DNR

I survived my first weekend back to work. In case you don't remember, I got an internship with the DNR as a watercraft inspector supervisor for the summer. I have a crew of 8 inspectors, and I will be spending my summer driving around and visiting them at various public water access points. I, with the help of my supervisor, spent Friday training in 5 inspectors on my crew. I spent a lot of time visiting them all yesterday. I also started jury duty today, or at least I was supposed to start today. I didn't have to report on my first day, so that was an added bonus. So far all has went well. Let's hope it goes well for the rest of the summer.

Walking for a Cure

Yesterday, I participated in the MS Walk in support of a family friend who has MS. It was a little cold and windy, but we still made it the whole 5 miles. It was the same route as last year, which clocked out to be closer to 6 miles. Panera donated bagels for us to eat before the walk, and Erberts & Gerberts donated subs for us to eat after the walk. During the walk, there was plenty of water, fresh fruit, and other snacks. My mom and I were able to break $200 in pledges, so we got the official 2011 t-shirt and long-sleeve shirt. It was cold, but were successful in our walk towards a cure for MS.

Migraine Free!

Today marks going 1 week without any migraines for 9 years! I had my 3rd recheck appointment with my nutritionist today, and she was just as excited about this news. Turns out, I really am sensitive to milk. I haven't had any for 2 weeks. Now I have to eat more veggies to ensure getting adequate amounts of calcium and other nutrients I usually got from my milk. I'm also going to try almond milk or coconut milk so I can still have my cereal once in awhile.

Feng Shui

Tonight brought the last speaker for my holistic class. She talked about feng shui. I knew a little bit about it all ready, but I still learned some new tips. She talked about the 8 sides and how to bring positive energy into the home and workplace. It was pretty interesting. My mom wants to practice feng shui in our house, which is an excellent idea. There is too much negativity in the house, so it could definitely use a burst of positive energy.

Blue & Yellow Easter

Happy Easter! To start out the holiday weekend, C and I planned an egg hunt for some kids in her neighborhood plus my nephew. We hid 250 eggs for 6 kids and 2 babies. They definitely had some sugar to hype them up for the holiday weekend. Each kid also got a big prize and a box of crayons. They had a lot of fun. Murphy tried to eat the dinosaur eggs. Last night, I headed north for the last home-season Swarm game at the hive. The Easter Bunny was at the game, and they were handing out team posters. It was an awesome game. Not only did we win, but we also scored 10 goals in a row! This morning, I, along with my parents, met my relatives for church before going to Wong's for our Easter tradition lunch. I love eating Chinese food for Easter! For dessert, we went back to my grandparents' place for some strawberry rhubarb pie.

Holistic Eating

Tonight's speaker talking about holistic eating. I never realized that food has energy power. She talked about cool foods and warm foods. These foods create that energy to either cool off or warm up the body. For example, watermelon is really good at cooling down the body. No wonder it tastes so good in the summer! And chili is a warm food, which makes is taste better in the winter. She also recommended a few books about organic and holistic eating. It was interesting.

Yoga

Tonight's speaker was a yoga instructor. We did not learn a lot about the history of yoga, but we did do a lot of it. 50 minutes to be exact. It was a lot harder than I expected. I thought yoga was about breathing and relaxing, but the stretching involved is challenging. I'm sure I will feel it tomorrow.

Nutrition Response Test

I went to see a certified nutritionist today to have a nutritional response test done for my holistic class. We have to experience an alternative therapy first-hand and write a paper about it. The test was really interesting. First, I was hooked up to a machine to record my heart rate while lying down and while standing up. Then, the real test began. Basically, I lay down on the chiropractic bed and held my right arm up at a 90 degree angle to my body. The nutritionist applied pressure to my raised arm with one hand and various acupuncture points on my body with the other. If one of my organs was stressed, my raised arm became weak and gave in to her pressure. It was really weird. I could actually feel my arm turn to jello and give in to her pressure. It happened over my sinuses, lymph nodes, adrenal glands, and my pancreas. I knew my sinuses were stressed, but the rest of news to me. I also found out that my body is sensitive to pesticides, formaldehyde, oats, soy, and cheese. I will find out more come next week when I meet with her again.

Massage Therapy

Tonight's speaker was a massage therapist. She talked about the different modalities and styles of massage, as well as provided the class with first-hand experience. It was so nice and relaxing, even if the massage only lasted for about 10 minutes. She also talked about the benefits of massage and how to choose the right massage therapist for your needs and wants. I wasn't aware that there was no state licensure for Minnesota, so I will have to check for a national certification before getting a massage in the future.

