My Puppy

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved puppies! I got my first puppy when I was around 3, her name was Maxie she was a WalMart dog as we called her! We got her for free at walmart. haha! although she was a $400 dog she was one of the best dogs! She eventually grew to be too old and passes She was loving and attentive. She made us all feel safe! On to my second dog Rascal! Rascal was a terrier and we got him for free also because my mom was good friends with the breeder! Rascal was not as nice i was often scared to play with him because he didnt like little children much. Rascal later died when my teacher ran him over :(. My third dogs name was Dozer! Dozer was actually my brothers graduation present and he was a Boxer! I loved tat dog to pieces. He was soo playful and prtective and VERY good with kids you could jump on him and pull on him and he'd just lay there. Dozer passed away when I was sophomore in highschool from old age.
Now to get to the puppy dog I really want to talk about. MY dog Boomer! I got boomer when I was in 5th grade as a Valentines Day present! Boomer is a boston terrier, that we had got from a breeder.Boomer is black and white, with big ol' eyes. Ever since he was a puppy Boomer has been full of energy! All my friends would always be so impressed when they saw how high he could jump. Now that hes a little older he can't jump as high, but he still gets up there. Boston Terriers in general are very protective and terratorial dogs. They obey and protect their "masters" or family members. Boomer is not a dog you can just walk into our yard and try to pet, he will think you are coming to try and hurt one of us. You have to let him smell you and let him know your not going to hurt him by talking to him and then you are fine and he will be the sweetest pooch ever. Boomer loves his treats and he will do some tricks, he can sit, lay down, sit pretty (sitting on his butt with his paws in the air), he can dance in a circle, and give paw. Although Boomer is my dog he is very close to my dad. He sleeps at my dads feet and follows him around, when my dad goes on work trips Boomer will often get very depressed and not eat, or come out of the bedroom very often unless hes at the window looking out for my dad.
Boston terriers like boomer are very loving and fun dogs to have, while they may be small they are also very protective and will not let anything hurt you! I love my poochy to death; and i cant wait to go home and see him over break :)

Here Lately!

This semester went by sooo quickly up untill these last few weeks!! weehhh all the homework I've had and the stress of writing that final paper on top of all of it really had me going! I'm so glad that im done with it now though. Im really ready for christmas break! to go home spend it with my family and see all my old friends from highschool is what im looking foward to the most! I've done a little bit of christmas shopping but i still have a lot to go before christmas actually gets here. As i've told you in previous blog post i work at bath and body works! I dont get a lot of hours at all actually so im going o be quiting so i can come home for break. It's not worth staying and paying the almost $200 to stay in the dorms over break when ive only mad $99 in the past two months working there, dont get me wrong i love it, but i jsut dont work enough to stay there. Im also going to be attending the RAMS vs chiefs game on the 19th and im super exicted about that im from st. louis and thats a big rivarly game ive been looking foward to all year! then two days later on the 21st i will be having my double surgery on my and and ankle to get the tumor masses removed... nothing too serious its an outpatient surgery so i should be good! I just hate the thought of having stitches in my arm and foot ..eeek! but well see how it goes! Other then that I havnt been up to much more just doing homework going to school, and coming home to see my family! Now that i've let you in on what i've been doing lately...i hope you have a good day/night and a merry christmas and a happy new year!!!!!
<3 kelsey

Ho Ho Ho!

