Take Me Out To The Ball Game

So tonight, just to change things up a bit, John and I went to the Round Rock Express game. Being that I absolutely love watching baseball, I was pretty psyched about going.

We started out by walking around the stadium just because John had never actually been there, or at least, he doesn't remember ever going. They have a pool, several concession stands, a place called "The Fun Zone" were kids can be kept busy throughout the game by bungee jumping, rock climbing, or playing basketball.

There were also a few stands up around the area for an organization called United Way. Basically, John gathered information to see if they would sponser 4JP. He didn't really ask many questions involving his personal organization but he did ask plenty of questions on the organizations they currently sponsor. Turns out, they really do a lot in the community. They help with the maternity home, the dioscease of Austin, The Caring Place, and basically any organization involving health, finance, or education. It was actually interesting to hear the summaries from each different table and all about what they do in the community. Hopefully they will sponsor his project so he can really get going on the advertising. Who knows, maybe it will help with more muscians, fund raisers, and such.

Anyways, after our little journey around the field, we decided to sit down and enjoy the awesome deal on hotdogs. $1 for hotdogs at a baseball game, not too bad. We sat next to some of his buds from work and I felt special that he introduced me to them all. Close to the end of the 7th inning, we decided Dippin Dots sounded amazing. So, instead of being smart and checking to see if there was one close by, we walked all the way to the other side of the field to the table we saw earlier. They were a tad bit over priced, but worth every bite.

By about 10:30, the game was over and Express won by 3 points, the final score was:
Express: 9

Las Vegas 51s: 6

All in all, it was a good game and the night was fun with my baby with me.

4JP- A Christian Organization

I am sure by the title, you are wondering what 4JP means. The first time I saw that abbreviation, I had no idea what it meant either, so don't feel bad or out of the loop. My boyfriend John Vandivier has recently started a project called the "For Jesus Project". As he has explained, it is a christian organization looking to promote the making and listening of local christian music. How else could anyone possibly keep people motivated to listen to God's word? God DOES speak to you through other people, maybe I am that person.

Check out the facebook page at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/4-Jesus-Project/117374014940785#!/pages/4-Jesus-Project/117374014940785?v=info

The website for the project is:

http://www.4jesusproject.webs.com/ (Right now, it is still under construction but within a week or so, it should be up to date with a full description of the organization as well as the beliefs of the founder, news, and even a link to send a prayer request!)



Please support John and his inspiring organization. God Bless :)

Back In Action

So it has been a while since I have posted, but I am finally done with my freshman year of college and I am on my way to bigger and better things! First of all, I am transferring as far away from Tarleton as I possibly can. Long story short, it just was not for me. I am more and more eager to get my major in Mass Communications. The more I think about it, the more I feel ready.
I've been in my first week of summer, going onto my second. Moving out of the dorms was the biggest pain, especially being on the third floor with not one single elevator and TONS of boxes to carry down to my car, which by the way, had a $150 ticket attached the the windshield. I have been trying to get it repealed because you cannot just simply put up a handicap sign, and say I was parked in the wrong area. Yup, you read that right. The day I parked there, there was NO handicap sign, the next day, it magically appeared.

Anyways, by the time I got home, I was so ready for summer. I walked in the front door and my grandparents are both on the couch! I have not seen them in a year, so it was fun to spend some time with them again. We went to the Exotic Zoo in Johnson City and got to feed all different kinds of animals, not to mention, my dad getting spit on by a llama was also priceless, but I will save that trip for another entry.

Tomorrow night, I am going to a baseball game with the love of my life, John Vandivier! I will of course, have to tell you all about that, or maybe not. You will just have to wait and see!

From Tacky To Trendy

Most women in the morning will shower, apply make up, and do their hair before they even have the slightest clue what they want to wear to work, school, or just out. I have even been faced with mornings where I stand in front of my closet for at least 20 minutes trying to figure out what to wear because for women, sometimes looking at your clothing selection is depressing.

Truth is, most women do not know how to dress for their body, therefore some of their clothing selections make them feel heavy, frumpy, or just plain out of style. The problem is because women will look through a magazine expecting to find the perfect answers as to what they should buy, when in fact, the best thing to do is to take your best girlfriends and try on things you never thought you'd wear, because who knows, you may surprise yourself.

For example, have you ever watched the show on TLC called What Not To Wear? Most of those women have gotten to the point where all of the items in their closet make them feel so self conscious about their bodies that they purposely dress to hide themselves. That is because the clothes you see in magazines may look cute on the model, but that is because they were specifically picked out to look good on her so that you would want to wear it too. That's half the battle.

