Last blog post

1. Did you enjoy the experience? Why or why not? If there were parts you enjoyed, what were they?

The experience has been interesting. I actually didn't mind blogging too much, but do not think I will continue blogging after this class. I feel like blogs should have a definite theme - and I have no theme to contribute to the world right now. The papers in the class were really just that to me, papers. I really liked that the topics were so broad, but I also didn't like that aspect. I guess it's kind of hard for me to explain why I thought that. I guess it would have just been easier if the topics were set in stone. All in all, I thought the class was good, though.

2. What do you wish you'd done differently? What do you wish I'd done differently with the assignment (besides not assigning it, or assigning shorter posts)?

Like I said in the previous post, the only thing I would say could be different were the range of topics that could be written for the four papers, but I wouldn't actually do it. I just really had to think hard about what I wanted to write about.... which isn't a BAD thing.

3. Did the blog make a difference that you saw in your writing skills? in the way you looked at the world?

I don't think the blog made me write any different than I have in the past. I think reading other students blogs made me realize that we all kind of have the same life while we are in school. Kind of makes you realize that you aren't alone. It was nice.

4. Do you think you'll keep blogging (or would you keep blogging if you had the time)?

I don't think I will keep blogging. I think I would if I had a definite theme - like a craft blog, or something like that. Actually, that just gave me an idea for a future blog after I graduate... the funny things I see at work (no names, obviously)!

Light at the end of the tunnel

Some of the blogs I read were all thinking the same thing as I am... why teachers feel the need to pile on so much stuff at the end of semester. A big shout out though to the awesome teachers that grade papers, homework assignments, and tests in a timely manner. There is nothing more aggravating than an assignment, especially a tiny one, that isn't graded for months!

Today was a great day. I didn't do like, anything, slept in til 10, ate lunch, and then went to work at 1:30. Went to happy hour with the girls from work, ate dinner at my moms, came home and am now blogging. Lame day, just like I like it. My classes were cancelled today, for one of the first times ever, and the extra sleep I got was amazing!

So, like usual in my personal blog, here is my weekend schedule:

Friday: Class too early in the morning. Work whenever I go in til 5, and then an awesome time to be had at Jeremiah's for a benefit for the humane society! My friends and I are all pretty excited about it! The humane society in Sikeston has been doing some pretty great things here lately!

Saturday: Yard Sale at my mommas! We are doing spring cleaning and all proceeds are going to our family vacation in Florida! We probably won't make too much, but the extra money will always help somewhere!

Sunday: Church, hanging out with my fam, making sure I have everything completed for the last week of school before finals week!

I am using way too many exclamation marks. I must be really excited about something.

Marriage Failing? Pop a Pill.

You may soon be able to get a prescription for love?

Oh,Thank God. Just what we all need.

Apparently, love is all around... your local pharmacy. Soon. Reasearchers at the University of Oxford have written a paper proposing a real life love potion. A pill that would recreate the feeling of being in love. So, just when you are about to sign the divorce papers, pop the love pill instead. This brings a whole new meaning to meds saving your marriage. Oh, wait, that wasn't a saying?

So people, whoever they are, have proposed a pill, a combo of five different types of drugs, to manipulate the brain into thinking that you really, really, really want your spouse. You want them enough that you will just forget all the crap they have put you through and stay with them. Sounds like a plan. Right? How have they not already manufactored this like crazy? New drug: LOVE!

List of ingredients:

1. Pheromones: Researchers aren't really sure if they have an effect or not, so they just threw them in the pill to make it sound good.
2. Testosterone: Increases sexual desire, but doesn't do anything for romance or attachment. All women already know this. So they have to add more than just pheromones and testosterone to make this drug even half work.
3. Then some other stuff that I don't even know what they're talking about. Read the article for yourself.

Anyways, sounds like something that could help a lot of couples out. We'll see.



Top Ten Reasons for Divorce

Ways to Help Make Your Marriage Last (without magic pills of course)

Unborn baby shot in LA

MSN ran an article today about an unborn baby being shot. I was like WHAT? Anyways, 20 years ago during the LA riots, a victim of the violence was shot while still in her mothers womb. That is crazy to me, just the thought of it.

On April 30, 1992, the then 7 1/2 month pregnant, Elvira Evers, watched her Comptom neighborhood fill with cars full of stolen loot. She started getting nervous, so she pushed her then 5 year old daughter into the house, and not even a minute later, she felt as though her body was on fire. She had been shot in the stomach. A friend drove her to a nearby hospital since it would have taken a very long time before an ambulance would have been able to arrive amidst the chaos in South LA. Evers had an emergency caesarian section. Evers did not wake up for an entire week.

 When Evers finally woke up, she started crying and though that she had lost her baby. The baby was still alive, and the nurse took Evers to see her child. Today, Evers has a scar from the incidence and Jessica, her now 20 year old daughter, has a scar on her elbow from the bullet.

Evers says the experience changed her life. She will always remember the day and is so thankful that her and her daughter lived. Jessica is still trying to figure out why she was able to live and what her purpose is here on Earth.

