TY-do, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

Every Thanksgiving, a family fills their plates from table so loaded with food, it could fatten twelve hogs for slaughter. They sit down, start shoveling heaps of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and--for the over-eager family members--pumpkin pie into their mouths. A few spoonfuls into the meal, one of the adults suggests (to the chagrin of the youngsters) that every person at the table says one thing he or she is thankful for. The very young children always mention something "awwww" worthy, the teenagers smart off, and everyone else says some variation of good health, good home, good food, good company, and so on. 

Well, that was my family for the last twenty years... if you're wondering, I was the over-eager dessert eater. As far as I can remember, (which, to be fair, is only fifteen years or so) this was my first Thanksgiving away from my family, and the first thanksgiving I didn't get to spend with my Grandma Hoss. As I've grown older, and hopefully wiser, I'm realizing how important of a role gratitude plays in happiness. So when my older family members were so annoyingly keeping me from my pie, they were actually teaching me lessons in happiness. Disappointingly, dessert can only do so much.

This year, we live a bit farther away. My family is now Ty and me. Luckily, marrying Ty meant that I gained one of the best extended families. For me, it's not the "in-laws"; it's just my big, crazy, awesome Stelting/Howard/McClellan family. The Stelting Grandparents drove all the way to Nashville (over ten hours!!!) to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. I feel so honored and loved that they could have been anywhere in the world, and they chose to spend the holidays with us in our dinky one-bedroom apartment, eating over a folding table with mismatched chairs.

This Thanksgiving, I would like to celebrate the last several days with a thanks-giving blog, because Lord knows I have so much to be thankful for.

Wednesday

On Wednesday morning, Ty went to work. He deals with data in a realty company that rents out buildings to giant shopping centers, like Target, Publix, Dicks Sporting Goods, Texas Road House, and more. He's even been able to help create policies for the entire company. (Ty won't brag, because he's humble, but I'm allowed to because he's awesome.)

Wednesday also happened to be the day that Mary Beth and Jerald Stelting were supposed to arrive in Nashville. Purely by coincidence, that was the day I decided to clean our apartment top-to-bottom and make it appropriate for guests. 

On his way home from work around one o'clock, Ty got stuck in "terrible" traffic.

This is apparently what "terrible traffic" looks like. :) I ended up with a cute teddy bear balloon (or is it a gorilla?) and an edible arrangement complete with heart-shaped pineapples, strawberries, grapes, and chocolate-covered apples. (Maybe dessert does bring some happiness.)

Around 1:30, our guests of honor arrived! We ate some lunch, and since they'd spent most of the morning in the car, we took them (and Papi) to one of our favorite walking trails by Percy Priest lake.

Mary Beth (who I'm told actually reads this blog!) said, "I just knew you were going to take that picture!" 

What can I say? When you see a couple that's been married for over fifty years holding hands on a scenic walk, you take a picture! It's a rare sight to see people so happily married, and I loved that I was able to glimpse it. I asked them once how they'd managed to stay together for so long, and Jerald said, "Time flies when you're having fun."

 For our first supper together, we took advantage of Ty's good cooking! He made us some spaghetti with meat sauce and Mary Beth got out the pie she'd brought for dessert.

Can you tell why I love this family so much? They'd picked the pecans themselves, and the pie was homemade... and delicious. 

What a better way to top off a great day than with a game of Phase 10. The only way the day could have been improved was if  I would have won instead of Ty.

Thursday

Thanksgiving day was finally upon us! The weather was fantastic, and we were looking forward to a great meal with stuffing, turkey, jalapeno cheese dip (AKA legal crack), Mary Beth's famous spicy broccoli cheese casserole, and, of course, dessert.

While the food cooked, I preoccupied myself with editing my book. Brief side note: I'm currently editing my first full-length novel. It's a book geared towards high school-aged girls, about a girl who deals with great success, bullying, losing friends, injuries, boys, and trying to figure out her place in the world. My sister, Savannah, is going to illustrate it, and I think it's going to be really grand! Keep an eye out for the finished product. :) 

Papi, however, had other activities in mind... like getting petted.

