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.