With all the stores playing Christmas music it’s safe to say that Christmas is coming up and around the corner, I want to talk about some of my favorite things about Christmas. Of course I love waking up on Christmas morning and opening up all my presents from my family, and watching my family open up all their presents from me.  It just feels really good to have everyone in my family there with me, although most of the time we will bicker with each other it is still a lot of fun.  Another thing that I like about Christmas is watching old Christmas movies that they play on television such as “A Christmas Story” those are movies I wouldn’t just pick up and watch and they are movies that I only watch about once a year.  Along with that I like to play in the snow with my nephews, then rush back inside when it’s so cold we can’t stand it outside anymore and drink hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, I prefer my hot chocolate with milk not water ;)!  I’m from a town near St. Louis and a popular thing to do around Christmas is go to a place called Santa’s Magical Kingdom! With all the stores playing Christmas music it’s safe to say that Christmas is coming up and around the corner, I want to talk about some of my favorite things about Christmas. Of course I love waking up on Christmas morning and opening up all my presents from my family, and watching my family open up all their presents from me. It just feels really good to have everyone in my family there with me, although most of the time we will bicker with each other it is still a lot of fun. Another thing that I like about Christmas is watching old Christmas movies that they play on television such as “A Christmas Story” those are movies I wouldn’t just pick up and watch and they are movies that I only watch about once a year. Along with that I like to play in the snow with my nephews, then rush back inside when it’s so cold we can’t stand it outside anymore and drink hot chocolate with extra marshmallows, I prefer my hot chocolate with milk not water ;)! I’m from a town near St. Louis and a popular thing to do around Christmas is go to a place called Santa’s Magical Kingdom! For those of you who do not know what Santa’s magical Kingdom is, it is a park called Jelly stone Park more like a resort because in the summer months people camp there in tents and cabin and in campers. Well around Christmas time they turn it into a major light show. There are lights everywhere, the trees are covered in Christmas lights and the cabins are smothered in them. They also have them hanging from the trees and light up reindeer that look like they are crossing the road, and lights that look like dolphins jumping out of the water and over the cars are you drive by. It is such a pretty sight to see. It is something fun my family likes to do usually every year or every other year. Another thing I like about Christmas is the meals! Being my first year away from college I’ve never really appreciated my mother’s cooking until now. I’m excited for the juicy ham, sweet potatoes covered in melted marshmallows, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, Watergate salad, and all the deserts! It taste so good and I’m defiantly looking forward to it this year! Lastly, I love going to my family’s houses such as my aunts and eating and watching all the little kids opening their presents from the adults, and going to my boyfriend’s grandpas and aunts is also a really good time for me. I enjoying being around people and celebrating the good times! I take full advantage of that because with the way the world is today you may never get to see all those people again. Now that I’ve shared what I enjoy and love about Christmas I hope that you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! For those of you who do not know what Santa’s magical Kingdom is, it is a park called Jelly stone Park more like a resort because in the summer months people camp there in tents and cabin and in campers. Well around Christmas time they turn it into a major light show. There are lights everywhere, the trees are covered in Christmas lights and the cabins are smothered in them. They also have them hanging from the trees and light up reindeer that look like they are crossing the road, and lights that look like dolphins jumping out of the water and over the cars are you drive by. It is such a pretty sight to see.  It is something fun my family likes to do usually every year or every other year. Another thing I like about Christmas is the meals! Being my first year away from college I’ve never really appreciated my mother’s cooking until now. I’m excited for the juicy ham, sweet potatoes covered in melted marshmallows, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beans, Watergate salad, and all the deserts! It taste so good and I’m defiantly looking forward to it this year! Lastly, I love going to my family’s houses such as my aunts and eating and watching all the little kids opening their presents from the adults, and going to my boyfriend’s grandpas and aunts is also a really good time for me. I enjoying being around people and celebrating the good times! I take full advantage of that because with the way the world is today you may never get to see all those people again. Now that I’ve shared what I enjoy and love about Christmas I hope that you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

My Little People

Im going to talk about the most important little people in my life as of right now . My nieces and nephews are  very dear and close to me I love them with all my heart. Im going to talking about them and tell you a little bit about them, starting out with my oldest nephew, my oldest nephew is brothers child and his name is Kirk III. Kirk is nine years old and is named after my dad and my brother. He has medium brown hair and is very tall for his age he is already 4'9", Kirk is in third grade and is the jokster, everyone thinks he is just so funny. Kirk is also the most loveable child. He will do anything to make sure your not upset and he always tells you and shows you how much he loves you. My second nephew is also my brothers child and he is five years old, going to be six in january. Aiden looks just like my brother he is short and stocky has this bright blonde hair and blue eyes. Aiden is the tough boy and loves sports and playing outside. He can be the one who is in timeout the most for just doing what boys do. He is deifnatly my brothers payback child LOL. Now to move on to my sisters children. My third nephews name is James. He is my lil turd child! He is 2 years old and into everything. He has very blonde hair and blue eyes. James is learning everything and it's so cute to hear him try and say things such as my name is kelsey but he cant quiet get it yet so he calls me Elsey or Icy and his other aunt amanda he calls deeda and we dont know why. He also calls a vaccum cleaner a notnee, with NO clue why??!? lol but it is soo funny. He knows his ABC's and he sings songs. He is a very smart little boy. Now finally we get to my sisters youngest child the first little girl!!! I was very excited to find out i was getting a niece and that little girl is my world! she is so precious and I just love her to pieces. Her name is Madelyn and she is 6 months old. She dosent have a lot of hair but what I can see it looks to be a light brown color and she has these bright blue eyes. She is such a happy little baby and she is always smiling and it makes ou just want to love all over her! She rarely gets very upset but when she does boy does she have a set of lungs. I definatly think she is going to fit right in with the boys..These children mean everything to me seeing that I dont have my own kids I consider them to be mine :) as in I would do anything for them. I love them to death and im very hapy and proud to be their Auntie K!

