Life Is Wonderful

This weekend, Michael is taking me to Houston for my birthday to see my most favorite musician (and my really the only musician that I somewhat like. Weird, I know. I don't have much of a right brain so music isn't particularly entertaining to me). Anyway, it's Jason Mraz!

Every morning, I listen to his song called "Life Is Wonderful" and it makes me happy and in a good mood to help people. It's full of inspirational lines. My most favorite line is "it takes the dust to have it polished." It makes me feel better about being all dusty sometimes. :)

In other news, I overheard a woman talking about how her child was scheduled to have tubes in his ears due to chronic infections and I wanted to run up to her and yell, "Don't do it!" I didn't, but I was close. I've become a weirdo. :P Pray for me.

Tuesday, I met with my CPA. He was astonished at what I was charging people. This isn't the first person that has told me that my rates are too low, and I know I could be making a lot more money but I'm not in it for the money. He told me I could take time for charity after I pay off my student loans. Humph. My loan payments are lingering in the near future, creeping up in the shadows, ready to pounce on me and strangle all humanity that I have to give. I hate them. But I don't want to make people worry about affording their health care because of them. I refuse to budge! For now. Maybe by a Christmas miracle I can continue on with my low rates and not have to worry whether I can afford rice and beans whilst paying off my student loans? If I will it hard enough, it shall happen!

Supplements...The Good, The Bad, The Essential

Why do we take supplements? When looking at your diet, I would like you to ask yourself some questions: Am I getting all essential nutrients from the food that I eat on a daily basis? Is it possible that with the quality of food that I am eating, I am receiving enough nutrients to allow all chemical, hormonal and structural processes to take place within my body? Does my body need extra nutrients in order to give me the energy that I need to get through my day and handle all of my stresses?

Although eating a well balanced diet is necessary, in today’s world it is rare that we are getting everything that we need from the foods we eat. That is where supplements come in. It is imperative that we take a HIGH QUALITY supplement on a daily basis to ensure that our body gets the proper nutrients. High quality supplements are those that contain bio-available nutrients, meaning that our body can break them down and use them. This is not true with most supplement companies because they are not regulated. What that means is although the label states that each pill contains a specific amount of vitamins, those vitamins aren’t necessarily in each tablet and may not even be recognizable forms for your body to use.

So, how do you find the right supplement for you? There are many great brands out there as a general rule, but everyone is different. What’s right for you may not be right for anyone else. The best way to find out is through muscle testing conducted by your chiropractor. As a rule, EVERYONE needs to be on a multivitamin and an omega-3 supplement. Even children! Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid. Essential means that your body cannot make it on its own. You must either eat a diet high in omega-3’s or take supplements.

The brand of vitamin varies from person to person. Most often, the vitamins that are over-sold and over-advertised are not the best quality. When shopping for an omega-3 supplement, keep in mind that you should not have an aftertaste or burp up the flavoring of the supplement. If you do, that supplement is not right for you. Also, thoroughly read the label on children’s vitamins. Make sure that it does not contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and dyes or contain wheat, soy, corn or dairy. There are plenty of supplements out there that you and your kids will love and will probably line up to take them each morning!

Family Fun

Michael and I went home this weekend and it was so wonderful! Joshua flew in from NC and we just hung around the house like we never left.

Friday, Dad made homemade pizza that Mom insisted was 'meat lovers' because it had hamburger AND pepperoni. It was yummy. I haven't had homemade dough in a long time. The boys were out hunting until pretty late but that worked out because we ended up getting there at 7 instead of 4. Interestingly enough, I had a patient who was 37 weeks pregnant who had a breech baby and needed to be seen so I stayed around to adjust her. She goes for an ultrasound tomorrow so I'll keep you updated as to whether her baby was able to turn after her pelvic cavity opened up or not.

Saturday, we went to see Granny in San Angelo. She cracks me up. She's always playing sneaky tricks on people and getting them all riled up about things. She's voting for Obama. You should ask her about it. That night, we went to see 'Eagle Eye' at the Abilene Mall. We originally went to see 'Quarantine' but they were sold out. Sold out? Only in Abilene. LOL. 'Eagle Eye' turned out to be an awesome movie. I would recommend seeing it.

Sunday, the boys hunted...again. Mike now thinks he needs to buy a shotgun. Thanks for that, Dad! I'm not opposed to it, but I do believe he was just fine without the gun.

