Lessons from the Deli

Last week, shortly before my manager posted this week's schedule, she pulled me aside and told me that I would be working in the deli. One of their normal workers was going on vacation, and as a result they really needed someone to fill in. I was pretty open to the idea, especially since it would be a nice change of pace from ringing up customers, and it would provide new opportunities for growth. Though I knew what happened on the outside, I was pretty unaware of everything that happened behind the scenes. I would be working six days, and getting more hours which is what I really need right now. I thought that it would be fun, but after the first day I wasn't looking forward to going back the following afternoon.

I was working in the salad bar, meaning that I was responsible for maintaining the salad bar-doing constant checks to see that the containers were full, cutting up things that we were out of, and doing general cleaning. The person who had worked prior to myself gave me a super quick run through of where to find things and then I was on my own.  As it turns out working in the deli is a lot harder than it appears. As the afternoon turned into evening., one of the girls in the bakery (we share kitchen space) asked me if I knew what I was responsible for at the end of the shift, and I had absolutely no idea. Working salad bar at this store means that not only are you responsible for getting the station shut down, but you are also responsible for taking out the trash and recycling, as well as sweeping and mopping the kitchen. It ended up taking a lot longer than I expected to finish.

On my third day of my now least favorite job, the manager told me that I would be working the counter, which meant learning how to operate the slicers. Yikes! Cheese has to be put back in a certain place, each item has to be re-wrapped before putting it away, and there is a constant changing of gloves. At the end of the night, the slicers have to be taken apart and cleaned, the counters wiped down, the scales wiped down, the tags taken out of the cold case (not to mention wrapping everything up individually)...the list just goes on and on!

Saturday night was my final night (until Tuesday) of being in the deli, and looking back, I have definitely learned a lot, and actually ended up enjoying the experience. Along the way I've learned some pretty valuable (and some humerous) lessons.

1. Cleaning the cheese slicer is a pain...ok cleaning all of the slicers are annoying (especially when you are vertically challenged like I am and can't reach one of the screws)
2. Don't be afraid the try something new just because you think you won't be able to handle it; you never know until you try
3. Don't give up after a day. Things might seem difficult at first, but with time they do get better.
4. It's ok to admit that you are still learning. For the most part, my customers appreciated that I let them know that I was still training. They said that they would rather I take my time than risk injuring myself on the equipmenet
5. It's also perfectly fine to ask questions along the way. It's better to do things correctly the first time than make mistakes. You might end up learning things that will make your day a whole lot easier.
6. When taking the nozzles off the soda machine, be careful not to hit the lever....you end up getting your hands sticky
7. Don't add the degreaser to the pot of boiling water. Chances are people won't be paying attention and most of the pot will end up boiling over
8. If you have an hour to get everything closed down, allow for more time, especially if you are still learning. Some things definitely take a lot longer than others
9. Work isn't the best time to have personal conversations on your phone, especially if it turns into an argument. Shortly after this incident my coworker apologized saying he didn't want to bring me into his problems. Sorry, I was already involved after you were yelling in front of me

In the end I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to work in another department. I've learned new skills, and I may find myself needing to know how to do some of the things we do in the deli for another job. It also means that there is always a chance to get more hours at work. When I go back to the deli on Tuesday I'm actually looking forward to it. There is always a chance for growth, good memories, and a pretty awesome hat :)

Ready to Change my Habits

I had nearly forgotten about this blog until I came across some blog entries on Facebook. Posting every few months seems to be the trend for me right now. I promise to be better at posting in the future. It's been about two months si
nce I graduated from FEMA Corps and came back home. I've been working part time at my on again off again job, as well as putting together promotional bags for my dad's work. I've made over 200 bags full of candy and promotion cards! I've also been applying to jobs in Arizona, where I hope to be living by the end of the summer. There is so much to think about though, and I'm somewhat overwhelmed.

