A Picture Says a Thousand Words

For my Advanced Technologies in Journalism class, we are required to tell a short story through the art of photography. Through five different photos, we must create and set the scene for an exciting event that has happened in our life. After looking through several of my pictures, I stumbled upon the pictures from when Kailah Coates, Hannah Tison and I traveled to Birmingham to experience the "happiest 5K" in the world, also known as The Color Run. We had heard about how great this 5K was, and had seen pictures online of how cool it looked, and wanted to check it out! Unlike any other 5K, there are volunteers that literally throw colored corn starch at you, and by the end of the 3.1 miles, you look like a walking rainbow! We woke up at 5:00am that morning to be able to fight through traffic, get a good parking place, and get a good place in line behind the starting line. We looked at our iPhones and saw on the Weather Channel app, it called for 100% ALL DAY. We were very discouraged, but drove to the track anyway. Needless to say, the rain didn't hold off this party...over 10,000 people were in Birmingham, Alabama with white t-shirts and shorts, prepared to get color on them! We were soaking wet, but that only added to the fun of the color! I hope these pictures capture our experience of The Color Run. It was a memory I will always love, spending it with two of my best friends! 

                                                                        "Cover Shot"

                                                                        "Detail Shot"     

                                                               "Establishing Shot"

                                                                        "Filler Shot"

                                                                        "Closing Shot"

Opinion

One of the classes I am required to take at Troy University to fufill my major in Communications is called "Advanced Technologies in Journalism". It's a Monday/Wednesday/Friday class, and it only is 50 minutes long! The classroom is filled with Mac computers, and each student is assigned their own computer, and the main goal for the semester is to be able to know how to create and maintain a website, and effectively communicate with people through modern technology. You know you live in the 21st century when the only school supply you have to bring to class is a pair of headphones! Along with learning how to make a website, we are required to blog each week. This week's topic is "opinions". Each student must blog about their opinion of something...anything...and give back-up evidence to support that formed opinion.

After thinking about what I wanted to take a stance on (there is so much I could choose from), one thing came to mind: a topic we recently discussed in my Rhetorical Communication Theory class. Eccessive television watching can negatively impact your health and psychological well being. An article was written by Jon Hammermeister and Barbara Brock in 2005 entitled "Life Without TV?", where these researchers observed and studied the negative affects of eccessive TV watching. They did intense polling and surveying and came up with some fascinating results. One that stood out to me was the amount of TV an average American watches a day. By the time the average person reaches the age of 70, he or she will have spent the equivalent to 7 to 10 YEARS watching television. What?! While there are some educational shows and informative networks that benefit society, the majority of television is not so wholesome. Spending hours upon hours a day wasting away in front of a television is probably the leading cause of America's obesity issue. Given that violence, sexuality, and body image are pervasive messages that come from watching TV, it is not surprising that a variety of negative health effects have been associated with excessive TV viewing. After studying this scholarly journal "Life Without TV", my opinion is that TV is the biggest way we could ever choose to waste our time. Not only is God the ultimate giver, but He has given us a life and our life has one purpose: to know Him and make Him known. Now, I realize that not EVERY single detail of our life will match that purpose perfectly, but watching television for hours on end certainly does not seem to reflect His perfect plan for our lives. Statistics and studies have shown that those that watch two or more hours of TV a day are more likely one day going to be smokers, have weight problems or body issues, more likely to be lonely, depressed, anti-social, have low self esteem, and are more likely to feel hopeless.

I feel like I could continue for pages about the evidence revealed in this scholarly study, and continue to give reasons why I have formed my opinion about TV watching, but this assignment for school has a limit on each blog post. What is YOUR opinion?

Juggling Act

I have only been a senior in college for 30 days, and so far, I feel like all I have been doing is acting like I'm in a circus...and I'm the main attraction with the Juggling Act. From leaving a life changing summer I experienced in Ft. Walton, where I was constantly surrounded by uplifting brothers and sisters in Christ, to stepping on a campus full of all sorts of people has definitely been quite the transition for me. From taking five classes that keep me on my toes, to working at Chick-Fil-A, to being proactive with Campus Outreach, to kicking off leading a Bible Study with freshmen girls, to learning how to give tours as a Trojan Ambassador, to keeping up with friends and family...it's a challenge to stay organized and focused when so many plates are spinning. One thing I have learned through this initial craziness this semester is that in my weakness, Jesus has an even better opportunity to show His strength through me. I can boast in my weaknesses; whether my weakness is my stress from school, my exhaustion from a crazy weak, sin in my life that discourages me, or just me feeling physically and mentally weak, Jesus is able to fill me up with His strength and His power that is so unique and refreshing. I have experienced this strength that only comes from the Father, and I never want to stop experiencing it. I can't wait to see how He continues to move in my heart this semester and this last year that I have as a college student at Troy, and look forward to updating you all on how He gets the glory in many more situations! He is faithful.