He was a little disappointed when I asked him to leave me alone and when Ty wouldn't give him any Turkey, so he pouted in his corner.

We all took a nap after lunch, and then hung around the apartment the rest of the day. We finally woke up enough around 7:00 to play a round of Golf (a card game). The only way the night would have been better, would be if I had won instead of Jerald.

Friday

Black Friday... It should be called "black-eye-Friday" because everybody's out beating each other up over discounted roasting pans they won't need for another year. 

We weren't quite brave enough to get up early and face the shopping crowds, but we did go to the mall around eleven to see if  there were any good deals. It was a madhouse. The parking lot was absolutely packed, and Ty (who was driving) actually had to use some of the parking skills he learned at K-State to snag us a spot. (See? A college education is worth something now-a-days!)

Our shopping turned out well because I got a really cute pair of fifty-dollar jeans for only seventeen dollars. My favorite part was the sparkly pockets.

After we made a break from the crowded mall, we went to a restaurant called "Las Casuelas". My Mexican friend in the apartments tells me that it's pretty close to being authentic Mexican food... and it's delicious. Even though I was still in my stretchy pants from indulging the day before, we enjoyed ourselves a great meal, and even though I took half of my food home with me, I was still stuffed.

We played a game of Mexican Train (we're very cultured, no?) which took over two hours. When we finished we played "Old Maid In" which is basically a fun way of picking up all of the dominoes. (I won!) 

The only way the day could have been better, would be if I'd won Mexican Train instead of Jerald.

Saturday

Even though Catholics aren't really supposed to decorate for Christmas until Christmas Eve, we set up our tree. Mostly because I'm leaving soon, and I at least wanted to decorate the apartment with Ty.

Papi's convinced that he's the only gift worthy of laying under the tree... he might be right. 

After decorating, we took our guests out to our favorite restaurant in Nashville, for our favorite food of all time: Gryos! No one can come visit us without trying it. There aren't any pictures of this because it's all gone before I can even think to take a picture. That's how good it tastes!

With full bellies, we went to the Barnes and Noble by Vanderbilt so I could find a book on tape for my drive home... We left with about six actual books and no book on tape. And, as Ty informed me, you can't really read and drive. Guess I'll have to listen to the radio.

We went by our church, Cathedral of the Incarnation, to show Ty's grandparents where we go to church. I think it was built in the early 1900s, and it really is a beautiful building. 

From worship to lordship, we went to Gaylord's Oprymills resort, and walked around the hotel. It was--to put it simply--ridiculous. Everything was over the top. Brian McClellan (Ty's stepdad) loves it, I think because it is bursting with just about as much energy as he has!

Our cousin, Mark Goudy, said he stayed in the hotel the night after coming back from Philmont, a two-week, technology free camping trip. I can only imagine how overwhelming it must have been for him!

There was a huge glass structure in the lobby, and I immediately recognized it a Czech glass. It only said the artist's name (who was a Czech man) but I wondered if it came from the factory we visited oh-so-long-ago when we were in the Czech Republic.

Here we are in front of an indoor waterfall/koi pond/fountain/Christmas light display.

There were giant lights hanging from the ceilings in the shapes of music notes, guitars, and random twinkling lights.

The best people I was able to experience it with.

And indoor gazebo with a fountain surrounded by real poinsettias.

So I must admit that Ty and I don't have a television. When we want to watch shows, we pull up Netflix on one of our computers, or play a DVD from our small--but growing--collection. I also must admit that Ty and his (our) family are giant sports fans, particularly of the Oklahoma (OU, Thunder, SWOSU) teams, but are not I REPEAT are not fans of Oklahoma State University.

Saturday night was an important night because of the bedlam game. (I hope I'm saying that correctly, or they might disown me.) It was the big night where OU was playing my future alma mater, OSU, or, as I like to call them, OK State. So, Ty sat his laptop on a folding chair and found the game on ESPN. The three of them sat huddled around the screen, cheering as my future school get stomped by OU.

