Many of us were around for the storms that tore through the states of Kansas and Missouri yesterday evening. Honestly, I was asleep for all of it, so I did not realize how intense the storm really was. Last semester I attended Pittsburg State University, and I was on their texting list in case in emergencies or school closings needed to be announced. I do not still attend that college seeing as I am enrolled in classes here at MSSU, but I do still get the texting alerts that Pitt State sends out. This morning at around 5:30 a.m. I received one of those messages confirming that the university was going to be closed today due to storm damages. This message made me fear that a tornado reached the town of Pittsburg since I have many friends that still attend the college there. Even though there was not a tornado to my knowledge, this video on the webpage link shows the damages that the town did have. Here is a photograph of the motel when first driving into Pittsburg.
Not only did the Pittsburg, KS area get hit pretty hard in the storms last night, but so did many other towns including everyone's favorite tourist town, Branson, MO. In Branson many homes have been completely destroyed as well as many injuries. According to this article, there were 14 tornado reports across Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Illinois all in one night. Even though these storms were relatively small compared to the tornado that tore Joplin apart last May, they are not something to be ignored. There were many, many families effected by the harsh weather last night with many that lost their homes. Harveyville, a town in Kansas, has approximately 40% of the town suffering from some sort of damage.
These storms already occurring make me wonder if our mild winter is something we are going to have to pay for in the Spring months. I certainly hope not since these kinds of storms are dangerous and sometimes deadly. I just pray that whatever damages happen everyone can stay safe through whatever happens. I also hope that the towns that were effected last night will pull together and get everything fixed up like Joplin has. It is awesome to see how everyone has pulled together here and gotten buildings and homes back up so quickly. I realize there is still a lot of damage done to this town, but over time it will all look good as new.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
My Weekend
This past weekend I got the joy of going home all weekend. Home is not here in Joplin, MO. Home is back in the tiny town of Havana, KS. Going home was really exciting since I had not been home in almost two months, and I was missing my parents. At 5:00 I got off work, got packed up, and headed out for the hour and a half drive with Steven. It was a fun drive. Steven did not fall asleep for once! On the way we stopped in Coffeyville to get ice cream with two of my best friends, Lindsey and Ashlyn. We met them at Braum's and reminisced on the good ole days of us as kids. I have been friends with them for a long time. Ashlyn and I have been friends since we were six, and Lindsey and I have been friends since we were nine. After we ate with them we headed on home to my parents' house. It was really fun there. We just sat around and talked all night. The next day Steven and I walked around our field with my mom, then we went out and shot guns at pop cans.
After that we headed on out to Steven's parents house in Oklahoma. When we were there we hung out with all of his family. He has a big family compared to me. He has two sisters who have two little kids each. They are definitely loud. It is something I am not used to since nobody in my family has kids, but they are fun. We stayed up far too late that night. The next day we got up and went to church. After church we hung out with his family some more. That night his home church threw up a wedding shower. We got a lot of gifts and money. After the wedding shower we headed back to Joplin. It was a tiring weekend, but it was definitely fun. I wish we could go back home more often than once every few months!
After that we headed on out to Steven's parents house in Oklahoma. When we were there we hung out with all of his family. He has a big family compared to me. He has two sisters who have two little kids each. They are definitely loud. It is something I am not used to since nobody in my family has kids, but they are fun. We stayed up far too late that night. The next day we got up and went to church. After church we hung out with his family some more. That night his home church threw up a wedding shower. We got a lot of gifts and money. After the wedding shower we headed back to Joplin. It was a tiring weekend, but it was definitely fun. I wish we could go back home more often than once every few months!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Brazil
This coming summer my husband and I will be going to Brazil for two months. Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Not yet, but I know I will be. This will definitely be the longest and furthest I have ever been from home, but it is for a good cause. We are going so Steven can do an internship in the missions field for a church located there in Brazil. Honestly, I have no idea what I am going to be doing the whole time, but he is going to be putting on vacation bible school for the kids, preaching, and putting activities together for the youth to do there. It will be an awesome learning experience as well as a way for us to decide if we would want to do missions long term. The only thing I am not looking forward to on this trip is that when we land in Brazil we will have a fourteen hour layover until our next flight. It will be a long, long, fourteen hours in an airport.
