1. When did you most recently find money? In the past few weeks
2. When have you lost something and got it back because someone submitted it to a lost-and-found? One of my gloves..I put up a sign saying I lost it, and the next day, the glove was at my door! Thanks, whoever you were lol
3. What did you discover about yourself at your favorite place of employment? Working the cash register is NOT scary, I can be very patient, etc..I've done so much growing up there lol
4. What was the last thing you peeled? Stickers on a counter I think
5. What was the most recent gift you unwrapped? PJs, etc

I posted this picture on Facebook for Pride month...

...and grandma commented: "Ahhh...but it got you here." LOL thanks grandma, that definitely made me laugh, as did the picture haha

Awww, Scott decided he's not going to play volleyball professionally..from his interview, it sounded like it would be too emotional to play somewhere else, he just got engaged (!), and he wants to focus on his career. I'll miss watching his games, they were fun to watch! I'm glad I was able to watch in person too..he definitely left a legacy there!

My cousin Jordan's (I went to his wedding in Colorado last year) wife is pregnant! Cool, I'll have a new cousin haha

( june 2-4 )

My cousin Jacque (on the right), who owned the buffalo farm in Wisconsin, died yesterday from complications of breast cancer (she had it some years ago too, but fought it off). She definitely didn't look well in recent pictures of her. :( That made me SO sad, she was such a kind, fun, easygoing, energetic lady, who had lots of family and loved them very much..I always loved going to visit her. I wish I could have seen her again, I think the last time was in 2013. I'll never forget my first visit to the farm (2003), which became one of my absolute favorite places (I wonder if her husband will keep the farm?). RIP Jacque, I will never forget you and will be missed by many <3

Jacque would have loved this though:

Great job, Scott!

( her obituary, if you're curious )

20. What is something you really wanted as a child? "Real" pixie dust haha

21. What parent are you more like? Both in different ways

22. Do you have a preference on name brand vs store brand? *shrugs* I just buy what I like lol

Today's trivia: The Eiffel Tower was originally intended for Barcelona, but the Spanish city thought the design was too ugly, so Gustave Eiffel pitched it to Paris instead, as a temporary landmark during its 1889 International Exposition

Check out this awesome news from my cousin Scott!:

"Here's how I remember it:

March 10: Your games will be spectator free.

March 12: The NCAA has cancelled the season. Career. Over.

March 18: My housemates and I drove to eight stores in search of rice and toilet paper.

June 13: I received my diploma (virtually) and faced entry into a job market when the business world was at a standstill.

Somewhere between these dates above, the NCAA approved legislation to offer affected seniors with an additional year of eligibility. This was a lifeline. For me, this meant the possibility of a continued pursuit on the court with my brothers. It also brought the prospect of graduate school and the pursuit of an MBA. Something that had not previously been an option.

Having just completed my first week of orientation for the Paul Merage School of Business Master of Finance program I am amazed and blessed at this opportunity. For the brief time I was on campus last week, I could feel the excitement to learn and achieve, present in my classmates and professors"

YAY he gets to play volleyball another year!! I was crushed (and I'm sure he was too) when the season ended early, so I was super happy when I read that! I was hoping for something like that, it seems only fair lol. I wonder what the games will be like with social distancing and stuff, and if I'll be able to go to any. So happy he'll get another chance though!

And a cute pic of Greyboy from last weekend:

In his favorite spot on mom's bed haha, awww..he was definitely purring <3

( oct. 4-7 )

Today's trivia: About a month after the Statue of Liberty's 1886 dedication, it became a working lighthouse for 16 years, with its torch visible from 24 miles away

I am now back home! The last few days of the vacation were busy, but so much fun. On Friday before the game we drove up to the college (UC Irvine) to scope it out so we knew what we were doing before the game lol (it wasn't far from the hotel, maybe 10-15 minutes away). We bought tickets and found a couple geocaches and then checked out nearby Fashion Island, an indoor/outdoor mall/plaza type thing.it was huge! Most of the clothing stores were nothing I'd like, and amazingly, there was a Barnes and Noble there! I've never seen one in a mall before! I probably spent waaay too much time there, at least two hours LOL..oops. :P I was happy to see a lot of people shopping there <3

After that we relaxed at the hotel and then went back to UC Irvine for the game (and found a couple more caches lol). It was really surreal actually being there! I kept looking for Debbie (Scott's sister), and finally spotted her on the opposite side from us (I sent her a message saying I was coming too). The area was super loud, but it was SO MUCH FUN!! They did really, really well, and it was awesome seeing Scott's famous "Stadick Scream" in person haha. In the second set, they completely annihilated the other team..one player had 3 service aces in a row, and Scott had around 3 blocks as well. They won that set 25-12! (The team they played somehow won one set over Hawaii the week before..no idea how, considering how they played this night..Hawaii is REALLY good.) Before the third set started we went over to where Debbie and her three-year-old daughter Selah were sitting..she was COMPLETELY shocked when she saw us..she thought I was joking when I said I was coming to the game!! We haven't been a huge part of their lives (we first met in 2003), so I thought she'd be like "ehh" about a distant cousin (third cousin, according to my family tree lol) coming to visit, but no, she was very happy to see us! She was sitting in the first row behind where the team hangs out when they're not playing at the moment, and Scott spotted us and waved! (Yay, he remembered us lol.) ( more under here! )