I worked on editing my book.

The only way the night could have been better, was if OK State would have won. :)

Sunday

 Sunday funday. Church day!
As I grow in my faith, I've really come to look forward to mass on Sundays. I love being able to gather with my brothers and sisters in Christ who are at varying levels in their faith journeys, sing beautiful hymns, say prayers I know are being said in Catholic churches throughout the world, hear the same scripture that's being told in every single Catholic church, encounter God in the Eucharist, and experience it all with Ty at my side.

And, because Ty drives us, I entertain myself with road trip selfies... a few of them turn out alright. Mostly I just annoy Ty with the shutter sounds.

It also happened to be raining ALL DAY. Coming from the driest part of Kansas, I never thought in my life I would get annoyed with rain... well, I'm annoyed by it here. Everything is so wet that mold grows almost immediately. My car smells like mold. But, anyway, back to the thankful part, it kept us in the house for most of the day and we got to spend even more quality time with these wonderful people.

We braved the weather to go to a movie theater and watch "Love the Coopers" it was a cute movie, but the popcorn was probably the best part!

At the end of the night, Mary Beth taught Ty how to properly wrap presents, because Ty and I have some presents for my family that needed wrapped.

Ty felt a little under-pressure with such an attentive audience.

The only way the night could have been better... well, I don't really know how to finish that sentence.

I feel like in some ways this has become a sort of "coming of age" blog. I know most people come of age when they're 13 or 16 or 18, or 17 if you're a wizard, but I'm still working it out. As I grow older, and my family grows, relocates, or passes on, traditions will always change. The best I can do is enjoy my family while I still have them, and let them know how much I love them, and how absolutely thankful I am for the time I have with them.

I love you.

Novel Experiences

I remember when I was in high school, and people always told me some version of, "Enjoy it, because it goes by so fast." Well, sorry, but high school didn't fly by. It seemed like every day was longer than the last and time crawled by at such glacial pace I thought it would never end... and then I graduated.

Three and a half years later, I'm married, a college graduate, have traveled in 13 different countries, lived in three different countries, was confirmed into the Catholic Church, have my first (dog) child, moved fifteen hours away from my home town, and started (and quit) my first full-time job post-college.

What?

It's been four months since we moved to Nashville, three and a half months since I decided not to attend Vanderbilt, three months since my grandma went to live in heaven, two months since I started my first post-college job, and one day since I quit.

What?

It seems like yesterday I drove to Manhattan and moved into the dorms and (awkwardly/nervously/excitedly) met my roommate for the first time. It seems like only a few seconds ago that we were making some our best memories in Prague at Chapeau Rogue. Only minutes since we met such wonderful people in RCIA at St. Thomas More. And here I am.

I started working at an insurance marketing firm as a data entry clerk in October. I wasn't really sure how it would go, but I knew I needed a job. So I went to work from 7 AM to 4 PM Monday through Friday, suffered through the Nashville traffic, and got my steady paychecks. For eight hours a day, I typed bits of names and numbers into a data base, and the only way I kept my sanity was by commiserating with some wonderful coworkers, listening to TED talks and podcasts all day, and dreaming of the moment when I would become a #1 New York Times best seller. (Still dreaming.) Did you know that John Green, the famous author of The Fault in Our Stars, first worked in data entry? He probably had big dreams, too.

I digress.

It amazes me how our dreams lead us to different places, and force us to become different sorts of people. Ty, whose big dream is to become a CPA and stellar husband, is the most reliable, steadfast person I know. He is comfortable being anywhere, but also appreciates order and consistency in his life. Me? Well, I guess I'm still working out my dreams. Right now, it's to become a writer, whatever that means. I guess I'm already a writer, so I should expand upon that by saying that I want to become a paid writer. And life is too short to wait?

