The Rents

So I like my parents.

The amazing sunset over my backyard on Saturday.

I'm getting to be at that stage. I've always loved my parents. Do not get me wrong. I consider myself one of the luckiest people alive with parents like mine. There are a lot of humans in this world who have sub-par parents and mine are definitely better than par. Like way better. They are so intelligent, creative, funny, friendly, and wise. While I've always loved them, I didn't always like them. I had those stupid times where I felt like they were too strict, too uptight, and too controlling, especially in high school. But somehow in the past few years I got to the point where I not only love them, but I like them. I really do. I'll be writing more about them in the future I'm sure. Lately I just have been feeling like I have cool parents.

Dad texting me from his tree stand while he was
deer hunting. Notice how he signs his name at the
end of every text message he sends me. 

I was home for about 36 hours this weekend. I had the opportunity to get my oil changed at home with our trusted go-to mechanics, which is good, because I found out that my car had virtually no oil in it. That clicking sound that was going on in my car for the last two weeks? Yeah, that was the engine telling me that some bad stuff could seriously go down at any moment. Thankfully I made it home safely and got Remy all fixed up and ready for this winter. Other than that, I spent my time at home, making food, shopping with my mom, and going out to eat with my parents on Saturday night. Back in the day three years ago I'd burst through the door, drop my stuff on the ground, and head out with my friends. It's true that I just don't have as many friends at home anymore, but I think it's also that I really miss my mom and dad these days. I miss home and the safety, feeling of belonging, and simple Wisconsin goodness that they symbolize to me.

My mom officially has more of a social
life than I do. Good work Kathy. 

I often write in this nostalgic blurriness every time I return after a quick trip home, but that's just the great feeling I get from sleeping in and having a simple day back in Cedar Grove. Beautiful trees, open land, no neighbors, the smell of farm, fresh air, and perfect starry nights. I really love Chicago, but getting home for a bit is so so sweet. It's sweet because of all that good stuff about rural Wisconsin in the fall, but it's mainly because of the two people who live there.

Punkin

Two weeks ago I got to accompany Rudi, Steph, and family to a pumpkin patch for some memory making. SoyJoy had some issues with pronouncing the word pumpkin. And kept saying punkin. Then I stopped trying to teach her how to say it because it sounded cuter her way anyway. Sawyer and Xander each got to choose a pumpkin and, as a special treat, we all got Qdoba afterwards. You know, pumpkins and Mexican food. The classic American family's fall festivities. If I someday have kids as half as cute as these I'll be a happy person. 

Girls Who Run

Last Sunday morning I had the opportunity to feel amazing. I highly recommend taking any opportunity you can to feel amazing. It is fun. I ran my first 15k in the Hot Chocolate Run in downtown Chicago, which translates to about 9.3 miles! In July, just after I had decided to live with her, Kristin sent me an e-mail saying, "Hey Anna! Wanna run this with me in November?" At that point, I was like, pssshhhh, November? That's like eight million years away. Sure thing I'll sign up!" Then it was October and I was like, "AHHHH CRAP." But it actually turned out to be wonderful! I trained enough to keep up with Kristin the whole time and we kept a pace of about 9:35 per mile. The atmosphere was so positive and so inspirational, not to mention the delicious chocolate we got after crossing the finish line. I felt SO STINKING GOOD about accomplishing my goal and am now currently looking for a half marathon to do in the spring next year.

One fun element about Sunday was the people-watching I got to do for the hour and a half we were running. I don't run with headphones, so I did some hilarious eavesdropping on different types of people, particularly female runners. I've noticed that girls like to talk while they run (or maybe we all just like to talk). I decided that there are a few types of girls who run.

Kristin and I after the race, waiting for our train back to the apartment. 

