Jessica: Deaf Coffee Night

50. Start a monthly "Deaf Coffee Night" at a coffee shop

tonight was the first (of hopefully many!) Deaf coffee night at Jazz-n-Java! it was so fun!

at first i was really nervous and worried that people wouldn't show up because of the rain...but overall, we had about 10 people show up! some of my old friends, my old ASL professor and her friends, an old classmate, and a couple (that came all the way from an entirely DIFFERENT college! word spreads fast!) all came :)

we stole chairs and sat in a group and had 95% of our conversations in ASL. it was so fun! the level was from beginner to advanced, but everyone was so good at slowing down for others and explaining signs if they were forgotten.

we even had a fun moment because one man, David, forgot the sign for "thank you" and asked "oh, is it this?" and did the sign for...basically, "eff off", and i laughed and said "nooo!" so i explained what just happened to my old ASL professor and my new interpreting friends, and they laughed. then they decided to share their funny stories of messing up certain signs and getting confused.

overall, fun night! everything that i wanted was accomplished: meeting new people, practicing ASL, and having fun!

Charissa: fitness

Check out my newest post on my other blog Live A Little to see how I'm doing with my health and fitness goals!

xoxo

Charissa: better choices

So...I figured out a better way to monitor my eating. I've been writing down everything I eat each day for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, and then what type of exercise I do that day. Every day I want at least one thing to write down for exercise, even if it's just lifting my arm weights for five minutes. A little exercise is better than nothing.

This writing down everything I eat [and recording the portions if they are abnormally small or large] is working well for me so far. It allows me to really look at the choices I'm making, and really evaluate if I'm being healthy or not. The past two days I've done really well. I also put a tiny strike through something if I know I only ate it because I was bored, or if I was no longer hungry but ate it anyways. This is working well because it's making me really acknowledge if I'm eating when I'm hungry, if I'm eating just to eat or because my friends are eating, as well as protecting me from reverting into starving myself or being to hard on myself.

So far I've been eating really healthy stuff, but I'm realize I just eat super huge portions. I'm not sure whether I actually need those large portions, or if it's just a habit, but it's good for me to see how I'm eating. Yay for health.

xoxo

Bri-Detox and Embroidery

I am loving the detox! I have so much more energy and feel fabulous! And I've lost some pounds!

Also, I went to a quilt show this weekend and got some adorable embroidery patterns and supplies so I can begin my goal of learning to embroider!

More later!

Love!

Charissa: I'm not doing so well

With losing the cake weight.
=[
I had apple pie on Thursday, non-fat yogurt with banana yesterday, and today I had:
Breakfast: A big bowl of smart start + banana
Lunch: A salad with Turkey meat, 4 slices of Honeydew, and a HUGE bowl of oatmeal with strawberries, bananas, and peaches.
Dinner:A big bowl of minestrone, an orange, and a bowl of smart start/special k
Snacks: an apple and a banana

I guess when I spell it out like that it doesn't seem like so much but I feel like the quantity of food I'm eating is the problem. I don't stop when I'm full. Tonight I was full after the minestrone, but I wanted the crunch of cereal so I had an entire bowl anyways. I need to learn to stop when I'm done. And the desserts need to just plain disappear except for special occasions.
I'm not getting any more toned or any slimmer or any of those things. And this gut that refuses to escape me is about enough to drive me insane. It's not about losing weight. It's about being happy with whatever place my body is at and right now I simply am not. But I'm not happy with what I was either. I think it's going to take a long while to figure this out.

*sigh*

Being healthy is probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.
Especially when I am literally surrounded by people with horrible eating habits.
At least I just exercised by way of jumping jacks/jump rope/salsa/pilates for an hour.

How are you guys doing with the diets? Losing weight yet? Any helpful hints?

xoxo

Ashley: Check Mark?

So yesterday I spent the WHOLE DAY working on my car. It needed it. I now have a front passenger seat. Trust me, big accomplishment. One of my goals was to learn how to mantian my own car. I don't mean, keep it clean, fill it with gas, keeps lights in working order, I mean how to change the oil, how to fix the brakes, how to keep it running in ace condiditon. I figure that since I am taking this car to Oregon in June, then I should probably learn how to fix everything without my dad's (of the jerk at E-Z lube who ripped me off) help.

