My Next Tattoo

     Hello readers! I'm back this week to discuss what's been on my mind the most this week and it's the next tattoo I'm getting! This always seems to be something people are curious about also, so I figured writing about it would not only give me an outlet, but it would keep people from asking about it too much when I actually get it. Not that I mind of course, but it's a lot easier to have people read this post than to explain the tattoo every time. Especially because people forget and I've had the same people repeatedly ask what my foot tattoo means. Anyways, let's jump into it. Shall we?
     I have my appointment scheduled at 1:00 on September 19th! I'm not going to release the shop's name for confidentiality purposes, but I'll let you guys know after I get the tattoo. September 19th is my birthday and it's also my dad's birthday. We're going together to get tattoos that say "Semper Fidelis." Semper Fidelis is a Latin phrase meaning "always faithful" or "always loyal." For those of you who don't know, my dad was in the Marines for four years and Semper Fidelis became the Marine Corps' motto in 1883. I decided I wanted to get this with him because I have a huge respect for the Marines, and have always looked up to him for serving. Along with the words, I want to get my mom's, dad's, and two sister's birth years in roman numerals. I will always be loyal to my family and that's kind of what the tattoo means for me. It also helps to remind me of all the other members of my family in the armed forces.
     So there you go! Now you know about my nest tattoo. It'll be pretty small and placed vertically along the side of my back. I'm so excited!

Choosing a Major

     Hello readers! Welcome back to Thinks and Thoughts! Today I have some tips for you, as I so often do, regarding how to decide on a major in college. I'm sure if you're close to that point in your life you've heard over and over again how people are undecided even during college and how often times people will switch majors. Although it is common to switch your major or go into college undecided, it can be very costly. Lucky for you, I've got some tips for you since I just went through this whole mess for myself!
     The first tip I have is this: take an aptitude test! I cannot even begin to explain how much easier this made the decision. Not only does an aptitude test assess both your skill and your interest in specific areas, but your counselor will be able to look at it and suggest careers to you that you have never even heard of. I decided on a major in art therapy. If you think I knew what that was before I took my aptitude test, you're wrong.
     Tip number one was the perfect lead in to my second tip: research different careers.  I honestly can't even begin to talk about the number of careers out there. For every career you can think of, there are 20 more sub-careers within that one. For example, most nurses will just refer to themselves as a nurse. However, they could be an addictions nurse, a forensic nurse, a nurse practitioner, a parish nurse, a home healthcare nurse, a travel nurse, a transplant nurse, or even a nurse anesthetist. The list goes on and on and on. So, make sure to research different careers and look into each one that sounds interesting because maybe "nurse" by itself just isn't specifically what you want to do.
     The last tip I have for you is to follow your heart and don't worry about other people's opinions. I know this sounds super cheesy but I think being happy in your career is just as important as having a "good" career. People tell me all the time I could do anything I wanted. I could be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a mad scientist. Guess what, people? I want to do art therapy. The only person that is going to have to go to that job every day and experience it is me. So follow your heart and do what makes you happy. A "good" career isn't the one that makes you the most money or gives you the best reputation. A "good" career is one that you enjoy and one that you'll be happy with for the rest of your life.

Tattoo Touch-Up

     Hello readers! Welcome back to my blog page and happy mother's day! Today I'm going to talk about my touch-up experience as far as my foot tattoo is concerned. Let me just start off with some background information. The guy that did my touch-up is not the same person that originally did the tattoo, however, he is the person who will do my future tattoos because my experience with him was about a thousand times better than it was with my original artist. The girl that did my original tattoo used to tattoo in Vegas and they have a little bit more freedom there. Bottom line is that she made a few artistic choices that were her own and when she tattooed me, it hurt. So, the guy that did my touch-up is known as "no hands Nate" for a reason. When this guy tattooed my foot, I barely felt it! The artist that actually did the tattoo just pushed way too hard when she tattooed me which caused my foot to twitch and my leg to sweat and everything to go wrong. On the flip side, when Nate touched it up i didn't twitch, I didn't sweat, I could concentrate, and I barely felt anything. I'd get another foot tattoo if he did it. This guy makes foot tattoos seem like nothing. Now, here is what I have to say: If you go to a different artist they have to charge you. If you get your touch-up done with your original artist it shouldn't cost you because it's basically them finishing and double checking their work. 
     Alright, I know this post is short and all over the place but the bottom line is this: If you are going in for a touch-up and you were unsatisfied with your original artist it's worth the money to see a different artist. For me, it would've been the shops minimum, but Nate does all of my boyfriend's tattoos and since he was with me he just did it for free. I've learned to research your artists A LOT before you let them tattoo you. If that means finding some of their clients, do it. 
     That is all I have for you today! I hope you enjoyed reading about my touch-up and hopefully I've inspired you to look into your artists more! Have a great week! 

