Owning a Dog in College: Why it was the Right Move for Me.

As many of you may or may not know. I have a dog and I can't imagine how my life would be if she wasn't here. When I first got her,  I got a lot of grief from just about everyone. "You're only in college." "Where will you find the time and responsibility to take care of her?" "Won't that take you away from regular college life?" are just some of the comments people would say to me when I first got Addie. I ignored every single one of them. And I'm so glad that I did.

Before I got Addie, I was in just about the darkest place that I've ever been in my life. I just moved 4 hours away from my family and the dogs that I already had. I wasn't making very many friends and I could see myself going into 'self-destruct' mode. I was freaking out, frantically searching the internet for any type of home therapies, work-out, or distractions... Anything. Then, I stumbled upon the benefits of a 'therapy dog.'

The more I read about how a dog can help people with anxiety and depression, the more I got into searching for a new dog. After a few weeks of searching, I found her. I found my then 3-month-old puppy in a town an hour away. I spoke to the breeder and picked her up a few days later.

The first few months of having her was tough because she wasn't used to being away from her litter mates and I wasn't used to taking care of something so dependent on me all by myself, but I digress. Even the first few months of struggling with her there was therapy to me and I started noticing a significant difference in my mindset after the first two weeks of her being there. A month after getting her, one of my friends committed suicide and I had no one. Except Addie. And she was phenomenal at knowing what I needed.

When I bought her, I knew it would be a challenge. I knew it could get expensive. I knew it would be worth it. For me and for her. I cared for her. She cared for me. I knew I was responsible enough to care for her. I knew I had enough money to care for both of us. It was a bit of a struggle juggling work and school with my new puppy, but I made it work because not only did I need it and deserve it, she did too.

After a year of having her, with the help of yoga as well, my depression and anxiety was significantly better. All of those people who gave me so much grief for getting her came up to me again. "She is such a great dog. You did a good job." "I've noticed such a difference since you've gotten her. You seem much happier." "That dog has done you a world of good." ...You know, I knew she would.

After almost three years of having Addie, the progression has continued. I love that dog as if she was my own flesh and blood. She's the first thing and the last thing I make sure is okay every single day. Taking care of her and letting her care for me has nurtured my mind and soul in a way that I can't even describe.

Even now, people will sometimes give me grief for getting my dog when I did. I know that getting any animal in college is not the right move for people. Getting a dog young is not for everyone and not every person or animal has quite the same success that Addie and I have had, but it can be done. I know getting her was the right move. I'm a much better person with her here. I'm a much happier and healthier person with her here.

Please don't give people grief if they decided to get pets in college. It may just be the best thing for them. I know it was for me.

What kind of pets do you guys have?

Sincerely,

       Kristina

c u r r e n t l y . . .

It's been so long since I've done one of these posts and I love to do them. Not only for others to read, but I find that they are wonderful for me to look back on to see what I was thinking or feeling a few months to a year ago. Has it been that long already?

Making : Lots of decisions. As my life progresses, i find I'm making more and more adult decisions and I'm not quite sure if I'm making all the right ones.

Drinking : More and more hot tea... mmm...

Reading : More and more blog posts! Leave yours below!

Wanting : A Kit Kat.... I'm a simple person.

Wishing : For a new pen. My favorite one just exploded.

Appreciating : My life. Way too many people take theirs for granted and lately, I've just been appreciating simply being alive.

Wasting: Money. I guess it's not really wasting. Paying for my CAT scans and my 'oscopies' is just starting to get very expensive.

Waiting : For answers. So many things need to be answered...

Liking : The new coffee mugs at Target. Seriously though. Have you seen them yet?! Go. Look. Now. Please.

Loving : My new car. Let me tell you. Going from a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am to a 2015 Kia Forte is a HUGE jump.

Marvelling : The leaves changing. Besides spring, this is my favorite time of year.

Needing : Honestly, some support. Something significant happened to me and there aren't a lot of people I can talk deeply about it to and it's been a struggle to deal with.

Smelling : The Tea Thyme melted wax scent from Wal*Mart. It is a wonderful scent to transition from summer into autumn.

