Stamp Collecting!

        Stamp Collecting is something that I just stumbled upon about 4 days ago. This was not a hobby I ever thought that I would enjoy, but I really do! My grandfather worked for the post office post-war and collected stamps for years and years. I never knew about this though! I started looking through the collection and found stamps dating back to the late 1800's and were only 1 cent. He collected stamps from all over the world also, such as Iceland and Africa..which as cool as that is, do you know how complicated it gets to research stamps from other continents? I spent about 3 hours searching for the current value of the stamps and got through about 15 stamps. That did not even put a dent in to the extensive collection that my dad has..and I am thinking that it will take me quite awhile to document the value of every single one of them, but it seems to be such a great investment. The cool thing about any kind of rare antique or collection, is that there were only so many issued of whatever item you are looking at, and as time passes, those numbers keep decreasing as far as people who actually still have those items. Holding on to this collection for another 40 years could put my grandkids (if I ever have kids...) through college! This has turned out to be something that I am really fascinated with, who knew that little things your grandparents took an interest in would be still so relevant in younger generations. I know very little about the whole process, but I am sure there are still many buyers in the stamp collecting market. I can definitely add this hobby to my "I am way to young to be so interested in this" pile that seems to grow much quicker than any extreme hobbies that people in their 20's are probably doing. Oh well, I don't think there is anything wrong with sitting on the floor sorting stamps, could be worse things to be in to right?

HOLA!

I honestly do not know where to even begin with this blog about Mexico. Two weeks in paradise is a pretty large amount of information to write in such a small post. So try to follow along! I didn't know what to expect when we got there..and I did litte research on Cozumel so I would be completely surprised. We got there and honestly I would have been happy just sitting at the airport because I was just SO excited to be there! Our hotel was beautiful, the waitstaff was great and the view was incredible! Minus a couple days of crummy weather, it was absolutely amazing. I took a pool scuba lesson..which actually scared me more than I thought would (but I am currently pursuing becoming certified!) and so I snorkeled with the kids instead. Lon actually let me breathe off his tank for a little bit and I am pretty sure I sucked all the air out of it in a matter of 10 minutes..but I think I will really like diving! Oh and Jellyfish! I never thought I would get used to jellyfish stings...but after dozens of them..you learn not to care. We did "Island Tours" which was pretty much bar hopping along the island at all Lon's family's favorite spots..which was awesome! The best part about being in Cozumel with the Meszaros clan (Lons Fam) was that they have been going there for years, so I felt more like a local than a tourist. And the antiquity was just incredible. Honestly, houses with paint chipping off, garbage in the front yard and a family of 5 on a mo-ped is the norm there and its SO charming! At home though..not so much.

 I got to check out the Mayan ruins, which was actually pretty cool considering the world was supposed to end today according to the silly historians. But I was truly blown away by the preservation of these buildings from over a thousand years ago..absolutely fascinating. We also took a tour of the lighthouse which was very cool, along with the Mayan lighthouse that was the size of a coat closet and at one time was very efficient! I know the babbling of this post is probably making you sea sick..but my mind is too cluttered with memories to correctly write them out. Anyways,  The Iron Man was going on while we were there (which coincidentally has inspired me to run a mini marathon) but Lon's sister in law and myself took a 6am cab to the starting point, snuck behind the scenes and got to experience the race in a very up close way. These people must be crazy! Lastly, the shopping...my oh my the shopping. I planned ahead and brought extra bags so I could bring stuff home..but I did not planning on wanting to buy everything in sight. AND! I am overwhelmingly good at bartering with these crazy Mexicans. I had so much fun every time we went in to town and next time I am taking about 6 extra suitcases. Poor Lon...I always tell him that my problems turn in to his problems because before we knew it half my stuff was in his suitcases and his bags weighed about 400 lbs. This trip was incredible, I can't wait to get back on that glorious island..the group that we went with was irreplaceable...until next time Mexico!

Flair for Flair's Sake!

