I Love My Dogs!

I have the two best dogs in the whole world! One is a german shepherd named Leyna who is 5 years old. My other  dog is a (super fat) beagle named Presley who is 3 years old. They each have very distinct and crazy personalities. For example, Presley is obsessed with food and I mean literally obsessed. She would do anything and everything for the smallest crumb of any type of food. She loves bananas, strawberries, broccoli, and even june bugs! I know it's so gross! But besides her strange eating habits, Presley loves to cuddle, snuggle, and be as warm as possible. If I'm laying on the couch, she'll come jump into the crook of my legs and curl up into a little ball. She is also a huge people person. She loves to meet new people and have them pet her and love on her (she's a little spoiled!).

My other dog, Leyna, is completely different than Presley. Leyna likes food, but isn't obsessed with it like Presley. However, she is obsessed with tennis balls and rocks. Our whole back yard is filled with river rocks and she loves them. She holds them in her mouth and wants us to throw them for her all the time! Other than rocks, Leyna is a very loyal, family oriented, and protective. She would do anything for her family and loves when we come home to see her.

My favorite thing about coming home is finally getting to see my dogs! It's the best feeling walking inside and seeing how happy they are that we're there. I truly do believe that a dog is a man's best friend as my dogs are two of my best friends! I can't imagine life without them. They make everything so much more fun, interesting, and exciting!

Camp Wartburg

Every summer since 6th grade, I have been going to a Lutheran summer camp out near Waterloo, Illinois called Camp Wartburg. My brother and I have always looked forward to the week we get to spend at camp! They offer different camps such as caving, horseback riding, high ropes, and tons of other options. However, when I got to high school, I wanted something a little more challenging. Every year, Wartburg sends a group of older kids to Colorado to climb a mountain, go white water rafting, hiking, and camping. I went on this trip for three years in a row and had a blast each time. After three years, it was my little brother's turn to experience this amazing trip.  

My junior year of high school, I decided I wanted to try my skills as a counselor. They put me in the "summer camp" kids group. These kids come to Wartburg every day of the summer whereas the kids in the specialty camps only come for a week. Having the summer camp kids is way more difficult because they get bored very easily. Most of the time the kids already know each other and they've done everything there is to do at Wartburg. It was difficult trying to entertain them and come up with new and fun things to do, but I still had a great time being their counselor. 

The past two years at Wartburg, I have been involved in something a little different called Shepherding Week. During this week, the camp is open to people of all ages with physical and mental disabilities. At first, I was a little apprehensive about being a counselor during this week because I have never been exposed to a large group of people with disabilities. I really had no idea what to expect, but it turned out that Shepherding Week was even more rewarding and gratifying than climbing a mountain in Colorado! For the past two years, I have been with the same group. All of the ladies in my group are physically disabled, but that sure doesn't stop them from having a great time at camp! We go swimming, make crafts, play games, read stories, and act in a talent show. I am going back for my third year as a counselor for Shepherding Week and am really hoping they put me in the same group again! 

Being able to meet and interact with these wonderful people gave me such a different outlook on life. Even though they aren't the same as everyone else, they have so much joy and happiness to give and are always up for a new adventure. I would encourage everyone to experience this at least once in your life because it truly does make you see things differently. I am now much more comfortable around people with disabilities and look forward to going to Shepherding Week all year. 

Grey's Anatomy

At Thanksgivng, my aunt started talking about this show she absolutely loved, Grey's Anatomy. My mom and I never heard of it, so we looked it up on Netflix when we got home. Luckily, they had seasons 1-7 (yay!). At first, I wasn't interested, but after I watched a few episodes with my mom, I was hooked - and I mean hooked! Literally, for the past two months, all I have been doing is watching Grey's! It's about a group of surgical interns, residents, and their mentors struggling and dealing with their medical training and personal lives. It incorporates drama, thrill, comedy, and romance. Since I want to be a nurse, this show definitely hits home. However, I do realize that it is a made-up and the stuff that happens in the show hardly every happens in real life, but I still can't get enough of it! I finally finished all the seasons and am all caught up which means I have to wait until the new episode comes out on Thursday (boo!). If you have Netflix, you should totally check out Grey's Anatomy!

Volleyball

Growing up, I tried about every sport there is to try: basketball, softball, gymnastics, band, and soccer. But it wasn’t until I started playing volleyball that I finally felt something click. My mom signed me up to play in a league outside of school because our elementary school didn’t have sports teams (not until 6^th-8^th grade anyway). I started playing in 4^th grade and found I was a natural at being the setter, which is ironic because it’s the same position my mom played all her life! Even though at the beginning I wasn’t very good, I had my own personal coach at home, which was awesome. She always helped me practice and gave me great tips and advice on how to be a better player.

Once I got older, I got more serious about playing. When I was 12, I joined a select team called Southwestern Illinois Volleyball Club. They were way more serious and disciplined than my school volleyball team. As I started playing more and more, the more I loved the game. I played during our school season (August – November) then went right into select (December – April) then went to different summer camps around the area (May – July). So for 7 years, I lived and breathed volleyball. My mom came to every one of my games and tournaments and I really appreciate her always being there for me, cheering me on.

