Guest Blog Post: Autumn and a Stranger's Hamburger

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Love nuggets! What is a love nugget exactly? It is one of many names I hand out to my dogs and anyone else I am infatuated with.  Now you may think, um you just compared me to your dog.  That's a huge compliment, my dogs are like my children.  Wait, you made that plural. That's right folks, be prepared for the awesomeness that is Blu (post to follow soon).

Until then, I have my kick ass sponsor, Autumn, stopping by from her blog The Unreal Life.  Now many bloggers say something along the lines of, omg I love my sponsor.  But I really do for these reasons:
1. She is hilarious.
2. She is honest.
3. She has dated probably the same number of d-bag royales that I have dated (wahoo Autumn, let's make a club).
4. She tweets me back and I get to pretend that I'm a cool kid.
5. Her writing is super witty and is just a great read.

So that really should be reasons enough to become biffles with her, but if you have doubts, check out her awesome post below and leave her some love.  

Hello lovely readers! My name is Autumn, and I blog at The Unreal Life. I'm so pleased to be back guest blogging for Kim again! Kim has been such a supporter of my little baby blog, and I'm grateful for this chance to share it with you. My last guest post highlighted some really awkward, unreal situations I got myself into on a road trip. But what happens at the end of the road trip? More awkward, unreal situations. 

When I first moved to Missourah, I ran into a lot of situations with strangers. They were everywhere (duh, I just moved here), and they were all just really, really nice. Looking back, there were multiple times where I'm certain I shouldn't be alive. But I am (Thank God). I just have this immense inability to say no. And yes, it is as bad as it sounds. So without further ado, let me use my inability to say no to strangers to entertain you (I mean, it's gotta be good for something, right?)!

Stranger Danger: Hamburgers

Some friends and I went to a bar to watch a Cardinals game shortly after I moved here. This city is intense (understatement of the century) about their Cardinals. People literally were let out of work early because the game started at four. The bar was standing room only. And of course baseball is really boring slow, so the only thing there is to do is stand. And drink. Stand. And drink. And of course it's too busy to order food and you're standing shoulder to shoulder so you don't have a table to put your food on anyways even if you did get some. So all you do is stand and drink. Stand. And drink. Hopefully this paints a good picture for you of the awesome level of drunk fun I was flying at when this story took place. Finally, after nine innings of standing and drinking, we got a table. I made a beeline to the bathroom, but a very attractive man grabbed my wrist on the way by (warning flag: this bar was filled with very grabby people) and pulled me towards him (again...how am I alive? A sober normal person would have run at this point.). He started chatting me up about how gorgeous I was and what was my name and how he'd love to take me to dinner and I was slightly paying attention when over his shoulder I noticed his friend was chowing down on a delicious, greasy, gorgeous HAMBURGER. 

"I'd love to take you to dinner, beautiful. Show you how we do it round here."

I pushed his advances away. "OH MY GOD," I shouted at his friend over the really loud, bad bar music, "IS THAT A HAMBURGER?" 

The man stared up blankly at me and replied, "Uh, yeah. You want some?"

Now what would a normal person do at this point? Say no and go order their own. Am I normal person? No. Am I lucky to be alive? Yes. I promptly screamed "YES" (at which point the man stopped flirting with me, probably recognizing I was a huge hot mess) and proceeded to eat a stranger's hamburger. Yes, I ate a stranger's hamburger.

Now some of you at this point are asking "WHO EATS A STRANGER'S HAMBURGER?!?!"

But isn't the real question who gives their hamburger to a stranger?!?!

(Answer: As soon as I sobered up I did have an emotional moment realizing that while I was currently the weirdo eating a stranger's hamburger, I would one day be the weirdo giving my hamburger to a stranger. It's a slippery slope.)

______

Those are just a few examples of my inability to say no to strangers. Others include: giving a homeless man my phone number (everyone deserves a friend!), accepting rides home from a stranger I met on the MegaBus (she wouldn't kidnap me in front of her granddaughter!), always stopping for the pollster or advocate on the corner with a clipboard and going to a "post party" at my bartender's house. The problem with these awkward stranger encounters is that so far, they always turn out OK so I still haven't learned my lesson 100%. It wasn't until I went home for my first Thanksgiving break and was relaying these stories to my sisters that I thought "holy cow...how am I still alive?" 

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, and I hope it brought a little laughter and joy to your day! If you liked this post, there's plenty more of my awesome awkward adorableness and "is this real life?" stories over at The Unreal Life--so please stop on by! As I like to say, it's 50% Tina Fey meets Khloe Kardashian, 50% Jaqueline Novogratz and 100% unreal. You can live vicariously through my inability to say no to strangers, assholes and another shot of vodka.

Becoming Miss Kenosha: A Guest Blog Post

It's been day three post-"the big move" and there has been a blur of commotion.  I'm filling out paperwork, going to appointments and meetings and by the time my head hits an ever so soft pillow and sheets, I feel like I'm getting up and doing it all over again.

The internet here is shoddy and because of that, I could not properly adjust my margins to my last guest blog post- for this I apologize profusely but the internet here is that bad.

