The Chronicles of John Trammell

2012 Summer Series: Blog postings of my summer experiences of 2012.  I had become busy enough to not have time to write about most of my summer until now.  The blogs wont be in full details like other years, and mainly because of my lack of time to write.  Most my time is focused on school. Texas 4-H Congress--July 15-18, 2012      I had the opportunity to represent the California 4-H Technology Leadership Team (TLT) with an exchange we do with the Texas 4-H Technology Team again this year.  Unlike last year, the TLT would attend a different event, called Texas 4-H Congress.  This event took place at the Texas State Capitol Building in Austin.  Around 350 Texas 4-H Members would have the chance to run a mock legislative process at the Texas Capitol using the Texas House of Representatives and Senate Floors along with the committee hearing rooms.  Other than the Texas Capitol, the even took place at the Sheraton Austin H...

2012 Summer Series: Blog postings of my summer experiences of 2012.  I had become busy enough to not have time to write about most of my summer until now.  The blogs wont be in full details like other years, and mainly because of my lack of time to write.  Most my time is focused on school. 4-H Summer Camp--June 30 to July 7, 2012      This year would be a different type of year at camp compared to the past few years.  This year, I had been asked to be an adult director of camp.  I had agreed, and it would be the first time being on camp staff since I was a youth director back in 2005.  I was adult director of team 4, and our team's theme was the best theme ever!  Star Wars!  All of camp staff met in Lake Arrowhead on June 30 to do final preparations for the camp.  We met in the day time at a leaders' house, then at night spent the night at a few time shares at the Lake Arrowhead Resort near North Bay.  The biggest...

     My cousin, Amanda, is currently in Afghanistan for the third time.  About one month ago, she had learned that her apartment rent was being increased by $300.00.  She had decided it was time to move out.  Her boyfriend, Jonathan, her mom, and I would be the ones to help move her out.  Because I was in Sacramento and San Diego the past 4 days, I wasn't able to fly up with my aunt.  The morning after my San Diego trip (mentioned in my last blog post), I flew on up to Portland to help them finish up the move. My flight took off at 6:40am.  Since I wasn't going to have any checked luggage, I planned to arrive at the airport at 5:40, which for Ontario is plenty of time to get through security.  When my sister dropped me off, and I walked inside of terminal 4, I was surprised to see one massive line to go up towards the security check point.  I have flown out of Ontario now well over 50 times, an...

     At the end of June, from the 24th to 26th, I had been in San Diego for a great opportunity.    Myself, along with other members of the CA 4-H Technology Leadership Team, attended the International Society of Technology of Education (ISTE) Convention at the San Diego Convention Center.  We went down to ISTE to showcase different technologies that youth in California 4-H are learning.  Our responsibilities at ISTE would take place on Monday the 25th and Tuesday the 26th, so we all had traveled down the day before.      Since I know San Diego quite well, I had volunteered to pick those arriving at the airport Sunday night.   Everyone was flying in around 7:30-8:00.  With a two hour drive to San Diego, I figured I would have to leave no later than 5:30 pm to make it to the airport on time.  Knowing me, I really wanted to travel down a few hours before I had to pick people up from the airport to enjoy San Diego. ...

     From my last blog post, you will see that I had created a plan to start training towards a goal of running in a 5K.  Main goal of this training is to become a healthier self, and to lose weight.  Things started off great, but then I hit the first speed bump towards accomplishing my goals.        I had completed the first week of the couch to 5K training plan with great success.  Afterwards, I felt I had made a great accomplishment that I would be proud of down the road.  When week 2 had began, the first run went great!  It was hard for me to jump up the courage to get out there, but I did it!  Sadly, this was the last time I had done the training program.  The time that I was supposed to run the second day of week 2 of the plan, I had to travel out to California State University Northridge for the 2012 American Camping Association Training.  It is a requirement for all 4-H summer camp staff.  My plan ...

     Since high school, my weight has been a struggle in my life, and in the past few years there have been attempts to begin losing.  Most had failed.  One major change that has been proven a major success occurred in January 2010, when I gave up drinking sodas and other drinks filled with Sugar while on a flight home from a trip to Lake Tahoe for 4-H.  At the time I quite drinking sodas, I weighted 265 pounds.  After giving up sodas, I knew I had to become more active.  In October 2010, I began walking 2.4 miles three times a week.  By time January 2011 came around, I was walking 3.0 miles almost every day of the week (excluding weekends).  Around April 2011, I had lost track and stopped walking.  In June, I began walking again three times a week, but kept losing track and not walking.  In August 2011, I went camping with two best friends in the Eastern Sierras.  In a 4 day period, we had hiked about 10-12 mile...

     I believe since 2004, I have spent my memorial day weekend traveling up to UC Davis for the California 4-H State Field Day.  Unlike the past few years, this year was a shorter trip.  This year, the trip was a three day trip.  Friday we drove up.  Saturday was the event, and Sunday we enjoyed ourselves for a little while before heading back home in the afternoon.        This year, we did not get on the road until around 12:30pm, which is way later than usual.  I had my math class that morning, and my sister Ashley had two classes.  I woke up early to drive her to school, chilled for an hour until my class started, then after class come home to pack.  My dad and I got my car packed, then headed on out to my school to pick my sister up.  From there, we stopped to have lunch at Del Taco, then hit the road.  My biggest fear was running into memorial day weekend traffic in the grapevine.  We did not ru...