         Meet Chuck. (the guy above)... Chuck is a great friend of mine, and a Flair bartender in Orlando that works at BB Kings next to where I work. He also works at Tgi Fridays, which now hosts some of the biggest bar comps. He competes in bar comps around the area and is associated with some crazy talented Flair Bartenders. Until I moved to Orlando I seriously had no idea about the world of Flair, and you know what is missing? FEMALES! Now I have taken it upon myself to learn to Flair. (Chuck is suppose to teach me, but he is seriously slacking). I bought a couple tins. a practice bottle and went to work. Ya, def not as easy as it looks. But you know what helps? I already know how to juggle! Coincidence right! It honestly is a good thing that I am so eclectic with my life because it all ties together in one way or another. Now the juggling is a start and every once in awhile when I am working a morning bar shift, I will start fiddling with the tins and I have gotten some pretty crazy tips! One guy gave me a hundred bucks to flair for like 10 minutes and was so impressed! (He was from Minnesota but it still counts!) I seriously think that this is the golden ticket! If I learn to Flair, become marketable, then I will be unstoppable. This is probably one of the more time consuming things on my ongoing list of hobbies though, but check with me in about 2 years and I might just be pretty good! Or I will learn to Flair enough to say I can, use it at work to make some extra money and add it to the never ending Bucket List that is my life. Either way I am happy.

I am posting a youtube link here if anyone is interested in checking out some pretty incredible flair. Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch5QIowUmsI

Green Thumb?

                   So Lon and I decided that we wanted to try our hand at gardening. Now this all came about because of our obsession with Caprese salads which we would buy fresh basil for. Now every week we would buy a new plant because the other one died and this went on for awhile. Finally we decided to actually keep the plant alive...go figure right? Our trip to Home Depot went from buying ONE pot for the basil plant to SIX pots and 5 new types of plants. We bought the plants first, and then researched how to grow them...this I do not recommend. Did you know that EVERYTHING cross pollinates!? Yea me neither! I insisted that we buy peppers which contaminates everything. Needless to say we will probably have the spiciest basil and rosemary you've ever tasted but on the plus side....We have our first tomato growing!(and yes it will probably be the spiciest tomato EVER!) I did not realize how much I am enjoying our little garden though. I am always looking for new things that Lon and I can do together (that he won't completely moan and groan about) and this has turned out to be something that we both like.

               On a side note, I voted yesterday. Yes, I know everyone is tired of talking/hearing about politics, but I am proud to be a voter. I honestly waited until 6:30 to vote last night which made Lon just about kill me, but by 6:55 I was done and pretty proud of myself. I have a very good friend of mine that was running for State Representative in my hometown in Pennsylvania, who unfortunately did not win, but you have no idea how proud I am! I have the craziest stories about this guy and he was a great friend of mine through highschool. It just absolutely amazes me how far everyone has come since those days. He is a war veteran and hopefully a great politian one day! My hat is off to AJ who one day I hope will achieve his goals!

Antiques! Antiques! Antiques!

       Antiquing may be one of my favorite things of all time. Living in Florida though, it is so much harder to find affordable antiques because of the tourism. When I lived in Pittsburgh, you literally knocked on someone's door (that lived in the middle of no where of course) and asked them if they had anything for sale. And honestly 9 times out of 10 they did! I have bought some of the coolest stuff out of barns and garages, which is what got me started as a collector. Now just like anything else in my life, I do not excel at antiquing, but I stumble upon things like the music box (above ^) that sometimes turns out to be a great find! I actually bought that box with my boyfriends mother in a REALLY nice antique store in PA. and paid $25.00 for it. Now I figured it was probably made in the 1940's and has been sitting in someone's closet for the past 20 years. I come to find out though that it was developed in the early 1900's, my great grandmother had one, and my dad used to listen to one as a kid! Totally worth the $25 that I paid for it! I also bought a pantry that was probably made in the 1970's (forced my friend to drive it down to FL in the trunk of his SUV) thinking that it would be a great couple project for me and Lon. Yea....not so much, we couldn't even figure out how to strip the paint off let alone turn it into a masterpiece! Hopefully, we will get it done and I can show everyone how cute it is.

