Tag Archives: passion

I believe that one of the greatest speakers of our generation was not a veteran life coach, but a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. A specialist in virtual reality and computer design, Randy Pausch’s expertise extends far beyond that of human-computer interaction, but human to human interaction. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and issued months to live, Pausch made it his final mission to compile his most valued lessons into a published novel and presentation, appropriately titled The Last Lecture.

(The video of the lecture can be found here.)

Throughout the speech, Pausch reviews different events of his life, beginning in his early childhood and continuing all the way through present day, admitting that the book was a final living testimony for his three young children to remember him by. He shares his many childhood dreams and the ways he was able to accomplish all of them in adulthood, including experiencing zero gravity and being a Disney Parks Imagineer. Although some of my favorite quotes come from Pausch’s Last Lecture, one that really resonates with me is his advice about obstacles to success:

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”

Randy Pausch’s list of childhood dreams as presented in his final lecture.

I would love to be an individual who goes out and changes the world in the blink of an eye, but from a very early age, I was a shy, quiet leader with a love of simple things. I loved to learn, enjoyed playing house with my sisters, and dreamt of being a first-grade teacher in my elementary school. So what cards do I believe I was dealt? I think my best guess is described in my This I Believe podcast, found in an earlier post (some excerpts are included below).

“On my first day of college, I was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of students who had circled the globe a number of times, worked to end poverty and adjust education frameworks, or conducted expert-level research in fields I couldn’t even pronounce… I felt an enormous pressure to assimilate with my classmates and take on gigantic adventures so that people would see that I too was lending my talents to something purposeful in my life… Then, it dawned on me: not all of us were created to be globally recognized movers and shakers, but all of us were created to change or shape lives…So from now on, I believe a simple life is worth living.”

My younger sister and I in early 2001. I suppose my love of children kicked in at an early age.

I believe that this is what Randy Pausch meant when he suggested we “play the hand.” Needless to say, I may never be a loud, outspoken figure, but that is okay, because they are just not the cards I was dealt. So from this day forward (thanks to Randy Pausch), I am going to keep an index card with my dreams written on it on my wall, because every success story begins with a dream.

When I went on Netflix for the very first time this past September, I was unbelievably overwhelmed by all of the TV shows, documentaries, and movies that rested just a click away. I don’t have access to any cable television, but I still wanted the comfort of comedic relief in an otherwise busy life, so I asked my roommate for a series recommendation to start watching in my free time. Her response: The Office.

Full cast of The Office at the Primetime Emmys (the cast and show took home five wins).

I had never seen the show, but I had heard many positive things and thought that I would give it a shot. Sure, the nine-season “mockumentary” was filled with great one-liners and a unique plot-line that kept me enamored with the characters’ lives, but it was the very last episode of the very last season where I heard one of the most profound statements of any television show I had seen.

As all of the series’ regulars gave somewhat of a “farewell address” to close out their characters’ stories as well as the television empire that was The Office, Andy Bernard (portrayed by Ed Helms) faces the camera and fondly says: “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” This quote struck a cord with me, especially as I reminisced about my own “good old days.”

My dad drove me to my first day of high school back in September 2010. I was beyond anxious as I sat in the passenger seat in my brand new green and white uniform with a new backpack and notebooks. As we turned the corner from Line Street onto 7^th street and began ascending the hill to school, my dad said three sentences I would hear repeated all too often- “Well, Laura, you’re one day closer to the end of school. Before you know it, you’ll be graduating. High school will be the best years of your life.” Of course, I just shrugged these words off. It was not going to go by fast, I thought. It’s only my first day. Well, let me tell you something: high school did go by fast and it was some of the best times of my life. I had my rough patches, but the things I remember most are the days I felt on top of the world. Those were the days when I met my best friends or traveled with my team to Cross Country meets or went to the annual homecoming dance.

My very first day of college with my SHOtime orientation group; a day I’m sure to never forget.

