Walk Into the Future

Tag: Orlando

  • The Black Hammock (Oviedo, Florida)

    “What happens on the airboat, stays on the airboat.”

    (Unknown)

    My Walk into the Future allows me the freedom to find adventures wherever I happen to be.

    I added the Advent Health Watermelon 5k to my running calendar this year.  The race brought me back to Winter Park, Florida for a long 4th of July weekend getaway.  I enjoyed the race and seeing some of my Track Shack folks in the race village.  I needed to get some additional miles in to ensure I stayed on schedule for my Atlantic City Marathon preparation.

    I’m always looking for new adventures, so I decided to head over to The Black Hammock for an airboat ride.  I visited The Black Hammock on a regular basis when I lived in Oviedo back in the day.  It was always a laid-back place to hang out, people watch and listen to some good live music.  The Black Hammock is an off-the-beaten path type of place, but it is worth a visit if you are in the Oviedo area.

    My sole purpose for this visit was to get out on the water via an airboat.  The airboats run every 30 minutes and are a popular destination for locals and visitors.  Lake Jesup has one of the highest concentrations of alligators in the state of Florida.  There are an estimated 14,000+ alligators in the lake. 

    There were three families waiting to get on the airboat when I arrived.  The adventures on the water started once I paid my fee and got outfitted with ear protection.  Fun fact, airboats are loud, and ear protection is needed to ensure an enjoyable experience.

    Our captain has over 20 years of experience on Lake Jesup and had a route already created to highlight the wildlife on the lake. 

    We were able to see turtles, waterfowl, nesting ospreys and alligators.  The gators were not moving a lot since it was the middle of the day, and a storm was approaching.  The speed and maneuverability of the airboats was impressive, and we were able to get the complete tour in before the rain arrived.  The skies opened as we were getting off the airboat.  I normally stick around and take pictures from the shore but decided to head out since it didn’t look like the rain was going to stop anytime soon.

    I’m sure I will visit The Black Hammock again when I’m back in the Oviedo area.  I recommend it to anyone visiting and looking for an adventure: 

    Home

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams


  • Ellucian Live—No bad days

    “Positive anything is better than negative nothing”.

    (Elbert Hubbard)

    My Walk into the Future provides multiple opportunities for me to network and expand my knowledge base.

    I attended Ellucian Live 2025 in Orlando, Florida back in April.  My current school is in the process of implementing Banner as our new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) student support system.  We’re currently a Workday school and need to modernize the ERP for ease of use for everyone to include students, faculty, staff and administration.

    The Ellucian Live event allowed space for us to network and explore available modules for the new system.  This was an outstanding way to see how the modules interact and provide a better experience than our current ERP.

    My overarching role in the switchover is to identify the modules that will provide us with the best capability for successful implementation.  I sat in multiple sessions to hear from experts and other schools on their implementation of best practices.  There are a lot of moving parts to successful implementation, and I wanted to ensure we didn’t miss any steps.  Fun fact—it’s not my job to run the implementation but my area will be a huge consumer of the completed project.

    There were several keynote speakers during the event from diverse backgrounds.  There were university and college presidents, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, the Ellucian CEO and Coach Prime (Deion Sanders).  They all had specific messages, but Coach Prime was my favorite speaker.

    Coach Prime has a message of positivity and making the world a better place.  There are times this message gets lost because folks are not truly listening to what he is saying.  He is a true family man and has deep religious beliefs.  This is how he lives his life daily.

    The Ellucian CEO sat down with Coach Prime to ask him questions during his session.  I wish they would have given him a true keynote session and let him deliver his message.  He was adept with his responses to her questions but the biggest takeaway I got from him was he never let other people’s issues cause him to have a bad day.  He admitted he can and will have a bad moment but does not let that linger and cause a bad day.  His message is to focus on the positive in life and shrug off bad moments.

    Coach Prime shared, “Don’t drag the bad moments forward and let them mess up a good day” (Ellucian Live 2025).

    I remember Coach Prime from his Florida State University and Atlanta Falcons playing days.  He had a different nickname back then, Neon Deion.  He was flashy, loud and brash—or so we thought.  Turns out that was the image of his younger self that does not fit him now.  He leverages past experiences to set an example for his children and players.

