The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience

 

    

Greetings from the Ton

Err...I mean hello from Chicago. 

Lady Whistledown said: "It doesn't matter where you are, as long as one has fun."

(She never said that)

If you're not a watcher of Bridgerton, please enjoy these pretty pictures I took at a very fun event. 

But if you ARE a Bridgerton fan, you're in for a TREAT.

Let's start with my friend Mavis sending me a Tik Tok of a ball that was Bridgerton themed. I was SHOOK. She told me there was one coming to Chicago and I Googled it so fast.

I found this link: X

Then I saw that General Admission was $56 for a 90 minute show. UHHH NO THANKS. 

Then we insert my friend Faiza in here. Faiza and I are good friends and she knew that I wanted to go to this ball so bad. SO SHE BOUGHT ME TICKETS AS A GIFT. Her and I were set to go to the Queen's Ball on May 11th, 2022. 

I was stressing out about buying a dress and jewelry and long gloves. I talked myself out of buying an $80 dress on Amazon because I needed to use common sense: I will most likely never wear that dress again. I found a Nasty Gal dress in my closet and turned it into an afternoon tea time dress, fit for Miss Bridgerton. I did buy long white gloves on Amazon and a white ribbon and it really added to the dress. I already had a string of tacky pearls and I shortened it into a necklace. 

So very 1813

Faiza picked me up at 7 pm as the Bridgerton Ball started at 9 pm. The parking was SUPER close to the building. If you pay for Valet parking and you're capable of walking 1 minute to and from the building, you're wasting $25. 

They also only take card for parking unless you have exactly $15 (or $25 for Valet). It's very card based inside too. I wouldn't bring cash unless you want to leave a cash tip for the bartenders. 

Faiza and I took some pre-pictures in the parking lot as we were about 45 minutes early. The email they send you says they'll let you in 30 minutes early. THEY LIE. They let you in 15 minutes early. 

We waited as one of the first people there and we got to see the queen's guests all come line up AKA our fellow Ball go-ers. Some wore plain dresses from Target, some wore prom dresses. I was afraid my dress was too plain, but I felt really good in it. It doesn't matter what you wear to this; you're there to have fun. 

We were let inside and you see this little board first:

You scan your ticket OR they can look up your name if you have a hard time finding your ticket on your phone.

The first thing you see is a coat check (it was 90 in Chicago that day...) then you see a hall full of hanging twinkling lights. Me and Faiza took a quick selfie. 

In that hall are 2 merch stands and a picture taking spot. I HIGHLY suggest not buying merch in the main room and to wait until you leave to do so. The stands in the hall will be there when you go and you won't have to hold merch the whole time. 

The hall you wait in to go into the main area (the twinkling lights hall) had our first photo op of the night. 

You will have a ton of photo opportunities, so prepare those poses and smiles! Save your mega watt for the Queen, though ;) You'll have to bow a lot and I was told your right foot goes in front of your left foot. That could be 100% incorrect, but I did it all night. 

We  finally got let into the main room through a tunnel of purple Wisteria flowers, hanging from the ceiling. I got a quick video of it, but not a great one because they usher you fast inside the main room. 

When you enter, you get a Lady Whistledown paper. 

BIG HINT: If you want something to do, there is a game with clues on the back of Society Papers. It's circled in black!

From there, you can take so many pictures before the queen arrives. 

The picture at the beginning of this post was so much fun. You sit on a stool, take your picture, you get led to a touchscreen easel, sign your name and then a QR Code pops up for you to download it to your phone. 

I'm a little bitter that I forgot to take my glasses off for it, but oh well! 

Then you can sit on the Queen's throne (Faiza has that picture somewhere...), go take a picture in the "rain" AKA hanging crystals, and take some selfies in the cute mirrors.

There's also 2 bars in the big room. The alcoholic drinks? $16!!! And more if you give a tip!!! They definitely don't stiff you with the alcohol in it (I got a Birds of a Featherington with gin) but save your money.It's a small glass (it does look big in the picture below. It's just the angle.)  A sprite costs $6. A glass bottle of water also costs $6 and that bottle is BIG. The water is worth the 6 bucks, 

There's also a merch stand IN the room, but like I said, save it for the hallway when you leave. 

