Six-month reflection
But mostly a story about me crying
Hello mixers,
Happy happy summer! The entire country is going through a heatwave, so I hope you’re all staying cool and safe and checking on your neighbors.
Before we dive in, I must deliver on my promised shout-out for Just a Mix’s founder subscriber(s):
Derek Silva, loving husband, beta reader, editor, etc.
A big thanks to you all for signing up to see me in your inbox once- or twice-ish a month, and my undying gratitude to paid subscribers (‘:
Earlier this month, a sticker? meme? chain letter type thing? went around on Instagram Stories prompting users to post a pic from each month of the year so far. I hopped onto the trend and figured it could also be a fun prompt for Just a Mix.
January
Fresh off of Christmas, I had to take a picture of my new FILIPINO GIRL nutrition facts shirt my dad got for me, my sister, and my mom. Despite the youthful use of 0.5, I couldn’t get the whole shirt in there so for those who don’t know:
Serving Size: 1 Amazing Woman
UNRIVALED SKILL: 200%
SO MUCH COOLER: 500%
BEAUTIFULNESS: 1000%
SASSY: 300%
WRONG ANSWERS: 0%
PRIDE: INFINITY
This is scientifically accurate, do not question me.
February
Derek and I went to our first ever gender reveal party! I decked myself out in pink swag and threw my support behind the baby being a girl even though the majority were banking on a boy.
Part of the day was spent testing out a few old wives’ tales about being able to tell the sex of a baby. Here’s how that went:
Tape a fork underneath a chair and a spoon underneath another chair. If the pregnant person sits in the seat with the fork, it’s a boy; if they choose the spoon seat, it’s a girl. My friend sat in the fork seat, so that’s one (1) prediction for a boy.
Place your wedding ring (or favorite ring) on a strand of the preggo’s hair (we used a necklace chain) and hold it over their belly. If it starts to swing in circles, it’s a girl; if it swings side to side it’s a boy. This method gave us our second boy prediction.
The Chinese gender predictor uses the mother’s age at conception and the baby’s due date to make a prediction. Don’t ask me how, but my bestie scored a third boy prediction!
The Mayan gender prediction takes both the mother’s and the baby’s birth year. If both years are even or odd, it’s a baby girl; if they’re different, it’s a baby boy. Fourth test in a row, it’s gotta be a boy, right?
Another test required a little boy to go up to the mother’s belly and if he showed interest, it was a baby girl, but if he showed no interest, it was a boy (weird, but okay???). Anyways, the little boy in question showed zero interest in his parents’ pregnant friend so that means it’s a boy.
The last test I wrote down in my notes app only as “hair,” and I can’t find what that might have been, but all you need to know is that I also marked the result as boy.
Six boy results, and the boy supporters were GLOWING. Too bad for them and all the old wives though, because my bestie is having a GIRL!!!!
March
I was absolutely down for the count for most of March into April with the longest flu/cough/cold I’ve maybe ever had. My picture here is my sick face alongside Shaq’s resting bitch face. She didn’t give a damn I was feverish, where was her chicken in gravy????
My poor dad and sister even came to visit Derek and me, not knowing when they bought their tickets months before that I would be a phlegmy gremlin upon their arrival. Thanks for visiting anyways!!
April
Bestie Brianna and I threw bestie Robin an oysters and Buffalo Wild Wings themed bachelorette party (don’t ask). Bri is the queen of crafts and went all out for decorations and swag. This is me in my custom Buffalo Wild Wings/Buffalo Bills trucker hat, custom Buffalo Wild Wings Assistant Manager name tag and custom “Beyonce in the headphones / Stardew on the screen tshirt.”
It was an ideal weekend of showering Robin with love, cackling at inside jokes while making more, shucking and slurping Maine oysters, and trying new beers.
May
After months of watching indoor soccer thanks to the chill and snow outside, I was finally able to return to my true outside form in a tank top and shorts. Here, I watched a sunset soccer game in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Not pictured: the rat that kept running back and forth behind me.
June
On June 1, Robin got married to the love of her life, Carl. I got to be her matron of honor alongside Bri as the maid of honor. Over the past several months, Bri and I got a front row sneak peek to all the couple’s wedding plans. We heard about the meal tasting, the flower company, them crafting their own wedding bands. We provided input on her dress and planned her bachelorette weekend. For months, we squealed together about how excited we were for Robin’s big day. Bri and I co-wrote the speech we’d deliver at the reception and practiced in the days and hours leading up to the ceremony.
However, none of that actually prepared me for the sheer amount of crying I did when the day finally came.
Here are all the moments I cried that day:
When Robin put her dress on
When Bri and I helped Robin pin her veil on
When it was my turn to walk towards the ceremony
When I saw Robin approaching the aisle
When her dad, in tears, gave her away at the altar
The entire ceremony, including, but obviously not limited to, Carl choking up at the very start of his vows, Robin reading her vows, and them finally kissing as husband and wife
When I had to walk back down the aisle directly after the newlyweds (I tried and failed to cover my face with mine and Robin’s bouquets)
When the DJ introduced Robin and Carl’s entrance as Mr. and Mrs. Haseler
When Bri and I gave our speech
When Robin and Carl fed each other cake
Robin and Carl’s first dance
Robin’s father-daughter dance (more on that below)
When Carl’s mom starting crying during their dance
When a wedding guest told Bri and me that our speech showed everyone just how much we love Robin and how special our friendship is (she was shocked that Bri and I started crying again right there in front of her)
I surprised even myself at how emotional each one of those moments would make me. Looking back to my own wedding, I should have known that I would be a wreck. Not only because of how easily I cried that day, but because of how much my dad cried that day, and I am nothing if not my father’s daughter.
One of the most rewarding parts was to have so many guests come up to Bri and I throughout the night to tell us how clear it was that we loved Robin. The girlies love friendship!!!!
I knew Bri and I would be papped plenty during our several sobfests, but that was a small worry compared to the big feels I had in those moments. For the IG stories, though, I could only pick one photo, so I went with the absolute gem you see above. That’s Bri and I on the edge of the dance floor as Robin starts to dance with her dad, who picked Phil Collins’ “You’ll Be In My Heart” as their song. I know he literally starts with “Come stop your crying / it’ll be alright,” but I mean come ON!!!!
There you have it mixers, my YTD highlights in both pictures and words. Even if you don’t have IG or want to write about it all like I did, choosing a picture of yourself from each month is a pretty fun and reflective exercise! Lmk what you rediscover in those photo reels in the comments.