Jamaica Mon'

Hello everyone! Wagwon?(How are you?)

Among my busy schedule these days (full time dental hygiene school, training for a marathon, my spiritual & family obligations, and the list goes on) I have been traveling!! I had the wonderful opportunity of traveling to the country of Jamaica to study abroad with some of my classmates. It's amazing how fast time flys by. I remember at orientation for dental hygiene school, our program director said that we would be the first class to have the opportunity to study abroad in Jamaica! The moment I heard that I knew I was going! I HAD to!! I have a heart for helping others. I feel that if we have the means and ability (whether it be financial, physically with our hands, or verbally with our words) we should be helping others! I knew this was going to be the experience of a lifetime and I did not want to miss out on it! 

The class found out that there would only be 6 spots available for students to attend the trip out of 31 students. I started to get nervous. Would I be chosen to go? The class all thought I would because I am the "president" of my class, but I didn't believe that. I didn't believe students would be chosen to go by their status, but by their character and work ethic. When all was said and done, I WAS chosen to go!! I will thrilled! Now came the start of the hard work.

As soon as the 5 other students and I found out we were going to Jamaica, we began our meetings. We arranged fundraisers, started to contact major dental supply companies for product donations, and soliciting our family and friends for donations. Each student had to come up with about $2000 for this entire trip. This amount would include our program fees to participate with Great Shape Inc., the 501c3 non-profit organization which would be arranging the dental work through their dental program of 12 years- 1000 Smiles. This amount would also include the estimate amount for air fair, and other estimated expenses. We needed to promptly submit our passport information and request temporary work visas from the Ministry of Health of Jamaica. Needless to say, getting accepted to go was the easy part! 

Over the following months my classmates and I worked very hard to raise money for the mission we were about to go on. We were SO AMAZINGLY supported by out student government association of St. Petersburg College and was given $1000 per student. This amount covered a majority of the expenses. The remaining balance of money we would need for this trip was donated from family and friends. My classmates and I will be forever grateful for the loving support we received from everyone! We created a letter to send out to possible sponsors and to our surprise we started to get support and donations. Big name companies like Colgate, Listerine, and Patterson Dental started to donate supplies to us! I am guesstimating that we brought along with us over $5,000 worth of dental supplies. We shipped the supplies out in July so they would have time to arrive in Jamaica and go through customs. Our hard work had paid off! All of the leg work was done and we were finally able to relax and just prepare for the adventure. 

When the day finally came to leave for Jamaica we were all ecstatic! We weren't sure what to expect except to have a great time!! Our plane ride went great and next thing you know we were on the beautiful island of Jamaica!! Once arriving at the gorgeous Sandals resort of Whitehouse, Jamaica we quickly got to work. We had meetings and orientations to organize the coming weeks activities. There were 3 clinics that we would be working in. The closest was 10 minutes from the resort (the clinic I worked at), the farthest was 1 hour 45 minutes up the mountains! All 3 clinics were in rural areas that have 1 dentist for every 100,000 people, SO you could imagine that the access to dental care was extremely limited. My clinic was located in a beautiful fishing village with lots of goats running around and a market down the road.

While working my classmates and I saw some of the worst periodontal conditions we have ever seen, likely due to lack of education and access to care.We loved working with all the Jamaican people. They were all so loving and kind, so patient and tolerant of dental treatment. Some teeth I was going into pockets 6-10mm and my patients would not even flinch! They were so appreciative. It was a very different experience then working with American people. The working conditions were hard because we had portable units that were not ideal, along with chairs that were basically beach chairs. Ergonomics were out the window this week, unfortunately.

Here is one before and after of a female patient I treated!She was so thankful that I cleaned the stain off her teeth that she screamed and jumped out of the chair SO HAPPY! She said she couldn't get dental floss so she had been using thread from a t-shirt to floss! I ended up giving her about 50 floss boxes (thanks REACH)! She was genuinely grateful!

We had so many great experiences that is is hard to recall them all! After working on these Jamaicans for 5 days I had fallen in love with them and their culture. I have been dubbed a "JAMERICAN"!!!   After a long and busy week of working we were finally able to take a break and see the country! We all went to YS Falls. We went Zip-linning and swung off a rope swing and jumped in the falls! It was so refreshing! It was an amazing day!!

 I feel so privileged to have been able to have this experience while in dental hygiene school. I have benefited greatly from studying abroad and would recommend it to anyone! I am more confident in my clinical skills. While in Jamaica I was only able to use one sickle hand instrument, an ultrasonic, and a mirror due to the lack of instruments available as compared to school where I have 15 instruments to chose from so I had to learn to adapt quickly. I feel I worked harder there then I ever have in clinic at school and I would have never been able to grow as fast as I did in Jamaica. I am looking forward to volunteering my time again next year!! I highly recommend this for any dental professional who has the means and ability to care for others to extend your gifts in this way. My heart is full and I feel I got back much more then I could have ever given to the people of Jamaica!    

