Biz Blog

Calling All Bakers: Taste Magazine Is Hosting Its Annual Bake Off

PORTSMOUTH, NH (October 13, 2008) - For the tenth consecutive year, Taste Magazine will sponsor this year’s bake off at Harbor Side Hotel in Portsmouth, NH, November 7-9, 2008. It’s free to be a part of this event. All you have to do is sign up on our website at www.tasteoftheseacoast.com. Tickets are limited along with contestant spots so don’t waste any time.
The bake off will begin at 9AM and end at 4PM; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Judges will be walking to each contestant throughout each day disguised as tasters, so make sure to impress all.
Judges will select the top ten deserts who will win many prizes including: kitchen and bake ware, gift certificates, tickets to local events and much more. You will also be entered into the free vacation getaway. This year’s destination is to Italy!
There are seventy five spots available this year. Each party will be listed in our weekly newsletter for the month of December; just in time for Christmas! So don’t wait because these spots fill up fast.
See you all in a few weeks!

Coming a long way and still going.....

This has been one of the hardest and longest semesters for me, as well as it should be because I only have one left remaining. This sem. has come with a lot of rough times to get through, and somehow I am managing. I am pretty nervous to be a college graduate because I know after that is not going to be an easy road to get where I want to be. Actually, I don't even know where I want to be to be completely honest. Although I do know that somewhere and somehow things will fall into place, they always do! So instead of planning what I want to do, I have just been planning my next marathons. At the very end of May I will run the Rock and Roll in San Diego, October I will be In PA running the Steamboat and in Nov. I hope to finish the Manchester City again. As for my long term planning, I have decided to not plan and just live day by day. It will get me somewhere, and a lot faster than planning something that will most likely not happen.

Thanks to eveyone!

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who commented on my blog for the marathon. It truly was an ego boost and the past few months for me have been rough, so actually achieving something like this that not just anyone can do really helped me. I guess that is a quality I obtain... I run for all different reasons... but running to ease pain and anger and hurt is a huge role I play! So maybe these times of hardship have really intensified my running.
Also I wanted to add that I am going to San Diego after I graduate in May to run the Rock and Roll marathon. My closest friend was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. We both joined an organization called Team in Training (TNT). They are a big fund raising org. and one of the events they participate in is this marathon in San Diego! So why not treat myself as a graduation present to a beautiful vacation and do something good while I am there?

My Greatest Accomplishment Yet!

November 2 never came so fast. On New Years Eve last year I made a resolution of running a full marathon. I had picked out the one I was going to run and gave myself about 9 or 10 months to train for it. Next thing I knew, it was the night before my big goal. I was sick to my stomach from being nervous. I thought to myself over and over, how am I going to pull this off? What can I do to not run in it? Obviously I came up with nothing. I didn't sleep at all that night and I woke super early hoping that I would ease my nerves. Yea... that didn't work! My boss and also my inspiration met me at the starting line. We stretched together and he gave me the pep talk that I need to relax because I am more than ready. I have come this far and will do well for myself. Turns out the man was right! After a rough start in the first few miles, I finally overcame the nausea and felt like a million bucks. I ran my first half of 13.1 miles in under two hours.
As I reached mile 18 I could feel my body turn into Gumby! I felt as if I was going to collapse from the waist down, but I kept on truckin. I had a pace runner waiting for me at Mile 19 and she truly got me to the finish line. My best friend Kate, who hates to run, ran with me up until mile 25. Throughout that time, my biggest fan (my dad), my brother and another close friend of mine were following me the last 7 miles giving me water, banana, and gu breaks. Without the support I got form them, I am not sure how I would have made it to the finish line.
As I ran my last mile alone, I suddenly got this runners high. I was almost done and I couldn't be more excited. I shut my Ipod off and enjoyed the rest of the run. As I crossed the finish line all I could think about was that this was the biggest accomplishment of my life so far.
Now, four days later, I am planning my next marathon. A trip to PA in October to run the Steamtown Marathon.

Taste of the Seacoast

Taste of the Seacoast is a magazine published out of the beautiful city of Portsmouth, NH. It features all restaurants along the East Coast including Portland, ME and York Beach, ME all the way through Boston MA.
The magazine is published two times a year, sends out online Newsletters every week with new happenings, and also holds special events. These events include: Bake Offs, Cook Offs, Wine Tastings and a whole lot more.
To get more up-to-date information subscribe to the Newsletter on our website at www.tasteoftheseacoast.com. It's free and gives you the opportunity to attend exciting events happening near you.

When I grow up...

