Video about Public Health

Still not sure what it is that public health is all about? Videos are always a fun way to learn, check this out!

Summer to-do list!

I have been looking forward to this summer for months! On this first day of my summer, I have decided to make a list of things I hope to do between now and September. Some will be serious goals I want to achieve, others will be things I just want to try out, and anything in between. As I think of new things, I will likely add them. And of course, I will blog about the progress, including as many pictures as I can!

1. lose 15 pounds
2. take a pottery class
3. attend some summer fest events (why have I not already?!)
4. create a mosaic to be wall mounted
5. read at least 2 fiction books I have not read before
6. read at least 2 non-fiction books
7. try golfing
8. Watch The Office (I can't believe I've been missing out all these years!)
9. go geocaching at least once a month
10. hang out with friends - a lot
11. cook one new recipe a week
12. overhaul my resume to reflect my grad school experiences and what not
13. take the Ortonville girls to Dominick's
14. ride my road bike - more than the once or twice I've done the last few summers
15. get a decent tan
16. have a great night with all 3 of my bridesmaids before my wedding
17. finish P90X
18. get married
19. have an awesome honeymoon in San Francisco
20. ...to be determined...

What I spent my semester doing...

Prior to starting school last fall I posted an overview of the field of public health that I am focusing on, health behavior and health education. Now that I am less than a week away from the end of my first half of grad school, I thought I would share the projects I am working on this semester. They are VERY hands on, and should give a better sense of what my field is all about.

Two courses will be covered, the other three aren't nearly as interesting.

HBHE 641: Materials and Methods

This course is basically about how to evaluate and create effective and appropriate health education materials.

Each group was given a community agency to work with, and my group worked with Allegiance Health, the hospital/health system located in Jackson, MI. Allegiance heads up the Health Improvement Organization of Jackson County, and they were looking for a campaign to promote physical activity, healthy eating, and stress management.

My group decided that we want to focus on promoting local resources and finding ways to make healthy choices that make sense for your life.

We started with the idea of a print campaign. We wanted to take photographs of Jackson residents modeling healthy behaviors. As a tying slogan we had the idea "ReThink" health. For instance, we wanted to promote things like playing in the snow with your kids as a way to get physical activity.

After pitching the idea to our contact at Allegiance, we decided to add a website to the campaign. For each of the three topic areas we provided educational material, as well as links to and information about local resources.

Enough with the words though, here's the result...

Print ads (click each ad for a larger view):

The website we created can be viewed here. This is purely a mock-up, and there is no guarantee it will be used by the organization. As a group we decided what we wanted the website to contain, how we wanted it to look, and wrote all of the educational material. Our professor paid for a web designer (a U of M senior who does this as a hobby), to work with us to create the website. In addition, every group had a budget of $200 to create the project. Ours was spent on hosting a focus group to test our materials, providing a thank-you gift for Jess, and a few dollars spent on printing the ads to present in class. This class was amazing.

My internship this summer will actually be with this organization, and I will be focusing my work on materials creation, so I may get a chance to continue work on this project!

The next course will covered in a different post, I'm sure the suspense is killing you ;)

Insomnia

I can't sleep. Every few months I make the mistake of thinking about wedding stuff right before I go to be. Then I can't turn my mind off, and I lay in bed thinking about 10,000 things.

I'm almost to the end of what I can entertain myself with online...I've been sitting here a while. So I thought I'd share the latest wedding plan.

Bridesmaid dresses.

Christa, Angie, Jessica and I went to pick these out last weekend. Sadly Laura doesn't get to try things on, as she is in Japan, so we have to hope that it will work out and look good when she gets here.

Christa and Angie will be wearing this dress (but we're taking the bow off)...

And Laura and Jessica will be wearing this dress (but we're adding an ivory sash to the waist line)...

The Great Snow Wall of Dicken Drive

A few nights ago I decided I wanted to go play in the snow. I wanted build something I could put the Olympic rings on, Matt wanted to build a giant wall.

We both got what we wanted.

Saturday evening Matt, Jess, Jon and I bundled up and headed out side. With three shovels, two recycling bins, and a plastic storage bin, we set out to work building a wall. The first three blocks of height went up so fast that we decided, let's do one more.