1. The Divorcees. Don't mess with these ladies. They ran the entire 9.3 miles while bitching talking about their situations and never ran out of breath somehow. The rage that fueled their hatred for their ex-husbands must have spilled over to keep those lungs pumping as well. From mile 5-6 I learned about one who had to deal with quite the loser of an ex-husband who wouldn't show up to court dates. C'mon dude! Show up to the court dates...then I won't have to hear about it during a fun 15k!

2. The Hardcore 6-packers. These girls have chinese letters tattooed on their ribs and are running in tank tops in November. They were talking about things like cross-training and protein supplements. The triceps on these broads would probably not make it through airport security. I was terrified.

3. The Get-back-in-the-game-new-moms. I love this type of girl who runs. They are happy, working hard, and really proud of themselves. Many of their families were cheering them on with signs that said things like KEEP IT UP MOM! WE LOVE YOU! It was adorable and wonderful. You go girls!

4. The Type-A Workaholics. These girls were simply crossing this 15k off of their list of 6,782 things to do that Sunday. One of them had her bluetooth in her ear and was talking on that as she went, and another explained to her running partner about how her promotion offers her a greater opportunity to steer the company the way she'd like it to go. Meanwhile, I'm still learning what HMO means. #freshcollegegraduateproblems

5. The Encouraging-best-friends. I almost laughed out loud at this one pair of girls. They basically were talking themselves into believing that they were rocking the race as they were walking along the side of the path as everyone else ran past. An actual quote: "Okay, I feel great right now, and I'm totally not quitting, but I need to slow down." To which the other says, "Oh I totally know. The last three miles are all your spirit." Ha.

6. The Sorority Girls. There has yet to be a social group that fascinates me more than the sorority girl. They are some of the nicest, highly motivated, energetic people I've met. These were the BESTIES who were dressed like TWINSIES to run; they were playing the new T-Swift album from their phone as they both sang along and zoomed past us, all lululemoned out, ponytails swinging simultaneously in sync with the girly beat. Here's to you, Zeta Phi Gamma Deltas.

7. The Freshly-post-college-girls. Kristin and I obviously fell into this category. There just seemed to be tons of young twenty-somethings out there who needed a pick-me-up in November to keep the joy, fitness, and inspiration going. The race definitely did all of those three things for me. I think I'm hooked. 13.1 miles, you're next. 

(And then you have guys who run. They're not chatting, singing Taylor Swift, or talking about their exes. They're just running. What a novel idea.)

Beeeeeee Yourself

(The title was meant to harken back to my Disney days. Oh wait...I still am in my Disney days. Either way, click the link and you'll find one of my favorite scenes of all time.)

"You DOIN' too much!"

That means that you're trying too hard. My second graders say that to each other when they need to settle down. When they need to stop trying to get attention by doing what they think is cool. To give you a frame of reference, a perfect example is my student named M. M takes any opportunity to yell gospel music, break into the MC hammer dance, scream, throw a fit, steal things, throw things, whatever it may be, in order to get the spotlight. He is a happy kid and gets along with others, but he just needs to feel that approval from others in the form of being the performer. He's a crowd pleaser by nature (I know how he feels). But my one girl, T, tells it like it is. She calls him out every time when he is being ridiculous and trying too hard. She throws up her hands and says, "M! You DOIN' too much!" T is on to something here. My children are wise beyond their 7 years. It's something that I'm still trying to get straight myself. They have taught me this lesson:

Be yourself. 

Stop trying too hard. Stop busying yourself with impressing everyone. The best attention you can get does not come from being a pleaser but comes from being yourself. I come from a family of people who are very good at being themselves. To be a Gesch means something very particular to a lot of folks because we are a family full of people who are unashamedly weird, smart, talkative, and eccentric. And they live it out on a daily basis, whether it is popular or not. My second graders have this same sense of self. They are loud, emotional, impulsive, happy, sassy, and confident. I think it's all in the secret of being real with yourself and knowing who you are. Find that one thing that makes you YOU and DO THAT on a daily basis. I'm not speaking in terms of a career or job or calling as many people from my church say, but I'm talking about your YOU-ness. Your personality. Your vibe. Everyone's got their own stamp. Their own flavor. Are you sarcastic, whimsical, unconventional, loud, understated, or offbeat? Be those things. Are you weird? BE WEIRD.

