Things to do besides Magnolia in Waco, Texas

"Yes, I live in Waco. Yes, I can see the Silos from my dorm. No, I am not best friends with Chip and Jo. "

Wacotown!  I love it. It's just the right size for a small town girl like myself, and there's lots of fun things to do, even on a college student's budget. I've been hanging out in Waco for a long time now, so take it from me - there's more than just Magnolia. (not knocking the Silos in any way, it's just that people tend to see them and head off) Here's some free (or very cheap) things to do in the Wack!

peep me at the OG little Magnolia about a million years ago

First stop- Breakfast!! If you don't feel like fighting through the crowds at Magnolia Table, I recommend Lula Janes' or Cafe Cappuccino. Lula Janes' is a great brunch place with vegetarian options, and Cafe Capp (what we students call it) is great for a cup of coffee and delicious pancakes.

Nature Break!Time to burn off all those calories? Head to Cameron Park for a free hike! I suggest hiking to Lover's Leap - the view are amazing. Cameron Park Zoo  is also nearby. It's just $10 for adults and $7 for kids, and they have lots of adorable animals.

Pat Neff. Listen for the bells!

Walking around Baylor's Campus is also a free and fun way to hit those 10,000 steps! Be sure to stop by the bearpit and see Lady and Joy. It's the nation's smallest private zoo, and there's two precious bears who are sisters. Next door, go to the second floor of the Student Union Building to see what resembles a beautiful home. Also look at the Armstrong Browning Library. Admission is free, and it houses Elizabeth and Robert Browning's work as well as fascinating artifacts. Enjoy the flowers outside Pat Neff, and stop for a pic on a green and gold swing!

For Lunch, a Vitek Gut Pak, Shorty's Pizza, and The Mix are all close to campus and delicious! Ninfas is super yummy as well, and next to Spice village...
Now time for some...

Spice!

   Window shopping! There's lots of cute antique stores around Magnolia, but strolling through Spice Village is also an absolute must! Try on the cute clothes, look at the trendy items, and laugh at the gag gifts! Be sure to check out the sales room in the back for some good deals. While there, you're just steps from the Waco Suspension Bridge and Brazos River, so get some cute pictures!

The day isn't done yet! Swing by Common Grounds for an Iced Cowboy Coffee. Look familiar? The owners were on Fixer Upper, and Jo and Chip both swing by occasionally for a cup of JO(e). Enjoy live music for free on the back patio.

Now,  are you up for one last stop before dinner?  Choose your own adventure!

A) $5 a personTake the drive to Waco Mammoth Site. "This paleontological site represents the nation’s only recorded discovery of a nursery herd of Columbian mammoths. Visitors can view "in situ" fossils including female mammoths, a bull mammoth, and a camel that lived approximately 67,000 years ago."

B) DR PEPPER!! The Dr Pepper Museum is a delicious way to end the day. 

At the Dr Pepper Museum Party

Waco is the home of Dr. Pepper, a delicious drink. Baylor University even celebrates it with a free

 Dr Pepper hour on Tuesdays, with DP floats for all the students topped off with Blue Bell ice cream
Everyone loves the DP museum. Frats even rent it out for parties, not that I know anything about that...
Sample different flavors, snack at the soda shop, and tour a soda lab.
$10 adults, $6 for kids

C) Homestead Craft Village - and get dinner while there! This craft village has basket weavers,
woodworkers, a black smith, cheese making and more and it's entirely free to look around.
I think it's fascinating to see how they keep the old ways of handicraft work alive.
There's also a great restaurant.
Dinner Time! GO TO BARIS. For under $10 you can get yummy tortellini with pink sauce,
garlic rolls and a Dr pepper. What better way to end the day than with a cheap, delicious meal?

Medevac Workshop

Recently, I took a study break to attend a workshop sponsored by the Army on medevac training. While it's not likely an Army doctor would be participating in a field medevac, it's important for them to know what goes on before the patient arrives at the CSH. The workshop's purpose was to inspire students who are maybe considering a career in military medicine. We had a mock chopper, which my friends and I did make a few jokes about:

The 68W (medic) and surgical tech who taught the course were really patient and knowledgeable. They simulated multiple scenarios that we students had to work through, such as a soldier who fell off a rooftop and cracked ribs, or a civilian child who stepped on an IED.

