Excuse me, miss? Lets get crazy

These sketches are to show you I'm being proactive about design. Be brave, it's no time for waiting. Get active. Chase your dreams.

 Enjoy

Mahalo

Dip it in the hole, walnuts.

To brighten up everyone's day we've sought out the worlds finest comedian, Jiggy. 

Enjoy this tasty little lick!

Cheers.

Progression takes time

Quick update:
Work is what makes you happy. Brings you fulfillment. Unfortunately 50 hrs a week may be daunting and redundant, but necessary for the bills. The time I spend working creatively, I'm happiest. We've been hard finding the grind, but thinking of y'all! Enjoy our creative process and designs!
Color and an actual layout (not on our floor) to follow!

Mahalo

Working on days off

Today marks my first day off in ten days.
G's to do list: grocery shop, map out dinner, clean, laundry, corolla tune up, bank, work out, pay bills, pay rent... Make sure I make the most of my day off. If you asked me back in college what I thought I'd be doing on a Wednesday at the end of February in 2013? Sitting at a Toyota service lounge for 2 hours on my day off wouldn't have been my answer. Playing 18 with a practice session or maybe writing a blog post, creatively venting and thinking of new designs, that sounds more realistic. Here I go, day dreaming about taking a week off at the beach as I have B's "island playlist" humming ocean tunes in my ear. The sunshine, sand, and break from technology sounds more than divine but more unattainable. To play devils advocate to myself, what else would I be doing today if I didn't have a check list? I can't say I'm unhappy keeping busy because I feel accomplished after a full day of activity. Granted I'm a little embarrassed my average bedtime is about ten o'clock... That includes weekends (because my Friday happened to be a Tuesday, and I'm mashing my Saturday/Sunday into today!)
Man, that's why I enjoy the occasional bender after a couple weeks of hard work. Much deserved I'd say! That's what leads me to the exciting month ahead, Mad March. Birthdays, visitors, beaches, breaks.
I think in all what I'm trying to say is that it's ok to keep busy and dream big. Day dream rather, it creates a world we strive to obtain. Our ultimate bliss. Whether it be a vacation or a day running around, take care of yourself: mentally and physically! Enjoy time for you, and mine happens to be doing nothing with my feet kicked up at the Toyota lounge for a couple hours.


"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than
you think."
-- Benjamin Disraeli

Mahalo

Creative Outlet

We all have those days. You know, the day that feels as if it's never ending. The one when things don't go right, you wish the day would be over so hopefully the preceding day will bring more exciting events. Yeah, it turns out I've been having those days more often than I'd like. The tough part is that my frustration has been driven by work. The nice thing about what I do to pay the bills, I get to leave my work at work. Its also less dramatic because I work with mostly men, note that I didn't say it was completely drama free. Boys will be boys, and sometimes they bitch. That's besides the point, I love the people I work with. They're honestly the ones that have kept my head on my shoulders. As of late, I've struggled with being unnoticed, under appreciated, and rejected. One doesn't get much validation for working in the hospitality industry. Yeah, tips are a nice gesture, but so is gratitude. My scheduled work week begins on a Saturday, I get my schedule on Thursdays (if I'm lucky, you can throw the occasional Friday morning in there). Needless to say, my life revolves around work. Last but not least, my employers know that my dream isn't doing the dirty work, but creative work. They know I've been looking for jobs, and they're being as supportive as they can be. I just haven't had much luck with my applications.  Which takes me to my point. I live for work at this stage in my life because I have bills to pay. I haven't received that phone call yet telling me I have a long lost great grandfather and a huge inheritance... I'm still waiting. I've neglected my outlet. In college my outlet from school was golf. Now my outlet from work is art. Aside from all the other things I love to do like exercise, golf, and cook, I put my design to the waste side. I didn't mean to, but I keep making excuses about time and money. Screw it, it brings me happiness. I spent time this past weekend using colors that bring me joy, and styled a couple of goofy outfits that made me smile. How could a little gingham and chambray not make you smile? Enjoy my "lime layout", I think I might have margaritas on the mind. Stay tuned for more creative processes and sketches!