I will also be turning twenty-one while we are in Brazil! I am not sure how that will go, but I'm sure it will be fun. It is funny I am turning an important age there, because when I turned sixteen I was on a missions trip in Trinidad. It will be different not celebrating my birthday with my family, but I'm sure we will do something for it when Steven and I are back in the states. So far we have been blessed with churches donating money to us to go toward the expenses of this missions trip. My home church, Tyro Christian Church, gave us a good amount of money. This was definitely a blessing that covered the cost of our plane tickets. We have almost all the money raised that we will need to cover our rent and things like that here while we are gone as well as what we will need for there. For those of you who pray, I ask for your prayers and support for us while we are on this trip that we will stay safe, and reach the lives of those we come into contact with. The time we leave will be here in no time!
I will also be turning twenty-one while we are in Brazil! I am not sure how that will go, but I'm sure it will be fun. It is funny I am turning an important age there, because when I turned sixteen I was on a missions trip in Trinidad. It will be different not celebrating my birthday with my family, but I'm sure we will do something for it when Steven and I are back in the states. So far we have been blessed with churches donating money to us to go toward the expenses of this missions trip. My home church, Tyro Christian Church, gave us a good amount of money. This was definitely a blessing that covered the cost of our plane tickets. We have almost all the money raised that we will need to cover our rent and things like that here while we are gone as well as what we will need for there. For those of you who pray, I ask for your prayers and support for us while we are on this trip that we will stay safe, and reach the lives of those we come into contact with. The time we leave will be here in no time!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Best Show Ever
Whenever you go to turn on the television set, there are many shows to choose from to watch. Some of us like drama, some like comedy, and others enjoy a lovely game show. There is not one certain genre of show I like, but my ultimate favorite television show is by far "The Office." For anyone who has not seen this hilarious show, you need to sit down and watch it. I understand that it is not a show for everyone, but if you enjoy dumb humor, it is definitely for you. My parents hate "The Office" because I watch it over and over on my lazy days. This show was based on the British comedy series with the same name, but I do not enjoy the British version at all. "The Office" stars actor Steve Carell as Michael Scott. He is the regional manager of a paper company called Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Carell also stars in many movies such as "40 Year Old Virgin" and one of his newest ones, "Crazy Stupid Love." In the show, Steve's character is a boss who feels that he is best friends with everyone he works with, and he loves them all. Even though he means well, his personality annoys the rest of the people in the office and anyone he comes in contact with, but that is what makes his character so funny. He also enjoys the "that's what she said" jokes. They are cracked all throughout the episodes.
The television show plays on the television station NBC. NBC has an entire website dedicated to this hilarious show. It began in March of 2005, and is still airing new episodes today. The show is currently on its eighth season. I have watched every episode at least 5 times if not more. That may sound extreme, but it is such a good show! Here is a short clip from one of my favorite episodes. This scene shows two of the people who work in the office the show is about. Jim, who is played by John Krasinski, imitate the other person, Dwight played by Rainn Wilson. One of the main themes of the show is how Jim and Dwight do not get along, so Jim plays a lot of harmless pranks on Dwight. Another one of the main themes of the show is the relationship between Jim and the receptionist Pam. It is obvious from the beginning that the two have feelings for each other. It is interesting to see how that plays out throughout the seasons and episodes. "The Office" is also one way my husband and I met. One day on Facebook I had my status as a quote from the show, and when Steven saw that it gave him an excuse to start up a conversation since our common interest in the show gave him something to talk to me about. I know, romantic story right? For those of you who have not seen "The Office", I recommend watching it. It may be for you, or it may not. Either way is okay. I will continue to watch it as often as possible and enjoy the laughter I experience from it.