        The best thing for me about antiques though is the incredible history. To think that someone bought that music box brand new, and might have listened to it with their family at dinner time is just crazy cool! I started collecting books and plates initially. My collection is not extensive (because I am already a hoarder and have no room for anything!) But I wouldlike  to one day have a house full of restored antiques. If you have never bought an antique, add it to your list, you won't be disappointed! You are not however to become obsessive like me, and stop at every yard sale that you pass on the high way! Happy Picking!

Say Goodbye to Junk Food

So this might have been one of my best ideas yet (NOT!)  I decided to ask my brother in law, (who by the way runs 10 miles a day as a warm up to his regular work out) to design a fitness plan for me to shed a few pounds before my trip to Mexico in November. Now I am not super work-out woman by ANY means, but I stay fit, so I figured whats the big deal? I can handle it! Man was I wrong! I have been doing this program for 5 days so far, I can't drink pop, eat sugar, carbs, dairy ect...(in excess of course) That was my main diet! I have been living off of salad with no dressing and chicken breast. Is anybody aware that this is not a satisfying way of living life. I mean seriously, I work at a Mexican Restaurant surrounded by THE most unhealthy food choices and here I am drinking a protein shake trying not to have a complete break down everytime a burritto passes by me. The diet isn't even the most difficult part though, the workout might ACTUALLY kill me. Lunges, squats, push ups, burpees and mt climbers OOOOHHH MY! Does any one know what "set to fail means"? It means that you do these exercise until you physically can't. What happened to sets and reps? Apparently that is not nearly hard core enough to count your reps, but instead, do so many that your bones break and you can't move for a week. But on the plus side, I am no longer in denial of my physical abilities, I am completely and totally convinved that I am not hard core, and people who thoroughly enjoy this type of torture are just plain crazy! Let's just hope that the constant limping and crazy diet pays off and I feel like wonder woman in the next few weeks! Get Fit, Stay Fit!

Locked and Loaded

 Have you ever shot a gun? I grew up around guns, my dad has a pretty extensive collection, and living in Pennsylvania (which is farm country) you can pretty much shoot a gun where-ever you want (except at you neighbor..unless you don't like them). Now I know that alot of people feel very differently about gun possession and what not, but honestly there is no harm in knowing how to use a gun JUST IN CASE. Now for me, I have not bought my first gun yet (Bucket List!) but I thoroughly enjoying going to the gun range and blasting round after round in to a zombie target just for fun! If you are ever looking for stress release, guns are the way to go! My friend Rachel just recently got in to guns and bought her first one a few weeks ago. Now her reasoning was for safety, and she was going to force herself to learn to use the gun and then never do it again. Ya....she goes at least once a week to the shooting range and her eyes light up like a child on Christmas morning when you ask her about her gun. You'd be surprised how satisfying the gun range is, and whoever is reading this..if you go out to the gun range and accidentally shoot yourself in the foot, not my fault! You want to know what the best thing about my gun experiences is though..spending time with my dad, there are several things that he and I have done together since I was young, and I hope to have a daughter one day that I can teach to shoot also. Father - Daughter Bonding = Priceless!

MorphStore.com

MorphStore.com hosts our Halloween Party at Adobe's every year and provides us with some of the greatest costumes you will see in Orlando. The guys that head up Morphstore travel world wide teaching people how to use prosthetic make up like to transform people in to the creatures that you see above and also have done work on movies like Avatar and Pirates of the Caribbean (cool right?) Now every once in awhile after a "workshop" that they teach, they wander in to Adobes with their creations and scare all of our customers. I on the other hand am a huge fan of horror and sci-fi so when these people come in for dinner, I take full advantage of taking pictures and asking questions. I am not sure if I am crazy of not but they have asked me to model for their workshops, which involves me standing still for hours, half naked in a room full of people painting me from head to toe, and I am considering it! How many people get the oppurtunity to be turned in to a hellish monster for a day!? I am not even sure that I am THAT excited to be painted, but more so to be a part of what these guys are doing with technology and make-up..and it helps that they have worked with Johnny Depp (which coincidentally I met Johnny Depps sister yesterday..who knew my life was so exciting?) I just can't help but be alittle excited about an oppurtunity to work with such talented people. If nothing else though, and I can't find the courage to actually BE the model, then I will just take one their course and learn to paint other people..its a win, win! For now though, I will stick to the little bit of creature painting knowledge that I do have (stay tuned for halloween Zombie pictures to come, created by yours truly) and hopefully get more involved with MorphStore one of the days..and who knows, maybe I have a new career path in front of me, or just another hobby to add to the list!

