Mudfest 2014

So this past weekend G and I went to a little gathering in Hillman, MN called Mudfest. The point of Mudfest is big ass mud trucks, getting muddy, and drinking until your liver screams. I've gone before in years past with my ex and a big group of our friends. And I've always had fun.

There I am, having fun and getting muddy! It has been a few years since I've gone and I've been missing it! Nothing is better than raising hell in a big ass truck. This year G and I decided that we would go over Memorial Day weekend as a combination of our first wedding anniversary and my 26th birthday. I was so excited! We even had our good friend Matt join us at our campground. It was all set to be a great weekend.

But it was a disaster! 

I can't even understand how a weekend that was supposed to be fun turned out so bad! I realized that the biggest mistake of the weekend was assuming that G would enjoy it. On the ride home he said that he wasn't surprised that Mudfest wasn't fun because it wasn't his scene. Upon hearing that I was so disappointed. No wonder it wasn't fun because he wasn't feeling it! I know that he tried to have it be a good time because I was so excited. It was really well meaning on his part but I wish he would have told me so we could have planned something that would be fun for both of us!

Beyond G not really wanting to go, I think there was some kind of cosmic joke against us. First, we weren't able to camp with a bunch of our friends because the campsite filled in so fast! Then, one of our bean bag boards got ran over by a drunk person who decided that midnight was the perfect time to drive out of his campsite. And lastly, I burnt the shit out of my hand! We were playing tippy cup when someone bumped the table that the propane lantern sitting on. Me, being slightly inebriated, caught the it. 

Awesome! So yeah this is my wonderful start to summer! Can't get any worse than this. But I did realize that I can't bottle up past experiences to relive them. Something that was amazing years ago isn't going to be the same now. I've changed, and I have to keep in mind that G is older than me and isn't always up to my shenanigans. 

pacer and my fitness pal

The past year I've seen a drastic change in my weight and not in a good way. I've always been comfortable in how I look and the way that I feel about myself. I've never been one to worry about my weight or if I was too fat. I view my body as a tool that I use and as long as it worked I was happy. But a comfortable relationship to a professional chef has lead to a large increase in my weight. It was a slow gain with a few pounds here and there but two years later I've gained almost 35 lbs! I'm starting to feel that weight gain now that it is summer and I want to be more active. So I've decided to work harder on getting healthy and maintaing a healthy lifestyle. We already eat a majority of fresh, home cooked meals so I'll be focusing on portion control and eating at least three times a day. Right now I usually forget to eat breakfast and sometimes lunch so by dinner time I'm starving and I overeat.

The second part to my weight loss/getting healthy goal is to be more active. My husband and I just joined a gym and my goal is to go twice a week to start and eventually three times a week. I've also downloaded my fitness pal and pacer on my phone. My Fitness Pal is one of the most popular food and exercise tracker on the market and Pacer is a pedometer app. They link together so I can see how active I am on a day to day basis in comparison to the food that I'm putting into my body. I'm not looking to restrict the type of food that I'm eating but rather to see how portions of even healthy food make a big impact on weight gain and energy. I'm using Pacer to see how active I am on a day to day basis and see if I can make improvements. I'm averaging about 6,000 steps a day and my goal is 10,000. I'm really trying to change my daily habits to create lifelong behaviors that will protect my health and benefit my body.

I'm going to try to post here every so often about my fitness and general health in order to keep myself accountable! 

How to Answer the Two Questions Every History Major receives!

I will hopefully be graduating this May. I've gotten back the grades for all but one of my class and the class remaining is the most worrisome. The final paper and project constitute over 90% of my grade. I feel that I did well on both but I'm a firm believer in not counting my eggs before they hatch. I believe that I will receive my degree but I'm not counting on it yet.

I feel all over the news, the internet, and even people on the streets, that there is a general loathing of liberal arts degrees and for some reason history in general. Almost on a daily basis I have to justify my degree. The most common question is "why would you pick that?" and "what can you do with a history degree?" For the most part I answer seriously. I chose history because I love it, and if I'm going to spend over $40,000 on something it better be on something that I love. The second question I usually respond that I'll either go to graduate school, or work in a museum or the library. I then have to explain that I know it doesn't pay the greatest and I'm fine with that. A roof over my head and food on the table are all that I really NEED! Oh and a job that I will actually enjoy going to! I have reached the point, though, that I'm so tempted to answer these reoccurring questions sarcastically.

Ten Response for Why I Picked a History Degree!

1. I got drunk and by the time I sobered up it was too late to change it.
2. I lost a bet.
3. I played eenie-meenie-minni-moe.
4. I'm really good at playing Risk.
5. I can't do math.
6. Underwater basket weaving wasn't available at my school.
7. I wanted to take advantage of the welfare system.
8. I wanted to learn from other people's mistakes so I can take over the world.
9. I thought it was the easiest way to get an MRS. degree.
10. I wanted to know if Rome was built in a day.

Ten Things I'm Going to do with My History Degree!

1. I'm going to work at McDonalds.
2. I'm going to collect welfare.
3. I'm going to teach your devil spawns.
4. I'm going to protest all the things!
5. I'm going to become a writer of historical romantic literature featuring an asexual robot and a iguana.
6. I'm going to work at the DMV.
7. I'm going to be a stripper in a dive club in Central Minnesota.
8. Pop out at least 12 kids in the next 12 years, duh!
9. Take over the world!
10. A secret government job, and I really can't talk about it!

General word of advice for people not wasting their lives with a liberal arts education, I'm tired of these two questions. Money ain't everything, I do have a plan, and mind your own damn business.