Community Service

I have earned about fifty-five hours of community service this semester. Twenty of those came from volunteering at the pediatric emergency department at Johnson City Medical Center. I clean the waiting room and help visitors who need directions. The other thirty-five hours were gained from giving tours through Admissions Ambassadors.

Honors Charity Ball

The charity ball was great. It was an awesome way to support a good cause.

Civil War Monuments Discussion

I attended the discussion about Civil War monuments that was held on campus by the history, sociology, and  philosophy departments. I have been following the topic loosely on the news as it has become a topic of discussion. I really enjoyed the discussion and found new views after attending it. After hearing about the proposals that have been made to relocate all of the monuments to parks that would be made especially for them, I believe that this solution is the best option. This would help to improve race relations, while maintaining the history behind the monuments

Final Project Update

Throughout this semester, I have changed my lifestyle in a positive way. Now, I work out consistently, making sure to spend about one hour each day working out. I can fit into some of my roommate’s clothes, which displays my progress off the scale. As far as weight goes, I have lost 15 lbs successfully.  I am so excited to continue the process at home this summer. I hope to lose 15 more pounds before returning next semester.

Progress? Check!

My life hasn’t changed that much since my last blog. The only change is that I am down eight more pounds! That means that I have lost a total of eleven pounds. Now, I am going into week seven of working out five to six days a week and eating healthier, and I am so excited and more motivated than ever before.

Now, I’ll get to the interesting part of my update. A couple of Sundays ago I tried a cycling class. It was TERRIBLE. The class itself wasn’t the worst thing I’ve done in my life. It definitely wasn’t as bad as the time I hiked up Clingmans Dome when I was grossly out of shape, but the one hour was definitely worse than a full day at band camp. Yes, I know, my comparisons are weird, and no one else relates. Anyway, it was how I felt after the class that made me say that I was done with cycling.  I was in so much pain that I could not change positions without wanting to cry. I could not walk or sit comfortably. I might brave it again at the end of the semester, but for now, the only group fitness class I will be attending is Zumba.

Work in Progress

The name of this blog reflects my goal for this semester.  My hope is that by the end of this semester I will be able to fit into one of my roommate’s outfits. This is my attempt at taking the scale out of the equation and focusing more on how I feel rather than a number. It sounds really creepy to say that I want to fit into her clothing, but this is my version of having “goal jeans”. I have been relatively the same size since sixth grade with little to no fluctuations, so I do not have any smaller clothes to try to fit into. Fitting into her clothing is the most convenient way not to waste money as she is just two pant sizes smaller than me. Looking at the scale has always been terrifying for me, because of that, I hope that this helps motivate me to not give up. I will be weighing in occasionally in order to have better grasp of my overall progress, but those weigh-ins will not be my focus. My focus will be on how my body looks, how my clothes fit, and, most importantly, how I feel. I have struggled with my weight and overall health for so long that I need to take charge.

At this point, I have been working out almost every day for four weeks, taking rest days only when needed. I have gone to every Zumba class this semester. When it is really cold or when I am really busy, I do workouts in my dorm room with my project partners, Haley, Ashley, and Luke. In the room, we have done the countdown workout most frequently. It consists of 100 crunches, 90 jumping jacks, 80 squats, 70 lunges, 60 seconds running in place, a 50 second plank, 40 more jumping jacks, 30 more squats, 20 high knees, and 10 push-ups. We have also done an ab circuit and a leg circuit in the room. At the CPA, I do thirty minutes on the elliptical and then go upstairs to work on bodyweight exercises, core, and arms. I have only been drinking water since coming back from Christmas break. I have also started calorie counting as a way to help me control my diet. I purchased a Fitbit two weeks ago and have been using it to track my steps and calorie intake versus the amount of calories I burn. At three weeks, I did a weigh-in and had lost four pounds.

In order to continue my progress within the next few weeks, I plan on beginning to cut out more carbs and focus on eating high protein foods with lots of fruits and vegetables. I also plan to continue challenging myself with new workouts.

Hummus and Milkshakes and Friends: The Best Combo

A few weeks ago I attended the honors social where I tried Greek food for the first time in my life. I’ll just say that I enjoy Greek mythology way more than I enjoy Greek food, but the red pepper hummus was actually awesome. I drove a group of friends to the event, and when we left, we had Cook Out milkshakes. It was a great way to spend a Tuesday night.

Where am I going?

The answer to this question is a complicated one. I know what I want to do, and I know what kind of person I want to be. Though, at this point, I am not sure about the details. I am not completely sure where I want to live or what kind of family I want. The answers to those questions change almost every day right now.

With what I do know, there are a few things that I can do to try to get there. The first thing that I desperately need to do is stop procrastinating. This is something that I say I am going to fix all the time. I’m going to try to start working on this now and stop putting it off. Get it?

I also really want to loose weight and keep it off. I am on a continuous cycle that is getting me nowhere in this department. I always manage to gain any weight I loose back. I need to loose weight for the sake of my future. I want to be able to complete twelve hour shifts on a hospital floor and feel good when I finish.

In the distant future, one goal of mine is to get into medical school.

 

Truth

Last week I attended An Evening in the Reece Museum with an Emmett Till Painting. The lecture included Dr. Lisa Whittington and Patricia Kabore. Dr. Whittington is the artist who painted the Emmett Till painting, and she discussed how that the story of Emmett Till inspired her to speak for him and other African Americans who have suffered injustices.  Dr. Whittington also discussed her painting of Mamie Till. It was amazing to me, the courage of Mamie Till. Her decision to open the casket of her son made a huge statement about the brutality that African Americans experienced.

Patricia Kabore’s story was what stuck with me most. She was the same age as Emmett Till and was in Chicago visiting her grandfather at the time he was missing. Her grandfather lived across the street from the Till family. She discussed how that the whole block was completely silent after the block learned that Emmett had been taken.  She also reflected on watching Emmett’s family throughout this time, seeing his grandmother get out of a car crying after learning her grandson’s fate. The fact that Kabore watched this take place was amazing to me.  She explained that this is when she realized that she was different and that she wasn’t necessarily safe in America. After learning about Till’s death in US history junior year, I kind of forgot about him and his story. Kabore’s account made his death feel so present that it could have happened yesterday.

Together the two women discussed the importance of art in telling the truth and explaining history. This made me thing about art in a new way. Before, I had made the connection between art and history, but I had never thought of art as being the truth.

Tubas and a few tears

I am no stranger to band concerts. Being a part of the color guard in high school, I often went to concerts to support my friends who were in band. I continued this tradition just a few weeks ago as I went to the tuba recital here on campus. I went to support my friend Levi. Levi was a drum major during marching season in high school, so it is always fun to watch him play rather than conduct. It was really interesting to hear the tubas showcased with only piano as I am used to hearing them as a part of a full concert band. The full tuba and euphonium ensemble played You’re a Mean One, Mr.Grinch which was a fun addition as Christmas is my favorite holiday.

I also attended the play adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank. The play was amazing. Those involved did a great job telling the story of Anne Frank. The actor who played Otto Frank did a fantastic job delivering the emotional monologue at the end of the play. It really helped to bring the the tragedy that the Franks suffered to life.  Even knowing how the story ends, the play still made me cry.