Category Archives: student life

First Rugby Game of the Spring Season!

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Thinking back on spring …

Rugby season started up again in the spring! No one was more excited about this than me. šŸ™‚ As you may remember, last season I broke my finger so I had to sit out for theĀ fall season. Of course, it was fun to watch my teammates, but nothing compares to actually playing.

Our first game of the seasonĀ happened to be our only away game of the season. We played the Morrigans, who are based outside of Chicago. Thankfully the trip was only twoĀ and a half hours, so we didnā€™t have to leave too early. šŸ™‚

Let me tell you, rugby road trips are always a fun time. Thereā€™s always tons of food, laughs and singing. Lots and lots of singing. We have a lot of new rookies on the team so it was a great way to do some team bonding. šŸ™‚

We knew that the weather was going to suck. Thereā€™s literally no other way I can put it. The forecast said 40 degrees and windy. So we packed leggings, long socks and undershirts ā€“ but it still wasnā€™t enough! We pulled up to the pitch and it starts snowing. As soon as I got out of the van I immediately asked myself why I played rugby ā€“ hehehe. But once the game started we forgot all about the weather. We scored threeĀ tryā€™s and we even had the chance to switch up positions! I had practiced being a prop for about 30 minutes, and I didnā€™t feel very comfortable with it, but I tried it out in the game and actually didnā€™t mind it! I even managed to do something good, so overall not too bad. šŸ™‚ Did I mention we won?! It felt great!

After the game we went to the social ā€“ where the other team feeds us and we end on a good note. Then we hit the gas station for some snacks, and we were on our way back home! The snow turned to hail, but thankfully stopped as we were leaving. Once we got back we cleaned out the vans and went our separate ways. Rugby games make me extremely tired. Like to the point where I cannot function. Poor Joey has to put up with me when Iā€™m this tired, I feel sorry for him! Hehe. You would never believe it, but sometimes I get very angry when Iā€™m that tired. Thankfully he doesnā€™t take it personally. šŸ™‚

Callie

PS: I have a new pre-game tradition!

Surviving the 1st year!

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Ahhhh ... vacation. Reading a book by the pool.

Ahhhh … vacation.

I cannot even put into words how excited I am to be done with the first year of chiropractic school. Yes, I learned a lot and met tons of new people, but I am sooooo glad to be done with the basic sciences. I canā€™t wait to dig into more techniques! šŸ™‚ Iā€™m also excited that I wonā€™t have to pull any more all-nighters or be ridiculously stressed out. Of course, I donā€™t know how the next year will treat me, but I do know that 4th tri is pretty chill. šŸ™‚

To celebrate my survival, I went to San Diego with one of my friends from back home. It worked out really nice because her parents had a time-share there, and I have another friend who lives out there. So not only was the trip pretty cheap, it was also packed with catching up with my good friends. šŸ™‚

We couldnā€™t have picked a better week to go there. The weather was always above 75 degrees, and there wasnā€™t a cloud in the sky. The time-share was at a resort, and it was beautiful! I honestly couldnā€™t believe we were there for the whole week!

We had lots planned. We wanted to lay outside and soak in the Vitamin D, swim, hike, sea kayak, shop, go to the ocean/beach, see the nightlife, and also check out local coffee shops. We both love coffee. šŸ™‚ My friend, Hannan, who lives in San Diego, happens to work at a local coffee shop ā€“ so of course we went there. We also tried a couple restaurants, and they were AMAMZING! Holy cow. I usually donā€™t eat fish, but when you are that close to the ocean, you canā€™t pass up fresh seafood. So I had some amazing fish. So good! Any place we went with a ā€˜catch of the day,ā€™ I tried it. šŸ™‚ MMMM.

Although the entire trip was perfect, I did end up getting sick again. Towards the end of my trip I once again had extreme body aches, a sore throat and exhaustion. So when you are on vacation in the sun what do you do? I laid on the beach all day. I actually fell asleep! Hehe. The sound of the ocean and the heat was just what my body wanted! (Flash ahead a couple weeks and this sickness was still there ā€“ but now migrated to double ear infections.)

I did bring a book with me on my trip! I chose to bring ‘The Brainā€™s Way of Healing’ by Norman Doidge, with me and it was very interesting! I canā€™t believe I actually wanted to read this book on vacation, but thatā€™s what happens when you love what you do! I love learning about anything related to chiropractic and the way the body works. Itā€™s funny because the author of this book isnā€™t a chiropractor, and Iā€™m not sure about his stance on it, but from his book he seems to describe chiropractic perfectly! I highly recommend reading this book to any prospective students or current students. Hit me up and you can borrow it. šŸ™‚

Once I got back I settled in and prepared for 4th tri! Turns out its better than I could have ever thought. šŸ™‚

Callie

Finals week ā€¦ already?!

