To begin with, my parent's visit last week was wonderful. I'm not sure I could have enjoyed it more. The weather was beautiful all week, the company good, and the visitors welcome. The week was almost a mini at-home vacation for Noah and I because we went and did things we don't normally do (like going out to eat and visiting destination sights around the area). Over the weekend we visited Biltmore Estate for the first time-it was incredible. It is the largest private residence in the U.S.; I would characterize it as a modern day castle. We spent a good 1 1/2-2 hours just walking through the house itself and I'm sure there was plenty that we "missed." The gardens were in spring bloom with tulips and early flowering trees in full bloom. We now have an annual pass and I am greatly looking forward to returning several times over the next year!
Other than having a fun filled week with mom and dad, things are about the same here. School is getting closer and closer to being done. I both ready and slightly terrified for it be over, but would say I am counting the weeks. At best, it will still be at least another month from the day I graduate to the day I will be licensed and can start practicing. I am starting to tackle all the paperwork that process involves now though in order to have it run as smoothly as possible.
Pack's Tavern had it's grand opening this week and Noah will be working there 2-4 nights a week on into the summer. So far is seems like it will be a fairly low-key door job, although the hours are something we will both have to get used to. Recruiting is still going well and we both believe the first placement is right around the corner, but until both parties sign on the dotted line, nothing is final.
Spring continues to be beautiful and the trees are all starting to fill in. We can hardly see any of our neighbors from our house anymore and the world has a bright green quality to it that I am really enjoying. The weather has actually been uncharacteristically warm the last few weeks with little to no rain-the opposite of this winter; we definitely aren't complaining but it does seem that having a little more rain over the next few weeks would benefit everyone. Who knows anymore these days though.
Other than that, hope all is well elsewhere and there are new pictures up!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Spring Has Sprung
Well, as tough as this winter was for everyone in the area, I am SO glad we are not still in Driggs! I hear they are in the middle of the first real big winter storm and we have been experiencing weather in the 70-80s the last several days...it has been such a treat. The temps are a little warm for this time of year, but I don't know anyone who is complaining. It has been incredible to watch how quickly everything is coming to life. Flowers are blooming, trees are budding, birds are chirping...it has been a while since I have actually been able to experience "spring." We are both enjoying it fully.
My parents are coming for a visit next week and we are so excited to have them. Hopefully the weather holds! It is hard to believe that it has been so long since we last say any family, time has been moving so quickly.
School is still going well, two more months left. It sounds like a lot but feels like a little! We are into the "fun" part of the curriculum now and have a new class every two or three days rather than day after day of Anatomy and Physiology etc. Some of what we have left to cover the next two months is aromatherapy, reflexology, energy work, oriental medicine, business and marketing, neuromuscular therapy-to name a few. It's a lot of varied information over a short amount of time, but every day is interesting!
Noah is settling into his recruiting job and has started having a lot of "bites" on different recruits and is only getting better every day. We both keep crossing our fingers that he'll land his first deal soon, it does feel like it is right around the corner now. In the meantime, he has found another job at a new restaurant/bar opening up in down town and will start part-time there in a week and half.
I am starting to try and get a handle on what exactly I will do after graduating. It is a bit stressful and exciting at the same time. I have a feeling things will start coming together as I keep working on it- I am greatly looking forward to getting started on the new career though!
A couple of weeks ago in clinic I had my first experience with someone who came in and said they had been in intense pain for the last 2 1/2 weeks and could hardly move their head to the right or left; they had never had massage before and were referred by a chiropractor. I worked only on her neck, shoulders, and chest during our 45 minutes session. After the session, she was gushing, she said her pain had greatly subsided, that her whole body felt like jello, and she was able to move her neck to at least 80-90% of normal range of motion without pain. It was the coolest experience ever. She came with a tremendous amount of pain, and left with a lot less. It was powerful and really fulfilling.
My parents are coming for a visit next week and we are so excited to have them. Hopefully the weather holds! It is hard to believe that it has been so long since we last say any family, time has been moving so quickly.