After explaining the situations and showing us a medic kit, we were given a medic kit and a litter and told to get to work.

When I attended STEP, I participated in a similar simulation and really enjoyed it, so I was excited for this one, but I realized I really didn't understand the key differences between the civilian and military wounded evaluations.

For many of our situations, we could have still be under active fire, so if our patient was conscious,we were to give them their rifle and let them sustain enemies while we treated the patient. "Treated" is really a loose term - basically, we should check HBAC and then get the patient behind a vehicle, unit, or low wall -anything out of the line of fire.

"HBAC? I learned ABC?!"

So did I, and many civilian EMS services still practice ABC. But based on info gathered from combat casualty medical personnel, the military has moved towards HBAC. The following are the average amounts of time it would take to die from wounds traditionally seen on the battlefield (or in an traumatic setting like an active shooter or tornado damage).  

• Hemorrhage (severe arterial bleeding as the result of penetrating trauma, ie. stab wound, bullet wound, penetration of a tree limb from a car wreck, etc): 1-3 minutes
• Airway obstruction (blood/debris in the upper or lower airway occluding the passing of oxygen into the lungs): 4-5 minutes
• Tension Pneumothorax (air leaking into the pleural space inside the chest causing cardiac arrest due to penetrating trauma, ie. stabbing): 10+ minutes
• Shock (poor perfusion leading to organ failure and death, usually due to severe blood loss in victims that did not immediately die within the first 1-3 minutes). These 3 minutes are what's known as the 'golden hour'

HBAC -( hemmorage, breathing, airways, circulation)

Overall, I learned a great deal, and am super appreciative for this unique opportunity. Several of my friends participated in this activity with me, and we all feel like we learned a lot.

Shadowing an OBGYN

In high school, I volunteered at a local hospital and worked at a pharmacy. I encountered Dr Fran at both these places and she always stood out among the other healthcare professionals. She was never too busy to say hello or interact with patients' families. So when it came time to shadow some physicians for my DHSS class, I knew it would be amazing to shadow her.

She graciously made time in her busy schedule for me to shadow her at the hospital and then at the clinic. Dr Fran is an OB-GYN, and I didn't really know much about obstetrics save what I watched on Call the Midwife, but she was so good at explaining things that I really learned a lot. An OB-GYN's scope of practice can be broken into two broad groups: obstetrics, which includes pregnancy, labor and delivery, and post-partum, and gynecology. Gynecology focuses on women's bodies and reproductive health. This could include issues such as endometriosis or painful intercourse. They see patients both in clinics and at hospitals.

Call the Midwife!

I can't tell too much about the cases I got to observe for HIPPA reasons, but they were all very diverse and interesting cases. I observed an ultrasound during which a lady learned the gender of her baby- super exciting! There was also a pregnant mother with syndactyly, or webbed fingers, a diabetic mother to be, and several post-partum checkups on teenage mothers. I saw pap tests, ultrasounds, and general check-ups. At the hospital I observed a dilation and cutlage, a uterine scrape for polyps. The diabetic mother was a really interesting case as I remembered watching an episode about it on Call the Midwife, and we've been learning about protein in urine in class.

Dr Fran treated each patient with dignity and friendliness, even when the patients weren't always respectful or nice. One teenaged patient played with her phone the entire time, ignored the doctor's questions, and seemed to not care. To be honest, this would have rattled me as a physician, but Dr Fran handled the situation well, giving the directions instead to the patient's mother and writing them out so they couldn't be ignored. I learned nearly as much about patient care as I did obstetrics! I also got to see the 'behind the scenes' and paperwork side of things. Overall, it was a great experience. I am so grateful to Dr Fran for her kindness in letting me shadow and being so willing to answer my questions. She couldn't have been any nicer and I learned so much!

going to Baylor

Well! It's good to be back. While working towards applying to college, I ran across several really helpful pre-med blogs. They inspired me to resurrect my personal blog, which I started as a tween in 2011. I hope to chronicle some of my adventures as a pre-med student and maybe help/inspire someone else in their college journey. Here, have a very school spirit-y picture:

Right now, I'm preparing to begin my freshman year at Baylor University in Waco. If you watch HGTV, you've probably heard of us thanks to these guys:

(Chip and Joanna Gaines from the TV show Fixer Upper) Who knew Waco would become so cool? It's really a fun place, and there's lots of great restaurants and shops in addition to a small town vibe.

