Life – Page 47

Categories: Life

The Tampa Bay Project #4: Take the Ghost Tour of St. Petersburg

On Friday night, I knocked off one of my adventures on my Tampa Bay Project list! I went with five girlfriends from my book club to take in the Ghost Tour of St. Petersburg. Our book club turned four years old this month (though I’ll celebrate two years in the club in October!), and we like to do a fun adventure during our anniversary month to celebrate. I was stoked that the ghost tour was the adventure since it meant I could cross one item off my fun to-do list.

The tour took place in downtown St. Pete, on Beach Drive, and we had a good little group. Along with the six of us, we had about ten other people join the tour. We ended up walking all over the area (and yes, I totally counted it as my workout for the day!). We stopped by a haunted house, the Vinoy, Straub Park, The Pier Hotel, Jannus Live, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Ponce de Leon Hotel, among some other random spots.

The tour guide was quite the character! I’m not sure how one begins leading ghost tours, but she obviously has a passion for storytelling and ghosts! I’ll admit I didn’t listen to all of the stories (I’ll explain why next!), but the ones I did listen to gave me a huge creep factor. Thinking about ghosts and them haunting people is just weird to me, and I’m not sure if I actually believe in ghosts. I like listening to ghost stories (even if they do scare me!), but it always seems so far-fetched that it’s hard for me to fully believe. I guess I would have to actually encounter weird ghost happenings for me to believe!

So the tour was interesting but honestly? I was completely miserable. The reasons why had nothing to do with the tour itself, but other factors. First of all, it was roughly 5 billion degrees outside. And I was wearing skinny jeans. And forgot a hair tie to tie my hair up, so by the end of the night, I swear my entire head was almost damp with sweat. (And isn’t that a wonderful visual? You’re welcome.) On top of that, I also wore the completely wrong shoes for walking around for two hours. I wore sandals because they are, um… cuter. And I know these sandals are not good for walking. (They bug me just walking around the mall for 30 minutes!) So by the end of the night, I had two blisters on my feet and calluses on my heels and balls of my feet. The calluses were the worst, stinging me throughout the entire tour. It wasn’t very fun, but I should have known better!

I’m happy I did the tour, though! It was fun listening to all the different stories, even if the creep factor was a bit too much for me at times. (I get creeped out easily, though, which is why I’m not much for scary things like haunted houses and horror movies!) Afterward, the six of us were more than happy to escape inside a restaurant for gelato, water, and conversation.

And now I have to plan what adventure I want to tackle next! I’m thinking of either a visit to the Florida Aquarium or the Dali Museum. Time will tell.

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever been on a ghost tour?

Categories: Life

One Year of Writing Professionally

Yesterday, I celebrated my one-year anniversary at my job! It’s kinda blowing my mind that I’ve already been at my job for a year… these past twelve months have flown by in a flash. I still remember how anxious and fearful I was to begin this new career path. Scared out of my mind that I had made the wrong decision and everything was going to be terrible. (I’m quite the optimist, yeah?)

But I have proved myself wrong! Starting this job has been one of the best decisions I’ve made. I love my coworkers. I love my bosses. I love my work. I love that I get to set my own schedule and work independently. Sure, it’s not the most thrilling writing to be doing. (I write SEO website content and most of my clients are home improvement companies. So I write a lot about windows and siding and gutter protection. Thrilling, I tell ya!)

The past twelve months have been such a learning experience for me. I knew it would be, which is both exciting and scary, and I have learned a lot about myself as a writer and as a person.

I will always take criticism – constructive or not – to heart.

So, we go through extensive editing processes with the pages we write. All of our pages must go through a peer editor (and sometimes also a manager’s edits) before it’s sent on to the client. So, I had to grow comfortable with my writing being looked over and scrutinized. The first few times I got edits back from another colleague, it was hard. My pages were all marked up! I had to really calm myself down, read through the critiques, and learn from them. I won’t lie – I still have to physically prepare myself when I get edits back on pages I write, but I’m getting better at seeing the edits for what they are and that they don’t mean I am a horrible writer and have no business in this job. (Yes. This thought pattern happens… often.)

But I can appreciate a great editor.

There are some colleagues who I love/hate getting edits. I love them because they are strong editors who make my pages better and make me think of my writing in a different light… hate them because it’s sometimes hard to read through constructive criticism. But I know this is a part of being a writer. Edits only make me a better writer.

Some days are just not going to be great writing days. Accept it and move on.

