TEAM NAME: Shake & Bake PARTNER: @Brian Rushalski DATE: 10/03/2025 *** My posts for this will NEVER be this long again - I promise. You also don't have to read any of this. This post serves strictly as a my "proof" since I can't really take a picture for this. While I definitely want to start being more active day-to-day (& will do so with Brian), I want to prioritize and focus on relationships this month. For me, doing the physical challenge would be taking the easy way out & I actually want to get something out of this & help myself... so, here it goes... I'm going to steal a line from Bri's post where he said, "If you know me," but the thing is "if you know me" you probably still don't really know any of what I am about to type here. I think my first memory of my dad being "off" was when I was 5. I remember him coming home and being so excited to see us & saying, "C'mon guys let's go in the pool." As a kid I thought that was awesome, & it was awesome, until it wasn't. He was drunk & probably high too. My mom knew it, but my brothers & I didn't because why would we. When I was first born my dad got into a really bad motorcycle accident. He was prescribed oxycodone for the pain management and then just really never stopped taking it. The drinking got worse and the pills turned into harder stuff like heroine. He had multiple DUIs and was in/out jail frequently. After multiple restraining orders & trips to DYFS, my parents finally got divorced when I was 12. To me, the divorce wasn't what I was sad about though. I was sad that we had to pack up all of our stuff, leave our house, and move into a rental condo in a neighboring town. This is where the relationship stuff really started to mess with me. I was embarrassed & ashamed & at the time none of my friends had to move or had divorced parents. I would lie to my friends and say that I was just going to my grandma's house after school because I didn't want them knowing I lived in a condo. I would also lie to my friends and say that my dad was "on a business trip" whenever they'd come over because I didn't want them to know he didn't live with us.

Who showed up on the 🩷 Co-Werkin 🩷 call at 4:30a her time. Woo hoo, Helen! Nice to meet everyone there and visit and do some co-werkin

What's the best way to get people to engage more and reply more to posts. and how can I get guys who either lurk or don't communicate at all to start engaging?