Tai Chi

Tonight's speaker discussed tai chi and meditation. So, there was more energy talk. She also taught us a 5-part movement. It was a slight challenge, but it was a lot of fun. Each movement had a different name, like "part the mane" and "slap the monkey." It was hard not to laugh at the names. The movements were very relaxing and energizing. The speaker actually teaches a tai chi class at school. I'm thinking about taking it next semester to help with stress and relaxation.

Reiki

Tonight's speaker for my holistic health class talked about reiki, qigong, and singing bowls. It was interesting. The main point that she made was that everything is made out of energy. It's a weird concept at first, but it makes sense. She had us do some qigong exercises, and I actually felt like there was a ball of energy in my hands. I also imagined a white light filling me with relaxation and energy. She also practiced reiki on some of my classmates. It was interesting watching. She simply placed her hands on the different chakras, and they could feel the warm-tingly sensation all throughout their bodies. It was a weird experience, but very calming. The singing bowls were the weirdest part. It was a giant bowl made out of quartz crystal pieces. She rand a wooden tool around the outside rim of the bowl, resulting in a loud, overwhelming pulse. It sounded like a plane taking off. The vibrations are used to release tension in muscles, but I did not like the noise associated with it.

Happy Birthday to Me

The big birthday celebration started on Friday at 331 with my aunt and uncle. Since it was happy hour, I tried a Love Potion Marini. It was a combo of pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and vodka. It was really yummy! And it went well with our appetizers of cheese curds and shoestring onions. I also got a free slice of chocolate cake, which was delicious. The celebration continued on Sat at TGIFridays for lunch and free dessert. My mom got the turkey club, while I ate the Jack Daniels chicken tenders. For my free dessert, I got the giant Oreo. It was really Oreo cookies with cookies and cream ice cream between, drizzled with chocolate and caramel syrups, topped with powdered sugar. It was so yummy!! And of course, we both had Junebugs. It just wouldn't be right if we went there on a Saturday and didn't have Junebugs. The celebration continued to Fazolis, where I met some friends for dinner. I tried the 3-cheese ravioli (only 400 calories!). It was pretty good. My free dessert this timearound was turtle cheesecake. I limited myself to 3 breadsticks, which were so yummy! Then everyone came over to the pub for board games and fun. We played a lego game, where everyone decided to gang up on me. Somehow I managed to come in 2nd place. We also played the tshirt game and apples-to-apples. It was a great night with awesome friends. Yesterday (Sun) was my actual birthday, and it didn't start out the greatest. My dad woke me up at 7:45am saying that I needed to drive him to the ER. 2 years ago, he had roator cuff surgery. He slipped on the ice on Saturday, hyper-extending his shoulder, so he was in a lot of pain this morning. Off to Urgent Care we went. In the 90 minutes we were there, my dad received 2 injectabl epain meds and had x-rays done. The shoulder iteself looked fine, which was good, but more won't be known until having an MRI done. So we had to get his prescription and headed out just in time to meet the rest of the family at Denny's for a late breakfast. I got a free Grand Slam since it was my birthday. Wheat pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit. I was so hungry, and it all tasted elicious! My mom, sister, and I went to play bingo for my birthday afterwards. None of us won, burt it was still a fun afternoon. Then we headed back to the house for presents before I joined A at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. She bouth my dinner of chicken tenders, and I got a free Twisted Margarita for my birthday. I also got a free slice of triple-layer chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. I love birthday time! :)

Winter Fun

I went snowshoeing for the first time today with some friends. The ecology club at my school sponsored a snowshoeing trip at the nearby nature center, so it was completely free! Sadly, only 2 other people took advantage of the opportunity with me. We still had a lot of fun. We snowshoed throughout the trails in the park for a little over an hour. I could already feel it in my legs during the walk, so I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow! We also had pizza delivered, so there was free supper too. It was a lot of fun, even if it means being in a little bit of pain tomorrow.

Green Snow

It's been another busy weekend. Today was my friend's birthday, and we all went to the MN Swarm game last night to celebrate. It wasn't the greatest game. The team just wasn't with it. It was like they were half-asleep or hungover or something. We lost too, in case you didn't already guess that. But it was still fun. It's impossible not to have fun with my friends from Wisconsin. And next weekend they are coming down for my birthday :)

Today brought more snow, as if we actually needed more. There was 50-degree weather last week, and now we are back to tons of snow and ice. I had to lector at church this morning, and the roads never got plowed until after noon. Driving was not fun, even if I only had a little over a mile to go.

