Relax.

I've never been a fan of rigorous exercise, but this is something I have found that I like. I find it to be something pretty relaxing, and it still makes me sweat when I work at it. It's Yoga.

Ok, so it's not like I sit on the ground humming and meditating for 30 minutes. Yoga is actually a hard exercise to do when you start out with it, and it will work up a sweat, especially if you do Bob Harper's type of Yoga (for the Warrior). It's hard because you are stretching or pushing your body in ways it's not used to. At the end of the workout, though, you'll feel a lot more relaxed. Also, if you're having a stressful day, there are several yoga exercises you can try when you just need some relaxation. Here are some of those, but if you don't breathe deeply, or you don't really try to relax, you won't get the full effect.

Click either of these to play the video...the link just takes you to the youtube page of the video, in case you want to check out more Yoga.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3vLZqPZxZE&feature=relmfu

You don't need a mat to do yoga, just carpet or something underneath you that's not hard floor.

And remember, BREATHE while doing the exercises. It increases your blood flow, and allows your muscles to work easier since they get enough oxygen. Another thing, when doing a few of the exercises, close your eyes and move when you get used to them. It makes for a much more relaxing experience, because you aren't worrying about what's going on around you.

Well, I hope you get a chance to try these exercises...enjoy your workout!

Later.

WA

Cake - In - A - Mug

When I was on my winter break from school during December, I got the craving for something chocolaty and sweet. However, I didn't want to make a huge dessert just for me. So, I googled desserts for one. This one really looked appetizing to me, so I tried it. It only took about 10 minutes to prepare and cook, and it's definitely a good idea for college students to try when craving sweets! YUM :)

Cake in a Mug

4 Tablespoons Flour

4 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

2 Tablespoons Cocoa

1 Egg

3Tablespoons Milk

3 Tablespoons Oil (Canola or Vegetable)

A Pinch of Salt

Cooking Spray

1 Mug (a bit larger than a regular coffee mug)

Coat inside of mug with cooking spray. Mix flour, sugar, salt and cocoa. Stir in the egg. Pour in milk and oil and combine thoroughly. Pour mixture into mug if you mixed it in a separate bowl. Put in microwave for 3 minutes on maximum power (1,000 watts). Let it sit for five or so minutes to cool before taking the cake out of the mug. Or, you can just enjoy from the mug!

NOTES: 

• Oil substitution- 1.5 Tablespoons Light Oil and 1.5 Tablespoons Applesauce.
• Make sure the mug is large enough! The top will come over the rim of the cup while cooking, but shouldn't stay there. It should go back down after the microwave shuts off.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and any other toppings you desire!
• ENJOY!! 

Later.

WA

Looking at the World Through a Lens

Something that I have truly begun to love is Photography. I enjoy developing silver-gelatin prints in the darkroom on resin-coated paper, I enjoy capturing pictures and moments of places and people all around me during the day or night, and I like editing images digitally. I first learned how to manually adjust a camera (aperture and shutter speed) in my high school photography class. I didn't really understand it all at first, but near the end of that class it hit me. Ever since, I feel like I can capture anything I want in the way I want. In high school, I also learned a great deal about the darkroom, and I spent hours in there when I could. Fortunately, when I started my  first class here at college, I was told I was welcome to use the darkroom whenever I needed to. 


I took my first college photography class, wet darkroom photography, this past spring. I feel as though i excelled in many areas of the class, and having prior knowledge really gave me an advantage. I spent countless hours in the darkroom this past semester, so much that I was beginning to wonder if I were a vampire... ha ha. Anyway, now I am taking a night photography class, in which I originally chose to work with film once again instead of digital like the rest of the class. It was not only interesting to see what actually showed up on the negatives after developing the film, but the level of difficulty in developing prints exactly how I wanted them to be was surprising.  I find it a lot harder to work with film at night, and I do get to spend a ton of time in the dark room whenever I want (I spent 10 hours total just this week already). It's a bit creepy in there when I'm alone, but once I get on a roll with work, I forget the fact I'm the only one there.  