Teenage Pregnancy

Today in the world it is not uncommon to see a young girl between ages thirteen to eighteen walking around pregnant, and most of the time it doesn’t even make people look twice anymore. America promotes teenage pregnancy in a way, one of my favorite shows on television happens to be 16 and Pregnant/ Teen Mom. The shows are about 16 year old girls having babies. Yes, it does show the struggles they go through but I also feel that it shows that it is acceptable and ok for young girls who are still babies themselves to have babies.

I feel that young girls are not educated enough on the severity of being a mom at such a young age. What they are doing to themselves, the father of the baby, their family, and that innocent baby who did nothing wrong. At such a young age a girl’s body is not ready or developed to birth a child and it can be very hard on your body. I think they sometimes feel that having a baby is going to be great once the baby gets here and it’s going to be like playing house. Becoming a parent means growing up weather you are 13,16 or 40, having a child forces you to think about someone as more important than yourself. You no longer have that awesome party life. It’s gone, gave that teenage life up when you had your baby. I hate seeing teenage mothers have their child and then dumb it off on their parents. It’s like their parents had another child because they raise him/her because their mother would rather be out doing teenage things. Also teenagers need money, and so do babies, A LOT of money. Babies are expensive, so therefore the teenage mother has even more responsibility then they thought. They have to attend school, be a mom, and have a job to support their child’s needs. That baby didn’t choose this life you chose it for them, and that little person depends on you for everything now. Babies also can change relationships. Having a child at such a young age creates double the stress on a relationship no matter how solid you think they are. The stress can cause fights and possibly the couple to split up. Whether you realize it or not that baby knows and senses what is going on. They know when mom and dad are not happy, and therefore you are putting stress on your baby. Babies need positive environments to grow up in, and you and a teenage mother need to be able to provide that for them. Like I said earlier this innocent child did not choose this you chose this for them and now you are responsible for everything.
             To sum this up, being a teenage mother is not easy; it’s not like playing house. That baby you brought into the world is a living breathing thing that needs a responsible grown up to raise them. They require attention and love and money 24-7, that means giving up for life for theirs, and a stress free environment. Their life now means more than yours. I feel Macy Bookout is great example or a good teenage mother. I have posted a  link about Maci and her son Bentley and how Maci’s life has changed since she’s had Bentley. ((Read up on them))

I'M A BLUE

As some of you know from reading any of my previous blog post. That I am from a town near St. Louis Missouri. Therefore I have been born and raised to love the St. Louis Cardinals, Rams, and Blues.  I dot care if they are getting killed and are the worst team on earth I will still root for them and defend them against people bad talking my teams. (Sort of like the Cardinals this year, and how they had a downhill year; I’m sorry it’s not easy winning 10 championship rings cut them some slack) The Rams are doing much better this year than the previous years before and I am very proud of them. The Rams are 4 and 4 this year which is much better than last season considering that the Rams only won 1 game all year. I think their record last year was around 1-16 or 1-15 something like that.
                What I really want to talk about is the St. Louis Blues! IM A BLUE! And YOU’RE A BLUE TOO! I love the blues! I really enjoy going to the games. The Blues home record last season was 18-18-5, which isn’t really a spectacular home record but I consider myself sort of a lucky charm because I attended about 8 home games last season and they won ALL 8 of the games that I attended! (Knock on wood for this season) Of course as a female fan my favorite player is TJ Oshie! TJ Oshie is a young center on the blues team who I feel is a great asset to the team, and will continue to get even better with time. Another one of my favorite players was Chris Mason. He was the goalie for last season. Sadly the Blues let him go and he is now a part of the Atlanta thrashers organization. I liked Chris Mason because he helped the blues win several victories in face offs and they are also VERY exciting to watch! Our new starting goalie has proven to be just as good if not better for the team though. Our new goalie is Jaroslav Halak who came from Montreal. Of course the MOST exciting part of Hockey is always the fighting, because it is the only sport (other than MMA, and Boxing) that I can think of that allows fighting. Our key fighters last season are/was DJ King who actually broke is hand last season in a fight, were traded DJ this season for Vladimir Sobotka. Another really good fighter is St. Louis’ own Cam Jannsen. Cam is a really good fighter and he must enjoy it because he does it a lot. Cam is actually currently out this season with a concussion.  While speaking of fighters if any of you know anything about hockey we also had the legendary fighter Tony Twist. Tony was famous for fighting in hockey, and winning, guys would always try to fight him wanting to the guy who actually beat Tony Twist, but it always ended badly for them, as Tony would whip up on them.