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(This post got lost in the shuffle — it was from after finals LAST trimester.)

This was me the week of finals. Miserable!

This was what I felt likeĀ the week of finals. Miserable!

So finals week is already here! Itā€™s insane! How am I almost done with 3rdĀ tri?Ā And my first year at Palmer!Ā INSANE! This 3rd trimester was rather tricky. It was soooo monotonous I found it hard to study. I also did not find the content to be exciting and enticing. Granted, some things were interesting, but for the most part I was a little bored (to be honest). So that being said, I wasnā€™t as ā€˜setā€™ in my classes as I usually am. For instance, in Gen Path 1, I had an 88% going into the final. So if I got an A, then I got an A in the class. Or I could basically fail and get a B. But whereā€™s the fun in that? šŸ™‚Ā This same situation happened to me in fiveĀ classes. FIVE! Holy buckets. So going into finals I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me!

The weekend before finals I prepared all my notes and study guides so that way when finals came I was fully prepared. And that allowed me extra time to do some light studying ā€“ or at least familiarize myself with the content. Sunday morning rolls around and I started to feel a sore throat coming on. So I took my vitamins and Wellness Formula, got out my essential oils, brushed my teeth, and showered hoping to kick this thing goodbye. Boy, was I mistaken! By Monday morning I was full on sick. I felt like I was 90 years old. ALL of my joints hurt and I could only sleep. Forget eating or talking. I couldnā€™t even dress myself. It was terrible. This lasted ALL week! AHHGHGHGH! This is literally every studentā€™s nightmare. Palmer gives students a day between classes and finals to study (a study day), and my study day was spent curled up in my bed sleeping ā€“ and coughing. I think 75% of the rugby team got this sickness. We termed it The Plague. It was to the point that Joey was extremely concerned and going out of his way to get me to stop coughing ā€“ he never gets sick so this was a big deal for him hehe. šŸ™‚

Somehow I managed to do well on my first two finals ā€“ I thought they went terrible, but somehow they turned out okay. šŸ™‚ Then I had the weekend to study PNS. You guys know how I have struggled with PNS this trimester. It made my stomach hurt just thinking about studying for PNS, but I studied all weekend and guess what???! I got a 98% on my final. BOOM! Iā€™ve never gotten an A on ANY Torgerud exam. So this was huge for me. After doing well on that exam, I took the rest of my finals feeling like I could do anything. None of them turned out as well as PNS, but they all went well. And before I knew it, 3rd tri was over.

Although 3rd tri was over, my sickness was not. šŸ™ I had a couple days to recover, but then I was headed to San Diego for a week in the sun. Before I left for my trip my sickness was going away, but half-way through my vacation, it came back with a vengeance!

But Iā€™ll tell you about my break/vacation/celebration from surviving year one inĀ another blog. šŸ™‚

 

Callie

Palmer Business Center!

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A couple blogs ago I mentioned that I attended this amazing business seminar put on by the Palmer Business Center (formally the Palmer Center for Business Development, but we just call it the Business Center). I seriously cannot say enough about how helpful it was! I was so glad I went. I thought about not going because it was on a Saturday at 8 a.m., and I knew Iā€™d be exhausted after the exams, but I went anyways! So hereā€™s the scoop:

What will my future be?

What will my future be?

Palmer Business Center has a TON of business modules, presentations, speakers and events to help you succeed on the business end of chiropractic. So this specific event featured a doc from Des Moines. He started out by telling us his chiropractic story and how he got through school. It was nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel ā€“ if you know what I mean. šŸ™‚

His presentation was geared to help students figure out a plan for graduation. Basically he told us what his story was and what he learned. I thought that was very nice! Not all people are willing to share their personal struggles or road to success.

A lot of the things he shared I hadnā€™t even thought of. For example, knowing your advertising abilities if you rent from a building. Some leases allow you to advertise on the outside of the building and some do not. Just little things like that. Or my favorite: GET AN ACCOUNTANT. Haha. I know that math, taxes, business banking stuff is not my thing. I know that already, so I should really be looking into an accountant once Iā€™m in practice (if Iā€™m not associating).