This article reminded me of that show, "I Shouldn't Be Alive."
Another article about the 20th anniversary of the LA Riots.

Week 15?

The end is close. Thank GOD.

I need a break like needle needs a vein. Even though my break is only 2 weeks long, at least it is a break. So needed. My family and I are going to Panama City Beach, Florida on May 23-27th. I am pretty excited to finally get to spend some quality time with my family. I haven't really gotten to do that in a long time since I started dental hygiene school... I'm always so busy with that. I miss them. We should probably video the vacation though because my family loves each other very much BUT we tend to love to aggrivate each other on a normal basis... might get a little funny! Anyways, I am definitely counting down the days for this vacation!

This weekend is my first year pinning The first years are putting a big production on for the second year, food, drinks, a gift, the whole nine yards since they are graduation very soon. I hope when I am a second year, the first year girls put as much effort into this as we did for our second years!! It is so weird to look back a year ago, I was just finding out that I got in the program, now this time I am also through my first year, and next year at this time... I'll be on way to graduation! So weird.

Umm.... I don't really have much more to speak on.... lots of stuff going on, but there always is at the end of the semester. Good luck to everyone studying for upcoming finals!

Death by Coca Cola

One of MSN's top stories this week was this article about a cola habit behind the death of a 30 year old New Zealand woman. The woman drank 2 gallons of Coca Cola per day. (HOLY CRAP, WHAT?!) And experts say that this habit probably contributed to her death. This led the soft drink company to note that even water can be deadly in excessive amounts.

The woman's name was Natasha Harris. She was 30 years old, a stay at home mother of eight, and died of a heart attack in February 2010. The pathologist over this woman's death reported that she probably suffered from hypokalemia (low potassium) which the pathologist, Dr. Dan Mornin, thinks was caused by her excessive consumption of Coke and overall poor nutrition. Hypokalemia symptoms can include abnormal heart rhythms according to the US National Institiutes of Health.

Dr. Dan Morning said that the toxic leves of caffeine may have also contributed to the woman's death. And with the amount of soda Harris was drinking, her partner said she drank between 8 and 10 liters of Coke everyday, I would definitely say that she probably did have toxic levels of caffeine. This lady was addicted to Coca Cola. Harris was also addicted to cigareetes, smoking about 30 of them per day.

Lisa Te Morenga, a nutritionist at the University of Otago, said that excessive consumption of any type of liquid in a cool climate would be likely to play havoc with the body's natural systems and balance.

Karen Thompson, a spokeswoman for Coca Cola Oceania, said that its products are safe.

This lady drank herself to death, and not by the usual route, by Coca Cola.

Major Breakdowns

I almost cannot believe that I got through this entire week with only one major breakdown. I got an email from financial aid that said that I have no money available for my summer semester and that I will need to look into other options for paying for my summer classes, and that I should consider dropping them if I cannot afford them. The thing is, I have no option for taking or not taking summer classes; if I were to drop my summer classes, I would be dropping from the dental hygiene program. That is not an option for me, I have put in way too much time and energy into this program to just drop because I can't afford it. Anyways, I called my mom in tears and she told me to calm down, that we would do whatever we had to do to get through it. I am so blessed to have a mom like my mom. A lot of the girls in the program with me are actually in the same boat, I guess we are going to have to start doing some serious fundraisers or something to help with the cost of school! It's WAY to expensive!

I had a lot of stuff to do this week, but I got it all done. Like usual. Nothing really new there. Stressful but I tend to try to take everything day by day because thats all I can do. If I didn't do this, I would most definitely have a major breakdown more often.

Okay, so my friends are all reading this new, sounds-kinda-crazy book called 50 Shades of Gray, anyone read it? It sounds really kind of nuts, but they say it's really good even through the craziness of the book. Not that I have a lot of time on my hands to read books for fun or anything, but I am working at my cousin's consignment shop this Saturday, and lately, the store has definitely not had many customers so it may be a good time to start reading!

Exciting news

The last day of this semester is what, the 17th of May? That day can (literally) not come any sooner. I am so ready for this semester to be over and done with, I am at my breaking point! This semester has really been a lot harder on me stress-wise than my first semester of dental hygiene school. The reason for that, I am really not sure, I guess my classes are just a little bit harder, or maybe I am just burned out.

We get out 2 weeks for break between this semester and our summer semester, which is nice. My family and I are going on our first vacation together as a family! We found a condo we like in Panama City Beach, FL and we are putting the down payment down today! This is super exciting for my family. My mom got a higher title and new responsibilites at her job that she has been at for 18 years and because of that she has a little extra money! This doesn't happen in my family. We have always really struggled to make ends meet, never really hurt for anything, but never had too much, if that makes sense. We have always been really blessed in that we have never gone without, though.

This summer semester is going to be crazy though, thats for sure. We start seeing patients! I think at this time is when I am going to really enjoy school, when I get to actually do what I want to be doing. Although, unforetunately, I still have to sit through classes that aren't in the clinic setting, which is kind of a bummer! I'll get through it though, haha.