We recently signed the lease to a house that is lovely but its previous owners basically did jack-squat to keep it in pristine condition.

Brittany and I spent the evening stocking up on things for the house, doing a pre-home inspection with very detailed (and probably negative) notes on the condition and quality of everything and then finally ran around to spray the carpets with water and white vinegar.  

I need to dedicate a full blog post to home repairs and cleaning tips- so that I will save for later.

Due to my level of exhaustion and probably a plethora of grammatical and spelling errors, it's not time to introduce one of my amazing best-friends, Becca.  She is currently Miss Kenosha and a fabulous one at that.

“I don’t think the whole ‘crown thing’ is for me…but thanks.” was my initial response to Laura Kaeppeler, who was not only my childhood friend but our Miss Wisconsin (and soon to be Miss America), when she asked me if I would ever be interested in competing in the Miss Kenosha Pageant. When talking to Laura that night in June 2011, she brought up valid points of why I should run in the pageant. I knew Laura was a down-to-Earth, hardworking, wonderful person but I still held a negative stereotype of a typical ‘pageant girl’ in my mind. Flattered, but not at all convinced to try and be the next Miss Kenosha, I left her house that warm summer night.

Throughout the following months, I followed Laura’s journey as Miss Wisconsin. The seed Laura planted back in June began to blossom with each time I would hear a story or see a Facebook post about all of the community service and platform-related appearances that Laura was doing. She was making such a noticeable, positive impact in our state. It was only then I realized the Miss America Organization was not about a sparkly crown or a fancy, expensive dress; rather, about giving strong women a voice and an outlet to be an advocate for education and their personal platform in their communities.

With the help of the Miss Kenosha directors and supporters, blessings from my family and friends and - of course - Laura’s inspiration, I decided to compete for the title of Miss Kenosha. Before I could say, “Miss America” the last week of January 2012 approached and day of the pageant had arrived!

My only goal going into the competition was to place so I could walk away that night with scholarship money to help finish the degree I am earning at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. I felt that I did all that I could to prepare for the competition. However, when they announced the 1st runner up, I put my head down, closed my eyes and thought ‘The judges either loved me or didn’t like me at all.” To my total surprise, not only did I place but I was the last one standing to be crowned Miss Kenosha 2012.

Being crowned as Miss Kenosha was an unforgettable moment! Between the lights, clapping, cheering, flowers, hugs, pictures and autographs, it was everything I could have wished for and more! But, being crowned Miss Kenosha and doing the job as Miss Kenosha are two different things. When the lights go down, the auditorium empties and you un-pin your sparkly crown from your head for the first time-it becomes real. Even though you are fully aware of the job requirements before the competition, it is only afterwards that you can truly grasp that you have the ammunition to serve your community in a way that you could not have done before.

As Miss Kenosha 2012, I have been given many opportunities to become involved with volunteering for organizations which, beyond doubt, make a difference in people’s lives and communities. From helping shave heads at the St. Baldrick's Foundation to speaking at the Walkin' In My Shoes Annual Gospel Concert, and introducing the honoraries and speaking on the behalf of the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network at Kenosha's Relay for Life, I know I have gained more love and inspiration from the people I meet than I could ever give to them. My personal platform as Miss Kenosha is 'Pay It Forward-Spreading Random Acts of Kindness'. Kindness is contagious and I have been able to promote the simple lifestyle of helping - and not judging - others to over 2,500 people within my community. Children and adults alike have grasped onto the chain reaction/domino effect which can occur by just being kind to three different people each day. I believe the feeling of community and love within society is what we so desperately need in this age to create a sense of worth and compassion within people. I have started a Facebook ‘like’ page which posts inspirational quotes and ideas of random acts of kindness along with a non-profit fund which donates anonymously to those who need financial assistance within the Kenosha community through 'R.A.K.' bracelet sales. There are other kinds of appearances I have as Miss Kenosha such as TV interviews, being on radio talk shows and throwing out the opening pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers game. Even with the more relaxed appearances here and there, overall, Miss Kenosha is a job as a role model, not a super model.

My year as Miss Kenosha concludes in about 5 months and the search for the new Miss Kenosha contestants starts now! The Miss America Organization is based off of Service, Scholarship, Style and Success which is why our crowns all come to four points. So, to any young lady between the ages of 17-24 who is a full-time student in an accredited college/university or a graduate who wants to compete for a local title, go on to their state competition and who knows…maybe become our next Miss America, my advice would be to get in the mindset of representing an organization now. Reach out to your local Miss America Organization title holders/directors, become active in community organizations, begin building your personal platform and form strong opinions on current issues. Look for the dress last. Although your wardrobe and presentation is important, YOU are the one who will shine. The sparkle on your dress isn’t enough to win you the title – just like the sparkle of the Miss America crown isn't really what the job is all about.

Many thanks to Becca for guest blog post.  I can tell you now that whenever I see her, I always think she looks so put together and I want to steal all of her clothes but in all sincerity, she is doing amazing things as Miss Kenosha.  Our hometown has an awesome representative!