I now know how to pretty much rebuild the damn thing. The only two things I've yet to learn are how to change the brakes and change the oil. I'm pretty sure the oil part is fairly simple, but not sure on the brakes. We do need to change the brakes here fairly soonish, so I should be able to get that down pat. I also want to find a manual for the car so that I can fix any other problems that might come up when I'm 1000 miles away.

So here's the question: does this qualify as completeing a task? I mean yeah I do still need to leanr two things but they shouldn't be brain surgery. What are we saying? to check, or not to check?

Sarah: Working on my Calligraphy Goal Today

Today I worked a lot on my goal to make my calligraphy better. It is simply something that I never finished doing that I have always told myself that I would do. Now, I am making the time for it.

Here is one of the fonts that I was copying.

Here is my first attempt at the alphabet.

Here is my name after many attempts to get it right...

It can only get better from here!!! So here is to working on a goal!!

UPDATE:

Done all by myself. What do you think? Can I say this one is complete? Or should I practice some more?

FINAL UPDATE:

Charissa: ONE GOAL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TRIUMPH OF TRIUMPHS:


I am "Rosie", one of the lovely dancers at the Kit Kat Klub in Cabaret.
This is like, a REALLY big deal for a sophomore to get into the musical.
and for me to make it to the final callbacks for the lead "Sally Bowles"...BIG DEAL.

And wanna know just how talented our sophomore class is? Yep...8 of us made it in. I shall say it once, our teachers have said it a bunch, and thus I shall say it again: my Musical Theatre class of 2012 is of a very special breed. I am one proud lady, not to mention SO excited to share this adventure with some of my sophomore family.

Upside: the choreographer is part of the original cast from the Broadway revival.
Downside: He wants us to get as nitty gritty as the revival was. That not only means original choreography, but it means...wait for it...hold your breath...they are making the Kit Kat girls grow out our arm pit hair. Joanna and I have laughed so hard about this travesty. It's the only thing to keep us from crying! Not to mention it'll be in spring, so we can't go to the beach, or where sundresses...nothing! Ack!

I'm just incredibly blessed to already have this goal done. Thanks to God.

<3

Jessica: First task completed!

#45. Invest in an external hardrive to hold all my music and photos

Time to strike that sucker out!

#45. Invest in an external hardrive to hold all my music and photos

Today I was asking my dad about different external hard drives (actually, portable storage unit) that he thought were reliable and high quality. Well, he gave me a few brand names, then told me that Costco was actually having a sale.

So what did we do? We drove to Costco and he snuck me in so I can buy a Seagate Expansion Portable Drive. It's actually pretty cute, and so tiny and light!

This probably isn't interesting or as cool to some of you as it is to me, but I'm a nerd for electronics. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Bri: Ch-ch-changes...

HELLO!!

I am Bri!



My Day Zero goals are a combination of serious achievements I am working towards and funny little things I’ve just always wanted to do. You can find my list here! A lot of my goals consist of simplifying my life because I feel like I am overwhelmed with crap alot of the time. So I am losing weight, getting in shape, and cleaning out the complications! Hence some of the things I am working on:

Do a detox every six months (0/6)
I am starting this next week. I am very excited! I have detoxed in the past and loved it so I’m really committed to the goal of making this a habit. While I’m not a crazy health nut, I do think that our bodies need a break from all the crap we put in them. So I am doing a raw foods detox for 7-10 days. Detoxing is a really individual thing so that is why I am not set on a specific number of days. I will definitely do at least 7 but will try for 10 days!

These are the guidelines to follow:
* Cut out caffeine, processed foods, complex sugars, smoking, and alcohol
* Do not eat poultry, eggs, or beef
* Do eat lots of raw vegetables and fruits
* Only eat whole grains
* Drink plenty of water and caffeine free teas
* Get lots of fresh air

Here are two good drinks while doing the raw food detox.

The detox is one contributing goal toward another goal of mine: Lose 60 pounds (plus!). I am working on a few other goals that also aid in my weight loss like:
* Start an exercise routine (Bollywood dancing my butt off!)
* Abstaining from soda for the entire 1001 days except in mixed drinks (not so difficult,
actually)
* Not eating any fast food for the whole 1001 days (not to hard, but inconvenient sometimes.
I’ve made a lot healthier choices though!)
* Making dinner at home 3 times a week (Saving money and eating way healthier!)