Valentines and Homeopathy

Happy Valentine's Day a day late! Yesterday was similar to Monday a week ago in the sense that my chem lab partner was still not in class. He's been missing now for a week and a half, so I'm kinda worried about him. My chem teacher even asked me in lab yesterday if I've heard from him at all, which I haven't. None of my classmates have heard from him either. I'm starting to think worst case scenario that something happened to him. I'll try sending him one more email and see if I get a response. On a different note, I at least got to work with better people in lab yesterday. I got to work with the 2 girls I was talking bout before, so we got everything done, including the lab report. It was fun too, but I still miss my previous lab partner. Hopefully he'll resurface soon. After class, I came home to make dinner for my parents. We had valentine pasta with alfredo sauce, pineapple meatballs, and garlic bread. My mom also made cherry cheesecake drinks, which tasted really yummy. Yay for heart day!

Tonight's speaker for my holistic health class talked about homeopathy. It was really interesting. She was a lot better than the chiropractor from last week. She was a lot more animated too and shared a lot of stories about previous clients. I am going to go look up one of the books she had at the library, or maybe I'll just go buy it from Barnes 'n Nobles. She also said that you can buy a remedy kit from a local store, so I might go check that out too. I just might become a homeopath, or at least practice the art of homeopathy for my own well being.

Success as a Captain

Today was Student Success Day, so there were no classes in session. C picked me up bright and early, and we headed off to school together. The first session that we attended was about healthy eating. It was somewhat a review of what I'm learning in my weight management class. It also discussed a new bending machine project underway. Public Health is working with my school to provide healthier options int he bending machines. There will be healthier snacks and beverages, which will be a nice change from the high-fat and high-sodium snacks there right now. The second session we went to was a keynote speaker that talked about personal safety. He showed a video about what to do during a shooting, which got me thinking. What if that happened to me? There are three options: get out, hide, or attack. I decided that I would b the attacker. I wouldn't be able to run away or hide and leave others to fend for themselves. I would rather be the one to take down the shooter and keep others safe, even if it meant dangering myself. After the sessions, it was time for lunch. This semester food was catered in from a local butcher shop. Lunch consisted of choice of hot dog, hamburger, or brat; choice of 2 sides from coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, or potato chips; choice of dessert from rice crispy bar, brownie, or chocolate chip cookie; and choice of beverage from pop or water. It wasn't as good as as last semester's "walking tacos," but it was still free so I can't complain too much.

Tonight started SociaICE downtown. I met 2 official Captain Morgan girls, and I got my picture taken with them! I even got an official Captain Morgan pirate hat just for taking a picture. :)

Best Weekend of the Year!

This past weekend was one of the best weekends I've had in a LONG time. Friday night, my mom and I met a couple of her co-workers for dinner. Then we headed over to the Rick Springfield concert. It was a lot of fun! We sat in the first row of the balcony, so no worries about tall people sitting in front of us. Rick Springfield did his traditional strumming of a guitar with roses, as well as on the drums. However, he had to do it to the bass player's guitar because he wasn't playing his own guitar. Rick has surgery on his shoulder last month, so no guitar playing for him, only singing. I'm convinced that he was pretty drugged too because he was acting very silly during the concert. Some women in front of the stage even took off their bras and threw them on stage at Rick! It was hilarious to watch!

Saturday brough another girls night with A, which we're trying to meet up for one at least every other week if not every week. Sadly, we were ditched this time by K, which really sucks because she's leaving soon for one of the most horrible places on earth. A and I were hoping to see her one last time before she leaves, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. Oh well. A and I still had a blast. We went out for supper and drinks. Then we heading back to her apartment to watch Despicable Me. It was a funny and cute movie. A had also made brownies right before we met up, so we enjoyed a nice dessert of chocolate peanut butter brownies. Yum!

Sunday was superbowl, or for all the animal nerds out there like me, it also brought the puppy bowl on animal planet. I've watched the puppy bowl every year. The puppies are so cute, and the kitty half-time show and kiss cam are quite entertaining as well. As for the actual superbowl, I wasn't very impressed with this year's choice for entertainment. Who messes up the National Anthem?? And who would want to invite bigger-named artists to sing the half-time show with you?? Clearly the entertainment part of the game could have used some help, but the commercials were good. And it was still an awesome weekend!

