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A Little About Me...

So to start with the basics, I'm the oldest of four. My sister Kasey is a freshman at Southeastern Community College in Burlington, IA majoring in criminal justice. My brother Marty is a junior in high school and my youngest brother Kollin is a freshman in high school. I'm majoring in animal science pre-vet and now picking up classes to fulfill the livestock management option as well. My mom works at the University of Iowa hospital as a clerk and my dad is a farmer/ fur buyer. We've always had a variety of animals ranging from the normal farm animals to deer, elk and a squirrel. I grew up with farming and livestock and I can't imagine a life without it.

In high school I was involved in sports (but by my senior year that was limited to just volleyball and track.) I was a part of student council and I tutored as well. In 4-H my siblings and I took sheep, market goats, chickens, gardening and home ec projects, and cattle to the county fair. We also took poultry and cattle to the state fair a few years. I was on county council and I also was the president of my church youth group. When I wasn't doing something for school or and organization, I was helping out on the farm and doing other projects like raising money to do the Hy-Vee triathlon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

In college I am still managing to keep fairly busy. I play intramural volleyball (usually twice a year on women's and co-ed), played intramural ultimate frisbee once, and am in the pre-vet club. I help with stadium clean-up with the Salt Co. and have volunteered a few times at the Reiman Gardens for their Halloween and Easter activities. I was a co-leader for the Freshman Honors Program and am now a peer mentor for the Hixson program too. I also have a part-time job in a molecular genetics lab in Kildee Hall on campus.

When I graduate, I'm not sure what I want to do. I will always be involved with livestock but I'm just not sure how as of yet; I am still planning on applying for vet school. I've recently been applying for internships on ranches out west and went to visit one over Thanksgiving break.

So that's a little about me in a nutshell. I love to read, hunt, be involved on the farm, and basically just be outdoors. I love to just sit and shoot the breeze with my friends and listen to all the tall tales told after a day of deer huntin'. I go muddin' and swim in a farm pond but enjoy getting dressed up every once in a while too. I try to live my life by the Bible and always do my best to live my life to the fullest with no regrets. Live, laugh and love are three words that I keep in mind; together they sum up how I believe life should be. I do my best to be open and honest and if anyone has any questions ever I'll be more than happy to answer them. :)

A Race to the Finish Line

My junior year of high school I joined Team In Training of the Leukemia and Lymphoma society and decided to participate in a fundraiser to do a triathlon. The goal to raise was $2500, which is a lot of money when you have to go around asking for donations and support. I wrote letters to multiple companies that I was associated with either through my parents or 4-H, hand delivering them when I could. In the letters I explained my goal, where the money went, and even had a little bit about my honor patient and long-time family friend and neighbor who was diagnosed with Leukemia to make them more personal.

During the process of the fundraising I was able to visit the children's cancer unit at the U of I hospital and it made my cause even more important. I got to see how the disease not only affected the people who had it, but those close to and around them as well. It broke my heart to see children as young as 2 diagnosed with the often deadly disease, but it touched me to see the hope they had, especially their family when they learned of my cause to raise money for research for the cure.

I had nearly six months to raise the money and was finally able to do it with the support of my family and the community. Sadly though, my honor patient lost his battle with the cancer just over half way through. Seeing and feeling that immediate effect of emotions caused me to work even harder to meet my goal and let those who were involved through me know about it too.

It came race day and I was facing something I honestly wasn't really prepared for, with the minimal amount of training I did do for it. I had a 9/10 mile swim followed by a 40K bike ride and finished with a 10K run. Being a 17 year old it was more than a little intimidating to say the least, but I was going to do it. The daughter of my honor patient came to watch me in the event, and that meant a lot. She was showing her support of my cause by being there, but it meant a lot to her that I was even doing it.

I went through the race, very slowly, but I ended up crossing the finish line about four hours or so later. I ended up enjoying myself quite a bit though it all, but crossing the finish line was when I felt the best. I had accomplished my goal to raise the money and finish that race, but what was interesting was that even though it may have started out for myself, it ended up being for everyone else instead. For those I met along the way who had the cancer, their family members, and everyone else affected by it who I hadn't met.