They also have costumes from the cast. I love a good Penelope. She's a plus size icon AND a writer. No one knew if these were actually used in the show, but it was still neat!

Then you hear music. Violins are playing Ariana Grande. The cast members in white wigs line up at the red curtains. Then....

OUT COMES THE QUEEN!! 

She walks the red carpet up to her seated throne. It's so much fun to see the elegance they made this woman have. People will start getting picked by ladies in wigs and men in top hats to go bow to the queen. The announcer is backstage and sees everyone bow to the queen and makes cute remarks like "what a wonderful bow" and "the perfect hand twirl." 

Then I went up unescorted, by myself. I was smiling so wide. I bowed, waited for the announcer remark, and...

IT WAS DEAD SILENT. I GOT CRICKETS.

I laughed about it but younger Megan would have been so hurt. I went up a second time with a girl I met there and all be it, I was the only person the announcer STILL didn't say anything about!! (LOL)

Then, when the queen left, we went into the next room (which I didn't know they had!). THE BALLROOM! 

We all gathered at the side of a checkered dance floor and watched a really fun dance performance. One girl was dressed (and looked like!) Daphne from Season 1 and another guy looked like The Duke. 

But you'll never guess who Daphne asked to dance before she danced with the Duke. 

ME

That's right, the announcer can laugh at THAT! Maria (the Daphne lookalike) took my gloved hand an pulled me on the dance floor. I acted very un-1800s. I followed her waltz very badly and we talked a bit. I told her I was so nervous and then when she goes "should I dance with that man over there?" meaning her co-character, The Duke, I literally said to her "yes! I dare you."


Girl.... WHAT

She was trying to stay in character but I heard her chuckle. Then the performers did a beautiful and intimate dance. It was so cute to watch.

Then it was our turn to dance! I did NOT keep up as it is super fast but I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. Even the people next to us were having a blast. Then, once again, I got pulled up on the stage and the middle to dance with a performer! I shook my shoulders and dropped it as low as I could. It was awesome. I was so out of my comfort zone, but that was a good thing!

The Queen came out, picked her Diamond of the Ball (a drag queen who looked SPECTACULAR) and then it was done. All of a sudden, Single Ladies by Beyonce started playing and all the guests started shaking their booty's on the dance floor! They played some more recent songs to dance to, but Faiza and I were too hot and decided to leave.

We bought our merch on the way out (I bought a tumbler and a tote bag). Merch is obviously expensive, so keep that in mind, too. 

After leaving, I put my hair up and we found a cute Boba place to get a late night snack on our drive home.

That was it. The end. 

Was it worth the $56?

YES. 100 times over, YES.

I do have to say, save your money: don't buy VIP. The "seating area" isn't even used because we're all dancing. All the real difference is the glass of champagne you get. 

It's also SUPER hot in there, so wear setting spray on top of your makeup! We didn't even have that big of a crowd, but I was dripping sweat because the lack of AC. 

During this Queen's Ball, I was smiling the whole 90 minutes. I had a blast and it was so worth the experience. 

I made a SUPER quick Tik Tok but it shows us having fun:


TIK TOK LINK 

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE AND HAVE A 'BALL'!

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My Spring and Summer Bucket List 2022

 We all have a bucket list (or is that just me...?) Mine are more extravagant, like "visit London" or "perform a stand up comedy show". But do these lists need to be so extra? OF COURSE NOT! So that's why I'm creating my own mini bucket list for this spring and summer of 2022. Just fun things I want to do or accomplish, really. 

Let me tell you my seasonal bucket list!

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1) Have more picnics

I made my own picnic basket (picnic box?) from an old One Direction record player that never worked for me. I, of course, could never let it go, so I upcycled it! I ripped apart the inside of it and glued some lace I had into it. It's super cute and I'm pretty proud of myself but...I'VE NEVER USED IT! I love a good picnic and I would love to pack a lunch and go somewhere in nature. So, if you live by me and would like to go on a picnic with me, I got you ;)

2) Attend Summerfest

Yeah, this one costs a bit of money. 