College, I came to realize, is no different. All too often, we are encouraged to constantly think ahead, planning internships and schedules and job opportunities. While we are busy worrying about the future, we miss the “here and now.” Although earning a good education is undeniably the core purpose of these years, the little college experiences I have day to day- the struggle of 8ams in Forum Building, that night my roommate and I tried to teach ourselves how to juggle, canning weekends- are the ones I’ll make sure to cherish. The finale of The Office drew out the full sentiment in me and taught me this:

 These are the good old days.

New year. New semester. New blog posts.

This semester I have decided to focus my attention on a variety of lessons I have learned (mainly because they are everywhere!). I draw inspirational messages from many sources- TV shows, music, movies, Pinterest, my childhood, school-and it’s difficult to go a day without a hearing a new lesson. To start off my “semester of lessons,” I am choosing to write about one of my favorite quotes from my favorite movie Rudy:

“You’re 5 feet nothin’, 100 and nothin’, and you got hardly a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in with the best college football team in the land for 2 years. And you’re also gonna walk outta here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this lifetime, you don’t have to prove nothin’ to nobody except yourself. And after what you’ve gone through, if you haven’t done that by now, it ain’t gonna never happen.”

This quote, delivered by the supporting character of Fortune, is perhaps the most familiar quote of the motivational film. Fortune, a maintenance worker for the football stadium, persuades Rudy to continue participating on the football team even though he has yet to make the dress list for a home game. Now, I know I’ve never played football and I don’t attend the University of Notre Dame, but I still find the message of this quote to be very pertinent to my life.

Every spring, the University of Pennsylvania hosts the annual Penn Relay races at Franklin Field. This track event dates back 120 years and spans over three days, with 35 hours of constant relay races. Over 22,000 athletes are welcomed from over 60 countries (more competitors than the Olympic Games) and represent a wide range of ages. It is a true honor to get to run in the Penn Relays, and at the end of my 6^th grade track season, I was privileged enough to participate.

Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest runner, racing at the Penn Relays. Franklin Field saw over 54,000 spectators, a record number, for this race. (http://www.uwishunu.com)

The news came as a surprise to me, because I was just about the slowest runner on the team and each elementary school could only send a handful of athletes. Things like this just don’t happen to me, I thought to myself. I was embarrassed by how poor I performed compared to my teammates. When I approached the coach to see why I was being sent to the Philadelphia meet, I was given a truly uplifting answer. I was not given the opportunity so that I could “win;” I was being given the opportunity because of the effort I put forth in practices and races. I certainly was not the teammate with the fastest 100m race time or the greatest long-distance endurance, but I came to every practice, participated in the whole workout, and ran the mile race every weekend.

The core message I gained from Rudy was that success truly stems from attitude and effort-both intangible attributes that mean far more than any recognition or score. Just as Rudy was encouraged to go back and give the team 110% of his energy and passion without a certain benefit, I have learned to continue pouring my passion into everything I do so that perhaps someday I will be remembered for it. In my eyes, dedication always puts an individual at an advantage.

Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger gave a brief presentation on his experiences as a teammate and what education meant for him.  (www.livingonehanded.com)

It’s no surprise that I love history. It’s something that I’ve always been interested in as I dragged my family on to the next historical monument, museum, or town. Gettysburg is like a hotspot for history, home of the infamous three-day Battle of Gettysburg which is said to be the decisive turning point of the American Civil War. So, of course, upon visiting Gettysburg for the first time, I took the opportunity to soak up as much of the town as I could including the national military park and (you guessed it) a cute downtown bakery.

Social Studies classes throughout middle school all seemed to spend an exorbitant amount of time on the civil war and particularly the Battle of Gettysburg. It was pretty surreal, then, to see the sites of Pickett’s Charge, the battles on Culp’s Hill and Little Round Top, or even the Eternal Light Peace Memorial where President Franklin D. Roosevelt gathered with 25 living veterans of the battle to commemorate the fallen. If you visit the Southern Pennsylvania town, it is a real challenge to escape the constant tourism activities the locals promote, especially when every hotel and restaurant is named after the event and people have the opportunity to ghost hunt on the battlefields.

