28: The Year of the Superhero

Like every person in their 20's, I believe that every BuzzFeed article was written for me personally. They get what's important to me. A list of 20 signs that Jennifer Lawrence is my spirit animal? Finally! See what I mean? BuzzFeed and I go together like peas and carrots. Or like Forrest Gump and a box of chocolates. Or me with a box of chocolates and an hour to kill before dinner.

Last year, BuzzFeed ranked every year in your twenties from the worst to the best year. I was excited to see that 28 was ranked number one because that's the age I'm celebrating this year.

Here's what they said: 
"Whew — 28 is the best year of your twenties. Not because of the spectacular partying (see: 22) or because you’ll magically have everything figured out (see: never), but because 28 is the year when you’re finally able to accept that no one actually “feels” like a grown-up and it’s OK that you don’t either. And it’s also OK that you never want another Jägermeister shot and that crowded shows make you want to crawl under a blanket forever. Just enjoy that blanket, 28-year-old you."

Too old to be a grown up: I kicked off 28 by doing a fun 5k in Villa Park for Easter Seals with Bryan and my friend Katie. I think I definitely was able to prove that it's okay to not be a grown up when you're 28. It helps when you're wearing blue tights, Spiderman boxers, and running next to Superman.

This is the cool comic book picture Katie made for my birthday!

Too old to not make time for family: I also got to see my Dad, Carol, Bryan's parents, and Bryan's grandparents on my birthday! We made the drive down to Minooka to enjoy some pizza at Giordano's. I wish I would have taken a picture, but just close your eyes and imagine a happy Asian woman with a giant piece of stuffed pizza and you pretty much got it.

Too old to not make a birthday wish: Birthday cake at Maya Del Sol later that night with some Oak Park friends!

Everything I Know About Hockey I Learned from the Mighty Ducks Movies

Which means I know nothing about hockey and spend the majority of my time wondering why the teams are not doing the Flying V. I spent a great deal of my childhood watching these movies over and over. At one point, I even had memorized all the players names and numbers. I even used to "skate" around our kitchen in my socks holding a broom or a croquet mallet (because it was the early 1900's, obviously). Watching hockey is definitely not as exciting as watching the Mighty Ducks. I usually cycle through a few different thoughts every time I watch.

What I think about when I watch hockey:

• What if there were other sports where you could "legally" fight? Like basketball or even better - tennis. They certainly shout at the line judge enough. What if they just hopped the net, rackets flying, and started throwing punches? I bet a lot more people would start watching.
• Much to Bryan's dismay, I also like to attempt to commentate the game. It usually goes like this:
• Allison: "Okay, that guy has the puck and is skating over there...where did the puck go? I can't find the puck. Bryan, do you see the puck? Oh, there it is, that other guy has it now. Wait, I lost it again."
• Bryan: "Can you please stop doing that now?"
• How many people have died playing hockey?
• I wish Quidditch was real.
• What house would I be in if I went to Hogwarts? 
• Why are we watching this much hockey? 
• Why are these games on so late?
• I miss the Olympics.

Sadly, real hockey is not like my beloved childhood movie trilogy. But it sure beats football.

The Youngest Senior Citizen's Guide to Lollapalooza!

I'm not a fan of being outside or large groups of people, but put an amazing musical festival in the mix and you have my favorite time of the summer - Lollapalooza  About five years ago I started getting really into music and going to concerts in Chicago. Some shows I saw with friends, but the majority I saw by myself. It wasn't uncommon for me to listen to a band for the first time on Monday, look up where they were touring on Tuesday, by a ticket on Wednesday, and then hear them live on Thursday. After a few months of that, my friend Annika and I decided that we should go to Lollapalooza. Neither of us had shelled out more than $200 for a concert ticket before, but after looking at the three day lineup, we pulled the trigger and have gone every year since then. 2014 marks year 5 for us. We've learned a lot of lessons along the way that I thought I'd share here.

