Athens Farmers Market

It's one of my favorite events of the week in Athens. On Wednesday afternoons, the Farmers Market sets up at City Hall and offers visitors of all walks of life a chance to buy some delicious, delicious food. I find it so much sweeter and more personal than a supermarket. I get to meet the guy that picked the blueberries and cut the flowers from the vine that morning. The things I bought were too pretty not to share.

"The Comerian" Sourdough Bread at the Market.

The sandwiches I've made with the bread are out of this world.

Cooked these at 400F for 35 minutes with EVOO, Rosemary, S&P.

I may never buy blueberries from the grocery store again.

The flowers were an impulse buy, definitely unnecessary but I sure love looking at them when I walk in the kitchen. My time in Athens is coming to an end and I've been holding on to every little moment, like the Market and the great bands at Athfest I saw this weekend. Taking the time to look around and smell the flowers isn't just an option, it's the only option in a town like Athens, Georgia.

Pressfolio: A MUST for Online Writers

You know you're growing up when discovering new career websites can be the highlight of your day. A few weeks ago, I received an invite for Pressfolios from a blogger friend but I hadn't tried it out. Yesterday, I read an article from USA Today College about the site so I figured I'd give it a shot. Now I love it. Pressfolios is that "thing" you needed that you didn't realize you needed as a journalist, writer or communications worker.

It's a user-friendly professional website without the code and confusion. You can customize the aesthetics of the page, offer your contact information, a biography and professional statement. After entering the URL's of the press releases and blog posts that I've written over the last few years, I went through and edited the photos and dates of publication. You can sort them by type or date or topic. It's really impressive.

I've been stressed out about finding a job (duh) because I feel like a resume and cover letter fail to fully convey the person writing the words (me). But Pressfolios is taking a step in the right direction. Now, I have a saved archive of all my online writing that I can show to employers without the scrambling and fear of the dreaded "This page cannot be displayed" screen when asked for a strong writing sample. You can create your own URL so the page is easy to find and high on SEO results, too.

So, for all the the writers out there, I highly recommend setting aside an hour or so and make a Pressfolio account. Get it all out there, sit back, and be proud of all you have to show for yourself.

Take a look at mine!

The Lovely Lowcountry

After Graduation, I was in need of a little R&R and there are few places better to relax than Hilton Head Island. It's about a four hour drive from Athens, down through Milledgeville, Dublin, through Savannah and up to the island. I'm lucky enough to have family that lives there full time. My niece, Bella, goes to the beach on the weekends and of course, complain about the tourists.

So, while it's still a vacation for me, I spent some of the week helping Bella with school projects and organizing her space. Ten year olds can be a mess. As the school year is wrapping up, parents and family were invited to school for a portfolio day, a time to showcase the student's work over the last year. It was so cool to see Bella's class and how much she's grown. I remember the day she was born! I couldn't be more proud of her.

While she was in school, I loved exploring the island, visiting the outlets, riding bikes and enjoying the delicious food, especially at Truffles Cafe. Their Portabella Mushroom burger was one for the books. If you go, ask for the side of Truffled Mac & Cheese. It's heaven on a plate.

We've all come a long way since this last post from Hilton Head. When crossed the bridge leaving the Island, I was already looking forward to my next visit. There's just something about family & the Lowcountry. 

Finale

"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them."

It may have been the most poignant line Cornell grad Andy Bernard ever spoke. The Office ended this month after nine seasons on NBC and while the Dunder-Mifflin staff will forever live on in cable syndication, it's hard not to call it the end of an era. To me, it's perfect that television finales often fall at the end of a school year. If the show follows high school or college students, graduation is the best way to end a season. It's all about celebration, looking back at where we've come from and dreaming about the future. Maybe there will be a couple moving to different states for jobs or school and many people anxious about where the next years will take them. When the next season started, things would be different but all the beautiful people would be tanned from the summer.

On May 10th, I graduated from the University of Georgia. Bam. I mean, about 5,200 other guys and gals were there with me, dressed in our black robes, caps tilted by heavy tassels causing hat hair (it happens yall.. be prepared), waving and smiling at people that we'll probably never see again. That guy in your public speaking class or some girls on your hall from freshman year or maybe some you think you'll see again. It's like, throughout college your path makes a road and bends and turns and for the most part, I was really happy with the way that all went. Then at the end, you turn around and it's like WHOA. The little things matter. The decision to do this and not that, to go abroad or not go abroad, to go to a concert or not go to a concert... not knowing you'd meet a boy who'd change your life... I digress. Then you sigh and turn back around and hopefully smile at the beauty of it all.

The festivities continued over two days and wish it could have lasted longer! Everything was so much fun, so perfect. It couldn't have been better. I'll be spending the next few weeks in Athens and traveling to Hilton Head and planning a pretty special Mediterranean trip with my sister. So much to look forward to!