A Positive Childhood Memory, Turned Reality: Pokemon "GO"

Yesterday, January 17th, I set a goal for myself to try and hit in Pokemon GO: get my highest "heart level" buddies all to the "best buddy" status.  As you may have read in my latest blog, or seen in my latest YouTube video, 3 of the buddies I have been walking were really close: Virizion (First Raid 98 iv), Ferrothorn (Maxed, Lucky, 96 iv), and Glaceon (Maxed, 93 iv).  These are not the choices most people would make, but, I am not most people.  If you really paid attention to my video, I have been slowly working on 10 other buddies besides these three, hence why it has taken me a good while to get even one of them to a "best buddy."   My first best buddy Pokemon reached was Virizion and it did not happen until I was almost done with my afternoon walk in City Park because, that morning, I thought Glaceon was close enough to hit besties, but, I maxed it at the "20 hearts," besides it bringing me a gift/souvenir, so I knew my goal of making...

Being that Pokemon was a major part of my childhood growing up, I love playing Pokemon GO while going out to explore the world.  Anyone who is close to me knows just how much I enjoy hunting for these imaginary pocket monsters on a day-to-day basis.  When Niantic hinted at an adventure involving the buddy Pokemon you have walking with you, I hoped for it to be where the Pokemon was on the screen with you.  Lucky me, I was right! The next step was deciding which Pokemon to walk and have them along side you in your daily hunting adventures.  With the highest buddy level being set as a "best buddy" and the reward only being a 1 level CP increase, plus it wears a ribbon, I personally decided to have fun with it while also walking things that may be relevant to when the Battle GO League is released.  I recorded a shot video and uploaded it to YouTube but I do want to explain more of it here.  youtu.be/Q5kIh67LRHw  (Related Video Link) People of...

After the Long, 13-Hour Trip, We Finally Arrive in Chicago Sight Seeing: Navy Pier After hearing how popular of a Pokemon GO hunting spot the Navy Pier was, my buddy and I headed straight there once we were checked into our hotel.  The amount of people on the walk over there plus how many people were actually visiting the pier, was quite astounding.  It was obvious that more than half of them were also out hunting.   Shadows of us hunting may have ruined the picture, but, look how blue the sky is?  Also, being right there next to one of the Great Lakes, was a breathtaking experience.  It was dark blue as far as the eye could see and a pretty, clear-teal up close.  The whole atmosphere of Chicago was crisp, clean, and "light," not to mention, very windy, too.   The simplistic beauty of Lake Michigan, coupled with the type of architecture in Chicago, made the skyline easy to look at.  It was beautiful and a...

A 13 Hour Drive, Cross-Country? Road Trip!! Upon getting tickets for Chicago's Pokemon GO Fest, the reality hit me on the actual "going" part.  It was my best buddy's birthday so I bought him a ticket to go, as well.  I was beyond floored when he said he would not mind driving there, and back, and I told him I would help him pay for anything he needed.   Being a southern girl, I was born and raised by very strict parents who sheltered me growing up.  Even now, being almost 30 years old, my father is still very protective, so telling him of my upcoming ventures, was not the easiest thing for me to do.  Surprisingly, he was excited for me and said it was about time I tried "spreading my wings."  My sister was also happy for me, and of course, both of them wanted to see pictures of everything.   Our Journey Begins: Leaving at 3 A.M.  The excitement of the trip had me barely sleeping. Also, I normally wake up aroun...

Coming Back to Reality For everyone who was lucky enough to attend Pokemon GO Fest, Chicago, the thought of leaving could not have been easy.  The city was beautiful, clean, and the entire experience was amazing. That may be just my opinion, but, I know a few people would agree with me.  What was hard for me was when the thought hit me that I had to head back home.  My anxiety and stress levels had been so low while up in Chicago because I did not have the pressure of my home, or work life, but had time to finally relax.  My nerves are usually so bad that I bite my finger nails down to the nail buds, and I noticed on the way back home to New Orleans that my nails had actually grown a good bit.  That of course surprised me, causing me to become emotional.  Realizing just how much stress my every day life causes me, shocked me.  When I got closer and closer to home, though, my anxiety really kicked in, causing me to just start crying.  I had be...

Good Morning, All! The Hype is Real, For POKEMON GO FEST!!!!  Today is my last work day before I head up to Chicago.  I just received a text from my manager asking if I was not coming in to work tomorrow, which is the day she ok'd me off as soon as I knew I had tickets, and she had forgotten she gave me the go ahead to be able to take off.  That made me literally shake my head, but, did not surprise me. I am so excited to be able to go and hope that everyone who gets to go has an amazing experience.  Pokemon GO has helped me get through a lot, meet a lot of people, and helped me build more confidence in myself.  I am a proud player who enjoys using the Game as an extra form of exercise and also as a way for me to be more social, helping to combat my horrible social anxiety.  I have had both good and bad experiences while playing, but more have been good.  This trip will also be my first official summer vacation, since I have never taken one that ...