School is still going well, two more months left. It sounds like a lot but feels like a little! We are into the "fun" part of the curriculum now and have a new class every two or three days rather than day after day of Anatomy and Physiology etc. Some of what we have left to cover the next two months is aromatherapy, reflexology, energy work, oriental medicine, business and marketing, neuromuscular therapy-to name a few. It's a lot of varied information over a short amount of time, but every day is interesting!
Noah is settling into his recruiting job and has started having a lot of "bites" on different recruits and is only getting better every day. We both keep crossing our fingers that he'll land his first deal soon, it does feel like it is right around the corner now. In the meantime, he has found another job at a new restaurant/bar opening up in down town and will start part-time there in a week and half.
I am starting to try and get a handle on what exactly I will do after graduating. It is a bit stressful and exciting at the same time. I have a feeling things will start coming together as I keep working on it- I am greatly looking forward to getting started on the new career though!
A couple of weeks ago in clinic I had my first experience with someone who came in and said they had been in intense pain for the last 2 1/2 weeks and could hardly move their head to the right or left; they had never had massage before and were referred by a chiropractor. I worked only on her neck, shoulders, and chest during our 45 minutes session. After the session, she was gushing, she said her pain had greatly subsided, that her whole body felt like jello, and she was able to move her neck to at least 80-90% of normal range of motion without pain. It was the coolest experience ever. She came with a tremendous amount of pain, and left with a lot less. It was powerful and really fulfilling.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Just a few more months now!
Until I am done with school that it is! Our anatomy and physiology final is this coming Monday which, in terms of classes, is the last big class we have. From there on out, the schedule flies. It is rather exciting. My experiences at our student clinic continue to be positive and I have left each day reinforced that this is what I want to do. Man, who knew that would ever happen? (Deciding what I wanted to be when I grew up.) There are days this realization hits me and I almost don't know what to do with it!
It has stopped snowing (fingers crossed) finally and, while not as warm as normal, is starting to smell a little like spring here which makes me wiggle just to think about. Our world will change once all the trees and flowers start to bloom.
Mainly we are working and studying hard these days with few adventures or big stories. The most exciting part of our week (at times) is the delivery of our net netflix video (we have been hooked on the TV series "How I Met Your Mother" the last several weeks). Sometimes it's the simple things in life. Like, I don't think I've mentioned yet how eternally grateful I am to have a washer and dryer at my house. I do have moments where I am unenthusiastic about the endless laundry aspect of this profession, but then I think about some of my classmates who have to go to the laundrymat for all their laundry-so many sheets!!!
It has stopped snowing (fingers crossed) finally and, while not as warm as normal, is starting to smell a little like spring here which makes me wiggle just to think about. Our world will change once all the trees and flowers start to bloom.
Mainly we are working and studying hard these days with few adventures or big stories. The most exciting part of our week (at times) is the delivery of our net netflix video (we have been hooked on the TV series "How I Met Your Mother" the last several weeks). Sometimes it's the simple things in life. Like, I don't think I've mentioned yet how eternally grateful I am to have a washer and dryer at my house. I do have moments where I am unenthusiastic about the endless laundry aspect of this profession, but then I think about some of my classmates who have to go to the laundrymat for all their laundry-so many sheets!!!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Busy Busy
Well, as a friend of mine at school said, "March came in like a lion, maybe it will go out like a lamb..." Phew! She was referring to the weather, but it pertains to most everything else also.
On Monday, Noah was rear-ended in a four car accident on his way to work. Thanks to his good defensive driving skills he didn't hit the car in front of him and minimized the impact on him/our car (the car who hit him also hit the car in front of him-yikes!). That shook us both up a bit. Gratefully our car is still drivable, although the bumper is duct-taped on and we can't open the hatch back door. Noah suffered a pretty bad whiplash type accident and spent Monday, Tuesday, and even Wednesday recovering. He is still sore and not quite normal, but working on getting there. We are now waiting on the insurance of the guy who started it all to get our car fixed. All in all, not the best thing that has happened to us since being here, but could have been SO much worse, we are counting our lucky stars.