So like I said, dreams lead us to different places. Right now, my dream is leading me to Sharon Springs, Kansas for three weeks to continue working on two books. The first is a two parts fiction, one part memoir novel geared towards teenage girls. My sister, Savannah, who is a talented artist, is going to help me illustrate this book. The other book I'm working on is a compilation of short biographies of rural, Wallace County women and how they've shaped the world around them. I  am so looking forward to getting to know some of the women in my home county and sharing their stories!

Obviously I can't write a whole book in three weeks, but it'll be the beginning of a beautiful project. After my three weeks in Wallace County, I'm excited to announce that I've been offered an assistantship to attend graduate school at Oklahoma State University! I'll be starting the masters of science program in Agricultural Communications. Basically, I'll work twenty hours a week as a teaching assistant, and in exchange I'll have my tuition paid for a small stipend to live on. I'm considering it like a job with a two year contract. :) It will definitely be my best paying job so far!

Nashville hasn't been what we imagined it would be, but then again, nothing in life ever seems to match expectations. Stillwater seems to be a great (smaller) town with less traffic, kind people, and a wonderful, all-expenses-paid graduate education. So here I am, wondering where life will lead us in the next blink of an eye.

A Run with My Number One

Friday night on October 30th, my wife and I did our first 5K together and it was completely planned by her. She surprised me because I really like to run and I really like go to outrageous dances. This was a combination of both. We had probably one of the best times we ever had in Nashville at night. The music was amazing and CRAZY people were going insane for all the items they were giving away.  

This was the first person we noticed had an awesome costume for Halloween. Kelsie was holding a knife and fulfilled the dream of all people of who are afraid of clowns.

The registration process that we went through gave a shirt and a front registration tag. Afterwards we joined all the people for a pre-run dance. 

The stage was surrounded by huge speakers and the DJ was playing personally mixed music that kept everyone jumping. During the drops (when they hit the crowd with a large amount of bass) they would throw glow sticks, colored glow powder, glow hair, gloves, and other items that lit up. It was intense because people would constantly freak out over every throw. The glow powder was the most exciting part because it was this very fine almost liquid dust that people would hold on to until we were told to throw it. We would get a countdown and then everyone spun the powder around and it covered us all. Every time we were near a blacklight it would then glow. By the end of the night, we looked like this:

The run for us was more like a walk because we are just not used to running....aka out of shape. However, the walking, dancing, jumping, and excitement got us both exhausted. I would like to thank Kelsie again for always planning the best dates. Here are some more pictures:

As you can tell we got really dusty but we looked AWESOME. It was a fantastic feeling to be surrounded by other disco balls that were enjoying it as much as we were and I think it would be a great experience for everyone. We loved it and will keep our eyes out for more in the future.


Thank you for reading!

The Worst Phone Call

As a 21-year-old freshly graduated from college, living 15 hours away from my home town, I've had to deal with some of the harsher realities and decisions of life. Some of them seem trivial, like trying to figure out where to buy groceries, or which restaurant is better. Some are harder yet, like which clinic should I go to when I'm sick, or what part of town is safe enough to live in. It's tough to realize that your landlord doesn't care about you, but your paycheck. It's hard to deal with when your neighbor gets their car window busted out. And it's a struggle learning when to stand up for yourself and when to just let it go.

But the hardest part of my adult life were two phone calls...

The first one I received on September 2nd, from my sister. She was crying. 

"Have you heard about Grandma?" she asked.

I experienced that flutter of hope and fear that only comes from the unknown when talking about your Grandma struggling with cancer.

"No," I said.

My sister told me that she had passed away.

I hope you never know what that feels like, but life experience tells me you probably will.

The second hardest phone call of my adult life is the one I can't make.

When I'm driving home from work...

When something funny happens with my family...

When I want to know what the plans are for Thanksgiving...

I pick up my phone, and for a blissful second I forget that I can't make the call. Then I am crashing down at the realization that I can't call... and that I'll never be able to again. I'm crying at the knowledge that no matter who I call that it won't be the same. That who I call might be too preoccupied with their own lives to talk the way that we used to.