Find things that bring joy into your life, and make time for them. Trust me, it'll bring some peace.

"I found that if you love life, life will love you back." --Arthur Rubenstein

Why Worry?

Gerontophobia - (from Greek γέρων - gerōn, "old man" and φόβος - phobos, "fear") is the fear of growing old, or a hatred or fear of the elderly.

via Wikipedia

The fear may be a little premature at age 24 but let me tell you, it is real. Don't laugh, it isn't funny. Aside from my current battle with crows feet, the specific fear of turning 30 is what keeps me up at night. 

The reasons behind this fear are probably irrational, but sometimes I just can't help thinking about growing up. Why turning 30 is scary, I don't know but its just the next "big" age, I guess. There is this perceived notion at that age you really need to have your shit together. House, car, marriage, kids...the whole nine yards. Yikes. Don't get me wrong, I want that. The stability of it all is very appealing. And yet, the mere thought of it makes me want to soak up my 20's like the summer sun. Now is the time that it is still acceptable to stay out until 2am in Clearwater Beach, to run up an obnoxious tab at a classy hotel bar, to eat Doritos Loco tacos picnic style on your living room floor and to play hooky from work to hit golf balls. 

Will that stop at age 30? 

Will people look at me differently if I wanted to do those things? 

Will happy hours really end the evenings at 7pm?

Will I still be fun?

Will hangovers stretch into multi-day recovery periods? (cause lets be honest, we've built a fort in our living room with air mattresses and pillows, taking the whole day to recover once before. Maybe even twice, if we're being really honest.)

I guess I won't know until I get there and certainly am in no hurry to speed things up, that is for damn sure.

I recall a texting conversation I had with G when she was back home for the holidays and I had already returned to Florida and she wanted me to come up with one thing for real self-improvement to focus on for this year. Really think about it, don't be hasty or come up with some superficial "goal" that you will never think about again. I have decided right now after hashing things out about this ridiculous age fear. And they always say you are more likely to achieve things when you tell other people about so they can hold you accountable. Well, here it is, my aim for self-improvement this year is to worry less about what other people think about me and to just continue to put myself out there. Keep living life. I'll do me and you'll do you sort of mentality. I think that will be a first step to enjoying life more. Letting go and controlling what I can about my life. 

With 25 creeping up on me, now is the best time to start implementing this plan to just be me. Keep my head down, work hard, have fun and enjoy life more. Reflecting on what kind of shenanigans G&B have gotten into since moving to Florida, it brings a smile to my face. I keep hearing the phrase "You are only young once" from old people and it is really true. Now is the time to work for the weekend and then make the best of that free time while we are young. 

I will leave you with with this wonderful video that we all should bookmark immediately and watch when we are feeling uninspired.

Your welcome. 

Committed.

Idea board is up and running. Expect big things!

Mahalo!

Chivalry isn't dead… or did it make us feel worse on Valentines Day

What can I say, Valentines Day is overrated in my book. I sound like a pessimist, yes, but I do not think I'm wrong. Ask any guy what they think about the dreaded Vday, and you'll get the same response in which I'm trying to convey. Plus who ever said that the men are the ones that have to be extravagant on this Hallmark holiday? We all say it, the road goes both ways… 

My goal on the 14th was to avoid being "negative Nancy" and supportive of those girls on cloud nine that act like Valentines Day is Santa Claus. I was at work, and not even 10 minutes into my work day I came across a guest. She asked me if I had big plans for the evening,  I smiled and said I was single. She was somewhat surprised, proceeded to tell me I must be intimidating (which I get a lot and is turning out to be a shitty excuse for my singledom). This guest is a bit of a talker, and continued to indulge in her plans for the evening. It involved consoling her lesbian friend who ended a ten year relationship with her partner… As our conversation was ending, she jokingly invited me to her pity party. I laughed, played it off as nothing, but how should I have responded to that? Offense? Flattery? I was confused, but continued on my quest to make it through a complain free day!