The television show plays on the television station NBC. NBC has an entire website dedicated to this hilarious show. It began in March of 2005, and is still airing new episodes today. The show is currently on its eighth season. I have watched every episode at least 5 times if not more. That may sound extreme, but it is such a good show! Here is a short clip from one of my favorite episodes. This scene shows two of the people who work in the office the show is about. Jim, who is played by John Krasinski, imitate the other person, Dwight played by Rainn Wilson. One of the main themes of the show is how Jim and Dwight do not get along, so Jim plays a lot of harmless pranks on Dwight. Another one of the main themes of the show is the relationship between Jim and the receptionist Pam. It is obvious from the beginning that the two have feelings for each other. It is interesting to see how that plays out throughout the seasons and episodes. "The Office" is also one way my husband and I met. One day on Facebook I had my status as a quote from the show, and when Steven saw that it gave him an excuse to start up a conversation since our common interest in the show gave him something to talk to me about. I know, romantic story right? For those of you who have not seen "The Office", I recommend watching it. It may be for you, or it may not. Either way is okay. I will continue to watch it as often as possible and enjoy the laughter I experience from it.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
How Safe is Organic Food?
Organic food is one of those things I have always heard is extremely good for everyone to eat, not to mention expensive. That is about the extent of my knowledge on the subject though. This is got me wondering, is organic food really that good for you? Upon my thoughts of this I ran across an article that discussed a high amount of arsenic that was found in organic baby foods and cereal bars. Arsenic is a chemical substance that is most commonly linked to cancer, chronic diseases, and developmental effects. These high levels have been found in foods that use the ingredient organic brown rice syrup. This ingredient is usually used as a substitute for high fructose corn syrup in most organic foods. Out of the 17 baby formulas that were tested by researchers, two of them used organic brown rice syrup as their primary ingredient. The arsenic levels in these two baby formulas was twenty times higher than the amount found in baby formulas without the organic brown rice syrup as a primary ingredient. I am by no means the type of person who freaks out about what people eat, or believe that everyone should eat only the healthiest foods out there, but if I were to have a baby that would definitely concern me about my child's health mainly because a baby is more prone to sickness and having long term effects on them if they are exposed to high levels of something they are not supposed to have compared to adults.
Another site I found talked about how organic foods also increase the risk of pathogen. This is because the fruits and vegetables that are grown on manure could have unseen pathogens on them that could make whoever is eating them sick. Pathogens are things such as E. coli and Salmonella poisoning. These things grow in the stomachs of animals and then could be transferred to the leafs of fruits and vegetables. This is something that could cause a huge health risk if there is one bad batch of a certain fruit or vegetable that gets many people sick. The fact that food is grown with fertilizer that is manure makes me wash off every fresh fruit or vegetable I eat, but that may not even help. There could also be problems with organic meat people consume since animals are not immune to parasites entering their systems, and could still be in the meat after it is processed. As mentioned earlier, the price of organic food tends to be higher than that of non organic foods. I had always wondered why. This video helped answer that question for me. After the research I found, I have not become persuaded in any way to go out and buy all organic foods. I do not have the money for that, and really they don't seem any healthier than non organic foods, but then again I did no research on the benefits of eating organic foods.
Another site I found talked about how organic foods also increase the risk of pathogen. This is because the fruits and vegetables that are grown on manure could have unseen pathogens on them that could make whoever is eating them sick. Pathogens are things such as E. coli and Salmonella poisoning. These things grow in the stomachs of animals and then could be transferred to the leafs of fruits and vegetables. This is something that could cause a huge health risk if there is one bad batch of a certain fruit or vegetable that gets many people sick. The fact that food is grown with fertilizer that is manure makes me wash off every fresh fruit or vegetable I eat, but that may not even help. There could also be problems with organic meat people consume since animals are not immune to parasites entering their systems, and could still be in the meat after it is processed. As mentioned earlier, the price of organic food tends to be higher than that of non organic foods. I had always wondered why. This video helped answer that question for me. After the research I found, I have not become persuaded in any way to go out and buy all organic foods. I do not have the money for that, and really they don't seem any healthier than non organic foods, but then again I did no research on the benefits of eating organic foods.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
My New Bike
As you can tell from the title of this blog post, I recently got a new bike! It is a pretty sweet bike. Here it is. My new bike is lime green, pink, and sparkly silver. These may sound like colors of a bike for a little girl, because it is a girl's bike. I am not extremely short, but I am a mere 5'3" which made mostly all of the women size bikes I liked too big. Here is a picture of the bike I really, really wanted, but unfortunately it was too big. It is pretty sweet, I know. I'm sure many of you out there are possibly wondering why a twenty-year-old girl in college would want a new bike. The reason I wanted to get a new bike is so Steven and I could have a hobby to do together. It also can help us save on gas when we want to go do something fun together like go get ice cream. We could ride our bikes there instead of driving which saves us on gas, and gives us more time to spend together. Steven already has a nice bike. It was an expensive one he got a long time ago. He used to go riding on trails back behind Ozark Christian College. I am not willing to do this though because the trails back there are rough. He has plenty of stories of him wrecking his bike out there or his friends wrecking their bikes. One time he flew off his bike and hit a tree so hard it broke his helmet. Luckily he was okay from this experience.
