I Got A Feelin'

What a uplifting and addictive song this is! For those of you who haven't heard it yet- I Got A Feelin' is a new song out by the Black Eyed Peas. They performed it LIVE at Grant Park in Chicago on the Oprah show a few weeks ago and crowds of people even performed a choreographed dance to it. Here's a link to check it out on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMpSa9OF2AM

As soon as I'm able to start working out again, this song will be the first on my iPod playlist!

p.s. Jen if you're reading this- don't buy this song. It's on your new JennaFall CD that you'll be receiving before your upcoming b-day.

Women's Rights

When I read articles about the inequality of women in other countries, I am quickly reminded of how lucky I am to be a woman in the U.S.

It's too easy to take for granted the rights that past women have fought for, so I hope this post serves as a reminder that there are women in other parts of the world right now in 2009 who still don't have the freedom, independence and respect that they deserve.

Here's a excerpt from a recent article featured in salon.com that points out how the mandatory dress code of women in parts of Africa really controls more than just what they wear:

"Women in Buganda are expected to wear long skirts. So what’s the big deal? defenders of such traditions ask. It’s just a skirt, after all. No, it’s more than just a question of choosing to wear a skirt or pants. Behind this choice stands the choice to do many other things as well: choose a partner, a career vs. (or in conjunction with) motherhood, a place of residence, a political party, a religion – in fact, just about anything that women in Western countries take for granted. Until women are granted the right to choose the clothes they wear on their backs (and over their legs), they will not be free to choose a self-determined life in dignity. But isn't that the whole purpose of women's dress codes in the first place? "

http://open.salon.com/blog/judy_mandelbaum/2009/09/22/indecent_acts_african_women_fight_to_dress_as_they_choose

Introducing.....myself as a lecturer at USU!

In early November, Utah State University will be hosting a Customer Service Seminar on behalf of the John Huntsman School of Business. I will presenting a 60 min. lecture on marketing techniques and effective communication methods.

For more info, you can check out my bio/presentation summary, as well as some of the other presenters here: www.partners.usu.edu/htm/seminars/customer-service/cs-speakers

Hilariously funny e-mail fwd from my cousin...

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option. -Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong. -Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk. -That's enough, Nickelback. -I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger. -Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with? -Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft. -There is a great need for sarcasm font. -Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it. -I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it. -How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? -I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in. - I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die. -The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text. - Was learning cursive really necessary? - Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say". - I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger. - Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart". - How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said? - I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dork from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers! - Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies" -What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other? - MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood. - Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died. - I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water. -I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired. - Bad decisions make good stories -Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do! -If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible. -Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem.... -You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day. -Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection. -There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far. -I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to. -I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?' -I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste. -When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking. -I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes. -Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles... - As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists. -Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is. -It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood. -I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call. -Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time... -My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that? -It really upsets me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can’t wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that’s not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase “Regards" again. -I wonder if cops ever get angry at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

In honor of LABOR DAY this month

Throughout my pregnancy I would often hear women say how there’s no need to be a “hero” when it comes to giving birth, or the famous line that they don’t give out any trophies; babies aren’t any cuter, etc. for having one naturally (aka drug free), but I have yet to meet any woman who elected to have a natural birth simply for the recognition. The reason I hear of women electing for a natural birth is because it’s what they believe in. I must also add that I consider every woman who carries a baby for 9 months and gives birth remarkable- regardless of the procedure (epidural, getting induced, c-section), because let’s face it – it takes an extreme amount of courage to go through any of that and therefore no women should be judged by her birth experience.

What I came to find out during my pregnancy is how foreign the idea of natural childbirth has now become. I could handle people calling my husband and I crazy for not wanting to know our baby’s gender until birth, but as soon as they would ask about the kind of delivery I planned on having, and I responded with “au natural,” I would immediately hear remarks like “well, you just don’t know what you’re in for” or, “good luck with THAT!” Even our dr. (whom I made sure had performed a high number of natural childbirths before we selected her) was pushing us along after wk 36 to hurry up and have the baby! When I was still pregnant at the end of week 39 (my due date) she made me feel like something was wrong with me, and never once reassured me that as a first time mom, going 7-10 days past our due date is COMPLETELY NORMAL. She instead told us that we would need to schedule an induction by the end of next week. It was only after my husband and I blankly stared back at her that she then offered us our “other option” of going until the END of week 41 (women are technically not considered overdue until the end of wk 42 by the way) with a few extra tests to ensure baby continues to carry a healthy heart rate and amniotic fluids are where they should be.

Even though I liked our second option much more than the first, I was still feeling a bit anxious. This wasn’t helped with repeated calls/emails/texts from our friends and family members to see if we had the baby yet (I know they meant well, but that part was really hard since I am such the planner and wanted nothing more that to have that baby in my arms and its darling announcements on order). I even tried singing to the baby “Happy Birthday” on certain days, drinking red raspberry leaf tea (said to tone the uterus), eating foods with oregano, basil, and roasted red pepper (all said to stimulate labor), pineapple (said to soften the cervix), and did LOTS and LOTS of walking and swimming!

