FLASHBACK 1976

daddy is done with school and decides we need to live in lebanon...i guess they don't need chiropractors in california. the parents conclude that it would be better to send us on ahead. we can live with the grandparents and start school while they try to sell our house. boo. so, they put us on a plane. me and the lil bro. it should have been a grand adventure. instead, the little bro cried. he cried the entire time. bahahaha hahahahahahahaha!!!


FLASH FORWARD january 2013
bk and i are headed to the airport. we know a snow storm is coming, but we'll be in the sky before it it's...right? are we right? we know we're right. we were wrong. the snow starts about 15 minutes before we get to the airport. a dusting. about 10 minutes before we get there, we have a solid inch. when we get there, we see a good two inches. ugh! please?please let us leave on time!? we board on schedule! yay! we pull away from the gate on schedule!! yay! and then we sit. we sit for an hour. ugh. we pay careful attention to the time. we are sure we will miss our connecting flight. we aren't worried though. big deal. they'll put us on the next one. the woman next to us continually stops the flight attendant "my flight leaves at 11:45!". so what? she can't make the plane go any faster. finally we land and everybody jumps out of their seat. EVERYBODY. jumps out of their seat. they are all certain that their connection is more important than everybody else's. the bk and i wait patiently. we laugh at everybody who rushed off the plane to wait for their bags as we walk on past them. as soon as we get inside we sprint through the airport. we have a few short minutes. awwww man! the door is closed. the gate is pulled away. we missed the flight by 3 minutes. so...we book the next flight out and hit up a restaurant...where we enjoy delicious burgers, beer, and a spiked milkshake. missed flights are FABULOUS!!

tips for delayed flights:
#1~don't act entitled...everyone else on your plane is delayed, too.
#2~relax...they will, eventually, get you where you are going.
#3~explore the airport. you might find a cozy little restaurant with great food.
#4~look at it as an adventure...there is nothing you can do so just make the best of it...

FLASHBACK summer of 1979

"every bond you break every step you take...i'll be watching you..."
i ride my bike across town to meet up with my joyce court girls. every day. and, every day, i pass the same places...the dairy treat...the car wash...the race track. and, every day, i see the same familiar faces. now kat and i are walking back to my house. we've stopped in town and said hi to mama...we've gotten some rock candy at the village ice cream parlor...we are thinking about going to the y. a jeep pulls up. a strange man is telling me i'm pretty. kat and i joke about how creepy he is. we see him the next day. and the day after that. and the day after that. he doesn't know my name. he calls me michigan...i am wearing my lil bro's michigan jersey (sorry bridgette...it was a temporary lapse in judgement).
FLASH FORWARD summer of 1980
it starts all over again. only this time he thinks my name is kathy??? oooohhhh!!!! i'm wearing kat's shirt and her name is on the back!!! ugh!! YOU are such a CREEP!!!
FLASH FORWARD summer of 1981
yep. he's baaaccckkk!! but kat sees him at the car wash. we avoid going by there. he still finds us...walking to my house...walking around colony square...walking to see my mama.
FLASH FORWARD summer of 1982
i have my driver's license. he can't bother me anymore. i'm not stupid...i NEVER take the car to his car wash.

FLASH FORWARD october 2012
the bk gets a phone call from someone he dated. we don't think anything of it. a few weeks later, he is out of town on business and i get a call from a blocked number. just breathing and hang up. i think someone is trying to scare me. it doesn't work in the middle of the day, moron, try it again later!! it happens again the next day. hello? jacka$$...remember how we're adults now? ha! 
FLASH FORWARD november 2012
an "unverified text" comes thru. whoever this person is, they want to date the bk again. what? i don't know who you are, but you aren't very smart...you added your phone number to the text! i forward the message to the bk and after some sleuthing...the bk could put sherlock holmes to shame...we identify the culprit. bk sends a strongly worded text "blah blah blah...leave us alone...blah blah blah...we will get the police involved if necessary...blah blah blah". of course she responds "i don't know what you're talking about...blah blah blah...*insert crazy bish psychobabble here*...". we block her number. she won't be bothering us again. i still have questions: how did she get MY number? does she know where we live? is she just a little koo koo bananas? or is she charlie manson psychotic?

^not the ACTUAL text^

FLASH FORWARD today
in the '70s and '80s, they didn't have a name for it. we were told stories about men in vans offering candy and puppies to small children...but creeping on teenage girls as they walk thru town? that didn't happen...it did, we just didn't talk about it. now it's called stalking...AND it's against the law. january is national stalking awareness month. here are some important facts you should know about stalking:

• 1 in 4 women, and 1 in 13 men, have reported being a victim of stalking in their lifetime.
• the majority of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know.
• 1 in 5 females, and 1 in 14 males, experience stalking between the ages of 11 and 17.
• 2/3 of stalkers pursue their victims at least once per week.
• stalking is a crime in all 50 states, although, less than 1/3 classify it as a felony for first offenders.
• the fear of not knowing what may happen causes anxiety, insomnia, and time lost from work.
•  54% of femicide (the act of murdering a woman) victims reported stalking to the police before being murdered by their stalkers.
• technology has made it easier than ever for stalkers to harass their victims. facebook, twitter, email, and texting are all ways to contact the victim. 

what can you do to protect yourself? the national center for victims of crime suggests: 

• a safety plan that includes a log of all contact...emails, texts, phone calls, gifts...to be used as evidence
• have a phone nearby at all times
• treat all threats seriously and contact police
• vary your routine: routes to work/school, when/where you shop, and limit time spent alone.
• get a new, unlisted, number...but leave the old number active and allow all calls to go to voice mail for screening (and evidence).
• consider getting a restraining order.
• DO NOT interact with your stalker.
• trust your instincts. if you don't feel safe, find a way to make your location safe or leave. 

don't be a victim...arm yourself with knowledge!

resources:

national stalking awareness month

victimsofcrime.org

stalking information for teens

a few months have passed, and no contact from koo koo bananas ex~girlfriend...oops! bk insists "she was NOT my GIRLFRIEND"...her number is blocked, but we haven't run into her at any local hot spots, she hasn't tried to contact us thru email or facebook or twitter...it's safe to say that's over. and my high school stalker? kat and i finally learned his name (10 years later) and it's safe to say that, 30 years later, he won't recognize me. and if he does, he'll call me buckeye...cuz i will never EVER be seen in a michigan jersey!