"The Climb"

Some might think it is silly for someone my age to like Miley Cyrus, but when this song came out the meaning meant everything to me and where I was in my life last year. I was in the middle of trying to find my way, and what I wanted in life. Some people may turn to TV, friends, family, and books for guidance, and yes I do those too; but nothing comes close to listening to music. I spent a lot of time on the road with my new job. And this song always seemed to give me inspiration as I drove to my next destination with words like .....

The struggles I'm facing

The chances I'm taking

Sometimes might knock me down

But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it

But these are the moments that

I'm gonna remember most, yeah

Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong

Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be a uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb, yeah

It was all to familiar as I set out on my last road trip for my job. I and 3 other girls, Erika, Tiegra, and Andrea, all managed to fit everything in the trunk of one car and we left this city of Nashville headed to Pittsburgh to help train a new office. We were all pretty close friends, so the road trip was great bonding time for us to learn about each other. One of the funniest things I remember was in KY as we drove through the “Bluegrass state” we saw an exit for Jellystone Park…Along our journey as we approached Cincinnati, We stopped off to take some pictures to document our adventures.

After a 8/9 hour drive arrived in Pittsburgh the "City of Bridges" some how we managed to get lost using our GPS...haha yes! this is the 2nd time this has happened to me. It was late and dark, and needless to say a little creepy, the old houses and skinny curvy streets that climbed mountains and dipped through the valleys, but we finally made it safely to our hotel, which we thought was a bit sketchy. It had an Indian restaurant attached to it. LOL ughhhh NO matter what we did we seemed to smell like curry when we left there. LOL it was a little joke that week we stayed in Pitts...The best way to see the city in a few days was through work, it was nice to have people show us around. It is definitely unique. I love the old style and history that thrived through the streets.

 On the last night we took The Duquesne Incline up to look out over the beautiful secluded city, tucked between the mountains, and lit up by the lights of buildings that sketched out the skyline. It was a long week, but we were ready to set out for our next adventure and we weren't wasting anytime to hit the road. We traveled through the night to NYC...on the way we crashed at my sisters place just outside of Harrisburg, PA. We were definitely site seeing the rest of the way. Some of us had never seen a covered bridge, so that was a MUST see before we left PA. We found one not far from my sisters place but it was dusk and getting late so we had to make a quick stop. I have always been fascinated with covered bridges its like something that takes you back in time when things were simple, before technology. You can just feel the history there when you stand in its presence. Sometimes when I get the chance to get out and walk on them I try to imagine how it must have been to live during that time in history when these structures were built. To be able to hear the clicking of horse hooves trot across the wooden planks, to take my mind back to the "simple life" really helps me think of how much I value my life. Once we made it to my sisters place we rested up and set out the next morning to the concrete jungle.

.:xoxo TMarie:.

Blur Between Work and Play

"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play" - Arnold Toynbee

My new job was very different than what I expected when I took the position. It seemed all great because I could work by my own schedule in my territory, but the mornings in the office didn't seem right to me. I enjoyed the field though. It took me on some great adventures during the three months that I worked there. I met some great people also, they were just trying to make it like myself. I spent both holidays in May out of town for work. I spent the first week of May in Memphis working a territory down there.

The team I was down there with decided to go out and celebrate for Cinco De Mayo at a local Mexican restaurant. I had my first ever "Mexican Flag" shots. As I watched the bartender set them on fire I'm not gonna lie I was a little worried how these were gonna taste! But to my surprise they were pretty good, and pretty! We had a great dinner it was a lot of fun. It almost helped me forget how awful my week was going in sales. I couldn't seem to get any new accounts. I was definitely struggling so bad.

That Thursday afternoon my friend Joey had called me to see how I was doing in the field and when I said nothing had changed, he asked if I wanted to cut  out early for the day go to Graceland.  How could I object?? He was a huge fan of Elvis and wasn't sure exactly where it was, and since I had been there before I thought it would be cool to actually walk the grounds. Graceland was so pretty, it was so surreal to walk into the house of the famous KING of Rock, to see how it was when he tragically left this world years before. The Record room was simply magnificent. The records on the walls seemed never ending.