Winter is still giving spring a run for the money, but it looks like we may finally be moving into a warmer weather trend and at least rain instead of snow over the next week or so. I'll believe it when I see it, but am optimistic. We have been enjoying the extended daylight hours as sunrise and sunset move further apart from one another.
Last week was my first day of clinic (I went again today). Overall, it was a good experience. We have 5 massage slots to be filled and only 3 of mine were filled both days. I've had some great feedback though and continue to learn just being in the new environment and working on new bodies. It makes me even more anxious/excited to be done with school and start doing so on my own for money.
Beyond the normal, life is busy now. I am looking for work and Noah is still enjoying the executive recruiting job, suffering through the weekends at the photo company and hoping for something new to work out until his first placement is made. As it is now, we are going day by day and they just keep flying by.
On Monday, Noah was rear-ended in a four car accident on his way to work. Thanks to his good defensive driving skills he didn't hit the car in front of him and minimized the impact on him/our car (the car who hit him also hit the car in front of him-yikes!). That shook us both up a bit. Gratefully our car is still drivable, although the bumper is duct-taped on and we can't open the hatch back door. Noah suffered a pretty bad whiplash type accident and spent Monday, Tuesday, and even Wednesday recovering. He is still sore and not quite normal, but working on getting there. We are now waiting on the insurance of the guy who started it all to get our car fixed. All in all, not the best thing that has happened to us since being here, but could have been SO much worse, we are counting our lucky stars.
Winter is still giving spring a run for the money, but it looks like we may finally be moving into a warmer weather trend and at least rain instead of snow over the next week or so. I'll believe it when I see it, but am optimistic. We have been enjoying the extended daylight hours as sunrise and sunset move further apart from one another.
Last week was my first day of clinic (I went again today). Overall, it was a good experience. We have 5 massage slots to be filled and only 3 of mine were filled both days. I've had some great feedback though and continue to learn just being in the new environment and working on new bodies. It makes me even more anxious/excited to be done with school and start doing so on my own for money.
Beyond the normal, life is busy now. I am looking for work and Noah is still enjoying the executive recruiting job, suffering through the weekends at the photo company and hoping for something new to work out until his first placement is made. As it is now, we are going day by day and they just keep flying by.
Friday, February 19, 2010
February
Today finds me-and the rest of Western North Carolina-in a very good mood. It has warmed up to above 40 degrees for the first time since the end of January and is even supposed to be up in the 50s (the avg for this time of year) over the weekend. Did I mention the sun was shining too?? Life just seems better than it did a week ago.
We didn't do much for Noah's birthday last Sunday (he actually worked 5 hours), although I did make pancakes and bread and soup and we got to sleep in. I like that his birthday can trump Valentine's Day, I've never liked the holiday much myself (shouldn't every/any day of the year be Valentine's Day? It shouldn't take a holiday for us to tell our loved ones that we love them...) but, problem solved! From here on out the 14th is a birthday celebration.
On Wednesday we went and redeemed an anniversary gift at the Laughing Seed Cafe in Asheville-a popular and scrumptious vegetarian restaurant. It was one of my top 10 experiences of the last four months. We were both a little grumpy and out of it because we needed to eat when we got there, it was the perfect remedy. I am still shocked at how much we ate (our waitress was too). It was all really satisfying and tasty. In fact, we ate so much delicious food that we were both in a food coma for about 24 hours. (We even forgot to bring the groceries in from the car when we got home. I remembered after we'd been in bed about 20 minutes...).
The last few weeks of school have been a bit of struggle for all of us in the course. We are at the midway point of the course; apparently the "burn out" is really common at this stage. They tell us we'll all get over it. I'm sure we will. Clinic hours start this coming week which will add a new dimension to the whole experience. Despite being a little "over it" the last week or two, I am still loving that I will get to do this as a job in four months.