I used to have the same bike for about ten years or so, but then I left it outside all year at college last year and it got all rusted and no good. It is also a good form of exercise. It is hard for me to get motivated to go work out, but I do not mind riding a bike around. I do admit it is somewhat cold out right now to ride a bike around, but it will be warmer soon! I am also considering riding my bike to work. I drive a Volkswagon Beetle that is diesel, and with the price of diesel at almost $4 a gallon and rising I am going to need to cut back on driving. My work, Lowe's, is only a few short miles from my house, so riding a bike there would not be a huge deal. I am somewhat scared to ride it along the busy streets here in Joplin. I would also have to leave for work a lot earlier than usual in order to get there on time. Driving it to school at Missouri Southern would be a different story though. That is too far. It would probably take me at least two hours if not more to get to school if I rode my bike. I would also have to cross Rangeline which is way to busy of a street for me to want to cross on a bike. I am excited about my new bike. I am ready to take it for a spin when I have time and it is a little nicer out. Today would not be bad but it is so cloudy and gloomy looking outside. At least the snow is all gone though!
I used to have the same bike for about ten years or so, but then I left it outside all year at college last year and it got all rusted and no good. It is also a good form of exercise. It is hard for me to get motivated to go work out, but I do not mind riding a bike around. I do admit it is somewhat cold out right now to ride a bike around, but it will be warmer soon! I am also considering riding my bike to work. I drive a Volkswagon Beetle that is diesel, and with the price of diesel at almost $4 a gallon and rising I am going to need to cut back on driving. My work, Lowe's, is only a few short miles from my house, so riding a bike there would not be a huge deal. I am somewhat scared to ride it along the busy streets here in Joplin. I would also have to leave for work a lot earlier than usual in order to get there on time. Driving it to school at Missouri Southern would be a different story though. That is too far. It would probably take me at least two hours if not more to get to school if I rode my bike. I would also have to cross Rangeline which is way to busy of a street for me to want to cross on a bike. I am excited about my new bike. I am ready to take it for a spin when I have time and it is a little nicer out. Today would not be bad but it is so cloudy and gloomy looking outside. At least the snow is all gone though!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Another Lovely Weekend!
Whenever 8:50 p.m. hits on Wednesdays of each week, I know that this is a great time. That time means that my awesome four day weekend has begun! I know many of you out there are thinking, "What? The weekend consists of Saturday and Sunday." That is true for most, but for me, it starts on Wednesday. This is because Wednesday is my last day of class for each week! Sure I still have a job to go to, but the days I work there vary from week to week, and I almost always have to work on Saturdays and Sundays, so that really leaves no weekend for me at all. This is why I could the days that I do not have class as my weekends.
This past weekend was an awesome one. It started out very relaxing just working a short five hour shift on Thursday at everyone's favorite home improvement store, Lowe's. This gave me the rest of the day Thursday to do whatever I wanted! This time consisted of cleaning my house and watching hours of "The Office." Friday was a bit of a rough day. Getting up anytime before 9 a.m. is a problem for me, and on Friday I had to be up at 5 in order to be at work at 6. This sounds rough, but it really is not all that bad since I get to be done with work by 3 p.m. As many of you might of guessed, I crashed and took a nap as soon as I got home that day. That night my best friend since about first grade came over which was really fun. We did not do anything all that exciting, but it was still a good time. Later on that night my husband Steven and I introduced her to a tradition we have each week. This is the tradition of what we call "Pretzel Day." Pretzel day is what we do once a week when we both do not have to work. We go to "The Pretzel Place" in the mall here in town, and we both get a salted pretzel with cheese. For any of you who have never been to this place to get soft pretzels, you really need to go. They are the best soft pretzels ever.