    I love his no bad day message and work to integrate it into my daily endeavors.  Bad moments by others will not impact my day or positive outlook.

    How can you leverage this principle in your daily life?

    Thanks Coach Prime!

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

  • NACE24

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    “Succeeding in business is all about making connections”.

    (Richard Branson)

    The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) annual conference was held in Phoenix, Arizona this year.  Last year was a defacto home conference since it was on the Disney properties in Orlando, Florida.  Loved the ease of travel last year but NACE24 was one of the best conferences I have attended.

    Why?  It’s all about location and opportunities.  I’m not a huge Disney fan and felt trapped to the property the way the conference was setup.  Also, there’s not a ton of afterhours entertainment for non-Disney fans. 

    Phoenix?  Tons of local entertainment, sports and food are available within a two-block radius.

    Flew out of Orlando airport directly to the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.  I’ve been to Phoenix multiple times, but it was exciting to venture out west again.  Decided I didn’t need a car so booked the Super Shuttle service to get me to and from my hotel.  I’m a huge Marriott traveler so booked my hotel downtown Phoenix which was only two blocks from the Phoenix Convention Center which is where NACE24 was held.

    Did some exploring on my first day in town and walked around the city to take in the sights.  There were multiple police officers in front of the Footprint Center which is where the Phoenix Suns (NBA) and Phoenix Mercury (WNBA) basketball teams play.  I’ve never been to a WNBA game and was excited the Phoenix Mercury were in town and hosting a home game.  Made my way to the ticket counter and purchased a $20 general admission ticket.  Wanted to experience the environment but not spend a ton of money just to say I was there. 😊  The arena was packed, and the crowd was energized and helped the home team win in a blowout (15 points).

    Left the ball game and headed out to get some food. Found a funky spot called Copper Blues. It’s a restaurant with live music and free comedy shows on Sunday nights.  This was a perfect spot to post up at the bar and take in the culture.  Spent about 3 hours in Copper Blues before heading back to my hotel which was half a block over—things in Phoenix are close.

    NACE24 started on Monday with some preconference sessions and attendee check-in.  No need to rush over but didn’t want to spend a ton of time in the check-in line.  The keynote on Day 1 was Soledad O’Brien formerly of CNN.  She spoke at NACE in Chicago a few years ago and did a fantastic job.  Wanted to attend her session to learn more about her current media role and the value she places on education.

    NACE is all about networking and I was able to catch up with colleagues from all over the country.  Ran into my friend Sean Collins who currently works at FAMU in Tallahassee but used to work for me at Florida State University back in the day.  Connected with NACE Board members—the current CEO, Chair and incoming Chair are all friends of mine.  It was great running into them and planning some future projects together.  The NACE community is a tight knit group, and the incoming Chair has already reached out to me to lead the Sourcing and Nomination Committee—this group is charged with selecting new board members.  It will give me insight on the process and help my efforts for a future NACE board seat—fingers crossed! 😊

    The next two days were filled with networking, checking out vendors and attending after-work parties.  There’s a lot of food, drink and fun at NACE and Phoenix provided a nice backdrop for all these things.

    The final party was held at The Duce in the warehouse district.  One of the vendors reserved the venue and provided food, drinks and live music for NACE attendees.  It was great seeing my colleagues in a different light, and everyone was having a fantastic time.

    NACE25 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania next year.  I will get a chance to see my friend, Lauren Apgar again when I get up there.  Excited for NACE25 and seeing my homey! 😊

    Irie!

  • Negril Jamaica 2024 (In Pictures)

    “Wah gwaan!”

    Wah gwaan (what’s up?) is a friendly way to greet people while in Negril.  The common saying is an easy way to integrate within the Jamaican way of life and make instant friends.

    Mi deh yah (I’m doing well) is the most common way to respond to Wah gwaan.

    Made my annual trek back down to Negril over spring break for some sun, fun, rum, and reggae.  This year I went down for complete relaxation and to enjoy the Irie vibes.

    I hit my normal food and music spots to maximize my time in Jamaica but made sure I finished reading the two books I had in my book bag.