Noah's schedule is now very busy with him working the full-time commission only job and a part-time job at the mall on the weekends. I am starting to consider finding work for the short-term to help us get by until Noah's first placement happens at Thurmond and Co. We both know that it will work out how it needs to though, whatever way that may be.
We are both readjusting to the schedule change and, although I am immensely enjoying more alone time at the house throughout the week, it is a different reality for us. Since meeting, the majority of our time has been spent with one another. I think we were ready for a change though and are both feeling good about where things are headed.
During my hours at home last week, I sat down one day and started another blog called Throw-Together Meals: Cooking stories, tips and recipes from my free-for-all kitchen. I'm not 100% sure where it will go, but have already put a few posts up and would love for you to look at it and/or pass it along to others if you think they may like it. Noah and I always talk about how I need to write down some of the stuff I make, so I figured I would try. If anything, it is sort of a fun project.
That is all for now. My forearm flexor muscles are getting a bit sore from being on the computer the last few hours. Guess it's time to go study for awhile...
We didn't do much for Noah's birthday last Sunday (he actually worked 5 hours), although I did make pancakes and bread and soup and we got to sleep in. I like that his birthday can trump Valentine's Day, I've never liked the holiday much myself (shouldn't every/any day of the year be Valentine's Day? It shouldn't take a holiday for us to tell our loved ones that we love them...) but, problem solved! From here on out the 14th is a birthday celebration.
On Wednesday we went and redeemed an anniversary gift at the Laughing Seed Cafe in Asheville-a popular and scrumptious vegetarian restaurant. It was one of my top 10 experiences of the last four months. We were both a little grumpy and out of it because we needed to eat when we got there, it was the perfect remedy. I am still shocked at how much we ate (our waitress was too). It was all really satisfying and tasty. In fact, we ate so much delicious food that we were both in a food coma for about 24 hours. (We even forgot to bring the groceries in from the car when we got home. I remembered after we'd been in bed about 20 minutes...).
The last few weeks of school have been a bit of struggle for all of us in the course. We are at the midway point of the course; apparently the "burn out" is really common at this stage. They tell us we'll all get over it. I'm sure we will. Clinic hours start this coming week which will add a new dimension to the whole experience. Despite being a little "over it" the last week or two, I am still loving that I will get to do this as a job in four months.
Noah's schedule is now very busy with him working the full-time commission only job and a part-time job at the mall on the weekends. I am starting to consider finding work for the short-term to help us get by until Noah's first placement happens at Thurmond and Co. We both know that it will work out how it needs to though, whatever way that may be.
We are both readjusting to the schedule change and, although I am immensely enjoying more alone time at the house throughout the week, it is a different reality for us. Since meeting, the majority of our time has been spent with one another. I think we were ready for a change though and are both feeling good about where things are headed.
During my hours at home last week, I sat down one day and started another blog called Throw-Together Meals: Cooking stories, tips and recipes from my free-for-all kitchen. I'm not 100% sure where it will go, but have already put a few posts up and would love for you to look at it and/or pass it along to others if you think they may like it. Noah and I always talk about how I need to write down some of the stuff I make, so I figured I would try. If anything, it is sort of a fun project.
That is all for now. My forearm flexor muscles are getting a bit sore from being on the computer the last few hours. Guess it's time to go study for awhile...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
What I Learned in School
Aspartame is evil. Or at least not something to be consumed. Did you know Diet Soda addiction is a recognized addiction and treatment centers for kicking the addiction actually exists? But, I digress a little.
When warmed up, the two acids and one menthol that compose aspartame break down into different components. One of these components is formalin-a member of the formaldehyde family. The same formaldehyde we preserve dead people in. When the aspartame cools back off, most of the particles rebind, but not all.
Let's talk diet soda (but the same happens to anything we ingest with aspartame). Regardless of whether or not that soda had ever been warm before, it warms up when it is ingested and breaks down into some amino acids, formalin, and some other things I didn't write down in my notes. Our body is inherently thrifty and, when there is something in the blood that is "extra" it puts it into storage-even if it doesn't recognize what that something is. The formaldehyde then? The body doesn't recognize it but put it into storage anyway. Just in case.