I have been really good at these goals so far! It is definitely going to take determination to keep these up but I can do it!

Other goals in progress:
Blog at least 3 times a month-I am doing this! Yay!
Knit a pair of socks-my grandmother-in-law just taught me how and I have the ankle of one sock done! So much more to go....
Finish my Bachelor's Degree with Dean's Honors-ALMOST DONE!!! June you can not come soon enough!
Compliment Michael everyday-just a little something I forget to do sometimes even if I mean to. I always have genuine compliments for my wonderful husband, I just get sidetracked and forget to say them out loud. Having this as a goal reminds me to share an encouraging compliment a day with my Meekle!

So far I haven't started many goals as alot of them will have to be done after I get my degree in June but I've taken my first steps toward the fantastical changes these goals will bring! Yippeee!!

Love!

Jessica: Deaf Coffee Night!

I am so excited and even more nervous about this new update on my list:

#50. Start a monthly "Deaf Coffee Night" at a coffee shop

It is currently in progess, but hopefully by January 22, we will have our first meeting!

I have already created a facebook group for it and printed out tons of fliers to pass around campus and at the coffee shop itself (Jazz-n-Java). Sarah has been so cool and told her own friends about it, and my Deaf neighbor, Kerry, is going to pass it around at her work (CSDR).

I'm really nervous because I will have to use sign language outside of the home and classroom! It wouldn't be a brand new thing because I have done it before, but it's something I am not very experienced in.

I'll keep everyone updated. Can't wait to see what happens!

Charissa: update

I've got a callback for Sally Bowles and Fraulein Kaust!

I'm one of only three sophomore girls called back for anything.

Pray pray pray, fierce fierce fierce, sing sing sing, and hopefully celebrate on Friday!

xoxo

Charissa: 4 days down.

So I'm currently working on a few of the goals, and it's not so easy.

The whole not drinking soda thing is a wee bit hard. I reeeeally wanted a diet mountain dew today. Easy fix?
Fill a glass 3/4 the way with Carbonated water, and the other 1/4 with either juice or a zero calorie sobe beverage. It's tres delicious, and totally gives me that carbonated kick w/o the icky Sucralose and acid.

Another difficulty: Eating healthy/losing the holiday weight/cardio 3x a week

I knew the cardio thing wouldn't happen 1st week of school b/c i have to buy textbooks and sign peititions for more units and all that jazz, but i did work out once already and have mapped out into my class schedule 1/2 hour twice during the actual week to work out, and then i'll go running one morning every weekend. But i can't let that hurt my grades. The whole eating healthy thing has been fairly easy. I feel like I'm eating more b/c my body is asking for more, but I feel better already. Also, I'm pooping a lot. Now you know. And drinking like, 4 bottles of water a day. So that means I am also peeing a lot.

I've been good about praying/reading my bible/listening to worship music as well and i feel better in that area as well. He more present in my moment to moment thoughts.



Lastly, I have now had my singing AND dancing auditions for Cabaret, and tomorrow at some point I will know whether or not I get a callback. The singing audition went well. I maybe could have done better but it was good. The dance audition was good to. I owned what he asked us to project character wise and I'm proud of myself. There is that tiny feeling of emptiness though, but I know that's just b/c I'm still not used to auditioning. I used to love auditioning, but I also used to do it alllllllll the time.

So...yep! That's my journey thus far! Love all you girls and can't wait to hear from Bri!

<3

Jessica: Fast Food vs REAL Food....

Goal #69: No fast food for three months
Goal #70: Don't drink soda for the entire 1001 days

At first, I imagined these two goals would be easy to accomplish, one more so than the other...but when it got down to it, it sounded amazing to give in to a fatty, Carls Jr. meal and a large soda.

Why?

Probably because I know I cannot have these things at all. And when I used to have these on a weekly basis (soda on a daily basis, several times a day...) it became really hard to give up. Mostly because I am suffering from caffeine-withdrawal headaches.

Well today for lunch, I knew I couldn't have a satisfyingly quick meal from a fast food joint accompanied by an ice cold soda. I really wanted a Bacon Swiss Crispy Sandwich from Carls Jr and a Dr. Pepper. Instead, I went to Clark's and got a real chicken sandwich and an ice-cold ice tea.

It was worth the wait for my fresh food and healthy beverage, and I know afterwards I won't feel like I'm about to die.