I was addicted to Calvin and Hobbes from 2nd-8th grade. One of the things that
always drew me to love Calvin's character is that he is always completely himself. 

It's obvious when you try too hard to deny your own weirdness or other flavors; it's clear when you try to make your brand of YOU fit into someone else's. I think girls in particular (maybe guys are too...I just don't understand their brains to be honest) are prone to this for some reason, myself certainly included. I know a girl who so painfully cares about talking and acting cool to adapt to the particular party, people, wedding, or workplace that she finds herself around. A lot of people do this. These are the kind of people who all dress alike, talk alike, and really want the whole world to know on a daily basis what they are saying and wearing so we can all be jealous of them on twittagrambooktrest (In case you're wondering, that's the combination of twitter, instagram, facebook, and pinterest that I think will happen when they all merge to form one mega time-sucking site to consolidate our attention in one place. You heard it here first). Then, people who check these things are supposed to believe that this is "normal" and be jealous. That works for the short term popularity boost, but in the long term I think we can all agree that just totally isn't cool. Or interesting. At all. Who wants that? And how exhausting for people to try that hard? I just want to say: "Hey. You. You DOIN' too much. Cut it out." And let me say, I am totally guilty of this. I love social media too much and love connecting to people out there who are doing interesting things with their lives. I always have to check myself to make sure the things I do are out of the joy of making connections and not out of the thrill of seeking approval, as is the pitfall of all this social media stuff. This is why my second graders are so good for me in ways like this. 

Ellen Page. A celebrity very good, in my opinion, at being herself in a world were most people aren't. 

When they start to walk, talk, and do things like themselves, that's when people become cool. I think I'm getting a little bit better at this as I get older and out of the high school and college contexts. Or at least I'm trying to bet better at this; I'm trying to find my voice and embrace it. One of the perfect examples of this is my friend Ann Marie. The girl is so gorgeous and could very easily play into that "stupid-hot-chick" thing if she wanted to, the way that so many pretty people do. But instead, she unashamedly loves to go fishing, works her tail off for her masters degree, fixates on random foods (Salty Stix all through high school!), has no concern over climbing up a social ladder, constantly engages in extremely intelligent conversation, and is weird and silly all at the same time. To me, that's cool. And you know what? I'm an optimistic, sarcastic, smart, loving, adventurous, and extroverted person. That's who I am, and that's how I think I'll always be. The hip apathetic-laid-back-super-chill-understated thing just won't ever totally be me. If it is you, that's great! Then you do that thing, and I'll do my thing. I think one of the biggest compliments someone could give me as I grow up and do this whole adult-life thing would be to tell me that I'm very Anna-y these days, that I'm really myself. I'm always in a struggle to just embrace who I am and being THAT to the best of my ability. As I keep working on it, I hope you do too. Find your brand of weird and make it cool. Find the things that make you YOU and do them (this blog is one of my "things"). Set yourself free from figuring out what people want, relax, and beee yourself. Quit doin' too much. 

Stuff Students Say: October Edition

Okay I know it's technically November right now, but these are the wonderful quotes I harvested from the 31 days in October. Most of them have to do with Halloween because it was all they had been talking about for the 31 days in October. My favorite is the last one. Although all of my great grandmothers are deceased, this child claims to think that one of them is cool. I can't argue with that. Enjoy.

Student 1: My baby sister is going to be a bloody witch for Halloween.
Student 2: A bloody Mary?

Ms. Gesch can we have a candy fight?

My mom's having a Halloween party. There's all kinds of drinks there. She told me that the kids have to go to sleep before it gets fun. 

