Alison 

Tattoo: Live Simply.

Location: Left Wrist

Why did you get this tattoo?: “To remind me never to get wrapped up in material things and to simplify so that I don’t get wrapped up in mishegas of life”

Were you obsessive about the font for this tattoo:  ”Yes. I made sure that it looks just like my handwriting. It’s called Bradley Hand ITC in Bold.”

Baylee

Tattoo: Hebrew Quote for “Stay in the Name”

Location: Right Forearm

Why Did You Get This Tattoo: “The tattoo means Boobylicious. Just kidding. This was my first tattoo. I got this tattoo at a religious point in my life, because I thought that Jesus spoke Hebrew. Turns out he spoke Aramaic.”

Tattoo: Feather

Location: Left Forearm

Why Did She Get This Tattoo:  She did research on her heritage and discovered that she has Native American roots. Baylee felt that a feather would be a great way to represent this part of herself.

Chad

Tattoo: Life’s Too Short.

Location: Right Ankle

Why did you get this tattoo: “I got it when I started to let things roll off my back more. It reminds me that life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Also, I just like getting tattoos”

Were you obsessive with font choice: Not really. I got the tattoo before I learned about  typography. I’m just really glad that I didn’t get Comic Sans.

Maria

Tattoo:  Article I of the UN Universal Declaration of  Human Rights in Cherokee Syllabary

Location: Right Arm

Why did she get this tattoo: As a child, Maria would often visit her grandmother is Cherokee, North Carolina and really enjoyed how Cherokee language is only depicted in an 1800s type writer font. The quote directly states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should treat each other in a spirit of brotherhood.” She enjoyed how ironic this quote becomes when printed in Cherokee syllabary.

Tattoo: Daphne and Pan

Location: Biceps

Why did she get these tattoos: She got Pan on her right bicep and Daphne on her left bicep. Maria was very into Greek Mythology as a kid. Dapne is a nymph that is supposed to be the origin of the laurel tree which is why she is depicted with roots in Maria’s tattoo.

Were you obsessive about the font choice: Cherokee font is usually only shown in one font from 1800s era printing presses, so I didn’t really have a choice.

Zack

Tattoo: Octopus wearing a dive helmet

Location: Left Bicep

Why did he get this tattoo: It’s his friend Kamal. He’s a pretty cool guy.

Tattoo: Hakuna Matata

Location: Tops of Feet

Why he got this tattoo: Zack really liked the Lion King as a kid and he thinks that this expression reminds him not too worry too much about the small things. After all, Zack doesn’t worry about too much at all, except for his feet looking hairy in this blog post.

Were you obsessive about the font choice?:  Nope. I don’t worry too much.

The post Ink at Parisleaf: Tattoos in the Office appeared first on Web Design + Graphic Design + Earth Lovin' Printing // Gainesville Florida Grown.

 Bagels and Noodles

Bagels and Noodles on University Avenue has a great outdoor seating area where you can bring your dogs to sit on the patio while you enjoy a great brunch. The restaurant offers and eclectic menu of breakfast, more bagel combinations than you can imagine, lunch items and Vietnamese Noodles. The covered patio offers a nice break from the sun with your favorite canine companion. The diner does have limited parking and is on busy University Avenue, so beware of the crowded Sunday brunch.

The Fat Tuscan

This restaurant opened up after renovating the historic 1908 Vidal House. The Italian restaurant has a lovely outdoor patio, which creates the perfect outdoor yet quaint ambience on a warm spring night. The Fat Tuscan serves paninis, pastas and several traditional Italian appetizers. The atmosphere at the Fat Tuscan is perfect for an intimate date night or a relaxing evening with friends and wine

Satchel’s Pizza

Satchel’s is a Gainesville icon with their quirky atmosphere and notoriously delicious pizza. Satchel’s has a bizarre gift shop called the Lightning Salvage shop, which has a bar and live music Tuesday through Saturday night (the only nights that Satchel’s is open). It will take you a small century to get your pizza, but this slow service is based on Satchel’s philosophy that “you can buy perfection, but you can’t rush it”.  The atmosphere is very quirky and innovative due to the upcycled décor that was once considered junk. While waiting on a table, you can play bocce or take your kids to play at the play area. Eat your mind-blowing pizza inside, outside or even in the old VW van. We recommend that you order your pizza to-go so that you can eat on the Lightening Salvage Patio and listen to live music.