The following day on Saturday I had another short five hour shift to work. This was the best day of the weekend because my mom came to town to see Steven and me as well as my brother. When I got off work that night we all went to Pizza Hut. It was delicious. Then Steven and I went with my mom to Academy. Here is where Steven bought me some sweet pink boxing gloves. The reason he did this is because he used to cage fight, and I told him I would not let him teach me until he got me gloves. I was pretty excited! Unfortunately after that my mom had to leave to head back home. The next day on Sunday, Steven and I went with my brother, his wife, and her kids to eat lunch at McDonald's. This was a really fun time. The kids are ages three and five. The youngest, Logan, had the hardest time eating. He just wanted to play and have fun. He told me that he liked McDonald's and did not want to leave. After awhile he had to leave though to go back home. After that I was lazy all day until the big game!
Many of you know what game I am referring to. Yes, it was the Super Bowl. I honestly did not pay very much attention to the game until about the end of the third quarter. I also watched the halftime show. Honestly I had no idea Madonna was still even famous, but the show was really good. The male dancers in the white suits were awesome. So was that guy on the wire. After the game was over it was time for bed, and my wonderful weekend came to an end so I could get up bright and early for class on Monday.
This past weekend was an awesome one. It started out very relaxing just working a short five hour shift on Thursday at everyone's favorite home improvement store, Lowe's. This gave me the rest of the day Thursday to do whatever I wanted! This time consisted of cleaning my house and watching hours of "The Office." Friday was a bit of a rough day. Getting up anytime before 9 a.m. is a problem for me, and on Friday I had to be up at 5 in order to be at work at 6. This sounds rough, but it really is not all that bad since I get to be done with work by 3 p.m. As many of you might of guessed, I crashed and took a nap as soon as I got home that day. That night my best friend since about first grade came over which was really fun. We did not do anything all that exciting, but it was still a good time. Later on that night my husband Steven and I introduced her to a tradition we have each week. This is the tradition of what we call "Pretzel Day." Pretzel day is what we do once a week when we both do not have to work. We go to "The Pretzel Place" in the mall here in town, and we both get a salted pretzel with cheese. For any of you who have never been to this place to get soft pretzels, you really need to go. They are the best soft pretzels ever.
The following day on Saturday I had another short five hour shift to work. This was the best day of the weekend because my mom came to town to see Steven and me as well as my brother. When I got off work that night we all went to Pizza Hut. It was delicious. Then Steven and I went with my mom to Academy. Here is where Steven bought me some sweet pink boxing gloves. The reason he did this is because he used to cage fight, and I told him I would not let him teach me until he got me gloves. I was pretty excited! Unfortunately after that my mom had to leave to head back home. The next day on Sunday, Steven and I went with my brother, his wife, and her kids to eat lunch at McDonald's. This was a really fun time. The kids are ages three and five. The youngest, Logan, had the hardest time eating. He just wanted to play and have fun. He told me that he liked McDonald's and did not want to leave. After awhile he had to leave though to go back home. After that I was lazy all day until the big game!
Many of you know what game I am referring to. Yes, it was the Super Bowl. I honestly did not pay very much attention to the game until about the end of the third quarter. I also watched the halftime show. Honestly I had no idea Madonna was still even famous, but the show was really good. The male dancers in the white suits were awesome. So was that guy on the wire. After the game was over it was time for bed, and my wonderful weekend came to an end so I could get up bright and early for class on Monday.
What's With the Gas Prices?
I don't know about anyone else, but these rising gas prices are really not something I enjoy. The price of diesel rose almost twenty cents a gallon literally overnight from $3.59 a gallon to $3.75 a gallon. Unleaded gasoline rose what I consider a significant amount as well overnight. I do not understand the cause of this! Yeah, sure, our economy is crap, but is this rise in gas prices really necessary? That is what I want to find out. I realize that Americans consume an excessive amount of gas considering that there are some students who will actually drive from the parking lot by the criminal justice building to the main parking lot on campus that is just across the street. It is literally a five minute walk from that building to the student center. I know, I make the walk every Monday and Wednesday. My guess is it most likely takes about the same amount of time to drive as it is to walk so my suggestion to people who do this is to just walk.