Thinking : About how much I have to do before graduation in December. Woof..

Knowing: That I am one step closer each day to having the life I've been dreaming of.

Feeling : So many things. My mind is deceiving me at the moment. So confused!

Anything new going on with you? I'd love to hear from you!

Sincerely,

        Kristina

Music : My Passion.

For me, music has always been a huge part of my life. My main passion. No, I'm not talking about the stuff that you hear on the radio these days. I'm talking about good ol' classical and instrumental music. Singing. Band instruments. Orchestra instruments. Yeah. That stuff.

From a young age, I knew I wanted to play the french horn and the cello. Oh, how badly I wanted to. In 6th grade, I signed up for trumpet. In the middle of 7th grade, my wish came true to play french horn. My senior year, I took private lessons and signed up for orchestra, but for viola instead of cello. Cue in world's smallest violin.

I signed up for choir and never looked back. I was in select choirs, show choir, Women's choirs, ensemble contest, and even was good enough to make the Iowa All-State choir my senior year. heck, I even did a year of college choir and landed a solo.

They say that if you play some sort of instrument, you have a better IQ and tend to do better in school. I don't know about that whole IQ thing, but I was still average in school. Bubble bursted. But I digress. Maybe I did better than I would've without the music trifecta. I do know that high school and middle school wouldn't be as wonderful for me if I decided not to play instead.

A lot of my classmates decoded not to join music until later in their career and deeply regretted not joining sooner. Seriously though, learning music is one of the greatest joy and best escapes. I don't know where I'd be today without playing and performing.

Even today, I still want to learn. At this point, I can sing, play the trumpet, french horn, mellophone, and viola. I'm teaching myself piano as we speak. I'm learning guitar when I can. I'm obsessed with learning how to play my ukelele. After I graduate, one of my presents I want to give myself is a cello. Mark my words, I will be a fantastic cellist someday.

At 21 years old, I still want to do things like this and learn things that I've always wanted to learn. Heck, my cute, little grandma is slowly learning how to play piano, too. Moral of this rambly story, it's never to late to learn. It's never too late to pursue a passion. It's never too late to learn a new coping mechanism and escape. Whether it be knitting, a sport, trying to write a book, go out and do it. Learning music is what I love. Go do what you love.

Sincerely,

             Kristina

P.S. what are some of your passions?

Graduation is near!

This is something that I am so incredibly excited for : GRADUATION. I have constantly been in school since my parents first enrolled me in Kindergarten, so that fact that graduation is creeping up is something I am overjoyed about.

December 18th of this year is when I finally graduate and become a Licensed Massage Therapist and can start working to become a Certified Pre-Natal and Labor Doula. Words cannot explain how excited I am to open my business and start doing even more good in this world.

These are things I have long since dreamed of dating back to when I was that little kid in Kindergarten. Helping and comforting people is what I love to do and I'm so happy that my dream is finally becoming a reality.

People. Stuff like this is possible. Hard work truly does pay off when you let it.

Sincerely,

            Kristina

Shower Routine and Tips... Seriously.

A while ago, I came across this post on Facebook about showering and honestly, it changed my shower game. Showering is actually something I've researched and shockingly enough, not a lot of people talk about it. Probably because it's showering. Out of my research, I found a decent amount of people asking Yahoo if there was a proper way of showering.

I did a lot of experimenting with this and am no sort of professional, but I don't think I'll be changing the way I am showering now and am glad that I've adopted these new techniques.

First off, use separate shampoo and conditioner. Especially if you are trying to grow out your hair. Conditioner clogs your pores and slows down hair growth. Focus your shampoo solely on your roots and not your ends because of breakage and focus your conditioner more on your ends. Who knew that they actually served separate purposes.

Do wash your face and your shower. The heat from the water opens up your pores more and makes the face wash more effective. BONUS: Use an exfoliating brush to help with the dead skin.