$25 for general admission and $25 for parking (yikes). They also seem to be selling tickets to get closer to the stages and that really defeats the purpose of us waiting hours at a certain stage to get as close as possible. Not cool, Summerfest. I'm too broke for those closer tickets. 

If you don't know what Summerfest is, it's a music festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during the end of June into the beginning of July. The Summerfest grounds are one big strip of land, so you just really can't get lost (which I totally would, too). It's situated on Lake Michigan and there are a ton of benches to eat at and look at the lake. They have 11 stages for general admission tickets and a TON of music artists to see. I love walking the grounds and getting food and hearing live music playing. There's always one artist that I usually go for specially. One year it was Yungblud, one year it was Kesha, and this year it's Charli XCX. I always make sure that they're NOT playing the Amphitheater, because that is extra money!!! But my friend, Noe and I, get there hours early to get a place in the crowd (and as close as possible). Summerfest is MY Lollapalooza, just with less people. On the 2 hour trip home, it's usually 2 am and Noe and I are jamming out to music still. I love that part. 

Always a summer bucket list item for me.

3) Buy birthday party supplies on a budget

This one is hard for me. I love a good Amazon and Etsy birthday find. I also have a party every year (you all should know by now that I love my birthday). I have a very small budget this year, since I'm going back to school in the fall. But, of course, my smart mind is adamant on having a party. 

A GARDEN PARTY!

What is a garden party? 

Here are some reference pictures:

 

It's really just a posh party in your backyard. Although, my backyard is a hill, so...a posh party in my front yard. 

It's floral and butterfly themed and my mind is yelling "BUY EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING." I made a list of supplies I want, that includes table settings and lights and things of the sort. I had to talk myself down from buying too many expensive supplies and started looking into the Dollar Store for floral plates and Five Below for outdoor pillows. I'm going to upcycle some sauce jars for flower arrangements and decorations. And the best part is that it's a freakin' POT LUCK!!! (Thank you to everyone who is bringing food because I refuse to have cheap pizza at this party).

This is so modern day Bridgerton. I'm obsessed. 

Oh and uh...this party is at the end of July. I just plan way too far in advance.

(ALSO, if you're reading this and you're a friend of mine, I can only invite 10 people to this birthday party. Please don't be offended if you're not invited: I still love you!) 

4) Go to more Farmer's Markets

There are SO many where I live and I've been to one and that was last year. I would love to travel around and pick up some healthy veggies or buy some homemade candles. Shopping locally needs to be more on my radar. A short bucket list item, but a big one!

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I would love to hear your bucket list items!

Have a great day, friends!

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I Like You but Not Like That

Sexuality is a scary word for a lot of people.

 

Society has told everyone that the norm is to be heterosexual (straight) since the beginning of time. I’m being a bit dramatic on the timing there, but being heterosexual is what has been around for a long time and what has been accepted forever.

 

Then homosexuality (gay) became more accepted. Gay rights, free to love who you love. There are still people who don’t accept homosexuality because they’re still stuck in the ways of everyone being heterosexual. But there has been a lot of progress for gay rights in the 21^st century (AS THERE SHOULD BE!!) and lots of slogans of “love is love.”

 

As time goes by, sexuality broadens. There are different umbrellas of preferences and what people do and do not like. Bisexuality is very prominent in today’s culture but there’s more to just liking male or females. Now, I won’t get into all the different sexualities and preferences (you can Google that) because I’m here to talk about one that isn’t widely accepted.

Asexuality.

 

Asexuality is the lack of sexual attraction to others, or low or absent interest in or desire for sexual activity.

 

When I was younger, I always had crushes on boys. I was definitely a straight white female. As I approached adulthood, I still had crushes on guys but...that was it. Thinking of getting intimate with someone made me outwardly cringe. Most of my friends know about the guy in my early college career that I wanted to date. He didn’t even like me, he just wanted to use me (as I later realized). I refused physical contact with him, even though I liked him at the time.

 

What was WRONG with me?! Why couldn’t I have sex with him like he wanted? Was I broken?

That was a big word that lasted a long time in my life: “Broken.”