He also discussed the possibility of associating vs opening a practice right away. So for me, I live in this happy little world where I think everyone is nice and wants to help me. So my idea of associating was that the hiring D.C. wants to help mold you into an amazing D.C. and lead you to take over the practice. And donā€™t get me wrong, I know for a fact that manyĀ D.C.s are very willing to help work with new grads like this. But not all. SomeĀ of D.C.s looking for an associate mightĀ want their practice to make more money and get more patients/business or want more time with their family. Which, thinking about it now, itā€™s kind of like ā€˜DUH.ā€™ So if associating is what you want to do, you need to figure out what motivates the DC and prove yourself there. For example, if I interviewed for an associate job and said, ā€˜I can be there soĀ you have tons of time off for your family.ā€™ But the D.C.Ā might notĀ want that. Instead he wants you to bring in tons of patients and expand the business. He may think you are lazy or not willing to go out and recruit patients (which may or may not be true). Itā€™s all about catering to their specific needs. Yours and the D.C.’s. šŸ™‚

This presentation really got me thinking about my graduation plans ā€“ SCARY! Ahhā€¦But in a good way.

Now that Iā€™m dreaming of graduation, I had better start studying for finals. šŸ™‚

Callie

Palmer Fridays!

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Redband coffee ... yum!

Redband coffee … yum!

After aĀ stressful two weeks, it was nice to relax on Friday! Usually in lower trimesters Friday classes are lighter, usually only having twoĀ classes. In 3rd trimester, you have fiveĀ classes, but you have a couple breaks in the day so it seems like an easier day than normal.

On Fridays you always have the 9:20 a.m. hour open for club meetings! As a Palmer Pediatric Club officer, I have to attend the Pediatric Club on Fridays ā€“ which I LOVE. Every time I go to club I learn something I didnā€™t before.

I told you that time I learned about Websterā€™s right? I felt a baby INSIDE A PREGNANT LADY and could identify the spine, head, and butt. That is insane to me!!! How cool!

But this week we talked about different avenues we, as students, could take to become more educated in Pediatric Chiropractic. Some of the upper trimester students told us what they did and what they would do differently. It is really nice to know the different options and certification you can take!

It was also nice to hear the reality of advertising. Turns out you have to abide by specific state laws when advertising your pediatric involvement.

Another good thing was hearing about the time commitment and money needed to get certifications. AHHHH! The time piece doesnā€™t bother me, but the funds! YIKES! But every dollar invested into my education is well spent. šŸ™‚

Because I had such a rough twoĀ weeks, I treated myself to Redband Coffee that morning. šŸ™‚ I canā€™t tell you how nice it feels to be coming down from a stressful week with a coffee in hand and a smile on your face. And okay, letā€™s be honest. I think I had a Redband almost every day that week. But this one felt like a treat! It was not needed for an actual purpose, just enjoyment. šŸ™‚

After classes I went home and did a little Netflix and chill (and by chill I mean I actually chilled out LOL). By a little I mean all night and was asleep by 8 p.m. šŸ™‚Ā I have to say that time passed very slowly. It was like all of a sudden, now that I have nothing to do, time is my friend. I was **almost** bored. But an early bedtime means an early rise. Jen and I hit the Freight House Farmerā€™s Market and maybe Redbandā€¦.hehehe šŸ™‚

The rest of the weekend followed a similar suit. It was much needed.

Callie

First week back from break ā€¦

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My first Palmer winter break is in the books. We’re going to play a little game: Expectation vs. Reality.

My expectation of break was to spend all my days with my family, binge watching Netflix, binge eating delicious homemade food, dining at my favorite places back home, sleeping in as late as possible, and enjoying the holidays. Maybe even showering more than twice ā€¦ hehehe.

Expectations are pretty low here; but then there was the reality. The reality of break is that everyone from home wants to see you or do something, there’s a lot of traveling, early mornings and late nights, catching up on all the things you needed to do before break (but couldnā€™t get to), and the school work and studying. Donā€™t get me wrong, break was amazing, but it was a little different than I pictured. I did have a couple days to myself where my expectations came true, but for the most part I was very busy. Itā€™s good to be busy though, keeps you from being lazy and makes you feel loved. šŸ™‚

The first week back from break was filled with a couple quizzes and a PNS exam. If you remember my last PNS was not so good due to the Packers amazing win over the Lions, but this exam I prepared for. I knew I needed to do well and I did J Dr. Torgerudā€™s CNS and PNS classes are pretty tough, especially if neuro just doesnā€™t click for you. For me, I like the basics and I appreciate CNS/PNS but I could never specialize in advanced neuro cases. Not my thing. But anyways, after this exam on Thursday I was able to relax and prepare for next weekā€™s exam.

My boyfriend Joeyā€™s birthday was on Wednesday, and because I had PNS on Thursday, I wasnā€™t able to celebrate with him.