Student: I got a turtle. When he gets old, Imma get rid of him because he won't be cute anymore. 
Teacher: What? How would YOU feel if someone got rid of you just because you weren't cute and little anymore?
Student: Ohhhhhh naww I'll always be cute. Please.

If you had to kill a snowman, how would you do it?
I'd snuggle him right up in a blanket, you stupid head. 

Do you like Lima beans?
Yes. But I neva ate 'em.

Student 1: What are you going to be for Halloween?
Student 2: A pimp. 

Ms. Gesch I betcha yo whoooollllleee family be livin up in Wisconsin Dells. 

Ms. Gesch I know your great grandma. That lady cool. 

Currently...

I like this little theme for a blogpost and so this is my second installment of what is hopefully a fun tradition to see where I'm at in life. I'll tell you what I'm loving, reading, watching, anticipating, listening to, planning, working on, and wishing for in this very moment to get a nice little snapshot of what my life is like in October of 2012. Maybe I'll notice how I grow as time goes on with these posts, maybe I'll remain as immature as I currently am now. Who knows. But I love tracking stuff like this so here we go!

Loving: My roommates, Jen and Kristin. You can see these lovely ladies featured in previous posts about adventures to Ikea and homemade meals together. They are most of the reason why I love life in Chicago. It's amazing to me how I found, like, the best possible living situation I could have asked for. Not only is my neighborhood cool and my apartment one of my favorite places ever, I get to live here with cool, independent, smart, thoughtful, funny people. And for some reason they don't hate me. I am by far the messiest of the three of us, clunk around at really early hours in the morning due to my clumsiness and lack of morning consciousness, and play loud music in my room when I clean it. Yet somehow they are still nice and cool and want to be friends. 

Reading: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? By Mindy Kaling. Oh my goodness people. I want to be best friends with this chick. She is hilarious and inspirational. She details how she got to be a writer/director/producer/actress on The Office and more. She has wonderful insights on friendships, high school, comedy, and career. She, like myself, is a big list maker, which I obviously appreciate (as I write this on a blog post in a list format). I know I'm sounding like a gushing fangirl, but just wait until you get me talking about Taylor Swift in a few seconds. 

Watching: Portlandia. It is awesome. Especially when your neighborhood is too hipster for its own good. Sometimes I want to walk outside in Pilsen and slap some people across the face, yelling, "YOU AREN'T THAT COOL!" but then I remember that I have a side of me that really digs the hipster vibe and that I, too, would also dress to look homeless if I could afford the expensive designer clothes that they buy to look that way. I digress. Portlandia is a skit show making fun of this very culture. I signed up for a free month of Netflix and am really tempted to just keep it renewed. Netflix is a beautiful thing, my friends. 

Anticipating: The impending nuptials of my dear, dear friend, Karyn Koopmans. I am a bridesmaid in her wedding on Saturday and I am so excited. She is one of those friends that you know will just always be there for you no matter what happens. She also is one of those people who naturally looks like a Barbie doll with perfect skin, while you look on in your acne-ridden brunette-ness in a fit of jealousy. But then you remember how good of a friend she is and you decide you don't completely hate her for it. The best part is that she's even prettier on the inside. She will make a beautiful bride for her awesome fiance Shane. 

Listening To: Um, do I even have to say it?! OBVIOUSLY I am cycling Red, Taylor Swift's new album, on repeat at all hours, minutes, and seconds of the day. Since Taylor is only two months younger than me, I feel like we are always at the same life stage and that her songs speak right to my soul. Sorry boys, but I have one of you in mind for each Taylor Swift song I've ever heard. Sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes it's not so good. Her new album did not only not disappoint, but it made me want to just sit around and soak up her awesomeness all the time. My favorite songs are 22 (because who doesn't like breakfast at midnight?), Begin Again (because a redemptive song amidst an album of heartbreak is optimistic and hopeful and great), Stay Stay Stay (because all I want to do is sing this as a duet with someone who plays a ukelele), and my favorite, All Too Well (because I have a personal application to this song from my life that just hits the lyrics on the head so perfectly). Sing on, T Swift, sing on. 