I still can't believe it has been a year since I applied to college. It seems like just a moment ago I was buying up ACT books and running from my job to dual credits to college applications. Being homeschooled created some difficulties when it came to counselor's letters and school VOEs, but it also really helped me face the college process independently. I was so terrified of not getting in anywhere. When the acceptance letters started coming, it was a great feeling to know that I had applied to college entirely on my own. I am SO grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to go to college.

I'm majoring in pre-health science studies (basically pre-med) and I can't wait for move in.

Thanks for following along!

Pedernales Falls

Recently my family and I went to Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City, Tx.

Pedernales is the Spanish word for flint; there are many chunks of flint in the river bed.

The park has lots of hiking trails, camping sites and boulders to climb and explore, but the main attraction is the falls.  The falls are beautiful at low water, but can turn deadly in flash floods, as signs throughout the park state. The falls trickle off into little pools of water, you can walk out to them on strips of rock that jut into the river.

The area the park is situated in is really picturesque- it seems like a backdrop for an old Western, with rolling hills and brown mountains.

 

mom kept taking pictures. ;)

 

 This was a cave. I crawled pretty far in but wriggled back out when the tunnel narrowed. People had scratched names on the sides, and sunlight filtered in through a hole in the roof. I felt like Nancy Drew, exploring. :)

The park itself is 5,200 acres and was a private ranch until 1970. Can you imagine owning all the waterfalls?!

Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Museum and Library

While in Austin for Agrilife 4-H Day at the Capitol

(Bleed Maroon! Bleed Green!) we stopped at the LBJ library and museum on the UT campus. Compared to the other two presidential libraries I've seen (there are 3 in Texas) this was a little dated, but it still had some really neat exhibits.

One of my favorite things was the telephone calls on any and everything, from Johnson's wife Lady Bird correcting his speech to him offering Jackie O advice.

 

 

 The museum focused a good bit on the decades in Johnson's life- a room filled with 50's, 60's or 70's mementos, etc.  It was very interesting to see what was popular at different times, and what news and wars impacted life.

Johnson's presidency was deeply overshadowed by the Vietnam War, and he hated the fact but knew he could do nothing to change it. More than anything, he wanted to use his Presidency help the underdog - poor, minorities, children - anyone who didn't have a voice or say at Congress. A few years teaching at an impoverished school on the Texas- Mexico border instilled this desire to help in him early on.

This table showed how events in Johnson's presidency affect our lives today.



You have to give it to him- it was a pretty good idea to get people to care about who their senators are. He had some pretty snazzy tactics- while running for President, he handed out toothbrushes and razors so people would remember him 'first thing in the morning and/or before they go to bed' as he felt those were important decision- making times.

Patriots Redcoats and Spies Review

Summary:

When Revolutionary War Patriot Lamberton Clark is shot by British soldiers while on a mission for the Continental Army, he has only two hopes of getting the secret message he’s carrying to General George Washington: his 14-year-old twin boys John and Ambrose. Upon discovering that their father is a spy in the Culper Spy Ring, the boys accept their mission without a clue about what they may be up against. They set off from Connecticut to New Jersey to find General Washington, but the road to the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army is full of obstacles; including the man who shot their father who is hot on their trail.

I decided to let my youngest brother read it first, as it was elementary historical fiction. His thoughts:

• Good for all ages
• Made history interesting
• Exciting action
• I liked that it was  Christian
• Seemed a little unreal

My review:
CONS
 While the book was very interesting and action packed, it was definitely unrealistic. From telling jokes to George Washington (what do you call a patriot dog? Yankee poodle!) or using more modern, 19th century words like 'ok', 'guys', 'yeah', 'Mom' and "Dad', there were certainly many historical flaws. Another 'con' would be the pictures. The people all resembled Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame!

PROS
I DID, however, like the storyline. Ambrose and John, twins, had to choose to work together. They had to make many painful choices and sacrifices along the way to deliver their secret message. It was neat to see them mature and work together, and to learn more about the Culpepper Spy Ring.