Lesson the First: Create Your Ticket Getting Strategy

Oh the days when Lolla tickets didn't sell out 20 seconds after they went on sale. Those were good years. Unfortunately, almost every year since our first year has been a crazy stressful experience. The past two years we weren't able to get tickets, but our friends were able to get in and bought 4 tickets. There are usually four types of tickets (besides the VIP tickets) that go on sale. The order is usually the lottery/secret sale-souvenir tickets, early bird 3 day pass, regular 3 day pass, and regular single day tickets. Here's how to get tickets:

• Follow Lollapalooza on Facebook or Twitter to get updates when the tickets will go on sale. Apart from this year, they've done a secret sale where they sell a handful of super discounted tickets online without officially announcing it. 

We won a pair of the souvenir passes one year and I'm pretty sure we've used up all the good fortune we'll ever have again. (It was worth it).

• If you're going with multiple people, have everyone log onto the site when tickets go on sale. Your odds are at least one of you will get through and can buy tickets for your group.

Lesson the Second: Do Your Research

After they release the lineup, listen to everyone who will be there. You can use their player that's on their website, but that typically only has a few songs on it. I use Spotify, YouTube, and Setlist.FM to do my listening research. Figure out who you like, who you hate, who you'd like to see perform live, and who has the least annoying fans.

Lesson the Third: Tough Love Time

All right so the schedule has finally been announced and all the bands you decided you liked in your research stage are playing at the same time. It's okay. Be smart about the schedule and remember that you have to be flexible. You're not going to see everyone you want to see, but you will get to experience some bands who weren't even on your list that will become your new favorites.

Planning our day - notice the highlighting. Now we've moved into the 21st century and use the Lolla app on our phone.

Also, think about the bands that you might not get the chance to see.

We had a great view of the Postal Service's last show (besides the show at the Metro they played right after this)

Lesson the Fourth: Pack A Bag - Things To Take With You

• Tickets (seems like a no-brainer, but I literally forgot mine the first year and had to go all the way back to get them)
• Fully charged cell phone (even though you probably won't have service)
• Money - bring a credit card and cash, they have ATM's there, but why get charged the fee if you can just bring enough with you
• Factory sealed water bottle or empty bottle to refill for free at their water stations

Small umbrella - it's rained almost every year we've been there for some amount of time. It's also good for blocking the sun when it's 800 degrees out.

• Plastic Ziplock bag for your phone for when it rains
• If you have room, it's worth it to put a garbage bag at the bottom of your bag in case it does rain so you can protect your stuff

Blanket to lounge on (we buy the cheap throws at IKEA)

• Kleenex which can double for toilet paper when they inevitably run out of it on Day 2/3
• Hand sanitizer - see above  

Sun block - it's hot out there

• Bug spray - if you're like me and get eaten alive in the summertime
• Mini-first aid kit - I just bring Band-Aids and a little tube of first aid cream for minor cuts

Lesson the Fifth: Relax!

Lollapalooza is a huge event and running around to the different stages is not the best way to spend your weekend.

• Check out the merch booths and if you want to buy a shirt, do it when you first get there to ensure you get the shirt and size you want

Spend time at the wine lounge - they usually give away a bunch of free stuff and it's mostly shaded

Eat your heart out at all the delicious food vendors - food at Lollapalooza is basically a less expensive version of Taste of Chicago with less suburban families and more hipsters (Hello, Rainbow Cone)

Enjoy the beautiful views of the city

Disneyland: Where A Kid Can Be A Kid...Right?

So maybe I don't know the Disneyland slogan. And maybe when I got there last month I opened my arms and said, "Ah, Disneyland - where a kid can be a kid!" And yeah, maybe Bryan looked at me and said, "Uh, that's not the Disneyland slogan." And sure, I may have said that as I was walking underneath the 'Where Dreams Come True' banner. Maybe a kid can only be a kid at Chuck E. Cheese, but I say there's one too many spokesmice telling me how to have fun.

I've never been to Disneyland as a kid. I've only been as a 20-something-year-old who often gets mistaken as a kid. On my second visit to the Happiest Place on Earth (because I know that Mr. Cheese doesn't make this claim) I decided that everyone should come here in the period of their life between being a kid and having a kid.

Here are five things to do when you're kid-free in Disney...