In college I feel like so many times it's easy to get caught up in homework, friends and other activities that makes it easy to forget about the big picture. Who am I really going to be working for? As an animal science pre-vet major I hope to become a large animal veterinarian, or at the very least work with livestock in some way, but I won't really be working for just myself. I'll be working for all those who will count on me to know about their animals and put their trust in me to help them out. It's a selfless act that I need to keep in mind, to do well not only for myself, but for others. In order to do that in the long run I need to strive to persevere now and make the most of my opportunities that I'm given. Working toward a goal and seeing the effects it can have on others along the way is something that I've seen and been a part of now through TNT. I try to keep a long-term perspective, setting and working toward my goals and someday I will cross another "finish line" and see my hard work paid off.

A Changing Generation

The college mindset list from Beloit College was interesting to read. I thought that several points were made that could be seen as valid, but there were also several that were over exaggerated and more of a stereotype than how it really is, (for me at least.) I know I'm two years older than this year's class, but most of these things still can be applied to my generation as well. I don't really take offense, but I do disagree with several of the statements that make up the introduction and lengthy list made by Beloit College.

Honestly, I use e-mail more than I'm comfortable with. I love the days that I can check it and not have to wade through ten or more, but that comes with responsibilities today. It can be frustratingly slow but more often than not it's because someone or another just didn't check their e-mail as fast as I wanted. I don't very often, but I do still write letters regularly. I love to do that because I feel like handwritten letters are so much more personal to who I'm sending them to than just typing something up and shooting it out via e-mail. I'm not saying that everyone feels the same, I know some people who don't even know how to address an envelope, but there's my standing. I may not write in cursive, but I still can. It was something we had to learn and use in grade school, but whenever I could and today I print (well it's more of a mix) because I was always so slow at it. I do prefer for the most part to print notes and what-not else though because I learn it by writing it and I'm not the fastest at typing either.

When it comes to research I still make use of books a lot of the time. It's getting easier to use the internet and the card catalogs are now almost always electronic, but I don't think it's really a fair statement to make that our professors had to patiently teach us that way when we grew up being allowed to use only books and encyclopedias as resources.

As for tv channels, well I am guilty of having more than I know what to do with and still finding nothing I want to watch, so I'll often turn to a book, movie, or working outside instead. Well, that's at my mom's anyway. At my dad's we're lucky if ten channels come in, but they have the news and a couple other shows we'll watch, so it's not all that bad. And as for phones, the smarter they get, the dumber I feel. I don't know how anyone older can keep up with all the new technology that keeps coming out and upgrading; I have a hard time myself! We do still have a few corded phones at my parents' houses that we use. Sure they can be restricting, but we have a land-line in the house not needing electricity when it may happen to go out.

All-in-all, I thought the article was interesting to read with it's perspective of this generation and our ways. Even though I don't like to admit that some of the comments are true, they just are and there's no getting around or changing that. I don't think that all are founded and completely fair, but each differs with upbringing, location, and from person to person.

Laughter and Tears

I went home for the weekend, a last minute decision to just take a break after a stressful week with my first Organic Chemistry test. It was so nice to just go home and relax, hang with my family and friends and not have any deadlines to worry about (putting my homework on hold for the moment of course.) It was so much fun. I laughed so hard with my family that I was in stitches with tears running down my face. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I have a lot of good times with my friends here at school but it's nothing like and never will be like the times I have at home; just a small thing that's gotta be acknowledged, in my case anyway.

Well, I was leaving to come back to school and I just wanted to cry. I was feeling homesick and I hadn't even gotten on the road yet. It's a funny thing to say since I'm now in my third year at ISU and worked across the state all summer, but that's how it goes sometimes I guess. I hadn't gotten to even see my dad all weekend. I'd been at my mom's and when I'd stopped by his place, he was gone. The fact of being home and not seeing him was one reason for me to be upset. But I was blessed as I was going in to see my grandma that we met on the road. We each pulled onto our respective shoulders and just talked across the road through our windows. I didn't get a hug, but at least I got to say hi. That made me feel a little bit better.

I got in to Grandma's, where I never have enough time to stay and visit it seems like, but it's one of my favorite places to be. Bless her heart, she's always so excited to see me (and all my siblings) and she always has to pull the mother hen routine and take care of us, even though she just had her 90th birthday. She took me in, barely letting me out of a hug while she weighed me down with groceries from her own cupboard even as I tried (like always) to tell her I didn't need them. As I was leaving though, I got the best thing I could from her. I told her I loved her, like I always do, but today she surprised me by telling me she loved me back. Those words are seldom heard just like that out of her mouth. She always shows and tells us a thousand different ways, but hardly ever says those three together flat out. I think it was that right there that made me miss home, even before I'd left, the most.