    Love Negril, irie vibes, reggae, and great food when I’m there.

    Here are some pictures from my latest visit:

    Day 1

     

    Day 2

    Day 3

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    Where are you planning to visit this year?

    Irie!

  • 2023 WordPress Stats

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    Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

    “I made a decision to write for my readers, not try to find more readers for my writing”.

    (Seth Godin)

    Love this quote as it reflects my original thoughts when I started the Walk into The Future blog back in 2018.

    My intent has always been to create content others would want to read but not seek out followers for the blog.  Some of you are stuck with me because we grew up together, so happy to have you along for this journey.  Others have found my writing via WordPress based on my content and/or topics presented.

    I’m happy to have you here regardless of how/why you read my thoughts—appreciate the company on this life I live.

    WordPress provides authors with daily, monthly, and yearly statistics directly on my dashboard.  I’m able to identify when my work is viewed in another country and my reach continues to expand.  Again, not driven by this but it is nice to see someone in Spain or India has read my latest blog post.  Not sure how I attract folks so far away, but it feels great and inspired me to write a bit more and with more substance.

    My 2023 stats can be viewed here:  https://wordpress.com/annual-report/walkintothefuture.blog/2023

    I’m back in the writing lab working on new topics and adventures I will begin sharing next week.  I am also entering the busy portion of my racing schedule so there will be race recaps to include my 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon experience and the next BIG race on my 2024 schedule.  Hint—I got accepted into the Chicago Marathon.  This is exciting news for me and will be the largest run event I will participate in.  Thanks to Orlando Track Shack and the global running impact of this organization—it helped me get into the Chicago Marathon.

    Big things coming in 2024—stay tune! LOL.

    Irie!

    “Do or do not.  There is no try”.

    (Yoda)

  • House updates

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    “Home is the nicest word there is”.

    (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

    The Walk into the Future adventures continue to move forward daily.

    I closed on my townhouse in Fort Pierce back in May.  This was something I wanted to do when I first moved here but things and conditions did not align for me.  Things happen for a reason and in due time—a bit cliché I know but this fits my home buying journey.

    I looked for a townhouse to purchase for a little over two years but did not get serious with a real estate agent until Summer 2022.  We looked in several areas, but I never got comfortable with prices and/or locations during the early stages.  We kept moving forward with the search and the prices started to come back down in early 2023.  Worked with my agent to hone into a more detailed search and we began viewing townhouses that fit my stated budget and in areas I wanted to live in.

    Found my townhouse less than three miles from where I was living in Fort Pierce.  This was a bit ironic because I looked in a lot of other areas but never checked out my own neighborhood.

    We made an offer within a week and accepted the small counter offer the following week.  Things went quickly once we made the offer, and my agent guided me through the process, and I felt comfortable the entire time.  Fast forward and we closed in the early part of May, and I was suddenly a homeowner again.  My apartment lease was not due to expire until October but there was a provision in the lease that would allow me out early with a one-time penalty.  This was a welcomed provision since I did not have to rush my move and this extra time allowed me to make some upgrades.

    Floors

    The living area in the townhouse came with tile floors.  This was a nice look for the property but both bedrooms and closets had carpet.  I’m not a fan of carpet and knew this was going to be removed before I moved in.  My realtor connected me with several flooring specialists so I could get quotes to pull up the carpet and install wood laminate floors.  Wanted to get this upgrade completed before moving into the townhouse.  My flooring guy provided me with a ton of samples to choose from and we agreed on floor color, date of installation and pricing.  Took him two days to complete the flooring overhaul and the new look made the place feel bigger and I didn’t have to worry about what the old owners left in the carpet.

    Painting

    The best time to paint is prior to moving in with furniture.  Decided to change the paint scheme throughout the townhouse to brighten it a bit and put my touches on the new place.  Got painter recommendations from friends and interviewed two painters.  Selected my painter and headed to Home Depot to pick out my paint.  The townhouse came with a black accent wall—yes, you read that correctly.  There was no way I was keeping the black accent wall.  LOL.  Picked out a nice and refreshing blue paint for the NEW accent wall and a natural (sand) color for the rest of the townhouse.  Left the paint with the painter and got out of his way to upgrade the paint scheme for me. 