This weekend is not a big one for me. Tomorrow, I am working at my cousin's consignment shop, Blooming Deals, and then right after that I am babysitting two 8 year old girls. This could be interesting! I think we are going to order pizza and have a real girls night, painting nails, doing makeovers, watching movies... sounds like a blast to me!

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Believe me, we don't need articles to scare people away!

Recently, I was messing around on the internet and ran across an article about a Link Between Dental X-rays and Brain Tumors. Like dentists and other dental professionals need any news articles to scare patients anymore than they usually already are! I have heard "I'm scared of the dentist" more times than I have brushed my own teeth. Not really, I brush my teeth a lot, but you get the idea! It's disturbing, actually. Yes, all radiation can cause some biological effects. But seriously, the risk is so low for any ill effects when taking dental x-rays every 6 months to a year. Honestly, you just have to do a pro/con worksheet. Are the benefits of having dental x-rays outweighing the possible risks? Yes, as a dental professional, I would definitely say a big fat, yes. The general public still cannot quite grasp just how completely and truely important oral hygiene really is. Oral health has effects on the entire body, not just the mouth!

The article does mention that dental x-rays are an essential procedure in the dental field, but that dental professionals should limit exposure. Listen guys, we go to school for long periods of time, and I would say that dental schools are not fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of schools, its HARD work. We know that we shouldn't take x-rays just to take x-rays, we do it because we know it is beneficial to both us as professionals to help the diagnostic process and beneficial to the patient because they see the effects of their oral hygiene in a radiograph. I understand that there can be misuse and order unneccessary radiographs, but I would say 90% of the time, all dental xrays that are prescribed are necessary in the dental diagnostic process.

The moral of the story is.... is that this article is really almost out there to scare people, and not to say that the public should not be aware of the possible risks of radiation--- in general. This particular article has no statistics at all, to show its readers actually how many people that have had dental xrays end up with brain tumors BECAUSE of the dental xrays. There is radiation everywhere, not just in the dental setting. So, people, don't NOT go to the dentist because you are deathly afraid of brain tumors, the risk is very low, and if you use this state of mind... then really, you shouldn't go to your medical doctor either because they might order xrays of your chest, which is linked to lung disease. Also, those medicines they are prescribing you is causing you to be resistant to all drugs and you are probably gong to develop an uncurable disease and no medicine ever will cure you.

Sorry, dental student rant. I'm done. Go to the dentist.

American Dental Association talks about exactly what dental xrays are and what the benefits to both the patient and the dental professional. This article talks about why you should visit the dentist regularly.

Just a few more weeks

What a week.

I am usually not a dramatic person... the only drama I have going on usually is when I watch a show like Grey's Anatomy. But lately, it seems like everything around me is so... dramatized. Maybe it is because I am surrounded with a bunch of other women all the time, at work, at school, at home... Anyways, I cannot WAIT til thats over!

Tonight and this weekend I have so much going on... I hope I can manage it all. I made plans with my family to go see a friend play at the Boat House Wine Company tonight, which starts at 7 and lasts til 10 or 11. A friend from Mississippi is in town, so hopefully I can see her this weekend, and it's one of my roommates birthdays! She is having her birthday celebration tomorrow night though at her aunts lakehouse which should be a great time! I hope the weather stays nice and cool!

This is going to sound weird, but does anyone else have this problem? I work 3 days a week and had previously not been working... but it seems like I have SO MUCH less money now that I am working compared to when I wasn't. It has really been blowing my mind. I can't wait til I'm a college graduate with RDH after my name making some real money! Ah that day will be the greatest!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Surprising Pain Triggers and Solutions

On MSN Health, I read an article about pain triggers. This caught my eye because I have been having a lot of migranes lately which I think is because of the constant weather changes, hot-cold-hot-hotter-cold. Whenever I get a migrane, that is definitely all I can think about, and this article says that there is good reason for that. A lot of time I just take some ibuprofen or tylenol to try to mask the pain, but this article shows how to actually treat the problem!

Pain trigger #1: Anger

Anger can cause chronic lower-back pain because of how you tense the muscles along the spine. Tight muscles hurt, so instead of holding in the aggravation, let it out and it might takes away some pain. This is because when you suppress your anger, the hostile feelings end up as tension which in turn increases the awful feeling in your body.

I know I personally have a problem with suppressing my anger a lot. Recently, I really have been trying to let it out, alone, in the car or in a private place. I am still having some serious tension aches in my body though, so don't know if this tactic is completely a cure-all.

Pain trigger #2: Your Smartphone

Who know a smartphone could cause a source of pain? It causes pain whenever you hold the phone between your shoulder and ear when trying to multi-task. This causes neck and shoulder aches and even tingling down your arm. Texting can often lead to tendonitis in your thumb.

Solution to this problem, would be to use a headset in planning on talking for more than a few minutes. When texting, using the pad of your thumb instead of using the tip of thumb will help lessen the risk of tendonitis.