 

As I entered my early twenties, I didn’t know what was wrong with me. There WAS something wrong, though, I was sure of it. My friends were getting married and having kids and I just...didn’t want that. I looked deeper in myself and then came to the conclusion I was bisexual. Women were beautiful, but no...I wasn’t attracted to them. I then tried to place my gender into my sexuality at the time (which was a soul searching thing and I had to tell myself later on that gender and sexuality are different things.) I was so confused because I didn’t like ANYTHING. I didn’t want anything!!!!

 

I then came across the phrase “asexual” on Google. I was scared to give myself that label because of me already thinking I was a ton of different ones already. But it really seemed to fit me. I told my mom about it and she was confused, of course, because being asexual isn’t “normal” (hello again heterosexual world!) and she didn’t know what it was. We talked about it and I was absolutely enthralled when my mom said “Yeah, I see that in you.”

 

A few years went by and here’s the comments I received when telling some close people I was asexual:

“So...you’re like a tree? You just...exist?”

 

“Oh, you’ll change your mind one day!”

“You’re just insecure with yourself. Once you lose weight you’ll like yourself more.”

 

“You haven’t explored enough to know your sexuality”

 

So, that’s when I stopped telling people. I kept getting hurt. I told myself I would never give my parents grandkids or a son in law or a white picket fence fantasy, which hurt even more.

 

Having sex is the only way this world turns.

 

RIGHT?!

(This is me inserting an eye rolling emoji because that’s how most people think still).

 

 

Why is me being asexual such a burden in other people’s lives? Yes, I still get butterflies when I like a guy (which is called Heteroromantic. I’m straight and have happy feelings when I like someone, but it’s rare) but no, I don’t want to have anything past that (which is the asexual part).

 

I just want you ALL to know: I can have a fullfilling life, too.

 

 

I have married friends who are asexual. Yes, you CAN get married and love someone while being asexual. Everyone is different and your sexuality is different from other people, too.

 

I went to a Pride bar crawl last year and I wore an Ace (short for asexual) colored bandana. I was the only one who was wearing those colors but I wasn’t judged for the first time in my life. A girl I know came up to me and said “I didn’t know you were asexual” and I had the whole “I don’t tell anyone because everyone gets upset at me” speech and this girl looked me in the eyes and goes “You need to be who YOU are. I accept you.” (Yes, I am currently crying while writing this paragraph).

 

Why am I writing this post? Because I finally want to say it all.

Is this my “coming out” post for my friends who don’t know? Probably.

 

Will I willing tell people that I’m asexual? Probably not.

 

I cry every time I talk about my sexuality. It’s not something I want (I’m just being honest) but I have to learn to live my life. I have to learn that I won’t be accepted with some people in that way.

 

I’m already a badass, I can only go up from here.

____

I finished the book, Ace by Angela Chen, last night. Highly recommended by me! Click here to check it out! 

P.s. If you have any (appropriate and non hurtful) questions about any of this, I can try and answer the best I can :) 

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Where I Get My Cute Clothes for Less

 I get a lot of questions about my outfits. Where do I get them? Do I spend a lot of money on clothes? And my favorite: how do I pull off all these outfits? ( I put that last one in because I get it a lot but it also inflates my ego). 

I wanted to make a post on where I shop and give ideas how to be cute while saving money!

I have to put on here that I am a plus sized lady so I'm used to plus size clothes, but I will also be putting other sizes on here. I just want to be inclusive and write about all sizes :) 

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SHEIN

A couple years ago, Shein was known as a cheap, overseas clothing brand and it really wasn't worth your money. 

Oh how times have changed.

These days, Shein is still located in China but they have upped their game. I have been buying their plus sizes items for about a year now and 9/10 times, everything has looked so good and actually fit me. I am a 3XL right now and it's hard to find cute clothes in my size that aren't expensive. Until I tried Shein last year. I'm going to write some Shein tips below from what I've learned by shopping with them!

*Always go up a size. This is for every size. It's still a Chinese store and they still run a bit small. If it's a baggy item, you might get away with your usual size, though! For plus size, I would definitely go up a size. 