I love the Blues and I love to watch hockey. Going to a game and watching it live is the best experience in the world! The blues are a great organization who gives a lot back to the community when they can. The blues are considered one of the best teams to never win a stanely cup, but have been the runners up several times! That’s all Folks! LETS GO BLUESSSSSS!

Here Lately

This past 2 weeks have been a very hectic week for me, to start it out I got a job at Bath and Body Works in the North Park Mall, which I’m thankful for but my orientation made me about want to shoot myself it was a four hour long orientation and 3 hours of it was watching this long boring mono-tone video, Yes talk about a snooze!  I really think I’m going to like it there though, I mean what girl wouldn’t? I’m not actually going to be put on the schedule for another two weeks which gives me some time to do the things I want to do before I start working again.

Then I got another job at Toys “R” Us on Rangeline and my orientation was actually tonight, I was only tree and a half hours long but still kind of a long three and a half hours if I do say so myself. My next shift there is Tuesday so I get to make ma a little Christmas money that is if my car payment doesn’t swallow up my whole pay check: (

This week hasn’t been all good luck for me though. I went to Kansas City last weekend and I came home Sunday night, well my boyfriend and his mother went to the Japanese Hibachi Grill on Rangline and on the way home after dinner I felt really sick to my stomach and as soon as we got back to the dorms I threw up everywhere outside in the grass. I then continued to be sick about every thirty minutes to an hour that whole night and into the next day. On Monday my body was so tired and weak I didn’t want to move and I tried to eat some chicken noodle soup, but I couldn’t hold it down for more than two minutes. I don’t know whether it was the flu or if I had gotten a case of food poisoning from the restaurant. All I know is that I felt horrible. I felt a little better Tuesday but I still took the day off to relax and make sure I was 100%.
                I went back to classes on Wednesday and got caught up on my classes and work that I was behind on, but on Wednesday night I started to lose my voice and get a slight cough. I woke up his morning (Thursday) to find out I pretty much lost my voice and when I even tried to talk I sounded like a rough squeak toy! LOL It’s only a slight cold but it’s still funny to watch my friend’s faces when I try and talk to them. :P
                On a happy note since all of my previous conversation sounded like bad news, My boyfriend Alec, our good friend Jamie, our other friend Shane and myself are trying to move off campus and live in an apartment together. I’m scared but really excited hoping we get a nice apartment that we all really like J I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!! GO LIONS!

Security

     When it comes to security the more better, right? Well, I feel that Missouri Southern State University does not have enough security for the on campus living students, especially when it comes to the parking lots. Look around the campus’ parking lot and tell me how many security cameras you see, You don’t see any, and Why  is that, and wouldnt it be smarter for them to provide that type of security for their students who they claim to care so much about ?

     Problem: The campus does not provide enough security when it comes to the students who live on campus in the dorms. Last year (2009-2010) a girl claimed to me harrassed and someone tried to rape her down by the tennis courts, but she got a away. Nobody was charged for this crime because they didnt know who it was, and they couldn't prove it. Why is is that they didn't find out who did this crime, and why is it that nobody was charged for it. The answer is because there is no security cameras in the parking lots anywhere not one, therefore there is no way of looking into it and investigating. Due to the lack of security a rapist is still walking the streets and is still out there to attack more college students if he/she wanted to. Another problem with no security cameras on campus is break ins. Not only can they break into the students on campus apartments easily because they are off by themselves but even easier they can break into the cars with bricks and get away with is late at night. Last year there was reportedly 16 cars broke into with bricks and the students were liable themselves for paying for damages because nobody got in trouble for the break ins becasue they were not caught, due to no security cameras in the any of the parking lots on campus. I feel that it is not fair to the students to have to pay for damages done to their cars by other people.