Pain trigger #3: Thinking the Worst

I tend to not think to into things, but I notice a lot of friends do this. Thinking about the worst outcome in a situation can cause undo stress on the body.

You can try to avoid always thinking the worst by setting aside 10 minutes to let yourself worry in the middle of every day, but do not let this time fall in the early morning or right before bed. You can write down your worries and prioriztize your worries by how you can solve them.
Another article about thinking positive.

Pain trigger #4: Skimping on Sleep

As a dental hygiene student, one of my biggest problems is not getting enough sleep. I have heard over and over again how bad this is, but its hard to get the recommended amount of sleep every single day. People with chronic insomnia have nearly three times the risk of chronic pain according to the journal Sleep. Another article about not getting enough sleep.

Avoid this ache by hypnotizing yourself, an example of this would be to become completely absorbed in a single object, such as a candle's flame. This works by focusing your attention on something other than your aches and pains.

Pain trigger #5: Your Work Area

Bad posture has a high potential for injury. Carrying your shoulders up around your ears from stress tightens your shoulders and causes stress on the body, which leads to aches and pains.

Avoid these pains by practicing good posture!

Pain trigger #6: Loneliness

Denying the needs of being around others can lead to physical pain.

Avoid this by surrounding yourself with people you love and that love you!

Motivation!

Sometimes, like many others I have talked to over the years, I am just unmotivated to do a lot of things… unmotivated to work out, clean the house, do my homework… and then sometimes, all I do is productive things and dog on myself if I even take 5 minutes to lay on the couch and watch bad reality TV. I have always wondered what the secret is for those people that hit the gym every day at 5am and then again after their 8 hour work day, how some people keep their house sparkling clean every day, and how some of my classmates seem to do nothing in life but focus on school. Well thank you, MSN living, for the “9 Secrets of Motivated People.”

1.       When you make a plan, anticipate bumps. I need help in this area specifically. I have made a lot of plans and had a lot of goals, and when something happens that throws me off for the day, the next day is ruined too. Also, the rest of the week. And then it is over.

2.       Channel the little engine that could – really. MSN says that a person’s drive is often based on what they believe about their abilities, not on how talented they actually are. People that believe they are self-efficient do a lot better with goals than those who do not believe it. Maybe I should take this to heart, and believe it myself more!

3.       Don’t let your goals run wild, but work on them every day. I have always been told that if you set your goals too high, you may not ever reach them and will get discouraged. Maybe that’s a big part of my problem too. Even if I don’t really think a goal is unreachable, maybe it IS unreachable for that week or month, or year. I need to set smaller goals, maybe start with just making daily goals instead of trying to make goals for the year.

4.       Go public with it. This is something I actually do try to do. If I’m going on a diet, I try to tell my family and friends so they know not to ask me out to dinner and my roommates usually try to go on the diet with me, or vice versa. The only problem is that it only lasts about a month and then it’s over.

5.       Lean on a support crew when struggling. This is something I need to do more, and I think I need to do this more in life even when I am not talking about motivation. We all need to do this. I keep things bottled inside for so long that I sometimes just blow up, and I really always hate myself after I do it. I need to just lean on someone, like my mom, when something inside is eating me up instead of trying to deal with it myself.

6.       Make yourself a priority. Put yourself first, and be selfish, even though it doesn’t feel right sometimes. This can be totally hard sometimes but it can be done! At least it is hard for me to do… I tend to feel guilty when I put myself first for something but do not have to feel like this all the time!

7.       Challenge yourself – and change things up. I definitely agree with this, when on a diet, eating the same healthy salads gets so old day in and day out for lunch and supper. It’s good for the first week or so, but then after that… give me something bad for me! Changing things up and learning new recipes is something that could help stay on track!

8.       Keep on learning. I do truly enjoy learning about new things and love to “learn something new every day” Here is a fun little fact of the day blog to check out.

9.       Remember the deeper meaning. The article says that you are more likely to realize a goal when it has true personal significance to you.

Here is another article about goals!

Over too quickly!

I am so unbelieveably saddened that Spring Break is already over. I swear, time just flies right on by me! Better not blink, because you will miss out on too much! It is week 11 of my second semester in dental hygiene school... it feels like just yesterday was my first day in the clinic! Soon we will finally be working on each other and then soon after that, real patients! So exciting yet so nerve racking. I hope enough people out there trust me enough to work in their mouths!

Over break, I really did not do much of anything but relax. I did a few papers, worked, and did some housework, but other than that and catching up on some neglected TV, not much of anything. Yesterday, I went with my little sister to see the new move, The Hunger Games. I enjoyed it, although cried a lot. I read the books a while back so I was pretty excited to see the movie, however gruesome it might be. After the movie, we went to eat dinner with our parents and she was telling our mom "Sissy cried like someone died!" which, if you have read the books or went and saw the movie this past weekend, you know.... thats exactly what happened. She caught herself after the thought rolled off her tounge! Speaking of the Hunger Games, the soundtrack is actually pretty cool and I am definitely enjoying listening to the songs.