Tonight, during class, we went to the town square to shoot urban scenes. My teacher, who is also a very understanding and successful photographer, encouraged me to experiment with digital. He loaned me a camera to work with, and even though it was heart-breaking to set my 35mm film camera aside for once, I found that digital is 1,000,000 times easier. Even though I have worked with digital before, there's a different feeling you get when you've been working with film for such a long period of time. I like to stick to what I know I guess, but it doesn't hurt to add to my experience through experimentation.


I would say I'm more of a traditional artist, always learning things the hard way of how things were done before someone came along to make life easier. I enjoy learning that way. It helps me to embrace the subject and understand it on a whole new level. I'm that one kid in class who enjoyed drawing works from the "masters", and I love still life setups. Drawing still tops my list as one of my favorite trades, but photography is pushing itself to the top as well. As long as I can use my learned skills and knowledge someday in the future as an art teacher to help someone to embrace the art world like I do, I will be happy.


If you'd like to check out some of my work, mostly black and white photography done in the darkroom, you can go to this link:


http://frogfreak4379.deviantart.com/gallery/


I hope you find my photography interesting... 


Later. 
WA

Once a Poet...

During the last two years of my high school career, I was really interested in writing poetry. Not many people knew this about me, but that may be because I never really shared any of my poems with anyone except my closest friends. I usually wrote about how I felt about a certain point in my life, or a person who was of great importance in my life at the moment. I went as far as to join the "Creative Writing Club" when it was started up during my senior year. However, I quit attending the meetings after the teacher who headed it up just wanted to be more of an English teacher and correct your poems, rather than comment or question as to why you wrote something of interest to him. 

Most of the poems that I connected with and enjoyed writing the most, I shared with a few friends. Those poems were strong enough to connect with them on a certain level as well, and that made me feel like I had accomplished something. I knew I could at least move people in a certain way with some of the things that I had written. I have poems that range from missing someone, to loving someone. It's strange to me now, but I can still remember when and where I was when writing most of my poems, as well as who I shared them with and their response. I guess it helped me to become more attached to the poem as I saw it work in someone else's life.

I haven't written a poem in quite some time...since my freshman year of college I believe. I don't know why I ever stopped, since I enjoy poetry, but I did. I don't even know if I could write in the same, meaningful way that I once did. Maybe one day I will once again open up a journal, scribble down some thoughts and arrange them like a poem. Whether or not those thoughts will make sense, no one will ever know unless they read the poem in the end. And even then, it's up to me to reveal the poem or not. 

But....in the meantime, here's one that I wrote back in high school. I had a lot of good response from it, so I guess it's a nice one. So, here, read it, decipher it, share it, but whatever you do, please don't copy it and claim it as your own.  Poetry is something that comes from the heart, and I'd be devastated if someone were so indifferent to my feelings and did that. Common Courtesy, People! 

Thanks, and enjoy:

NOTE: This isn't the poem I wanted to originally post, but it can suffice for now.

Sweet Embrace

It's been so long, 

And I miss you. 

Where's your smile, 

To see me through?

I think of you everyday,

Hoping the hours will fade away, 

Until we meet again

Face to face, 

And my heart meets 

Your sweet embrace.

                                ~Whitney, 2008

So, yeah, short and sweet, but to the point. Hope you enjoy.

Later.

WA

The Best Video Game EVER.

I've never really been one of those people who is big on gaming. Sure, I had a Sony PlayStation when I was younger, and my parents had an Atari and an Nintendo Entertainment System, so I was always around it growing up, but I never was one of those kids who liked to sit around and just game. The older I got, though, the more this changed. I didn't really like being the outdoorsy type of person when I hit my teenage years, and I really liked playing random games on the computer, etc. I didn't play them all the time, though, just when I felt like it. A couple of summers ago, I was introduced to a video game that really sparked my interest, and most true gamers would be proud that I played the entire game all the way through in one summer. I know that's a bit excessive, but trust me it was worth it...till my Wii died and I lost all proof of my accomplishments. It was still fun to play though....

This is that game:

The Legend of Zelda is probably one of most popular games out there amongst gamers, and it's been around for quite sometime with several gaming types and names. There's the Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, Ocarina of Time, WindWaker, Twilight Princess,  and a few more. All of them feature a character named Link, who sets out on an adventure in each game fighting off enemies and bosses and rescuing Zelda. 