The main purpose of this blog was to talk about my quest to get healthy, and my posts haven't exactly been reflecting that. However, perhaps when I say get healthy, it also includes my mental health, as well as the physical aspect of being healthy. It's time for me to take control of my life, and that includes getting rid of unecessary clutter which means seriously going through my things and figuring out what I need and what I don't! I feel like I'm constantly cleaning my room or coming up with piles of things that I no longer want. I'm really hoping to be able to organize a garage sale for this spring, and donating whatever doesn't sell to charity.

 It's been extremely difficult to get motivated to get in shape. Recently though I began to realize that I am ready to change my life for the better, and I'm recognizing that some of my habits aren't the most healthy. Spending all day sitting in front of my computer isn't really going to accomplish my goals. Over New Years, I was getting a lot better at portion control and recognizing when I'm full. It was really nice to be able to spend new years with my fiance, who would give me a gentle nudge or a reminder when I started to eat more than what I needed. We were active just about every day, whether we were playing ultimate Frisbee or going for walks around the neighborhood. I've been walking just about every day at home, and have recently begun adding ten minute ab and cardio routines into my day. It's been pretty chilly here, and when walking wasn't going to happen the other day because of the super low temperatures, I went to Youtube and looked up some fitness routines. Fitness Blender workouts are now my new best enemy. Typically I will do a ten minute cardio workout and a ten minute ab workout. It isn't easy, and I can't do every single exercise yet, but I'm trying! They (various online sites), say that it takes about six weeks to notice a change, and so each week I'm going to take a picture and see what happens. In six weeks I might even post pictures from week one to week six, but no laughing!

Graduation in sight

In Februrary of this year I embarked on a new adventure-a second term of service with AmeriCorps, this time working with their new FEMA program. I've been terrible at updating, and I was somewhat shocked when I realized that I haven't written since July. Now it's November, and I'm nine days away from graduation. It's incredible how quickly this year has gone, and how many new skills I have gained.

A Recap of my Adventures
Feburay 2013- Arrived at my new home in Denver Colorado! We had a month of basic training which included a week of FEMA basic, essentially a crash course to the organization that we would be working for.

March-Head to a two week training in Artesia, NM, home of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. This is where we were trained in our FEMA specific role- in my case mass care. We learned how to set up and operate shelters, work at a distribution center, and what to expect.

April-Arrive in Red Bank, NJ, our home for the next several months. We worked out of the Joint Field Office doing shelter surveys for the state. We went to different schools and public facilities to see if they could be used for future sheltering in the event of an emergency. We would check for kitchen space, smoke detectors, accessibility (wheel chair ramps, elevators), and showers among other things.

July-the Red Cross was impressed with the work that we did in Jersey, so for our second round project we would be doing the same thing, this time in parts of Colorado and Wyoming. PS Wyoming is incredible, even if the project wasn't. 

So beautiful!












Round two finishes, and after a week or so of transition we are off for about two weeks of summer break! I was able to split my break between Arizona, and home which was so nice. In Arizona my boyfriend and his familiy introduced me to racquetball, and I really enjoyed it. However, the highlight of that visit was GETTING ENGAGED! He proposed a few hours after my plane landed and I was not expecting it at all!

 The ring is gorgeous! I'm sorry that this picture isn't of the best quality. The picture below was taken right before his brother took us out to dinner to celebrate our engagement.

My team was origionally supposed to be heading to DC for our final round to work in the FEMA headquarters. In this program however you learn to be flexible, and with the flooding in Colorado, all teams were redeployed to work locally in Colorado. My team became a logistics team. We assisted in setting up the Joint Field Office, and then moved to a warehouse in Golden, where we would pull supplies for Disaster Recovery Centers. We were also responsible for setting up the facilities and then taking them down when services were no longer needed. Towards the end of the round, we usually were sitting in the warehouse playing cards (I played a lot of Hearts and got somewhat decent), or watching movies on our computers.

Tomorrow I head back to our campus in Denver for a week or so of wrap up, but I'm counting down the days until I get on the plane to head back home. Transition means lots of meetings, surveys, equipment turn in, debriefing our project, and finally, graduation!