*I'm iffy about Shein pants. Every bottom I've bought with a zipper never zips! I've even tried 2 sizes up once! I then bought a pair of pants that were stretchy and they were amazing. I no longer buy clothes or pants with zippers on Shein, though. 

*Denim on Shein has never done me good. I have tried pants and overalls. Both times, I couldn't even get them over my thighs (and let me tell you, I have oddly skinny legs). I know denim tops are high fashion right now, but you won't catch me buying Shein denim (sorry Shein!!)

*The quality of clothes? AMAZING. I have yet to be disappointed with the fabric of each item. I've had silk, polyester, and cotton. Most of them aren't thin and the 2 items that were thin, I just wore a white tank underneath. They also are great in the wash, if you follow the instructions. I would air dry if you're afraid, but I never have and my items are all in great shape. 

*Shipping is faster than you realize. I've bought some clothes and then they're all shipped the same day. The shipping email gives a long time for it to be delivered, but I usually get my items in two weeks or less! Each item is packed in individual bags, too, and I love that.

I need to stop my Shein rant. Here's some selfies (mostly from work) of my outfits for Shien!!!

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TARGET

Yes, Target is super popular, possibly cliche. And I'm the first person to admit that their plus size line, Ava and Viv is...kind of boring? I mean, it's good if you need a plain shirt (which I have definitely bough there), but nothing really fashionable is happening with Ava and Viv. There are some super cute clothes for size S-XL with A New Day, Universal Thread, and Wild Fable. But for this one, I'm going to stick with how I find my cute PLUS SIZE Target clothes.

* On Target.com, type in Wild Fable Plus. It's a hit or miss on fashion seasons with Wild Fable (I personally liked the winter/new year clothes usually). But it's always worth checking out once in a while. Some clothes won't fit right and some clothes are really form fitting, which isn't always comfy for plus size. BUT the best part is: you can return them at the Target store if they don't fit! I live 5 minutes away from Target so I'm BLESSED in that aspect. 

*Target x Designer Collection. Target used to have some really fun collaborations with designers. Although their collabs these days aren't as cool as they used to be, there's usually some treasures I find in those collections. I have to say that I was OBSESSED with when Love Shack Fancy and Rodarte had their designer collection at Target and so far, no one has beat those for me. But what happens with designer collections is that Target will show a sneak peak on their app so you know what clothes you want to get when they go on sale. I look at the sneak peak and make sure I know what I want (if anything). The collections are always more expensive, so I make sure I have enough money for what I want (LOL). They usually go on sale at 2 AM CST on their allotted day. If there is something that I  HAVE to buy, I will get up at 1:55 AM because these collections usually sell out. The plus size options are usually the exact same as regular sizes and I absolutely love that. I have returned a good amount of designer collections clothes, though, because it's hard to see how they fit if they're online, you know? But the ones I've kept usually are a huge hit with my fashion friends!

(Love Shack Fancy x Target dress)

(Love Shack Fancy x Target pink dress)

(Designer collection sweater)

(Rixo x Target dress)

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FOREVER 21

I recently talked with someone about how Forever 21 doesn't have an amazing store with clothes, especially for plus size. I have bought more online than I have in store. I also frequent the sale section. I never bought a full priced item online at Forever 21. I think I have bought a full priced item once in the actual store, though...but I think I find some gems in the sale sections. I definitely recommend buying online because you have so many more options. If I REALLY don't like something, I can drive a bit to a store and return it. I like buying funky pants from Forever 21. My favorite pants store!

(Pants from Forever 21 & shirt from Juicy Couture collab with Forever 21)

(Sparkle pants from Forever 21  /  Top from H&M)

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OTHER CHEAP BUT CUTE PLACES I SHOP

*H&M (only their sale section). I have found cute dresses on sale in store for $7. You can't beat that!

*Thrift stores. Goodwill has raised their prices way too much for me, so I usually shop at local stores for clothes when I can! I actually bought all my clothes for models for a photoshoot project at a local thrift store and they were PERFECT.

*ASOS (only their sale section). ASOS online has had some great sales. I have bought a ton of dresses from their site and have not had any that I needed to return. Their shoes, though, have never fit quite right on me. 