Showering for me in general takes 10-15 minutes and let me tell you, that time is wisely spent. I try to give everything enough time so I can have the benefits you are supposed to get from showering. The actual routine is:

• Put in shampoo
• Wash body with loofa
• Rinse out shampoo
• Put in conditioner
• Wash face
• Shave what needs to be shaved
• Rinse out face wash then conditioner

It took multiple showers for me to find a routine that I thought worked best. What shower tips do you have that works for you? Let me know!

              Kristina

5 Things You Didn't Know About Me.

I'm back. Again. With 5 new things you maybe didn't know about me! So much has happened in the past few months and some of those things may become posts. We'll see.

1. I'm ambidextrous. Very much so. I can write legibly with both hands. Some things I do amazingly with my right hand, some things don't. Some things go better with my left hand and other times, not so much. My parents didn't know if I was right or left handed until after my 5th birthday.

2. I have an abnormally long tongue. I've been able to touch my tongue to the tip of my nose for as long as I new that was a thing.

3. My need for wanting more animals never disappears. I bought some guppies about a month ago and on my walk back to my car, I decided that I wanted a bunny. It happens that fast.

4. I'm constantly in planning mode. Whether it be planning my life, planning on getting a new car, planning my non-existent wedding, planning for the future house I want to build, etc. Something that requires planning is always in the back of my mind.

5. I love packing. In past posts, I my have said I hated it (because packing can be frustrating) and know I probably will sometime in the future, but I love it. It's just like one huge puzzle to me trying to get as many things hit into one box as I possible can.

So there you have it. 5 things you didn't know!

What's one thing I don't know about you?

Kristina

The End Goal for My Career

This is something that I've been thinking about for a long time and is something that I've changed my mind about probably a million times. When I was little the answers went along the lines of doctor and veterinarian and back then, I really wasn't far off from what it is now.

I always knew that I wanted to go into health care of some kind whether it be people or animals. I have jumped from profession to profession, college to college before I actually figured out what I really wanted to do. My majors went from Nursing to Occupational Therapy to Undecided to finally landing on Massage Therapy. Funny thing is, that isn't my end goal. My dream profession would be... Wait for it...

Massage Therapy, Doula, and a Midwife.

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With Massage Therapy, the profession is build your own schedule. It's something that I love to do because I know it helps people. It's something that I can work with and can open doors to being a Doula and Midwife.

With being a Doula, I've known for years that this is something that I want to do. I love pregnancy. I love pregnant people. I love the birthing process. I know that this is something that I'm going to be in love with and enjoy doing for the rest of my life. I can't wait to dive in to get my certification.

With being a Midwife, this is the last thing I'll go to school for. I know for sure that I want to do the other two, but this one is sort of my pipe dream if I have the proper funds to do. Everything about pregnancy and birth from being a doula would apply here. I love everything to do with it.

I know that all of these things go hand in hand and I'm so happy they do. I love all aspects about all of these things. Health care and holistic professions is what I now know that I have to and want to do. Although I'm still in the beginning stages of my career path, I'm excited as to where I'm going to end up.

If you have any tips for me on any of these things, be sure to leave a comment below!


Kristina.

C U R R E N T L Y . . .

Hello everyone! April was way too busy for my own good. Lots of stresses come with moving, school, and work and finding free time and time to do homework is hard. I have to schedule both of those things for crying out loud. For any of you interested, here's what I've been up to and am currently doing for just about everything.

Making : Lots of DIY's. I moved home and my room doesn't feel like my room, so I'm always looking for more ways to spruce it up.

Drinking : A lot more of iced tea. Iced, unsweetened tea in the Spring and Summertime is my favorite.

Wanting : A bunny. Oh, how I would love to get a fluffy bunny.

Playing : With my puppy. She's the goofiest little thing.

Wishing : for a different cage set up for Quinn. The regular large-ish rodent cage just looks so tacky to me.

Enjoying : that I'll be done with college in December. Bring on graduation!

Waiting : for my month off of school. I'm in desperate need of a vacation.

Liking : being home. So much money has been saved just after this one month!

Loving : all of the blooming plants.

Marvelling : At how beautiful Iowa can be. Driving to and from home to Sioux Falls three days a week has really made me all the more appreciative of my home state.

Needing : An iced caramel macchiato. It's been way to long since I've had one and might be going through coffee withdrawals. 

