There's a first time for everything…

If you listened to my last blog- the audio post- you know that my dog got sick on my bedroom carpet- FIVE times! So, I went to Lowe’s and rented a RugDoctor. It was the only thing I could think of that might come close to removing the stains, but I’d never used one before, so I didn’t know what to expect. It cost about $40, including the cleaning product. As far as using it went, it was pretty easy; the directions were simple to follow. As far as results went, well, you can see for yourself with my before and after photos:

Afterthoughts: If you are dealing with stains, try something else to get them out immediately after it happens; If it is just to deep clean the carpet, it’s great.

It didn’t completely remove the stains like I’d hoped, but it definitely got most of it and eliminated the smell. Any other suggestions on what could possibly get rid of the rest of the stains, or is it too late now?

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Trying out an audio blog. Quality isn’t the best, but it worked for a first try.
Click here to listen: 2Blog

Here is a short video of Bogie from April 29, 2010. He is 4 months 4 days old and weighs 30lbs already!

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A new product category has emerged: relaxing beverages. They are basically supposed to do the opposite of energy drinks. There are a couple brands of these so-called relaxing beverages out there, including Slow Cow, Drank, and Purple Stuff. Mary Jane’s Relaxing Soda is one of the newer drinks, containing the somewhat controversial ingredient, Kava extract. Widely consumed in the Pacific Islands, Kava is a type of pepper plant sometimes referred to as “the amazing intoxicating pepper.” It is the relaxing ingredient in Mary Jane’s that is meant to, well, relax you.

Some things to know:
• That’s why the label says not to drink if you have a pepper allergy
• It shouldn’t be consumed in excess amounts
• Why? Because it is said to have the same effects of marijuana and alcohol without the bad side effects
• That’s why it’s called Mary Jane’s Relaxing Soda
• I just so happened to try this drink on April 20th. Not important, but I find it funny.

Since it’s such a new product, it’s not available to buy all over the country yet. Mostly, you can find it on the east coast, but it is available to order online. It’s also kind of pricey, which is unfortunate. Lucky for me, I’m creating a mock campaign for this product and the company sent my work group a free case. They are also sending us free shirts. Score! That reminds me, this company is awesome. They have a Facebook page, and any time someone writes to them, you can see that they always respond. Love that.

So, did I like the drink? Did it relax me? Well, the drink was interesting. It took a while to get used to. It tastes like a cross between Coke and tea. After a few sips, though, I did find myself wanting more. As far as the relaxing part goes, it’s hard to tell. Both times I had the drink were at the end of the day when I was already feeling tired. It was hard to differentiate between whether I was just tired from my long day or relaxed from Mary Jane’s.

Afterthoughts: I’d suggest giving it a try if you have access to it, just to say you did, but since you most likely would have to order it online, I wouldn’t stress about not trying it out.
Check them out

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About two months ago I decided to finally do something to bring in some extra cash. Surprisingly, serving at Bob Evans just doesn’t cut it. So I got involved in the multi-million-dollar in-home party business called Pure Romance and I’m an active consultant now. It’s kind of like the Pampered Chef parties…except completely different.

Yes, I sell romance enhancing bedroom accessories, along with much more, including beauty and bath products. It’s hard explaining my line of work to others at first. I instantly feel like I will be judged, which has been confirmed on various occasions. I’ve found that most people either find it incredibly interesting or back off of the subject with a surprised look and an “Ohh…” Just to clarify, Pure Romance is not my life, it is just something that I do, and it was a business decision. However, I do strongly believe in what we stand for. Pure Romance believes in helping women gain confidence and building and renewing intimacy and healthy relationships.

So, now that you know what Pure Romance is and know how I feel about it, can I just say that it is by no means easy to own your own business! I’m constantly organizing my inventory, ordering more stock, planning parties, delivering orders, and doing all the other tasks involved in running a business. I like to think that it is somehow helping to prepare me for my future in advertising, since I am also required to personally sell the products. I advertise my products and I have to promote myself in order to book parties.

I’ve been pretty successful so far. Can’t say that I mind the fact that my work night consists of hanging out with a group of girls for a couple of hours, talking and having fun, and then walking away having made over $50 an hour!
I feel lucky to have heard about this business and plan to keep going with it. The great thing is that I can even continue with the business once I graduate and have a full-time job. I make my own schedule and it would allow me to put away some extra cash for vacations or whatever else I might like.
There is so much more I could go on about, but I’ll leave it at this. So far, my first attempt at running my own business is going well. I’d like to say it’s going swimmingly well (mostly just because I like that phrase), but I wouldn’t say I’m there quite yet. Regardless, this is something I’m proud of myself for taking on.

Afterthoughts: Yes, try it! It will help you learn a lot of responsibility and discover new strengths of your own.

My website

A side note: I need to try and fill this blog with more things like the passion fruit entry. You know, not the very demanding tasks of raising a puppy or running a business…maybe next I will try not getting on Facebook for 24 hours…naaah.

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For the most part, if someone dares or challenges me to do something, I will do it. Usually it is something trivial, but for some reason I have trouble turning down a dare. (On that note, please give me suggestions of things to try on my page called “What Next?”)

So, the other week I was confronted with and challenged to taste what looked like green guts from an enormous bug shell, also known as a passion fruit.

To eat it, you have to slice open the shell with a sharp knife to get to the edible part. You can either choose to sieve out the seeds, or slurp it all up and swallow it whole, which is what I did. It’s slimy like it looks, so fortunately it slides ride down your throat. I’m really picky about the texture of my food, so I was hesitant at first, but if you swallow it all whole, you don’t feel it. I’m also not a big fan of fruit in general- I know, how can I not like fruit?- so I didn’t expect to like it at all, but the flavor was surprisingly good! Very sweet. I concluded that it sounds delightful, looks frightful, but actually tastes pretty good.

I know there are tons of other exotic fruits out there that look just as strange, if not worse than passion fruit. Anyone ever tried them? How was it?

Afterthoughts: It may taste good, but is this really a fruit that will fill me up? Worth a shot…

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Spring break is over now, but like many people, I traveled on down to Florida to bask in some sun (which there wasn’t much of). Unlike many people, however, instead of bringing back a shot glass as a souvenir, I came back to Indiana with a puppy in tow…What was I thinking?

Bogie is an 11-week-old chow mix I adopted from Destin, FL who is mellow as can be and as stubborn as can be. Needless to say, I haven’t gotten much done in the past week because ALL of my attention is devoted to making sure he doesn’t eat/pee on any of my things. I haven’t had a family pet in over 5 years, and even then I didn’t help take care of it (sorry Mom). It’s been stressful and rewarding so far, but mostly stressful. As soon as I started complaining, however, a friend of mine with two young boys reminded me that at least having a loud dog running around is better than having a loud toddler running around. “You can put a dog in a cage but you’ll go to jail for doin’ that to your kid,” she said. Good point.

I’m always looking for pointers on what the heck I’m doing, and any advice is welcomed. I knew when I started this blog that I’d be forcing myself to experience new things, but I was never expecting to take on this kind of responsibility. I did it to myself, though, and I know that one day I will have a perfectly well-behaved dog as my loyal companion…right???

Afterthoughts: Make sure you have the time, energy, and money to raise a pup before getting one. It’s demanding, but rewarding. Would I recommend it? Definitely.

More pictures and updates coming soon.

The moment I fell in love. Destin, FL SB 2010

Bogie with his favorite toy!

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