Inspiration Collage

I ended up making this much faster than I thought I would - that's what happens when you're using your computer to watch the show Lost. So here it is, I may make changes to it if I find something that really strikes me.

Wedding "Theme"

Because the wedding date is in August, and we want to keep the day on the casual side with things to do outside other than dance, we landed on a picnic theme. When I first starting looking for inspiration on the internet, I saw some examples of weddings that actually used picnic blankets for guests instead of tables. Matt quickly nixed that idea, with the compromise that we could have some of our wedding photos taken with a picnic blanket.

But other picnic inspirations will live on. Here are some of the things I am thinking about...

• Colors - watermelon pink, green, and yellow (pic)
• Main flower- gerber daisies
• Food- while still to be chosen and planned, I'm thinking gourmet sandwiches, fruit salad, a lemonade cocktail
• Activities- croquet, horseshoes, badminton, ladder toss, etc.
• Tables- pale green or yellow gingham tablecloths
• Making use in some way, shape or form of- wicker baskets, galvanized steel buckets, and mason jars

I am thinking of creating an "inspiration collage," which I will post on this site if and when I create it.

What is Public Health?

I am pursuing a field that is usually misunderstood by the general public. When someone hears public health, they usually think of health inspectors and the people who report on disease outbreaks. There is so much more to public health though, that I kind of dread people asking me about it. It's not easy to explain, and until I'm done with grad school, I won't have a specific area that I work with.

The following description is taken from http://www.whatispublichealth.org

Public Health is the science and art of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research for injury and disease prevention.

Pubic Health improves the health and well being of people in local communities and across our nation.

Public Health helps people who are less fortunate to achieve a healthier lifestyle.

Public Health works to prevent health problems before they occur.

I will be studying Health Behavior/Health Education at U of M. The program will prepare me to "utilize behavioral science and research methods to analyze public health issues, address health disparities, and develop and evaluate interventions and policies." Some of the areas of focus of this program are:

*health behavior over the life course
*health disparities - race, gender, class
*gender and health
*research methods
*interventions from individuals to communities to nations
*health communication

Graduates have opportunities to work in communities, non-profit organizations, schools, hospitals, government agencies, etc. Some job titles of recent U of M graduates from the HBHE program are:

Outreach and education director
School health educator
Worksite health promotion coordinator
Health media web designer
Patient education coordinator
Health literacy expert
Assistant professor

(U of M's School of Public Health, Health Behavior/Health Education)

I hope this helps shed some light on what is I'll be spending the next two years studying :)