Mmmm, yummy.

Ashley: Weight Loss Plan

Of all the things on my list, #9 is probably going to be the most challenging. Not because it's such a super hard thing to do, which I guess it is, but because it's going to be a long and probably pretty slow process.

I'm not going to get all Fat Girl Pride on you, because let's face it, being "fat" is not healthy. I don't mean chunky, or curvy, or a little pudgy, or normal, I mean that I weight twice what is recommended for my body type and height. That's not good. I don't like that. So I'm going to change that.

It's not about looking good for other people, or trying to fit in, or feeling peer/media pressure (which is a load of bull crap. You don't do anything unless you want to.). it's about me being healthy. It's about wanting to wear vintage dresses. It's about me being tired of being fat and changing that. And that's that.

My plan is fairly simple; move more, eat less. Of course this also means a change in my diet, but I'm taking it slow. I tend to rush into things and then get burned out and frustrated, and give up. So I'm starting with walking every night, which will hopefully work into running every night (I can make it halfway around the block running before I feel like dying now!). I'm also making sure that I eat a really high protein breakfast. Beyond that I'm making sure I have (at least) two glasses of water with every meal. I'm having smaller portion sizes at meals as well. In the Fall of 2008 I dropped 65 pounds just by walking each night and eliminating sugar and second helpings, so this time I'm trying to build on that idea. I do want to eliminate sugar this time as well, but I'm slowly weeding that out.

In closing, I'm excited to begin this routine (and determined to keep it up! I hate routines) and get myself in shape! So here I am at my current weight and size (a horrible photo, but it was taken yesterday, so it's accurate). I'm going to try and do a monthly post about my progress so far. Wish me luck!

Sarah: Creative, Adventurous, Prude

Hey guys!! My name is Sarah and I am at University. I am Majoring in Deaf Studies and minoring in Theatre- Acting and Directing. I excited about the prospects for this new project!!

Many of my goals are about seizing the day. I want to see new places, meet new people, and experience new things I have never done before. It is very exciting! Stay tuned to see me accomplish great things!!!

Jessica: Adventurer, Traveler, Friend

Hey, I'm Jessica :)

I'll admit that I'm nervous about my list of 101 things, but I know with my own motivation and the support from my friends, I'll be able to accomplish anything! That is why I am not rushing into my list to finish everything ASAP. Although I prefer speed (I am one of the most impatient people you will ever meet), I know that slow and steady will win the race.

I've got 1001 days, after all!

1. Years and years ago, my mom gave me this book called Prayer, Praise & Promises. It's a daily devotional through the book of Psalms, which is also one of my most favorite books of the Bible. One of my greatest weaknesses as a Christian is that I never bother to find time to spend in prayer and reading my Bible. I plan on making it a priority to find time :)

2. I also started my Project 365. I'm not sure if I want to take a self-portrait every day, or actually be creative and just take a photo of anything/anyone I please. But it would be interesting to see how much I'll change and change again within a year.

3. January 1, 2010 was not only the first day of the new year, but the first day out of 1001 that I will not drink any soda. It's been about a little over two days since I've had my last soda, and I've had headaches come and go. No fun! The first day was the worst, because I had a headache all day, but the last few days I've been waking up just fine. Advice: DRINK LOTS OF WATER!

I also want to start a few other things, like scrapbooking and purchasing a Polaroid camera. But that will be for another day...

Ashley: Slow and Steady.

Hey! So I am Ashley!

I am so super excited about our little project! So what am I working on right now? well I am working on the following:

1. Finish my novel- I began writing a novel last November as a part of NaNoWriMo. It's nearly done, but I really need to push myself to finish it up. I believe it's actually pretty good and I'd really like to get it published (which is one of my other goals). I've been slowly editing what I already have written, trying to flush out the plot and clean it up. So far it's going really well, and I've got the writing bug again. I even started a new novel! However that the new one will just have to wait until the old one is finished.


2. Growing my hair out- I know that sounds dumb, but I get bored with my hair very easily. Everytime I get bored I lop it off and it turns out horrible and I regret it for months and months until it finally gets long again and then I lop it off and... you get the idea. My goal is to grow it out so it grazes my bum, currently it it is about four inches past my shoulder.


3. Move to Portland Oregon- In June I am moving from California to Oregon. The next six months I plan on saving every penny I can so that I have enough to move and be able to find a job. It's scary and exciting all at once and I can't wait!