I'm grateful that I listened to my mom when she encouraged me to sign up for another term of service. I've grown more as a perosn, and have learned how to better communicate with my peers. Through the ups and the downs of the program, I did learn a great deal. I had experience doing a variety of different tasks, and learned how to adapt to ever changing situations. I'm more outgoing, and try to go out and do things. My plan for after is to go back to work and try to figure out my life. This also included coming up with the courage to overcome my fears and learn how to drive.

I promise that I will get better at updating this blog as new developments are made. Glacier 4, it's been great. See you in nine days KC!

My team at the first Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) that we set up

Peace in Nature

After work on Friday, some of my co-workers and I decided to go hiking at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Before the hike started I found the following quote in my quote notebook. "You say, "Toil fatigues me." But what is this me? Is it muscle or Mind? Which is tired and so speaks? Without mind, could the muscles be tired? Do the muscles talk, or do you talk for them? Matter is non-intelligent. Mortal mind does the false talking, and that which affirms weariness, made that weariness. You do not say a wheel is fatigued; and yet the body is as material as the wheel. If it were not for what the human mind says of the body, the body, like the inanimate wheel, would never be weary;The consciousness of Truth rests us more than hours of repose in unconsciousness."-Science and Health 217:29-8 This has always been a favorite quote of mine. It was suggested to me by a friend when I seemed very tired during a busy work day, and it has always been something that I have referenced whenever the suggestion comes to me that I should be tired.

 Shortly after we started I realized just how out of shape I really. When I wrote down this entry we were taking a break under a neat rock formation It's so peaceful out here and the slight breeze makes the heat tolerable I wish I had some good pictures to share, but since my camera broke a few days ago I've been relying on my phone and I can't figure out how to get the pictures from the phone to the computer. Sitting at the rocks reminds me of the solos that I did as a high school student at camp Out counselors would take us to different locations around camp and we would have a few hours to reflect and write letters to ourselves that would be sent after we left. I wonder if I still have those letters somewhere. When I get home I will have to root around for them.

I've been working out everyday this week, and I'm definitely feeling it On Tuesday I swam for an hour with a friend before joining the rest of the team for a game of floor hockey. There were only three people on my team but we held our own. I even managed to score a goal or two which was really fun. My latest workout challenge is to work out in some way everyday of the week, even if it's as simple as going for a walk.

John 1:3

All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made-John 1:

This evening I decided to read my weekly Bible lesson before watching an episode of  True Blood, one of  my new favorite shows. In my church services consist of readings from the bible, and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. The same service is read by churches around the world.As I read the golden text I couldn't help but smile. God made us perfect, and nothing can get in the way of this, NOTHING! 

Today our physical training was individual, which works out well since my roommate and I usually go for our interval run, complete with a minute each of push ups and sit ups, and a few pull ups. My roommate wanted to rest for a little bit first, but I decided to go for the run alone, and at the end of the day I am so grateful that I did. My roomie hasn't left her bed or her computer since we got back from work, and a few weeks ago that could have easily been me. I sometimes have difficulty getting motivated to work out, but I'm determined not to quit.

Whenever I make significant progress on my push ups and sit ups, or even on my runs, I like to post it on Facebook. Seeing the positive reactions that I get from friends really motivates me to keep going. It's not always going to be easy, but as long as I keep pushing through, there will be results. Now if only I could start eating better...tips anyone?

The Power of Friends

On Memorial Day I went into New York City with my friends. I'm staying about an hour away by train, which goes pretty quickly. We spent the day visiting with celebrities at the wax museum, and explored Central Park and Times Square, where we were lucky to catch a glimpse of Glee's Jane Lynch coming out of rehearsals for Broadway's Annie. In the wax museum I saw my first 4D movie! That was really fun. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my healthy journey, and as I walked around with my friends, laughing and talking, I realized that mental health is just as important as physical. It's so important to relax every once in a while and have fun!