A Book

     Hello people! I am super excited to write today because I have a fantastic book to recommend! It's more of a series I guess, but the first book wowed me and I'm in the middle of the second so I'm technically only recommending the first. Although, I also secretly recommend the whole series and I will tell you why.
     Let me start off by saying the reason I fell in love with these books is that they're written from photographs. Have you ever seen a picture and tried to figure out the story behind it? That is what this author did,  however he did it after spending forever collecting vintage photographs and turned it into some books.  The first book is called Mrs.Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It was written by a man with the name of Ransom Riggs. This guy spent awhile collecting photographs from garage sales, and ended up writing stories that fit the photographs. Who would've thought garage sales could make you famous? I absolutely adore the fact that this book wasn't written after being considered. The author just kind of went with it and it turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read. I can rarely find a book I'm into by the end of the first chapter which is why I don't read much unless I've seen the movies first. That being said, this book has no movies and I was hooked not by the end of the first chapter, but by the end of the first few pages. The way the story combines past and present is astounding,  and the explanations offered about things we've heard of all too often shock me. The book steals present day events and people and places them into another story.  It's the ultimate combination of things already known and things yet to be discovered.  The book is a mystery and tells about a boy named Jacob who discovers the stories his grandfather used to tell him may not have been completely false.  I would definitely recommend this book if you love twists, turns, mysteries, science fiction, history, or really anything else because this book could hook anyone. I think you should give it a try because I haven't been this passionate about a book in awhile. It is also an easy read if you're worried about that. There's a lot to learn but you can do it.  The second book recently was released I believe. It's called Hollow City and it continues where the first book left off. The second book contains a preview of the third meaning there is more to come and you can also expect some movies. Long story short, the books are amazing and if you're looking for a series that comes with a movie, this is it! 

Geocaching

     Hello readers!  I am back this week with a semi-fun and semi-informational post about a new hobby my sister and I have picked up together! I know many of you are already aware of what Geocaching is considering it's been around for a few years, however some people don't so that's why I'm writing this post today!
     To be honest I'm not quite sure of the the exact definition of Geocaching so I'll leave that to you to look up if necessary. For me personally, geocaching means getting a geocache app,  choosing some dots close to myself and driving to go find them. Basically a cache is something someone hides with an object or piece of paper in it depending on the size.  Once they hide it,  they put the coordinates on the Geocaching app for the rest of the world to go find. This happens in every state, and most countries all over the world. I've encountered the caches I've searched for in parking lot lamps, attached magnetically to the under side of signs and even wedged up into no parking signs. Today I found another in a parking lot,  and failed to find one in the woods after I gave up due to the fact I was covered in wood ticks.
     I'm not sure if this post makes any sense to anyone beside myself,  but overall Geocaching is a great hobby to incorporate into traveling or a fun thing to do when you're bored at a park. You can Geocache anywhere and I bet you'd be surprised how many are hidden around you. I know a friend who had one on his property. I also know of business that have given people permission to hide them on the property. It's crazy how many things you find that you never previously noticed. What's even crazier it's that the majority of people I've asked have done it before. So, don't feel
out of the loop any longer.  Download a free app and start searching in your area. Let me know what you find! Today I found a walrus sticker....beat that!

Nose Piercing Experience

Hello readers! Today I figured I'd tell you about my nose piercing experience since I get so many questions about it! I'll answer the questions I get most often and then I'll talk about the procedure and where I went. 

Q: Did getting your nose pierced hurt?

A: No. I think this question is actually perfect for me because I have a pain tolerance that is right down the middle. Nose piercings don't hurt, they just feel like a lot of pressure. Some videos make it look worse because people cry, but it's just eye watering. The nerves in your nose just cause your eyes to water. Out of ten I would say it was a two. 

Q: How old were you when you got your nose pierced?

A: I was 14 or 15. I remember it being hard to find a shop that would piece it since I was so young. 

Q: How does it stay in?

A: There are a few different ends to a nose ring that a quick google search could help you with but I usually use the nose crews or L bend nose studs. It's just how it's bent so it doesn't come out easily.

Q: Does it hurt to blow your nose?

