Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Workout Schedule

Last semester, my workouts were sparse, but since returning back to college this time I've been kicking my activity level into high gear. I've got a variety of different workouts that target different fitness aspects like cardio, balance, flexability, or strength. My typical workout week looks like this: 

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Zumba
Yoga
Gym
MMA
Run
Run
Run
Gym
MMA
Turbokick
Volleyball
Gym
or Rest
or Rest

Volleyball






 Yesterday I skipped yoga (because Lenka and I were much too tired to go), but I wound up sending 5 hours in the gym so it wasn't a great loss. Danny and I hit the gym at 4 to begin with 2 miles on the treadmill followed by some crazy goblet squats on the upside down half yoga balls. Some remixed Lana Del Ray song came on and I made it a party while finishing up other strength exercises I could barely do before heading to dinner.

Then came Mixed Martial Arts or MMA where Lenka, Will, Adam, Hjordis and I worked on striking, conditioning, and jiu jitsu. I can now sort of do a kimora hold, but just like dancing it takes me several attempts to figure out the actual moves.

Right after MMA ended, I headed up to the gym to meet with my intramural volleyball team, Internationals. We peppered between the 12 of us and then scrimmaged one another to see what sort of a level we were on. Turns out we're pretty good. In fact, we wound up beating Cal Coursey's Email, but I'd wager they won best team name.


To celebrate Katri, Kristine, and I relaxed in the sauna before calling it a night. I'm liking how active my lifestyle is right now and even happier I'm able to workout with all my friends.
 photo signature_zps424e0a05.jpg

Monday, February 24, 2014

Birthday Ball: Harry Potter

Birthday Ball, the dance that celebrates the birthday of the immaculate Jorge Washington. A dance with an $80,000 budget and a pension for drunk students milling about. A dance I am generally blown away by. This year the theme was Harry Potter! While walking around campus I found loads of muggles in costume or dressed up in their house colors.


Great outfits turned up this dance and since I'm a Hufflepuff I went with a White House Black Market black and gold polkadot dress. One might argue that I was just a boozy housewife or a secretary from the 50s but I'm pretty sure those two are prime Hufflepuff values so I'll accept them. Another skill that Hufflepuff's are great at is finding people and out of the many times I got lost on the dance floor I seemed to find my people, mainly because Ben is 6'4".

The Harry Potter dance was a great way to cap off the tradition of Birthday Ball for me, making this the best dance to date.
 photo signature_zps424e0a05.jpg

Sunday, February 23, 2014

I'm Back

Hello, everyone, I'm back from a long blogging hiatus.

First off, why did I go on a hiatus? Blogging became a chore for me overtime instead of an outlet I enjoyed. But I've taken time to rethink what blogging means to me and I came to the conclusion that it is not about making silly posts I think I'm supposed to make because that's what "bloggers" do, but about living my life and sharing experiences with my readers. So what's happened in the 8 months I've been away? A lot.

Over the summer, I worked two jobs, a clumsy forgetful waitress at a rundown Irish restaurant and a chauffeur for a 15 year-old equestrian enthusiast. I now realize that I am never working in the restaurant industry again because of how many times I spilled beer on people. When I wasn't driving or waitressing, I was (kind of) working on my thesis. Actually, I spent most of my time lacing up my shoes and deciding I am a runner. And it paid off. I lost a lot of weight before coming back to school.

When I returned to school, I worked international orientation and have to say that was a wonderful decision. I gained a wonderful group of friends and it changed my view of Washington College entirely. I became more confident and outgoing and I'm proud of that. My senior year became exactly what I wanted college to be. With my friends I travelled to New York, Philadelphia, and explored as much of Maryland as possible.


Even though I was having fun with new friends, I was battling with the loss of a loved one and still am. My grandfather, Jesse Maness, was diagnosed with Melanoma in February 2013. I was home almost every weekend after coming back from Ireland because of the reverse culture shock and my need to spend time with my grandfather. I felt closer than I ever had to him. I listened to his stories and recorded his voice. I took photos and I enjoyed his presence. And on September 12, 2013 I was there with him when he passed. Not a day goes by where I don't think about this amazing, hard-working, caring man. He is truly loved and missed.

I brought my grades up my last semester, but had to drop my thesis due to the 5 course work load I thought would help me graduate early. Now I'm done with classes, but working on my thesis when I can in between Interning at the Global Education Office and working at the MPC. With the free time I have, I'm working on planning my wedding and focusing on my fitness (like I neglected last semester.)

That's where I've been and here I am now. I'm ready to share my honest life here any way I can.


 photo signature_zps424e0a05.jpg