The other half is actually trying it on and deciding if the digits on the price tag are worth the material on your body.

I have recently started a new job at an accessory and clothing store. I have only worked there about 3 weeks and I have already learned things about my own body that I never would have realized on my own. Dressing up to look nice for work or even for your husband is simple! Reading that sentence you may or may not say "but not for me" or "but all the things I like are too expensive". Wrong and wrong again. Dressing for your body type is all about finding items that compliment your curves. You may say that is impossible too but maybe that's because you won't try on things you never thought you'd like. Being fashionable is all about keeping up with trends and trying new ideas. If it doesn't work, so what? It's one bad outfit and you can change it to look better the next time around.

Now, to discuss tacky to trendy. Most women wear suits to work. Maybe the occasional button up and slacks right? How can we play up a button up and slacks? High heels, belts, and jewelry. That's it. Never and I mean EVER wear crocks. No they are not comfortable and they are one of the ugliest shoes I have ever seen in my life. HUGE don't. Stay away from big clunky shoes as well. They are not attractive. Boots, flats, sandals, and heels are as good as it gets.

Shoe Do:

Shoe DON'T:

Use your shoes and your belt as an accent color to your clothing so that you don't look dull. Now, you can either pick an accent color to play up the belt along with the entire outfit, or you can pick a shoe that closely resembles the color of your slacks so that you have one elongated leg.

Putting it all together:

A white tailored button up- possibly roll the sleeves, not too much, but just enough so that they would be considered 3/4 sleeves.

Next, pick a larger sized belt and put it right above your belly button. This accentuates the smallest part of your torso and makes you look skinnier. Fun trick right?

Now, you can have any color belt but pick a color that won't get swallowed with the white button up, and also a color that will play up the black slacks. A black or chrome belt would really keep it classy but if you wanted to be a little more edgy and fun, I would pick an accent color such as pink, red, or blue.

Honestly, even the chrome belt below really would play up the black slacks, and with the jewelry coming next, you're bound to get compliments wherever you go. Especially with the blue shoes up top, wow!

Last, the jewelry is simple. Go with whatever color your belt is. But I would wear something delicate if you are wearing a big belt. Think of maybe a long silver chain, with a few pearls. And to top it off, black shoes so that your legs appear longer (because of your black slacks). Now you look taller AND thinner. See? Is that not simple? Every girl can do that. Now go have fun shopping!

Why Children Hate To Read: For Starters

Sadly, today I spent lots of time at the doctor's office and in the hospital. Don't worry, everything is fine. Knowing me and my impatient self, I decided none of the magazines were worth my time so I thought maybe I could get a kick out of reading a children's book called "Not Norman".

I opened the first page of the book and began reading. By the second page, in my mind I was thinking "wow, this kid is a brat". To summarize the book, I will just say that a kid for his birthday received a goldfish from his parents as a gift and he was not happy because he wanted a "real" pet, I recall the book even describing that he wanted a pet that he could play with, sleep with, run around with, etc. The pictures also imply that the kid is hurting the goldfish's feelings. Yes, I know it is a goldfish and in reality, if a kid didn't want a goldfish, it wouldn't cry, but I started wondering if in the long run, it makes kids believe that it is ok to hurt someone's feelings by either mocking them, bullying them, or not wanting to be their friend.

As I continue reading this book, I try to figure out where it is going. Was it trying to tell children that it is ok not to appreciate presents? He wanted to return his goldfish and trade it for something "cooler", he even tries to sell it to his classmates. I then ask myself, why am I reading this? Not only was the message terrible, but the book itself was boring and the character was conveyed as rude. Just so that I could generate a valid opinion, I continued to read the book and of course there was the happy ending where the kid finally accepted the goldfish and wanted to keep it.

Then it occurred to me, books like these were the very reason I hated reading in elementary school. Boring books with characters like the one in this book made me hate reading (and don't get me started on the reading passages that are given to you for standardized testing. If you really want a child to do well on a test, give them passages that will be somewhat interesting).

So then I started thinking back to when I actually developed the desire to read. I did not like reading until about 10th grade when I discovered Stephen King, then after my interest developed, I moved to other authors. Yes, Stephen King may be considered a freak to most people but admit it, the guy can write a novel and keep you interested. Now I am not saying Stephen King is what elementary students should be reading but I am saying that books should be written in order to encourage students to develop the desire to read. Make it interesting and fun, and I think that should apply to not only elementary school but middle school and high school as well. Point is, if kids are reading books like "Not Norman" and are even half as bored as I was, you're teaching them right off the bat that reading is boring.