(Never Fully Dressed by ASOS dress)

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If you guys have any places you shop that save money, let me know! I'd love to hear about them!

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Review: Unique Coffee Café

I've been hearing about a lot about a new coffee shop by Woodmans in Carpentersville, IL since 2021. No one knew the name for a long time and then it kind of faded off in the wind as a rumor. Then, at the end of the year, on Facebook, Unique Coffee popped up and made it's name as the indie coffee shop in front of Woodmans. They kept saying November 2021 they would open, but they eventually opened in January of 2022. 

I went to Unique Coffee Cafe on my day off the other day. Even since I've been there, they've changed a bit, including furniture. They were pretty bare with chairs and tables but now they have a couch in front of the little fire place (as I've seen on Facebook) and it definitely fills up the space better. 

But here's my pros and cons list of Unique Coffee Cafe:

PROS

*The leather chairs in their minimal design of the shop are REALLY comfy. I sank right in when I sat down! I loved it. 

*I had a caramel iced latte and I don't know what coffee they use but it was definitely good. Not overly sweet but just right. 

*The employees are very friendly. I had my coffee walked to me instead of put on the counter. A little thing, but it still made me feel that I was appreciated. 

*They have a strange straw for coffee. It's a boba straw but you know what? I loved it because it made it so much easier to stir my coffee! It definitely a nice touch. 

CONS

*They don't have a huge menu. When I was looking at it, I was hoping for more. Maybe they'll expand when they get more well known, though. I'm hoping for some drinks that they put together that you can only get at Unique, you know?

*They have flavor syrups (although I had to ask about that, it's not on the menu), but they're very simple ones; chocolate and caramel are the big ones. But they don't have any thing that other indie coffee shops have, including flower-type flavor syrups. Not a big deal, but again, maybe they'll expand in the future. 

*As I said, the staff was friendly but the manager that was there didn't say a thing to me. I was kind of disappointed because I wanted to introduce myself and ask some more questions. It seemed like he really only talked to people who were "big names", as I've seen on Facebook with photos. It wasn't really busy either. I'm not holding that against him, I was just bummed a bit. 

*The order window was so confusing. When you walk in, there's a counter. But that's NOT the order counter. I had to be directed around to the back to order. KEEP THIS IN MIND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE EMABARASSED (like I was): Go straight down and on the left is the order window!!!

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All in all, it's definitely a nice place to go to work on your computer or have a one on one with a friend. There's no big tables, so you can't meet up with more than one friend. I would love to see more specialty coffees and not just ones I can get at Starbucks. But the coffee was good and I would definitely go back!

If you guys go to Unique Coffee Cafe, let me know what you think!

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Volunteering is Good for the Soul

 

Hello friends! It's been a hot minute! I miss writing on here and I miss writing in general, but I have been so busy with going back to school and the holidays happening. I'm currently at work and I have some down time so I wanted to make this post! 

Volunteering has always been a part of my life. I can remember my youth group volunteering at local shelters and even going on a road trips to help re-finish houses in different states. I've always had good memories with volunteering with my friends. I never really took into consideration that I was helping people, if I'm honest. Of course, I was a pre-teen who didn't want to dive deep into any type of feelings, so I just showed up at volunteer places that my church set up and helped. 

As I got older, I had stopped volunteering. I had a really uncomfortable time once when I went to Feed My Starving Children and helped out at their center. I was just...not great at doing what we needed to do there. I think it put me off for a few years because I was "so bad at it."

 But as I matured in the past few years, I realized there was a lot more volunteer opportunities than I know. I came across VolunteerMatch.org  somehow and there was where I found a world I never knew was there! You type in your location and BAM, it shows you places that need volunteers. 

I started off by writing a blog post on mental health for a small company around the Chicago area. I actually forget which one...but I did it for free and I found them through Volunteer Match. I had a few phone calls with the social media director and talked about my ideas for a blog post. After the post went live, it was very well received and they wanted to keep me on board to write more. I ended up passing on that, but another bigger opportunity arose.

NAMI. 

