Last Week #7 | Close Calls

Last week was simultaneously stressful and not. Let me break it down for you.

#1: Monday was great. 

 Soleil Cafe had a fantastic opening day (you can read more about that here), and my improv class went well again. I'm learning so much from that class, and not just about acting. It is helping me in my everyday life. In my thought processes, in my relationships, in my communication with others. 

#2: I got pulled over for speeding, but didn’t get a speeding ticket. 

 For someone who struggles with driving, this was horrifying. But I guess it could be considered a wake up call? Honestly, I spend a lot of time driving nowadays, with a 30 minute commute between my home and Peaks, or my home and my boyfriend's house. And I guess I'm constantly feeling like I don't have enough time, or (we) don't have enough time, so I try to make up that lost time in the car. Which is stupid. So that experience was upsetting, and bad, but maybe also good.

#3: Someone hit my car while it was parked in a parking lot. 

 Ugh. This is nothing but bad, really, except for the fact that their insurance will pay for it and it wasn't my fault at all. It's just yet another way in which I'm feeling overwhelmed about driving again recently. 

#4: That same night, I saw Captain America: Civil War. 

 A movie I'd been anticipating since about 2010. You can read more about that here, but just know that it was the pick-me-up experience I needed after all these car-related disasters this week. 

#5: Friday, I finally finished something that's been on my To-Do List for 3 weeks straight now.    Revising the first 50 pages of my in-progress novel for a novel workshop class I'm taking at school. This is the final step, the final assignment for the class before the end of the semester, and it's been by far the hardest one. Making significant changes to a work that has consumed your creative mind for nearly two years is never easy. But Friday I made it to page 52. And though it still needs some fine tuning before I send it in on May 15th, I'm proud of the progress I made this week. 

All of these things are not things you'd know by watching my weekly vlogs. They no longer have a narrative (which I honestly like) and really only show the highs, rather than the lows. But these are the moments in-between the highs. The middles, and the lowest of the lows. So, now that you know it all, you can see the peaks right here: 

 -Fran

Brew Brightness

 On a rainy Monday morning in May, Soleil Cafe began brewing brightness. I don't feel like I'm old enough to know people who own businesses that are changing the economic face of my area, but I do, and it's an incredible feeling. Sitting in Soleil on Monday morning, I felt so appreciative of the fact that there are young people I know who are so passionate about spreading positivity and rising above negativity and hate. 

 I could go on a rant about how this generation of Millennials (or whatever you want any to call us) work so hard, stay true to our message at all costs, and get none of the credit for it. All I have to say is, we're not going anywhere. And Monday was proof of that. Quality, hard work, and heart will always win out over mass produced quantity. 

#brewbrightness #peakinggoodcoffee

 -Fran

Last Week #6

 Last week was about enjoying the Peaks. It's easy to fall into a tired old routine and never want to stray from it simply because it's familiar. That's something I struggle with. Constantly. But this week I learned that baking brownie pie for friends and discovering newness in yourself and your relationships is never anything but great. 

 For instance, Monday I had my first ever improv class, which I was so incredibly nervous for but ended up so well. Though I had a fair amount of initial anxiety, by the end of the night I was glad I said yes to that opportunity, and followed through with it. 

 Friday, I said yes to another Peak. Literally. Filming the Kickstarter video for Peaks Coffee Company's new location at the crack of dawn, but getting shots that were so worth it. Witnessing moments throughout that I'll probably never forget. Spending a weekend with the people I love, relaxing, reveling in it all, and working to make their next endeavor a reality. 

 My favorite thing about my friends is that we never let each other say no to an opportunity that will be good for us. Even when it's hard, we always band together and figure out a way to make it happen, and make it happen well. We have each other's backs, and are constantly working to help make each other's dreams come true. They've taught me that life is about enjoying the Peaks and enduring the Valleys, and have not only ensured me but also shown me that they'll be there for both. 

 If you want to donate to a truly incredible company that believes in the power to change lives with a quality cup coffee, click here to watch (and donate!) to their Kickstarter. There a plenty of peaking good days ahead, and I'm looking forward to each and every one of them. 

#peakinggoodcoffee

-Fran

#Caiellafornia

 Yesterday, at approximately 8:45 am, I said goodbye to two of my favorite people. They got in the car and got on the road to their new life in California. I still don't quite have the words to describe how I feel about the whole experience. But I'm going to give it a try anyway.

 Over the past few months, no, since about May of 2015, I've gotten closer and closer to these people until it felt like we were this tight-knit group. My whole life, I've kind of been looking for this group. I've been a part of friend groups and have great friends who I love and will always love, but I think I've been looking for this particular creative, passionate group of do-ers for a while. In 2015, I found it. Or more accurately, we built it. We built our friendship on one fundamental commonality: our dreams. Even though our passions and goals are in a variety of different categories and genres, they all have one thing in common: creativity. We are all actively pursuing creative careers, creative dreams. We know how scary and unsound that is, but we're doing it anyway. So even though one of us wants to be a graphic designer and another a musician and another a writer and another a filmmaker and two others coffee shop owners, we all have in common the passionate pursual of those creative dreams.

 In October two members of our group, Sam and Kelsey, made their dream a reality. Peaks Coffee Company opened it's doors on October 3rd, 2015. Right around then, Lottie and John got word that they might have the opportunity to move to California for the type of job John had always dreamed of. Yesterday they departed on that journey. I feel like Eli and I are still working on making ours happen. Being an artist is weird, because it's so intangible. Every little victory feels enormous at the time, but you look back on it and feel that it wasn't that big of a deal. But it's important to remember that every little victory is a brick in the road building to a bigger one. So I think we're on our way. 

 Yesterday Lottie made us promise that we'd take care of ourselves and keep following our dreams. I didn't have any huge New Year's resolutions for 2016, but I think I just found the one I will be actively pursuing this year. For Lottie, and for the people in my life who are constantly striving to make theirs better. To keep growing. To keep learning. To keep saying yes. That's what this admittedly difficult change has taught me. Lottie & John just said HECK YES to the biggest, scariest change imaginable. They packed up their baby dog and their hopes and fears and dreams in one little car and went for it. And for that I find them endlessly inspiring. 

 Before yesterday, I've never had the experience of crying after a friend has left. I always thought that was because I'm a loner, or emotionless, or something. But after they pulled out of the Peaks parking lot and hit the road, Kelsey and I had a moment not unlike the end of The Holiday. We were both Jude Law, crying helplessly in the back room. While right now I'm mourning the physical departure of two people who understood me in ways I never thought possible, I am also rejoicing in their success at the same time, and feeling grateful for the fact that I still have 4/6ths of our little squad here by my side. 

 Friendship is a really weird, ambiguous thing that I don't think I'll ever understand. But I'm excited to keep learning and growing with these people, whether that's from opposite coasts or fifteen minutes down the road.

 -Fran