Twilight Princess has the same storyline, but the graphics are phenomenal. Being the art student I am, I was taken back by the high-level of the design in the graphics, and I think that the graphics are one of the many reasons I enjoyed playing this game. Well, enough about that. The real reason I'm writing about The Legend of Zelda is because I'm excited about a new Zelda game coming out soon (Fall 2011 hopefully!). It's called: 

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Here's an image of the concept art for the game:

The game has already been introduced at the E3 conference in 2010, where people got the chance to play a small version of it. The graphics on this game are not as dark and realistic as they are on Twilight Princess, but rather more colorful and bright on the screen. It still works for the game, though.

Just in case you're interested in The Legend of Zelda, you may want to check out any of the games I listed above if you haven't already done so. OR, check out this exciting trailer for the new Zelda game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKUn5ESdK4s

I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope it inspires you to try out this game (any listed above), because it truly is AWESOME. I don't know about you, but I'm excited to see what awaits me inside that plastic case. I'm betting it's another action-packed adventure waiting for me to play it till I finish it.

Well, that's enough of my dorkyness for now..

Later. 

WA

Collections

You know, the more I think about it, the more I notice it. Every human being, whether they realize it or not collects something during their lifetime. These things can be rocks, stuffed animals, mysterious bugs, antiques, or even souvenirs from different places. Earlier, when I was standing in my room at home, I got to looking at my room, which my family claims is full of "junk". I noticed that I do have a lot of stuff, but most of the items I have belong to a separate collection of more stuff. It's just scattered throughout my room. Even though this stuff may seem like "junk" to them, it is just a part of what I've become over time. I collect different things, and I wish my collecting was a bit more organized, but for now, I think I'll keep it the way it is. I like it that way.

 Just in case you were wondering what some of this "junk" is....here's a list of  things I tend to collect most:

Key chains- I have key chains that I've made, received in presents, and even from different places I've never even been to myself like Ireland and Paris. I've got a couple with photos on them that are from years ago, as well as actual key chains that I used when I was younger. There are beaded ones, chain ones, and plastic ones. I have several hooks that each hold about 8 individual key chains or so each. Yeah, it may seem a little obsessive, but I love key chains. They remind me of different times in my life, and when I want to switch up my key chains, I've got a whole stash to choose from.

Rocks- Okay, so I think that my collection of this started when I was a bit younger. I love the way rocks look, and how they just fit into their environment when you see them there. Different places have different types of rocks, and I guess when you take a rock home from a place, you're taking a piece of that place with you. When I began middle school, I learned several different types of rocks, and was able to identify some of my own rocks as those that I had learned about. I still continue to take rocks from places today, even from state parks that you're not technically supposed to take them from. But hey, it's God's country and he made rocks for us to admire. As long as it fits in my pocket, it's coming with me.

Weird little odds and ends- Yeah, exactly that. I have them everywhere, and they're all things that I swear I'm going to use someday....


Frogs- Now, this one started back in middle school when everyone had their favorite "cute" little animals that they just had everything of- including PJ's, key chains, notebooks, slippers, earrings, etc. My favorite one ended up being frogs. My email, that I still use today for random things I don't want coming into my better email accounts starts out with "frogfreak". I have a shelf in my room full of them, and I pretty much quit collecting them a while back. This was definitely one collection I loved when I was younger.

I could go on and on with my collections, but these are the ones that took up most of my time. I guess the stuff you collect identifies you at different periods in your life. That's not a bad thing. It's actually healthy to collect things that you see as important. What isn't healthy is when you let those collections get out of hand and run the way you live.
I'm glad that I didn't just choose one collection to stick with and tested out different ones to see what I liked best.  I still continue to add to these every now and then, but as I've gotten older, I just never have the time to do so. We'll see what happens in the future I guess...


So, I've told you about my collections. Now, what do you collect?

Later.
WA

What Didn't Happen...Keep Reading to see What Did!

