Giving Back Through Volunteering

Today I got up very early on the day I don’t have classes because I volunteered to help with the 2016 Homeless Count & Survey here in Houston. I enjoy volunteering and later in the week I plan on volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house with my student association.

The purpose of this post isn’t to talk about all of the volunteering I’ve done, but to encourage you to volunteer. You can go solo and meet new people or go with friends and have a fun experience together while doing something positive for the community. Another reason why I volunteer is because I don’t have much money to donate and when I donate my time, I know exactly what my contribution is going towards in the organization.

There are a variety of volunteer organizations and you can choose based on your personal interests, to network professionally, or decide what you want to do with your life by volunteering with something similar first.

Another thing to consider is whether you want to volunteer on a more regular basis or sporadically. Some organizations (such as hospitals) require you to commit to a certain amount of time since they invest in you by training you on protocols. If you are short on time you can always volunteer to help with one of the many walks that go on all of the time. I enjoy health related things, but you can help with community events for anything you are interested in. If your city is hosting something big like the NCAA championship see if you can volunteer for the event for fun! I recently found a company where you volunteer to build bikes that are given to reward students for academic performance. Mentoring and tutoring are also activities you can do on a volunteer basis.

Volunteering has enabled me to develop professional skills that are included on my resume because I was a regular with one organization for over a year and I was given lots of responsibility. It has enabled me to learn more about empathy and hear stories from a woman who was 103 when I volunteered at a local Hospice. These are experiences I would not trade for the world. 

To find places you can Google your city and volunteer, go to Volunteer Match or just ask around. What would you like to volunteer doing? This image is not my own and I got it from http://connectionstosuccess.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/volunteer-hands2.jpg. 

-XOXO

When in Austin

I decided to take a trip up to Austin this weekend.

Places to go: The state house, downtown area & 6^th street.

Austin has a hip/foodie vibe. I went to Nubian Queen Lola Cajun Restaurant. I am so sorry; I keep forgetting to take pictures because it looked so good I ate it right away. BUT I had some of the best soul food ever. I got the catfish fillet with red beans and rice and mustard greens.

I also stopped in to the nearby George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural center where they have a genealogy center with free classes for tracing your ancestry (primarily geared toward African Americans) and other resources. This is of interest to me, but more about that later.

Below you will find some snapshots of the weekend.

 Outside of the statehouse. Some photos showing the detail in the statehouse. Texas is written around the star when you are inside and stare up at the ceiling of the statehouse. A doughnut shop with a huge lighted American flag & the ceiling at the cajun restaurant has beads all over it.

-XOXO

Thai Gourmet

I finally got to go to this restaurant. I have heard many positive things about it (including that it is over rated), but I would have to say I was pleased. I looked on yelp and saw that there can be a wait sometimes so I went as soon as they opened so I could get my food! I got the drunken noodles which were SOO GOOD (I ate it before I remembered to snap a pic)! A friend got the fried rice with shrimp and chicken, which was good too, but not as good as mine. If you are in the Houston area it is definitely worth a visit!

The States of Snacking

Classes have started up again so I wanted to share things that get me through studying. This semester I have a few very long (almost 3 hours eeek!) courses. So I don’t get hungry and munch on the wrong things.

Liquid

I love tea so I prepare my cup with honey in the bottom and my tea bag then add the hot water when I get to school. If I don’t have tea I take water to drink or juice. I like juice too but it has so much sugar in it. I have recently gotten into the Bolthouse Vanilla Chia Tea, which is delicious, but I try to replace about half with some almond milk to cut the sugar.

*Sugar fact: Women should only consume about 25 grams of sugar per day. Check those labels and try to keep it down. You would be surprised at how much sugar is in everything.

Fruit

Fruit is always a good snack: grapes, apples, grapefruits, bananas… enough said. They are portable and refreshing. You can always pick up some dried fruit too! Dried mangoes are one of my favorites.

Solids

I take other things like oat bars, protein bars, fiber one snacks. Whatever. I personally don’t like nuts so I don’t eat that or normal trail mix, but that’s an option.

Its best to have snacks ready to go, so that way you can stay energized and spend less. Also, you won’t be as tempted to pig out later on something unhealthy. Happy snacking! By the way look at my new planner!

-XOXO

5 Ways to Brighten Those Winter Blues

With the shorter days that come with winter and less sunlight you can find yourself feeling sad. The winter blues is a mild condition with season affective disorder (SAD) being a more severe type of depression dealing with the change of seasons. Both of these are very prevalent in the northern states.  Here are some tips on improving your mood and preventing the winter blues. If your depression is prolonged and reoccurring please seek out medical help.

1. Get Sunlight

The best thing that you can do is to go outside and get more sunlight since this is primarily the cause of the blues. Since it is cold outside you can open your blinds to let more light into your home and spend more time outside on those beautiful bright days

2. Have fun

During winter there are plenty of outdoor activities that you can do, especially when there is snow. You can plan funs winter activities to combat that change in mood. Ice skating at an outdoor rink is one of the more easily accessible activities or you could go all out and plan a trip to a ski lodge with your friends!

3.  Exercise

Exercise is a stress reliever and mood booster great for all occasions.

4. Eat healthy

The types of food you eat can impact your mood. Processed food and fast food is not as good as fresh food for energizing your body and making you feel good. Avoid those types of foods because they do not give your body the nutrients it needs. Also, taking a multi-vitamin is a good idea.

5. Sleep

Although you should not be hibernating and sleeping too much, getting the proper amount of sleep is necessary for normal body function. If you are tired then your seasonal depression will be aggravated by that, so be sure to get plenty of rest.

Don't let the change in seasons get you down, you can combat it by embracing the winter.