When we got back to meet up with everyone, it was our last night here in the "Land of Blues" we were talking and trying to decide what could we get ourselves in to. Once all the paperwork was finished and we all got freshened up, we headed downtown. The first thing we planned to do was stop by the Civil Rights museum, to pay our respects to the other King...Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. one of the most important people in our history. During his fight for the Civil Rights Movement he wonderful life was taken from us in 1968, in Memphis. His memorial is located at the very place his life was taken that tragic day in history.

Once we left there, Rendezvous Famous BBQ was on everyone's mind and taste buds! That what we decided to have for dinner. It was definitely the best choice and signature Memphis dinner. The BBQ was soooooo mouth watering, I definitely recommend this place to anyone who travels to Memphis, its located in a small ally across from the Peabody Hotel After dinner we hit the famous Beale Street, for a couple beers and live music. That was a great night to finish the week, the next day I some how managed to get all 8 accounts that I needed for the week, so it ended up being a pretty successful week.

.:Back to my Roots:.

"Never Gona Look Back Once My Feet Hit the Sand" -Kenny Chesney

This was my exact thought as we loaded the last of our stuff into the trunk. I couldn't wait to get in the car and drive 'till the map turned blue. My best friend and I were headed back to my roots. We chose to have a small, quaint, relaxing spring break, one to reconnect and bond with each other. Destination was St. Petersburg, FL. The next few days were her and I with the sand and sun!

After a longgg 12 hour drive we watched the sunrise over the sunshine state as we reached the beautiful shell beaches of St. Pete, I could smell the salt in the air, it was an all too familiar smell, one that takes me back to the first years of my life. Its like you feel it in your blood, all things that you worry about in your day to day life seem to wash away, just as fast as the tides wash away the shoreline.  I couldn't wait to feel the sand between my toes and the sun kiss my face. Serenity it was just to be there, and spend those moments with a friend I held so dear to me.

We pulled the towels out and rested there on the beach waiting to check into our hotel. It had been so long since I had laid in the sun, that I didn't realize when I fell asleep, my skin would hate me for it later that day...LOL Later that evening I took her to one of my favorite places I remembered as a child, the St. Pete Pier. The architecture of the pier has always fascinated me since I could remember. It resembles the structure of a pyramid upside down.

 As you walk up to the building you can see the pelicans everywhere, there is a little shack that sells food so that the children can feed the pelicans...I used to love to do this when I was younger. Its always neat to revisit the places that bring out fond memories of your childhood.

It helps you to reflect on the person that you have become and everything that has brought you to that point in life. Even the small things like that, will somehow put a smile on your face in your darkest moments. At the top of the pier there is a cute little restaurant that we ate dinner at. A couple of Miller Lites and some good fried seafood, was perfect as the salty sea breeze blew through our hair, when we watched the sunset over downtown St. Pete.

The next day we had lunch on at this cute place on the canal, with 48 oz beers and kids meals! LOL as we enjoyed or lunch and the view we happened to see some dolphins swim in from the gulf, it was so amazing! Definitely one of the best things we experienced while we were there.

After lunch we went to meet a friend of ours Chet Overall who happened to be in town also, for a photo shoot together. The location was another favorite place of mine as child,  "the pink castle" as I used to call it, aka Don Cesar.

We had a blast playing in the sand, with one of the most beautiful historic sites in the background. Later that night we somehow managed to find ourselves a local bar to go to called the Green Iguana. We met some new friends and got lost trying to make our way home USING a GPS keep in mind.."dang there must be "2" 66th streets???" LOL We had plenty of laughs and lots of inside jokes that we had to document so we wouldn't forget them. But this was one of the best times of my life. She is one of the few people in this world that I could spend days with and still be on the same page. After everything our friendship has been through, it would be hard to see this one go.

CHRISTI & TIFFANY ST. PETE 2009

 

 .:xoxo TMarie:.

