Don’t worry folks, I’m still alive and kicking. Kicking hard as hell too! haha.

Pardon my absence for the last several months, I’ve been very busy. I wonder if people still read this thing… eeek! Geez, I can’t believe its been 8 months!

I moved to Orlando, Florida last May and have settled nicely. I love it here! And thank goodness for NO MORE SNOW! (My apologies to the Northerners). For those that don’t know, I am a native Floridian that graduated from the University of Florida. Upon graduation, I moved to Wisconsin for a 1 year stint while training for my company. Although I would not trade that experience for anything, I am ecstatic about being home in Florida.

Since returning to the Sunshine State, I have been working non-stop! So much that I did not consider posting on this blog (Doh!). As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a District Manager for a large retail establishment. For the last several months, I have been helping my company expand throughout the state. What a journey it has been!

Primarily, I’ve been conducting hundreds upon hundreds of interviews in an effort to staff my stores appropriately. With so many new people, I have also been heavily involved in the training and development of my staff. This has required a level of patience that I have never had to experience in my life, haha!

Fortunately, my stores have been doing phenomenal! Almost too good, which has been the cause of my absence. I needed good people to work for me! Now that my stores have been opened for a while, the business has finally begun to settle down… in terms of sales and trained employees.  So… here I am… open for business again! haha

As I contemplate what my future posts will be for this blog, I am astonished at how much has changed over the last 8 months. I feel as though I’ve missed out on so much! Really though…Gas Prices, Banks, the Auto Industry, the overall Stock Market, a new President… that’s incredible! And relatively speaking, 8 months isn’t a very long time in the overall scheme of my life. Are we living in such tumultuous times that we can witness the world change in a blink of an eye…???

It’s been a while… so here’s a long post.

Life in Wisconsin has been remarkable. For the first time in my life, I’ve witnessed the transition between seasons, fall – winter- spring – summer. I’ve also lived through the most snow I’ve ever seen; and have concluded that snow isn’t for me – haha. The people here are great. Green Bay, Wisconsin is full of the friendliest people you could ever meet. Random strangers will take the time to have a 5-10 minute conversation with you; out of no where!

On the personal side, I feel as though I’ve become one year wiser; one year stronger. I took a risk when I decided to move to a place where I knew absolutely no one. I purposely placed myself in a position of discomfort this year, to see what would happen. To this day, I am perfectly content with the state of things. I can survive on my own. Perhaps I am more independent than I ever thought I could be.

In just over a month, I am leaving this place and moving to Orlando. I can’t begin to describe how ecstatic I am about finally getting settled in one location for a few years. Since graduating from high school, I pratically moved every single year; moving sucks!

I just finished signing my lease this week and will have my apartment on April 19th. Unfortunately, I’ll be paying double rent (yikes!) for a month and a half while I’m still living in Wisconsin. I’ll be moving to a neighborhood that I would describe as a bit “yuppy” and borderline “snobby.” I have mixed emotions about this decision; although I love to be living in a nice area, I have never been fond of “spoiled rich kids.” I make my own money.

I could not be happier with my career choice. Deciding to not pursue graduate education was the right choice for me. Toward the end of my college career, all my courses were becoming mundane. Rather than studying business concepts, I wanted to go out there and do it myself. Having taken a year away from school to intern in Tallahassee only added to my anxiousness.

That led to creating One Greek Store and building a business during my senior year. Today, the business is flourishing and we’ve gotten retail space on University Ave. There is still significant opportunity for growth in the future with some ideas I have yet to implement. I am excited!

Since joining the corporate world, I took a minority position in One Greek Store and have not been involved in the daily operations. I guess I’m like an investor now? – haha.

I love my ”real” job. Who would have guessed that I would end up in retail? Destiny has its own plan I guess… Over the last year, I’ve learned more about operating a business than I ever had in school. For work, I am responsible for hiring/firing people, training/development, implementing cash controls, scoping the competitor, and doing whatever I can to increase sales, reduce cost, and make customers happy. I love the autonomy and independence I have at work. I make my own schedule and do my own thing according to established goals.

The really exciting part is when I actually return to Florida for the the company and begin building the business form the ground up. Construction on our stores have already begun and we anticipate completion this fall. My stores will be in the middle of Orlando, only 10 minutes away (North and South) from my appartment, woo hoo! All I will be doing this summer is hiring and training people. We need A LOT of people.

In other news, I have some travel plans coming up. Since I joined my fraternity, I have traveled several times throughout the year. As a result, I’ve developed a passion for it. Here’s where I’ll be:

• April 23-26 – Orlando, FL and Gainesville FL – Fraternity Banquet
• May 15-18 – Los Angeles, CA and Irvine, CA – APIA Vote Presidential Town Hall
• May 19 – Orlando, FL – Moving Back!
• May 23-26 – Gatlinburg, TN – UF Alumni Camping/Rafting Trip
• July 3-6 – New York, NY – Yankees vs. Red Sox Game
• Possibliy another New York trip for Fraternity Summer Meeting
• Possibly a trip to Colorado
• Possibly a trip to Virginia
• Possibily a trip to Japan for New Years

That’s pretty much what’s going on in my life. The future, as always, is full of uncertainty and will be open to any possibilitlies. Regardless of what may happen tomorrow, I sincerely believe the small steps I’ve taken in my life will take me just a little bit closer to achieveng my dreams.