O' Georgia

A road trip to anywhere new is always fun, but this trip was extra special. A very good friend of mine (Krystle) has NEVER left the state of Florida. Insane right!? Now I am no world class traveler, but I took it upon myself to ensure that Krystle left the state of Florida ASAP. Well actually it took me about a year after I promised her this trip...BUT we made it! Side note: Its different temperatures in different states. who knew? Needless to say I did not pack for 40 degree weather, so walking the streets of savannah at night was no bueno. Regardless, we had a great time, Krystle can officially say she has been to another state and I can check off yet another city off of my bucket list of adventures. Oh, and who knew that Savannah was a punk rock city? News to me! We stuck out like a sour thumb with our pretty brown knee high boots and cardigans, while everyone else looked like they robbed the local leather and metal shops. P.s. If you are from Savannah and you are reading this, this is not a dig at the interesting culture of Savannah, just a mere observation about the unusual style that exists. Georgia is a great state though, and anyone that jokes that it is just an extension of Florida, is full of it. Great trip, Great company and a night to be away from our every day life. I'd say it was a success.

  

Nextly, I am officially pursuing my certification for SCUBA diving! (with the help of my boyfriend and his wonderful Christmas presents) and I am have agreed to run a half marathon in the fall. I must be crazy! I am paying to run through the streets of Florida as if that sounds like a joyous time. Lets hope I survive round two of my brother in laws insane fitness plans. Cheers to new adventures and a healthy lifestyle!

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!