kkristoff

Volunteering is Rewarding

carter — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:55:00 +0000

Volunteering is a fun and rewarding experience! Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community and make a difference in the world. Not only is volunteering fun but, it can also help you meet many inspiring people.

The time I was a volunteer at St.Louis Children’s Hospital was a life-changing experience. I was excited when I found out that if I attended volunteer orientation I could be an official St.Louis Children’s Volunteer. After orientation, I received a volunteer hospital polo and my very own badge. I was eager to help make a difference in the world.

My first day was on a Saturday, and I remember fighting the downtown weekend traffic to make it on time to the hospital. Not only did I have to fight traffic to get there but, it was my first time driving through downtown on my own; which was very nerve-racking. After the drive being very stressful, I was a little nervous but, the security guard put me right at ease and told me I was assigned to the Patient Playroom. The patient playroom is a place where the patients and their families come in and play with toys and games. I was scared because I had no idea what to do in the playroom until a little girl came in and started to bowl. It was pure joy that crossed her face every time she got a strike. She was very appreciative of me helping her put the pins up and her smile made me forget all about the traffic I had to fight to get there.

The Patient Playroom was a very fun and exciting room to work in and I met many amazing children and their inspiring parents while volunteering. I am so happy that I was able to be a volunteer at St.Louis Children’s Hospital!

The Truth About Skin Color

carter — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:18:09 +0000

After watching the movie, Race: The Power of Illusion, I realized how much emphasis is put on race and cultural background. It has been almost one-hundred and fifty years since slavery was abolished and Americans are still holding onto racial prejudices. The movie discusses how some scientist tried to ascribe race to a biological difference and give reasoning to the thought that some races are superior. The idea that one race is superior to another is appalling to me. I truly believe that everyone is created equal and that everyone should be treated as such.

Race: The Power of Illusion, opened my eyes to what many minorities have to face everyday. Racism ranges from being looked at funny in grocery stores, being passed up for jobs, or even being beaten up or murdered just because of skin color. Skin color is not a choice and does not give anyone special abilities or superiority. The idea of separating people into groups, Caucasian, Hispanic, African-American, or any assortment of other races, is just a way of distinguishing people by physical characteristics. The movie in the end reminds the audience that race is just an idea and that we should not attribute any stereotypes to any particular race.

Vitamin Angels

carter — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:01:25 +0000

My friend Emily discovered a very interesting charity when we were doing research for a school project. The organization, Vitamin Angels has helped many children worldwide. Vitamin Angels provides vitamins for children who are at-risk for malnutrition. The goal of Vitamin Angels is provide vitamins to all children under five who are considered at-risk for health problems.

It all began with one man asking himself the question, “What do I want to be remembered for?” and after finding inspiration from the 1994 Eathquake in Southern California the Vitamin Angel organization was established.

The vitamin that they specialize in is vitamin A which with only two doses a year can save a child’s life. The amazing thing is that Vitamin Angels can provide the yearly dose of Vitamin A for just $0.25! This charity is cost effective in the fact that they provide the most vitamins for the least amount of money.I find this organization a great way to give back to the world. This Christmas, I plan to donate to this charity under my siblings names instead of giving gifts to my sisters.

If you are interested in donating to this worthy cause,would like to volunteer, or just want to know more about this organization; the website below has all the information that you would need regarding Vitamin Angels.

http://www.vitaminangels.org/home

My Sisters

carter — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 03:49:54 +0000

As the oldest of my mother’s four daughters, I have certain responsibilities to uphold. I help my sisters with their homework, make dinner when my mother is running late at work, or help run them to the variety of activities that my younger sisters are involved in. This is how I received the nickname , “Mommy Junior,” from my second to youngest sister, Kassidy. I must say that I find it pretty hilarious when my sisters, tauntingly call me “Mommy Junior.” I enjoy the title and am glad that I’m able to help my mother in any way I can.

Through the years of helping my mother, I have come to notice that each of my sisters have very distinct personalities. The second oldest sister, Kasey, is considered the rebel in the family. Kasey, is not afraid to share her opinion and likes to have things her way. On the positive side, Kasey is a very hard-worker and even though she is considered the rebel, she is still very sweet. The next oldest, Kassidy, is the clown of the family. Kassidy is always cracking jokes and telling a funny story. The youngest of my sisters, Kenzie, is the quiet caring sister. Kenzie is very helpful and sensitive to people’s’ feelings. She knows how to make someone feel better if they are upset.

I am so blessed to have such wonderful sisters in my life!

Reasons I Love the Holiday Season

carter — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:51:36 +0000

The holiday season is my favorite time of the year. I enjoy the emotions that surround the holidays and being able to enjoy the happiness that the holidays bring.