*Time to Shine in 2009*

It was my first year out of college and I didn't know what to expect, I spent the last 23 years of my life in a classroom, and working. But that was in the past now. It was a big adjustment, I had worked so hard all those years to get to this point and now that I was here...Well...not much was different other than the fact I didn't have to worry about missing class, taking tests, etc...I started this new winding road to life. Where my wildest dreams were possible if I just believed that it could happen, and if I pursued them.

 One of the first things I did that year was return to Americasmart for the Gift and Home Furnishings Market. It was much fun to come back and work, and visit with friends there. The girls were so much fun... "All the Single Ladies" by Beyonce was our song! LOL...Market week was 10 days long, but I loved working the long hours. Seeing the exhibitors that remembered me from the summer before was so nice. I enjoyed every minute I could for my short time there. Then it was back home to Nashville.

Birthday season was coming up...February has always been my craziest month of the year. I celebrate a birthday almost every week, and then I have somehow managed to squeeze a weekend in for the Atlanta Shoe Tradeshow. This month was different though, my sister was turning 21 finally... Her place of choice for the evening was PLAY...a local bar that I had never been to before. Everyone came to my house to get ready and have drinks before the adventurous night began. I was surprised that I had so much fun there that night, although that could have been because I could finally go out with my sister! We danced and partied the night away. I think that she had an amazing time! I am definitely proud of her for making it through the whole night! LOL much unlike my 21st birthday. Oh the memories!

The following weekend I was back in Atlanta to model shoes for Sofft Shoe Co. The people I work for are so nice and truly an inspiration for my career. I look up to them and learn something new every time. My promo modeling was starting to take off, I was booking more events. I have always loved working this show though, because well, you get the picture...its SHOE HEAVEN and everything I see is in MY size! But I also like it so much because I get to spend the weekend with an amazing person I met the year before, Alexis. She is such a great friend, I love spending time with her and working with her. Its always a wonderful break from our normal lives.

Once back in Nashville I celebrated my 23rd birthday with my babycakes. Alys came to visit for her birthday as well. My little boy was growing so fast, he was the cutest, little, rambunctious thing that kept me happy. I was currently working at Buckle during the holidays and into the new year, but I needed something different, something with normal 8-5 hours, having different schedules from Trae was making it hard to plan things with him, since he was so consumed with his new company Evergreen Ps, but as the seasons changed and spring break was around the corner. Travel was in my future days to come. And a new direction in my career.

.:xoxo TMarie:.

.:Snap Back to Reality:.

The Reality of life is....

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."

- Robert H Goddard.

This is how I felt when I made my journey back to Nashville from Atlanta. All my dreams of yesterday were hopes of today and my reality of tomorrow. Trae and I could finally move forward with our relationship. I had one class left to graduate, and I couldn’t believe that part of my life was coming to a close. All I knew is that it was close ahead and full steam forward. That semester came and went unbelievably fast, and before I knew it I had known Trae for a year, with that said I was constantly debating with myself how to confess my love to him, when was the right time, or was there a right time?

And then it happened we hit a brick wall hard.There was trouble in my paradise, how was I to deal with this? I had made some drastic decisions, but in the end it took our collision, for him to open up to me this was almost a year to the date marking our first encounter with each other.

We mended things and moved along. After that we spent our first holidays together. I got the best Christmas present... one to keep me company as he began his new business, and that was Bentley! We celebrated the end of our first year with close friends and looked forward to the new year to come...2009! I moved in completely. It was getting serious things were changing in my life and surprisingly I was so happy with it. It was my reality that I had always hoped for after graduating college; I wanted to be with someone I could build my life with.

 Walking the line was the best feeling ever. I was finally an MTSU graduate. I felt so accomplished not to mention I was graduating with my best friend Chris….it was kinda funny in my eyes from our past, that we had grown closer and we got to spend one of our biggest moments in life together.

That was a good day. For him and I we closed those doors to the college years together, and looked forward to the unknown, with bright eyes wide open, our dreams of yesterday were now our hopes for today and our reality of tomorrow, and we didn’t know where life would lead us, but we were hoping it was somewhere in the twisted tangled line we and God had planned for us.

.:xoxo TMarie:.