of everything you are doing to help others like yourself. Just like S.M, I won’t go there but I imagine the two of you would have done some amazing things together to change the world.

Thank you for forgiving me for being away so long and welcoming back into your life with open arms.  Thank you for being the ambassador for Sam’s Fans that you are!  You are the best volunteer/photographer/videographer/team member/fundraiser and Sam’s Fans out there.  You were probably the first-ever fan of Sam that ever was and I am again, so happy to have you in my life!  Now, let’s go eat some ice cream today and celebrate!!

Insert shameless plug for our social media accounts that you can find on Insta, Facebook and Twitter @samsfans15!  Join us today and indulge in your favorite ice cream to celebrate Sam’s birthday and post your photos with the hashtag #icecreamwithsam!  We love having new followers too! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM and I love you, Mitchell!!

Nikki McCarthy

Season 2 The Coronapocalypse: Blog 9: SNOW-NADO 2020

SNOW-NADO 2020

Because March 13th is Arden’s birthday her dad, Rich, booked a flight for the night of the 12th. He wanted to spend the weekend skiing with her. Knowing this, we bought our tickets so we would leave that morning and not overlap with “dad time”. The problem was that Arden scheduled herself to work all week, so she could go skiing all weekend with Rich. We decided to go to Colorado anyway because we knew that we had the nights to hang out.

During the day we hung out with August. Every day we did a hike of some sort, usually in the mountains. On the night that Marshall and I supprised the girls, I put my coat down because I was hot. I forgot it in Sami’s apartment and during the week she was at work. So I just used one of August’s extra coats.

One day we decided to go on a hike in a place called St. Mary’s glacier. There was a trail and the trail eventually lead to a frozen lake at the base of a mountain. The mountain itself was way too steep to climb up, but there was a secondary trail that went up right next to the mountain that was slightly more manageable… keyword ”slightly”.

The trail was uneven and completely frozen over.  As a result, the ice was uneven as well, so some parts were more slippery than others. We would step on a really slippery spot, and slip down a bit.

“No, No, No!” August yelled at one point.

I looked to where she was yelling and saw a big dog galloping right towards her. It avoided her and started charging me. “Awww.” I said when I probably should’ve been getting out of the way.

“Bye Mitchie!” August laughed as the dog pushed me down the hill a bit.

I eventually caught back up with my friends, and we continued our journey. The top of the mountain was starting to get dark. We saw a couple and I asked them if they thought it was safe to continue going up. They said yes, so we carried on.

Eventually, the couple turned around, but we were so close to the top we thought we could make it. 20 minutes later we were still “so close”, and after another 20 even though we were now on rocks and we could see the very top, August made the call that we should turn around and head back down.

On the way back, August and Marshall were ahead of me. Marshall looked back to check up on me. “It’s coming!” Marshall screamed.

“Mitchell!” August yelled, “look out!!!!”

I turned around and saw a ton of snow, flying through the air heading right for me. I turned back to my friends, and saw the panicked looks on their faces, as everything around me went white. I legitimately thought I died, and said a quick prayer, just as the wind pushed me down the rest of the trail!

When we all got to the bottom, August and Marshall look at me. “People!” I proclaimed dramatically, “We shall tell our grandchildren about how we survived the greattastic snow-nado of 2020!"

 Have a Greattastic Day!

J. Mitchie Ulibarri

Season 2 The Coronapocalypse: Blog 8: An Empire of Friends

An Empire of Friends

It is Arden’s birthday on March 13th, so Marshall and I brought her favorite cake on the plane with us. After we surprised August and Arden, we started eating the cake.

“What are we doing tonight?” I asked.

“We were going to go to a bar with a few friends.”  Arden said.

After we finished the cake, we walked around the apartment complex and started to collect our group. The first person we met up with was Katie.

Sami works at a school as an art teacher. Katie works at the same school. When they discovered that they lived in the same apartment complex, they decided to start hanging out together. After the introductions and a bit of small talk between Arden and Katie, Katie asked how Sami and Arden met.

“Well, I went to the gym,” Sami explained, “and Arden was there. Neither of us really had friends yet, and we hit it off.”

“Then we met MJ”, Arden continued, “and our little friend group grew!”

“Now you’re here” Sami finished dramatically, “and together we shall build our own empire!”

We all laughed and then started walking to the bar. On the way, we met up with MJ, another resident of Arden’s apartment complex.

The bar had a small area for dancing. Not gonna lie, when we got there the dancing area was kind of dead. Just as a general rule though, I like it when places are more dead, because usually when I go out with the girls dancing and I feel like I have to play defense, against creepy guys… but I digress, either way, we brought the bar back to life.

The night was really fun and a lot of shenanigans took place, but that is not the reason I am writing this blog. I’m writing this blog because as I watched Arden and her new friends living it up, it reawakened my obsession with making new friends.

Yes, I’ve had this obsession for a long time now, but seeing all this happen gives me a more clear idea of what it looks like. I want an “empire” of friends and I’m going to keep my mind open for new experiences and friendships again. Wish me luck!

To be continued