Step 33: Go to Yet Another Wedding

Dang, people are getting married left and right this year! Some key differences with this one, though: I wasn't in it (which was a nice change of pace), and it was family instead of friends. Congratulations to my cuz for finally tying the knot. :)

It's harder to write about a wedding that I wasn't actually in. I could write about how pretty the bride was and how dapper the groom looked. I could talk about the technological troubles they had (unity candles at an outside wedding on a windy day don't seem to work out so well). I could tell you guys about how fun the reception was (free drinks and lots of dancing!).

But that's all stuff that you hear about on a regular basis when it comes to weddings, and not being behind the scenes for this one, I can't give you a deeper look into the trials and joys of getting married.

What I can do is paint you a picture of the most magical moment of the night (and I suggest all brides make this a new tradition):

We didn't really have a chance to blow the bubbles as the bride and groom left, nor did we have any bubbles to blow until we got into the reception hall. Most of the attendees just let the little plastic bottles of soap sitting on the tables, undisturbed. A couple kids did start blowing their bubbles around the room, but were stopped when the bride and groom took to the floor for their first dance. Then the DJ asked us on behalf of the bride to circle around the happy couple and blow our bubbles while they danced. About a hundred people gathered and blew a hundred thousand bubbles to dance alongside my cousin and his new wife. It was like a scene from a dream. I can only imagine what it must have looked like from the center of the circle.

So my question to you: What's the most unique thing you've seen at a wedding. The bubbles being blown during the first dance come's pretty close, but I think the groom licking the bride when the pastor said "You may now kiss the bride" has to be the best. :)
And my challenge to you: Next time you're at a wedding, be sure to dance. Even if you're not a good dancer, even if no one else is up on the dance floor, you got all spiffied up for the night, so you might as well take advantage of it and have some fun!

Step 32: Volunteer

I know there's a potential that you could be burnt out on volunteering depending on how much emphasis was placed on it at your school (mine, eh, not so much - though I did have a few professors require a certain amount of volunteering if I wanted an A in the class, and we had a Sustainability Club that offered multiple opportunities to get involved with the community). But volunteering has so many benefits.

To quote an awesome song from the musical Avenue Q:
"When you help others, you can't help helping yourself."

You get experience any time you do work, and volunteering is no exception. It makes your resume look good. You have a chance to meet new people and expand your network. You feel better about yourself.

And most importantly, you're making other people feel better too. No matter what kind of volunteering you're doing, you're helping someone somehow. I'm currently volunteering at my mom's middle school library. As you may know, school libraries are having a rough time employing people. At my mom's school, my mom (who's the head librarian) teaches 6 classes out of a 7 period day, and then her assistant is only allowed to work 29 hours. That means she can only work 4 days a week, which means the library has to be closed for 1 day. I come in on the days that the assistant librarian's not allowed to come in and make sure the kids have access to the books. And as surprising as this may sound in the age of technology, the kids are actually really grateful. They like being able to come down to the library to check out a book for the weekend, and by me volunteering there, they're able to do that.

So my question to you: What do you care about? Where do you like to help out at?
And my challenge to you: Check out this site - http://www.volunteermatch.org/ - and find someplace to volunteer at!

Step 31: Get a Flat Tire

Ok, mine wasn't that bad, but no matter what situation you're in, a flat tire is never fun. It's always a hassle trying to figure out how you're going to drag your car to the mechanics, and if for some reason you have to leave your car there overnight you've got to find a ride to work the next morning.

Some tips to help you avoid a tiresome situation:

• The obvious first: if you know you have a flat tire, DON'T drive on it. In my case, I didn't realize I had a flat tire until halfway home from work when a helicopter noise started coming from the front right of my car. Probably should have pulled over, but work's not that far from my house, so I just kept on going, hoping it was a loose lug nut and not a flat.
• If you did drive on your flat and you made the mistake of not driving directly to a shop, your tire's probably pretty much wasted. In that case, you're cheapest bet is just to use Fix-a-Flat to get you to the nearest repair shop. I know! Fix-a-Flat is horrible and mechanic's hate it. But you're tire's going to be too chewed up to save anyways, so you might as well save $50+ and buy the $6 can of we'll-just-barely-get-you-there tire repair.
• If you DIDN'T drive on your flat like a good person's supposed to do, then you may be able to save the tire. In this case, I recommend NOT using the Fix-a-Flat and putting forth a little extra money on the tow. 
• And finally - you're probably all wondering why I just didn't put on the spare tire. Mechanics always put lug nuts on way too tight now-a-days. My dad and I working together were only able to get four of them off. The last one was completely stuck. So my last piece of advice, whenever you get your tires changed or rotated, ask your repair guy if he could only tighten the lug nuts to the legal limit. Otherwise, it could be one back-breaking afternoon.

The last thing I will mention before signing off - it's ok to ask for help. Especially if you're a girl. Guys (especially dads) have a thing for fixing broken things. But it's also important that you know how to handle the situation if you're by yourself. I was lucky that I got a flat in my hometown where my parents were right there to help me. If I had been driving on the highway back from school, I probably wouldn't have had any idea how to change a flat, and in today's world there's no guarantee that a nice guy will stop for you (emphasis on the "nice").

So my question to you: What's your worst break-down story? Mine was when my breaks gave out in Bloomington late at night. I had driven there from my school to celebrate a friend's Birthday, only to find out once I got there that the party was actually back in our hometown. As I started to make my way back home, stuck in traffic because of course there would be a football game just ending, my break pedal suddenly went all the way to the floor. I had to pull into a Deny's and wait for an hour for my mom to come down and pick me up!
And my challenge to you: If you've never had to change your tire before, do a practice round in your driveway, that way you'll know exactly what to do.