Violinist in the Making

When I was young I played the flute, and quite well if I do say so myself but of course as a kid you move on to different hobbies and forget about the old ones. (which I tend to still do sometimes) So I decided a few months ago to give a musical instrument another shot, but this time a stringed instrument (since of course I mastered a wood-wind instrument). Now in my mind I figured I would set aside an hour or two week to play so I bought all of these instructional books that showed you finger placement  (and even came with cd's that haven't been updated since the 90's) but of course time tends to get in the way. I have since learned jingle bells, mary had a little lamb and the intro to a Mozart song, but I like to think that my effort has not been wasted and it is a great achievement for somebody that is teaching themselves!

Now my on going list of new hobbies, is constantly growing but I live my life by the motto that I would rather be good at a bunch of different things, than be excellent at just a few. Maybe in my mind it justifies the overwhelming amount of ideas of new adventures I come up with on a weekely bases, but I would like to think that it just makes me well rounded. So my dream of playing the violin on stage for an audience may never actually come true, but when someone asks me if I can play an instrument, I can say, "Well as a matter of fact I do, I am a violinist." (Who needs to tell them that my greatest achievement is a Christmas song with 3 notes?)

Prosit, Prosit, Prosit!

Bavarian FunFest. First of all, any excuse to make a trip home (Pittsburgh) is a good enough excuse for me, but this time was the greatest excuse of all. Funfest hasn't been held for 20 years ago, but this year they decided to bring it back and see what the younger generations would make of it. Now let me tell you, I was warned about drinking, dancing and down right genuine authenticity, and that's exactly what I got ( minus the dancing on my part, just not having it). There were dozens of food stands, giant tents filled will folk music and polka dancing, and yes my favorite..CRAFTS! But after 5 days of meeting more people then I knew what to do with (honestly by the end of the week I was hugging everyone just because I wasn't sure if I had met them or not) and more rich and greasy food than anyone should consume in that short amount of time, I was tired and about 5lbs heavier (well maybe 10, lets be honest, I am still in denial).  I cannot deny however, that FunFest was an experience, and one that I hope to enjoy next year and lets face it, anything that involves my boyfriend's dad singing Polka music in the car, is good by me.
                           Now I stayed in PA for another few days after the Bavarian Fun Fest ended, and if you can imagine a place on the water, with great company that is surrounded by wineries..that is how I ended my vacation. The cottage on the Lake Erie might possibly be one of the best places on earth and to add to it, I drug Lon on a chartered fishing trip at 5am to catch fish that I refused to touch, all the while I won the biggest fish contest and about 30 bucks! Funfest and the Cottage..combined..they make for an excellent vacation!

StarStruck?

 

Patrick Dempsey..Need I say more? I stopped by my job yesterday..just because I rarely go 24 hours without being there..im pretty sure it is impossible..and I find out that Patrick Dempsey is speaking at BB Kings right next to where I work. Now my first reaction is to run screaming and possibly strangle the first person that keeps me from entering the building..but come on now..who wants to be THAT person. Apparently me, because that is exactly what I did..minus the strangling. If you know me at all I probably will strangler you and who really needs that in their life.

Now I am not really a starstruck individual..mainly because I can never come up with anything reasonable to say to a complete stranger that apparently rocks at life way more than I do..so I keep my distance and then totally exagerate the scenario to my friends in a way that makes me seem like my life is a little bit more exciting than it truly is. But Patrick Dempsey..as a die hard Grey's fan..you have to get a little bit hysterical..and lets face it..meeting people like him is 100% payback for the people that I am forced to serve to make an honest living. When you're day consists of people asking not only where the bathroom is but if you even have one..we deserve a little celeb action to keep us from going completely insane.  On a side note..here's a tip for anyone that has ever been confused about the location of a restaurant bathroom..it is typically in the corner..with a sign above that reads BATHROOM..with a friendly arrow pointing you straight there. And if you have to ask if we HAVE one..do us all a favor and stay home..lets face it..there is no friendly response to that..especially when you wonder in the server station where all the waitstaff is hiding from you just so they dont have to pretend like youre not a complete idiot.