I realized a long time ago that I miss so much when I'm away from home, but it hit me really hard today. Each time I go home my brothers are bigger and my sister is still prettier. They're more mature and always have new stories to tell. I just feel so out of the loop. I mean, I'm not selfish to the point that I think their lives won't go on without me, but I still wish I was there to see it happen and be in on it. So there's the things I do miss, and then there's the things I'm scared of missing, or not being there when they happen/ not being able to make it home. My worst "what-if" always runs through my mind when I leave my grandma's, which made it so much more special today when she out and told me she loved me. I got on the road after waving a last time and watching her in my rear-view mirror, stand in her driveway to watch me drive away, and just started crying. The tears running down my face were like the water running on my windshield as I drove for nearly the first half hour before I calmed down and settled in for the next two hours.

I think it's an important thing to learn and accept, that there are things we're going to miss, no matter how much we don't want to. But those aren't the things in life we should focus on. Instead we should take every opportunity we're given and make the most of them, making memories and finding new adventures that we can in turn share with our loved ones. They miss out on just as much in our lives as we do in theirs, something that I frequently forget but try to make up for by having long phone conversations when I can.

Feeling like a part of you is left behind can be hard to deal with, but it's normal and healthy. I think that I'm blessed to be able to feel that way when I leave home and my family. To be able to feel weakness is a strength and a part of growing up, a fact I often have a hard time grasping. So even though I feel that pain, I rejoice because I know it's because I'm leaving my home with all it's love and security to go out on my own again. But I also know it's always there to go back to, no matter how much I miss. I feel sorry for those who don't feel that connection for one reason or another because in our sorrows can come our greatest comforts and joys.

Don't be ashamed of "weakness" when it can really be seen as a strength. And though each of us may have our own reasons, we're never alone. There is most often another going through something similar. It's a part of growing up and the experience of getting out on our own. It should be embraced and learned from, but never ashamed of. We shouldn't regret the times we miss or get caught up in the "what-ifs," but we should make the most of the times we're given. Take comfort and smile, we've all been there at one point and those times will come again, but in that we can all come together. The laughter and tears we share and shed shape who we are and who we will become.

Hixson Section 8! :)

I really hope this helps you all! I can't wait to see what you all write about. :)

fun times... :)

Last Wednesday night was a lot of fun. It was great getting to hear from the pannel of past mentors. There was a lot of good insight and stories of fun times. I think it was a great way to put us more at ease about next fall. :)

It was so exciting learning who our pairs are for next fall! I can't wait for all the fun, and I'm sure there will be lots of it with Cody haha. And the game we played was fun too, even though I can't act and didn't know nearly half of the "famous pairs" lol. I still had a blast with everyone else, seeing all the fun we were having together.

Well, I'd better get goin' on the rest of my homework so I'll see you all Wenesday (if not before)!

Last Wednesday we went through a survey to review our confidence levels in the different catagories. It was interesting to do, to see where I felt confident in myself and my skills and to see where I wasn't. In every category I scored to where I was fairly to completely confident. It was good to look back over to see an overview of everything we'd gone over and learned throughout the semester too.

It was also fun and a good idea to come up with questions to ask a panel of past mentors. I can't wait until this coming Wednesday to ask them and hear their answers. I really enjoy having Randi and Kris in our group of us because of their past experience, but I can't wait to hear others' experiences too.

Hope everyone had an awesome VEISHA! Enjoy the nice day today and see ya all Wednesday! :)

Remembering Resources

On Wednesday we talked about scenarios that could possibly happen next fall and resources that are available to use for each. It's amazing the list of things that could potentially happen. Some of them I think are just normal for most students, like feeling a little overwhelmed with schoolwork at first, especially around test time, or missing home. But there were several that I honestly hope that I don't have to face like a student being raped or having thoughts of suicide. I really would be at a loss for words...

It was really good to get the list resources available on campus and go over them. I had heard of most of them but I tend to forget about the ones I either don't or haven't used. I think it's really important to be acquainted with all of them so that we are able to help our students out if and when they need it. Being aware of the opportunities and resources on campus available to us all as students is just another way to fulfill our roles as leaders for these incoming freshmen.