Smelling : All of the wonderful flowers that are in bloom.

Thinking : About the weather. Spring weather is my favorite.

Knowing : That I need to get homework done. Come on, December.

Giggling : At customers. They've just been so nice and funny lately.

Feeling : Achy. I've been going to the doctor a lot lately, so we'll see what happens there

10 Tips for a New Hedgehog Owner.

In my small hometown, I maybe know one other person that has a hedgehog. I get questions all. the. time. from people who do and don't have one about how I take care of Quinn. Now if you've never owned an exotic animal before, it may be a little overwhelming. I know it was for me, so it's normal.

A lot goes into taking care of these little creatures because of how temperamental their little bodies are. Below are a few tips on things I have either read or learned the hard way. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. I'd love to help out any way that I can!

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DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional and do not claim to be. Every hedgehog is different, so these tips may not work for everybody.

1. Make sure you have proper heating for these guys.
This may be the most important tip. I keep Quinn in my room with me in the basement which is always cold, so this is an issues that was super scary at first. An ideal situation would be to have a reptile heating lamp. If not, just be sure you have a space heater, heating pad, and warm towels. If you want a more in depth post about what to do when they go into hibernation, please let me know! 

2. It may take a while to get used to the quills, and that's okay.
These guys are very prickly at first. Over time and with plenty of handling, you will get used to it. I promise.

3. If they weren't handled a lot as babies, they may take a while to get used to that, too.
Quinn was handled a fair amount when I first got her, but she wasn't quite used to me. Wear a poopy shirt for the day so your scent will get on it and stick it in with them overnight while they're snoozin'.

4. Feed them snacks. 
For this, I recommend going to hedgehog sites for more information. There will be certain meats, fruits, and veggies that they can't have. No two hedgehogs like the same things, so it will be a guess-and-test situation for the foods they can have. Also, be sure to give them mealworms. I've yet to meet a hedgehog who doesn't like them.

5. If you don't have access to proper hedgehog food, cat food will also do.
Make sure the cat food is high in protein and of higher quality. This website has some options for food. I don't remember which brand I get, but I'll add it in when I have to buy another bag. I only know it by the bag because it was a recommendation from another hedgie momma. Oops.

6. They do not need anything to chew on like rabbits and guinea pigs.
Thank God. It's one less thing to worry about.

7. A rabbit hutch or guinea pig cage will be fine for housing. 
No need for a big fancy cage unless you feel like it. A regular cage will do.

8. Hedgehogs can be potty trained.
Quinn actually potty trained herself and I followed her lead. I gave her an igloo that I had for my guinea pigs a while ago and instead of sleeping in it, she took her blanket out and uses it as her restroom instead. How smart is she?

9. They love to burrow.
I give Quinn old hand towels to burrow in. I switch them out and wash them every other week. When they are too torn up, just throw them out.

10. Be sure to give them a wheel to run on. 
This is pretty important. The wheel gives them something to do, but also helps keep them from being chubby. A word of caution, you will have to wash this often. They tend to go to the bathroom while running on it

I hope this was helpful to anyone wondering and informative to those who don't know anything about owning hedgehogs. Comment any questions!


Kristina

C U R R E N T L Y . . .

Hello again! I hope you all are having a wonderful year so far. I don't want to jinx it, but this Midwest weather is slowly becoming wonderful. Come on, Spring! Come here! Come here! Come here!

This month was a weird one for me. I'm slowly starting to become happier and realizing the most wonderful things that life has to offer. Given how I've looked at and experienced the past few years, this feeling and revelation is different and new and I'm welcoming every bit of it. In this new light, these are the things I am currently experiencing.

Making : life improvements. I'm starting to change my way of thinking about everything and being more positive and more happy. This time I'm trying to improve my ways of thinking, it's working and I'm liking it.

Wanting : my room at home, but for a weird reason. Back home, my room is in the basement. I've been wanting to do more exercise that has to do with cardio and jumping and whatnot, but I don't want to disturb my neighbors downstairs.

