Just Stuff

Howdy!!!

I know I haven't posted for awhile and I really don't have much to say today BUT I have been keeping track of all the new things I've learned while I've been on my "Blog Hiatus," so I thought I'd pass some stuff along. Enjoy! As I'm sure you've already noticed, I added some pictures on here as well because, quite frankly, I just like pictures :-)

1) The tighter you grip a ball, the slower the speed of the pitch.

2) Americans produce 210 Million Tons of waste a year! (Gross! My personal mission is to reduce my production of waste and to be more mindful of my environmental impact. I'll start listing ways that we can all make a positive difference in our world).

3) Genes account for only 48% of the factors that determine one's IQ.

4) The United States is the largest consumer of bananas. On average, we eat 26 pounds of bananas per year.

5) The Wellsville Mountains in northern Utah are the steepest mountains in the U.S. Their steepness is determined by their height and the width of their base.

9 Reasons Why I Should Marry Chris Carpenter

Things I've learned:
(Let me first say that I've been slacking on this a bit; I've been totally tied-up with work and any of my free time has been spent watching Cardinal Baseball. Woohoo, go Cards! Next week I intend to add more pictures, facts and entries; but for now, "Let's Play Ball!")
1) It is customary in Major League Baseball that the starting pitcher for the team is the one who selects what kind of music should be played in the locker room before the game.

OK, so I'm 24 and single, but I've just found the man of my dreams. It's Chris Carpenter, the outstanding starting pitcher of the St. Louis Cardinals. Why is he perfect for me, you may ask? Just read the 9 reasons why below:

1) He plays for the greatest baseball team in the world...the St. Louis Cardinals!!! And, (heaven forbid) if he ever plays for another team, I'll still support him. (Unless, of course, for some very Odd reason, he starts playing for the Chicago Cubs! A girl has to set her limits somewhere!)

2) I've always thought he's cute...beard or no beard.

3) He is a Cy Young Award winner!

4) I have his rookie card!

5) Chris Carpenter's favorite band is the Dave Matthews Band. How nice? Mine favorite band is the Dave Matthews Band too.

6) Just like me, his favorite cartoon is Tom & Jerry.

7) His favorite athlete is Tom Brady. OK, Tom Brady isn't My favorite athlete, but I Do have a lot of respect for the guy. Once we're married, of course Chris Carpenter would be my favorite athlete!

8) He is afraid to fly. I might not be afraid to fly, but I'm 24 and I've only flown twice in my entire life...both times in just this past year! I am scared of actually going through airport though; they're all so big and confusing. This fact might not be completely compatible, but it's close enough.

9) Last, but not least, he wears red shoes. How ironic, I LOVE red shoes. Every time there is a game on; I get a little superstitious (just like all baseball players are superstitious) and wear my old-school red Adidas sneakers.

So, as you can see, Chris Carpenter and I are a match made in heaven. Now, all I need to do is meet him. If anyone has any ideas on how to do that, please let me know and I'll make sure to invite you to the wedding of the century! :-)

Why do I Blog?

Some new things I've learned:
1) Most people associate the Kiwi fruit with New Zealand; however, kiwi was first grown in China and it was called the Chinese gooseberry. A kiwi needs at least 240 frost-free days to grow!
2) The Utah state tree is the Colorado spruce (Colorado?)

So, I have been blogging for a month and a half now, but what is my purpose for this Blog? I have to admit, I haven't posted as often as I would like, but I am glad I have stuck with my new task. And it turns out, there are several reasons why I like blogging.

One reason is because it allows me to put some thoughts down. There are several times throughout the day that I find myself just contemplating about various issues; however, I don't usually get the chance to express those issues or stories. One goal I had when first starting this blog was to keep track of all the new lessons/facts that I've learned. I must say that that goal has forced me to pay closer attention to life around me and it's been great having a record of the new things I've learned! Whether others find the facts "amazing" or not, I still think most of them are pretty interesting and you never know, one day I might be on Jeopardy and the answer might be, "The land where kiwis origniated." I could quickly reply to Alex and say, "What is China."

Another great aspect of blogging is that it allows me to totally be myself. That might be a strange statement to make because I always try to be myself, but I do find myself acting differently around different groups. (Susie, what's your point here, you're not making sense). What I mean is that some groups only see certain sides of me and each side is genuine, but it's almost like I get in a personality pattern with these groups because I know what each group expects me to be like. While blogging, it's just my thoughts, my words put out to the cyber world, a chance for new folks to not have any reserved expectations of me and therefor an opportunity to not hold anything back.

I love meeting new people and blogging allows me to connect with others. Just the other day, I came across a blog of a woman in Moab, UT...a place that I love and spent a lot of time at this summer. As corny as this may sound, this is a place to share so I'll share that other blog I found, it's called Novelist in Training and I highly recommend checking out her photographs of Moab because they're amazing. Another blog that I frequently check out and comment on is Christine Kane's Blog. She's an amazing singer/songwriter and her site was a great inspiration for me to start my own. Sometimes the world seems so big, but this allows me to still hear other's thoughts on issues and ideas I find interesting.

And the last, but not least, reason I like blogging is because I like to write. That statement might seem a little ironic if you went to college with me because you know that, eventhough I was a journalism major, I hated having deadlines and would greatly procrastinate on my assignments. The truth is that I really do like to write, but I hate being pressured. The pressure seems to take the enjoyment out of the writing and I don't feel as creative when I do so. Here, I can give myself the assignments and the deadlines are whenever I feel like presenting them.