Remember 9/11

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It feels like just yesterday, I was sitting in my 6th grade portable in homeroom watching the burning twin towers on the television. The memory is beyond vivid for me. It was the first time in my life I realized that there was true hatred in the world. My teacher was crying on the phone checking on her family in New York. School was released early, when I got off the bus, I came home to find my parents huddled around the television. I don't think I realized the extent of what happened that day until I was older. I remember looking into my mother's eyes and seeing tears. She just hugged me tight and said "Everything will be alright. Something very bad has happened though, we need to be strong and brave for our country and the families that are being affected in this mess."

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These are words I often associate with September 11th:

Bravery - The brave men and women who risked their lives to save hundreds of people.

Strength - The strength of our country in sticking together in a time of chaos.

Support - Support of family, friends, and strangers who have lost loved ones on this tragic day.

"To keep forever sacred the memories of those we have loved and lost."

Today is a day to remember and honor all the Americans who lost their lives and  the families that were affected. Thank you to all the men and woman who have fought for our country.

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{blog world} Fill in the Blank Friday!

1.  My favorite grade in school was   senior year of undergrad. Senior year is the year where you get more into your major. I took classes that really interested me and got me excited to learn.

2.  My favorite teacher was  Mrs. Williams at Tampa Preparatory School  because,  she was so passionate about teaching and wanted her students to learn and be passionate about learning.

3.  The highest level of education I have completed is    a Bachelor's of science degree in Exercise Science at Florida State University. I am currently attending Wingate School of Pharmacy to get my Doctorate.

4. School lunches for me were usually    homemade and usually consisted of leftovers. When I was little my mom would write messages on my napkins or include post it with love sayings. 

5. The amount of money you'd have to pay me to go back to high school would be  any price. I really enjoyed my high school because it was a small private preparatory school. I didn't have the typical rebellious or hard high school that everyone talks about. However, I was a bit awkward. 

6. A few things that will always remind me of going back to school are:  cute lunch boxes and school supplies all over Walmart

7.  The first day of school was always  looked forward to! I would get so excited to meet all my new professors and see who was in my classes. It is also nice because the first day is all about going over the syllabus and talking about how the classes work. So no actual school work! 

Have a great weekend!

{knowledge} HealthQuest

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I recently volunteered at a non-profit pharmacy in Monroe, NC called HealthQuest. I was excited to volunteer because I love helping people in the local community and I was excited to get my feet wet in a pharmacy since I have never worked in one before.

HealthQuest helps people without prescription insurance or cannot afford their prescriptions and provides them with monthly medications at a low fee. They recently celebrated passing the $50 million mark in the value of medicines that they have distributed.

HealthQuest works with Wingate School of Pharmacy to staff the pharmacy during dispensing hours. This is when patients can come and get their prescriptions.

I think this is a fantastic program and keeps people in the community healthy and out of the hospital.

I met a lot of very friendly and inspiring pharmacists, technicians, and staff who volunteer their time every week to help their local community.

If you would like to volunteer or donate visit their website, mail donations to: Health Quest, (415 E. Franklin St. Monroe, NC), or call (704) 226-2050. Volunteers and donations are crucial in keeping the doors open. It was a great experience and cannot wait to volunteer again!

{blog world} What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Can you believe it is already September? Time is flying by. I am excited for Fall to get here!!

I'm loving that we had a three day weekend and only have four days of school this week!

I'm loving that fall pins are appearing on pinterest!

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I'm loving that Dunkin Donuts is serving Pumpkin Spice coffee!

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I'm loving that its football season again. I went to the bar sponsored by the Charlotte Seminole Club on Saturday to watch FSU play Murray State. I'm loving that I got to see my phi mu sister Jackie and friend Tim!

I'm loving this homemade crunch wrap supreme recipe. Cannot wait to make this.

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I'm loving that Jenna Weber's book White Jacket Required is finally out! I can't wait to read it and go to her book signing at the end of the month.

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I'm loving this morning yoga sequence from pinterest. It is the best way to stretch in the morning!

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I'm loving Skinny Taste's Buffalo Turkey Burgers. Made them for roomie dinner night - SO GOOD. Recipe coming soon :)

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I'm loving that I got to skype to my best friend Rima in London! She is having a lovely time in the posh city. She is the one on the right next to the Queen.

What are you loving this week?

{recipe} Whole Wheat Banana Peach Muffins

Its peach season! Peaches are 99 cents a pound at the grocery store and something that I cannot pass up. I can't resist a juicy fresh peach on a sunny day. They are so refreshing right out of the fridge but somehow become even better baked in a crisp or muffins. When I saw this recipe on one of my favorite blogs I knew I had to make it. It would be the perfect quick breakfast on its own or even better crumbled into my greek yogurt. Needless to say after a week most of the muffins are already gone. Did I mention that the muffins are SUPER healthy. No sugar, eggs, or butter. These are truly nutrient dense and guilt free. What is not to love?

