Loves!
Just a little fun thought…………………..
If you want to meet someone special and you’re ready to fall in love, but don’t want to do the bar or club scene – or the dating apps thing – I just saw the cutest way to meet someone.
There’s a photographer that allows you to fill out applications for a photo session WITH A STRANGER, and she will literally pair up whoever she thinks is best together. You don’t see each other until the day of the photo shoot, and she’ll put you back-to-back, you’ll turn around at the same time – and face each other.
I’ve seen so many of her photography sessions where people really look like they’ve been dating forever now, and they’re real couples, but they’re not. They just met the day of…………
How cute is that?!!!!!!
I think it’s a fun way to meet someone, and she does say on her videos that some of her clients are actually dating now and have become couples from her sessions – where they started out as strangers. 🤗
If you’re open to it – why not give it a try?!
Check her out on TIKTOK.
No, she did NOT pay me to promote her.
I just thought this was totally adorable and it’s a new way to meet your person – possibly! If not, you at least – get a fun photoshoot out of it and have a good time. I mean, if I met someone like that – it would be a really fun story to tell people – if we became a couple afterwards, and if not – I’d hang the pictures from the session up over my computer desk and when people ask, “Who is he?”, I’d have fun smiling and saying, “I have NO CLUE! He was a one-time deal”. People would wonder, and I’d have fun letting them. lol.
Book your session and if you meet someone special and fall in love – if you end up with your photo stranger – YOU’RE WELCOME! ha.
*****
On to other things………….
My job.
It can get overwhelming sometimes.
It can get stressful sometimes.
It can get scary sometimes.
It can get dangerous sometimes.
However – it can be fun.
It can be rewarding.
It can be life changing.
It can be exciting.
It can be interesting.
It can be amazing.
I love it every moment of it. No matter what each day brings, and each day always bring something new.
I love it, no matter what happens.
One thing I love the most about it – is knowing that I’m changing lives and knowing that the people in the facility I work in – trust me, love me, and know that they can count on me to care.
They’ve been through a lot in their lives. A lot of them are addicts, previous addicts, alcoholics, criminals, felons, and have been through hell and back. A lot of them have been betrayed, lied to, ignored by society, treated like they’re nothing – so they don’t trust a lot of people anymore. They have problems, and issues. Many of them have mental health issues, and no respect for authority, so if you don’t earn their respect and trust – if they feel like you don’t give a damn about them – you’re not going to like how they act towards you.
But …..if you show you love them, you care about them, you’re there for them, they can trust you, and you respect them ….
If you make them laugh, joke with them, make them enjoy you being there – you’re going to see how real they are. How cool they are. How sweet they can be. How much they respect you right back.
It’s all about building rapport with them.
I’d like to say that my son and I have done that since we started working in this facility, and that we have a pretty great relationship with most of the tenants who live in this facility.
It makes us feel good, and several times now – many of them have come up to us and told us that we are their favorite staff members there.
Many of them look for us, and when they see my car pull up, they come down or out of their rooms just to say hello to us and chat.
It makes us feel good knowing we’re making a difference and they like seeing us at work.
I am totally in love with my job and the work I do there – for the following reasons:
Last week, my son and I were getting off of our shift and one of our female tenants called downstairs to the front office just to tell us goodbye. She said she knew we leave at 3 PM and wanted to say bye before we left. She told us to have a great evening, and she can’t wait until we come back.
Right after her, a male tenant called down to the front office to tell us to have a great night, and said he wanted to catch us before we left because he loves us and enjoys us being there.
We laughed a bit when one of our co-workers who had just come onto the 2nd shift – looked at us, and said, “Whoa! You guys get two calls just saying goodbye and have a good night, and I haven’t gotten any?”. It’s a good feeling when our tenants acknowledge us and show their love for us because it makes us feel like we’re doing something right. 💕 I do know though – that this co-worker who said what she said – is loved there as well, even if she hasn’t gotten any calls like we did. So, I hope she doesn’t feel bad about it.
As we were leaving, another lady sitting in the lobby – told us to hurry back.
So –
We have this guy who lives in the facility – that I’ll call “G”. G likes to draw and he’s so damn good at it.
Some of his drawings are hung up around the facility. He draws native things. He draws beautiful Eagles and backgrounds, and so many other pictures.
A few different staff members have gotten amazing photos that “G” drew for them, and a few months ago – I mentioned that I was going to tell “G” that I wanted a photo. My son laughed and joked about it and he told me, “You can’t just tell him you want a photo. He has to genuinely like you and WANT to give you one of his drawings and photos”. I agreed with my son and decided to just wait it out and see if “G” gave me one on his own.
He always comes to say hi to us when we’re there and joke around with us. He’s a great guy.
When he came down last week to say hello, he showed me a beautiful photo of two Eagles he drew and I absolutely loved it. I thought he was going to give it to me, but he told me it was for another co-worker of mine and asked when she’d be in. I wasn’t too upset because she’s an older lady and she needs and deserves some good cheer, so I knew it would make her happy. I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t for me, and when he went back up to his room, my son laughed that day and joked with me – telling me, “Awe! Are you okay? You really thought that was for you, didn’t you?!”. 🥺🤣
I told him I was a little salty because – yes, I did think that.