Having this knowledge base and the chance to go through some of the more difficult scenarios that could happen I think will help us to be more prepared to deal with them as they may come. It certainly helped me already. It was a nice review of what I tend to forget and comforting to know that I'm not the only one worried about situations I'm not really ready to handle. We're a support system for each other as much as we will be for our students next fall. It's a nice thing to remember.

Decisions, decisions...

On Wednesday Chels and Matt did a great job with their chapter. They gave us two questions to reflect on in our blogs which I think is a great way to hold us all accountable.

"What can I bring to the table of a group?"
-I help build and finalize ideas and am more than willing to work to see them through. I like to lead quietly by example. I also like to think through things for a while so I can consider all sides of an idea.

"What can I improve on?"
-I think I can improve on making myself heard more of the time. A lot of the time I would rather just sit and listen, absorbing and processing everything that goes on rather than giving my input right away. I could definitely be better at putting my own ideas on the table instead of just building off of others'.

I also thought the General-Decision Making Style Assessment was interesting. My scores I thought reflected me pretty well. I was highest in rational decision making with intuitive and dependant decision making tied in a close second. Aviodant and spontaneous decision making were my lowest two by quite a bit. I like to think and reflect on all things invloved in a decision and consult others, even to just add their feedback to my pool of factors, but try my hardest to not avoid any. I think problems can occur when that happens. I like to explore all options and think long-term, not only for myself but for others the decision my involve as well.

Good Times :)

So class Wednesday was great. It was really helpful and I think I'm safe in saying that I think it will help all of us immensely as we continue working on our lesson plans. They are a lot of work, but they can be a lot of fun too, coming up with different activites and thinking outside of the box to make common subjects interesting and beneficial. Setting the standards of our LPSs as a class I think was also a great idea, so they can be fairly uniform in their content.

And just gotta say, yesterday was a blast! It was so much fun! :) And thanks to everyone for the great pictures. I had a fun time taking them lol. It's good to be able to kick off our shoes for a while and just have a fun time together. Being able to play around together and getting the chance to bond and further our friendships was great. One of many great times to come I'm sure. Y'all have a great rest of your days and I'll see you in class Wednesday! :)

Sticky Situations

Hey all. Well I thought that the discussion we had to go with some possible scenarios was great. Not the situations, but what we came up with on how to handle them. I think that it's very important to not single our students out, or to treat them differently, no matter the case. Whether it be at a party or in the classroom where a crush my be involved, we need to not loose sight of who we are as people and not judge them.

Last semester when I was a FHP co-leader, there were a couple times that the subject of religions was brought up. It was slightly uncomfortable because I wanted to state my views on the matter at hand, but it wasn't my place. The first time it wasn't much of a big deal and pretty much dropped after just a couple of minutes. Another time there was a rather long discussion about several of their different viewpoints and many of us found out that one of the students was Jewish. None of it was negative, it was just casual conversation, and I think all of us were curious.

I found as the semester progressed that how my co-leader and myself acted toward situations/ how we handled them, is often how our students tended to look and react to them as well. It was sort of a wake-up call to me, just making me realize how much of an influence I had in those freshmen's lives. They looked up to me not only as an older student, but as a role model. Just keeping that in mind made it easier I think to make good decisions and to think more about my actions and how they could be portrayed by others. When we get into sticky situations next semester (it's the inevitable) we just need to take a step back and think about how we will react to it. If we stay calm and collected, it will often influence those around us to be the same. How "bad" a situation is all depends on how we decide to handle it.

Fun and Amazement

On Thursday I had my first official tour of the ISU campus. Austin did a great job of providing information and fun facts. I thought it was really fun and interesting, especially since I have never had one before. I had only ever been here for a couple different conferences and looked around on my own. It was neat to experience. :)

On Friday I attended ISCORE as well. The Native American dishes that were served for lunch were amazing! And the Keynote Address given by Ariel Luckey was just beyond words. He performed part of his hip-hop theater routine and I was just completely amazed. It was different from anything I've seen before, but so amazing. It brought out so many good points that we are often so ignorant of the actual history of this land and how we came to be here. He did an amazing job!

