When you're the best of friends...

Happy Birthday Best Friend. I'm a better person because of you.

And thanks for being my guardian angel now. I can't wait to see you again one day and laugh.

Cheers to you and the memories of 3 great moments in the story of our friendship:

Junction, TX August 2009
You  foolishly volunteered to kayak ahead of the group with "Cool Papa C " to help him set up for loading the kayaks.  You were an athlete so, naturally, you could keep up with a 68 year old man. Or so you thought.... He was so far ahead yelling at you to catch up.  You had the hardest workout of your life that day. We laughed for hours. 

Aspen, CO February 2009
Ok, so...other than the fact that we got a ticket on the drive down it was the funnest girls trip.  I loved this trip because I loved that we FINALLY lived near each other again and could do little trips like this. It was Valentine's Day and my dad had taken us all out to a nice dinner.  He ordered "Rocky Mountain Oysters" and none of us would eat them, except Laura. Bless Laura's heart. We had been talking about them the entire trip and she didn't realize they were bull testicles. We let  her eat most of the plate before telling her. We also got in our worst fight on this trip.  We didn't speak to each her for a good 36 hours. It was the longest 36 hours for both of us. But actually, we became better friends because of it. Sometimes friends fight and then you realize how much you miss that person and you forget what you were fighting about altogether.  

Christmas 2009.
Those faces say it all.  We loved to do the "shock and awe" expression.  Our families made fun of us. We would continue to do it anyway.  We had both randomly given each other aprons for Christmas. I guess when your best friends you do start to think alike. This was our last photo. I will cherish it always.

Oh yeah! And how could I forget! You'd roll your eyes when I'd sing this about us in one of my sappy, sentimental moments, but I know you secretly loved it.

Someone should have filed a restraining order.

Well, if you've been following my blog since it's creation perhaps you remember an old post I wrote about one of my many childhood heartthrobs - Leonardo Dicaprio. If not, you can catch up HERE.

During Christmas break, I decided I was going to go through my old room and discover all my treasures from childhood that have been stuffed away for years. Well, based on what I found, I wish I had left them buried.

Apparently my memory seems to have forgotten WHAT A WEIRDO I WAS AS A KID.  That's right.  Looking back on my obsession with Leo I thought, "Sure, it's totally normal for a young girl to have a crush." I didn't realize how TOTALLY obsessed I was until....I ran across this poem I wrote AND SENT TO HIM: (INSERT THE BOLDEST OF HUMILIATIONS RIGHT HERE).

Translation since you probably can't read my 14 yr. old hand writing:

I love to look and dream of you

You make my heart so glad

I feel like I could touch you

through the picture that I have

Although it's just a poster

Your piercing eyes look real

When I try to tear my eyes away

It is to no avail

It makes me start to think of what

a perfect pair we could be

WITH YOU A GOLDEN 23

& ME A YOUNG 14

I know I'm just another girl starstruck in your eyes

But I have hope down in my heart we'll meet before I die.

Someone should have filed a restraining order.

I was totally creepy.  A PERFECT PAIR? 23 & 14. I'm pretty sure that's illegal in ALL 50 states. And if it isn't, it should be.

So Leo...Near. Far. Wherever You Are. This one is for you!

At least I can laugh at myself now.  And, at least I can see HOW MUCH I'VE GROWN UP SINCE THEN.  Thank Heavens for that.  Hopefully in another 12 years I don't unearth some weird poem like this from my time as a 26 year old.

#LAUGHATYOURSELF

These things really happen?!?!

"...be more open to the various types of guys that are out there to date...you may be surprised...you should totally start going places alone so all sorts of different guys can approach you..." Etc. etc. etc.

This is the wisdom a friend imparted upon me that was running through my mind on this very occasion. Now, while I think this is good advice I have learned that like all wisdom it has its limits.

There I was alone in Indianapolis waiting for the rest of my coworkers to arrive the next day. Having been DYING to see Skyfall I walked myself .5 miles to the theater and bought myself a ticket, coke and popcorn (buttered, of course).