Well, we were working this weekend.
Sundays are usually laid-back and chill. Not a lot is going on, so after breakfast, many of our tenants went back to their rooms, and all was quiet and boring.
I decided to print out a coloring page because that’s how bored we were, and my son printed out a few of his own he liked.
Yes, we sat there and colored for a few hours.
As I was coloring my first coloring page – (which was a few 90’s trolls’ dolls) – one of our tenants came out of her room, saw me coloring it, and told me how much she loves how it was coming out. I thanked her. She asked what I was going to do with it when I was done.
I told her I wasn’t sure, and I tried to change the subject because I knew where she was about to go with her question.
My plan was to take the page home because I collect those 90’s trolls – and I was going to frame the page I colored and hang it above my computer desk – where all my trolls are, but then – my plans were diverted. This woman smiled and told me, “I’d like to have it if that’s okay. When you’re done, you can sign it and give it to me if you don’t mind”.
I ended up finishing it, signing it, writing on the bottom “Always remember me”, and giving it to her when I saw her later in the day.
She was so excited, she went and asked our nurse for a frame when our nurse stopped by for a little bit.
She got her frame, came and showed me that she nicely framed it, and said she was going to hang it up in her room.
Listen.
I really wanted that picture I colored, but if it made her as happy as it did – I felt good about giving it to her.
I could have colored another one for myself, but by then – I was over that picture and printed out a new one for myself.
I ended up coloring the one below – to take home and frame. I was going to print out a quote that said, “We’re looking at each other a little too hard to just be friends”, and tape it to the top – to frame it all later in the day.
The hearts in her hair – I did that. I got creative with it. 🤗
This colored picture didn’t come home with me, either.
“G” came down to talk for a bit, and he showed me a photo he drew.
I loved it!!!
It reminded me of my dad because my dad liked country western stuff, things from Texas for some reason, and bulls. My dad loved Rodeo stuff as well, and I have one of his old belt buckles somewhere – that has a bull on it. My mom gave it to me when he passed because I love Rodeos and all that country western stuff – even though I’m a city gal.
So, when “G” showed me this photo –
I wanted it!
It looked like something from Texas. ha. I mean – it also looked like the belt buckle I have.
Like my son says though – “You can’t just ask G for a photo. He has to WANT to give you one!”.
I told him I love it, and how nice it is, and guess what?
“G” – GAVE IT TO ME!!!!! He told me it’s for me.
I was so excited to finally get a “G” photo. My son laughed at my excitement and asked if I thought I was special now that I have one.
YES, I DO! 🤗
It also makes me feel appreciated, and that they love me – just as much as I love them.
I ended up giving the 2nd page I colored of trolls – to “G” to thank him for the drawing he gave me.
My son made me smile when he told me, “I know you didn’t want to give up your trolls coloring page the first time, but you did. So, I guess you can consider that drawing G gave you, God’s way of letting good Karma come back around to you!”. 💕
Good Karma came around twice on Sunday because a while later, a woman I’ll call “Marie” – who makes and sometimes sells Dreamcatchers – came down to the office. She told me she made me something and wants me to have it.
She handed me this:
I absolutely love this as well.
I was so happy Sunday, and this is why I do what I do, and love the people at this facility.
If you respect them, show them love, show you care, show that you have time for them and what they’re going through – they’re going to show you love right back.
So, while this job can get dangerous and crazy – it also comes with rewards, and things like these – that make it worth it.
Fun fact: (not really fun, but me being sarcastic):
We just got a notification from our big boss in our work group chat that gives us instructions on what to do if ICE shows up at our facility.
It’s been said that our governor is cooperating with ICE and Mr. Trump now – to turn over all illegal criminals, and while I don’t know if we have any immigrants in our facility, I will say that it’s scary dealing with ICE at all.
I think here in Minnesota – this has all gotten way out of control, and with people being murdered and hurt in protests – I don’t think anyone is “safe” from it, but I felt comfortable knowing ICE and protests were 4 hours away, and not in our area. Has ICE been in our area before? Yes. Not a lot though, and they did what they had to do and got out. Has ICE showed up at work before? No. So, the thought that it could happen – is a little wild, but all we can do is pray that it is all peaceful if and when they do.
That being said, I have nothing else to write.
My daughter just called from school – to ask if one of her friends could come over, so they can work on a presentation together that’s due Thursday.
While I wanted to say “no”, and maybe tomorrow – she told me they need to get this done, so I said yes, and now – I’m figuring out what to make for dinner, because I’m guessing her friend will stay for dinner. I don’t mind. I’m just a little tired, and that means I have to drive the friend home later.
It’s so cold outside, and once I get in my house after picking up the kids from school, I like to stay there! 🥶
Still, I am happy her and her friend are being responsible and working on whatever they have due.
Love you.
Stay warm.
💕Shel💕
grabadrinkandsitwithme.com 