So, where is "storage?" Lipids-fatty tissue anywhere in the body. And, get this, the cell membrane of every individual cell in our body is made up of fat, so, not only does the formalin get put into the tissue around our mid-line, but also goes into the lining of our cells.
Keep in mind that a normal fat cell should be the consistency of a marshmallow-soft and gushy.
By definition, formalin/formaldehyde PRESERVES things (think cadavers). So, now that it is in the fatty tissue, it is essential a FAT PRESERVER! It starts hardening, turning the nice gushy marshmallow into something that is more like an M&M-everywhere that it is. The greater problems arise because all the cells in your body are affected by this, not just the fat ones. And, when the lining of the cell is like the hard part of an M&M, it gets a lot harder for your cells to do their job. Yuck.
On top of all that, aspartame is wildly addictive and has many other side affects. One google search comes up with lots of information I'd almost rather not know. On the bright side, as far as artificial sweeteners go, the PURE Stevia (not mixed with other stuff) that is gaining popularity these days actually comes from a plant and the body knows what to do with it. It doesn't turn marshmallows to M&Ms.
When warmed up, the two acids and one menthol that compose aspartame break down into different components. One of these components is formalin-a member of the formaldehyde family. The same formaldehyde we preserve dead people in. When the aspartame cools back off, most of the particles rebind, but not all.
Let's talk diet soda (but the same happens to anything we ingest with aspartame). Regardless of whether or not that soda had ever been warm before, it warms up when it is ingested and breaks down into some amino acids, formalin, and some other things I didn't write down in my notes. Our body is inherently thrifty and, when there is something in the blood that is "extra" it puts it into storage-even if it doesn't recognize what that something is. The formaldehyde then? The body doesn't recognize it but put it into storage anyway. Just in case.
So, where is "storage?" Lipids-fatty tissue anywhere in the body. And, get this, the cell membrane of every individual cell in our body is made up of fat, so, not only does the formalin get put into the tissue around our mid-line, but also goes into the lining of our cells.
Keep in mind that a normal fat cell should be the consistency of a marshmallow-soft and gushy.
By definition, formalin/formaldehyde PRESERVES things (think cadavers). So, now that it is in the fatty tissue, it is essential a FAT PRESERVER! It starts hardening, turning the nice gushy marshmallow into something that is more like an M&M-everywhere that it is. The greater problems arise because all the cells in your body are affected by this, not just the fat ones. And, when the lining of the cell is like the hard part of an M&M, it gets a lot harder for your cells to do their job. Yuck.
On top of all that, aspartame is wildly addictive and has many other side affects. One google search comes up with lots of information I'd almost rather not know. On the bright side, as far as artificial sweeteners go, the PURE Stevia (not mixed with other stuff) that is gaining popularity these days actually comes from a plant and the body knows what to do with it. It doesn't turn marshmallows to M&Ms.
Friday, February 5, 2010
This Winter Affair
Okay, enough already winter gods and goddesses. Why did you have to follow us to NC? Couldn't you have stayed in Driggs where you belong? The rain/snow/sleet ("wintry mix") of the last several weeks is starting to get a little old. The weather is not extremely intense by some standards, but enough that everything around here seems to shut down and/or freak out at least 2-3 days a week. The local school districts have been canceled so many times that the kids are going to have to start attending school on Saturdays and longer into the summer to make up time...It makes it worse because I don't know how many times I have heard, "this is the coldest/snowiest/worst winter I've seen here in 5, 10, 15 yrs." Yeah, thanks weather gods/goddesses. Guess I couldn't expect to get out of cold weather that easily...
At least our heat works.