A shot of downtown Gettysburg, a vintage looking town square surrounded by small side streets and traditional store fronts.

A much-needed respite (even for a History major like myself) can take you to Wells Family Baking Company. While strolling along Chambersburg Street, you might be sucked into the eccentric pink and blue fantasy world that is Johnny Como’s Cupcakes and Co. (a highly rated competitor) but the ten extra steps across the street is worth it for the true “Chambersburg Street Treasure.”

The Wells Family Baking Company is one of those cafes that you can just imagine yourself relaxing and reading in with a cup of coffee while snow falls outside during the Christmas season. It has a warm welcoming atmosphere with a wide selection of lunch specials and fancy desserts. They offer everything from cheesecake to cupcakes, from truffles to pies. When you place your order, they kindly arrange it on a ceramic plate with a hint of decoration.  Wells Family Baking Company doesn’t just stop there. The couple-owned business sends out the most exquisite wedding cakes for local customers. You wouldn’t expect any less from two culinary school graduates.

So next time you’re passing through Gettysburg, try to catch a glimpse of our nation’s history or, hey, even try out some battlefield ghost hunting. Then following a nice lunch at the famous Lincoln Diner, make sure you stop by Wells Family Baking Company for a chocolate or vanilla cupcake. You’ll appreciate the tradition and effort put into each of their artisan-crafted products.

Anybody who was born and raised in a small town recognizes the charm of small businesses. I myself come from a borough of just over 8,000 residents, the place where my family has lived for generations upon generations. Small antique shops, restaurants, and boutiques continue to line the northern part of town.

One treasure that is hidden in a nook along Perkasie’s row of shops is The Sun and Moon Bakery and Cafe. Home-cooked lunch specials and breakfast treats are set out just down the street from the Mayor’s office and the corner where the town’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony takes place (the country’s FIRST community Christmas tree lighting ceremony I must add).

I first heard about the bakery at one of a friend’s surprise birthday party. His Paris themed celebration featured a birthday cake with a replica of the Eiffel Tower on top. As we each ate a slice of the cake, some of my friends recommended Sun and Moon for a nice breakfast or lunch. So, a few weeks later, my sisters and I headed over for a peek.

Of course with the three of us having a sweet tooth, we skipped the idea of a meal when we saw the whole array of desserts they set out. Raspberry oat bars, chocolate chip cookies the size of my face, an overwhelming assortment of bagel flavors, and every scone from blueberry to orange cranberry. They arranged their cupcakes in the case starting with their simple vanilla and chocolate flavors and moving towards their more “festive” varieties. Every day they put out “fun” choices: whether it be unconventional flavors or cupcakes decorated like Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster or Elmo.

To this day, we still cannot come to a consensus on the best flavor. My older sister stands by her favorite of the strawberry cake with strawberry frosting (you’re blinded by pink as you eat it). I always campaign for the banana cream cupcake with a light filling and sweet frosting, topped off with nuts. Then my little sister, the would-be tie breaker, enjoys both the same. I suppose then that there’s no real favorite, and that they are all just too good to choose.

One thing that is indisputable is how great the business is. The owners always welcome you with a simple conversation and the service is very personable and accommodating. They have all the components of a hometown bakery, making it a perfect destination in “Old Town Perkasie.”

Market Street in the springtime. The Sun and Moon Bakery can be sighted with its traditional shop exterior with the big red B-A-K-E-R-Y letters on top. (www.perkasie.com)

I had a fairly extensive college searching process as I was on the hunt for a small, liberal arts college relatively close to home (it’s ironic that I ended up at a large university like Penn State!). My search brought me to Bucknell University, an esteemed institution in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Following a tour and information session on campus, my parents and I did what every prospective student would do and made the trek downtown to the quaint and lively Market Street.

Along the row of cute stores is Stay Sweet Cupcakery, a bakery owned by the mother-daughter team Tawnie Hotaling and Brooke Breeding. The pair opened up the store in 2011 as somewhat of a shared project, something sweet that they could do for the Bucknell Bison community. Serving fresh cupcakes and Hershey’s ice cream daily, Hotaling and Breeding certainly did just that.