Planning: An exciting trip that hopefully will get to happen! I'm asking for plane tickets from my parents for Christmas and California is on my mind. So is Lauren Haney. I'd like those two to come together for a week of joy during my Christmas break. Let's be honest: I need to get on an airplane soon before I go batty. That sounds terribly like a first world problem, and I suppose it definitely is. I'm just excited for dreaming about the possibility of a new adventure with an old friend. 

Working On: Psyching myself up for a 15k run on Sunday with Kristin! Yes, you read it correctly, a 15k, not a 5k. That translates to just over 9 miles. Yeesh. I ran 8 miles two Saturdays ago and 6 miles on Sunday this week, so I'm thinking I'll be okay with 9. I'm just nervous because I will be super slow at it and will end up finishing like an hour after Kristin who is super disciplined and awesome at exercising regularly. The great thing about this race is that it's a Hot Chocolate run, so at the end there is a fondu and hot chocolate bar there awaiting you to celebrate after the finish line. We'll see if I don't barf it all up. 

Wishing: For better sleep habits. As I write this, it is midnight and I teach tomorrow. I think this just boils down to prioritizing time management as an important element of my life. I tend to think that just one more thing accomplished or read or written before I go to bed won't hurt anything. And that one more thing turns into ten more things. And then I'm up at 11:30 and I figure an extra half hour spent on a blogpost about all of my current favorite things will actually be helpful to my well being, which it is, but so is a night of 9 hours of sleep. So I think that will have to be on my list of things to improve about myself. Right after the one about quitting my nasty cocaine habit.  

So there you are. Everything I'm currently up to. 'Til next time! 

Compact Car

Today, Jen (one of the roommates) and I decided to go on a small adventure out to suburbs for an IKEA run. There comes a time in every girl's life when, dang it, she just needs to purchase some place mats with a weird Swedish name! We did some damage and the apartment looks all the better for it. We got bath mats, throw pillows, candles, trays, cake pans, paring knives, a butcher's block. picture frames, and a cute lamp. We split it up, paid, and loaded the stuff into the car. This is where that sneaky store got us good.

We went back into IKEA after loading up the car and got lunch in their restaurant/dining area upstairs. After a plate full of delicious Swedish meatballs, we were ready to head back to the city and introduce our apartment to all of its new goodies. The problem, however, lies in the fact that in order to head back to the city we had to head back to our car. And in order to head back to our car we had to go out of the door and into the parking lot. And in order to go out the door and into the parking lot, IKEA forces you back through the labyrinth of home goods, storage, and linens before letting you outside. This, of course, led Jen and I to make just one more tiny purchase. Except it wasn't a tiny little purchase, it was a big fat huge purchase. On the second walkthrough we bought a picture of Paris to hang over our dining room table that is the size of an Olympic swimming pool. I, of course, convinced Jen that it totally would fit in the backseat of her car, no problem. Then we got to the car and found that it did not, in fact, fit in the back of the car with no problem. After 20 minutes of inching it back and forth, we pushed the driver and passenger seats as far forward as possible and miraculously fit our beautiful print in the back of the car. Now, Jen and I are two tall ladies. She's 5'11 and I'm 5'9. The driver's seat was so close to the dash that Jen couldn't move her leg to hit the gas pedal since her legs were too long. I had to take over the driving duties thanks to my more averagely-lengthed femurs and inched us home to unpack. As you can see below, we did succeed in getting the print back out of the backseat and up on the wall. It was a Swedish success. 

Squished up in front, with our beloved Paris in the backseat.

#legsaretoolong #tallgirlproblems

Okay we don't keep pillows on our table, but I wanted to show off my
favorite pillow that we bought. Paris is rockin' on that wall.