The book had a Christian message, which I found uplifting.

I also found it fascinating that this book was based off a true character - Lamberton Clark was distantly related to the authors.

All in all, I give the book 2 1/2 out of 5 stars.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A perfect Christmas?

I had a great Christmas. I received a lot of presents, saw a lot of family, and played a lot of games. And I did a lot of thinking. So many times we want our Christmases to be perfect. We spend hours searching for the perfect gift, decorating the house elegantly, stringing lights just so. Maybe we want to have the perfect outfit, or matching pjs on Christmas morning.

Do you think the first Christmas was perfect? No. I love this photo, but it wasn't all like this - cozy, warm, private.


Image credit http://www.cravingchocolateandlazydays.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/jesus.jpg

I'm sure it was cold and uncomfortable in the stable, and that Mary and Joseph didn't want a bunch of shepherds showing up when they were  trying to sleep.  Jesus is the only perfect part of Christmas. But somehow, they understood it was all part of God's plan.

We need to be more like that. Less worried about the perfect-ness of our holiday and more concerned about the people in it. Perhaps you could talk to someone in your family about the true meaning of Christmas, or offer to pray at the big family dinner. Find opportunities to put Christ back in Christmas, instead of focusing on material things.

Okay. Monolouge over.
My grandparents spoiled me with a Nancy Drew game ( i love it!!) a darling blue coat, a soft blanket, candy, and so much more.
My Aunt Lisa got me this and a music box with the Eiffel Tower on it:

isn't it adorable?

 Mom and Dad got me some really pretty clothes, and their good friend Santa brought me Sperrys, Bobs, a Nancy Drew game, pjs, and so many fun litttle surprises.



some of the loot

bobs sneakers and sperrys <3

All of the family got camo in some form (yay) and we had several modeling sessions in between wrapping paper and cookie tins.

picture won't turn for some reason :/

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is getting gifts for the boys. I got Christopher  a lot of books, and Andrew a game called Ticket to Ride. We've been playing it a lot. The boys got me a bop- it game and paterned craft tape.

diving into the spoils

 

HGTV Fixer Upper Store in Waco, TX.

Saturday we were already in Waco for our Ag Id Contest;

Ag Id -First place as a team, third individual for me, and first individual for C! YAY! So proud of my little brothers :)

so we decided to drive by the Magnolia Homes store. That's where Joanna Gaines from HGTV's Fixer Upper sells a lot of the decorating items she uses on the shows. You can find it at :
3801 Bosque Blvd.
Waco, TX 76710
Office: 254-235-6111
Shop: 254-235-0603

She has several Baylor students working there - I guess she's too busy with the show to work behind the counters! One really sweet thing is that there are a lot of Bible verses up in the store. :) The store has a lot of unique, rustic items. Everyone there is definitely, obviously a tourist, and it's quite entertaining to watch them. The place is small, and they're planning an expansion at the 'Silos' - some old silos they're renovating and expanding to include an antiques trade days and a food truck parking lot.  From the Waco Tribune:
"The Gaineses estimate they will spend $1.4 million on the renovation and finish it in early 2015. The result would be a Magnolia headquarters and retail center, plus an indoor “trade days market” open monthly or weekly, as well as a food truck court with regular hours."



The Magnolia Farms truck



MAGNOLIA! (and me on the porch!)



The silos!

 

Secret Adversary review

I had always wanted to read Agatha Christie, but simply never got around to it. I love a good mystery; Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Trixie Belden, etc. The first Agatha Christie I read,

Secret Adversary, got me hooked. It's free in the Kindle Store, too! And the BBC remake is on YouTube, free as well.

Here's your review:

In 1915, as the Lusitania sinks, a British spy gives a girl his secret papers, since she is a woman and will have a better chance of getting into a lifeboat. He tells her to get the papers to the American Embassy at all costs - even if it means her life. She agrees.

Flash forward to the end of World War 1, 1918. No one knows where that girl is, The papers were never delivered. Did she and the spy drown?

   Enter Tommy and Tuppence, a likable young 'couple' - they're mainly just friends, and there's not too much romance, which I liked- who decide to become mercenaries to earn a little money. Thinking the whole thing is a joke, they unwittingly stumble upon an enemy spy. He sees their innocent naivety and hires them to find the papers!