    Appliances

    This move-in provided me with an opportunity for a complete reboot of the inside.  Purchased the townhouse with appliances but wanted to start fresh.  My realtor shared that Home Depot has fantastic appliance sales in conjunction with the 4th of July holiday.  I thought she was overstating the sale, but it turns out Home Depot appliance sale is just as great as she stated.  Decided to purchase a complete kitchen package and remove the old appliances prior to my official move-in.  My new appliances are all under the same warranty and should provide me with years of enjoyment.

    Furniture

    My original plan was to enter the townhouse with all the furniture I owned.  Quickly determined my new place required a furniture upgrade to make it feel complete.  My TV console was fine in my old apartment but was too small for the larger space of the townhouse.  Also, my dining room table was adequate for the apartment but did not fit the style or feel of my new place.  Made a trip to City Furniture and Rooms 2 Go to begin the process of figuring out what I wanted for the new place.  Rooms 2 Go had a better selection that fit me so made my large purchases there.  The bonus was the free delivery they offer.  Still looking to upgrade some of my shelves but very happy with my new furniture and how it looks in the townhouse.

    I still have a few more home modifications I want to make in the bathrooms but happy with my progress so far.  The townhouse is slowly becoming home for me.  Enjoy having a place of my own to come back to after work or a road trip.

    What makes your house a home?

    Irie!

    “A house is made of bricks and beams.  A home is made of hopes and dreams”.

    (Unknown)

  • My Reading Progress

    “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies…The man who never reads lives only one”.

    (George R. R. Martin)

    My Walk into the Future provides me with the flexibility to add new adventures daily.  I continue to view this life I lead to engage my mind, body, and soul.  This blog gives me a space to highlight what I am doing, thinking, or getting ready to accomplish. 

    Goal setting remains a huge part of my success in life, and I look for ways to leverage my goals to help me continue to move forward.  I review my goals daily to ensure my energy and focus are consistent to meet or exceed them.

    I set reading goals each year in January with intent to read something daily.  My daily readings center around Proverbs and a few companion books by Joel Osteen.  I started reading Proverbs daily when I lived in Warner Robins, Georgia and this Atomic Habit remains strong.  Joel Osteen created a 31-day Proverbs companion book which I utilize when completing my daily Proverbs readings.  This little book has helped me understand more and brings Proverbs to life with language for my current Walk into the Future.

    My larger reading goal is to read 1 book monthly.  There were years where I would be super aggressive with this goal but decided to create a reading goal that provides me an opportunity to stay on track.  Please note, just because it says 1 book monthly does not mean I can’t read more, and I do.  I am an avid reader and love to sit on the beach with a good book and cold beer to practice this hobby.  My love for reading started in middle school and it has not slowed down except when my schedule gets in the way. 

    The books I select range from leadership, communication, and inspiration topics.  These are topics of interest for me so stick to areas I seek growth.  I have a couple friends who inquire about my reading selections and have started to read the same books—you can say we have an informal book club going.  We discuss the books after everyone has completed them and look for ways to incorporate the content into life and the work environment. This little book club motivates me to stay on track and focus on my reading.  It has also provided me with access to books I may have missed on my own.  I tend to stick to authors I know but the book club expands my focus and challenges me to explore other authors to enhance my Walk into the Future.

    The following books were referred by book club members:

    • Disruptive Thinking / TD Jakes
    • Wisdom of the Bullfrog / Admiral William H. McRaven
    • 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication:  Apply Them and Make the Most of your Message / John C. Maxwell

    FYI—this was my first TD Jakes book, and I was pleasantly surprised by the content and enjoyed reading his thoughts on Disruptive Thinking.  It is something we can all practice daily, but it was great gaining new insights on how to move forward in life daily. 

    I have read multiple books by Admiral McRaven and his wisdom comes through within the context of leadership and helping teams get better.

    Lastly, John Maxwell communication strategies can be leveraged in most work settings and enhance overall operations for the team.

    I am on pace to meet my stated reading goals and continue to seek additional books to add to my library.  This will continue and help me to Walk into the Future.