I wonder when this feeling will end and when I won't look at my phone and think of calling her. And then I wonder should ever want to forget, because surely forgetting is worse than the pain. 

If I knew then, what I know now, I would have picked up the phone more, so maybe these almost-calls wouldn't feel like lost opportunities.

An inconveniently convenient truth: Cell Phones

I had this post all planed out two weeks ago: I was going to take a weekend away from Nashville, stay in a hotel by myself, spend time in nature, and say goodbye to my cell phone, computers, and television for 48 hours. The post was going to be titled "How to Connect by Disconnecting" and it was going to be an insightful look at how we can form a deeper connection with ourselves and the world around us by unplugging.

After a 36 hour jaunt to Knoxville, I realized that is not the case. At all.

At 10:00 Saturday morning, I went online to book my hotel. I found a small room in a Microtel on the outskirts of Knoxville for half price on Expedia.com. Then, I went to Google Maps, and printed out directions from our apartment to the hotel.

"What are you doing for directions while you're there?" Ty asked me.

What was I planning on doing for directions? I wondered. I was just planning on showing up and asking locals for directions,,, because that always works out well.

Ty convinced me to take his car and GPS so that I could find my way around. By 11:00 I had amended my plans only slightly: I could use GPS over the weekend so I wouldn't get lost.

At 11:30 Ty helped me pack my bags. We packed me a spare outfit for hiking the next day, a cell phone charger (just in case), my laptop (just in case), and my laptop charger (just in case), and my camera, another exception I allowed, so I could document my technology-less trip.

When I was prepared as could be, Ty helped me load my bag into his car, and I sped off toward Knoxville.

At 12:30, I turned off my cell phone.

At 1:00, I wished I could turn it back on.

You see, the drive from Nashville to Knoxville is actually quite scenic this time of year. Their are tall hills covered in thin-trunked trees decorated with leaves of every color. The interstate is two-laned and winding so no ten minutes of driving ever looks the same. Sometimes there are breaks in the forests and you can look out over vast hills covered in green grass and dotted with black, white, and red cattle.

I wished that I could have my cell phone to snap pictures of these beautiful sights while driving by. If I would have had my cell phone, I would have sent the image off in a group text to my three siblings, my parents, and Ty. Dakota and Dad probably wouldn't have replied. Mom would have texted: "Jealous!" Savanna(h) would have sent a weird selfie, and Ty probably would have sent me something sweet.

This time I was alone.

I still hadn't had lunch yet, so when I stopped to get some gas, I didn't look for the nearest Sonic, but instead bought a bottle of water, deciding it was better to wait until I got to Knoxville instead of wasting time wandering around.

After three hours of driving and singing country songs with the radio I arrived at my hotel, checked into my room, and felt even more alone. I couldn't call anyone to let them know I made it. My silence would have to be enough to let them know I was okay.

My stomach was growling at this point, and I almost ordered in pizza so I didn't have to drive around looking for a restaurant. In the spirit of trying something new, I decided to go explore the town. At the second stoplight I came to, I saw a man holding up a cardboard sign reading: "NEED FOOD." He wasn't asking for money or a ride, but people kept speeding on by.

For whatever reason, I rolled down my window and said, "Hey, if you meet me at the CVS I'll buy you some food."

He looked at me and said, "Is it okay if I send my old lady?"

I've never understood why people call their wives "Old Lady" but I don't think of it as a term of endearment. Semantics aside, I said "sure" and made my way to the CVS across the street.

I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting, when I saw this overweight woman in old clothes with black hair dye stains on her hairline walking towards me. She didn't make eye contact with me for longer than a couple of seconds, but was quick to thank me. She smelled like cigarette smoke.

We walked through the store picking some some essentials while we talked.