4. No buying new shoes, dresses, clothes, or bags for six months- this goes hand in hand with the above one. I have so many clothes, and I know how to sew, I should be perfectly capable of not shopping for six months. Except that I am a shopaholic. But I am going to remain strong. I want to do this once ever year for the next 2.75 years.


5. No soda for the whole 1001 days- I don't drink alot of soda as it is, but I am partial to Coke Zero with a little lemon. However I am determined not to slip up!


6. No Fast food for the whole 1001 days- I work behind a Carls jr. in a pinch, I get lunch there. It's gotten to the point of a pinch being three -five times a week. It needs to stop.


7. Take night walks- I used to do this everynight and then I stopped, but I am determined to get back on the band wagon!


8. No buying any newly manufactured clothing, bags, or shoes, for six months- as it is I mostly shop in thrift stores, but I really want to tone down my buying of crap that will just end up in a landfill (I'm not a total nutcase though!). Plus if I'm not buying anything for the next six months, I can buy anything new for six months! I also want to do this once a year for the whole time.

Alot of mine are things that I want to work on, and are slow processes. It seems a bit daunting right now, but I am excited to push myself to complete them all!

Now I am off for my walk!

Charissa: the beginning of the 1001

Hey all! I'm Charissa:


yep. That's me.

So I'm pretty excited about this 1001 day journey my sister's and I are taking...I'm really excited to accomplish my goals and try to help my sister's accomplish their goals.

Some of my goals are things I've always wanted to do, like sing in a karaoke bar, and fly in a hot air balloon, I've just never had the opportunity or initiative to do any of it. Some of my goals are more pracitical and incredibly important to me, for instance: moving out of my parents house, getting into a mainstage musical with TFT, get hired for a professional gig, etc.

But what goals am I working on right now you aak? Well I shall tell you:

1-I'm working on losing this unwanted cake weight and get back on track with a healthy lifestyle. This includes my next goal...
2-30 minutes of cardio 3 times a week.
3-Getting into a mian stage musical at TFT. I have my auditions for Cabaret this next week. My singing/instrumental audition is Monday, dance call is Tuesday, and call-backs are Wednesday. I'm prettttty nervous, but I'll let you all know how that goes.
4-One soda a month for the whole 1001. I had a diet mountain dew yesterday. Guess I'm done for the month.
5-No shopping for Clothes, Shoes, or Jewelry until April 1st
6-Pray for 10 minutes every morning
7-Learn to let go of the anger

It's kind of a lot when you read it like that, but it'll be good for me to have some goals to work towards and some areas to focus on in my life besides school and dancing and stuff.

Charissa out!

Welcome to Our Day Zero

Welcome to Our Day Zero!

This is the collective project of five best friends who might as well be sisters. We've all joined together in joining the Day Zero Project. We've each made a list of 101 things we want to accomplish over the next 1001 days.

Who are we?

We are Sarah, a 23 year old Deaf Studies major currently attending California State University Northridge. She likes pickles, Jazz music, and art. She hates cheesecake crust, chewing with your mouth open, and valley girls.

We are Jessica, a 20 year old student working towards getting her sigh language interpreting certificate. She likes surfing, eating sushi, and playing and listening to music. She hates sauerkraut, Bro's, and the sound of people scratching their jeans.

We are Charissa, a 19 nearly 20 year old Musical Theatre major at the University of California Los Angeles. She like performing, fruit, and Meryl Streep. She hates, cold weather, math, and Christina Aguilera.

We are Bri, a 20 year old, newlywed studying Art History at the University of California Riverside. She likes fashion, crafting, and surfing.

She hates chocolate, croc shoes, and Bro's.

We are Ashley, a 22 year old musician who dropped out of school and is about to move out of state to pursue music. She likes rain, things that sparkle, and vintage dresses. She hates hot weather, California, and pickles.

We're each different, each unique. We like some of the same things, and we like our own things. We're excited to begin the journey and to chronicle it here.

We're doing this for our benefit. We're doing this to stay connected. We're doing this to help us be the people we want to be. It's for fun, but it's also for us. If you have something mean or dumb to say, keep it to yourself.

Each of our personal blogs and lists are linked on the side bar if you care to take a gander.

We hope everyone who passes through here enjoys our stories, and challenges!