Odors Good & Bad

It's only been a couple weeks, and the semester is already kicking my butt. Clearly I wasn't thinking when I registered for 5 classes, all of which have online components. However, I haven't fallen behind yet. I'm even able to get all my homework done during the week so I can have fun and relax on the weekends. Anyways, it's still been a good semester so far. I had a fun chem lab today, minus the first half of the lab that stunk like rotten cheese. We messed around with hydrocarbons today. We were creating esters, which usually have pleasant odors. They are created by combining foul/rotten smelling carboxylic acids and sour smelling alcohols. We had to "waft" the odor of all the substances and record the descriptions. After smelling only 2, I had a headache. The worst was rotten cheese. I have never smelt something so bad before! Luckily, the lab started to smell a little bit better after the reactions took place. The esters smelled fruity. There was banana, pineapple, pear, orange, wintergreen, and brandy. Yes, one of the odors we created was that of brandy. My dad was pretty proud of me when I told him that I recognized the odor with thanks to him. My chem teacher got a kick out of it too.

On a different note, my health class has me keeping daily food and physical activity logs. I'm hoping to be eating healthier and being more physically active by the end of the semester. I've done one weekly log of each so far. I'm not consuming too many more calories than what's recommended for me, but recording is definitely making me think about what I eat. It's crazy to see how many calories are in some foods. It's making me more aware of what I'm eating, which is a good thing. I'm already down 1 pound too! After all the shoveling I did this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if I lost another pound. We'll find out tomorrow during my weekly weigh-in.

Spring Semester

I have survived my first week back in school. For spring semester this year, I am taking 5 classes worth 16 credits, which is only 1 less credit than last semester. It will be a busy semester once again, but I am hoping to allow more time to blog this time around. I am also currently enrolled in 2 different colleges. At my main college, I will be taking chemistry, holistic health, weight management, and GIS applications. Chemistry shouldn't be too bad; it's simply the part 2 to my chem class last semester. Holistic health will be studying different alternative therapies, including speakers and potential involvement with the different therapiers. Weight management is exactly what it sounds like. I will learn how to eat healthier and manage my weight when I reach my goal. GIS applications will consist of using a computer program that is similar to a GPS unit. It is also an independent study class, so hopefully I don't get too stressed out from it.

At the other college, which is located about an hour and a half away, I am taking environmental biology online. It will transfer to my environmental science program, so one less class that I will have to take a year from now. It is designed to have assignments due every 2 weeks. So, every 2 weeks I will have to read 2 chapters, take a quiz on each chapter, and respond to a discussion board posting. Every 4 weeks, there will be a test covering all 4 chapters of the previous weeks. It shouldn't be too hard, but I will be busy.

New Year = New Me

Welcome 2011! As another new year begins, it's time to reflect on the previous year. As usual, I have taken a look at my resolutions for last year. How did I do? Not the greatest, but not horrible. My first resolution was to finish school in a year, and that won't be happening. The college decided to not honor of all my transfer credits, so I will not be graduating this spring as I was hoping. But that just leaves more room for an awesome internship, which I am hoping to get this summer. So the second part of that resolution just might come true. We'll get into those internships later when I get hired on :). I also did not completely follow through with my other resolution, which was to join the band or the theatre department. The band meets every day at times that have conflicted with my other classes. I am in process of joining the drama club, in hopes of helping out with lights and sounds in the background. So far they haven't needed anyone, but that might change this year. However, I have joined the school's ecology club. Sometime in the next month, we will be sponsoring a snow-shoeing trip. I've never been snow-shoeing, so I am looking forward to it a lot.

And that leads into the new year. What are this year's resolutions? There are three things that I want to work towards completion over the next twelve months. First, I want to keep up with my chores around the house. I am hoping to cook dinner at least once a week, if not more, for my parents. I am also hoping to do all my laundry every week, and put it away the next day when it's dry. I tend to forget it hanging up in the laundry room once dry. I will also keep my room and desk areas clean and hopefully clutter-free. Second, I want to make more homemade gifts for friends and family members' birthdays and holidays. Not only will this save me a little bit of money, but it will also result in more meaningful gifts made from the heart. Third, I want to better my eating habits and continue with my weekly exercise routine. One class I am taking this spring semester revolves around weight management, so I should learn some healthy eating tips that will become a habit. I will also continue one of my previous resolutions, which is to continue to do well in school and work as hard as possible to keep up my perfect 4.0. Here's to another great year!