Learning and Thinking

Facilitating learning can be a difficul topic. There is never one way better than another, especially with the mix of styles between students. The word web for being an effective facilitator was awesome though! Everyone had great ideas and all of them would be great as guidelines to anyone as a leader. A few of them included honesty, enthusiasm, inclusiveness, patience, follow-up, and many, many more! Thanks for all your cooperation with the activity! You all came up with so many more than I could on my own. It's awesome getting the chance to learn and grow together. It's a great thing to start and build on now, as I think it will geatly benefit us in the future.

Heath and Allie also had us think and jot about metacognition. I really think it's important to challenge yourself and the reasoning behind your thoughts. I find myself in the situation more than I care to admit, where I am biased with my thinking and don't see a situation as viewed from an outsider. I am working on taking a step back and looking at situations I come across as they are, rather than just how I may feel about them at the time. I think it's an invaluble asset that can greatly benefit me in the future when I work with others. My goal is to be slower to judge and quicker to forgive. It's only fair to everyone I come in contact with and myself.

Communication

In class we discussed what it what it meant to be an effective communicator. It was amazing going around the room and hearing times from everyone when communication has failed them. It was also amazing the number of times that came to my mind when communication failed me. (My first thought with that starter question was, "I have to pick only one?!") It's so crazy to think about, and what blows my mind even more is that I'm almost certain that sometimes I'm not even aware of it.

To make myself a better communicator, I am going to work on not just assuming that the person I'm talking or working with knows what I'm talking about. I will be more patient and gracious about explaining myself and my thoughts. I will work more on giving and receiving feedback and being more aware of myself and my actions I convey towards it throughout the entire process of it.

Awareness and Diversity

In class it was interesting to go over the awareness assessment that each of us filled out. Many of us had similarities and others were different. From mine, I will work on being more pyisically aware of myself. I walk around campus as much as I can, hardly ever taking the bus, but my eating habits are another story. I am going to try harder to watch what I eat, meaning less junk food, smaller portions, and fewer late night snacks. :)

But another kind of awareness that we went over and I think is very important, is diversity. It's so important to see others for who they are, and not what they look like or where they come from. We can see so many differences between ourselves, even just in our class, but when people see others of different races, it so often seems like differences are expected. I don't understand why it's such a big deal then when we, in our class, all look alike and have somewhat similar backgrounds, but we are still so vastly different.

The article that Allie sent out, Unpacking the Knapsack, was really powerful. It's amazing all the things I find myself taking advantage of. There are so many things that I do that I never even give a second thought to. It just floors me that I can be so ignorant of these things while so many others of different races and ethnicities are forced to face them all the time. I really work not to, but sometimes I still find myself judging others based on stereotypes, rather than getting to know who they really are, and just because it's so "obvious" that they are different from myself. I can't even pretend to try to put myself in their shoes, it's just something that I think is beyond what I could ever even begin to understand, but I can't imagine that I would enjoy what many people go through every day.

I am so blessed, but now I just need to work on being a blessing to others I come across. I think I can at least begin that by setting aside my judgements and any stereotypes I have been raised with. I won't pretend to be on the same level as someone else, but I will treat them as the equals that they are.

Culteral Event

On February 8 I went to listen to Jeff Johnson speak in the Great Hall of the MU. He had many imteresting things to say on the topic of leadership. He said he would focus mainly on the black community, but that the problems are not unique to only them.

In Jeff's words, a leader is someone who will address issues an work to face and change issues or make issues known to people in positions of power. It is our responsibility to hold leaders accountable for what they say and how it affects us. He said he is "vexed" with the fact that so often today, more emphasis is put on attendance and giving speeches than actually doing something. He then went on to say and enforce that WE are in charge of creating a movement of change; we shouldn't leave it up to others.

If an action is disconnected from the agenda/issue, it isn't a movement, it's an activity. A movement brings about a change for the overall agenda/goal. He then said that most organizations are "wack" because students are not trained to face issues. They focus more on positions and meetings instead of strategies to make changes and actually face the fundamental issues. We also need to challenge our ignorance of others around us, but most often we opt out of it due to "political correctness." We should learn about others who are different than us. While we often see diversity, we often miss out on community. It needs to start with individuals.