The weather was a bit reflective of my mood, gloomy and looking ready to break into a storm at any minute…

I encounter another guest. A man with a witty demeanor, sarcastic at best, and about 350 lbs. Upon his arrival with his family, scoping out the place, my coworkers and I greeted them with a warm smile and "How are you doing today?!" His remark, "Slow, fat, and stupid in that order." Eventually his family left, he did a little bit of work, and needed a lift back his hotel. I obliged. He asked if I had plans for the evening to start up small talk, and I retorted with "I'm single". He spewed a slew of nice compliments, and asked "How is it that you're single?"

How does one respond to such a question?

Really.

Dont you think that if I could answer that question, I wouldn't be single. I gave a polite laugh. Thankfully the ride was a short one because that launched a deep internal conversation about where I am in my life.

That's something we can discuss over bottles of wine sometime.

I close down work, end up home, soaking wet because the weather got the best of me. I'm greeted by B, we make dinner, toast to our current single status, cash our bottle of wine, and decide we should hit the town. We both understood that it was dangerous territory with the amount of couples out, but figured maybe after dinner everyone took dessert back to their respectable homes. 

Quickly, we put the day behind us, and in five we put on our Sunday's best and hit the bar. One drink in, people are funneling in and out of the bar, it wasn't overly busy. I do notice a man that sits down behind B, and he orders himself a Stella and continues to mind his own business. We made eye contact once, maybe twice, but never struck up conversation. We're ready for round two. (Papabear is in town, so after his meetings were done he cozied up to the bar in G&B style.) Round three complete, and I'm ready for the bill. Our bartender (she is also single, so we obviously bonded over the pointless holiday) approached me as I was rifling through my cash to pay and whispered to me, "your bill has been taken care of." I was beside myself. Who took care of our bill?! Another bartender? A cute guy I hadn't seen or made eye contact with, but wanted to be charming and buy our three rounds? Boy did I hope for the latter. It's like that situation in an airport when you see one cute guy at the gate before you board. As you anxiously sit on the plane, and he's walking down the aisle (no pun intended), you hope that his seat is next to you. Shortly after that you find that his blonde, 5'3 girlfriend is right behind him, followed by the 500 lb man that plops down right next to you. You know you've been there.  The bartender didn't want to tell us, but she quietly gestured at the gentleman sitting behind B at the end of the bar. I was still beside myself, and once again didn't really know how to feel. Flattered? Offended because we can pay our own tab? Guilty because we didn't engage in conversation with him? We rounded up the troops, I walked over, gently grabbed his arm and thanked him. We all did. I can put all those other pointless feelings aside, and just be grateful. Why should we call into question a mans kindness (especially on the 14th). The three of us laughed about it, my dad remarked, "It's been awhile since I've had a drink bought for me at a bar!" (Papabear doesn't go out with G&B, so he quickly learned how it felt. We're only kidding!) After letting our "one-day-annual-love-fest" marinate, we've come to the conclusion that no matter the day, no matter the person (boyfriend, family, or stranger) appreciating a kind gesture is all it takes. Who knows the motive behind peoples actions, who cares. One's reaction of gratitude is the most rewarding outcome for any giver. 

Hope everyone made yesterday special for themselves. 

Love, 

G&B

rawr.

Hey Friends,

Quick facelift.  (Literally.)

How could we not portray ourselves in a self portrait sketch, and then plaster it all over our blogs background?

Obviously you know we did.

Here's to loving who you are, and not being afraid to show it!

Love lots everyday (not just today...)

<3 G&B ya'll

Changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes.

Not really a change in latitudes, I just love a good Jimmy Buffett song reference. And truthfully, I think we all secretly (or not so secretly) would like to adopt a little bit of J Buff's easy-going island mindset into our own lives. Or maybe it is just me. Either way, it brings me to what this post is actually about. The brain trust here at G&B would like to take this blog in a new direction, a no-limits, can't-stop-won't-stop, no-topic-untouched sort of direction. By that I mean that we will no longer limit our scope to simply a few of our passions but rather make this a more all-encompassing space to explore a multitude of thoughts and ideas. We have been batting around several topics and fun ideas for posts and I think y'all are really going to enjoy. It has been awhile since we have gotten excited about posting and it sure feels good to get back in the saddle. The planned posts will be more frequent, but a little smaller in size because we realized it doesn't need to be a novel each time we sit down. Frankly, I think that is what was limiting us before. Since we started out with this singular thought of what the blog needed to be and trying to come up with similarly related posts each day was getting a little repetitive. And after further reflection, we decided to remove the damn dam and just give 'er hell. 