So, most likely you have heard about the predicted events of today. At 6 pm, Judgment day was supposed to happen, or the world was supposed to end. (Something like that.) If you haven't heard about it, here's the gist of the story:
An 89-year-old uncredentialed radio preacher, Harold Camping, predicted the end of the world today. Yeah, that's right, the end. Camping spent a large sum on the advertisement of the event, even posting it on 2,200 billboards cross country. Not to mention his thousands of followers who may have done the same outrageous spending. Camping claims to have paired events and stories in the Bible with formularical calculations to get today's date. However, he did the same thing and made the same announcement of the world's end in 1994. Then, there's something about a zombie apocalypse that was supposed to happen after the whole rapture. I'm not even going to go into that one....

My take on this- It sounds a bit off to me.

•  First of all, if Camping used facts from the Bible in order to prove his theory, then how did he overlook this one:
• Matthew 25:13- "Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Growing Up...

Tonight, my younger sister, Kayla graduated high school.

Graduation....

It's a mixture of feelings for everyone all at once. There's laughter, tears, smiles, and goodbyes to classmates who you may or may not see again in the future. It's a milestone in this journey we all call life, and an accomplisment that all of us define as success. It's the open door to our next step in life, whether it be college, military life, working relatively close to home, or moving away from home. However, no matter what path we choose, we are deciding to accept the challenges, downfalls, and triumphs that our lives bring us. It's called: Growing Up.

Though the years have passed quickly, and time only seems to progress even faster every day that I'm away from home, I've enjoyed the memories that I've shared with my sister. I'll cherish them forever... It seems like it was only yesterday that my sister and I were playing 'school' and I was teaching her whatever I had learned in school that day. Of course, I always had to be the teacher, since I was the oldest (and the smartest lol). I can remember building teepees in our back yard with our cousins, and playing Barbies for days. We'd literally have one of our rooms transformed into Barbie city by the end of the week, only to clean it up when it was completely finished. I remember playing kickball, baseball, and HotWheel Cars with our neighbors, who were all boys. We also would set up the kitchen like a cafe for lunch, and serve each other food like waitresses. There are soooo many that I could mention, but these are the ones I think that we frequented the most.

Each time we played together, we learned to laugh together, cry together and scheme together. We learned to love each other after a fight, and grow together as we both grew in our own lives. No matter what I was going through, I could count on my sister to be right there with me, and I still can today. We've both grown into two very understanding and mature young ladies, and have a relationship that only a few can understand. We may not get along sometimes, or we may make fun of each other, but that's life and we're only making one another stronger. As I got older, I found that I really did influence and inspire my sister, but as she got older, she did the same for me. I guess that's how sisterhood works sometimes.

I'm very proud of my sister for finishing high school and pursuing college as her next step. I know that whatever she decides to do in life, she'll be great at it, and whoever crosses her path the wrong way better watch out. To my sister, who I love very much:

~You'll do great in life, no matter what you do. Always keep your focus on God's plan for your life, and he'll lead you through it the way it's supposed to go. Be strong and courageous, and don't let anything stop you, ever. I love you.~
-Whitney



P.S. Keep these in mind:

"In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips."  ~Author Unknown 


"The future lies before you
  Like a field of driven snow,
  Be careful how you tread it,
  For every step will show."
 ~Author Unknown


"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of.  You know whatever you do, they'll still be there." ~Amy Li


"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." ~E.E. Cummings


"Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." ~1st Timothy 4:12


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11



And last, but not least, Congratulations to all the graduates of 2011. May your dreams come true, and God Bless.

Later.
WA

Try this:

A few months ago, I decided to get creative in the kitchen when baking a devil's food chocolate cake. Unfortunately, my roommate doesn't really like sweets at all, so I was going to have quite a bit of cake left over after cooking it. I can't eat a whole cake by myself! That'd be sort of excessive and unhealthy...

So, after considering the fact that I was going to have a ton of cake left over, I decided to discard the idea of a traditional chocolate cake and make something new. 

First off, let me just say that I'm a peanut-butter-a-holic. I don't know why, but I've been that way for quite some time....haha. So, since I love peanut butter and chocolate, I came up with this idea. Trust me, if you love peanut butter and chocolate, you'll love it.