Being part of a group sport really teaches you a lot of things about life. For example, since I made a commitment to my coach and team at the beginning of each season, volleyball became my number one priority (next to school of course). But that meant that I couldn’t always go to my friends’ house on the weekends because I had to be up for a 6am tournament on Sunday. Or I couldn’t just stay home and relax after a long day at school because I had a 3-hour practice that night. I learned what it meant to sacrifice and be dedicated to something greater than yourself. Another thing volleyball taught me was how to be a team player and a leader. As the setter, you are the brain of the team; you have to make decisions on where the set will go, you have to be constantly talking and keeping everyone’s energy up, you are the one everyone turns too. Being a setter is a lot of pressure, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Overall, volleyball was a very influential and important part of my life. It taught me to be a better person, to always give my best effort 100% of the time, and know what it means to be committed and dedicated. Since I began college, I haven’t had the time to play as much as I would like, but I’m hoping to join a sand volleyball team with my mom this summer. Volleyball is a fun, fast-paced, and challenging sport and I’m so glad it was part of my life.          

Quotes

Quotes have always been something I love. I love reading them, finding new ones, and sharing them with others (mostly my best friend Anna). Instead of just picking one, I thought I'd share a few. In my last post, I talked a little bit about Pinterest and it is one of my favorite places to find new quotes. Here are just a few:

"Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always, believe in yourself. Because if you don't, then who will?" -- Marilyn Monroe

I love this quote because there were a few times in my life that I have felt like I was a failure. But the important thing to do is to just get up and try again. When you don't get it right the first time, make sure you learn your lesson and go at it again. Just like Marilyn said, believe in yourself and you'd be surprised at the things you can accomplish.

"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole live believing that it is stupid." -- Albert Einstein 

This is one of my favorite quotes! I love this metaphor because it's so easy to understand. I feel like we do this all the time in real life. We make judgements on people before we even get to know them. It's important to get to know a person and see what they've been through and struggled with before you can judge how they're supposed to be. Everyone is a genius in their own way.

"When you have to make a hard decision, flip a coin. Why? Because when that coin is in the air...you suddenly know what you're hoping for." -- Unknown 

This is another one of my favorites because it's so true! Actually, tonight Anna couldn't decide what nail polish to use. So I took them and put them behind my back and whatever hand she picked was the color she'd use. When I showed her the color she picked, she said, "Aw man! I wanted to use the other color!" Even though it sounds kind of stupid, it's exactly what the quote is about!

"Having courage does no mean that we are unafraid. Having courage and showing courage mean we face our fears. We are able to say, 'I have fallen, but I will get up.'" -- Maya Angelou  

I love this quote because it's very inspiring and uplifting. Even though you may fall down a few times, have the courage to stand back up and try again. It is kind of similar to Marilyn's quote above: keep trying and don't give up!

Pinterest

Pinterest is probably my most favorite website. I am on it all the time! For those of you don't know what Pinterest is, I will give you a quick insight. It is basically a virtual pinboard. People posts pins of anything and everything from wedding ideas, recipes, quotes, and I could go on forever. Each person has a profile with boards. Some of mine include Style & Beauty, All About Nails, Yummy Recipes, and Cute Crafts. So, as I'm searching through other people's pins and I find one I like, I can repin it to one of my boards. That way it will show up in my profile for all of my followers to see. It was a little confusing at first, but once I got the hang of it, I couldn't stop pinning! It's a great way to become inspired and get ideas on all sorts of things. It's mostly a website that's for girls, but there are some guys that like to pin as well and more power to them! Happy pinning :)

How to Tip Your Server

Working at a restaurant this past year has really opened my eyes to the server's point of view. I have a new appreciation for what really goes on behind the scenes. However, the biggest thing I have taken away from serving is how to PROPERLY tip your server.

There's a few general things you should know about tipping.

10% = Bad service
15% = Average service
20% = Satisfactory service

I know many people think that 10% is a standard tip, but I get upset if I only get 10% or less. I'm making $4.95/hour and I'm relying on the guests' tips as the majority of my paycheck. It's also good to know that satisfied does not mean the same thing as exceptional. If your server is polite, attentive, pleasant, and provided you with a satisfied dine-in experience, they deserve a 20% tip. However, if your server goes above and beyond, you should tip more than 20%. An easy way to do the math without the calculator is to just move the decimal over and double! For example, if your bill was $25.00, move the decimal over = $2.50 (10%) and double (20%) to get a final total of $5.00 for a tip. For those of you who can't afford to follow the proper tipping rules, to be honest, servers would rather you stay at home. As I said before, we are counting on your tips as the majority of our income, so for you to come to the restaurant, take up a table in my section, make me give you satisfactory service just for a crappy tip? No thank you. (Sorry if that sounded rude, but it's the way 95% of servers feel). Another rule of thumb; if you get a discount (use a coupon) ALWAYS tip on the full amount. Servers have to provide the same service either way, so we're expecting a tip on what the full amount would be without the discount.

Now, every time I go to a restaurant, I pay close attention to my server and the environment. Before, I never really thought about tipping my server. I would always tip the bare minimum because I didn't understand how to tip properly. As I have worked in a restaurant, my perspective has changed drastically. I hope those of you who read this take your server's into more consideration the next time you go out to eat.