My family at the hockey game

My family at the hockey game

NOTE TO FAMILY MEMBERS OF A CHIRO STUDENT: Chiro school always wins. Always. We try our best, but most times school is already pulling us in every direction. But it’s only temporary. šŸ™‚ But that being said, Joey and I celebrated the weekend after his birthday in Madison, Wis. We love Madison. šŸ™‚ We lived there before Palmer, and Joey went to school there, so to say we miss it would be an understatement. We met his whole family down there on Saturday, went to our favorite restaurants, and also went to a Wisconsin menā€™s hockey game. It was a lot of fun! And I was glad Joey was able to celebrate his birthday properly, even if it was a little later. šŸ™‚

But all good things come to an end, and we had to return to Iowa. I also had a test Monday morning, and the Pack played on Sunday. So I watched the game and then studied. Priorities people!!! Hehe.

But after the Immunology exam on Monday, I also had a Subluxation practical. Both went just okay. Need to do better next time, but not a big deal.

Now to prepare to take seven exams in less than two weeks ā€¦ and itā€™s not even finals!

Callie

What I did over break

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Secret Santa night!

During the last week and half before break I thankfully only had two exams! What a relief. Too bad they were terrible. I thought I studied enough and felt confident and both tests blew me off my feet. So thatā€™s always a nice feeling ā€¦ not. The break couldnā€™t have been timed more perfectly. šŸ™‚ I canā€™t wait to have a little time off in order to get motivated again and just get away from school for a little bit. Donā€™t get me wrong, I love Palmer and Chiropractic, but sometimes you need some distance. I also think I needed to spend some time with my family. šŸ™‚ I couldnā€™t wait to snuggle with my nephew!

In between our exams, my friends and I had a Secret Santa party! We had soooooo much food and it was AMAZING! We had ham, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, deviled eggs, salmon, desserts for days, and of course some wine. šŸ™‚ We exchanged our gifts, and everyone was happy. It was one of the best ideas we have had yet.

Somehow my apartment was dirty long after that party. LOL It was crazy that I looked forward to cleaning the first chance I got on break? Oh, well. It will feel good to clean and get it all out to start anew. I didn’t go home until Dec. 23Ā because Joey works, so I hadĀ a couple days to decompress from school. Perfect!

I also had time to finish making my Christmas gifts! I love making gifts for my family, and this year I decided to make another quiet book for my nephew. I forgot how long it takes, so I wasĀ extremely behind in making this!

On Thursday before break, half of my friends went to see “Star Wars” and the other half of us watched Disney movies and ordered pizza. It was great! We also did some knitting. It felt like we were already on break! I seriously couldnā€™t believe we had to go to school Friday. Clearly I was checked out all day, hehe. But on the bright side, Dr. Freedman brought us PIZZA!!! Wahooo! See, we arenā€™t the only ones looking forward to break. šŸ™‚

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!!

Callie

Rugby Banquet surprise!

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My award!

My award!

The week of the Rugby Banquet was a little difficult. I had three exams! Not even “easy” ones. We had Systems Pathology on Tuesday, Organ Histology on Wednesday, and also our Subluxation midterm. Woof. It was a lot of studying, but it paid off! I did well on all three exams. šŸ™‚

To top off the busy week, I also had the Rugby Banquet on Friday. I completely forgot when it was,Ā so I had no dress to wear. So Friday afternoon was spent shopping in search of a cheap dress that would fit the occasion. Finally after power walking the entire mall TWICE I found it … in the first store I shopped in. Grrr. Donā€™t you hate when that happens? Oh well, at least it was a good deal. šŸ™‚

The banquet was in Vickie Anne Palmer Hall at 7 p.m. It was so nice! We had amazing food and tons of desserts. Yum! We also took plenty of pictures and had an award ceremony. Some of the awards were for all sorts of things — most dedicated, most flexible, most improved, rookie of the year, etc. It was great! Everyone on our team deserves an award for the amount of time, effort and skill it takes to play this sport while attending Palmer to becomeĀ chiropractors. I love being a part of this team and am just happy to be surrounded by these lovely ladies. šŸ™‚

And I got an award! You can imagine my surprise when I was awarded the Most Improved Player 2015. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Long story short, I donā€™t do well being put on the spot. I just do my part like everyone else and donā€™t expect to recognized for that. I usually like to plan out these kinds of things, so when Iā€™m put on stage unexpectedly, I almost freeze.Ā  Depending on the situation, I like to be behind the woodwork and unnoticed. Rugby is one of those situations, hehe. I think itā€™s because Iā€™m so new I feel out of place and like, ā€˜Why should I be up here? Why me?ā€™ But it was a great feeling as well! I canā€™t believe everyone thought I improved. šŸ™‚ I put in a lot of hard work so it was nice to be recognized.