Swamp Restaurant

A mainstay for University of Florida students, Swamp offers pitchers of beer and pub food for a sports bar atmosphere with outdoor seating right across from campus on University Avenue. The bar is packed on Friday and Saturday nights, but if you are able to grab an exclusive spot at table on the front lawn, then there is no better place for beverages and good conversation with friends. The restaurant also offers a tamer and more family friendly brunch on Sunday mornings and a nice lunch during the week.

Sweetberries Eatery & Frozen Custard

If you are looking for a cold treat on a particularly warm night, Sweetberries has a great outdoor patio to enjoy their custard. We recommend trying a concrete, which is custard blended with a variety of toppings. The inside of the restaurant features paintings from local artists that are for sale. However, the outside patio has great open seating and jazz music playing in the trees. The patio is rather secluded so it makes for a relaxing way to sit with nature and enjoy some dessert. The Café is very quiet and is would make a great place to read outside on a spring day.

Their adorable ice cream cones  double as a bike rack for the outdoorsy types who want to burn of their concrete on the way to Sweetberries.

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In alphabetical order:

• Boca Fiesta- located downtown, Boca Fiesta is, as direct translation suggests, a mouth party. The restaurant has a variety of Mexican dishes like tacos and burritos with several protein options for both meat eaters and vegetarians. You can buy individual tacos with different proteins. Featured below is a taco plate with steak, chicken and tempeh tacos. They have a large backyard, which is perfect for enjoying your time and soaking up the holiday. Boca Fiesta also makes fresh-squeezed Margaritas.

• Las Margaritas- Las Margarita is a good sit-down Mexican restaurant that has an array of stereotypical Tex-Mex cuisine but the food is always hot, tasty and cheaply priced. Their salsa is always really fresh and full of tomatoes. Parking at Las Margaritas is a little tight, but the restaurant offers free valet service, which will surely help out on a busy night like Cinco de Mayo.

• Burrito Brothers- Burrito Brothers has been a Gainesville staple for burritos and tacos since the 70s. The restaurant has an outdoor patio for seating and has overflow seating in the Presbyterian Student Center. If you get there early enough, the neon guac sign might still be on, which mean that Burrito Brothers has yet to sell out of their delicious avocado wonder.

• El Indio- busy tonight but still want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Drive thru El Indio for quite delicious Mexican food on the go. Our intern Katy says that she would drink the queso with a straw if the chips weren’t equally as fantastic. In fact, here is a picture that she took of her favorite molten cheese delight.

• La Tienda Latina- La Tienda is the most authentic Mexican restaurant in Gainesville. The restaurant offers an array of traditional meats that are not traditionally found at most Mexican restaurants in the US. Our web designer, Jamie, says that he loves trying new meats on their tacos. He typically gets one chorizo, one tongue and one tripe taco. For the less adventurous, there are still dishes like chicken enchiladas. We also recommend the avocado sauce. This taqueria does not have table service, so you cannot order rounds of drinks throughout your Cinco de Mayo.

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Our team is so proud of our natural leader, Chad and the moving message that he delivered to the TEDxUF audience. While many of us were able to sit and watch him live, it was quite a unique experience to watch him through the camera lens.  There is no question that his message is substantial to people of all ages all over the world. He reminds us to embrace what we experience to be our truly authentic selves.  We are all on an adventure towards this true authentic self, many of us don’t know it and few of us have arrived. Chad knows this trek all too well. His talk takes us on his wayward journey towards a life of authenticity, sprinkled with brutal humor and raw honesty, and shares with us why he believes authenticity to be the keystone to true happiness.

Chad is an entrepreneur, CEO and CRO (Chief Relationship Officer) of a socially conscious design firm – Parisleaf. His journey toward authenticity took him from the dance floors of middle school, through his most deserted years, to an office culture oasis overflowing with authenticity.