"We're not homeless," she said. "We get enough money from my husband's disability check to pay rent and utilities, but we just don't have enough money to pay for all the food and diapers we need. We have two girls, and I'm pregnant... Well it was twins, but I lost one."

I apologized for her loss.

"It's okay," she said, "but my doctor told me I couldn't keep working. I was working, but when I lost the one baby he said that I was in a high-risk pregnancy. But my work said they'll take me back once I have this baby."

"Good," I said.

I didn't really know what else to say, so we continued walking through the store. I couldn't imagine what it would be like as a mother of two, with one baby on the way, to be asking strangers to buy food for me... how humbling that must be.

"Do you mind me asking what your husband's disability is?" I asked.

"He can't read or write," she said. "I've been tryin' to teach him, but it's hard."

I nodded. I can barely stand Ty telling me anything about accounting, and I could imagine how frustrating it would be to learn to read and write.

"Did he go to school?" I asked.

"Until the tenth grade," she said.

This puzzled me. How on earth could someone get to the tenth grade without being able to read or write? Most kids by the third or fourth grade can read or write enough to fulfill most entry-level jobs. Honestly, I kind of thought she was full of bologna. What person gets to 10th grade and can't read or write?

When I talked to Ty about it later, he said that happens in lots of inner-city schools. They will push difficult kids through the system even though they can't meet all the standards. And this infuriates me! Yes, students have a duty to learn, but educators and administrators have a duty to protect and fight for a child's education. I wondered how many people wrote this man off as a lost cause, or as a delinquent, or what kind of home life he had... did they know he would be on the side of the road someday? Did they know he would have a wife and children someday?

His "old lady" and I went through checkout and I handed her the bags of groceries.

"I know it's not everything you need," I said, "but I hope it helps."

"We appreciate it so much," she said. "Thank you."

She walked across the street to where her husband was standing on the median. He took a couple of bags from her and they walked back across the road.

I don't know where they were going, or whether he could actually read and write, or if they had children, or what their story is... Reminisce has taught me that every person has a story, and that we shouldn't be so quick to judge. I just feel sad for them, and I hope that they are happy... and if not I hope that they can be happy someday.

I drove off still hungry, and I finally found a restaurant. I ate by myself, and then decided I wanted to find the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and walk around. I was hoping to myself that I could fall in love with Knoxville like I did with Stillwater, but once I got there, it looked just like Nashville. There was a Mellow Mushroom on one side of the street, road construction, and similar restaurants on the other.

Overwhelmed and lonely, I drove back to my hotel and took a nap.

Since it was Halloween night, and I was by myself, I decided to go to a Country Dance Club. I thought it would be nice to socialize with actual humans, drink a beer or two, and maybe even get some swing dancing in!

When I got there, the guy checking IDs at the door almost didn't let me in. It went something like this:

Him: *takes my card, flips it over, rubs his finger over it like he's trying to rub something off of it, tilts it back and forth in the light*
Me: It's not a fake.
Him: *silently fiddling with my card*
Me: Do I not look like I'm 21?
Him: *still fiddling with my card* It's not that. It just looks weird.
Me: Because I'm from Kansas.
Him: *hands it to the guy sitting beside him*
Guy sitting beside him: *looks at it for two seconds* It looks good to me. I'd take it.
Me: *Walks inside and promptly orders a drink just to spite him*

With a drink in my hand, I went and sat at one of the available seats. Since it was Halloween, lots of people were dressed up, but I felt totally exposed. Not because I wasn't wearing a costume, but because I didn't have my cellphone.

It seemed like everyone there was getting on their phones, especially people their by themselves. It didn't seem like anyone was interested in making conversation with someone new. So I sat and watched people mingle and drank my beer. Then I stood, and watched people dance, and drank my beer.

I danced a couple of the group dances, but other than that stayed off the dance floor. Some guy asked me to dance, but midway to the dance floor he ditched me and started making out with some girl dressed as a fairy... I think she must have been a fairy god mother because I definitely dodged a bullet. Then another guy asked me to dance. After one dance, I decided it was time to go back to the hotel.

