Relay for Life and for Wings

Relay for Life is an amazing organization, that has numerous events across the country. However, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Relay for Life is a way for multiple student organizations to give back to the community and dedicate a night to fighting cancer and standing up for hope if a future cure.

But even more meaningful to me, the organization I participate in Relay for Life with has won the “Top Fundraiser” Award consecutively for the past 10 years. While the tradition started well before I came to the University of Tennessee, the past three years of continuing to carry the torch have brought great joy not only to my organization but to my heart.

Relay is spicing up its events this year. In addition to constantly having people on your team walking, the UTK Relay for Life committee has a lot of friendly competition planned for tonight. The list includes a tug of war, and my personal favorite, a wing eating contest.

Friday, April 5^th, 2019 will be my last Relay for Life as an undergraduate and my last one with my dear friend Kate, who survived childhood cancer, and who I couldn’t be prouder of as a captain and person. Kate’s resilient spirit has boosted our organization’s spirit in this event even more and has made a lasting impact on my life.

If you would like to donate to our Relay for Life team, please use the link below as it will be active until midnight tonight! (http://main.acsevents.org/goto/loracateyount)

The super awesome graphic serving as my photo for this event comes from my organization’s social media chair and has been shared all over Facebook these past few months leading up to the event tonight!

I took Cyclebar for a Spin…

I am not a #fitperson or even remotely great at fitness. However, hype around this somewhat recent Knoxville obsession was too much for me to ignore. Especially after all the eating I have done since the start of this blog. Cyclebar is a high tech, high intensity, and highly engaging spin class that burns an a lot of calories in only 45 minutes.

This activity is not for the faint of heart but the instructor will encourage you to push yourself at your own pace. However, there are a few class competitions that might make you want to go hard on the bike. But don’t be fooled into thinking this is a leg only work out. There are weighted bars to engage your arms in a workout as the instructor guides you through a few basic moves and reps.

Now, if you’re like me, you’re still not getting the hype, but here are a few reasons I bought a membership on the same day, that might entice you to use your “free class” offer and take Cyclebar for a spin.

The staff are super warm, friendly and helpful. Not only do they answer emails at a rapid fast pace, they go the extra mile to make sure all your questions are answered. In addition to the staff, Cyclebar is not a gym. They might provide the equipment, like the bikes and your cleats, but when I walked in I didn’t get the feeling that everyone was watching me like I do every time I’m in a gym. And if you do get that feeling, here’s the good news, the lights in the class are turned off for a majority of the class so no one can see you huffing and puffing, event if they want to. You also get to chose your position in the classroom by reserving your bike so you can chose to not look at anyone else too.

Cyclebar is a national franchise but are locally owned an operated. Due to this the Knoxville area Cyclebar has it’s own Facebook and Instagram which should pull up so long as you indicate Knoxville in the search!

Chick(en)s & Waffles

Chicken & waffles is a classic combo, but one of the newest places in Knoxville has designed their whole restaurants around the meal. Myrtle’s Chicken and Beer has filled a spot in Downtown’s luxe area of Market Square.

Everything on the menu spans many variations of chicken sandwiches, wraps, salads and of course waffles. I honestly ordered a lot more at this restaurant than I have at any other because every item looked SO GOOD.

My dinner date and I started with a basket of cheddar bacon biscuits. They were all gone before our meal came out. While the biscuits might have tasted like a glorified Bisquick biscuit and not as cheesy as my date would have preferred, but still so so good.

Next up was my chicken and waffles meal that is the featured photo of this post. Now I was a person who growing up ordered chicken and waffles anytime I saw it on the menu because, I mean chicken tenders and waffles to a kid was a great invention. I find it a perfect merger of breakfast food with all other times of the day. However, these chicken and waffles were not the best I had ever had. The disappointment was all over my face as my dinner date could tell I was sad.

This does NOT mean that the meal was bad, but I just honestly was not impressed. My dinner date ordered something different than I, and munched on a hot chicken sandwich he believed would give Chick-fil-A a fierce competition. While that is obvious blasphemy, the bite I stole from the sandwich while he was very good, and dare I say better than the chicken and waffles!

The food item I will rave about is actually very surprising. Pimento cheese mac and cheese sounded good when I read it on the menu but my taste buds in no way could have imagined the fireworks about to be consumed. Honestly I plan to go back only to eat copious amounts of it.

If you’d like to try this new restaurant out, Myrtle’s Chicken and Beer can be found on Instagram as @myrtleschickenandbeer and on Facebook as Myrtle’s Chicken + Beer, both providing chicken photos galore.

Hunka Hunka Wild Love

If sweets don’t make you happy, we can’t be friends.

