Alphabetical Advice

I've been doing a lot of alphabetizing lately so this seemed fitting. 

Challenge: Create a list of alphabetical advice. 

A: Ask questions.

B: Be there for those who need you.

C: Clear your mind.

D: Destroy what destroys you. 

E: Enjoy each moment.

F: Find a place that makes you happy to just be there. (Mine's the beach)

G: Give without receiving.

H: Help others.

I: If you can't find it, stop looking for it, and it will suddenly be there.

J: Jump as high as you can.

K: Keep moving forward.

L: Listen carefully.

M: Make your voice heard.

N: Never let others bring you down.

O: Open your mind. 

P: Promise only if you can fulfill that promise. 

Q: Quiet times should be appreciated.

R: Read for fun. 

S: Start your day right (whatever way that might be for you).

T: Take care of the planet. 

U: Understand that you are as strong ad you think you are. So hold yourself up high (but be humble).

V: Visualize your dreams.

W: When you think you can't go any further, take one more step.

X: X-ercise to stay healthy not skinny. 

Y: You have to love yourself inside and out before you'll open your heart completely to someone.

Z: Zoom through life and you'll miss out on some amazing experiences. Don't be in such a hurry all the time. 

I hope you find some of this advice useful. Happy Saturday!!

There's beauty all around us, but we must take the time to appreciate it.

My Day in 'Bama

Today I went on a day trip to Troy, Alabama. What's in Troy, you ask? Troy University of course! That's right, the very same university Lawrence Tynes played football for. In case you didn't know, Tynes is the kicker for the NY Giants (favorite team, favorite player). And he grew up in the Pcola area. I got to meet him last year at a Blue Wahoos game. 

Anyway, Tynes has nothing to do with why I was there. That was just an exciting aspect of being there. I was there for an interview. I'm not going to speculate on here about how it went. I should hear back next week. So it's back to waiting. 

The campus was beautiful. Beautiful buildings. Lots of green space. Great dining hall. Football. 

Troy is in the middle of nowhere. I had an interesting 3 hour drive there. My car and my phone did not like me along the way so that was great. Lots of farms. Goats, cows, corn. Good times. Oh and it rained the whole way up there. Torrential downpour type rain. 

Overall I would say it was a successful day trip. Here are some photos from campus:

The Packing Chronicles, Part 3, Final Installment

Read: The Packing Chronicles, Part 1
          The Packing Chronicles, Part 2

The Packing Chronicles, Part 3

The Final Installment

Packed, Moved, and Adjusting

It's been a couple of weeks. I'm not only all packed, but all moved. Where to, you ask? Well, not Hawaii, that's for sure. I finally heard from them (via snail mail) and they selected another candidate. It sucks, yes, but I'm over it, honestly. So I've moved in with friends just outside of Pensacola. I'm staying there until August, and after that it's all up in the air. In the meantime I'm working at Panera Bread and also at UWF (Housing gave me a job until I find something else). So if August rolls around and I'm still without a job (by which I mean still with only my two current jobs and no other offer) then I guess I'm sticking around Pensacola, but just not sure where.

Packing went well. I have more stuff than I thought and have realized that not everything will fit in my car at once. Not sure how I will move when the time comes. Things to be determined when I know where I am moving to.

The Two Job Lifestyle

It's not pretty and it's not glamorous. That is for sure. It's not like I haven't done this before. I enjoy it overall. Two days a week I work only at UWF from 8-5. Normal. The other three days I usually start my work day at Panera at 5 AM and work until 1. I then work at UWF from 2-5:30. Since I moved I now have a longer commute (seriously it went from 3 minutes to almost 30 depending on the time of day) I wake up at 3:45 AM when I need to be at Panera at 5 AM. The days that I don't have to be up so early? I wake up generally before 5 AM without an alarm.

I love working at Panera Bread. #PaneraLife

Independence Day Baking Adventures

I had zero plans for the Fourth of July. Shocked? I'm not. So what did I do? Baked. Shocked? I'm not. I woke up at 4am without an alarm. Great time to bake. By 10am I had baked and decorated a cake, baked cake pops, started dipping the cake pops, and even took a nap.

So I baked a firecracker cake. Yum!

And some cake pops that I arranged like the flag.

And some red, white, and blue cookie bark.

Hopefully your Independence Day was not as wet as mine. It's been raining nearly nonstop (though it stopped in time for fireworks to happen). I went out for a drive and saw lots of fireworks everywhere. And hit the beach. The Gulf is quite rough thanks to the storms. The drive was a wonderfully boring adventure.

My First Instagram Video:

Maybe this, really that.

Simple. Honest.

I might not be able to get a job, but I have two.

I may have had over 30 unsuccessful interviews, but I feel more confident at interviewing than I ever have before.

I may have been turned down by both Hawaii and Alaska (two jobs I would've had a tough time deciding between), but I got a free vacation to both, got to reconnect with a friend, and had the experience of a lifetime.

I might not know where I'm living in a month, but I know that I have places to go.

I might hate Florida, but I can't seem to leave.

It might be bad timing, but I'm happy.

There might be times where I feel lost, but I'm happy with where I am.

Life might seem rough at times, but I take a deep breath and realize that I have a lot and I am blessed.

I might feel vulnerable, but I am strong.

This might not be where I expected my life to go, but I'm alive and still breathing.

My life right now described in a song:

I wrote a really long, but honest post. It was too complicated. This one is simple. Don't ask questions because I won't explain. That's the point. Another post soon [possibly even later today...] about the awesomeness I baked yesterday. Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July!