On my visit, we brought home a delicious half-dozen assortment including Snickers, Vanilla Birthday Cake, and Salted Caramel. The one flavor that stunned me though was Rosewater. Honestly, I’m still not sure how an extract commonly used as a fragrance doubles as a cupcake flavor. We ordered it because we were half curious about it and half afraid of it, and not only was it absolutely incredible, it is probably the sweetest and pinkest thing I have ever eaten.

A street view of Stay Sweet Cupcakery in Lewisburg, PA (www.staysweetcupcakery.com)

If trying an exotic flavor like Rosewater is not your idea of a dessert, Stay Sweet has just a couple more choices for you, 155 more choices to be exact. Hotaling and Breeding concocted all of these flavors and classified them into categories labeled Popular, Specialty, Fruity, and Boozey, all adding up to the grand total of 155 flavors. After scanning their online menu, some notably unique flavors include “Putin on the Ritz” (salty cracker cake, blue cheese buttercream, spiced port glaze), Mexican Hot Chocolate, Fruity Pebbles, and Double Stuff Oreo.

Needless to say, Stay Sweet is pretty clever when devising new desserts to serve up to their customers. Hotaling, a breast cancer survivor, uses the shop as an outlet where she can share her love of sweets with everyone. She and her daughter seek to include customers with all kinds of dietary restrictions, and therefore have developed a number of organic and natural varieties. Regardless of the nutritional value and guilt-free experience (or lack thereof), these cupcakes are baked off fresh each and every morning to provide a worthwhile treat to all those in need of a “pick-me-up.”

This shop appears old fashioned inside and out, a quality that only adds to the quintessential town feel of Lewisburg. Bucknell Bison, alumni, and visitors alike can all find treasure in this sweet little gem. As happy as I am to be a Penn State student, I may just have to swing by Bucknell again someday to get my hands on one of these cupcakes.

As I have previously noted, some weeks I will deviate from my usual topic of cupcake shops and highlight a notable place in my life where cupcakes have been. This past week, like thousands of other enthusiastic Penn Staters, I embarked on my very first canning trip.

It took four long hours in a cramped car listening to soundtracks and chatting about veteran canning stories to arrive at our host’s home in Springfield, Pennsylvania. We ate meatball subs at midnight as we awaited a bus full of the rest of our canners to pull up on the quiet street. After a seven hour trip of their own, “the Party Bus” unloaded ten exhausted travelers who immediately crashed for a nap. I’m calling it a nap because I’m not certain that four hours of restless tossing and turning in a sleeping bag counts as true sleep.

Our trip leader woke us up promptly at 5:30 AM by blasting none other than the “Circle of Life” from The Lion King. We moaned as we threw on our Springfield THON org apparel, tutus, and hysterical costumes. After a quick breakfast, we scrambled into cars to snag the best intersections in town from our competing organizations (sorry Atlas!).

My canning buddies and I landed the coveted Wawa intersection well before the sun rose, and sat on the frigid sidewalk for nearly an hour. As soon as the sun peaked over the horizon, the huge canning signs went on and the cans began to rattle. Donations began steadily flowing in from early commuters, those on their first Wawa coffee runs, and the young families headed to the elementary school football game. This began our ELEVEN hour day. That’s right, eleven hours dancing on a street corner, collecting quarters and dollar bills to fight pediatric cancer.

The famous THON can

Just imagine:

You’re dancing and dancing and dancing. Every time somebody puts a $5, $10, or $20 bill in the can, you pledge to do that amount of pushups or jumping jacks. Enthusiasm slowly began to be overwhelmed by the physical and mental exhaustion that comes with standing on your feet for half of a day. The frequency of donations began to slow down as drivers are bombarded with canners at every intersection.  Chocolate milkshakes and M&Ms try to refuel your energy but suddenly you’re too tired to function. And then, you see it: the golden red glimmer of sunset sky that announces the final hour of canning. You and your canning buddies begin the final countdown, catching the last few dollars (or if you’re me, accidentally allowing the wind to blow a crisp ten dollar bill out of the can and away to never be seen again). Finally, the sun has set and you head back to the host’s home to meet the rest of your canning group. You count up all of your money (throw it up in the air, roll around in it, watch a dog gallop through it, etc), eat dinner, and then instantly collapse for the best night’s sleep you’ll ever have. And then, you have to wake up to do it all again….