Ingredients:

Betty Crocker's Devil's Food Cake Mix

1 C. Peanut Butter

1 C. Powdered Sugar

Directions:

1. Prepare and bake the cake as directed on the box, but cut off about 2-3 minutes of baking time. This keeps it moist enough for the next step. Let cake cool.

2. Crumble the entire cake into a large bowl. 

3. Take about half of the crumbled cake and pat it down (not too much) into a large serving bowl, or several small serving bowls. 

4. Pour peanut butter into bowl, and gradually add powdered sugar while using a mixer, until the desired consistency is reached. It should be thick, but not so thick that you can't spread it. Be careful not to splatter powdered sugar all over yourself!

5. Spread a thin layer of the peanut butter mixture over the cake that you put in the serving bowl. 

6. Add another layer of cake crumbles, packing them down as you did once before.

7. Add another thin layer of PB mixture.

8. Repeat these steps, until reaching the top, where you'll cover it with a last layer of PB mixture. 

9. Top with remaining cake crumbles, (and add cool whip topping to individual servings, if desired.) 

10. Serve. Refrigerate leftovers.

Notes: 

• For step one, if you would like to serve the dessert warm, only let the cake cool slightly, then build dessert from there.
• When serving the leftovers, be sure to heat individual servings in the microwave for an enjoyable treat!

I hope that you find this as yummy as I did! 

Also, check out these recipes that are designed for the ultimate peanut butter and chocolate lovers:

http://annies-eats.net/2009/04/10/chocolate-peanut-butter-torte/

http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2008/05/03/hello-cupcake/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/chocolate-and-peanut-butter-sandwich-cookies/

http://www.foodaphilia.com/2008/08/debbies-famous-no-bake-chocolate.html

Oh well, Enjoy! :)

Later.

WA

Where I'd rather be right about now...

Right now, I am sitting in my room at my desk and it's 5:30 AM.  I'm studying and programming in Java for my beginning computer science class. Trust me, it's not too fun or easy. So, I'm going to take a break and compile (ha a Java word) a list of places I'd rather be about now...

1) Relaxing on the beach, somewhere where it's warm and sunny out.... like this:

2) Asleep in my dorm-style bed behind me, but I guess that'll have to wait till tomorrow after this test...

3) Photographing the Night, since I know how to do that now...

4) Having a nice meal with my family and friends...

5) Touring a museum of [insert subject here].

Well...those are just a few things I'd rather be doing right now. I guess now I'm gonna get back to my work, so I can become an expert in Java programming....  Eh, who knows what's gonna happen with this class. 
Maybe I'll catch the sunrise. 

Later.

WA

First Blog Post- A little About Me.

I could choose from a large number of topics what my first blog should be about, but I think I'm going to stick to the basics for this first post.

• I'm Whitney.
• I'm a 21 year old college senior.
• I'm studying to become an art teacher, and even though art is quickly becoming one of the lower priorities of the school system, it's one that tops my list.
• Throughout my life, people have assumed me to be the "quiet," "shy," or "smart" one of the bunch. It's strange to me that they think they know me when they use these terms to describe me.
• I'm a very family-oriented person, and I have been my whole life. My family is a huge part of who I am today.
• I'm currently going on 3 years and 4 months with my boyfriend, Zach. He's been through a lot with me, and I am very grateful he's still mine.
• My art is one of the things in life that keeps me going. I am in love with drawing, photography, and textile. I'm experimenting with new techniques that I hope to use in my future works, and can't wait to present my senior show next year!
• Chocolate, Caramel Macchiatos, and Peanut Butter are 3 of my favorite things that keep me going almost everyday.
• I love to cook, sing to music on my iPod, and enjoy movies. If I could cook and watch movies everyday for a living, and make good money from doing that, I would.
• I guess the last thing I'm going to mention is that I'm pretty much a random person that's always in her own little world. When I'm in my world,  everything makes sense to me, but sometimes it doesn't make so much sense to everyone else. But isn't that true for everyone?

That's enough about me for now. Hopefully, this provides you with a little insight into what's going on inside my head... Stay tuned for more later if you enjoyed this post. 

Later.

WA