There are days when the writing comes easily, and I’m knocking pages off my to-do list left and right. And then there are days when it feels like I forgot how to put words together to form a sentence. Nothing works and it can take me upwards of an hour to write a single 250-word page. As someone who is pretty high-strung and anxiety-prone, I can get myself worked up over these days, worrying that I will never, ever be able to write again and why am I even here I am terrible at this why did they hire me oh my god what if I am fooling everyone?! It’s fun being in my brain sometimes. Good writing days happen. Bad writing days happen. It’s nothing to get in a tizzy about!

It’s okay to not be the best.

I can admit that I am not the best writer on the team. I have some slight perfectionist tendencies, so it can bug me when I’m not the best. But guess what? There will always be someone better. And I don’t have to be the best. It’s not a competition. I just have to be my best. Do what I can to improve my writing and learn from others. At the end of the day, that matters more than being the best.

You don’t have to hate your job.

I hated my previous job. I was micromanaged, talked down to, and I had a boss who made me cry regularly. I was doing work that didn’t make me feel good, I was underpaid, and I was just so ready for something new. I had been told that that kind of work environment was common, and you just had to get used to it. I’m so glad I didn’t listen to that advice because it’s so not true. Not all work environments are like that. You can have supportive bosses. You can have happy work environment. You can love what you do. You don’t have to hate what you do.

What’s one lesson your job has taught you?

Categories: Life

On July

If July had a theme, I think it would have been simplicity. July was a simple, enjoyable month. I worried less about things that are out of my control and for the things I can control, everything felt a little less chaotic, a little less overwhelming. I’m not where I wish I was, but I am where I’m supposed to be. There are many things I want from my life, many things I want to chase after, but it’s okay if it takes me a while to feel ready to take the leap.

The Fourth of July was a fun, fun day. I haven’t done much for the holiday in years past, but my uncle opened up his home for a day of barbecuing, family catch-ups, and relaxing out on his dock. It was wonderful, most especially because my brother, his wife, and my adorable nephew came. And my favorite family from Georgia came down for the holiday week, which was so great. They are the best and our time with them was way too short. We ended the night with drinks on the dock and watching the fireworks, which took place just a few feet from where we sat. It was so amazing!

My mom’s birthday is in July, so we celebrated that, of course. I took her to see the movie Tammy, which was funny and we had a great time. Then, I was able to have her all to myself on her birthday because my brother couldn’t make it to her birthday dinner. (We had a second birthday dinner the following weekend, which coincided perfectly with her fiance’s arrival home after four months on the road!) Anyway, I enjoy celebrating her birthday and I think it was a good one for her!

As mentioned above, my mom’s fiance is back home. I used to get annoyed when he was in town (he stays with us now because there’s no sense in him keeping an apartment when he’s only home 10-14 days every 3-4 months), but I’ve gotten used to him. We have a much better rapport and we’ve even had times when it’s just me & him in the apartment, and it doesn’t feel awkward at all. I’m so happy about that! And Dutch is just thrilled when he’s home and has a buddy to hang out with all day. Things are so good on this front, though. Phew!

For the better part of a year, I’ve been slowly developing feelings for someone. He makes me laugh, makes me think, and makes me feel very good. And it’s lovely, but it’s just a crush and I’ve never had a crush evolve into something more. Who’s to say this one will? Then, this week, I received an email that said this: “Believe you’re worth going after what you want. Maybe you’re gonna get hurt. Maybe you’re gonna get bruised. Maybe you’re gonna stay waiting at the window for a long, long while. Maybe, just maybe, it’s worth doing it anyway.” I’ve known for a while that it’s time to take that next step, but it’s terrifying for me. Rejection is something I’m way too familiar with and it’s easier to stay in this comfortable space where “maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t.” Laying my heart on the line, being that vulnerable and honest, it makes me want to throw up. But getting bruised is all part of the journey, isn’t it? We only regret the chances we didn’t take, after all.

This month, I’ve been thinking a lot less about the goals I want to accomplish and a lot more about how I want to feel. Don’t get me wrong – I still love goals and I will continue to set them, but I also want to tune more into myself and discover what emotions make me come alive. It’s a lot more difficult than setting goals because, with goal-setting, it’s more about extrinsic rewards. And those are easy to set. But what about intrinsic rewards? What about the emotions we want to embody in our lives? That takes a lot more soul-searching.

I’m looking forward to August, even if it won’t be a terribly exciting month. I’m planning on purging my closet and creating a capsule wardrobe, knocking off a few adventures on my Tampa Bay Project list, and maybe taking tiny, itty bitty steps toward opening my heart up to possibilities of more.

How was your July?