This week looks like I will be doing a lot of studying for the class I'm doing the worst in, have a test on Thursday... not looking forward to that. I just cannot make myself study as hard as I need to for this class, it is just so uninteresting and furthermore, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Which is why I need to study it more, but... catch 22, really. Ugh, vicious cycle!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

SPRING BREAK!

Like many others I am sure, I am so excited for this upcoming week. Spring break! Woo. I am not actually doing anything besides working and some research papers, but I am excited to have to think a little less throughout the week!

This week has been pretty chill for me. My roommates and I have been updating our apartment with some new decorations, mainly because we love to do it, but also because Sikeston's downtown is having a St. Patricks Day fair downtown where we live and we are figuring that a lot of people will probably be coming up to our apartment to see it (and use the bathroom) and we want it looking perfect!

Also, I don't know if I have spoken about it yet, but I have a new job at the Manpower office in Sikeston doing some administrative work, and I really love it! I am super stoked that I was able to get it, and I make pretty good money doing it! My roommate, Taylor, works here too and got me the job. So blessed and thankful!

Short blog this week, nothing too much going on! Hope everyone has a great weekend and an awesome spring break if you are at MSSU. What are everyones plans?!

Two weeks in review

I am such a bad blogger. I always have been. The only blog I was good at was Xanga. Who remembers that.... OLD SCHOOL!

Anyways, I had one of the worst weeks, last week, that I have had in a very long time. It seems that life does that sometimes though. I failed (barely, one was a 72% and the other a 74%, still failing in dental hygiene school, though) two tests, something in my car blew up while driving on the interstate and I had to sit on the side of the road wait for a tow truck, I then had to cough up money for car parts that I didn't have, my grandmas washer was leaking and no one knew and almost fell through the floor so she had to go live at my parents for a few days (doesn't directly effect me but it was just one thing after another, you've had those kind of days/weeks before), and a few other things that I have pushed far back in my memory. I just had a really bad week, not only in school, but at home, too. It was awful. Oh, and I completely forgot to blog.

I was determined, however, to not let this week be the same. I succeeded! This week has actually been super relaxing. I have a lot due school-wise, but I can handle that! This one one of those weeks where I was just going through the motions, which normally, I would probably complain about.... "nothing ever changes..whine whine" NOT THIS TIME! I enjoyed very much having nothing extra happening in my life!

Tomorrow is a big day, lots of things going on! School, work for a few hours at my new job as an admin assistant at Manpower, going to see my sister give a speech since she is running for an office in our schools pep organization, and then a little free time to make some potluck type food for our game night gathering that my Sunday school class is getting together to do! Tomorrow is filled but should be a great day!

Anyways, a little update about Operation Space! I taught again last Wednesday, and had a great time again. Kids are kids and sometimes they don't like to listen or mind very well, but I think they enjoy their time learning about Christ! Hopefully they'll get something out of it!

No real title here

Wednesday was my first time teaching Operation Space and I think it went pretty well! A friend at church and I both taught together. We only had 6 kids... but I think that was just the right amount to be able to handle. There were different activities during the hour we had the kids, including a memory verse, an "action cube" game where the kids rolled a action cube and whatever picture it landed on a story was read and the kids had to determine if the people in the story obeyed God or not, 2 craft projects, and snack time. One of the crafts was pretty simple, just coloring the planets, cutting them out and gluing them on black paper, but one kid was super creative and instead drew a sun, cut it out, and then glued all the planets on the sun to signify the "planets orbiting the sun." I was so amazed at the creativity! The kids were pretty good and attentive, but at times it was difficult to get everyone to listen so I can't really imagine what it would have been like had there been a lot more kids! I might have had a meltdown or something, although lets hope not. Anyways, next Wednesday we are teaching again, so keep us in your prayers! :)

In other news, I bought a new lamp today. I have a real and truely almost sick but totally amazing obsession with lamps. I bought it at Annie Laurie's Antiques in Cape Girardeau.

Tomorrow is one of my friends wedding in Ste. Genevieve, MO. So, thats exciting! Not much else is going on in my life at the moment. Hope it stays that way for a little while... it's kind of nice!

Pets help us deal

In a recent article I read online by Reuters, a new study shows that pet owners with chronic diseases tend to have healthier hearts than people living without animal companions. Read the article here!

In 200 Japanese people, scientists found that those who had a pet, any kind of pet, had higher rate variability than those who did not. This means that their hearts responded better to the always changing bodies needs. As in the heart needs to beat faster in stressful situations, etcetera. When the heart does not change to the surrounding environment features, this causes a higher risk for dying from heart disease.

Erika Friedmann, one of the professors at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, said that this particular study is a step forward from what is already known about the connection of pet owners having better heart health. Although no one is quite sure why there is such a big connection.

Although, yes, having a pet can make you feel better and have a healthier heart, but it is not going to cure you or make all symptoms go away, but it sure can help!