After the banquet, there was an after party, but I was so exhausted from the week that I just went home and went to bed. šŸ™‚ It was nice to go home and just relax with nothing to do. The rest of the weekend was also dedicated to recuperating and football. GO PACK GO!

More soon!

Callie

Palmer Prom!

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Me and the girls before we headed out for Palmer Prom!

The couple of weeks before Christmas break wereĀ filled with exam after exam and quiz after quiz. It was actually kind of nice because it broke up the monotonous days of 3rd trimester. But these couple weeks are also filled with lots of parties!

On Friday, we had the Palmer Prom! It was awesome! So hereā€™s the scoop: Palmer rents out a venue, brings in a band, provides snacks and puts on an amazing dance party! Ask any of my friends, Iā€™m not the person who goes out and dances, but I danced and had a great time.

We all got ready together and took classic prom pictures. šŸ™‚ We had a driver drop us off and everything; it was great! The band was amazing! They played all the best current hits as well as the best classic rock songs. It was awesome to relieve some stress and just forget school for the night. šŸ™‚

The next morning we all went out for breakfast at a local restaurant, Riefeā€™s*. My family loves that place. Itā€™s local, the food is great, and the prices are cheap! You canā€™t get much better than that. But it does. They also give you free homemade donuts! Delicious! My friends and I have been talking about going there since 1st trimester and we were finally able to do it. It definitely hit the spot. šŸ™‚

After breakfast I had to do a little studying for my Systems Pathology class. Our exam is on Tuesday and I want to make sure I do well. I had a little set back with my first PNS exam due to the Packer game (GO PACK GO), but I donā€™t regret it. Sorry Dr. Torgerud! Hehehe.

I also had our rugby Christmas party on Saturday night. šŸ™‚ It was really fun! We did a white elephant gift exchange and then also had a potluck. Some of the gifts were really funny, and watching peopleā€™s reactions to the gifts was even better! We also dressed up in onsies or ugly Christmas sweaters. I had a penguin onesie, so of course I wore it. šŸ˜‰Ā I left the party a little early so I could see Joey before he had to go to work. But I went to bed early that night to catch up on some sleep. Turns out I needed it, because I slept in until 9 a.m.! WAHOO!

Sunday was pretty uneventful. I continued to study and just lounged around the house. I did some much needed grocery shopping, though!

Callie

*Editor’s note: Unfortunately, Riefe’s announced they’re closing after many years in business. šŸ™

Throwback Thursday – thinking back on Thanksgiving break

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ThanksgivingĀ week was a short one at Palmer. We had classes until Wednesday, and then we were all headed off to break! Thankfully (hehehehe), we only had one exam this week- Immunology! Overall, it wasnā€™t too bad.

Joey had to work on Thanksgiving, so we werenā€™t able to go home on Thanksgiving, but Palmer had a free Thanksgiving dinner for students who couldnā€™t go home. It was great! The food was amazing and it was really nice to have something to do on Thanksgiving.

I also went out and planned some Black Friday shopping. I told you how I built that faux fireplace with my dad, right? Well, I found some electric logs (with a heater) on sale. WAHOO! Now I have a real fireplace. šŸ™‚ It looks great, and I love that it actually gives off some heat now. I also started to decorate the apartment for Christmas. Itā€™s my favorite time of year. šŸ™‚

Then finally on Friday afternoon we were able to go home. I brought my friend from the rugby team, Debbie, home with us, too! She is from California, and I didnā€™t want her to miss out on this! So we brought her home and put her to work. šŸ™‚ Little did she know she would be stuffing the turkey and helping to put up the Christmas tree. But she loved it, and Iā€™m glad I was able to show her a Midwestern Thanksgiving. šŸ™‚

Before we knew it, it was already Sunday and we had to drive back to Davenport. Debbie and I also had to study for a Microbiology test. Thankfully, we got home around 5 p.m., so we still had some time to unwind from the drive and study for a bit.

On a completely different note, the rugby team went to New York City to compete in a 7ā€™s tournament ā€“ where the team plays 15-minute games with seven people. I wasnā€™t able to go because Iā€™m still out with my broken finger, but that worked out perfectly so I could spend time with family. šŸ™‚ But the girls did great! They met a couple different celebrities and explored the city! They also took home the plate in the tournament! Wahoo! Go Palmer! Now we are on a little break over the winter until our next tournament in Las Vegas.

What am I going to do with all this “free time” now?? Maybe Iā€™ll start a new series on Netflix ā€¦ hehehe

Callie