Categories: Life

The Tampa Bay Project

I want to go on an adventure. I mentioned this in my monthly goals post last week, about how I’m anxious to get out and do something. The truth is, I live in such a beautiful area and there is so much to do. Between Tampa and St. Petersburg and the beaches, the options are really almost endless for all the mini-adventures that await me. And, to be brutally honest, even though I’ve lived in this area my entire life, I haven’t explored it as I should. It’s hard for me to give a suggestion for restaurants to try or things to do around Tampa when people come to visit because even though I’m a born and bred local (and proud of it!), I tend to stick to my old favorite haunts.

So, in the interest of getting out more, trying new things, and exploring my beautiful city, I have come up with a list of 20 things I want to do, something I have labeled “The Tampa Bay Project.” The mini-adventures I’ve given to myself aren’t scary or crazy or way outside my comfort zone. They’re just things around town I’ve always wanted to try or experience, but have never put in the effort to do so. I don’t have a timeline for when I want to finish this project… I just want to take myself (and friends?!) on a little mini-adventure every month or so.

Here’s the list I came up with!

1. Bike around Tampa

2. Visit the Dali Museum

3. See a broadway show at the Straz Center

4. Take the Ghost Tour of St. Petersburg

5. Visit Lowry Park Zoo

6. Take a nature tour of Fort Desoto on a stand-up paddleboard

7. See a show at Tampa Improv.

8. Participate in a murder mystery show at The Spaghetti Warehouse

9. Spend a night at the Vinoy

10. Go kayaking at Weedon Island Preserve

11. Watch the sunset at Clearwater Beach

12. Rent a boat and spend a day on the water

13. Go jet-skiing at Clearwater Beach

14. Take a walking tour of Ybor City

15. Attend the Gasparilla parade and participate in one of the races

16. Visit the Florida Aquarium

17. Go to First Friday in downtown St. Petersburg

18. Attend a “Movies in the Park” event at Straub Park in downtown St. Petersburg

19. Try 10 new local restaurants (no chains!)

20. Take a day cruise to Cabbage Key

When’s the last time you explored the city you live in?

Categories: Life

On May

Top row, L-R: first drinks of our cruise; ocean in the Bahamas; five cruise ships in the port of Nassau
Middle row, L-R: mama selfie on Mother’s Day; dilated eyes; lunch with old coworkers
Bottom row, L-R: nephew baking cookies; brunch book club; and a selfie I took after getting my hair colored and cut

May was a fun month! I really enjoyed it. I went on a fabulous vacation, bought new eyeglasses, and had my book club girls over for a really fun brunch book club at my apartment pool. The weather was just beautiful this month, too!

The high point of my month was going on my sixth cruise with my mom. We had so much fun!

The low point of my month was when I got sick almost immediately after getting home from my vacation. I even had to take a half-day off work because I felt so bad! (My first actual sick day in years.)

The best thing I spent money on this month was new eyeglasses! They are the cutest. 🙂

In May, I blogged about my vacation and also did a fun q & a!

The progress I made toward my obsessive goal for this year (losing 40 lbs) was ugh, nothing. Let’s move on. I am so disappointed in myself this month. (How vastly different than last month, eh? Sigh.)

The best recipe I made last month was this ground turkey mash recipe I found on Skinnytaste (my favorite recipe site!). It is straight-up comfort food but also feels slightly healthy with the mix of veggies. I’m a fan and will definitely make it again!

I am looking forward to June because I am beginning a spending freeze. It may not sound like fun, but I know it will be a worthwhile challenge to help me get my focus back, on both my weight loss goals and money goals. Weight loss because it means I’ll be eating out less and cooking more wholesome meals, and money because I’ll hopefully have my $1,500 emergency fund completed* and have started paying off one school loan. I just really want to end the month feeling way more successful and accomplished than I did in May.

1. Get to a healthy BMI and lose at least 40 lbs.

I made no progress in May. I need to lose at least 5 lbs in June to keep me on track with this goal.

2. Pay off my credit cards, start an emergency fund (have at least $1,500 saved), and pay off one school loan.

Credit cards are paid off; emergency fund is at $320. May was not a good month for debt goals, so I’m hoping I can change that in June.

3. Read 75 books, including 10 off this list.

I read 8 books in May, putting me at 35 books read this year, and around 4 books ahead of schedule. Doing well, though I need to pick up the pace on reading the books I selected from the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge. So far this year, I’ve read 1.5 books (in the midst of one of the novels on the list), so I am aiming to finish two more books off the list in June.

4. Get a tattoo.

No progress made yet.

5. Travel to Miami to attend a Miami Dolphins game.

No progress made yet. But my brother and I have been looking at ticket prices and discussing which game we want to attend. (I’m eyeing the season opener against the Patriots.) I am hoping to buy the tickets within the next month or so.

*Completed for this year, at least. I will continue to increase it until I reach a $10,000 emergency fund.

How was the month of May for you? What’s the best thing you spent money on in May?