Whole Wheat Banana Peach Muffins
Recipe from Eat, Live, Run
Makes 14-16 Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup whole wheat old fashioned oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup light maple syrup
1/2 vegetable oil
2 bananas, mashed
3 large peaches, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In another bowl whisk together maple syrup, oil, and mashed bananas.
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and fold in peaches. Stir only until combined.
4. Fill a greased muffin tin with the batter and bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm!

{knowledge} P1 Fall Course Overview

I have officially survived my first week of pharmacy school. Let me tell you something - there is so such thing as easing into grad school. You jump right into the deep end of the pool and they say swim 500 laps. GO!! But I have to say - I am really enjoying the classes. I don't think they will be necessarily difficult content but it is going to be a lot of information...all at once. I wanted to give you all a summary of each class this semester and what I am looking forward most about it. It will be interesting to look back at this post at the end of the semester and see if my opinion on the courses has changed.

General Advice to P1s

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Here is a breakdown of the courses I will be taking this semester:

Biological Science Integration Part 1: General overview of all the science courses you took in undergrad. This is going to be the most difficult class this semester because of the amount of information given each week. It is basically anatomy/physiology, chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and metabolism all in one class. 

Calculations: This course is designed to work hand and hand with the dispensing lab. Calculating amounts of ingredients needed to fill a prescription.

Dispensing Lab: This course is all about compounding and filling prescriptions. Its a hands on course designed to simulate compounding in a pharmacy. This semester we will be making children's flavored tylenol, medicated lolipops, and medicated chapstick. Just to name a few! 

Principals of Pharmaceutical Care: This is probably going to be one of my favorite classes. This course is focused on the new age of pharmacy - focused on patient care. 

Professional Responsibility and Leadership: This course is going to be another one of my favorites. It is designed based off a self assessment test taken at the beginning of the course. After the assessment you learn what your leadership style is and how to work with different leadership styles. It is going to be a great course to learn how to work in team settings in the health care world. 

Professional Communications: This course is your basic communications course but specific to pharmacy. How to communicate effectively in a pharmacy to both your patients and coworkers. 

Electronic Mentor Program: This is an interesting course that is based off electronic communications with pharmacists all over the country on ethical questions in pharmacy. We have a topic each week that we discuss in class and then leave our opinion on the topic in a comment on a blog. 

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: This course is designed for you to think critically in pharmacy situations. Teaching you techniques on how to approach a situation successfully in a pharmacy environment.

Overall my first semester in pharmacy school is designed to give us an overall pharmacy background and prepare us to be well-rounded student pharmacists when we enter a pharmacy to do interning/work. I am very excited to see how these classes will turn out and can't wait to share my experiences with you! 

{greek life} they are half of my heart

Bid Day is one of the best times of the year. It's a time to welcome in a new pledge class and celebrate your sisterhood. Waking up on bid day morning is like christmas - you are so giddy and excited to bring home about 60 new members and give them the amazing experience of Phi Mu sisterhood.

It is crazy not to be there to celebrate this wonderful day in Tallahassee. Imagine 1300 woman running home to their houses from the top of campus. It's an amazing experience and I am so happy to have been a part of it for the past four years.

Recruitment is something that I am beyond passionate about. I believe that it is the most important part of your experience in a greek chapter because it is the way of continuing your legacy. Sharing your values, chapter, and experience with new members makes you realize how important the sisterhood is to you. I have served on the recruitment committee for two years and know how much hard work goes into a smooth recruitment. It is the most rewarding day to see happy new members in your house on bid day. It's a pat on the back from your founders, alumni, and sisters across the country saying job well done! 

Congratulations Alpha Epsilon! YOU DID IT! Welcome Home PC'12! I hope you have a wonderful experience! I can't wait to meet all of you soon! 

Here are some photos of Bid Day the past four years:

Bid Day 2008

My bid day buddy (and big sister!!) Beth

Amanda, Me, and Kaitlin in front of our bid day sign 

Our first quat as phis. New members in pink and sisters in green. 

Beth and I waiting to welcome my bid day buddy (and little sister!!) Lura home on Bid Day 2009

Lura's first Quat on Bid Day 2009

PC'08 on Bid Day 2009

PC'08 on Bid Day 2010

Amanda and I welcoming a new member, Krista, on Bid Day 2010

The entire Alpha Epsilon Chapter on Bid Day 2010. Sisters in lavender and new members in lime green!

The best day of my life. Bid Day 2011. Seniors (in green) at the Wescott Fountain welcoming the new members (in blue).

Welcome home PC'11! We are so excited to have you!!

PC'08 Seniors at the Westcott Fountain. 

Just writing this post makes me tear up. Phi Mu has been one of the best experiences of my life. I am so happy to have met such wonderful women and I cannot wait to meet all the new members this fall. Joining Phi Mu has made me into such a strong and independent woman. It has taught me so many important life skills and gave me the time of my life at Florida State. These women will be the bridesmaids in my wedding and godmothers to my children. They have influenced and shaped me into the person I am today. I love you all so much!

Phi Mu is forever. Love Honor Truth.