When going to a certain website about the rising gas prices, I found that people in the United States consume 19 million barrels of oil a day. This is twenty-five percent of the world's supply. I find that pretty ridiculous. When people ask why we don't use our own oil to help lower these gas prices the answer is because America does not have enough oil to even make a difference considering we have less than two percent of the world's oil reserves. When doing the math, if America were to drill out all the oil know in the country, there would only be enough oil to last us about three years. One thing I did not know is that the price for each gallon of gas is set globally. They figure this amount by how much gas each country pumps, the geopolitical stability of each country, and how much each country has in reserves. Another question I had in mind about gas prices is why do prices for gasoline and diesel differ from state to state? The answer for this actually many different factors such as the greater distance from the supply means a higher price. This helps explain why gasoline is so much higher per gallon in California than it is here in Missouri. Another factor that creates that different gas prices from state to state is the places with fewer gas stations tend to have higher gas prices. Since there is no way America can lower the rising prices on their own, the best solution is to cut off our reliance on oil. A way to do this is to produce better vehicles as well as come up with cleaner fuels. This site stated oil is a bad way to power cars in the first place because only two out of every ten gallons of gas actually moves your car. That is crazy to me to think that that much money putting fuel into our vehicles is wasted. This video clip helped show some of the more fuel efficient cars that are out on the market right now.
I know that rising gas prices is a problem for anyone that has a vehicle. The higher prices make people think about when they are going to drive, what they need to cut back on in order to pay for gas, and so on. It definitely will limit my pointless trips to Braum's to get my favorite treat, ice cream. This is is something that would also help if everyone cut out those little trips just for one thing. Carpooling would also be something that would help, but with everyone's busy schedule today I see how that is hard to do. Gas prices are high right now and they will most likely keep rising and rising. It is all over the news that gas prices will be well into and above the $4 per gallon region by summertime. This is only a few short months away! The best suggestion I can make is to be more fuel efficient with the gas we have. Instead of driving, take a walk, or ride a bike if where your needing to go is not that far away. If you and your boyfriend are going to the same place as another couple, ride together. This saves on gas as well as providing quality time to spend with friends. Even though it, for lack of a better word, sucks, it is something we are all going to have to deal with and make the best of.
When going to a certain website about the rising gas prices, I found that people in the United States consume 19 million barrels of oil a day. This is twenty-five percent of the world's supply. I find that pretty ridiculous. When people ask why we don't use our own oil to help lower these gas prices the answer is because America does not have enough oil to even make a difference considering we have less than two percent of the world's oil reserves. When doing the math, if America were to drill out all the oil know in the country, there would only be enough oil to last us about three years. One thing I did not know is that the price for each gallon of gas is set globally. They figure this amount by how much gas each country pumps, the geopolitical stability of each country, and how much each country has in reserves. Another question I had in mind about gas prices is why do prices for gasoline and diesel differ from state to state? The answer for this actually many different factors such as the greater distance from the supply means a higher price. This helps explain why gasoline is so much higher per gallon in California than it is here in Missouri. Another factor that creates that different gas prices from state to state is the places with fewer gas stations tend to have higher gas prices. Since there is no way America can lower the rising prices on their own, the best solution is to cut off our reliance on oil. A way to do this is to produce better vehicles as well as come up with cleaner fuels. This site stated oil is a bad way to power cars in the first place because only two out of every ten gallons of gas actually moves your car. That is crazy to me to think that that much money putting fuel into our vehicles is wasted. This video clip helped show some of the more fuel efficient cars that are out on the market right now.
I know that rising gas prices is a problem for anyone that has a vehicle. The higher prices make people think about when they are going to drive, what they need to cut back on in order to pay for gas, and so on. It definitely will limit my pointless trips to Braum's to get my favorite treat, ice cream. This is is something that would also help if everyone cut out those little trips just for one thing. Carpooling would also be something that would help, but with everyone's busy schedule today I see how that is hard to do. Gas prices are high right now and they will most likely keep rising and rising. It is all over the news that gas prices will be well into and above the $4 per gallon region by summertime. This is only a few short months away! The best suggestion I can make is to be more fuel efficient with the gas we have. Instead of driving, take a walk, or ride a bike if where your needing to go is not that far away. If you and your boyfriend are going to the same place as another couple, ride together. This saves on gas as well as providing quality time to spend with friends. Even though it, for lack of a better word, sucks, it is something we are all going to have to deal with and make the best of.
