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

I just wanted to share a few photos of the graduation trip: Until next post....laters

Hello out there blogger world! Question: have you ever been so in to something or the idea of something that even after it's over you can't believe it happened? That's how this last year and a half has been for me. I now have physical and visual proof that I have completed my master's degree in England. Yet it still feels like a dream or an anomaly. I recently took a trip back in order to attend my graduation ceremony and though I was very saddened that J couldn't join, having my parents along for the ride was amazing. My entire life my mom especially has wanted to visit England but time and circumstances prevented that from happening until now. This trip showed me how much of a treasure my parents are, reaffirmed that they won't be around forever and locked in memories that I will have long after they're gone. There was tons I wasn't able to do with them, like have a pint in a pub with my pop or stroll through the garden with my mom but we sa...

So I've been around a lot of reflective people as of late (which isn't surprising...it's the beginning of the year) and initially I just tried to not be as reflective myself.  To be honest, it feels a bit cliche. That being said there's a reason people do it. There's a reason I am going to do it. I want to be purposeful with my time and choices. Means to an end. A satisfactory end. A few posts ago I created a bucket list, think of this as a continuation of sorts to that. So here we go: I want be more active regularly. To me that means manageable fitness goals. I want to play Quidditch again, get back to doing circus arts and ride my bike at least once a week. I want to build new friendships through existing avenues. There are coworkers I adore, pokemon go folks I keep encountering, and neighbors I'd like to cultivate stronger bonds with. I need to actively carve out time for these things while still maintaining time for myself. Whilst I want to cultivate ...

So today I went out with some friends.  This was a mixed group consisting of friends I've had for over a decade and friends I've had for a few months. When I talked about my life as it is now one thing I noticed between both groups.... no judgement. At least not to my face. I'd like to think that the friends that I have would at least say to my face when they were judging me. Even so, looking at my friends after sharing my story, I was even more confident that I have chosen the best folks to be in my life. In the end tonight solidified that quality over quantity is what matters. And boy am I thankful for that. Until next post . Laters

So a couple of years ago, Atlanta got a football(soccer) team. I was pretty excited. Growing up in the Washington DC area, DC United was pretty much our only consistenly good winning team. Couple that with my Caribbean heritage and I've always sort of enjoyed the sport. I never really overly invested though. That changed when the announcement was made about Atlanta United. I'm not sure why it happened, probably something to do with the Atlanta Thrashers (NHL Hockey) leaving and having a sense of lost when that happened. Nonetheless when tickets went on sale for the first AU game I was there. Several games and 2 stadiums later I had become a full fledged member of the "Footie Mob"(still learning the chants tbh but hey got to start somewhere). Flash forward 2 years and me having a stint in the UK (Go LCFC!) I got back to Atlanta just in time to see my Atlanta United win the MLS Cup. Oh boy what a run it has been. I'm so proud of the expansion team that could! On Mon...

Another holiday season is upon us! Another time were I am torn about how much I spend versus how much I save. Bah humbug. Alas hopefully I will have several epiphanies before December 14th.

Hello out there Blogger World, The other day I was wearing a tank top and shorts with flip flops and a wide brim hat...eating a pumpkin chai latte POPSICLE. In the SE fall isn't always "real" and you never know if it will last long. We just don't "do" cooler temperatures. Forget what the calendar says, it isn't really fall in the south until you are eating/drinking pumpkin flavoured items. I, for one, love that. Now don't get me wrong, I love comfy sweaters and boots and layering clothes as much (and sometimes more than) the next person but there is something to be said about eating a pumpkin popsicle. I have friends who hate the constant warmth (even into late October) that the south offers but to me it's perfect. I get to enjoy warmer weather AND do "traditional" fall things like visit the pumpkin patch, drink cider and stouts and porter style beer, apple picking, fall festivals, a single layer Halloween costume, the list goes on. I...

It's almost been a year since I left the place I've come to call home for the unknown. That unknown being life abroad and graduate school. Making the decision was hard, in fact when I first began the path of graduate school I was single, unsure of any potential for growth or diversity in my job and had started to feel like I had outgrown my life. No longer was I the young 20something, new to the city, exploring and discovering myself. In fact I felt the opposite. I felt like I had been there...done that...time to move on. I don't always think that everything happens for a reason, but I do believe that our path is winding and we don't always clearly see what's ahead of us. Anyway back to the reflective bit. I was in a place where I needed a change (or so I thought) and thus decided to apply for grad school. Fun fact: I looked for schools here and abroad. I also explored taking the GREs again or doing a short course to see if I could even handle being in school aga...

What a week! In the last 7 days I have finished and submitted my dissertation (whew), attended Dragon Con, celebrated J's 30th birthday, saw lots of friends, made some new ones, saw Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie (swoon), danced until my feet hurt, listened to the Georgia Philharmonic play nerd tunes, finished a cosplay, handed out free snacks, stayed up for hours and made life long memories. This has been a week for the history books. Until next post... laters

I've been thinking about the future a lot lately (probably to ignore the present, but that's a story for another time) and it has dawned on me I should make another bucket list. My bucket lists are things I'd like to accomplish but won't be super down on myself if I don't. More like a life wish list. This will probably be updated again but for now, here we go: Travel to each continent (Africa, Mainland Asia & South America left) Learn to ride a motorcycle Visit every Disney Park in the world Attend an Olympics Have an office (which I can decorate however I'd like) Become a flight attendant/work for an airline Learn another language and be proficient (American Sign Language, Spanish or French) Own a old Jeep or Mini Cooper or any car made between 1970 & 1998 Go to San Diego Comic Con or New York Comic Con Take a Disney Cruise, hopefully to Alaska Update Jan 2019: I mentioned in this original post that I would probably update...

Things I will miss about living in England: •Walkers Cheese & Onion Crisps •Knowing exactly what something cost, taxes included •Using coffee night/wine night as prees in the Common Room before a night out with the girls...or turning it into our own party •All night study sessions in the David Wilson Library, especially in the Graduate Reading Room •Travelling to just about anywhere with ease on the cheap •Popping down to London within a couple of hours •Open containers and having a beer in the park on a nice day •Meeting up with so many friends, some I haven't seen in years •Having a pint at the pub •Primark •Grocery delivery •Weatherspoons, especially The Corn Exchange •A kebab & cheesy chips from AJs after a long night at the library •Playing quidditch (even in the snow) in Victoria Park •Leicester's Curry Mile •Quick trips in to town that turn into adventures ...

Munich:   Salzburg:   Budapest: Prague:     Dresden:       Amsterdam: