A Day in the Life of a Master(s) of Education

So my first camping trip was awesome! It was a group of 10 of us and 3 dogs. I have never really been camping before so I asked every friend I knew that had been or would enjoy it and turns out they all said yes! So we left yesterday morning and headed up to Gainesville, GA to meet 1/3 of the group. Next we packed up the cars (I proceeded to pass out, because if I am not driving long car rides do that to me) and drove up into the the Chattahoochee National Forest, Woody Gap on the Appalachian Trail. We hiked about 1.5 miles in, with a ton of food and all our gear and found the best site almost immediately. It's a good thing we went when we did. Once we set up camp we had about 4-5 groups follow us up. Soon we were passed by more hikers and campers and even a couple of people who were actually  walking the whole AT from South to North. On average it takes people about 6months to make the trek. Last year one of my college  professors took a sabatical to do so. Not something I pl...

As a part of my North GA exploration goal, I will be going on my very first official camping trip! Woody Gap , is a part of the Appalachian Trail and a common locale for campers. I have a group of about 8 experienced campers/hikers going with me and hopefully no bears will eat me. Though I am a bit weary of the actually sleeping outside and the lack of a shower part of the trip; I am excited for campfire songs, campfire food and seeing stars. Just wanted to share with my adoring fans out there the link to the website and maybe you will be interested in checking it out for yourself! Until next post...laters

8 years have passed and I will always remember April 16, 2007. I remember being exhausted from my drive up from a weekend spent in DC and super excited to have purchased my first car. I remember rushing out of my dorm at Cochrane for my 8am class across the street and passing an ambulance outside of West AJ. I remember sitting in my 200+ person lecture with few other students, having our professor comment on how empty the classroom was even though it was 8am Monday morning class and hearing a fellow student comment that West AJ was on lockdown. I remember walking  adjacent to the Drillfield to the Chem/Phys building for my chemistry lab and being passed by numerous campus, town and state police cars. I remember calling my father immediately and letting him know that something was happening on campus, that I didn't know what it was but that I was ok. I remember whispering with my lab partner and fellow classmates about what could be happening in Blacksburg also affec...

Had the chance to finally  attend Dapper Day  at WDW! What is Dapper Day? It's  a day when guest  dress up in their best and visit the parks! Inspiration  came  from some of the orginal renderings of Disneyland which included  guest walking around with suit & ties, sundresses and the like. We got a group of 6 together  and walked around Magic Kingdom taking photos, riding  rides and generally having a great  time. This was also  my first attempt at Disneybounding. For those  of you not familiar with  that term either, it's  when you draw inspiration in  your clothes from a Disney movie, show or character. It differs from cosplay in that  it isn't  an exact recreation of the character. In fact Disneybounding has even been done based off of attractions found in the park! Can you guess who I was bounding as? Hint: It definitely opened up "A whole new world" of fashion ideas for me and I  received...

So as you all know I am hard at work trying to stick to the goals I have set for myself in 2015. I am working on trying to refrain from calling them "resolutions" because even though they do require resolve to achieve, many "resolutions" tend to fall by the wayside half way through the year if not half way through the month of January. Nonetheless here I am yet again checking in and keeping accountable with those goals. For a refresher check out my post from January 6th. Soooo time for a status update: This came from my kitchen last night and I made it. I ate it and didn't die. I shared it with others, they also did not die. Cooking win!: Sweet Potato Mini Pies with Homemade Graham Cracker Crust Finished Product! As apart of my Georgia exploring goal went on a hike to Arabia Mountain, I was so proud of LJ! He did the entire 5 1/2 mile moderate hike without me having to carry him once. I'm only holding him in this picture because he is so tiny ...

It may be a bit premature to make notes on the progress of my 2015 goals but since one of them was to blog more regularly I figured I would kill two birds with one stone (hopefully the birds are chickens that I will then eat because otherwise this saying is unnecessarily violent,  but I digress) via this post. Here are a couple of things of note in regards to the goals: Went to the library and picked up a new book entiled "Nine Inches" or something close to that. Since we are already half way through the month I have got to get cracking.  The plus side to this is that I am a fast reader and the book in this case is only about 300 pages long.  Score! I have been hanging with various groups of friends recently and going on dates so I have made the utmost effort that if I am walking out of my house (and not going to work which doesn't count since I wear a uniform) I look great and put together. Originally the goal was to look decent but since joining instagram (@alwysmoe)...