Friday, February 3, 2012
The Importance of Drinking Water
Ever since I was a kid drinking water has never been anything I have enjoyed doing, because I honestly think water tastes gross. It is hard to say that statement since when someone asks me what water tastes like, I don't really know what to answer. It also depends on what water I am drinking. If someone asked me what Pittsburg water tastes like I would tell them pool water, but if someone asked me what the water from my house tastes like I would tell them grass. Even though I can not stand drinking water, I know it is something very healthy for me to do, but I have never actually known why.
In the article "The Importance of Water and Your Health" posted here about water it states that water makes up over two thirds of our body weight, and as we all know, without water we would all die in a few short days. They would probably actually be long days because I can't see slowly dehydrating and dying as being very fun. So one thing we need water for is to keep from dehydrating. Even with this being a point, I have never once become dehydrated and passed out or anything, so to me that still is not a good enough reason to drink water. One thing that did stand out to me though is how water really does prevent diseases which is crazy to me. Drinking the typical eight glasses of water a day we have all heard about actually reduces the chances of getting colon cancer by 45% and bladder cancer by 50%. I am not paranoid that I will get cancer, but that does give me a pretty good reason to want to start drinking me some water.
Another plus to drinking water is that it puts you in a good mood since it makes your body feel better. I am not a crabby person by any means, but there is nothing wrong with feeling good and happy. It also gave reasons such as it helps you lose weight and it makes you look younger, but I barely weigh 100 pounds soaking wet and even though I'm 20 everyone thinks I'm 16, so those don't really effect me too much. One of the ones that caught my attention was that water helps you to concentrate better because I have very difficult times concentrating when I need to in places such as class or church.
The functions of water in our bodies is crazy. It does things like regulates body temperature, protects our vital organs, detoxifies, and much more. Water is what keeps us going strong and healthy. This video on Youtube discusses why water is so good for us and it also brings up how it boosts the metabolism in our bodies to help lose weight. I found an interesting quiz that helps determine how much water people as individuals need to drink a day since everyone is different. It might be helpful for those who want to know for themselves how much intake of water they need. In all water is the best thing for us because it really does keep us healthy, happy, and moving. This research will help me be better about drinking the tasteless, colorless liquid that saves our lives.
In the article "The Importance of Water and Your Health" posted here about water it states that water makes up over two thirds of our body weight, and as we all know, without water we would all die in a few short days. They would probably actually be long days because I can't see slowly dehydrating and dying as being very fun. So one thing we need water for is to keep from dehydrating. Even with this being a point, I have never once become dehydrated and passed out or anything, so to me that still is not a good enough reason to drink water. One thing that did stand out to me though is how water really does prevent diseases which is crazy to me. Drinking the typical eight glasses of water a day we have all heard about actually reduces the chances of getting colon cancer by 45% and bladder cancer by 50%. I am not paranoid that I will get cancer, but that does give me a pretty good reason to want to start drinking me some water.
Another plus to drinking water is that it puts you in a good mood since it makes your body feel better. I am not a crabby person by any means, but there is nothing wrong with feeling good and happy. It also gave reasons such as it helps you lose weight and it makes you look younger, but I barely weigh 100 pounds soaking wet and even though I'm 20 everyone thinks I'm 16, so those don't really effect me too much. One of the ones that caught my attention was that water helps you to concentrate better because I have very difficult times concentrating when I need to in places such as class or church.
The functions of water in our bodies is crazy. It does things like regulates body temperature, protects our vital organs, detoxifies, and much more. Water is what keeps us going strong and healthy. This video on Youtube discusses why water is so good for us and it also brings up how it boosts the metabolism in our bodies to help lose weight. I found an interesting quiz that helps determine how much water people as individuals need to drink a day since everyone is different. It might be helpful for those who want to know for themselves how much intake of water they need. In all water is the best thing for us because it really does keep us healthy, happy, and moving. This research will help me be better about drinking the tasteless, colorless liquid that saves our lives.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Remember When...