1. Spend some time in Fantasyland: I know, if you don't have kids why would you spend time in the "kiddie" part of the park? I'm telling you, these rides are like watching old school Disney movies. As you ride in the little train car, you travel through different rooms that feature different scenes in the movie. Except they cut out big important (but usually scary) scenes so it makes no sense how the main character got out of harm's way. The best example was the Snow White ride. You're traveling along as she meets the seven dwarfs, as the Evil Queen talks to the mirror, as Snow White eats the apple, as she goes into her deep sleep, and then in the next room birds are chirping and she lives happily ever after. Wait - huh? What about the part where...? Doesn't matter! She lives happily ever after. Next ride! I would also suggest going on 'The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.' I'm not sure what type of mischief Pooh was getting in after I stopped watching these cartoons, but apparently he has a really big drug problem now.

You'll feel like a giant in these tiny cars (or if you're me, like a normal-sized person)

2. Ride the teacups: Speaking of acid - the Mad Tea Party teacups are also in Fantasyland and a must for a classic Disneyland experience.

Bryan refused to spin the teacup because he is a little girl

3. Try a Dole Whip float: Actually, try every food and treat that you want. When you're a kid you have to get permission and when you have kids you have to pay twice as much for everything because there's more than just you - but when you're in the golden Youngest Senior Citizen age you can eat a Dole Whip float whenever you want!

Delicious Dole Whip floats that we may or may not have waited 30 minutes in line for

4. Catch the parade, but only for a few minutes: Bryan and I were able to watch a few minutes of the daytime parade sitting on the bridge in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. When you don't have kids you don't have to try to find a spot on the street so they can see all the characters dance by. The music is loud enough that you can hear everything for a few songs and then be on your merry way.

Perfect view from the castle bridge

5. Leave the park when you want to leave: Sometimes the best part about Disneyland is leaving Disneyland. We had fun, we ate the food, we rode the rides, we took some pictures, but now my feet are tired. When you're kid-free in Disneyland you can leave whenever you feel like it. Just remember where you parked or you will be walking around the parking garage for 25 minutes trying to remember what Disney character floor level you parked on.

Bryan's reaction after the second time the Indiana Jones ride was shut down for maintenance as we were waiting in line

What I Talk About When I Talk About Trying to Run: Part Two

I've got two more 5k's under my unattractive running belt, which I haven't been wearing because I'm not sure if I'm supposed to wear it on my waist or around my stomach. I've seen it done both ways and the real runners look great, but I just look like I'm rocking a mini-fanny pack. Rocking is the wrong word. You know that arms crossed, slightly swaying motion you make when you're trying to be cool at a concert? That's me with my mini-fanny pack.

What to keep in your mini-fanny pack:

• License or some other form of ID
• Cash (I usually only keep $20-$40 in case I need to catch a cab or buy ice cream)
• Credit card (In case there's a buy two get one free special on the ice cream)
• Insurance card (For when your heart stops because you're eating a pint of ice cream after running)
• Phone (Because it's more important than my left arm)

I'm sure there's other stuff that's important to keep with you, but that's what I typically carry with me if I'm running outside. If I'm running by myself I always tell someone where I'll be just in case. I also have been known to take a picture of myself pre-run and send it to Bryan so he knows what I'm wearing (and he's always impressed with my running outfits - bright pink shorts and a red shirt). Better safe than sorry...that someone doesn't get to witness my awesome color combination. I don't usually take a picture of myself post-run because I don't have enough energy to push the button on my phone. Sadly, my pink shorts have been hidden away in my closet as we've been in week 54 of winter. 

March 2014 - NWF5K

March is a great month for running in Chicago if you like wearing green and drinking beer. Since I was going to be out of town the weekend that most races were taking place, I decided to find a race in California and came across The Natasha Watley Foundation 5k in Woodley Park, CA.  Natasha Watley is a two time Olympian who founded the NWF to help fund softball leagues for inner city girls. My love for all things Olympics combined with my need to find a 5k made this an easy choice. 

Unlike January and February's 5k I was not sick for this race. I had actually been training for weeks prior. The weather was beautiful and the course through Woodley Park was night and day from the freezing/snowy weather back home. I was able to run my fastest 5k since I started running last year! Also, this race had the best free stuff of any race I've done. They had free food and coffee, lots of vendors giving away samples, and even gave us a nice bag too.

