Pokemon GO

It seems like now every time I (Martha) write a blog post it is in response to a craze out there. I'll try and do better but here is my take on Pokemon Go.

It may come as a surprise but I (Martha) played Pokemon as a child and I always was trying to catch them all. I had the magazines to see what ones I could catch and what they evolved into.

Fast forward almost 18 years later and Pokemon is making a come back and I find myself reverting back to my childhood. Chasing after Pokemon and trying to make them evolve and finding similar people out and about trying to become Pokemon masters themselves.

Sure I hear the backlash about how it's stupid and you're an adult with a job why are you playing this game. It's just so stupid chasing these mythical creatures around places and throwing mythical balls at them. It eats up your data and phone battery.

Point taken and pushed aside.

Pokemon Go is actually getting people out and about. Museums and Libraries are seeing more people in their buildings thanks to Gyms and Pokestops. Everyone is seeing it as a marketing campaign. If a place says that they had a Pikachu sighting I would be in my car going there to see if I could finally catch him. Sure some places that are getting attention should be left private.

The developers of the game did this crazy thing they used google maps as an overlay and used popular landmarks and other places to create gyms and pokestops. There is a lot of apps and technology out there that use google maps as overlays but this is one of the first that is gaining attention.

Sure they wrote one little code wrong and it opened up a window into our google accounts but they found the mistake and fixed it. That happens code gets written wrong all the time.

Back to playing Pokemon GO...some of the past days have been the most fun for Eli and I. I got him addicted to playing the game and we go out nightly for walks or bike rides. Trying to track down new Pokemon or to hatch eggs that we have acquired through Pokestops in town. We meet new people on the street...people we've never met before and Wakarusa is a small town. We talk about what Pokemon we've seen and where and how crazy it is that people are out doing this.

I'm getting my husband out and about and exercising with this game and reconnecting by having Pokemon dates. I'm exercising myself. In a day and age where most people hide behind their computers, tablets or phones playing games and sitting on a couch or laying in bed or behind a desk. This is getting people out and moving and exercising. I work in Nappanee and I have seen people walking the street who are the regulars that are out walking but you know that they are out searching for Pokemon just by the way they look.

I don't think we should be worried about the evils of Pokemon. I really don't see any in them. When I was younger Pokemon helped expand my imagination just like reading Harry Potter or the Boxcar children did. It gave me an out to disappear from the world and explore the world that the Pokemon lived in. I want my future children to live in a world where it is okay to dream of fantasy and to have a big and huge imagination.

Now the Pokemon live in my world. They are getting me out and exercising not only my brain but my body. They are bringing people from all ways of life together. Wasn't it said on the news just in the last week that "ALL LIVES MATTER". I've meet more people on the street chasing after Pokemon than I could have met in the workplace or at a church. These people aren't out judging you like others who see you playing the game with disgust. They are from all ways of life and young and old. I see parents out there reconnecting with their children. It is okay to talk to your kids.

My dad who is 65 years old asked me about what this Pokemon thing was and I happily showed him. There weren't any Pokemon out at my parents house to show him how to catch one but he just smiled and laughed.

So while you are at home reading this and thinking about playing another riveting game of Candy Crush and how evil Pokemon is and how they have evaded my privacy, I'll be out chasing my childhood dream of catching Pokemon in my world and getting exercise all in one.

PS remember when we found out the NSA was listening to our cell phone conversations or how everyone was outraged when the FBI wanted Apple to write a code that would open a portal to all all of our personal information on our cellphones and every code writer was coming forward saying they could do it if Apple wouldn't.

I'm more outraged at that then the Pokemon Go developer writing one code wrong.

Yes, I am almost 30 but at least it is getting me out of the house and taking care of my body.

Excuse me, I've got to go track down Pikachu!

PS since Saturday I've walked 16 miles playing Pokemon GO, how many miles have you walked this week?

Why I am still shopping at Target...::gasp::

Such a scandalous title I know!

I get that everyone is upset about with Target and how they have a new bathroom policy and that you're boycotting it. To solve your problem just don't use the bathrooms. The Targets in this area all have other places around them that you can go to.

Eli and I are on a tight budget most our money goes into paying off student loans. We are constant couponers and don't buy anything unless it's on sale, we have a coupon or another way to save money.

We hardly buy anything that's not price reduced or on sale unless we make bets out of it or know that it fits. Eli and I also take bets on how much we think our groceries will cost. ;)

Target gives us our most bang for our buck. We usually shop for 2 weeks of groceries at a time and have $100 or a little more to spend on them. We can go into Target and spend anywhere from $50-$80 on 2 weeks of groceries and save anywhere from $10-$40. On a good shopping trip.

How? May you ask.

Target allows double coupons (manufacturer and target), they have the amazing cartwheel app (We saved over $50 using an amazing cartwheel deal once and they just released an update that puts the target coupons into your cartwheel app.), they have great sales and deals, they send us coupons in the mail and our target red debit card.

Not many people know but I have food allergies and Target not only has a great selection for me of stuff I can eat (without Eli eating it all first ;) ) but also great prices and deals on everything.

For example: One week we had a cartwheel for 20% off almond milk and 2 weeks later almond milk was on sale!

So why am I still shopping at Target because they help us save as much money as possible on groceries. I could care less about their bathrooms and policy.