While I’m not sure if any of these methods made any difference, I do recall considering for a brief moment to just give in and “schedule its arrival.” Since I was still not 100% sold on this, I went back to square one and did some more research on elective induced labor and proof that a healthy pregnant woman can successfully carry a baby until full term (a full 42 wks). I figured we are given 9 months for a reason, and I would much rather put in the time to educate myself than be caught in a less than ideal birthing situation.

One book that I found quite interesting is: The Thinking Women’s Guide To a Better Birth by Henci Goer. Here’s one quote that I think best captures the essence of her philosophy: “Obstetricians are influenced by the broader culture to believe that technology is superior to nature and machines are more reliable than people. This explains why not intervening has the burden of proving itself rather than the other way around.”

Now I’m not saying that I think that all medical assistance is bad and that we shouldn’t listen to our dr.’s because I of course understand that certain circumstances call for different protocols, but I do think that there’s a lot of unnecessary medical intervention/false worry going on with women who are COMPLETELY HEALTHY. With that said, my husband and I still felt safest by going through a hospital, just with a bit more caution to their “routine practices.” As Goer’s book states, a lot of the reason why so many dr.’s heavily influence induced labor by wk 41 is because the cost of THEIR practitioner’s insurance goes up after then. Goer also points out that hospitals have to maintain staff anesthesiologists around the clock for obstetric emergencies and in order for these doctors to make what they consider an adequate income, the hospital has to maintain something like an 80% epidural rate. After reading this I knew we had to REALLY SPEAK UP for what we wanted because I refused to be just another number!

As it turned out, all of our waiting and stronghold in our beliefs for a natural arrival and delivery really paid off. On a bright and sunny August day (8 days past our due date) I experienced an extremely empowering, satisfying, and naturally safe birth to a completely healthy 8 lb. baby boy. Yes, he arrived more than a week past his due date, but I refuse to call him late because according to him- he was right on time! He also wasn’t abnormally large, and when my water broke, it was completely clear- no meconium or any trace of any of the other reasons they try to scare women with to get them to agree to be induced. I also know that I had the BEST LABOR COACH ever with my husband, Bart. He kept me going strong and when I looked into his eyes, really deep into his eyes, I knew he was right there with me- I mean really there. That was HUGE! Plus, he knows how to give really good massages. J Our nurse commented that she wished her husband was that good and that we should both teach Lamaze classes!

I also experienced the cloud-9 motherly euphoria that you hear so much about that happens the minute you hold your baby for the first time….THAT IS SO TRUE! So know that regardless of the after-birth aches and pains, the rush of endorphins and adrenaline (our bodies natural drugs) really do their part in making you forget about all of the pain. After this birth, I remember melting away into a blissful happiness of accomplishment and relief.

I hope that more women/couples take part in the proper preparation to fully consider all of their choices throughout pregnancy and labor and are not afraid to ASK THEIR DR. LOTS OF QUESTIONS because the election for medical intervention is a slippery slope. I know that it was because of my good health that I was afforded a lot more choices with my birth, but I also did A LOT OF RESEARCH to gain confidence in how a woman’s body is made to do this, as well as outweigh all of the pros/cons associated with various drugs and tests.

May more of us be THINKING WOMEN and never be afraid to TRUST IN OUR AMAZING BODIES. After all, as Korte and Scaer once said, “If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any.”

Obama's Education Speech

I'm still trying to figure out what the big controversy surrounding Obama's speech on education was yesterday. I know he addressed it specifically to America's youth, but his message was clear and simple: stay in school, work hard, and don't give up. Why any parent, teacher, or school principal could object to these steadfast messages is beyond me!

While watching this speech I became very grateful that we have a President who acknowledges these goals and doesn't overlook the value in repeating them regardless of how many times we may have heard them before. He is aware of his influential power (especially with the younger generation) and used it to remind us all of the importance in education. Here are some of my favorite take-aways:

"No one is born being good at all things. You become good at things through hard work."

"Many young people see through the media that people can become rich and successful without any hard work. The truth is being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject that you study. You won’t click with every teacher that you have. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute and you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try. After all, look at successful people such as JK Rowling. She had her Harry Potter book rejected 12 times. Michael Jordan was rejected from his high school basketball team."

"Don’t let your failures define you, let them teach you. If you get a bad grade it doesn’t mean your stupid, it means you have to study."

For my master's field project I created a series of life lessons plans for an inner city charter school in Salt Lake. The lessons focused on building their self esteem, setting goals, career planning and emotional and physical wellness. I hope to one day teach a class with the curriculum that I created to help our youth get or stay on the right path in life.