~One Love~

Your meal could use a little more ~HEART~

Hi ALL! My life has been a little more then hectic over the past couple of months, therefore neglecting my blog! More details of my BIG ADVENTURES to come on my next blog post!

Today I wanted to write about an awesome opportunity I had to do a product review! I am apart of an organization called #sweatpink (link to my blog about becoming a Sweat Pink Ambassador)! Through this organization we encourage others to get ACTIVE and have FUN while doing it! Being an ambassador for Sweat Pink you have the chance to review up-and -coming products! In the month of October (I told you I was a little behind), I was thrilled to be mailed a little package of hearts >HEMP HEARTS< from a company named Manitoba Harvest!

manitobaharvest.com

Hemp Hearts are a simple little addition to any meal. Hemp is a plant which has been around for centuries and has been used for various things such as rope, paper,clothing, food, and much more! The Hemp Hearts I sampled are actually hemp seeds found at the top of the hemp plant. Here is Manitoba Harvest's Top 10 Reasons to choose Hemp Hearts:

manitobaharvest.com

I have enjoyed experimenting with Hemp Hearts. They are a FUN/easy-to-use product! Hemp Hearts are a healthy addition to any meal. They are GMO free and are an AMAZING source of PROTEIN and OMEGAs. They are semi-soft to chew and add a nice nutty taste to whatever you choose to put it on. I have enjoyed putting it in yogurt, on top of salads, and even in hot cereals. To be honest, you can add Hemp Hearts in pretty much anywhere you desire! My next little experiment will be adding them to a smoothie!

                                                                                                                                                                      

Key Lime Greek Yogurt

Wedge Salad

I have loved trying out this product and I want to give you the same opportunity to try it!! Manitoba Harvest has been to kind as to give me a DISCOUNT CODE to use for 20% OFF your purchases on their website until November 30th. Again I apologize for my tardiness because you will only have a few days to shop with the discount code! Please take a look at their site- they have multiple hemp products which you may find fit your needs! Comment below if you have used hemp products before or are excited about a purchase you have made from Manitoba Harvest!! 

The DISCOUNT CODE is: HHSweatPink14

Use this code at: www.manitobaharvest.com  

kriyaliving.com

I look forward to seeing how everyone is enjoying their Hemp Hearts!

Marathon Training: my thoughts and experiences thus far

MARATHON TRAINING!

Wow, I am already  8 weeks into training for the Space Coast Marathon! Time has flown by and partly because I am just so busy with everything else in life! It has been difficult keeping up my motivation and excitement for running. When you aren't training for a race, you run for fun- no real goal at the end. However, knowing that I HAVE to run a certain distance on a certain day has really been rough for me. Although I have 5 half marathons under my belt, I cannot honestly say I had trained for any of them! Therefore, this regimented schedule of running has taken quite the discipline.

The training program I am following is a Hal Higdon marathon training schedule for an "intermediate" runner. Since I have been running for a little over 2 years, a friend of mine who is a seasoned marathoner recommended this was the plan I follow. Mondays are left for "cross-training" activity. In the beginning I left that as a rest day, however within the past few weeks I have been using Mondays to work my upper body (arms, back, abs etc.) using my own body weight, a yoga ball, and/or kettle bells. Tuesdays thru Saturdays are spent doing various distances anywhere from 3-8 miles per day with Fridays as a "rest" day. Then to complete the week we arrive at Sundays for the long runs.

Speaking of long runs... I have missed the past 3 weeks of long runs, which are probably the most important. I believe it's because Sundays are a my day to sleep in and therefore I find it difficult to wake up and go after waking up in the 4am hour every day during the week! This is no excuse however because it will be these long runs that get me across the finish-line at the marathon, not these little midweek runs of 7 miles or so. 

The biggest challenge I have faced so far is my own failure to plan. When you are a busy person, whether it's with school, work, kids, or other obligations and then you throw training for a marathon in the mix, it can be very hard to balance. My suggestion for anyone planning to run a marathon is to carefully consider what the months look like in which you will be training. Do you have any big events coming up that would hinder multiple days or even weeks of your training? Will you be able to have time to do the things that are necessary on a daily basis and still have time for your runs? Lets face it, there are definitely better times then others to take on such a task as training for a 26.2 mile race! However, the mind is a powerful thing and if there is something you want to accomplish, you will find ways to make it work even if the circumstances aren't favorable.  

All in all though, I am happy about the person this marathon training is making me become. It is making me become an early riser, which I've always had to do, but because it was for work not exercise! I am becoming more aware of my body and the things I need to be eating/drinking to sustain it for running. And I am becoming more focused and scheduled. Trying to balance school, studying, working here and there, and my spiritual and family obligations has been a little exhausting, but it is all making me a better/stronger person!