So this year is ending differently than I expected. Yet this is not a surprise....in fact if it hadn't, it wouldn't be real life. I am looking forward to 2015. I always look forward to a new year because its so ripe with possibilities. This is also a great time to be uber reflective and decisive about the coming year. What is different: I am single now and back to dating, right now I have a really great guy in my life with potential to become more than a friend. I have be somewhat promoted with the latest expansion at work there has been a large reshuffling of duties and some added opportunities that have become available. Reflecting on my current state in life I have made a list of what I want to accomplish in the next 5 years, after all it's been that long since I graduated from college and thus now is the time to make sure I am in a place that I want to be and adjust if I am not (I'm close but not there yet). What is staying the same: My desire...

So as a part of my year of travel, I planned a weekend birthday trip over Thanksgiving to New Orleans. With Amanda & LJ in tow we hit the Crescent City with an explorers passion. We drank on Bourbon Street, danced on Frenchmen's Street & ate our way through plates of beignets, po boys & alligator. On Thanksgiving day we were able to even find a turducken, a combo of turkey, duck and chicken all cooked in one. Though I had my heart set on finding a Cajun fried turkey I settled for another Louisiana flavor in the turducken which was still very delicious. We accomplished most of the things I had on my list and met some really awesome people. Another trip is definitely in the works. Of my year of travel this is top three following Tokyo & Savannah. Apparently I like water a little more then I realized. Until next post.... laters

Hanging out on the set of the BET show "The Game" and spotted one of the lead actors Hosea Chanchez aka "Malik Wright". Thanks KoP!

So technically my year of travel isn't over with 3 more trips on the docket but I just came back from the most epic trip thus far and wanted to talk about it a little. So in all the whirlwind that has been my life recently I was presented the opportunity to go to Japan with a couple of friends. When a person offers you a trip to a foreign country you have dreamed about, you take it....so even though I had plans to go visit my parents in DC and see Bastille in concert, I sold those tickets and called my mom and told her I would bring her a Kimono from Japan and flew away. What an experience! The people seemed to be a little shy around me but otherwise the place has a rustic charm meshed with modern day appeal. From the mountains of Kyoto to the vibrant nightlife of Tokyo I loved it all. Favorite Things: Traditional Onsen (Japanese Bathhouse) in Kyoto,  Tokyo Disney Sea, karaoke in Tokyo & green tea kit kats Things I could have done without: The constant stares without sp...

So I titled this post "Fenuxe" as a play on the traditional spelling Phoenix for two reasons 1) it's symbolic of the changes that have happened in my life & 2) showing how rebirth doesn't always happen how/when/why you want it to. Now that we are on the same page let's dive into the details of my latest rebirth. I may have already touched on this but just in case I'll do it again. I am currently living the single life again (not very well, but I am doing it) and as such I have used this opportunity to look at myself in the mirror and try to see what others may see. In essence what makes people want to be around me and in some cases ultimately date me. When I did this,  there were physical aspects I still wasn't satisfied with and some inner qualities that I felt needed some refinement.  So that has been my task of late, getting through the fire of a breakup and rising from the ashes as a fenuxe with new radiance! So far I have met each step of the tran...

Well Blogger World, The month of August has been an interesting one. Some major life changes have happened that I don't want to go into but were substantial enough to put into motion a new course of life. Actually I will take the time to talk about one of those changes. On a recent trip to WDW I was disapproved in a few of my roles due to my weight gain and size. I will credit WDW Costuming Manager Winnie for handling a tricky situation with kindness and grace. I understand that she has a job to do and a look to achieve and currently I do not meet those guidelines. Though I was initially upset and distraught, I have since used this as a fuel to my fire weight loss and body toning goals. I have evaluated my eating habits and have since adopted a 4-5/day week workout routine and a protein packed 2000 calorie eating plan. I do not really like the word "diet", too many negative connotations. I feel good. I like it thus far. It has been a struggle to be consistent but with m...