Authenticity – A Dancer’s Manifesto: Chad Paris at TEDxUF 2013

The post Authenticity – A Dancer’s Manifesto: Chad Paris at TEDxUF 2013 appeared first on Web Design + Graphic Design + Earth Lovin' Printing // Gainesville Florida Grown.

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1. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Take a picture here to denote the times you share screaming in the stands with your closest friends. Take one on the Bull Gator too.

2. On the Bike Path By Library West
Congratulations on graduating. We are sure that you will never want to set foot in the library again, so take a picture outside the library on the bike path that runs along the Chemistry Building. On this path, soak up the natural beauty of UF underneath the oaks with Spanish moss and among the brick facades of the buildings.

3. With Century Tower and the French Fries 
Century Tower is an icon at UF and certainly helped you keep track of what time you had to get to class. Take this picture on the steps to Marston Library. It provides a great view of the tower and if you stand far enough back, you can incorporate the iconic French Fries into the picture as well.

4. Your College
Public Relations students take photos outside of Weimer. Art students take pictures outside of the Fine Arts College. You should take pictures wherever you called home during your time at UF. Also look for something iconic within your college like the Media People Statue in Weimer Hall.

5. The Reitz Union
All UF students spent their fair share of time in this building, but few think of taking pictures outside the building. Take pictures with the blue trees or even by the Fountain to remember your favorite on-campus lunch spot.

Congrats Grads! Parisleaf wishes you all the best. 

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Maria is Parisleaf’s  lead developer and project manager. She is an uncommonly communicative and creative developer.  Her approach to professional relationships is frank and warm, and she quickly illuminates the broadest perspective in discussions.  Her development style encompasses both the big picture and the smallest detail, and she loves matching problems with brilliantly intuitive solutions.

Here is how Maria answered our questions:

1. If money were no object, what would you want to do with your life?

“I would be a musician and a writer, and I’d probably still work at Parisleaf!”

Maria is obviously very creative across multiple platforms, which helps her excel in web development.

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

Maria’s favorite part about her job is her teammates and our clients.

3. Favorite quote?

“Life if life.”

Her grandfather said this classic quote at her sister’s wedding and it rings true to her.

4. If you were immortal for one day, what would you do?

Maria would take a daring approach and use her immortality to go base-jumping.

Here is Maria’s Throwback Thursday Photo:i

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Ginnie Springs-  Great Tubing
Located in High Springs, Ginnie Springs provides great entertainments during these warm months. The water runs at 72-degress throughout the year and is always very clear. Admission to the springs is $12 per day for adults and $3.00 for children under 14. Bring your own tube to save $6.00 and you can inflate it at their air station.  It takes about an hour and half to float down the river and it is approximately a 15-minute walk back to the entrance. Visitors are welcome to float down the river as many times as they want during the day. The springs are more enjoyable when floating with a group of friends who can enjoy the beautiful scenery with you. Ginnie Springs is popular with Gainesville’s  college crowd because you are allowed to bring food and beverage as you float down the river.

Lake Wauberg: Close for Our College Kids
Although Lake Wauberg is only open to UF students, faculty and staff, the lake provides the perfect outdoor escape from the daily student grind. The lake is located in Micanopy and is divided into the North and South Shore Parks. Students can paddle board, sail or swim at the Noarth Shore Park and they can waterski, swim, or play disc golf at the South Shore Park.  Admission into the Park is free for anyone with a UF ID.Our intern Katy says that she loves Lake Wauberg and heard that this summer they will offer a paddle board yoga class on the lake. She thinks the class could be fun but very risky for an uncoordinated person like her.

Ichetucknee Springs- Beautiful and Refreshing for a Float
With crystal clear waters that are shaded by tress, Ichetucknee Springs is the perfect state park for tubing in Central Florida.  The springs start in Fort White and eventually flow into the Santa Fe River.  Tubing costs $5.00 per person and you are not allowed to bring food, beverage or pets on the river, but there is a concession stand where visitors can buy food. Like Ginnie Springs, the water is a refreshing 72 degrees year round.  The tubing season at the park begins at the weekend before Memorial Day, but scuba divers can journey through Ichetucknee Springs throughout the off-season.