    How are you doing on meeting your goals?  What books are you reading in 2023?

    Irie!

  • Marathon training

    Marathon training

    (Image by CoupleStyle from Pixabay)

    My marathon training program begins again next week.  Decided to stick with the 18-week training program I used last year.  This program provides a gradual mileage build-up and allows me flexibility to train and still get normal life activities completed.

    The 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon will provide another mental and physical test for me to continue to challenge myself to get better daily.  I feel like a veteran this time around since I got my initial marathon under my belt last year.  I’m excited for the opportunity to train and improve my race outcome this year.  There were several lessons from 2022 that will help me with my journey this year.

    Exercise bike

    I mistakenly believed I could replace running miles with miles on my exercise bike.  Numerically the miles are equal but there is a difference between hard work on an exercise bike and outside miles in Florida.  There is a time and place for the exercise bike, but I will not lean on this form of training as much as I did in 2022.

    Speed work

    I concentrated on building up my mileage base in 2022 but not as much on speed work.  I did several sessions on the local track to work on tempo and speed but know I will need to work pace runs in more this year.  My training plan has several tempo runs inserted and I will do a better job of following the pace days as outlined.  The tempo runs will help me convert my physical fitness into a better race day pace.

    Heat and humidity

    My weekday training runs were completed with 5 am training sessions.  I started my runs at 5 am to beat the heat and completed them prior to my workday during the week.  My weekend runs started around 7:30 am to get out and back before the south Florida heat kicked in.  This was a solid plan, but I did not log many miles in the heat of the day.  Sounds like a smart training plan but the second half of the Palm Beaches Marathon is run in direct sunlight with minimal shade.  It was not overly hot in December, but the sun was on me from the 18-mile marker until the end of the marathon.  I did not handle this part of the race well since I avoided running in/with the sun during my training phase.  I will SMARTLY look for ways to incorporate more training to leverage the south Florida heat and humidity to enhance my training program.

    Here’s the 18-week training program I will launch next week:

    Marathon Training

    I will document my training progress again this year with updates on how I’m doing with mileage, nutrition, and thoughts.  Excited to Walk into the Future again and tackle the 2023 Palm Beaches Marathon.  Looking to run substantially faster than 2022 and cross the finish line again with a smile on my face.

    Irie!

  • 1,300 in 2022

    Sunrise

    “If you don’t know where you’re going, you will probably end up somewhere else”.

    (Lawrence J. Peter)

    I start each year by creating a set of goals for myself to ensure I continue to Walk into the Future.

    Past years I created a goal to run a set number of miles during the year (example:  1,000 miles) but decided to eliminate this practice and concentrate on run quality instead of quantity. 

    My 2022 run goals centered around 3 quality runs weekly without the shadow of a set number of miles as the goal.  I always found myself singularly focused on the end number instead of the impact each run had towards my goal and fitness level.  Mentally I was always chasing a number I made up in January and that was not always a fun activity.

    Fast forward and the 1,312 training miles I completed in 2022 is the most yearly mileage I have ever completed.  Launching my full marathon training program in July helped me clock miles but I was well on my way toward a mileage personal record (PR).  The marathon training process highlighted I needed to add training sessions and mileage to fully embrace the run challenge of a full marathon. 

    I routinely ran 3 days a week prior to my marathon training program and needed a 4th day to continue to build my mileage base.  I also needed to create a true run plan to identify the targeted mileage for each session.

    Prior to 2022 I would just go out for a run and then determine how far I wanted to go during that session.  Running in 2022 forced me to lay out a detailed weekly training program to identify how far I would run during each session.  I know this sounds simple and I’m sure most folks do this, but my running program had structure but needed more focus to get me to the start line for the Palm Beaches marathon.  I discovered putting a number on the training session (3 miles on Tuesday, 5 miles on Wednesday, 8 miles on Thursday, 10 miles on Saturday) made me hit my mile markers each session.  Anything less than what I projected left me looking for ways to get my miles in.  Weekly mileage numbers were critical to my running success in 2022.

    Mile by mile, day by day allowed me to top 1,300 miles in 2022.  I’m sure I could have surpassed that number if I put more focus on the mileage for each session prior to July 2022. 