     Solution:  The solution is quite simple. Install some security cameras. I know that upping the security would prolly cost some money, some rundraising such as t-shirt sales and upping ticket sales for football and basketball a dollar more would help. There is no excuse I can think of for not having better security for the students.

Upping security for students on campus would make them feel much safer living in the dorms, and make them feel better about leaving their cars out in the parking lot at night. Security cameras would also make students feel more comfortableabout playing at the tennis courts and/or running at night, because if anything does happen to them atleast they have proof on camera that something bad happen to them and action could be taken. Upping the security would be better for everyone involved.

FALL BREAK

It's fall break and Im excited and ready for the break away from school! I came home today with my boyfriend Alec and we will be here  till tuesday! Im excited because I hate living in the apartment dorms, they are so dirty and the food taste horrible so it will be nice to sleep in my own bed and eat good food :), I also missed my family a lot especially my dog boomer who i havnt seen since I moved away for school :), My plans for the break are to relax with family and Alecs family and to go the rams game on sunday and go to hopefully the Rams game on sunday! I also really want to go to the Pumpkin Patch since I have not been in a long time.

Steroids

STEROIDS
I'm sure most of you know what a perfomance enhancing steroid is. Well, If you dont, a steroid is a perfomance enhancing drug that increases particular skill and helps build muscle. Most people who use these are atlhletes; and professional athletes make them more and more famous because they are illegal to use in professional sports, and they often get caught using steroids.. The most popular way to take these type of  steroid for the athletes is an anabolic steroid which can come in tablet or liquid form. An anabolic steroid is a group of synthetic hormones that promote the storage of protein and the growth of tissue, sometimes used by athletes to increase muscle size and strength. There are many commonly used anabolic steroids in sports that are banned such as : androstenedione, Primobolan ( Alex Rodriguez just got caught using), Tetrahydrogestrinone, clenbuterol, and DHEA.

SIDE EFFECTS
The short term effects of steroid use is not always negative. Steroid use can increase muscle size/mass and the abillity to train your body harder and longer then before. Altough the more serious side effects are more negative and not always reversible. Steroids can cause oily skin, acne, excressive hari growth, deeping of your voice. Major side effects incluce getting cancer, increased risk of heart and liver disease, jaundice, sleep apnea and etc. Research also shows that steroids users always often suffer from paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions, and impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility. Along with testical shrinkage can also happen to men who use steroids, and for wemon who use is can cause permanent enlargement of the clitoris and permanent infertility.

WHY?
Yes steroids can make you stronger and faster and better, but it's only for a short time then your body starts breaking down. The side effects WAY outweigh the better results. My opinion is if you work out corectly and diet correctly you will be a better athlete and get to play a lot longer because there are no side effects to a healhy diet and work out routine, and if you are an athlete and you do get caught using steroids you will most likely be shunned from the league and will no longer be a honorable player anyways, so why use?

Born and Raised to LOVE the Rams!

It's Football season and I'm really EXCITED. I'm from St. Louis , I'm a born and rasied Rams Fan.  I love watching the Rams play on Sundays. Yes. yes I know they havn't had the best record in the past several years but what kind of fan would I be if I just walked away from them when they arn't winning. I blammed the offensive line a lot last year for not protecting our QB Bulger when everyone elese was just blaming him. Maybe they were somewhat right because now that we have Sam Bradford a Rookie from Oklahoma University, we have been doing really well and we are scoring touchdowns. We have actaully won two straight games in a row. The first time since the year of 2008. I predict us wining 5 or 6 games this year which is a stretch from the previous years. I am planning on going to the Rams Vs. Cheifs game December 12th of this year. It will be an eventful game not only are they our rivals but they are also undefeated thus far.  GO RAMS!