One last tip...if you are trying to avoid washing your hands because the last thing they touched was someone absolutely awesome..thats just gross..but even so..i waited a good 4 hours.

Road Trip

 

The Ultimate Road Trip..who doesn't want to travel the country, stopping as often as you want with no time limit and no real end point. To make the idea of a cross country road trip even better, you add a 1970's shaggin' wagon that will probably cause you more headache than anything...but whats a good road trip without an unreliable vehicle? Next summer I am planning a trip to one of the following..Europe..Australia..or cross country road trip (tough decision right?). All of these trips would be 6-8 weeks long, involve me quitting my job and possibly ending in financial ruin..but all in all I see no real downside to this decision. Not to mention that this quest is TOTALLY bucket list worthy and most certainly "something to tell the grandkids." I've always considered myself kind of..well cheap and careful when it comes to my finances..my whole world can come crashing down from one bad day of overspending due to unrealistic hysteria that I will never overcome the devastating $50 I just spend at walgreens on nail polish. Needless to say that this extravagant trip is waaayyy out of my confort zone...spend every penny I have to not shower for days and possible get attacked by inbreeds in the mountains of montana..anyone would be crazy not to want to do that??? I must say though that I have a friend that has experienced some pretty cool stuff in her life and while she may not be able to afford the finer things in life..she has had more adventure than most people ever will...and if thats not motivation to live fast and experience life...then I really don't know what is.

The Bucket List Begins

Well today is the day that Lon has FINALLY turned 30. After months of planning a surprise party,trying to figure out a mini vaca to take and picking out presents ( which by the way..I totally rock at gift/card giving) .. the day has arrived. Now I have been thinking this whole time that he is stressing about being 30..but let me tell you..it is way more stressful to be the planner, and i will be happy to go back to my usual stresses of work and school. We decided to stay the night in Ormond Beach at a completely and totally serene Hotel that not only has crazy modern decor, but plays slightly awkward indian aromatherapy music by the pool deck while random girls talking about converting their possible love prospects in to greek orthodox enthusiasts. Dinner would be the most eventful part of this trip thus far though. Hibachi...not my taste..as you get to know me you will quickly find out that food is not my thing and my Bucket List will consist of very little adventures surrounding cooking/eating. We were placed at a table by ourselves ( mind you this table fits about 20 people) while we had rice tossed in to our mouths (which Lon almost choked and died on..Happy 30th right?) and I reluctantly tried a piece of Sushi. Thankfully I did not spit it all over the table and Lon did not die via rice. To conclude this landmark in Lon's life, we have Japanese lanterns that you light on fire and send them soaring in to the night sky that will be set off tonight while we comb the beach for baby sea turtles. All in all I would say this day has been a success, and thankfully I can scratch elaborate Dirty Thirty celebrations...off of my Bucket List.

Well..Here it goes..

So I am FINALLY posting my very first blog. My name is Jillian and I am a server/bartender at a  tequila bar that I like to consider "organized chaos." I must be honest, I never really saw myself ever being a blogger, but I guess I just never new how much fun it is! This blog is going to be a sort of Bucket List ( hence Pail of Water) and I honestly cannot wait to jump in to it. I am a Pittsburgh girl, born and raised, and miss it quite a bit since I am now a Floridian... but I guess Ill have to endure the clear skies and beautiful beaches for awhile until its time for me to go back home and get a big girl job. Coincidentally I have found myself a wonderful guy whos hometown in the great city of Pittsburgh is only an hr away from my hometown. I guess sometimes it takes moving a thousand miles to find somebody pretty great..and it helps that we love the same sports team because that could have been detrimental to our relationship. Lastly before I finish my very first post..I must say that I have two very dear friends, miss Kaylee and miss Cami who are responsible for my blogging endeavors..that I am seriously one lucky girl to get to spend my thursday evenings eating great home cooked food and enjoying crazy conversation. Love you ladies!