 I can't think of any better way to be motivated than to be with friends who are helping me in my journey. On days that I don't want to work out, it's nice to know that I have friends who are encouraging me each step of the way. We had a four day weekend, and it was super nice to be able to rest and think of things other than work. .Our time is going very quickly; we only have seven days of work left! After that it is another five day trip back to Denver.

Yesterday I ran 1.3 miles in 15.56. I was super excited because it's definitely an improvement from my running time back in Denver a few months ago. Of course, we were dealing with a much higher altitude there, and I wasn't fully adjusted, but I'm determined to bring my time down when we do the official run in a few weeks.  To end what turned out to be a pretty good day, my roommates and I made black bean quesadillas, yum!  The link to the website can be found here. http://www.thefitcook.net/1/post/2011/2/black-bean-quesadillas.html The dinner was wonderful and I can't wait to make more of her food.

Pictures-Jaime and I with 007, Jaime, Liz, and myself at the museum's tribute to 9/11, and me with Spider man before the movie.

My name is Hayden. I'm a twenty something college grad with a degree in Sociology and a minor in elementary education. I'm currently working for FEMA Corps, an AmeriCorps organization that has 18-24 year old men and women working directly with FEMA to assist in disasters. I've been in New Jersey for the last month and a half, and am really enjoying myself. If you want to learn more about FEMA Corps click here. http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/fema-corps It will give you information on this program and their traditional track which I completed in 2012. For the next several months I will be working to assist people affected by disasters. Now I'm sure you are wondering what this blog is about. Essentially, it's about my quest to get healthy. For several years I have struggled with my weight. There were times that I acted like I didn't care. I tried track and cross country during my freshman and sophomore years of college respectively, but even though I was exercising I wasn't eating right. After graduating in 2011, I joined AmeriCorps NCCC in February of 2012. It was definitely difficult to eat good foods when we were constantly on the road to and from our project locations. We ate Chipotle just about every trip! Here is a picture of me helping to put up electric fencing at a horses rescue place in Illinois. When I began FEMA Corps in February we were required to sign up for the Presidential Fitness Challenge. The profiles are easy to set up and easy to use. You simply enter in your fitness from a list of provided activities, and the time spent on it (you have to exercise for at least five minutes). You can get points for everything from running to doing household chores! Click here to check out the site and create your own profile! https://www.presidentschallenge.org/login/index.shtml When you exercise, the points that you earn go for various awards. I'm currently working for the bronze award. You can create groups or join existing ones to help motivate you. Three weeks ago my quest to get healthy officially began. One of the girls in my groups is conditioning for the Air Force, and she invited me to work out with her. The workout is designed to get people used to running. When I get the information on the website that she found, I will post it here. The workout is progressive. The first week you walk for five minutes, run for one minute, and repeat so you run one more time before a cool down. Each week you increase the time spent running. This coming week we start running for four minutes, and the week after we will be up to five minutes! It's a sixteen week program. We have also added pull ups to the workout as well. In addition we do a minute each of sit ups and push ups. The first few days were difficult. My body was at war with me for most of the time, but as I kept going, it started to get easier. The friend who I am working out with says that it takes six weeks for your body to adjust to a new habit. I've learned that it's important to start small and build up. For instance, I recently switched from eating chocolate covered granola bars to eating Nature Valley bars, and I'm trying my best not to snack in between meals. (Now if only I would eat veggies like I should...) I know that people have their own ways of getting into shape, so I'm hoping that this can be used as a motivation tool. I've discovered that working out with other people is so much better than working out alone. It motivates me to work harder. I'm also more willing to exercise if I enjoy what I'm doing. In FEMA Corps, and in the traditional program, we are required to work out as a team three times a week. Our team enjoys ab workouts and playing ultimate Frisbee and kick ball. (After completing one of my runs). Through these posts, I'm going to keep you updated on my progress. I'm not expecting overnight changes, but I'm hoping that in the process of getting healthy and getting into shape, that I can learn to love myself more, and not feel about about my appearance. This is about new starts and new opportunities to get to know myself better. I'm open to tips and suggesting, so just let me know if you have found something that works!