At four blocks of height I was at eye level with the wall at one low point in the ground. The adrenaline still running, the guys decided to add one more level.

As the wall came together I decided I had the perfect canvas for my Olympic rings. Matt and I went to Meijer to something to create the black ring, and low an behold, they had black food coloring. It was meant to be.

Sunday "morning" after my first cup of coffee, Matt and I headed outside with 5 cups holding water and food coloring, 3 paint brushes, and a bicycle tire. Matt held up the tire so I could trace the rings with the end of a paint brush, and then we set to it. Neighbors drove by staring, in some cases stopping and rolling down their windows to let us know how much they liked it.

It was an awesome feeling. And then the sun came out.

For the first time all winter I wanted it to stay dark and cold, because sure enough, it got so warm the the food coloring mixed in to the snow too well, and it faded so much the rings were barely visible.

Tonight when the sun goes down I plan on adding another layer of food coloring, it looks the weather tomorrow will be more cooperative. Either way, it was fun while it lasted.

January has come and gone...

...I am supposed to be studying right now. But I get distracted easily...

So far 2010 has been decent in my world. I've gotten a handle on a lot of those things that for years I said "I wish" about. For instance, I am getting up at a real-person time everyday, and going to bed hours earlier than I used to. I am working out 6 days a week, and loving it. I feel great. I am counting calories 5 days a week, and other than the occasional cup of coffee I bring all my food for the week with me to school and work, as opposed to buying it out.

The problem: I am doing nowhere near as much as I should be for school. And it's starting to get worse because I have three classes with group projects that are really starting just about now, and the meetings for these projects is cutting into my "homework" time. It doesn't help that I have work on Saturday and Sunday, as well as grocery shopping and other household tasks to take care of.

I've hit a point where if I want to stay on top of the things that I am so excited about right now (getting enough sleep, working out, eating healthy) that something is going to have to give. So, have decided to leave my job a littler earlier than I had originally planned. I was going to leave before final exams so I could focus on studying, plus I will start a full time internship right after that anyway. But I have made the very difficult decision to part ways by the end of February. This was not an easy decision to make, and I still don't like that I have to do it, but it's just what I need right now.

In other news, I have lost 2 inches off my waist in the last month! I am so excited, it's great motivation to want to keep going. I never really weighed myself before starting, though I know the general range I was in. I'm not as concerned about "weight" really though, as I just wanted to get more toned and reduce my body fat. Maybe next month I'll brave the scale....

In wedding news, I have picked out my dress, and we have picked our honeymoon locale. Matt's not allowed to see the dress, so be be on the safe side I'm not posting any info here, but if you want to see it, post a comment and I can email or facebook it to you.

As for the honeymoon, we will be going to San Francisco! I have always wanted to go to California, and I have heard great things about SF.

Well, I should probably get to the actual studying I sat down to do, since I do have an exam tomorrow...

2009 in Review

With 2009 coming to a close, I thought it might be nice to look back at some of the happenings of 2009. Some good, some less so, it's been quite a year in these parts...

January:

• Group trip to Chicago to visit Simmer, where Jess and Angie more or less met
• Jess and Angie start dating
• Finished submitting grad school aps (7 in all)

February:

• Grad school admissions decisions received, accepted to 6/7 programs I applied to
• Picked U of M SPH to attend in the fall

March:

• Jess, Matt and I moved into a great rental house

April:

• Submitted my honors senior thesis entitled Freedom to Live, Freedom to Die: Health Disparities in El Salvador
• Graduated Cum Laude from EMU with a major in Health Administration and minor in Human Biology, with Departmental and University Honors

May:

• Matt proposes on the 16th

June:

• Jess starts his photoblog, thedirtstreet.com, featuring a new photo every day, and really starts immersing himself in photography

July:

• Matt started working as a Meter Reader for Consumers Energy

August:

• Matt bought a Ford Ranger for work, saying goodbye to his Jeep.
  

September:

• Started my first semester at U of M

October:

• Filled the house with awesome people for a Halloween party

November:

• My first meatless Thanksgiving, followed by a hilarious night of billiards and UNO at my mom's house with our friends

December:

• Jess laid off from Great Lakes Cycling and Fitness, where he's worked since I met him
• Finished my first semester of Grad School
  

As you can see, I really I had stretch to fill every month. But, here's to 2010!