The second day was a little bit more of a struggle. We were all sore and tired from the previous day and hesitant to jump into the same routine. We switched canning buddies and swapped our intersections for variety. Any remaining bit of energy was salvaged for some more dancing and jumping towards oncoming traffic. I was feeling awfully discouraged because the road I was responsible for was seemingly dead and I had accumulated a total of nine dollars after five and half hours on the street corner.

My whole attitude brightened within the final fifteen minutes as I saw a familiar Honda pilot drive up the street. My parents decided to travel an hour out of their way to surprise me as I worked for a great cause. They made a donation to my can and then handed over a bag full of cupcakes.

This very small act was enough to teach me a lesson about hope. Kids who battle pediatric cancer undergo experiences millions of times worse than standing on a street corner for two consecutive days. Just as I was given something to smile about at the end of two very long days, every child deserves a light at the end of a tunnel. So until every child bears a smile because they’ve just heard the words “You’re cancer free,” I’ll be standing on that street corner.

Reality TV seems to be a cornerstone of pop culture. Although many series are undoubtedly toxic to young viewers, others pose less of a threat. Cake Boss, a popular television show on TLC, follows the day to day routines of the Valastro family’s famous Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop located in Hoboken, New Jersey. The business, which has thrived in its home for 104 years, serves traditional Italian cookies, pastries, pies, and cakes-the crown jewel of the bakery.

For my sixteenth birthday, several of my friends and I traveled up to Hoboken for the day. We heard rumors about how many people go through those doors every day, but our whole perspective changed when we arrived and were directed to stand a block away in front of  CVS pharmacy. Although the line seemed like an eternal wait, we were at the front step within a half an hour as we chatted about all the things we would buy.

My friends and I standing out front of Carlo’s Bakery in May 2012.

Once inside, though, it’s absolute insanity. Over a dozen employees are shouting out numbers from both sides of the cases as swarms of tourists try to snap the perfect photos of their kids peering at the cupcakes in the case. There is no indication of what baked goods line the shelves that day so you have to resort to pointing and making funny descriptions of what you’re looking for. This chaos is also part of the charm that draws people back for all of their family holidays and birthdays.

My friends and I ordered a whole assortment of treats: crumb cake, cream puffs, the famous lobster tails, cupcakes with flowers piped on top, personal strawberry cheesecakes, and iced cookies (just to name a few). You could taste the authenticity in every hand-crafted bite, and with the amount of food we took home, we had enough to savor for the next couple of weeks. My mom also ordered a sheet cake to celebrate my birthday (plus, you can’t go to the Cake Boss without getting a cake!).

Anyone who has seen the show knows that Buddy Valastro, Carlo’s owner and baker, isn’t the only star of the show and that a lot of attention is devoted to his four sweet and equally vocal sisters. One of the highlights of the day was when his sister Madeline greeted us with free cannolis. My sisters and I got to have a conversation with her and, oddly enough, we spent a majority of it talking about her daughter’s senior prom.

Carlo’s Bakery has had great triumphs in the competitive culinary industry. This is partly due to the widespread media attention and positive reception to their television show. They have been privileged to expand to other locations in New Jersey, New York City, and Las Vegas. They also maintain an online shipping system in addition to stocking many supermarket chains with generic birthday and celebration cakes. Even the Norwegian Cruise Line has welcomed Carlo’s Bakery goods onto nine of their exciting cruise ships.

With a big name like Carlo’s Bakery, it can be a challenge to maintain quality throughout all the different branch stores. The Valastros have made this business their livelihood and it is evident that they pour their heart into their food. If travels ever bring you to the Hoboken area, don’t hesitate to wait in line for a taste of this cake.