Well, those are my thoughts at the current time, however my mind is constantly 'running' so I will be back much sooner then the length of time between this post and my last to keep you up to date with my marathon training. I have been experimenting with many different products, so the next time around on my running topics blog I will share with you what has been keeping me fueled for my runs and my running essentials! Until then, if you would like to follow my daily running posts, click the link in the side bar for my Instagram   

( www.instagram.com/jackieontherun ) account and you will be able to keep up with the miles I am logging! Thanks for reading! Comments below and SUBSCRIBE for more about running, loving, and dental hygiene!

Recap: Regional Convention 2014

What a spiritually upbuilding weekend we had last weekend at our Regional Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses themed "Keep Seeming First God's Kingdom" based on Matthew 6:33. It's so easy to get weighed down by the constant hustle and bustle of this old world, on top of financial stress, and health problems. No matter who we are, we all face some sort of trial! However, Jesus foretold in the scriptures that if we seek God's Kingdom and doing His Will FIRST in our lives, despite our trials and tribulations we can be ~HAPPY~! 

Along with all the bible-based talks we heard, great demonstrations, and moving personal experiences and interviews, we were able to associate with our friends who serve Jehovah God! Here are some photos from last weekend: 

It was truly a great weekend of encouragement and helped me redirect my focus on what is really important in life! Spiritual goals are in place now! Daily bible reading, regular time each week teaching people about God's great promises for the future, as well as better preparation for my weekly meetings! It's back to the basics I go!

What are some of your spiritual goals? Comment below! I would love to hear them! 

Sweat Pink!

 Hey all! I have been trying to get my blog up and running, but it has been a struggle! Not knowing much anything about web design, I have been doing a lot of research and trying to figure it out. I have switched platforms from having my own domain (website) to using Blogger, which I think will be a good platform to blog from since it's well-known, as well as the fact that it's more  "user-friendly"! Needless to say, my blog will be changing by the day till I get it *just right* ;)

I wanted to blog today about a new network I have become a part of within the last few weeks. It's called "Fit Approach"! The mission of Fit Approach is basically to accept our feminine qualities, but be able to work hard and SWEAT! Sweating PINK is their trademark. Convinced that you run faster with PINK shoe laces, women who are a part of this organization, encourage other to push themselves hard, sweating, and feeling the thrill of the endorphin flow! I did my first work out Sunday evening with my PINK shoe laces and I felt the power of the PINK! I love PINK so this was just a perfect fit for me :p

 

I am by no means a "fitness guru", but I desire to stay active in life and help others to find a way that works for them to do the same! I am now considered an "Ambassador" for Sweat PINK! How exciting is it that I get to be a part of this group of women who encourage and inspire others! Look for opportunities in your daily routine to strengthen those who you associate with! A success coach by the name of Rob Liano said: "Encouraging others can be the catalyst to unleashing their greatness." Don't you agree we should all have the opportunity to 'unleash our greatness' ?? So why not join the Fit Approach!? Comment below for your FREE pair of PINK SHOE LACES and join me in SWEATING PINK!  

Keep Smiling ~ Jackie

Welcome Blog!

 Hello! Since this is the first official ‘blog’, it is only right to make it a WELCOME BLOG! Thanks for stopping by my page!

There are thousands upon thousands of blog sites/pages out there on the web! My goal is to have content on this page that will spark your interest, things that you can learn from, and ultimately, be able to leave this blog with a take away! Now that’s not to say that you will enjoy EVERY SINGLE post, however, this page will be ‘well-rounded’ so-to-speak, hopefully appealing to a wide variety of people, since I LOVE all kinds of people! Not one of us are alike!

I have tried starting up a blog in the past (maybe 2-3 years ago), but it didn’t work. I didn’t have a goal for my page, no direction to go, it was me simply writing my thoughts about life (and who wants to read about that?!). Granted, I may do a little of that here, but most of what I plan to post will be things I have learned and want to pass along that could be useful to you, not simply post ‘this is how I am feeling at the moment.’ I want this page to be BENEFICIAL to you!

On this page you will find  information about running, loving (feel-good inspirations), and dental hygiene! What a combination, huh? Those 3 things are where I put my time nowadays therefore, I feel I can provide you with some tips and information you may not have known previously.  Loving is something that ties in with my spirituality which is the biggest part of who I am. Running, is a fun part of my life also! And dental hygiene, well, I have found through my studies that our mouth has a direct correlation with the health of the rest of our bodies. So a clean and happy mouth = clean and happy body! Therefore, we have this tie in>> Running + Loving + Dental Hygiene = a HEALTHY LIFE!

I hope you come back to see how this page evolves! Don’t forget to submit you e-mail address on this page to “Subscribe” and get e-mail notifications when a new post has been, well, POSTED!

Keep Smiling!