Throughout high school I wanted to be a Physical Therapist. I had had many sports injuries in my day and been to plenty of Physical Therapy sessions. So in high school I took up a few classes in Health Occupations. For some reason it just didn't keep my interest though. At the end of my senior year I took a few media classes which I really enjoyed because it was fun for me, so that is when I decided to go to college for a communications degree. But wait... In my first year of college I also took some psychology classes and really enjoyed that as well. So I changed my major to Psychology and studied that for the next two and a half years. Now it is the end of my Junior year and I have completely changed my mind again and wanted to go back to Communications.

Finally in my sixth year of college after taking time off and changing my mind when I was almost there, I will be graduating in May. Now, what are my plans for when I do Graduate? I have no idea! I have become the kind of person that really never plans ahead for anything. Mostly because I usually go the complete opposite way of what is intended. Specifically I am not sure what I want to do as a career either. I have a few different ideas in mind, but still don't know exactly what is going to make me the happiest. So my plan is to just concentrate on school and getting my degree for right now. Once I do achieve this goal I then plan on just walking out into that real world and letting it bring to where ever I may end.

All I know is that planning this type a commitment on my own behalf just won't work out because that is just not the kind of person I am and I except that as one of my many qualities.

Fun at times... But can blow up in your face: Alcohol

Although I am not very educated statistically on alcoholism, I have been affected immensely by it. It runs through part of my family at which I may be at risk, or even my brothers. I know a lot about how it can tear a family apart and destroy lives; I have lived through it. It started at a very young age for me, an age I would never want anyone to have to go through. I actually would prefer no one having to go through this at any point in their lives.

For the most part, the interest on alcohol starts in your teens. You want to experiment with things, and what better way to experiment new things than on the ones that your really not suppose to put your hands on? Once you get into it whether you’re legal or not, most people seem to enjoy the feeling it gives off. You start to relax, let things go, get your mind off things till later and have more fun; not to mention it tastes really good.

But all these great feelings and such could really blow up in your face. You may take it too far and drink yourself to oblivion all the time, you may become angry, your thinking and decision making goes down the toilet. A lot of things can back fire with this addicting drug that can spiral out of control and cause chaos to you and someone else’s lives.

This blog is nowhere near its final stages for I have a lot of research ahead of myself. Nor will it all be on my experiences. I will for sure add my two cents from personal experience because that’s what keeps things interesting for others; to know the narrator is passionate about something; and I am very passionate on this subject because it involves the people I love.

A Running Mind

Growing up I had always had a hard time communicating effectively how I felt on certain topics that had importance in my life, whether it be why someone upset me to why certain things touch my heart the way they do. It led to a lot of frustration and confusion for me and others around me.

One day years and years ago, I was in a sort of predicament that was making my feel really edgy. If you don’t know me or how I use the term edgy, I was feeling like I needed to physically do something because my heart was racing and I became very fidgety. I’m not the type of person to resort to physical violence and I honestly can’t think of another way to release that tension other than sex and maybe lifting at the gym, both of which wasn’t an option at this particular time. Lol! So for some reason I put on sneakers and ran out the door.

Now, at this point in my life, anyone who knew me knew that running at all, never mind for pleasure, wasn’t something I would do. I have been athletic my entire life and played on numerous soccer teams, and whenever we had to run I was the one who made the annoying “ugh” sigh.

As I ran out the door I remember asking myself; “ok, this is going to do what for me?” “Where am I even going?” and “Why am I doing this?” Well I definitely didn’t answer any of those questions until I returned home.

I in that small half hour found a piece of mind I can go to gather my thoughts; to relieve myself of the pressure for finding answers and communicating right on queue. I have come to realize that I am really bad when under pressure and I need alone time to figure things out on my own.

Now running has become almost a daily ritual to my life. Not every day do I have time to go running; like everyone else in this class or anywhere, we all have lives and responsibilities that do not always let us get away with our “alone” time or “healing” time. Growing to become the young woman that I am today, I have learned that life does not get easier. It gets much harder but also opens your eyes to new and exciting things. So when I am faced with those tough situations that I have to do something about and can’t come to conclusion with, you can bet that I find my sneakers and take a run. I do my best thinking out there. I know no one is going to call and interrupt me or be there to bother me.

Not to mention it keeps me in shape.

This is just a starter blog, and I will continue to add to this. But I just wanted you to know a big something about me and how I get through life’s day to day issues!

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Hi! My name is Stacy. I am a senior here at UNHM studying Communications and I love it. I look forward to learning new things in this class because it's definitely a new direction than what I am used to! One other of the many things I am looking forward to is my trip to Italy this January. I hear it's amazing!