I wholeheartedly think without sugar, mass chaos would ensue all over. Whether two packets in your coffee or served in apple tart form, your life is better from it affects. And if you need a place to satiate your sugar needs, Wild Love Bakehouse is THE place.

While I am partial to tea instead of coffee, Wild Love serves multiple cups and qualities. BUT in addition to the coffee that others enjoy, the pastries are where you will find me. Drool and all.

Drooling became such a problem I had to unfollow the bakery on Instagram (@wildlovebakehouse) because of all the delicious and INTICING photos they would post of their food. Cookies, petite cakes, and croissants galore fill their feed. And it was because I rolled across their account on this super busy midterm season, that I finally made the trip.

I picked up two apple turnovers (one for me and one for the bestie) to try later that night. It was super flakey, buttery, and sweet! I can honestly say I’ve never had anything like it. Obviously, everything tastes homemade from a bakery but I cannot stress enough how good it was. So go check it out on N. Central Street!

I love KBrew and I don’t care who knows

Before this blog even starts, I need my loving and loyal fans to know I am not a coffee drinker. I am a firm English tea and biscuits kind of girl. So before the “basic Starbucks drinking white girl” memes come at me, I am standing my ground that tea is the queen of the beverage world. But K Brew is not your average queen.

Alas, everything at K Brew tastes as if it was made with a purpose and for prime cramming for finals brain function. The best part of KBrew is the atmosphere. From the super friendly staff to the relaxing hammock chairs that you can swing your worries away in, everything about this establishment is A1.

I actually heard about KBrew from looking at all the stickers on everyone’s laptops on campus and figured it had to be good. After trying it today, on the most Monday of Mondays where everything I touched went wrong, I can confirm, it is, in fact, the queen of Knoxville coffee shops for this tea drinker.

KBrew has also has an amazing Instagram page you NEED to follow ( @knoxvillebrew) if only for their “doggos” highlight. The artsy photos truly fit their on-trend esthetic, so follow them for your Knoxville coffee loving feed.

(I would also like to give a special ‘thank you’ shout out to the barista that let me take this picture of him and was so kind when I asked. You’re coo.l)

BBQ & River Views

I don’t think I could write a blog about all of the places that make Knoxville special, and not talk about Calhoun’s on the River (arguably the best Calhoun’s location in the Knoxville area). If you’ve never been to Calhoun’s, you are not alone. I have been living in Knoxville for the past four years, and this past week I went for my first visit.

Now, being from North Carolina, I have come to the conclusion that everyone outside of Eastern North Carolina has no idea what good barbeque is, but being the bigger person, I digress and order it anyways.
Usually, when I order barbeque from restaurants west of Winston Salem, I’ll try the “barbeque sauce” bottled and set out on the table. More often than not I won’t love the given sauce, but it will be mediocre enough that I can manage the meal. So when I tell you Calhoun’s was the first restaurant I happily dumped sauce all over my plate, I mean it.

And not only was the meat delicious, but the mac and cheese deserves an award. It was the perfect combination of creamy and cheesy that I’m glad the portion was small. After sufficiently clogging my arteries, my dinner companion told me desert was coming.

If you would consider yourself a southern belle, then you already know the staple dessert that comes after eating a helping of barbeque is banana pudding. However, Calhoun’s puts a spin on this classic by serving the banana pudding with macadamia nuts and topping it with shaved white chocolate. Oh and in case you didn’t know, the mouth-watering dessert comes out in a glass, bigger than my face.

Calhoun’s on the River also boasts the coolest location. Being on the Tennessee River means customers enjoy scenic views of the water during the day and cool indoor bar lights at night. Calhoun’s also has TV’s everywhere, so you will never miss any University of Tennessee sporting event. This location also partakes in trivia with the locally famous Knox Trivia Guys, which I enjoyed playing, and sadly lost while on my first visit.

If you’re in need of a date night dining, Volunteer cheering, or trivia playing atmosphere, look no further than Calhoun’s on the River!

Long Live the King

If you enjoy the arts at all then you probably know the University of Tennessee is well endowed with talent. With master choir ensembles to the Oscar producing theater program, Tennessee has great entertainment options that, for a student, or even a seasoned arts lover, is very affordable for high-quality acts.

I recently went to the Clarence Brown Theater to see King Charles III. The play acted out a possible future scenario where if the current Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, died and her son Charles took the throne.

Full of drama, romance, ghosts and politics, the play did not disappoint. Being a history buff and person who is very much into theater, this play was perfect. The cast was also phenomenal. While Clarence Brown Theater is on UT’s campus, it still provides seasoned actors in its roles. Meaning students are not the majority of the cast but sometimes given minor roles.

For this particular play, it was AMAZING how hard the costume designer and makeup artists worked to make the actors look like the royal family. Everyone was the exact spitting image of their role, except for William (who in my opinion was always the better-looking brother).