It was so good to be home and see my brothers again. I already miss Joshua's shaven legs (he's so weird) and Jeff's ZZ-Top beard. Growing up is no fun.

We Survived

It was a tough go, but we made it through Southlake Oktoberfest. It was crazy windy all weekend and pretty warm (I got a fever blister from it :( I put some Vit A on it this morning and it's already shrinking, so no worries) but it definitely could have been worse. The prize wheel was a huge success! The kids saw it from a mile away and would drag their parents over to spin the wheel. We gave away about 100 or so mugs, coozies and pens with my logo so I'm hoping that will generate some business. I also have about 50 or so contacts and I'm expecting at least half of those to become new patients, so it was definitely a success! Mom and Dad were a huge help and poor Mikey sat out there with me all weekend and had to carry all of the heavy boxes with mugs and never complained. I definitely could not have done it without them! Oh, and Tillie was a great salesperson. She brought people over because she's just so darned cute.

After Oktoberfest ended last night, Amelie and I met up with our friend, Lilia from Panama. She came to the states to see her sister and luckily, we had a chance to catch her while she was here. She is 6 months pregnant and oh so cute! She's only been gone a year (since we graduated) and in that time has started her business, got engaged and married and pregnant! Man, time flies. It's funny though, because now I can't picture her not having a pregnancy belly. It fits her so well and I'm so excited to see Raul, Jr.! I'm pretty sure she's having a boy even though I want her to have a girl. Haha. She isn't getting any ultrasounds done because they're really not necessary and doesn't want to shock the baby with sound waves just to find out the sex. Also, she's having a natural childbirth and studies show that the anticipation of finding out the baby's sex helps speed the labor process. She's going to make a great Mommy. (Oh, and Steph, I ended up getting her a Bella Band. The Hotslings were $64 and up and Amelie had already got her a similar gift but it was a Target brand. At least now I know where to find them for the next baby gift, though! Haha. Thanks!)

Now, on to a great week and an even greater weekend! Joshua is coming home Friday! Yay!

Nut'N Honey

Do you remember that commercial? "Whatcha eatin? Nut'N Honey. What do you mean nothing?" Hahahaha. I miss that commercial.

Right now I'm doing "nothin." Just watching the Vice Presidential debate. It stresses me out. Am I alone in this? War, nuclear weapons, bankruptcy, increased taxes, energy crisis...aaaaaagh!

I think a more suitable name for this blog is "Deep Thoughts by Jennifer." Did anyone see the SNL skit, "Deep Thoughts by Jack Hannah?" Makes me think of that except it's not funny....

Tillie is chewing on her bone. She loves bones. Her mouth is too small to eat them so she ends up slobbering on them until they get soggy enough to swallow. Gross. Her belly is round and full right now. I gave her leftover pot roast and vegetables; yet, she still chews on her bone and acts as if she hasn't eaten in days and days.

I need to get my hair did. My roots have grown out so much, I'm embarrassed to look at myself in a mirror. It is so expensive to get quality highlights and a haircut in this area, that I have put it off. I'm afraid I have put it off too long. Booooo to spending money on a haircut!

Tomorrow after a full day of work, I have to work a booth at Oktoberfest in Southlake until 11 pm. Those of you that live nearby should come! Mom and Dad bought me a prize wheel. It's way fun. The prizes are as follows: Wholistic Healing pens, Wholistic Healing drink holders and Wholistic Healing coffee (or tea!) mugs as well as free adjustments, physicals, supplements, etc. Now, who wouldn't want to win that?! :P Hopefully, I can get a lot of patients from it. It's been a mess to get a booth and prizes to give away thus far. I paid an arm and a leg for the stinkin' booth and then the chamber advertises me as "Wholistic Health." Not even "Chiropractic" after it. I called, I emailed, I harrassed, yet the only response that I receive is a week later in an email that states, "I will see what we can do." Uhm, how about you give me my money back? Frustrating. I would be terribly rude, but the smarter side of me knows that I need to build a long lasting relationship and shouldn't make waves. I'm burning up inside. It's gonna be a loooong weekend: 4-11 Friday, 10-11 Saturday and 12-5 Sunday. Yucky. Luckily, Mom and Dad are coming down to see their prize wheel at work, so I get some help! I'm looking forward to seeing them. I miss my family.