I think a lot of us have heard before how much pets help us live longer and be happier people. Who knew they could also help us deal with chronic diseases? Actually, me, I did! I was diagnosed at 21 with Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD), which includes Lupus and also diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I never understood how true it was that pets can help you cope. My family had just gotten a puppy in March of that year, and I was diagnosed in October. My dog helped get me through the absolute hardest time in my life! I was pretty depressed about being so young and being diagnosed with something that I would have to deal with the rest of my life and he helped me get through the day. Truly. I started a blog during this time, although I didn’t do many posts, but if anyone wanted to read it, go here. Also, just to clarify, I actually have been about 70% better than I was when I was first diagnosed. I don’t know what happened, maybe it was the big cocktail of drugs they put me on, maybe it was the love from my puppy, but I do very well now and live a pretty normal life! Something I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be able to say again! Read more about MCTD.

Lovely Days!

What a week. And what I mean by that is, "Wow! What an awesome week!" I had a snow day, a class cancelled on Thursday, didn't have much due... pretty easy week!

Let me fill you in on what I did on my snow day, which if I might say so myself... it was a pretty productive day!

It all started on Sunday after church. I asked a crafty lady, Teresa, at church if she would like to go to the antique mall that afternoon. We had talked about it a few weekends ago, but hadn't went yet. She was all in, so after we ate lunch, we headed to the Old Timer's Antique Mall in Dexter, MO. When we got there, I gave her and my mom the low down on the kinds of things I was into, what I was looking for in my apartment, and had them on the lookout. I needed an old small vintage vanity mirror tray for my bathroom, was looking for a clock or something decorative for above my TV to put between the two paintings I have up there, and almost jokingly, that I was in the market for a new vanity/desk.

Going around the store, I found so many amazing things that I loved. I found so many larger vanity trays, but couldn't find any smaller ones. Finally, Teresa found a small vanity tray! I was so excited. It was just want I wanted, with the gold coils around the edges. Perfect. Although, at this point, I had already almost decided that I just had to have a larger one as well. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going to put it, but I had to have it. Here is the larger one I bought!

and the smaller one...

Anyways, so we were just about through the entire store, which I think at this point we had been there about 2 hours... (an awesome 2 hours I might add.) And I spotted it. An older desk, so sturdy, almost perfect although painted pretty crappy colors, but a perfect frame and exactly what I wanted to use as a desk/vanity area in my bedroom. More so a vanity, let's be honest. I loved it, I knew I wouldn't love the price though. Furniture like this isn't in my price range, usually ever. Everyone else always finds the deals on furniture, I never seem too...

But I did! The going rate for the desk was $69.50. If I had the money, I would have paid much more than that. It was too good to be true though, that is an extremely low price for such a well-made piece of furniture. My first question, what in the world is wrong with it? I couldn't find a single thing... I mean c'mon, it even came with a free chair. The desk ended up being an old sewing machine desk, but I guess whoever owned it previously had plastered in the part where the desk would open for the sewing machine, so now it's just a flat top instead. Lets just say, I definitely purchased it! The man that helped me carry the desk outside to the car said that the piece actually came in only 2 hours ago. I am pretty sure this piece was meant to BE MINE. Here is the desk before I got my hands on it...

And I forgot to take a before picture of the chair, but the picture on the left is the seat cushion before and the entire chair after I recovered the cushion and painted the chair high gloss black!

And then... after about a 10 hour day of sanding, painting, repainting, and touching up... here is my almost entirely finished product! I am on the market for some new to me vintage hardware for the drawers!

Up close picture. This was while it was still in progress though!

(Please excuse the crappy iPhone pictures)

Anyways, I ended up doing a lot of productive work on Monday for the snow day, and I absolutely loved every minute of it! Now I'm excited about my next great find!

On another note, just in case anyone is really into my life or something, my busy weekend ended up going very well and really smoothly. I did, however, miss seeing the movie, Courageous, so that I could make it in time to my friend's engagement party but hopefully I can borrow or rent it and watch it sometime soon! The Meeting at church was a lot of fun and great fellowship. We learned a lot about each other that many didn't know before, and the different ages that were there enjoying each others company was great!

Great things are going on in my life right now and I just seriously could not be more excited or happy! YAY LIFE! 

Much Ado About Nothing

While scanning the internet for an article that caught my interest, just that I did find. And I actually find it quite appropriate with the recent passing of the holiday that some absolutely loathe and some cannot get enough of, Valentine's Day. I am on the fence about the holiday. I am single... so I don't too much love it when it rolls around, but I might love it if I had someone to share it with. Can't really say.. anyway. I found an article about America and it's obsession with single people. Read it here. It's called "Singled Out."

On Valentine's Day, I tweeted about it being Singles Awareness Day. I also tweeted that the worst question you could ask a single person would be "Why are you still single?" What kind of question is that anyways? What do people expect a single person to say?... "Oh, I don't know, I guess I have too many flaws" or I guess the single person could get all defensive and say "they do better on their own anyways." Back on the subject at hand though... well wait, here are some fun facts about Valentines Day!