I also got the opportunity to meet Natasha Watley! Her arms were as big as my giant head.

April 2014 - The Race That's Good For Life

So remember earlier when I said I was finally not fighting off a cold for March's race? Well right after that race I got yet another cold and was knocked out for three weeks. A year ago The Race That's Good For Life was the first 5k I did. I was a bit disappointed that I was not able to train for this year's race, but I'm glad I was able to run with Bryan and two of my friends. Using the walk/run method I was able to complete my 4th 5k of the year with my 3rd fastest overall time.

I'm currently training for May's 5k and am looking forward to running one on my birthday. Last month I was running for pizza, this month I will be running for birthday pancakes. Wish me luck!

A Long Time Ago We Used To Be...

…really into this awesome show called Veronica Mars. Last year I donated $25 bucks to become an official Kickstarter Backer for the Veronica Mars Movie Project. It was a no-brainer for two reasons. The first being that I love this show and the idea of bringing these characters back to life in any form was something I wanted to get behind. The second reason is they sent me an Official Veronica Mars Kickstarter Backer T-shirt. I'm a sucker for a good t-shirt (good=free). If there was a third reason it would be this.

As an official backer I have been receiving updates from the show's creator - Rob Thomas. In one of the email updates I received, Rob mentioned the cast would be at PaleyFest in March. PaleyFest is the ultimate TV fan festival. They have live moderated panel discussions with the casts of various shows at the Dolby Theatre (i.e. where they host the Academy Awards). Uh…you had me at ultimate TV fan festival. I bought tickets and started dreaming of warmer days with temperatures that didn't start with a minus sign.

Bryan and I decided to make a mini-vacation out of the trip and explore LA/Hollywood/Southern California. The last time we were in LA we didn't have much time to explore anything, so we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get out of Winter and defrost for a few days.

The following are some of the things we did on our first day in LA. I'll blog more about what we did on the other two days as well, but like most of our trips we crammed it too full to talk about everything in one post. If you find yourself in LA/Hollywood or want to go to PaleyFest next year, here are 5.5 things I would recommend.

1. Spend Time at The Getty: Our vacation started at The Getty. We spent time at The Getty last time too, but it's so beautiful and free (only $15 to park). Bryan spent the first part of our visit trying to recreate pictures that we took the last time we were there.

Left: Our visit in 2011 / Right: Our visit in 2014

Last time we visited The Getty we took the Garden Tour which I highly recommend. As we were walking around the gardens I remembered a lot of what the docent shared on our first visit. This time we decided to do a Focus Tour of the Impressionism paintings in the Galleries. They were also doing a special exhibit on Jackson Pollock's Mural, which was amazing. Photography wasn't allowed, but here's a link to the exhibit on The Getty's website - http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/pollock/.

2. Check out the LA views: It was a beautiful day and it was the first time seeing no snow on the ground in months for us.

3. Stuff Your Face at In-N-Out Burger: A must when you're in California. I've had In-N-Out Burger a few times, but for some reason it was the best "burger" I've had that night (I order a grill cheese with lettuce, tomato, and pickle). Bryan ordered some time of double x double or triple x triple or whatever they call it on the secret menu that he loves so much.

4. Stand Where the Famous Stood: Last time we were in Hollywood we couldn't visit Chinese Theatre because they were holding a special event so we spent some time being tourists before heading into the Dolby Theatre. This totally reminded me of that scene from My Girl 2 except I was not with my cousin who I later (spoiler alert) creepily made out with in the airport in front of our parents (who are brothers). Did anyone else think that was weird? 

5. Show Up Late and Bring a Sweater: We finally made our way to the Dolby Theatre for Veronica Mars. We got there an hour early because I'm a psychopath and felt like I was going to miss something if I didn't get there right when the doors open. For future reference, there is no point to get there an hour early because nothing happens and because they blast the air conditioning so you'll be sitting in an empty theatre watching your toes turn blue. There was also this guy who was "organizing" the people who were waiting to get into the theatre by Paley Center members and non-members. The Members got to go in before the non-members which I, as a non-member, did not know about. We non-member losers got pushed to the side by the guy working the front door as he let the Members in He explains to us, "See folks this is why it pays to be a member." Then about 20 seconds later he let the rest of us in. Did I not mention that there were only like 15 Members? Wow - it really PAYS to be a member. We could have saved seconds.