On the way back to the car, I had a huge spurt of panic: What if something happened in my family and no one could get ahold of me? I didn't tell anyone the hotel I was staying at, I wasn't at the hotel anyway, and no one really had a way of reaching me with my phone off. What if someone called me with their dying breaths and all they got was a voicemail?

I know this sounds ridiculous, but it's what I was thinking. So I turned my phone on, and listened to Ty deliver devastating news about someone in our family. We talked on the phone for a bit, and then we said goodnight. I set my phone on the nightstand, but didn't turn it off.

The next morning, I got up and ate breakfast. The people in the dining room of the hotel were on their computers taking advantage of the free wifi. I sat by myself, enjoyed a breakfast of biscuits, gravy, eggs and sausage, then went back upstairs to pack.

On the drive home I wasn't really sure where I should stop... So I eventually took an interstate exit with a brown sign indicating a dam. Five minutes later I was approaching a great pond creating by a cement damn, surrounded by layers upon layers of multi-colored trees.

I drove up to an overlook and looked out at the damn. I tried to take some pictures of the trees but I couldn't capture how stunning it was in person.

After a few minutes of gazing at my surroundings I found a trail to follow. It looked like not a lot of people took the time to walk it as it was littered with freshly fallen leaves. The only drawback of this was the fact that about every few feet I walked into  a spiderweb... My skin is still crawling.

At last I got back to my car and drove closer to the dam. I sat by the water for a little while thinking about life and love... I'll spare you the retelling of my disjointed pondering. :)

Finally, I was on my way home. When I got home, I picked up my phone and texted Ty. He'd had plans to study at the school library, so I asked him when he would be home... and then I waited.

I didn't feel a rush of insight, I didn't feel enlightened, I didn't feel connected. I felt tired and kind of sad. I don't think my life is too dependent on technology; I've done just fine before, spending weeks at Gram's house without cell phone service or internet... What I do feel dependent on is the way I can connect to others using this technology.

I remember my junior year, as a punishment, my parents took away my cell phone. I know this sounds silly, but that was one of the saddest times of my life. None of my friends could call me, and if anyone came up with spontaneous plans over the weekend, I was left out because they'd also cancelled the internet. Maybe last weekend just brought up memories and feelings of that time...

I guess I don't know. But next time I think to myself that people should be reading a book instead of texting or talking on the phone, I'm going to think again that maybe they are forging a meaningful relationship and developing a feeling of connection... after all... Ty and I talked on the phone for the first six months of our relationship, and look how that worked out.

Why you should be concerned about antibiotic use in your food

Lately the public has turned a very skeptical and accusatory eye toward agriculture, blaming things like pesticides, genetic modifications, growth hormones, and antibiotics for just about every human ailment under the sun.

This reaction is reasonable!

Everyone wants to lead the healthiest and longest life they can, and parents want to feed their children wholesome food and feel good about it. People are right to be concerned about where their food comes from.

Let me first explain what "concerned" means. I went to dictionary.com and looked up the definition of concern. It's an adjective meaning 1) interested or affected, 2) troubled or anxious, or 3) having a connection or involvement; participating. The public should be concerned, as pertains to the first and third definitions. Everyone should be interested in where their food comes from, everyone is affected by how their food is produced, and every person who eats food should be connected and involved in the food production process!

To be effectively "concerned" about where food comes from, it's also imperative to be adequately educated and consider all evidence. Education is an area where both consumers and producers need some improvement.

Here is what you need to know about antibiotics used in food production:

1) Antibiotics are used for "therapeutic" and "sub-therapeutic" purposes. 
Therapeutic means the animal is showing signs of being physically ill. Sub-therapeutic usage of antibiotics is preventative. Producers use antibiotics sub-therapeutically when there is a high risk of the animal becoming ill like times when the diet is drastically changed, when the animals are moved to a new location, or during weaning.