National Alliance on Mental Illness. A HUGE  organization that I really looked up to. Long story short, the NAMI center about an hour away from me needed volunteers. I had a couple interviews and I got the position of NAMI speaker in the Northern Illinois region. All thanks to Volunteer Match (which I'm not sponsored by! I swear!)

 I remember my first ever speech I gave with NAMI. It was in a state mental health institution and it was in real bad shape. Looking around, I remember seeing all the faces of grumpy people who just wanted to not be there (I would be the same way). I started my speech and I made all the right pauses, all the right breath intakes, and it went so good. The patients had to fill out a sheet of paper saying if I did well or not. Kind of like a review. I asked if I could have a copy of the reviews and the officer there was shocked. "I never had anyone ask to see them before" she said. 

Here's what one of them said:

I will never get over that one word: "Hope"

I stopped NAMI once Covid hit (even though I had such great opportunities lined up).

I decided this year to hand out cards made by my friends to all the residents in my senior living community that I work at. It was called Cup of Cheer holiday cards and it was a HUGE hit! At first the residents gave me a "huh?" face when I handed them a card. I explained a bit and told them that I put a letter from me in the card too, to explain more. 

I had residents who barely talk to me, come up and say "that card really warmed my heart. Thank you." Family members of the residents kept telling me how much their parents loved the cards. All in all, I'll definitely be doing it next year, too! 

I feel like volunteering my time to help others really grew with me as I got older. As my boss rudely put it once: "Megan, you have a savior complex. It's not great." After I tried shaking that comment off, I realized that helping people isn't a bad thing. If volunteering didn't give others joy, then that's a sad life. 

I hope you guys put some of your time to help others this new year. VolunteerMatch.Org is a great way to find things like I did! Put your skills to use, ya'll! 

As an end to this post, please enjoy this picture of me and my resident wearing the same shirt (Santa hat for privacy reasons!)

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Cup of Cheer Care Packages 2022

 Let's get right to it:

Cup of Cheer is now....ALL YEAR!

Yes, I love how that rhymes. So, what's going on?

I created Cup of Cheer Holiday Cards this year. If you missed the memo, click HERE.

Cup of Cheer was aimed at giving senior living residents a very merry holiday with handmade cards from all over the US. These card makers put in so much effort and love and I feel like even though I put together this organization, I wasn't as hands on as I usually am. I then got to thinking about after the holidays, when the weather is dreary and the moods are low. The seniors can't walk around outside or even sit on outdoor benches because of the cold Midwest winter (and let me tell you, these residents LOVE their walks). 

I researched what I could do to keep up their spirits. I won't be going back to school until Fall 2022 and although I'll be vigorously working on scholarships in the spring, I won't be ATTENDING school. Which means I have (somewhat) some free time. And what better way to have this free time than to give back. I usually do some volunteer stuff on VolunteerMatch.com during that time, but my heart and soul is connected to this Senior Living Community right now. 

So, Cup of Cheer is staying all year! Well, at least for this next event. What is that, you ask?

CARE PACKAGES! What better way to show some wintery cheer with a cute little box of goodies?!

What I've learned from my residents by paying close attention: They're always cold, they sit upstairs in the loft alone to work on puzzles, they like a good book and they're always looking for simple activities to do.

What I'm thinking about putting in the packages: nonslip socks/gloves, a good puzzle book, some playing cards, lip balm (for the blustery winter), and a handmade bookmark (by me). 

Of course, this is a very simple list right now and I don't even know if I'll raise ANY funds, but I'll be needing to make 150 boxes, which equals $1,500 for each $10 box. I would like to make it more because I think $10 is too low, BUT it is what is it and I don't want to ask too much. 

My residents have created a bond with me and I would love to give them anything I can. This is my volunteer activity that feels close to my heart :)

I always tell people: for most residents, this is their last home. I'm happy to work front desk at a place where I feel like I'm helping. 

Now it's your turn to help ME (please!) 

Below is the GoFundMe that will be going until February and I HOPE to reach that goal.

Here's a list of things I will be looking to purchase but if you have any BRAND NEW items of these, please send them my way!

Please email me HERE for my address or any questions!

LINK TO THE CARE PACKAGE GOFUNDME

Thank you for keeping your heart open!

Love, 
Megan 

 

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