A: No, it doesn't bother me because I'm used to it. Sometimes it's annoying when I'm trying to shove a Kleenex up my nose but other than that it's good! 

That's all I have for questions, so I'll go into the procedure! Basically I walked in and I had to give them my birth certificate and my mom had to give them her license and then this guy named Nick who is a professional piercer took me to his office type room at the back of the shop. I sat down and he showed me all the clean supplies in packages and took a purple marker out to mark my nose. He asked if I would be wearing a ring or not because it affects the placement and then he placed the dot. I thought it looked good so he cleaned off my nose and the Jewelry and got started. He put a tube into my nose to guid the needle so it didn't hit the other side and he slid the needle in and placed the jewelry. That was all! He gave me care instructions and a card with a date to come back on it and I left! This happened at the Canvas Tattoo in Eden Prairie. I definitely recommend the shop. 

Alright I'm done typing for today! Thanks for reading as always! 

What is Rugby?

     Hello readers! Yesterday afternoon I was present at University of Saint Thomas' rugby game due to the fact that my boyfriend is part of the team! Something I noticed was that most of the parents in the audience had no idea what was going on and didn't know how rugby worked. I happened to be in the same situation and so I have my boyfriend on FaceTime to help me explain to you some key rugby terms so if you ever end up watching a game at least you'll know what's going on so here we go! Oh, and don't think football or you'll be confused.

Try- A try is when you touch the ball to the ground past the goal line. When you score a try, you obtain 5 points for your team. The key is that you have to have at least one hand on the ball and it must be on the ground! What I'm getting at is that you can't drop it or just get past the goal line.

Scrum- A scrum results from certain and specific penalties being called. The scrum consists of all forward players (8) and the scrum-half. In the scrum you have three rows of guys that basically push each other to gain control of the ball. At the beginning the ref yells "crouch" at which point the players crouch and get ready. Next he yells "bind" which is when the players all lock on to each other. And finally he yells "set" and that's when the scrum begins. The players push each other back and forth while the scrum-half feeds the ball into the middle of the opposing teams.

In the picture, player #9 is the scrum-half. Apparently every scrum-half is #9. Every number has it's own position!

Scrum-half- The scrum-half orchestrates a lot of what goes on in the game. (If you happen to be thinking football even though I said not to, this is like the quarter back.)

Ruck- A ruck in rugby typically occurs when someone gets tackled. It's to gain possession over the ball. The goal is for SOMEONE to get the ball however you don't just want to run and pick it up. You want to jump over your teammate who was tackled and cover them up and not let anyone from the opposing team get past you. This is because when someone in rugby gets tackled they put the ball in front of them as they face their team so the team has a better opportunity to get the ball. \

Knock- A knock is when a player touches the ball with their hands and it goes forward. This results in a penalty.

Fun facts:
-Rugby players can only pass the ball backwards or horizontally.
-You can drop kick a ball through the uprights at any time.
-There are 30 guys on the field at any time.

     That's all I have this week! Thanks for reading!

Walmart Shopping

     Okay readers I'm back this week to talk about Walmart and what I like and dislike about it. I'll be referencing the Maple Grove store. Walmart is an interesting place to be for many reasons and although it has a terrible reputation I don't think it's the worst place to be on the planet. Yesterday my sister and I happened to make a trip to Walmart since it was Easter and Target was closed. This sounds bad already, but yes it's true. Target is my first choice. Anyways. we decided to head off to Walmart.
     There are some good things about Walmart that I think a lot of people don't even realize. The first thing I feel is that Walmart has a lot of things Target doesn't carry and Walmart has them for cheap. I've realized you can get good products from Walmart at decent prices. I definitely prefer to shop at Walmart when I'm on a budget. Yesterday I found an electric oil warmer to replace my old one and it was only six dollars. It works very well and even has a sleek design. Another good thing about Walmart is that everything is on clearance. I don't know if you all have ventured to the front right corner of Walmart past all of the makeup, but they have this HUGE wall and three or four isles of all clearance. Clearance makeup, toys, gardening stuff, nail care items, shampoo and other hair care essentials, and even bedding. They seriously threw everything you need into one corner and put it on clearance. The funny thing is that they put some stuff on clearance that isn't even on clearance in the other parts of the store. I just love that part of Walmart. It feels like I'm stealing makeup.
     Now, I guess I have to talk about the cons of going to Walmart. If you're trying to find something, add an extra 20 minutes onto the 10 you originally planned for. I've noticed Walmart is messy and sometimes there are barriers and things shouldn't be next to what they are. For example, if you want a pet fish you can find it next to the craft supplies. I would say most people also get sucked into Walmart because there's just so much going on. There are so many things to look at and so much clearance it's just hard to be in there for five minutes. The other con to going to Walmart is the staff. I do NOT want to make generalizations. That being said, in the Maple Grove store specifically the staff will rarely be able to help you. I waited 20 minutes once for a staff member to get me a pet fish and they gave me completely false information after I got the fish. They can never answer my questions either. I've learned to not expect much from the staff. If I go to Walmart I find what I need alone, I do my research at home about the product, and I tend to use self checkout. I have had some very good staff members help me checkout, however I've had very negative experiences with Walmart staff in the past. Another time was when I wanted a volleyball and I had to wait for the staff member to figure out if they have ever even had volleyballs in stock at Walmart. Some of the staff just lack general knowledge about the store which is completely fine for me because I go into Walmart knowing that this is the case. Actually thinking about it now, the Walmart in Denver actually had very helpful and capable staff members. If I lived in Denver I'd probably go to Walmart more often than Target.
     Alright that's all I have for this week. I was just thinking about it because I went yesterday and figured I'd write about it. I hope it made sense because my thoughts about Walmart are very scattered. Anyways, I hope you continue to read my posts! I hit 1,500 views today which is awesome! You guys are the best.