2) Using antibiotics can play a role in weight gain. 
Logic can tell us that because the animals aren't getting sick and dying, producers prevent weight loss which ultimately leads to continued gains. Also a healthier microbial population in the gut can assist in animal digestion. However, researchers haven't determined exactly how or why some animals treated with different antibiotics gain more weight. Just like humans don't gain weight because they take antibiotics, antibiotics aren't the sole cause of weight gain in meat animals.

3) There are no antibiotics or antibiotic residues in your meat!
When a company says their meet is "antibiotic free" it misleads consumers into believing that meat sold other places does contain antibiotics, which is 100% false! Animals treated with antibiotics must have a "withdrawal period." Basically, there is a certain period of time after the animal has been given an antibiotic in which it cannot be slaughtered. At the end of the withdrawal period, there should be no traces of antibiotics in the meat.

4) Using antibiotics does lead to antibiotic resistance.
Unfortunately using antibiotics does lead to antibiotic resistance. That is how nature works. Producers can slow this process down by only using antibiotics when necessary (to keep an animal healthy) and being sure to follow the instructions.

5) The main cause of antibiotic resistance is misuse of antibiotics in people!
When anyone goes to the doctor to get antibiotics, the risk of antibiotic resistance increases. Sometimes people are given antibiotics for viral infections. Sometimes people take their antibiotics only until they feel better and don't finish the round. One example of this is MDR (multi drug resistant) tuberculosis, which evolved as a result of misuse of antibiotics.

6) Prohibiting the use of antibiotics harms animals.
Animal welfare is important to producers for many reasons. Animals that are treated well, fed well, and medicated properly perform better. To ask someone not to give an antibiotic to a sick animal, or to not give an antibiotic to prevent sickness is animal cruelty.

7) Producers work closely with veterinarians to keep animals healthy.
Veterinarians attend eight years (at least) of schooling. Their professional input is highly valued among producers and their scientific training can help insure healthy animals that later enter the food supply.

8) Using antibiotics doesn't increase the amount of antibiotic resistant bacteria on meat.
Some studies suggest that meat from animals previously treated with antibiotics contains less bacteria that meat from animals not treated with antibiotics. Regardless, all of this bacteria should be eliminated by cooking the meat to the proper temperature.

9) If you want to ensure a safe food supply, get involved.
That doesn't mean posting negative articles on Facebook, or blogging about some poorly performed research that supports your views. It means gathering information from every area (producers, veterinarians, universities, public institutes of health and so forth). It means reading research critically and making sure it was performed well. It means starting a conversation instead of starting a fight. It means only using antibiotics when you absolutely need them and making sure you explicitly follow the instructions.

Restaurant chains like Subway, Chipotle, Panera, and many others are capitalizing on consumer fear and ignorance. 
Just like producers, restaurants are trying to make a profit. One example of this is Subway. They came out with a big announcement about going antibiotic free, but later in the fine print, said that antibiotics are okay to use for therapeutic and sub-therapeutic purposes... which is what most producers are already doing.

The point I'm trying to make is this: Your food is safe! The people producing it have to eat too! They care just as much about a safe and healthy food supply as you do. And if you have a question, don't hesitate to ask... but make sure you ask more than one source, and you ask more than once.

Sources
Subway on antibiotics
On challenges of using antibiotics for growth
Antibiotics role in sustaining growth
General information on antibiotic usage
Animals not treated with antibiotics carry more diseases
General information on antibiotic usage 2

I'm not going to pretend to be a professional on this topic, but I did graduate Summa Cum Laude (4.0 GPA) from Kansas State University's College of Agriculture with a degree in Animal Sciences and Industry, emphasis in bioscience/biotechnology. I have been trained to critically read research to determine its veracity. In addition to this, my family members are beef cattle producers. I found the information for this article from the above sources, from personal knowledge gained from raising livestock, and in-class information. If after reading the sources you still disagree with something I wrote or have a question, please send it to me at kelsiestelting@gmail.com. I would love to answer your questions, or direct you to a professional who can.