[insert plug: Skyfall was AMAZING. Walk. Don't run. Now. To see it. This is coming from a girl who, as far as I know, is the only one that doesn't find Daniel Craig mind-numbingly attractive. If that tells you anything. I actually liked the movie for content not eye candy. 2 thumbs waaaaay up!]

Post movie a guy approaches me - early 30's, hipster, wearing a grandpa sweater.

H (stands for hipster): "You come to this movie alone?"

Me: "yeah."

H: "I find that intriguing. So did I. Want to grab a drink?"

Me: "I don't drink"

H: "you can have a coke."

And that's when the advice above came into play...

Me: "ok. sure. I guess."

Before he could walk me through some creepy parking garage that led to the skywalks I suggested we go street side to the well-lit Champ's across the street.

Ten minutes into conversation, we'd already discussed religion, marriage and politics. You know, all the non-controversial topics. The highlight was, and I quote, "I once stole a Mormon girl from a guy." Cool. Don't know what you want me to do with that information. Maybe just try to share a mutual connection to Mormonism? Weird.

Then he side-stepped into several other topics that included "hitting on me" subjects.

Did you know there is a book out there called "The Game" that teaches guys how to pick up "hot babes." He wanted to know if it worked. Survey says....either keep reading or get your money back.

An hour into the convo, I noticed something that hadn't previously caught my attention. He'd been hiding his left hand in his pocket THE WHOLE TIME until this very moment where he accidentally removed said hand only to display his GOLD WEDDING RING on his ring finger.

Eww. I was APPALLED to say the least. Really? He thought I'd be ok flirting it up and having drinks with a married man? To quote Cher: Ugh. As if.

These things really happen?!?!

That's when I asked for my bill so that I could book it out of there only to find out he's staying at the hotel next to me so we essentially had to walk back together.

In typical awkward fashion, we arrived at the hotel and I could tell he was trying to ask for my number. I simply stood as far away as I could, waved in a more-eager-than-usual manner so that I could leave, and sprinted towards the doors of my hotel.

Thankfully my experience didn't turn the movie, Taken, into a trilogy. I don't think I know anyone like Liam Neeson to find me and save me...

I will still continue to go to movies alone on the rare occasion, I actually rather enjoy it. However, I will never accept on offer alone again without ensuring a few facts first...

(P.s. I hope my mom doesn't actually read my blog or she may be upset by my cavalier approach to the whole situation.)

If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.

I've decided to get back into the blogging world. I need more creative outlets in my life and writing is one of those for me.So...here goes...I figured I'd start with discussing my current project I've taken on.

As a former high school teacher, I have seen, firsthand, the effects of poor nutrition in my students. A a majority of them were on free or reduced lunch and it was amazing to watch the shift in their ability to focus in the classroom once they had eaten something.   I couldn't always do much for them, but I did try to provide them with nutritious breakfast or snack options before our big tests so that their minds could focus on something other than their growling stomachs.

Unfortunately, I don't work in the classroom anymore and my opportunities to help provide nutritious meals to children who are hungry has greatly deminished.  That is....until  I discovered The FEED Foundation .

Ever since I was introduced to The FEED Foundation a couple of years ago, I have been a huge proponent of their work. They are continually expanding their efforts to reach more people in order to provide meals for the hungry around the world. If you want to know more about them, check out the link provided above.

So that I don't lose your interest with this post, I will now get straight to the point.  The FEED Foundation has teamed up with Women's Health for the RUN10FEED10 10K. On October 13th, I will be running with friends in this 10K race and am currently fundraising to help have an even larger impact and feed even more hungry mouths. To find out more about the race, my fundraising, and if you'd like to help out - follow this link: http://www.crowdrise.com/katieyounger (No pressure, I'm just trying to get the word out as best as possible.)

For those who are reading this who may have already helped out, I am VERY appreciative of your support.

 If you're able to help I'd love it, but if you can't at this time I TOTALLY understand and know that you are helping those around you in your own way, big or small, and am grateful to know so many wonderful people who are always helping friends, family, and strangers around them!