Worst Movie Theater Experiences

     Hello readers! I actually am really excited to share this post today because I've had some pretty hilarious things happen during my time at the movie theater and also some pretty terrible things but I think they're pretty funny as well.  Maybe you can read this and just laugh, or maybe you can relate because you've had similar experiences. Either way,  here I go.
     When I sat down to think about the worst experiences I've had, the one that came to mind was bathroom incident number one. I say number one because we have multiple bathrooms and therefor multiple incidents. That being said this one stood out the most. I was taking tickets at my theater when a man approached me on the right. I would say mid 50's. He ever so graciously informed me that the men's bathroom was flooding. Okay. Thank you sir I'll get right on that. So I sent my coworker Garrett because I was not about to dive into that issue. Garrett returns to the bathroom with no explanation and hands the cleaning supplies to Joey who willingly accepts the challenge. I still have no idea what's going on. Joey then walks out with a disgusted face and Colin, being the nice guy he is, decides its too much for Joey to do on his own and so Colin joins him in the restroom. Upon their return I just about died laughing when I discovered that someone had not only shoved paper towels into the urinal which caused it to overflow, but they smeared human waste all over the handrails in the bathroom. Lovely. We do appreciate the effort to keep the theater clean! All said and done I'm just glad It was the men's bathroom.
     The other experiences are definitely less satisfying to hear about. We have the occasional "sneaky" teenagers who try to sneak into the monster screen located directly behind the usher. Oh and who could forget the kids who ask my coworker Ben if he's a girl? Granted, he does have long hair but you really can't miss the beard.
     The last thing I remembered that stood out actually happened a few times but I'll tell the story like it only happened once. I was standing in a theater at the end of American Sniper waiting for the guests to leave so I could sweep. Now I don't know if it's me standing there that makes people nervous because they make eye contact with the one who's about to clean up their mess but EVERY TIME I stand in the theater some kid walks out and drops a pop or an icee right in front of my eyes. Like he sees me and his arms fail to respond to his brains cues telling him to keep hold of his cup. Every time they drop something it's accompanied with an "OH GOD!" or "Avdkfkfbsj!!!" and then they run away from me. I don't know how else to explain it.  So there you go, guys. That's my life at the theater. 

Children's Birthday Parties

     Hello readers!  Today I just have a super quick blog post about my opinion on having birthday parties for small children. I'm talking ages zero to three. My cousin had a birthday party today so it was just on my mind! My personal opinion is that having birthday parties for kids that age is irrelevant. The only reason I'd consider having one at that age would be for pictures, but in all honesty  it would seem weird to accept presents for a child that age as an adult. It seems like just another baby shower for the first few years if you know what I mean! This might just be me and I also don't have children. I think I see more value in a family party for the child. This way you still have the memory but you don't have people sending you presents just because you threw a party. It also seems like a huge waste of money to go crazy for a child's first birthday that they probably aren't even old enough to understand. I am not quite sure! I'd love to have some people comment with why they think parents throw small children parties! Is it for the child or more of a social event for the parents? I can see that making sense as well. This is just something I haven't quite understood for a long time and want to know more about why people don't just have simple family parties! Thanks for reading! Sorry for the short post, it's more of a question rather than a thought.