Spending time with my loved ones is very important to me. I am so blessed that I am able to spend time with family and friends during the Holiday season. When I get together with my boisterous family we always have a good time.
The giving spirit is in the air during the Christmas season. I always enjoy giving to the bell ringers outside the supermarket or volunteering at the Edward Jones Dome Christmas fundraiser.
The holiday season brings delicious food into my grandparents’ homes. There are always cookies or brownies in tins ready to be packed in my bag to take back to college.
I love all the Christmas decorations that make the houses and businesses sparkle. Also, I love looking at the lights at Our Lady of the Snows which is only fifteen minutes from Edwardsville.
I enjoy the Christmas traditions that my family and I celebrate the holidays every year. One example of tradition is that we always have my grandparents come over on Christmas Eve and we exchange presents with them a day early.

The holiday season brings joy to my heart and I am very thankful that I am surrounded by wonderful family and friends to celebrate the holidays with the people I love.

Why am I so Embarassing?

carter — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:42:28 +0000

Thanksgiving is a time for spending time with your loved ones and enjoying delicious food. This Thanksgiving I went to my cousin, Angie’s new house. Of course, me being the silly girl I am, I always do something to embarrass myself when we all get together.

All of the family came together and brought their own special dishes. We had salads, turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and an endless supply of desserts. Desserts are my weakness when it comes to food. My eyes became as big as saucers when I walked downstairs to look at the pie table. We had every kind of pie you could imagine. My cousins had set-up a table just for pies; which had pumpkin, pecan, coconut, key lime, chocolate silk, and sweet potato pies covering the entire table. After moving on from the pie table, I headed toward the dessert table. The dessert table was filled with cookies, brownies, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin bars, and pudding.

I walked over to admire the beautiful array of desserts. My favorite second cousin, Markie, saw me eyeing up the desserts. Markie is the prankster in the family and decided it would be hilarious to put an ice-cube down my dress. Markie dropped the ice-cube down my back and I wiggled and squirmed at the icy coldness running down my back. Sadly, my body writhed at the coldness on my skin that I knocked the table of desserts over. My whole family watched as the desserts crashed to the ground. I turned around with my face as red as a tomato to face the audience; simultaneously my family, Markie, and I all bust out laughing. My embarrassing incident was the talk of the party.

My Best Friend

carter — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:15:04 +0000

My best friend, Bryna Petrowski, and I have been friends for over fourteen years. We are complete opposites but, we act as if we are sisters. Bryna is spunky, honest, loyal, and hilarious. Sarcasm is not a foreign concept to her. Bryna and I have so many fond memories with each other. Whenever, we are together our true selves really shine through.

Many years ago, we met in ballet class at the age of four and lived in the same neighborhood all through elementary and middle school. In kindergarten, we rode the bus together and shared our candy with each other. During middle school, we always had sleepovers and movie nights. We had so much fun
just hanging out doing absolutely nothing. Sadly, we kind of grew apart after
eighth grade because I moved to a new neighborhood and we were both very busy. Then our junior year of high school we rekindled our friendship at a Christmas party. Ever since then we have had our highs and lows but, in the end we always know that our friendship will last the test of time.

Currently, we are roommates and enjoying each others’ company every day. In the future, we plan to live together in Chicago after we graduate from SIUE. I love my best friend so much. I am very blessed to have someone who looks out for me and is always there for me when I need her.

Fall Party

carter — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:20:58 +0000

I am so excited for the traditional Fall party at my friend, Erin Weave’s house. Every year,Erin’s mother has a huge party for family, friends, and clients. Her mother owns a litigation firm so she always throws a party to impress her clients. Every year , Debbie Weave (Erin’s mother) out shines herself. The party is always so much fun and it is a nice way to meet new people and see people who I haven’t seen for a very long time. I know it will be even larger this year because all of Erin’s friends that are attending are also bringing a friend back from college with them.

There is so much planning that goes into planning the party. The
Weaves book a local band and rent tents to put over the dance floor. They have their food catered. Also, for dessert they order from a fancy
bakery in Saint Louis.

After all the planning is taken care of, the party begins and everyone dances the night away. Between dancing and socializing, all the guest enjoy the delicious food. After we’re done dancing like fools and filling our bellies; all of the younger crowd runs through the neighborhood like we did when we were children and play tag.

Last year’s game was the most intense game of tag I had ever played. We hid in neighbor’s houses and in the woods. My friends hid in an empty inground pool for an hour until they gave up on me finding them. Finally, we ended the game with a bonfire; where we roasted marshmallows and hot dogs. Then
we talked into the early morning hours. This was the best party of the whole year.

My Adventure with Renee Boyd

carter — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 23:37:41 +0000

I met Renee at SIUE last year through mutual friends and we hit it off right away. Oddly enough, Renee and I didn’t have much in common but, I felt as if I had known her my whole life. Renee and I began to spend a lot of time together and we became very good friends.

