6.9 Digital Marketing Can Change Your Life

The Digital Marketing program is a program that works with marketing in the digital aspect, such as SEO, social media marketing, mobile marketing, promotional design, and digital marketing analytics. With your Digital Marketing degree, you will have an outstanding portfolio from all of your hands-on learning to help you create, distribute, and promote products and services. A previous student, Melinda, said at graduation, "Not only did I earn a degree, but I also built relationships with classmates and instructors. I have never had such an amazing experience in my life." 

As a student in this program, you'll be required to purchase and use a preapproved laptop to complete much of your coursework.

Throughout this program, you will gain digital marketing skills, including:

• Mobile Marketing Strategies
• Social Media Campaigns
• Audio/Video Recording and Editing
• Digital Design Concepts
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Google Analytics
• Responsive Web Design
• Basic Coding for Marketers
• Policies, Laws, and Ethics
• Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, Dreamweaver, and Muse

Five Reasons Why You Must Go To Bermuda

Anywhere that is warm, has water, unlimited cocktails, and no responsibilities is a dream vacation for me. However, if you add the breathtaking pink beaches, short flights, and caves, these are just a few of the reasons you should go to this 21 square mile island.

1. Short Flights: Flights from the east coast to Bermuda are about 2 hours. Short flights mean more time on vacation and less time spent next to the airplane's stinky person or crying baby. This is already a win-win scenario. Do I really need to continue?

Pink Beach in Bermuda

2. Pink Beaches: Beaches in Bermuda are pink. Crazy, right? There are tiny single-celled organisms called Foraminifera. When they die off, they mix with the coral and crushed rock, and once it makes its way to the shore, the mixture appears pink on land. This may not be entirely enticing, maybe on the border of gross. However, if real men wear pink, really cool people go to Bermuda.

3. Nightlife: When you can sleep in and relax all day, you can actually stay up past 8 p.m. The nightlife in Bermuda looks so exhilarating. Everything from Calico Jack's Floating Bar, where you are on a pirate ship, to The Dog House that hosts live music, comedians, and big screen tv's so you don't miss your favorite sports back home. There is something for everyone's interest. 

4. Crystal Caves: There are some amazing caves in Bermuda; some of these caves inspired the creators of Fraggle Rock, one of my favorite shows when I was a child. The views of these caves are breathtaking online. I can't imagine how beautiful they look in person.

Rum Swizzle

Unofficial Drink of Bermuda

5. Rum Swizzle: I have never heard of a rum swizzle, but while I was researching destinations, every place that suggested Bermuda mentioned the Rum Swizzle. After some thorough research, the rum swizzle consists of light and dark rum, various juices, and a few other little ingredients topped off with a cherry, orange slice, and pineapple chunk. This is healthy because it has fruit in it. 

These are just a few of the reasons to go. The amazing pink beaches are what caught my eye when looking for a vacation spot. Ok, maybe it was the rum swizzles too. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Tired of Pinterest Failed Recipes? Here is One Even My Kid Can’t Screw Up!

I LOVE to see Pinterest fails. Some of those photos make me laugh out loud! I have tried many times to be a Pinterest mom and failed miserably! How many times have you found a recipe on Pinterest, tried it, and flopped? I’ve been unsuccessful so many times that most of those pictures should be my own.

Well, this post is to share one of the few successful Pinterest recipes. Below is a recipe for jalapeno popper chicken. It is sooooo good, and even my kids love it. It’s almost fail-proof; don’t burn the bacon, and it will be all good.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• Three jalapeno peppers, diced without seeds
• ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• ½ cup crumbled crispy bacon, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Filet the chicken breast, so they are thinner
3. Lay the chicken flat in a 9x13 baking pan
4. Season the chicken with garlic salt
5. Spread the cream cheese over the top
6. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken
7. Top with bacon and jalapenos
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through
9. Cool slightly for 5 minutes, then serve
10. Enjoy

Loved this recipe? Or FAILED it? Comment below and let me know what you think.

3.6 My Amazing Day That Turned Awful

I'll never forget the day my grandma died. March 27, 2014, it was supposed to be a happy day. Chad and I were shopping at Cabela's in Woodbury, MN.

Earlier that day, we had our first appointment at RMIA in Woodbury to begin our long, exhausting IVF journey. It was exciting knowing we were finally going to be having a baby together. After the appointment, we went to lunch and then shopping at Cabela's. While we were walking through the aisles, my phone rang. It was my mom. I talked to her daily, so I figured she was calling to see how the doctor's visit went. Instead, she called to tell me the news. I froze.

I knew my grandma wasn't well. She had been in the hospital for a while now and didn't know anything. I still remember the heart-wrenching day I visited her in the hospital. It was the last day I saw her alive. She was running her bedsheet between her fingers, saying, "I want apple soup." I knew my grandma was gone. It destroyed me.

My grandma and I had always been close. She lived next door and babysat me since I was a baby. I will never forget watching her run around the bases after I pitched her the plastic ball, or putting rollers in her hair. I always miss her at Thanksgiving when she doesn't show up with her mouthwatering pumpkin pies. Most of all, I miss her laugh. She had the best laugh. I wish I had a video of it. It was always the deep belly laugh and tears running down her face with an occasional toot in between.

She was even the best great grandma; my two older daughters call her "Great Grandma with all the candy" even to this day. Every time we went to visit her, they each left with a baggie full of candy. She kept that candy dish stocked just for the girls. I wish Grandma could have met our IVF baby. She would have loved him, and I could have enjoyed her laugh just a little longer. 

3.4 A Good Day Turned Upside Down

I’ll never forget the day my grandma died. March 27, 2014, it was supposed to be a happy day. Chad and I were shopping at Cabela’s in Woodbury, MN.

 

Earlier that day, we had our first appointment at RMIA in Woodbury to begin our journey with IVF. It was exciting knowing we were going to be having a baby together. After the appointment, we went to lunch and then shopping at Cabela’s. While we were shopping, my mom called and told me the news. I froze.

I knew my grandma wasn’t well, she had been in the hospital for a while now and didn’t know anything. I still remember the last day I visited her in the hospital. She was running her bedsheet between her fingers saying "I want apple soup". I knew my grandma was gone at that point. It destroyed me.

 

My grandma and I had always been close. She lived next door and babysat me since I was a baby. I have so many unforgettable memories with her, from playing baseball to putting rollers in her hair, watching her ‘stories’, the list goes on.

 

She was even the best great grandma; my two older daughters call her “Great Grandma with all the candy” even to this day. Every time we went to visit her, they each left with a baggie full of candy.  She kept that candy dish stocked just for the girls.