   Luckily, Tuppence realizes he's up to no good and she and Tommy decide to help one of the Queen's agents by alerting them to the enemy. He in turn recruits them, thinking they are experienced in the underworld. Hahaha-no. Tommy and Tuppence have no clue what they're getting into. They fall into a deadly game of espionage, torpedoes, amnesiacs, kidnapping, poisoning, and basically every exciting thing that could happen to a person. The book is very clean, and not graphic at all. It’s one of my favorite books, and there’s a great plot twist at the end!

life lately

These past few weeks have been a bit mundane compared to the whirlwind of activities I partook in throughout June and July... or so I thought. Looking back, we've done a ton of cool activities!

•  Andrew, my littlest brother, won first place in a reading contest.  He read 105 books in less than a month. Big, long books, too. I'm very proud! He earned a gift card for a free pizza, tickets to a water park, and more!

• We learned about copyright laws at Teen Court, taking turns playing different parts in a real case, the creators of the James Bond franchise vs. Honda.

 

• Christopher took over as President of our club and I became President of our county's 4-H. Our club learned how to make no-sew fleece blankets for Project Linus, and I learned how to use a rotary cutter to trim the strips for tying.

• I taught a first aid class to a group of friends. One was just a year younger than me and the others were all under 11. They were so much fun. We compared first aid stories, made mini first aid kits, discussed minor and major wounds, learned how to soft splint a forearm, and then ended the day with a impromptu pool party. :)

Touring AT&T Stadium aka Cowboys Stadium, Ambassadors Trip

Recently I was accepted into the 4-H Fuel Up To Play 60's Healthy Lifestyles Ambassador Program.

Since Fuel Up To Play 60 is sponsored by the NFL, all of us who were selected as Ambassadors where given VIP tickets for a special tour of  AT&T Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys play.

the golden ticket :)

Even though I don't know much about football, I still had a good time and found the tour really interesting. It was fun to tour it with my new Ambassador friends.

the view after you step off the escalators.

 -We got to see the players' and the cheerleaders' locker rooms, the place where the Cowboys all run out onto the field, the private underground parking for players, cheerleaders, and box owners, and the fancy boxes that people can rent.
-The stadium can hold over 100,000 people- they just filled every seat and box for the last George Strait concert ever, held there. (let's have a moment of silence here, folks. no more new George Strait songs. ever. :( whyyyyyy) Okay, moving on.

-You can actually see where the Texas Rangers play from the stadium. I've been there, too!

 -The stadium has the largest retractable endzone doors in the world, and when the dome's open, it can become an outdoor stadium. Cool, huh? It hosts concerts, (Beyonce,  1D, George Strait) basketball games, bull riding, boxing matches, monster truck, and motocross.

We were all freaking out and laughing. It was so much fun. :)

-To get to the locker rooms we took a freight elevator underground, which was scary but fun. It rattled.

-We also got to go to the press conference room, where reporters ask players questions about the game.

On the press conference stage.

Then we went out to eat at a place called The Mellow Mushroom. It was decorated 70's style and served different types of pizza. I had the baked potato mini pizza and it was really good! Then we went to the hotel and to bed so we could get up early for training the next morning. I'll do a post on training later.

Pinterest!

I finally got a Pinterest! Check it out, and maybe follow me?
 http://www.pinterest.com/LauraAshley998/boards/

Eating DNA

Today I made a replica of some good old deoxyribonucleic acid.

Mmm. More commonly known as DNA,  it is hidden in tiny, long structures called chromosomes. During cell division these chromosomes are duplicated in the process of DNA replication, providing each cell its own complete set of chromosomes. It grows something like this: One cell makes two, two makes four, four makes eight, etc. 

 I first chose a sequence, and then placed adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine in that order. Those are just four types of nucleobases (aka, bases).These four nucleobases, along the backbone, encode biological information, like your eye color or your hair color. Marshmallows were my base pairs, and a Twizzler was the backbone. The backbone is made up of a residue of chemical sugars.

Yum! Cytosine!

Labelling my base pairs. 

                            Adenine always pairs with thymine, and cytosine with guanine.

Twisting it into a double helix.