Saturday, April 30, 2011

Learning to Give

Hello again everyone. I am sorry that I haven’t been posting as much as I had expected at least. It’s been a hectic sort of semester. I have been feeling like crap for at least 4 to 5 months, half from starting the Rebif, part from the MS, and now part from gallstones. I had an ultrasound done (after having intense pain in my back and stomach and horrible acid reflux like symptoms) and will have to have surgery to remove my gall bladder. It’s not like I need it, but I’d rather keep all the organs God gave me. Needless to say I am not happy to find out that I need more doctors or that more hospital visits are in my future. 


I also got my MRI done on Friday, which thanks to a lot of medication was only slightly horrible. I will get results on Monday, and hopefully they will be all clear. I will have another post than with my reactions. I am holding up the best I can, but it is getting very frustrating to keep getting these, well illness. I am having a tough time getting my last weeks in the semester done while having to deal with all this. However, I found a great way to give my time to good causes and that is helping to lift my spirits. 

What if I told you one click of your mouse could donate rice to hungry people, food to homeless animals, save a rainforest, and give big cats a place to live? Is one click too much to give? No, that’s why I have started to donate my time to simply click on various charitable sites, which through the revenue gained from ads are able to donate to various charities.


Simply go to these sites and click for each charity, it’s quick, painless and really helps.
http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3&link=ctg_ars_home_from_vet_home_sitenav




I will be posting my progress through these charities (and others that are slightly more involved) to see how much of a difference it really makes.

Sponsorship of a child: 8 cups of food
Giving Books to Children: 4 books
Rainforest saved: 55 sq. ft.
Big Cat Habitat: 33,000 sq. ft
Free Mammograms: 6
Homeless Pets: 7 cups of food
Veterans: 3 meals
Defense of Baby Seals: 3
Oceans Protected: 300 sq. ft.
Feeding Primates: 3
End Violence: 3
Wolf Habitat: 3
MS Research: .54 donated
Rice Donated: 2640 grains

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Day Zero Challenge


Hey Everyone,
Sorry it has been so long since I posted. I have been busy, but most of all I have been tired. I can’t seem to get past the tiredness. I am tired the day after my shot, the day of my shot, and every day of the week. Sleeping doesn’t help; it’s just a tired feeling that won’t go away. I am just working through it and resting while I can. The heat is also getting to me, it seems to make me more tired and cranky. 

Oh well. The achiness from the shots has definitely gone away, all I get is a small headache the day after. I am pretty happy today though, I am completing my final project for a ceramics class (a pile of books) and I had a wonderful day trip with my mom yesterday to Dickson Mounds. Even though it was slightly creepy (it is built on an Indian burial ground, and the bodies are still there) I had a ton of fun. This leads me to my next point, I decided to do the Day Zero challenge!

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

Here is my list, feel free to start your own. It is really hard to get the last 55 or so, but I am hoping to complete this challenge. 

DUE:
Friday January 3rd 2014

1.     Go to Europe
2.     Take a picture every day for a year
3.     Upgrade Computer
4.     Read 10 classics
5.     Start a new book each month
6.     Graduate with honors
7.     Start a Master’s program
8.     Learn to oil paint
9.     Learn the family traditions
10. Travel to at least 5 states

11. Live in Chicago
12. Relearn German
13. Do yoga regularly
14. Take a cruise
15. Return to Disney World
16. Visit Aunt Marcy
17. Be Episode Free
18. Rescue and animal from a shelter
19. Go Camping
20. Read the Bible

21. Learn to cook
22. Bake by weight
23. Start a novel
24. Go to a spa all day
25. Learn how to do my hair and makeup
26. Go on a road trip
27. Donate to the Heifer Project
28. Relax for a whole week
29. Make a library for all the books you have already read/ read all the books in your library
30. Plant a tree

31. Clean out my closet
32. Spend a whole day with God
33. Learn Guitar
34. Donate Christmas Gifts
35. Donate 100,000,000 grains of rice at freerice.com
36. Take $14 out of each paycheck for 1001 days
37. Get a credit card
38. Pray everyday for a month
39. Eat at 5 new restaurants
40. Relearn swim strokes

41. Give yourself a treat over $100
42. Learn First Aid
43. Eat outside 10 times at a restaurant
44. Enjoy a cool drink on a hot day
45. Buy quality jewelry
46. Learn to face paint
47. Buy a truck
48. Make a difference in the community
49. Make homemade ice cream
50. Make your own tomato sauce

51. Learn to make a home made item
52. Find the perfect shade of your favorite color
53. Help someone who doesn’t need it
54. Learn etiquette
55. Eat at a really fancy restaurant in your best clothes
56. Go on 101 day trips
57. Try 3 new spices
58. Buy a whole new wardrobe
59. Travel to 3 other states
60. Invest in Disney Stock

61. Go through project box, do 3 projects
62. Learn to Dance
63. Eat something you don’t want to
64. Create are every day for a month
65. Lose 20 lbs
66. Reread all Harry Potter books
67. Watch all the Harry Potter movies
68. Can jam
69. Go to an orchard, pick some fruit
70. Drink an extra bottle of water everyday for two weeks

71. Take vitamins every day for a month
72. Plant a garden
73. Find a waterfall
74. Run for 30 minutes
75. Go to 10 Museums
76. Go to 3 state parks
77. Paint from the Bible
78. Stop and savor the seasons, take pictures
79. Have a tea party
80. Learn photography

81. Watch the sun rise
82. Get a juicer
83. Sit in a church and feel God
84. Draw 10 of the most important buildings on campus
85. Read all the fairy tales in German
86. Watch all the Disney classics
87. Scrapbook college
88. Name a star
89. Learn all the names and stories of five constellations
90. Spend one whole day outside

91. Send troops care packages
92. Write 5 poems
93. Create a self-portrait in any medium
94. Become at least a Jetsetter on Passporter
95. Do something that makes you turn into a little kid
96. Get at least 3 manicures and pedicures
97. Read War and Peace
98. Make a quilt
99. Make dishes from 3 other cultures
100. Go on 10 Picnics
101. Hand make a gift, just because