Since I don’t want to tell too much about the production I will give away no more hints but still encourage you go see the show! This particular play lasts until February 26, before the next show, Detroit, starts.

If you are a student, tickets to any show at the Clarence Brown Theater is $5. If you are a staff or faculty member, shows are $28, and all other tickets range from $18-$35, a steal if you ask me! To purchase tickets just head to the Clarence Brown Theater website or give them a call to reserve them.

TBA (Total Boss Arena)

If there’s ever anything exciting happening in Knoxville, you can rest assured it’s happening at Thompson-Boling Arena.

As home to the University of Tennessee men’s and women’s basketball programs, TBA is packed at least four nights a week from November to March. However, the arena sees a lot more than just a basketball hoop.

Maroon 5, Brad Paisley, and recent show of the infamous James Taylor are only a handful of artist that has taken the stage while I have been at UT. However, my first concert was this past Friday, seeing Luke Combs and the Grammy-nominated artist did not disappoint.

But again while basketball and concerts are the bulk of TBA’s schedule, there are still are a wide range of events that it holds. Most notably, in my humble opinion, Graduation ceremonies in the spring and winter. But we will give Winter Jam, a youth-focused Christian conference, and Monster Jam, a “sport” of trucks driving around in piles of dirt, honorable mentions.

If you go to an event hosted at TBA, their Instagram is kept up to date with gate opening times, acts coming to the area and parking information which is super helpful when showing up an hour early or at the last minute. https://www.instagram.com/tbarena/?ref=badge

Whether you’re going to see the Vols or another source of entertainment, TBA is a great venue!

Burger Please

A perfect burger is an art form, and I will protest any other meat eater who disagrees. They can be simple and plain or so so extra when you pile on the toppings. Burgers might be a glorified sandwich, but I still think they are a valuable food group that should be praised.

While Knoxville has a plethora of great burger joints, my favorite is Copper Cellar on Cumberland Avenue (AKA the Strip beside the University of Tennessee’s campus that has horrible traffic). The first time I came to Knoxville my mother drug my family to Copper Cellar because she craved a burger the minute our tour was over. My mom, an alumnus of UTK, remembered her days of being a student and attending #BurgerDay. Copper Cellar still holds to this tradition every Wednesday, because nothing can get you through a hump day better than a $5 burger.

While the line can be super long but I promise it is well worth it. My favorite burger is a build your own with bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and cheddar cheese. However, there are some honorable mentions to the Kickback burger with jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, and Copper Cellars special kickback sauce.

Hello beautiful 🤤 ❤️ 🍔 #BurgerDay #Vols pic.twitter.com/PniijeEGB0— Copper Cellar (@CopperCellar) November 7, 2018
(view this tweet from Copper Cellar’s twitter, and tell me you mouth doesn’t water)

While burgers are on the menu, there are a lot of other great choices like the BTL sandwich, grilled chicken teriyaki, and the ale pork chop. Another weekly special is the Friday and Saturday night 12-ounce prime rib, served with a potato and additional side for $25. So whether you’re into fine dining or a casual burger, Copper Cellar is sure to have something to satisfy your taste buds.

(The super-high-quality picture up top actually isn’t mine. I got it from Copper Cellars own website https://coppercellar.com/cumberland-copper-cellar/ that you should check out!

I’ll Meet You by the Lakeshore

Lakeshore park has so much to offer the Knoxville community I don’t even know where to begin this blog post. From baseball, and soccer fields, the walking trails, and the old Lakeshore Mental Health Institute, there is plenty to talk about.

My favorite thing about this park has to be the walking trail. As a disclaimer, I will tell all of those who are not very active, like myself, this walking trail has some serious hills to put your heart, calves, and breathing to work. However, the park has some pretty sweet views, from the Tennessee River to the beautiful building that is the old Mental Health Institute (rumored to have lots of paranormal activity #spooky), to Marble Hall or any of the Pavilions around the park.

The history of the park within the city is pretty lengthy with the control of land switching between owners before the city obtained 60 acres in 1993 as a lease from the State of Tennessee. In recent years multiple, big-name donors like Pilot Flying J, the Haslam Family, and Scripps Networks Interactive, have given money to sponsor new facilities, landscaping, and other improvements to the park.

I have visited this park often in my last year in Knoxville and it has quickly come to be my favorite outdoor adventure in town. The photo attached is one I took this past fall and is my favorite little nook in the park to hang out. This nook is equipped with a park bench for when my calves are crying or maybe that’s just me.

It also provides numerous #instagramworthy picture opportunities that would spruce up your profile. Following @lakeshorepark on Instagram will also offer great scenic pictures to your feed compared to selfies your mom posts because she thinks that’s what Instagram is for… #relatable