  So here is the long awaited list of artists from my year of concerts: Maroon 5  Owl City Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Flo Rida  Armin VanBuren Fifth Harmony Bonnie Mckee Neon Trees Miley Cyrus Robin Thicke Travie McCoy Elton John Bruno Mars Fitz and the Tantrums 3Oh3!  One Republic Olly Murs Lupe Fiasco Ke$ha Pitbull Lil Wayne T.I Matchbox 20 Goo Goo Dolls Icona Pop Fun. P!nk Imagine Dragons Gwar Talib Kwali Austin Mahone The Wailers Favorite: Bruno Mars Maroon 5 Ke$ha Best Bang for My Buck: One Republic Elton John Jingle Ball (Multiple Artist for 1 price) Must See Again: One Republic Maroon 5 P!nk Fun. Overall Review: So my year of concerts was one of the best things I have ever done. I saw so many great bands and artists,  became a fan of new ones and grew as a music lover. Attending so many shows also showed me the value of music festivals and the like...

Whew!  Where is the time going? It feels like ever since I made resolutions to do things with my life (exploring Atlanta,  Year of Concerts,  Year of travel, etc) everything is whizzing by. It's such an awesome feeling, though the realization that I have been in a loving and supportive relationship for almost 2 years (June 21st!!!!) is still a hard pill to swallow. Even with everything great that is happening and the bad that inevitability comes along I am so content and fulfilled in my life. Some days are harder than others but the general concensus is a positive one. Thank you to all the people who have had a part in my life....even the guy who pissed me off at work today ;-) Until next post....laters!!!

As a part of my year of travel I have attened a few music festivals.  Most recently has been the Big Guava Festival in Tampa.  It rained 2 of the 3 days but seeing Outkast, Girl Talk. Tegan & Sara and Twenty One Pilots was totally worth it.  Here are a few pics from rainy day antics with Amanda in Florida.

This one was unexpectedly awesome. Regina King @ the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Apparently she was scouting for a movie filming in Atlanta.  What made it so awesone was how laid back she was. The highlight of a Manic Monday. 

For the second time I have let a month slip by without a single post. However in my defense I posted 3 times in February and it's the shortest month of the year. Since my real accountability is only to myself, I am going to let this one pass. Anyways it has been crazy busy (another contributing factor in a non-post month) with me working 3 jobs again,  working on my resolutions & the overall pace that is Spring! That being said I have come to the official end of last year's resolution also known as "The Year of Concerts". As promised there will a post with photos and comments,  just not this one. For that I need a computer and about 1hr neither of which is available to me right now. Maybe I will hijack work computer or even Jesse's. Alas I just wanted to check in with you blogger world and let you know I haven't forgotten about you! Until next post..... laters

In my last post I commented that my 2014 resolution would be to travel to a new place every month. Well I have finished the preliminary list but it is open to changes due to budget, time and other variables.  Just wanted to at least get a starting point down. So here it is! January-Kansas City February-Rock City March-Savannah April-Macon May-Tampa/St. Pete June-Charleston July-Ocean City August-Pittsburgh September-Charlotte October-Helen November-New Orleans December-Nashville Hopefully I can to all these places,  after all nothing beats a try but a failure! Until next post.... laters

These haven't been happening as much for me lately in Atlanta (mostly because I haven't been out and about) so I was pretty excited about it. Spotted Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane, Pulp Fiction, Captain America) at a prescreening of Robocop. It had been a really tough day so I was kinda of excited to see a DC Native and celeb. That's all for now. Until next post laters!!

So while I have been busy having a social life other things have been popping up!  On the work front the whole outside horticulture team has been commuting to Buford, Georgia to work at a set of greenhouses that house our summer exhibit, Mosaiculture.  It has been a team building project but so hard on the body. In fact I am in the company van aka family van aka the white whale typing this.   I really have respect for the workers who not only do this for a living but also work on pieces that can as large as 50ft tall and 20ft wide.  More on this project later.  Another incident of note was the Snowpocalyse 2014 aka Snowmaggedon 2014 aka SnOwMG 2014, where Atlanta got 2" of snow that caused massive traffic jams,  a birth and a city that shut down for 2 days. I think the SNL Weekend Update was the most comical take on events that were not so funny in the moment. Anyway almost at the greenhouses so I am signing off for now. Until next post enjoy this pho...