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