This week Noah started a new job! He is working for an executive search firm (a head-hunting company) that specializing in placing executives in the construction and financial sectors. We are excited about the potential for the job-although being successful will be a lot of work on Noah's end, so far he seems determined to make it work. The unfortunate part is that he is only paid on commission so, until he makes a placement...He is looking for part-time work nights/weekends to help support us until this happens and has a second interview for a photo company called Owen Mills (I think) this coming week. We are crossing our fingers! I am considering finding part-time work but am also looking into collecting unemployment for a short time to help. I will not have much free time when Clinic starts in two weeks and would rather save my time not in school or at clinic for studying, taking care of myself and keeping the other parts of our life together. Time will tell if we can afford this though.
Also this week, we celebrated our first anniversary! It is pretty hard/easy to believe that one year ago we were newlyweds still in Australia. After Noah got back from work, we drove to a nearby down called Hot Springs (about 40 min away) where there are-you guessed it-natural hot springs. However, the hot springs are not free to the public but have instead been siphoned into different hot tubs that you pay to rent for an hour. We used some anniversary money and treated ourselves. It was SOOOO worth going! The water was only about 100 degrees, but we were outside, in our own tub and still sitting in hot water for an hour; I had made bread and we bought some cheese and wine and had a late/dinner snack while we were there. It felt like a much needed vacation. Plus it made us miss having a hot tub next door/across town to use whenever we wanted to when we lived in Driggs...ahh, luxuries of being close to family.
School is still going well. We started our General Anatomy and Physiology course on Monday-it will go through the end of March and will cover a lot of complex information in a short amount of time. The teacher is incredible and easy to learn from though, plus the stuff is interesting, so I am not too worried. Monday will be the last day of our Swedish Massage class that has been going on since the first of December and is basically the foundation of the hands on part of our massage career. It's definitely a milestone, but I feel ready to move on! I will start working 1 day/week in the student clinic in two weeks and will do so until graduation in May. We finally received our own massage tables and we moved around the furniture in our spare bedroom/office to that I can set it up down there and use it. Fun, fun!!
Here's to a short but productive February ahead!
At least our heat works.
This week Noah started a new job! He is working for an executive search firm (a head-hunting company) that specializing in placing executives in the construction and financial sectors. We are excited about the potential for the job-although being successful will be a lot of work on Noah's end, so far he seems determined to make it work. The unfortunate part is that he is only paid on commission so, until he makes a placement...He is looking for part-time work nights/weekends to help support us until this happens and has a second interview for a photo company called Owen Mills (I think) this coming week. We are crossing our fingers! I am considering finding part-time work but am also looking into collecting unemployment for a short time to help. I will not have much free time when Clinic starts in two weeks and would rather save my time not in school or at clinic for studying, taking care of myself and keeping the other parts of our life together. Time will tell if we can afford this though.
Also this week, we celebrated our first anniversary! It is pretty hard/easy to believe that one year ago we were newlyweds still in Australia. After Noah got back from work, we drove to a nearby down called Hot Springs (about 40 min away) where there are-you guessed it-natural hot springs. However, the hot springs are not free to the public but have instead been siphoned into different hot tubs that you pay to rent for an hour. We used some anniversary money and treated ourselves. It was SOOOO worth going! The water was only about 100 degrees, but we were outside, in our own tub and still sitting in hot water for an hour; I had made bread and we bought some cheese and wine and had a late/dinner snack while we were there. It felt like a much needed vacation. Plus it made us miss having a hot tub next door/across town to use whenever we wanted to when we lived in Driggs...ahh, luxuries of being close to family.
School is still going well. We started our General Anatomy and Physiology course on Monday-it will go through the end of March and will cover a lot of complex information in a short amount of time. The teacher is incredible and easy to learn from though, plus the stuff is interesting, so I am not too worried. Monday will be the last day of our Swedish Massage class that has been going on since the first of December and is basically the foundation of the hands on part of our massage career. It's definitely a milestone, but I feel ready to move on! I will start working 1 day/week in the student clinic in two weeks and will do so until graduation in May. We finally received our own massage tables and we moved around the furniture in our spare bedroom/office to that I can set it up down there and use it. Fun, fun!!
Here's to a short but productive February ahead!
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