Needing : to find a new church. Mine went through some major pastor changes and the new one are changing the way that it's always been done. I'm more of an old fashioned church service type of person and I don't like where the pastors are taking the church. Words cannot explain how sad this makes me.

Thinking : about graduation from college. It's so close, yet so far away.

Feeling : Peaceful and happy. The new outlook that I have mentioned many times is helping with the anxiety and depression. I haven't felt like this in years.

Smelling : flower scented candles. I am more than ready for Spring to be here.

Cooking : Baby bella mushrooms. My favorite thing to fix into everything that I make.

Drinking : Cherry Coke Zero. I can't seem to kick the soda and I am obsessed with this stuff.

Reading : Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It's like a paper Pinterest. I can't stop.

Giggling : at the cute little old people and children who come into work. they make my heart happy.

Wishing : for rain. Bring on the rain.

Enjoying : my pets. Addie and Quinny are so cute. Hedge and Puppy have been eating dinner at the exact same time every night for over two weeks.

Wasting: time. The end of my school quarter is coming up and I have a million things to do. I don't know where to start

Waiting : rather impatiently to move home. I just want to be in my home at my work with my friends. I need stability for a little while.

Liking : crafting. I don't have much time to do it, but enjoy it when I have time.

Loving : worshiping and praying. I think becoming closer to God is making my shift for a happier and healthier life a lot easier. Loving me some Jesus!

Knowing : that I get to go home this weekend makes my day all that much better.

What are you currently up to?

Have a blessed day!

              Kristina

C U R R E N T L Y . . .

Here's to starting off the new year! Sorry I've been absent. Being a working person in college with other obligations gets the best of a person from time to time. But anywho. I've been seeing these " Currently " posts going around and absolutely love them, so here I am posting one myself. I will try to get one up at the beginning of each month, but I obviously can't make any promises with those curveballs life has been throwin'..

Making : goals and hopefully this year, I'll be better at sticking to them. I like to say I'll do things, but then other stuff comes up, attention is shifted, and the original goals go on the back burner for a little while. It's something I'm trying to improve on.

Wanting : to move home. I haven't really made a post on how living in Sioux Falls is going, but it's not going the way I hoped it would.

Needing : to buy groceries. My apartment has like, almost no food. I'm living off spaghetti and Pibb Xtra at the moment.

Thinking : about the future. I'm trying to figure out where I want to live and what I want to do after I graduate in about a year. My brain is on overload.

Feeling : Frantic, yet calm. There is so much going on in my life right now that my mind is like the energiser bunny, but I've also been doing yoga almost everyday to try to level out everything and it has seriously been helping when I need it to.

Smelling : Target's Autumn Harvest candle. It's my absolute favorite for the fall and winter time and stock up when it goes on sale. This candle needs to stay in my life.

Cooking : Healthier food. I've been wanting to be healthier for a while now and so far this year, I've been doing pretty good. Woo hoo!

Drinking : Lots of water, both regular and infused. This goes with that healthy thing I was talking about.

Reading : books for school. This quarter, I'm taking the most classes I have ever taken in the history of being in college. Reading too much for school burns me out for free reading.

Giggling : at Addie. That dog is just about the funniest little thing. She keeps my spirits up.

Wishing : for spring. Oh, how I love the springtime.

Enjoying : the quiet of my apartment. I'm moving back home with my family in March and with my siblings, Lord knows I won't get this much quiet till I move out again.

Wasting: way too much time watching CSI: Miami on Netflix.

Waiting : to do my homework. I have specific times to do it and don't like to do it any other time. My down time is very important.

Liking : Green peppers. I n e v e r liked them when I was younger but a few months ago, I tried them in a stir-fry dish my mom made and now I can't get enough of them.

Loving : Better Homes and Gardens magazine. That magazine is like the paper Pinterest for home decor and recipes. How could you not love it?

Knowing : that 2015 will be a pretty big year. I get to move home (which I'm obviously happy about), me and my family are finally going an a big family vacation which will result in my very first airplane ride, and my estimated graduation date is December. Be awaiting those posts, my friends.

What are you currently up to this year? I love to know how you guys are doing!

              Kristina