In the article, written by Katie Roiphe, she asks the question of "why is this relatively ordinary or banal mode of life even worth commenting on?" I agree, what is so taboo about being single? Or living alone, but mainly, why is anything you decide to do in your personal life such a big and interesting topic to everyone else? That question may never be answered, people are so consumed with what everyone else is doing and what is considered normal that they get so wrapped up in other peoples lives to sometimes make them feel better about their own.

Again, back to the article.

Roiphe talks about Helen Gurley Brown's feminist classic, Sex and the Single Girl, which made a groundbreaking observation: that a single woman's biggest problem is coping with the people who are trying to marry her off. Brown wrote the book in the pre-awakened, pre-sexual revolution, time in America. She wrote about about the singles experiences, and pretty much said that it is okay if you do not decide to get married, although you may have to deal with consequences from society.

Pretty true. I think that it's true for many other aspects in life to, besides if you want to be single or you want to be married. It goes for how you decide to dress, what kind of music you like to listen to, religion, having children or not having children, having children on your own, and even the person you decide to be with, plus countless others. All in all, I think we all should try to make a conscious effort to stay out of other people's business, whatever the issue.

Big Weekend's Ahead

"Busy" has become part of daily life for me since I started the dental hygiene program. Honestly, I guess I pretty well like it, though. If I ever do get some time off, I'm really at a loss for what I should do and then if I do just sit down and watch television or something, I feel like there are one hundred other things I could be doing that would be more productive. Anyways..

This week I attended lobby day in Jefferson City at the State Capital on Wednesday the 8th with the dental hygiene girls. The trip up there was probably the most fun out of the entire outing, singing and dancing to songs and growing our relationships with each other further. We had a blast. The State Capital is so beautiful! Also, it makes me almost wish I was destined to do something that required business attire everyday instead of scrubs because it's so much fun to dress up and look nice!

I have tons of events going on in the next few weeks. This weekend I'm working for my mom's friend at her Jumpin' Jacks business there is a party from 6-8 on Friday. My mom and her friend that owns Jumpin' Jacks have been friends since they were very young and so whenever she goes out of town she asks my mom to help her out a lot. However, my mom said she could work the party and then realized that it was my little brother's senior homecoming at his school, so I offered to work for her so she wouldn't miss that. She would definitely regret missing that if she were not able to make it! After the party, my friend is playing an accoustic show at the Boat House Wine Company that I am going to try to make... but that isn't looking too great!

Saturday, I have "The Meeting" as my preacher calls it at church. Actually, we are going to watch the new movie Courageous. I have heard great reviews about the movie and am really excited to get to watch it. Many people that have seen it says it can definitely change your life! I will let you know my opinion next time! The Meeting starts at 5. We are also using The Meeting as a "get to know you better" type meeting, and we are going to share with each other something about ourselves that most others may not know! I bet its going to be a great time. Starting at 7, which I am ultimately going to be a little late for, is one of my friend's engagement party. That will probably go into the night, so I think it should be okay if I'm a little late. Anyways.. should be fun regardless!

The weekend after that is one of my best friends birthdays, which not sure what the plans are yet, but I'm sure we will be doing something for that. The weekend of the 25th is my friends wedding in Ste. Genevieve. A lot of events that are looking like some pretty rememorable times and I'm excited about the upcoming adventures!

New studies may find a treatment for Alzheimer's in upcoming years!

In a recent article, provided by HealthDay, and titled In Mice, Cancer Drug Shows Effect on Alzheimer’s Symptoms (read article here), I read some pretty interesting news. Alzheimer’s is a disease that affects people all over the world, and can be one of the hardest diseases to deal with as a family member. (Read more about Alzheimer’s here). The article talks about the drug, bexarotene, which quickly eliminates Alzheimer’s disease related amyloid beta from the brain and reverses memory problems in mice.

The article states the results suggest that the drug could possibly help the many Americans (about 5.4 million!) that have Alzheimer’s disease according to the neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Although the studies of using the drug bexarotene, which is a drug that is used to treat skin problems caused by cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, to lessen the effects of Alzheimer’s on animals, a lot of times they fail to produce similar results in humans.

                When the body is unable to clear amyloid beta from the brain is a big risk factor for the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Research has showed that the main cholesterol carrier in the brain, apolipoportein E, plays an important role in the clearing amyloid beta proteins. Bexarotene increased the release of the apolipoprotein which then boosted the clearance of amyloid beta from the brain. Six hours after the mice received bexarotene treatment, levels of amyloid fell by twenty five percent.

                Even though at this time, studies have not been conducted on humans, the study is still very promising because it says that there just may be treatment for the devastating disease!  I have not personally had anyone of my family members affected by this awful disease, but I have seen friends go through this disease with their family members, and it is just awful to see and hear how much Alzheimer’s in someone you love. After doing a little outside research, I found this website that talks about how to cope with Alzheimer's when a family member has the disease. Read that website here.

McDonalds, Pink Slime, Sounds Good Right?