This blog will now essentially be an outlet for all sorts of creativity. Without revealing any specific topics, I just want to reiterate that we are excited about changing things up, going with the flow and seeing where the bender takes us. I realize that a bender usually implies mass alcohol consumption but these will (mostly) be sober ramblings with a couple of alcohol induced shenanigans. Though I must admit, sometimes the best ideas and discussions come from a cold beer (or ciders, even margaritas) among friends. 

Mahalo. 

G&B

We've got some catching up to do.

Good evening ya'll. I must say, its been too long.  Red wine in hand, I have to toast the New Year, new things, and...

Hello PGA season.

Last update was Halloween, sorry we missed the New Year ya'll, but lets be honest we've all been busy.

Quick catch up:
Thanksgiving- yeah, we all ate too much, I know. B and I started a tradition last year to not actually eat a turkey dinner on this Holiday. Held true this year, we both dinned elsewhere. I must say Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa, truly grateful for your steak and wine selection. Delectable. It was up there with the previous years Sushi and Sake. Wonder what next year will being?
Also, our reminder that Christmas is right around the corner. Time to start thinking of those New Year resolutions...

December brought some exciting things. 1) I was lucky to work the PNC Father/Son challenge along side legendary golfers and their talented sons/grandsons/daughters. 2) I surprised my family in the snowy north. To make this short and sweet, I convinced my brothers and parents that I had to work Christmas and the New Year (like I had done the year prior, but my family was kind enough to join me in the sunshine state). Two days before the surprise, my older brother wanted to come down to surprise for the New Year. Problem, I think so, I broke the news to him. I had kept it from him for 2 months. TWO MONTHS. 12 hours later I received a text message from my twin, "Justin spilled the beans". Really. All I needed was my brothers to keep the secret for one more day. Luckily, the secret was kept, I made it to my brothers door step on the evening of Christmas Eve. I got just the reaction I had imagined for two months, a warm embrace and tears. Merry Christmas.

Happy New Year, hope everyone was safe. Made good decisions, and rang in the year with love, friends, and happiness.

Dustin Johnson won the first tournament of the season. Mahalo.

Other tournaments occurred, nothing overly worth noting. Yeah, TW put some scores together, but I must say Phil Mickelson's win was much more exciting.
Some of the most shocking things that have occurred this season for the PGA tour would have to be all the players switching endorsements! By far the worst decisions would have to be: Webb Simpson from Polo to Izod, or maybe Watney leaving Hugo Boss. Really Rory, you'd prefer Nike over Titleist? The list goes on, but we'll elaborate a little later. This certainly takes me to the next big event of January.

I can't neglect Orlando's influx of golf nerds for the PGA show. Always an exciting time of year, rounding up the passionate and the knowledgeable to appreciate the unveiling of this seasons designs and equipment. Obviously, the fashion excites me. I had the pleasure of meeting some incredible people, one of them being Ralph Dunning. I got to listen to his run down for his line this year, the inspiration, and the drive to design exceptional pieces with performance and functionality. If only women were so lucky to have a designer create fashion and function. (cough cough, c'mon someone needs to step up to the plate!)

Probably the most monumental event: I turned 25. (I've constantly been reminded I'm now closer to 30 than 20...) Did I mention I joined the world of cyber dating? Thats a whole other can of worms.

That pretty much brings us to present, I think I hit the high points.

I say this with the utmost hope that B and I can follow through. We want to make time for this blog. This is our chance to share with you the exciting world of two adventurous girls that have an upbeat, humorous outlook on life. You know what, I need to highlight something really special, B ran her first 5K! Props. She kicked of this year in a healthy direction, hopefully that will inspire us all to lace up our shoes and hit the pavement.
Back to the basics ya'll, time management.
Find time for yourself (and for us of course).

Lets talk soon,
G