Bob’s River Place – Perfect for Our Thrill Seekers
Even though it is a 40-minute trip from Gainesville, Bob’s River Place is well worth the drive for thrill seekers. The River Place has floating docks, rope swings and a giant water slide that are arranged along the Suwannee River in Branford.  Admission to Bob’s is $15 per carload of people. You should bring your own food because none is sold at the park. Bob’s is expected to open for the season as soon as the water levels drop beneath the bottom of the slide. The owner, Bob, used to own multiple homes around the world before he downsized and built Bob’s River Place to simplify his life. Parisleaf owner, Chad, loves Bob’s River Place and went there on the day of his wedding with his groomsmen. You can come 7 days a week from 11am until 6 pm.

Cedar Key- A Quaint Beach Getaway
If you are looking for a trip to the beach in an adorably quaint town, Cedar Key is the perfect place for your next daytrip. There are several places in town where you can rent kayaks and boats for a wonderful day by the sea.  Cedar Key is a huge clamming town, so make sure to take time to nom on some seafood. Alison, our CFO, says that Cedar Key is a great getaway that you don’t want to miss. In 2011, Budget Travel Magazine ranked Cedar Key as the 8^th Coolest Small Town in America.

Let us know where your favorite weekend getaway is located and tell us if you take any of these trips.

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1. If money were no object, what would you want to do with your life?

I would move to London and buy a puppy, but right now I am really happy to be going to school at UF even if my life is severely lacking in the puppy cuddles department.  If I had the time and money right now, I think that I would be Dog Mom of the Year.

2. What is your favorite part about your job?

I like making people laugh. Social Media is such a part of everybody’s life so I get a kick out of amusing people and making daily life even more fun. All in all, I think that my job is just PUNderful. I also have come to love everyone at Parisleaf and think that we have such a welcoming and supportive culture.

3. Favorite Quote?

I love inspirational quotes. I have an entire board on Pinterest  called “Preach It,” but if I had to choose one quote I would say that my favorite quote is: “Not all those who wander are lost” – J.R.R. Tolkein. I love this quote because it inspires me to be creative and to let my mind wander all over the place.

4. If you were immortal for one day, what would you do?

I never really liked the idea of jumping out of a perfectly good plane, so I would probably try Oysters, because no body has time for hepatitis.  Or I would cuddle with a Lemur, because as cute as they are, they carry nasty diseases if they bite you.

Here is Katy’s Throwback Thursday Photo of her randomly holding a baby goat on a basketball court:

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The world’s largest fast food company announced that they would start using paper only from sources with rigorous forest management standards. This means that Yum! Brands will no longer use paper products from rainforests, tree plantations or any unsustainable forests. The company promises to source only from forests that have been endorsed from the Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).

The company uses paper and wood fiber in a massive amount of their products from KFC chicken buckets to Taco Bell to-go bags to Pizza Hut pizza boxes. Thus, this announcement has a large potential to reduce the company’s environmental impact.

A marketer at Yum! says, “ I think that Yum! Brands is truly proud of the progress we have made to become a responsible corporate citizen. We are actively working to take a leadership position as the largest restaurant company in the world by lessening environmental impact and inspiring other restaurants to follow our lead.”

By 2014, the company promises in their Corporate Social Responsibility statement to “release a more detailed procurement policy with public targets to achieve these goals.” This commitment to environmental sustainability shows a brighter future for rainforests and the fast food service industry.

However, Yum! Brands is still not completely out of hot water due to the mounting pressure to eliminate palm oil from their food. Palm Oil has caused massive destruction of the rainforests in Indonesia, which is directly linked to the endangerment of the Orangutan.

70% of their restaurants have removed Palm Oil from their food. Although this may sound like progress, the remaining 30% of restaurants (11,400 stores) still use palm oil, which leads to massive deforestation in Indonesia.

Shifts towards sustainability are important steps for business to take in order to assure a safer and better planet for man, the earth and even orangutans.

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