I just read an article (click here to read), that states that Mcdonald's has confirmed that they are no longer using 'pink slime' chemical in their hamburgers. First off, thank God. Second of all, THANK GOD I DON'T EAT MCDONALD'S! Wow, I am disgusted that a company would use anything that resembled slime, especially when colored pink, in something that so many people across the globe eat on a daily basis.

The pink slime is actually called ammonium hydroxide. Ammonium hydroxide is a chemical that is used in fertilizers, household cleaners, and even homemade explosives. And come to find out, McDonald’s has been putting it in their hamburger meat.

Todd Bacon, McDonald’s senior director of quality systems wrote: "At the beginning of 2011, we made a decision to discontinue the use of ammonia-treated beef in our hamburgers. This product has been out of our supply chain since August of last year. This decision was a result of our efforts to align our global standards for how we source beef around the world." (You can read that statement here, on McDonald’s website)

To put this is more disgusting aspects, there are many other types of chemicals in the foods that are eaten everyday; such as propylene glycol (used in ice cream, it is a type of anti-freeze), carmine (which is commonly found in red food coloring and is basically husks of the cochineal beetle), shellac (which is the chemical used to finish wood products, and is used on candies to give them their shine), plus many others!

Although, the U.S. Agriculture Department says that the chemical that has been used in the hamburger meat is generally considered safe, I still do not think that it should have ever been used in their mass production of hamburgers over the years. A St. Louis based dietician, Sarah Prochaska, says that the component in a production procedure does not have to be stated to the consumers. McDonald’s says that they discontinued the use of the chemical several months ago, but however, deny that they decided to make the change after the popular public campaign against the chemical by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Jamie Oliver, now has his own show called Food Revolution. I have not ever personally watched it, but have seen clips of the show and do find it interesting. You can read more about Jamie Oliver, his television show, and what he stands for here.

All I know is, even though McDonald's says that they are not allowing this particular chemical to be put in their hamburger meat anymore, doesn't mean that they aren't allowing other random chemicals in other foods that they serve in their resturants all over the country. And let me be honest here, I'm not some food advocate or someone that is a big "Go Green" person that eats entirely organic foods and whatnot, but I do not support not having a valid statement of what goes into the food I do eat. I think that we deserve the right to know whats in our food cause I mean, we have to eat... just hopefully not pink slime!

Operation Space

As I spoke about last week, at church we had our first "Operation Space" meeting. We had a pretty small group come, but we expected a lot less so it ended up being pretty good. I found out more about what "Operation Space" really is, and it’s pretty much just a vacation bible school, but broke down into lessons for Wednesday nights instead of a week-long event. We had about 10 or so kids show up. We had a carnival to get the kids interested, which had different stations set up. My station was the "asteroid belt" which had a bucket of hacky sacks that the kids threw to try to get into the asteroid belt. There are decorations of space everywhere, it looks really great. I hope the kid count continues to grow and that the kids continue to learn about Christ. We all had a great time and I am so proud to be apart of it.

It has been a while since I have been apart of anything really concerning the church or church functions. I grew up in church, and then all of a sudden, I turned 16, got a job that had me working on Sundays and just fell out of worship. I always knew I would be back in at some point because I always knew I wanted to raise a family in church and whatnot. I didn’t know, however, that I would be back in before I started a family. I started dental hygiene school last semester, and was feeling very overwhelmed and as if I had no one that understood what I was going through, even though there were 8 other girls and a guy in the program with me. So I just turned back to God. It was the best decision I have ever made!! I am now able to get through the day, even the toughest of days, because I know someone is on my side, no matter what. It really is encouraging. Not to say that I never have those feelings anymore, of despair or being overwhelmed, but it is just nice to know that someone is looking out for me!

Hmm..

Life in the dental hygiene program is really getting to me as of lately. I feel like I am stretched way to thin and have too much on my plate! I know I'll get through it somehow, but I'm hoping the light at the end of the tunnel comes sooner than later. The class load and the course work, I can handle, I think it's more so the strained politics that I have to deal with on a daily basis.

In other news, wait, nevermind. My life is consumed with dental hygiene. Actually, I have a lot going on at my church for the next few months. I am teaching a Wednesday night "Operation Space" for the kids, ages 4th grade and down. That should be interesting!  We have a lesson, but a lot of the stuff we do is very hands on to get the kids excited! I have never done anything like that before, I guess we'll see if it goes well!

Honestly, I am not really sure what I am supposed to be blogging about. Nothing in my life seems to be something I would want the world to read about. So maybe, I can just treat this "blog" as a personal "journal" to log down my personal journey throughout this DH program. It's tough but it's my life at this moment!

Introduction

Hello everyone. I am Lindsey Mercer. I am 23 and live in Sikeston, Missouri. I am in the dental hygiene program at MSSU, but I am at the distant site in Sikeston. I have worked at a dental office for the past 6 years and love it! I have 1 dog, Peppy, and 2 cats, Mouse and Cambreigh. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, going to church, and trying to find some moments in my crazy life to relax!