Energy Drinks

Why are energy drinks unhealthy for you?

Many of the energy drinks out there are purely sugar and caffeine. Way too many people drink them when they exercise and the caffeine slows the body's ability to absorb water. A lot of people also drink energy drinks on a daily basis. Sometimes more than one a day. Excessive caffeine has been linked to problems like interrupted sleep, headache, anxiety and further problems like increased heart rate and blood pressure. And we all know why excess sugar is bad for you...

Favorite Book

One of the best books that I have ever read is called She Said Yes. This short story is about a young teenage girl that died because she answered one simple question. She was only 17 years of age and is a victim of the Columbine Shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. She was approached one day by the two boys with a gun. They asked her, "Do you believe in God?" She said, "Yes." The two boys, then, shot her because that was not the answer that they were looking for. The young girls name was Cassie Bernall. Cassie found a way out of her personal snares and, through her faith and a family's love, chose to embrace life with courage and conviction.

Aunt Tori

On October 17, 2012 I became an aunt. My baby niece was born at 10:56 that morning. She weighed exactly 8 ounces and was 18 inches long. My parents and I drove to Denver, Colorado to see Mackenzie, Matt, and Anna. They moved to Colorado in May of this year because Matt found a wonderful job opportunity and couldn't give it up. I was so happy to finally hold my baby niece in my arms. She was so tiny and so adorable, I didn't want to leave. I am so sad that I live so far away from her and my sister. My parents and I hardly get to see them. But we try as hard as we can to make trips out there to see them.

Sister's Wedding

On July 14, 2011, my sister, Mackenzie, got a married. She married a man named Matthew Grimme. He is in the Navy and was gone for a year in Iraq. She met Matt at a church group gathering. They both attended college in Mitchell, South Dakota. Matt attended a two-year technical school and my sister attended Dakota Wesleyan University. Once Matt returned home from Iraq, he proposed to her. The day of their wedding, it was over 100 degrees. It was a crazy day! But I was just happy to see my big sister get married. She is happier than ever and now they have a baby girl. Their daughter, Anna Skye Grimme, was born on October 17, 2012.

Camping

Every summer from when I was age five to thirteen, my family would go camping. We went to so many different sites, I don't even remember them all. I do remember one though, Lacrosse. We went there in 2006, I was eleven at the time. I remember this camping location because it was my favorite one. They had a little river next to where our tent was set up and it had a sandbar. My sister, cousins, and I always went out on the sandbar and built sandcastles. We tried catching little Minos in the water. One day, the people who were next to us were gone, and a bunch of squirrels were getting into their stuff and chewing through their Tupperware. We all ran over there and scared them away and kept an eye out for if they ever came back. When the people came back we went over to them and told them what happened and then invited them to eat dinner with us that night. I miss all of our family camping trips because they were so much fun and there was always something to remember about them!

Childhood Memory

When I was about five years old, my family and some close family friends spent a week in the summer at a cabin. I remember it was around the time of the Fourth of July because we watched fireworks and made T-shirts. Every morning the mothers would cook breakfast for everyone and we would eat it out on the patio. After breakfast, us kids normally went down to the lake to swim and catch frogs. There were so many frogs down by the lake and I remember we collected so many that we put them in our bathtub and scared one of the moms! In the afternoon, we went out on the boat to go tubing and then later go fishing. I caught my first fish, a walleye, with the help of my father. At night, when it got dark out, we would catch fireflies and put them in a jar. Our parents would also give us sparklers to light up and play with. Sometimes I wish I was young again so I can have fun like that!

Favorite TV Show

Everyday, when I am not doing homework or out with friends, I like to watch Law and Order: SVU. I absolutely love this show because I have always wanted to be one of them. I wish I could major in Criminal Justice, but Wartburg College doesn't have that major here so I am currently majoring in Accounting because I am good at it. I like the critical thinking displayed in the show. It makes me think and try to solve the crimes while the show is going on. The show also has so many situations that are realistic. My favorite parts of the show are when they are in the courtroom trying to evict the criminal. The arguing and debating going on in the courtroom makes me think harder during the show.