North Central College Media 200 Class

  Gratitude Blog: Day 7 By: Helen Ruiz Today was a day of trying new things. I always encourage myself to try out things I am unfamiliar with, because I may end up loving them.  The first thing I tried out today was a kickboxing workout. I tried this out for my Exercise & The Brain class, and found it surprisingly enjoyable. I followed a video I found off of YouTube, and think it was a great one that provided options for different skill levels. I am thankful for taking this class that has introduced me to things I like.  The second new thing I tried out was a Key Lime Pie Chobani flip yogurt. Now, I love most of their yogurts, especially their S’mores, Cheesecake, & Oreo flavors, but I was definitely not a fan of the Key Lime Pie one. Not really sure how to describe it, but it tasted like the smell of a surface cleaner. However, I’m thankful I tried this flavor so I can tell my parents to disregard it from the grocery shopping list. After work, I was hungry but, b...

  Gratitude Blog 10 By: Helen Ruiz This week was a bit chaotic and stressful because we are so close to the end of this fall semester. However, I’ve found that it helps me when I find a thing or two to be grateful for every day.  The first thing I am very grateful for this week was going to Focus with my friends on Wednesday night. I’ve never been able to physically go to Focus because I usually work Wednesday nights and end up watching their Instagram Lives. However, I am very thankful that I got Wednesday off this week and was able to enjoy Focus in person.  The second thing I am grateful for is that I was able to schedule an interview for an internship. I’ve found it hard to find companies or individuals who are looking for a Marketing or HR Management intern who is “Sophomore” standing in school. I am happy I came across this individual/ company and will be interviewing Monday morning!  Another thing that I am grateful for is that all of my packages came in from ...

  Gratitude Blog: Thanksgiving Break By: Helen Ruiz Thanksgiving break is the time of year in which everyone expresses their gratitude towards a variety of people, places, and things in their lives. Thanksgiving is one of my top two favorite holidays (along with Christmas of course) and I am thankful I got to celebrate with my family. I helped make an Ambrosia fruit salad for dessert, since not everyone in my family is a fan of pumpkin pie.  Ambrosia Fruit Salad Recipe | Allrecipes I love shopping, so I am grateful Black Friday is a thing, which is just another excuse for me to buy things for myself and others. I refused to go shopping in stores because that would’ve been chaos. Therefore, I did some online shopping Friday morning. I got some Christmas gifts, clothes, jewelry, and a bunch of shoes. My bank account hurt a bit but that’s okay.  Consequently, I am also very thankful for my job. Above all, I am grateful we got amazing food for lunch on Friday. We had a full b...

Gratitude Blog: Day 8 By: Helen Ruiz I woke up with a very ambitious mind.  I got up at 4:40 am, completed my work out for my KINE121 class, showered, ate breakfast, and went into work at 7 am. I am so thankful I chose to do all three of these before work because I honestly felt a lot more alert and energetic while doing my morning work.  About five minutes into opening, I started training one of our seasonal new hires. I really enjoy helping others learn what I know and, although it got hectic at times (holiday season), I was very happy I ended up training four new hires at the same time today.  After work, I drove to Costco to get gas, which I strongly dislike the smell of, but I am thankful I have a full tank before my busy week. When I got home, I saw that I got a pair of boots I ordered delivered and I am super excited to wear them this winter! Finally, and probably the best part of my day, was having Friendsgiving with some of my friends. I am super grateful they ca...

  Gratitude Blog 7 By: Helen Ruiz First off, I am very grateful that it is finally the weekend. It’s been a not-so-eventful week, so I haven’t had anything to really talk about. On Friday night, I worked with some of my favorite coworkers, stayed extra late to finish my work, got everything done, and didn’t have to go in this morning.  I am super thankful I got to sleep in today. However, I slept so much that I only had 30 minutes to shower and get ready for church, which was a very hectic experience. I am very happy I was able to accomplish my mission AND be 8 minutes early.  After church and lunch, I completed yet another workout for my KINE121 class, which was a real challenge. I am very grateful my heart has become strong enough to allow me to do this fitness activity, although I did have to keep an eye on my heart rate levels. Later in the day, I got ready for the Quinceanera of a family friend. It might sound really selfish on my part, but I always tell my mom that ...

  Gratitude Blog: Days 5 & 6 By: Helen Ruiz This weekend was so busy, I’ve decided to combine both Saturday and Sunday onto this single blog post. I worked a shift Saturday morning, ran some errands and then had a rest day.  On Sunday, however, I had a full day from the moment I woke up at 6 am until when I fell asleep really late. In the morning, after breakfast, my sister and I went to the mall. I love shopping, so I am very grateful I got to do that this weekend. Retail therapy is a real thing and we had a great time getting shoes, clothes, and snacks. We even stopped by Costco to get yet another blanket. Our mom wasn’t very happy with this purchase, but it is a very cozy one, and I am grateful for having another blanket join our collection.  Later in the day, we went to our cousin’s Quinceanera. I am very thankful we got to see our family and friends, some of whom I haven’t seen in a while. We had great food, a great time, and I even taught my baby cousin how to g...

  Gratitude Blog: Day 4 By: Helen Ruiz It’s finally Friday, and although I didn’t realize this fact until around noon, during my accounting class, I am very grateful that we are done through week 12! Only one more month left of this semester- yay!! Today, we got our exam scores back in my Principles of Marketing class, and I was very grateful that my 6+ hours of studying paid off to get me the score I deserved. What I don’t think I deserved very much was walking out of the business building into very icy snow hitting my face.  I’m not a big fan of the cold, so this was a not-so-great characteristic of today. Nevertheless, it was something I could deal with.  As a first-year mentor, I have to spend a certain amount of money for students in my class. Another FYM and I created an event together. For our get-together, we decided to have Bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes. When we went to pick them up, we ended up treating ourselves to our own mini-Bundt . I am so grateful we...

  Gratitude Blog: Day 3 By: Helen Ruiz Today was a rainy day, which usually translates into me having zero motivation to do anything. However, I consider today as a very fun & productive day. In the morning, after finishing my accounting quiz, I was feeling a bit hungry. I didn’t know what to get, but my friends & I decided to go to Culver’s. I’ve never had Culver’s before, and I am grateful I got to try it out today. I got a Sourdough Melt & topped it off with an Oreo & salted caramel concrete mixer! During the middle part of the day, I was feeling awfully tired & could not find any energy to focus on another accounting quiz. Usually, I gain energy by simply singing/dancing to a good song or two. Therefore, I am very grateful my friends remembered this & we played a song on Just Dance off of YouTube. After some dancing in one of the classrooms in the science center, I had loads of energy & was able to power through my quiz.  Over the summer, we had...

Gratitude Blog: Day 2  By: Helen Ruiz This morning when I woke up, I was immediately hit with a sense of alertness. I woke up an hour before my alarm and felt full of energy. So, the first thing I am thankful for today is the fact that I was able to get enough sleep. Last week, I was getting between 3-4 hours of sleep at most each day, and I’m very happy with how this has changed for the better this week. My second wave of gratitude hit me when I completed my work for OSI. Each week, I work on one of the newsletters that go out to the campus community. Because I am in charge of putting together the longer of the two newsletters, it usually takes me between 2-3 hours to complete it, and so far this semester, I’ve stayed up finishing it on Wednesday nights. However, I had finished the banner design earlier in the week, and was able to put everything else together in a shorter amount of time than usual this morning!  One of my major stressors at the beginning of last week was my ...

  Gratitude Blog: Day 1 By: Helen Ruiz