Renee and I always ended up having spontaneous adventures and we always had fun together. Renee was the perfect friend because she always cheered me up when I was sad and always told me embarrassing stories (which were usually spoken in a funny accent) that made me laugh incessantly.

Sadly, Renee transferred to Eastern Illinois University to be closer to her fiancé and family. I’m very happy that she is able to see her loved ones but, I’m also very sad that I don’t get to enjoy her company every day. However, the nice thing about EIU is that it is only about a two hour drive from Edwardsville.

This past weekend I went to visit Renee and we had a great time just hanging out and reminiscing about the good ole’ days. We danced the night away at her apartment and sang Glee karaoke; terribly. On top of all that, the funniest part of the night was probably when we both bent over to pick up a ball and ended up knocking our foreheads together. We both crashed to ground laughing hysterically and then decided to get back up and start throwing the ball at one another. The ball hit me right in the eye and then once again we both fell to the ground rolling with laughter. Soon bruises began to form all over our faces so we decided that we would call it a truce and settle down. After all the excitement and laughing was over we called it a day and went to sleep. The next day I left for home with the thoughts of how much I had missed my friend.

Blog Comments

carter — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:42:18 +0000

Blog Comment #1

PDA – Or Should I Say FDA?

Chelsea Zoeller

I agree with Chelsea, couples should keep the romance off Facebook and other public sites. I feel that intimate conversations are between two people and others don’t need to know that you say “I love you,” every five minutes. Also, I feel that displays of affection in pictures should be kept in private. I understand wanting everyone to know how much you love your significant other but, there are more appropriate ways to confess your love.

Blog Comment # 2

Green Driving Tips

3M Northallerton 24/7 EHS

These tips are very helpful! Sadly, I am not very environmentally conscientious but, I think that keeping these tips in mind will help me become more fuel efficient. Also, I enjoy the fact that these tips give me another reason not to speed because I sort of have a “lead foot.” Thank you for this information on going green.

Blog Comment #3

Pregnancy: The Ultimate Miracle

Bryna’s Banter

I am so happy for you and your family Bryna! You are a wonderful aunt and I admire how much you love your niece, Reagan. Will, Bevin, Kristin, and Eric are so blessed to have you to help with their children. I hope that when I become an aunt you will be able to teach me the ropes.

Blog Comment #4

Good Customer Service

MYANCEY730

I agree with you, Mandi! Nordstrom has great customer service. I have never been disappointed while shopping there. The employees always go above and beyond to satisfy their customers. They are friendly and really know what outfits to pick out for different customers. Also, they are very knowledgeable when you are looking for the perfect outfit for that special occasion.

Blog Comment #5

Do You Think We Need To Be Rewired?

My Causerie

I find it very intriguing that texting could possibly be considered an addiction. In my opinion, I think that texting can become an addiction. However, I feel like just about anything can become an addiction nowadays. I wouldn’t consider myself an addict to texting because I would much rather talk to people in person. I really don’t like texting or even having a phone except when I need to catch up with old friends or make plans.

Blog Comment #6

The Start of a Very Special Day

Laura

I really enjoyed reading your blog because I’m such a sucker for romance. This sounds like a real fairytale. San Diego is such an amazingly beautiful place and I love the spontaneity of the trip. Also, when you talked about how your boyfriend was doing all the activities he knew you would enjoy it showed your readers how much you mean to him. I’m so happy for you Laura!

Blog Comment #7

What Is Love?

Bryna’s Banter

Bryna, I am so happy that you have found someone that makes you ecstatic whenever he’s around! Matt, is a joy to be around and I am glad that he is a good guy that makes you smile! I wish you both the best and hope your happiness continues to blossom in your new relationship!

Blog Comment #8

Happy Holidays!

mariahpete

“Families are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts.” I love this quote because it reminds me of my family. Also, I think it is so cute that your mom dressed you and your sister like twins. My mom used to dress my sisters and I like twins too! I wish you and your family a great holiday season!

Blog Comment #9

Thursday Nights: The way you know you’ve become an adult

Why My Gears are Grinding

I agree, life does have a way of making you grow without you knowing it! I don’t think you could have said that any better! I feel it is our experiences and choices that make us grow up rather than our age. Just remember not to grow up too fast and enjoy the small things in life!

Blog Comment #10

Doing Less Than Your Best?

Jkenwade

I enjoyed this blog because I can totally relate to feeling overwhelmed with school! I think that planning in advance and trying to have a life help to balance me out when I am stressed too! Also, I think the more I exercise the less stress I feel about school! Prayer is another thing that helps me calm down when I’m stressed!