When Jeff was winding down he brought up the fact that we were created with purpose. Our degree is a tool to fulfill that purpose and not what makes us who we are. What we've been through determines our leadership ability, but so many diminish their skills because they're waiting on a position. We need to take advantage of the time we are given for preparation and use our past experiences. He then gave the example of David in the Bible. He knew he could kill the giant because his past experience of having to kill both a bear and a lion had prepared him for it.

I thought that Jeff made some really great points in his talk. It really is important to use what you've been through before to teach and prepare you for what is ahead. We don't need to be in a position of power to make a difference, but since we are being given one, we should make the most of it next fall and even after.

Mind Over Matter

When I was reading chapter 5, I was kind of struck by what it said on page 81 about "doing" and how "agency is synonymous with success." As to the first, you have to do all in your power to expect to reach your goals. They won't just be handed to you. It gives a great example of going to study sessions but not doing the readings for a class, and I find myself in that boat sometimes. Everything you do has some type of an effect on everything else.

It then goes on to say that "agency is synonymous with success." Agency is the power to act and acheive a desired result. It is so important to believe in what you are doing, whatever it is, in order for it to come through. Without confidence in yourself and your actions, why would others believe in you? Even if you're not sure, you need to talk yourself up and have a positive attitude about it. My first couple years of track I had several parents of the older athletes tell me to just have confidence in myself, and that it would show on the track and improve my times even more. Once I finally got over that hurdle, and just tried my hardest, and found some confidence in myself, I finally did what they all knew I could. I've had similar experiences to that in school as well. The old saying "mind over matter" is really true I think. It's all about how you choose to look at things and with a positive attitude and confidence in yourself, many things are possible.

MBTI

Last Sunday was interesting going over our MBTIs. I learned a lot about myself that I never really thought about before. My "type" is ISFJ (introvert, sensing, feeling, and jusdging.) I am described to be practical, realistic, considerate, and responsible, focusing on the nees of others and valuing harmony and cooperation. I am usually seen as quiet, serious, and traditional by others as well as supportive. I am also likely to make decisions based on personal values and concern for others. The list goes on too, but you get the idea.

Looking at my life, I have always taken care of others, whether it be my three younger siblings, my family and friends, the students I tutored through high school, or even for people I don't even know through volunteering, it's just something I did and never really thought about as to why. It just makes me feel good to put a smile on someone else's face, especially when I can see that smile and have them not know it was because of me.

I always just figured that I took after my mom in that I usually make schedules and plan things ahead of time. I am loyal to my friends, and even more so to my family. I try to make the most common sense option available to me, but always think about others in the process. Sometimes when I take awhile to answer a question, or don't say much in a converstion, it's because I'm busy listening, processing, and storing information away.

All these traits I've always known I have, and they make me who I am. I just find it so interesting that the descriptions that the MBTI gave for my personality type nailed me so sqarely on the head. It's something neat to put thought into; getting a better glimpse and understanding of who I am, even though none of it is set in stone.

ISLE

Hey all. So far I've really been enjoying class and getting to know everyone and I can't wait for the group dynamics to increase even more as the semester goes by! Last Tuesday I went to the Iowa State Leadership Experience not really knowing what to expect. I ended up having a great time though, learning some new concepts and having some old ones reinforced.

The first session I went to was titled 'Leading Better Through Your Experiences.' We were broken into groups of three to discuss a leader in our lives and an experience that made them stand out as a leader to us. We discussed the three concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos as well. I didn't think I would ever hear of them again after my speech class last year, but here they are again. It's amazing how important a role they play in leadership, even without us really realizing it. Ethos is credibility, pathos emotions, and logos logic. It's important that all three are incorporated to be an effetive leader, even though each can be seen and interpreted differently by each person you come across.

The last session I went to was titled 'Balance for the Leader.' It was nice to go sit through this one, even though I had heard it all before. It was all about not spending too much of your time doing only one thing. Father Seda's example was studying. While it's very important to study for classes, we shouldn't spend all our time doing it. We can miss out on friendships and overall just get burnt out. It's important as well to take some time out and balance it with a real life, like going out with your friends and just taking some time for yourself. It was really good to just go over these points again and have them reenforced, because with my busy schedule I tend to forget them sometimes. It's so easy to loose myself in the moment when I'm worrying about a class, but taking a break really is beneficial. It gives me a chance to calm down and is refreshing.

Well I guess I'll wrap this up. I'll see you all at the retreat later today! :)

Kelly