    My 2023 run goal is to run 4 days weekly (25 – 30 miles total) with one day dedicated to speed work.  I am registered for 10 races for 2023 with a combination of 5ks, 10ks and half marathons.  I don’t know if I will tackle another full marathon in 2023 or ever but never say never.  I will let my weekly running sessions determine how many total miles I run in 2023.  Excited to track my progress and growth as I expand my running base and test myself with road work.

    What goals do you have for 2023?

    FYI:  Clocked 127 miles in January 2023! 😊

    Irie!

    “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time”.

    (Zig Ziglar)

  • Oviedo Get Away

    “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.

    (Lao Tzu)

    My Walk into the Future allows me to discover adventures large and small.  There are some weeks when I lay low and stay local and others when I get the urge to just get up and go.

    Well, needed a bit of adventure in my life so decided to get up and go and make a circuitous route back to one of my favorite places Oviedo, Florida.  I spent 4 years in Oviedo when I worked at the University of Central Florida and still enjoy getting back over there when possible.  It has grown from a sleepy little town east of Orlando into a traffic heavy little town.  The urban spawl is real there.

    I did not have a dedicated plan when I headed over, just wanted to see a few sights and enjoy being back in Oviedo.  I knew I could take advantage of the running trails as I continue to work towards my first full marathon.

    Outlets

    The Orlando outlet malls are not close to Oviedo so that’s why I described my adventure as circuitous.  Most folks know I love outlet mall shopping and will stop anytime I can get close.  The Orlando outlets are huge and provide access to name brand companies with the idea of good prices.  Some of the outlet stores are running sales and clearance specials, so the prices are even better now.

     I focus on Nike, Timberland, GAP, and Columbia stores when I’m in Orlando.  I added the Cole Haan outlet store to my rotation on this trip.  I have been in the store in the past but never really took the time to see everything they offered.  There were a lot of shoes marked down and these prices got better by joining the Cole Haan club (it’s free).  Just needed to provide my cell number and I was signed up to receive additional discounts while shopping.  Picked up a new pair of Cole Haan shoes on this trip and look forward to getting back for more deals soon.

    Made my way down to the Nike and Columbia stores to find additional bargains.  My hope was to upgrade my hiking boots prior to my trip to Asheville but could not find anything I liked on this trip.  I have enough sneakers, so my Nike visit was to look for new running gear.  I picked up a few items in Nike and made my way over to Oviedo.

    Seminole Cross Trail

    I was able to leverage the Seminole Cross Trail again to complete one of my long training runs.  The trail provides 20+ miles of multi-purpose access for runners, bikers, and walkers.  This trail makes my long run process easier since I don’t have to figure out where and how I will hit a specific mile number (5 miles, 10 miles, etc.) since the trail is well maintained with mile markers easy to spot.  Needed to get a 10-mile run in while in Oviedo and was able to hit my mileage with plenty of shade to cover me during the run. 

    Bob Marley’s

    Bob Marley’s at Universal Orlando City Walk has been a favorite stop for me over the years. 

    It’s a unique venue to listen to live reggae music and catch an irie vibe.  Some of the bands I have heard there over the years rival some of the best reggae artists in Negril.  Always thought that was amazing considering the musical talent that resides in Jamaica.  COVID-19 still influences the venue—it is mostly a dining place with a live band playing while patrons are eating.  Prior to COVID-19 this was the spot in Orlando to listen and dance to reggae music.  People came from all over the country to experience this venue and hear some world class musicians.

    The music during my recent visit was still outstanding but most of the folks just sat at the dinner table and rocked their heads from time to time.  No dancing or excitement from the patrons but they appeared to enjoy the food while there.

    I stayed for an hour or so and decided to call it a night—happy to get a chance to listen to live reggae again.

    Finish off the adventure the next day at the local Costco to stock up on household items.  Made my way back down to Fort Pierce to get ready for the work week.

    Quick little getaway but made sure to maximize my time while away.  LOL.

    Where do you go for a quick getaway?

    Irie!

    “If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet”.

    (Rachel Wolchin)