This year has given me hope in our future as a result of the help of my friends. When I say hope, I’m referring to that meme circling around about how “hope has dirt on her face”; and when I say help, I mean both literal hands-on help as well as general support and development of positive relationships.

Read more: Hope in our Future with the Help of our Friends

GSOVIBES Film Makes a Comeback

After my business partner left the scene of the inception of GSOVIBES, I couldn’t keep up with the filmmaking on my own. The shooting, script-writing and editing are all tasks I enjoy but am new to and slow at. Kevin and I relied on one another to make GSOVIBES come to life, and I couldn’t justify hiring someone to help me unless they saw the value of what I was accomplishing with the brand.

Not even a full year of experience under his belt, Brian has the eye for the still visual – I particularly appreciate his conception of compositions and subtle use of color grading; writes as one who is both wise and lighthearted; and captures movement, interactions, and energy with grace and yet without monotony. Thank you, Brian.

Reconnecting with a fellow Woman Writer

A long long time ago, Andrea moved to the United States not speaking English. My parents’ first house here was in a neighborhood off of Fleming Road, in the northwest quarter of Greensboro. In that neighborhood lived the Prairies, who at the time seemed to me the most classic American-dream family one could ask for. That is how I met Camille.

Flash forward nearly eighteen years, I subscribed to her newsletter – I highly recommend you do the same. After a handful of months reading her excerpts thinking to myself, “We share many values, opinions, and mindsets!” I reached out to her and asked for a coffee date.

We haven’t had coffee, but we have shared some moments together that have revitalized me in ways I couldn’t have predicted. Not only did we have an arts and crafts night as our first one-on-one hang out since we were literal children, but even before that she actually came to our second Trash Pick-Up.

How many people can you say nowadays actually show up for events, and all the more someone you haven’t spoken to in years? And that’s not all. She said herself that day – we are both women, writers, and writing in such a way that attempts to not only reveal our authentic selves while also (hopefully) monetizing our labor, but also seeking to undo the precedents of our oppressive systems and utilize our voices for an improved future. Phew! That’s heavy!

I couldn’t agree more. You are a beautiful human, Camille, thank you for glowing as you do.

The Diesel Doctor heals Bailey the Bus

You all know that my dream is to live nomadically. So in April of 2021, a month before graduating college, I purchased a 2001 International School bus with a Cummins ISB diesel engine and an MD3060 Allison transmission. I’m quite proud of my selection.

Since purchasing her, however, Pete and I have begun to reevaluate how (in)convenient Bailey would or would not be for the travels we wish to accomplish. She’s big and old, and we need something that can park at trail heads and be entirely off-grid.

Months of crying later, on December 11th, I came to terms with the fact that I’d maybe have to sell her. If you can imagine the comical image of me trying to hug her by her flat-nose face, arms flat against the metal, face pressed against a headlight, that’s exactly what it looked like. But Pete, the crazy and loving man he is, was flat on his back cleaning hoses of oil with a headlamp, when past him walked a man in the road. Later, Pete told me he kept making eye contact with this man, wishing upon wishing that he knew something about busses.

Long story long, the man has his own bus that he himself has converted… and his son is a diesel mechanic. We couldn’t believe our luck. Within the week, we’d met Nathan and convinced him to help us with our massive, metal, mobile familiar.

We’d been looking for a diesel mechanic who would be honest with us (particularly me, considering mechanics love to swindle women) and reliable. But really, we found a friend.

Nathan has since attended the first GSOVIBES Trash Pick-Up as well, and hung out with us a number of times. He’s funny, he’s a gamer like me, and he’s a family man, which we appreciate, given we are family-oriented ourselves.