What a great trip! Exhausting, but fun lol. We had a big sale at work on Saturday, so there will probably be a lot of shelving to do :P

( more pics!! )

I have just now heard of the fire at Notre Dame at Paris, and now I want to cry. :( That is so sad!! My heart broke when I saw the video of the spire falling..omg :(

My cousin Scott's volleyball game last night was epic (I'm so glad they stream it online for free!). They needed one more set to win the match but they kept making annoying mistakes like touching the net, which had them 19-24 (you win the set at 25). I was like "come on guys, show your skills already!" They must have heard me, because they just went crazy blocking, and got SIX POINTS IN A ROW!! That was at least 5 or 6 set points they held off..wow! Scott was in on three of the blocks in a row! He was absolutely on fire and ecstatic haha. They ended up winning the set and the match! A couple of teammates just ran around in circles because they were so excited haha, and another tackle-hugged Scott. I bet the other team wasn't expecting that! Scott was interviewed after the game, and the interviewer mentioned his "Stadick Scream" (Stadick is his last name) at the end of the match..he was like "oh yeah, I was having so much fun!" Unsurprisingly, he got Defensive Player of the Week. I can't wait to watch a game in person in March, I hope it's as fun as this one! (I never thought I'd be talking about sports like this LOL)

And a very short survey thingy:

* Ever hit a deer: No
* Ridden in an ambulance: No
* Sang karaoke: No, I'd be way too scared lol
* Ice skated: Yeah, not in a very long time though
* Ridden a motorcycle: I think I did when I was a kid, on the back of one with dad
* Stayed in hospital: Yeah, overnight after I had eye surgery. There was a fun kids room to go to, so that was cool lol
* Skipped school: Yeah, one time I went to Hawaii and another time I saw LOTR: Return of the King in the theater haha
* Last phone call: I just called the pharmacist about a prescription refill
* Last text from: Mom, about picking me up after work
* Watched someone die: Do animals count? It's one of the hardest things I've witnessed :(
* Pepsi or coke: Lemonade :P
* Favorite Pie: Pumpkin pie and this French silk pie thing
* Favorite pizza: Cheese only! All the other toppings ruin it for me lol
* Favorite season: Summer, when it hasn't gotten too hot yet
* Broken bones: Nope. I did sprain my ankle once when climbing on something when geocaching and landing on it weirdly when I jumped back down. It was pretty painful the next morning, but weirdly, it only lasted that day! Maybe taking Motrin helped..
* Received a ticket: Do raffle tickets count? Haha
* Favorite color: Blue like a glacier! And purple can be cool too
* Sunset or sunrise: Both are beautiful, but sunsets, so I don't have to get up so early :P

( Day 26-28 )

Today's trivia: The sun and moon appear to be the same size in the sky because of an astonishing coincidence: the moon is 400 times smaller but 400 times closer

Today grandpa, mom and I went to the buffalo farm! Yayy..it's always nice seeing Jacque and Gene hehe. It seems like they never age!! They always look the same when I visit them. :P Plus that place is one of my favorite places in the world..it just has a nice atmosphere and I have great memories from there (like in 2003 when there was a huge family reunion). Jacque's daughter Judy came over and we had buffalo burgers for lunch (what else? Hehe). It's always nice seeing Judy too. We also went into Watertown to a thrift shop and got ice cream at Mulligan's. Judy picked her son Scott up from school and they came over too. OMG..Scott is SUPER tall..he's almost 7'!! I felt like a midget next to him haha (my pictures are amazing :P). He even makes tall people look short! I asked him if he was still growing (he's 15) and he said "hopefully!" Haha! Everyone in that family is tall, but he's the tallest (they all play volleyball too). I wish I could have seen Debbie, but she had to work (for new people, all these people are my cousins). After that we went back to the farm to say goodbye. I always feel so sad leaving there..that place has a huge effect on me I guess. Now we're doing laundry and relaxing at Ron and Teresa's house

Tomorrow we leave for London to visit grandma and Jack! We have to LEAVE at 4 AM..ughhhhh. The flight leaves at 9 something but we have to drive to the airport, drop the car off and I think you have to arrive three hours early for international flights. Blech..painful. The 8 hour flight sounds painful too..guess I'll be watching a lot of movies :P

( pics from the trip so far )