Over the course of the past few days my mind has been taking me back to my years in high school. Even though it was not very long ago, I feel like it was ages ago. These were good years with incredible memories with awesome people. Football games, dances, building floats for the homecoming parade, and everyone's favorite, water wars, are just a few fond memories from those days. I find it sad that within a year of graduating from high school, nobody hardly talks to anyone that they grew up with their entire life. I for one wish I would have kept in contact with more of the friends I once had in high school.
My class, the class of 2009, always dominated at the float contests for the homecoming parade between the freshman-senior classes every year. Our first float's theme was "Kings of the Field" where we built a football field on the float and a throne. This was the only year we did not get first place in the contest. The following year we had the theme as "Bullpup Factory" due to our mascot being a bullpup. Yes, we were the Bullpups all the way through school including high school. That year we had a conveyor belt on the float and boxes so it looked like we were building things. We clearly got first that year. The next year, my junior year, our theme was "Breakfast of Champions" where we built massive cereal boxes and a huge bowl that the cereal was pouring into. These were all great ideas, but our senior year is when we had our best float ever.
Senior year we built our float to look like a pirate ship, and it was awesome. We took first place at the school contest as well as coming in second place in a national contest where we won our class $2000 to spend on whatever we wanted. With this money we chose to donate park benches to a school in Kansas who had recently been hit by a tornado, and spent the rest on decorating for prom.Our prom decorating was spectacular as well with the theme being "Bella Notte". Senior year had the most memories for me by far. That year I was nominated for homecoming queen along with 4 of my close friends, then got nominated for prom queen which I won. I admit I was excited about that.
I'm sure many of you are thinking back on the memories I had, and are wondering what water wars is. It was the biggest week and battles between the junior and senior classes during prom week. The two classes would go against each other in massive water balloon battles and fights everyday of the week in the park of my hometown. It may not sound like much, but it really was a really fun time getting the chance to hang out and have fun with people from my class before we all graduated.
Even though I do not keep in contact with most of my class, I will always have the memories of the fun times with them in my mind and heart. If I could go back and do high school over, there are definitely things I would change. Even with this being the case I am completely happy with where I am in life. I have a steady job, an amazing husband, and within a year of finishing college and being out in the real world. I definitely have it good!
My class, the class of 2009, always dominated at the float contests for the homecoming parade between the freshman-senior classes every year. Our first float's theme was "Kings of the Field" where we built a football field on the float and a throne. This was the only year we did not get first place in the contest. The following year we had the theme as "Bullpup Factory" due to our mascot being a bullpup. Yes, we were the Bullpups all the way through school including high school. That year we had a conveyor belt on the float and boxes so it looked like we were building things. We clearly got first that year. The next year, my junior year, our theme was "Breakfast of Champions" where we built massive cereal boxes and a huge bowl that the cereal was pouring into. These were all great ideas, but our senior year is when we had our best float ever.
Senior year we built our float to look like a pirate ship, and it was awesome. We took first place at the school contest as well as coming in second place in a national contest where we won our class $2000 to spend on whatever we wanted. With this money we chose to donate park benches to a school in Kansas who had recently been hit by a tornado, and spent the rest on decorating for prom.Our prom decorating was spectacular as well with the theme being "Bella Notte". Senior year had the most memories for me by far. That year I was nominated for homecoming queen along with 4 of my close friends, then got nominated for prom queen which I won. I admit I was excited about that.
I'm sure many of you are thinking back on the memories I had, and are wondering what water wars is. It was the biggest week and battles between the junior and senior classes during prom week. The two classes would go against each other in massive water balloon battles and fights everyday of the week in the park of my hometown. It may not sound like much, but it really was a really fun time getting the chance to hang out and have fun with people from my class before we all graduated.
Even though I do not keep in contact with most of my class, I will always have the memories of the fun times with them in my mind and heart. If I could go back and do high school over, there are definitely things I would change. Even with this being the case I am completely happy with where I am in life. I have a steady job, an amazing husband, and within a year of finishing college and being out in the real world. I definitely have it good!
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