Now for my point- STOP GIVING CHILDREN A BORING SELECTION OF BOOKS! Reading is a good thing!
If you have an interest in writing or even think that I made a point in this blog, have you ever considered writing children's books? The thought crossed my mind and I am heavily considering it. If you are too, get busy!

The Last Song: 2 Thumbs Up

Saturday April 3, my mom and I decided to have one of our 'girls day out' and went to see The Last Song. Personally, I like Miley Cyrus as an actor, not to mention the amount of talent that girl has that goes unnoticed and unappreciated. I started out liking Cyrus during her show Hannah Montana, yes I know. It is Disney Channel and childish right? Wrong. First, I would like to say that I like Disney channel because it has 'clean' humor. No sex, no drugs, nothing vulgar, morbid, or perverted. Just clean comedy. If you have any good movies that do not involve sex, drugs, perverted 'humor', or stupid comedy (like Napoleon Dynamite) feel free to tell me what they are. I'd love to know.

For example, just typing in 'Comedy Movies' in yahoo images search engine, I find things like "The Hangover" or "Sex Is Comedy". First of all, I did not think highly of The Hangover at all because one: I thought the 'comedy' in that movie was stupid. Secondly: the message behind the movie was pathetic. A man goes to Vegas with friends for a bachelor's party, gets so drunk he forgets everything, and almost leaves his wife stranded at the alter because his friends forget he is on top of the hotel building. The entire movie is about 4 immature and idiotic men trying to figure out what happened the night before. What good message comes from that? Anyways, I will save that for a different day.

When I went to see The Last Song, multiple things impressed me. Miley Cyrus showed more talent than I thought she had, plus the movie, in my opinion was very well made, not to mention, a beautiful story (and this time, I decided to read the book after the movie so I could keep separate opinions on the two). Cyrus not only showed good acting skills, but she also presented her talent on the piano. When discussing this movie with several different friends, I was shocked to hear most of them say they refused to see the movie because Miley Cyrus was the main character. Why?

I believe that society has defined 'comedy' as crude, perverted, sexual, or pointless so actors on Disney channel never get a chance when it comes to the big screen and I think that is because people believe that the actors on Disney are there because they can't really act when in reality, that statement is false. In my opinion, if Miley Cyrus had never signed a contract with Disney, I think more people would consider seeing her movies in theaters. Why do Disney productions make a difference? Because 'mature' teenagers and adults do not take her seriously because they think that she has no talent, so in the long run, Disney has done her no justice. Yes, she has made her way onto the big screen in Nick Sparks movie as well as her songs on the radio, but I believe that is more because of the talent she offers and because her father knows the business.

If your reason for not considering to see The Last Song is due to the fact that Miley Cyrus has "poor acting skills" or no talent, I would think again. You cannot base your opinion off of a Disney channel show that is specifically made for kids and family viewing. Walk into that theater with an open mind and pretend as if you have never heard of Miley Cyrus and I guarantee you would be impressed. So instead of saying "yea but it's Miley Cyrus" enjoy a night out to see a movie, you deserve it. Oh and bring a box of tissues. I even heard men sniffling in the theater.

Everlasting 'Food'

Have you ever purchased too much food at the grocery store and eventually it becomes moldy or stale after a week or so? Why? Because food is supposed to decompose naturally after a certain amount of time. For bread, it is a few weeks or so. Bananas, also a few weeks. But what would your reaction be if you left a piece of bread on the counter for over a year, and nothing happened? If it did not get stale, it did not mold, and no flies were attracted to it? Would you consider buying that brand of bread ever again? Probably not.

In the article Happy Meal Is Still Happy One Year On written by Bethany Sanders on March 24, 2010, consumers of today's fast food industries may or may not be shocked to read about her experiment.
Sanders partner Joann Bruso left a Happy Meal from McDonalds on her shelf for one full year, it maintained a similar appearance by the end of the year. Nothing molded, rotted, or decomposed.

http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2010/03/24/happy_meal_is_still_happy_one_year_on.php

Now, this is not an attack towards McDonalds because almost all fast food resturants apply preservatives to their food so that it can sit for long periods of time throughout the day and still be edible to the consumer. Just a train of thought, if the McDonalds happy meal still appeared to be edible, don't you find it disturbing that a year old hamburger simply heated in the microwave could be what your child is eating?