First of all, Top 3 Thursday is apparently no more. Not that you would know that, since I haven't updated my blog in awhile, but I also wasn't keen to keep participating since I wasn't really able to participate...one topic was you "Top 3 Apps"...I don't have a smartphone, so...no apps for me. Anyway, auf wiedersehen Top 3 Thursday.
Next, the day after my last post, I headed down to New Orleans for the WPRO Pro World Championships. My friend Danielle came with me, and let me just say that it was one of my favorite tournaments EVER!! The drive from Tuscaloosa to New Orleans is not bad, about 4 hours, but Danielle and I had just finished finals and so the trip had an extra air of fun to it!! Basically, Danielle and her boyfriend Chris hung out with me at the tournament, and while I was busy recovering between matches they explored the French Quarter...sidenote: That is the most disappointing thing about all the tournaments I go to; I hardly ever get to actually SEE all of the places that I go to. If I have time to go see things in every city, that generally means that I'm out of the tournament, and let's face it that's just not a good thing!! Time back in. I got to the semifinals in New Orleans, which is the first time I have ever been in the semifinals of a major tournament...It. Was. AWESOME. I can't even begin to describe how excited I was at that tournament-super emotional. I also gambled for the first time in my life; Danielle, Chris, ad I went to Harrah's on both Friday and Saturday nights. Danielle and I had never gambled before, so we stuck to the video-game blackjack; the first night we met some nice older gentlemen who were willing to help us learn the rules and strategies of the game. When we went back on Saturday night, we got yelled at for "not helping the table"...mind you, this was ELECTRONIC blackjack, but whatever. Anyway, Sunday came and we got some beignets on the way out of town; not Cafe du Monde, but still delicious!
Literally four days later I moved up to Memphis. This story in a nutshell: I was supposed to get my gradship back for a second year at Alabama, but they ended up deciding to go with someone else at the last minute, so I could either move back to Ohio, or take the opportunity to move to a new city and truly be on my own; I chose the second option. I found myself a roommate (thanks Mal!), my parents drove down to Tuscaloosa to help me move and brought me furniture, and we headed up to Memphis. Also, a big shout out to Nate for letting me stay with him while we were waiting to move into our apartment. And let me just tell you that those first two months were pretty much the scariest months of my life. I moved up to Memphis without a job, with no job prospects, maybe three months worth of living expenses...super scary. And don't you know it: I am huge believer of things come in to your life when you least expect/need them to...I finally found an AMAZING job in hospitality that I am still in love with three months later! More on this in a later post.
That's about it for now; things are literally better than they may have ever been in my life. I am working at a fantastic job, I make more than enough money to live on, I have fantastic friends (both here in Memphis and everywhere else), I still get to play as much racquetball as I want...yes, life is GOOD!! Upcoming posts: more about my new job, the upcoming WPRO season, re-learning German, the 100 Hearts challenge, and things you may not know about staying at a hotel but definitely should. Adieu!
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