Move out of the way, we're trying to take a picture!

The Veronica Mars Discussion started off Rob Thomas introducing a video/documentary that covered the whole Kickstarter process and the cast at different events. Pretty cool stuff, but about 20 minutes too long. I feel like I'm complaining a lot here, but at this point I was freezing and was waiting to see and hear from the cast not watch a movie full of details and clips that I had mostly seen before.

But then my frustration quickly disappeared as the cast walked out on stage. I had to keep stopping myself from watching the screen above them and remind myself that I can actually look at the person talking because I'm sitting in the same room as them!

5.5. Catch a Midnight Movie: After the live panel discussion we went back to our hotel to power nap before heading to see the Veronica Mars Movie showing. Let me just tell you now - that did not happen. At this point we had been awake for almost 20 hours, we flew across the country, walked for hours at The Getty, drove in LA traffic, consumed a million calories of fast food, and sat through a live panel discussion. By the time the movie would have finished we would have stayed up an entire day. It would have been awesome to say that we did that, but I am the Youngest Senior Citizen after all. Don't know what Bryan's excuse is...

The Luckiest Moment of My Life

Luck is a purposeless, unpredictable, and uncontrollable force that shapes events favorably or unfavorably for an individual, group, or cause.

A couple in Peoria marry in 1981. A year later they learn they cannot have children and join a support group for married couples with infertility problems. They learn about alternative options like international adoptions. It’s 1983 and they send out 50 letters to various agencies and universities that might be able to help. They get nothing but polite rejection letters back. They hear back from an agency in Chicago. The agency receives approximately 700 requests a year for adoption and have only 20 babies to place. At the same time they apply to all local agencies and wait. 

It’s fall of 1984 and the couple finally get an interview with Counseling & Family Services.

It’s 1985 and a 22-year-old woman in South Korea meets a waiter. They start dating, she gets pregnant, and he leaves. When he leaves, she decides she wants a better life for her daughter. One that she couldn't give her.

At the same time the 22-year-old is making this decision, the Peoria couple is accepted into the Counseling & Family Service program. The couple goes through a home inspection and parenting courses. 

It’s summer in 1985 and the Peoria couple is granted their foster care license. It’s winter and the couple receive their first life changing phone call. A local baby would be available through a private adoption in five months. They do not know if it will be a boy or a girl.

It’s 1986 and they start planning out the rooms for their future children. They know their Korean baby will be a girl so they paint those walls pink. In the other room they paint the walls beige and put up stripped green and white wallpaper.

It’s April 17^th and their son is born. Three days later he’s in his new home for the first time.

Sixteen days later a baby girl is born in Korea. It’s July and they finally see a picture of her.  

It’s August and the baby girl is on a plane with five other babies on a 12 hour flight to Chicago. As she sits on the plane, the Peoria couple make the three hour drive to Chicago O’Hare airport. 

Only one adoptive parent is allowed to go to the plane to get their new baby. As the plane touches down, the Peoria woman takes a shuttle bus underneath the airport to get to the plane. She sits with a bottle and some diapers and wonders if one bottle will be enough. The bus arrives and the parents go onto the plane to get their child. Back on the shuttle bus there isn't much talking. All six parents are sitting looking at their babies. They arrive to the main part of the airport where the baby’s father, aunt, and cousin are waiting. Many pictures are taken.

After they take pictures in the airport they say their goodbyes and make their way home. They glance into the backseat every so often to make sure she’s all right. They arrive back in Peoria at 11:00pm, greet the babysitter who says their son is asleep upstairs, put their daughter in her new bed, and go to sleep.

I started my life being incredibly unlucky and incredibly lucky. I was born into a situation where my mother couldn't take care of me, but I was lucky because she made the hardest decision - to imagine a better life for me. Even today I continue to think of myself as lucky. I'm lucky for the 25 years I got to have with my Mom before she passed away and with the time I have now with my Dad and brother. I don't know if I agree with the definition of luck. It's not purposeless. I tend to agree more with what Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Good luck is another name for tenacity of purpose."