Drop Out

        After highschool many students are excited and ready to go to college. To get out and be on their own, living in the real world. What most of them do not know is that college is no what in the park. It's hard, stressful and expensive. Not everyone makes it through college, some students drop out after their first year or even first semester.
         There are many reason why students drop out of college. The first reason can be the cost of the schooling. Schooling seems to be getting more and more expensive as the years go on; and some students just can not afford to pay that much money, so they feel that their only option is to drop out because they can not afford to pay for it. Another reson a student may drop out of college is because thet have bad grades. When a student gets bad grades they may get frustrated and feel they can not do it, so they just quit and give up and drop out. Finally, another reason why students may drop out of college is their stress level. With working, and having a social life, going to class and doing homework and sometimes a relationship can be too much for a student to deal with all at once. So they might feel they need to "take a break" from school and in doing so they never go back to persue their education. Those are just a few reasons why students drop out of college. There are many more reasons such as failed relationships, and homesickness.
          With students droping out there are also effects of dropping out on both the individual and the economy. Dropping out of college can really lower the individuals self-asteem and make them feel stupid or like a quitter for the rest of their life. They also will most likely not get a good paying job or be able to support themselves or their family. They may also not have that good of health or dental insurance for themselves or their family is they have one Dropping out of school also affects the econonmy we live in. Dropping out of college makes a major loss in income tax for the government, up to $60,000 per drop out, and it takes more money out of the working classes pockets to give the government money to give those types of people food stamps or WIC, and medicade and other health care expenses the government supplies for those people.
        These are some of the resons why many college students drop out of school, and the affects of dropping out of school on both the individual and the community.

It's Been A Year

My School-mate in which I graduated with, My best friend who I partied with. The guy I texted when I was having....guy problems. We were pretty striaght foward with each other in who we dated. I'd tell him all the time if I didn't like his girlfriend lol. We went to the same college and had our 7:40 a.m. class together and sat right next to each other. My fondest memory with Zack is last summer when I was leaving for Virginia the next day, he had left his sunglasses at my house and he just HAD to have them so him and our friend Justin come over to my house at like 2 a.m. to get the glasses and I had to be up at 5 in the morning to leave to catch a plane. and they were like get in were going for a ride. I jumo in Justins Jeep Wrangler and off we went at 2 a.m. with no destination and an Owl swooped down towards the Jeep when we were riding through the back roads and Zack Screamed like a littke girl so loudly! i had never laughed so hard at someone because Zack was muscualar and played football and to hear that come out of his mouth killed me. lol......That was then, that is all I have of him now. Tomorrow will be the anniversay of his death. On Spetember 24, 2009 Zack ran off the road and died. You'd think after a year the pain would go away. He was creamated and his ashes wern't at the service. So I feel as if I've never gotton to tell him goodbye. I can barely talk about him for a long period of time with out crying. He was soooo goofy and  LOUD, and outgoing, and protective of us girls! He was one of the best friends you could ask for... It's been a year and I still miss him everyday, I cry a lot for him! I love you Zack Ritrovato wish you were here with us buddy! <3 

On or Off

During college there are different types of living. Some people commute from their homes and they dont have to move at all, others find an apartment and move in and live there and then there is living on campus in the dorms.

On Campus
Living on campus for those of you who do not know is living in rooms that the schools own and ou pay so much a semester to live there. There are usualy many different options such as a regualr dorm room which is a room with 2 people. A private room where you have a room to yourself. You can live in the Suites which is 2 bedrooms with 2 bathrroms and 4 people live in them, And lastly there are the apartment style which is set up just like an apartment and 4 people share an apartment style housing. I personally live on campus and I love it. When you live on campus you get to meet new people and create friendships that once didnt exsit. There are many on campus activities that the college puts on for their residents and can be very fun. For example the university I attend put on a survivor night where you went through and obstical course and youe could joust and play volleyball; it was a lot of fun and I got to meet new people and win prizes. Another perk to living on campus is the school is very close you can leave your dorm with 10 minutes till class and still make it on time. Also you get your meals made by the school in the cafeteria. The meal plan is included in your houseing contract, and the meals are different and unique everyday.

Off Campus
Living off campus can be fun because you do not have to follow campus rules.  Along with that you have to pay rent, water, electric, food, and internet, and cable every month. That can get really pricey after you add it all up. You also are responsible for cleaning up everything and you have top drive to school because you prolly do not live close enough to walk and that cost you gas for your vehicle. You are more isolated from the campus activities because you are not there to participate in them, you also do not meet as many new people because you only go to school you do not actually spend time with anyone outside of the classroom. You also will probably not have the security you have living on campus. On campus they have security officers walking around at all hours living on your own off campus you will nto have that luxary.

Off Campus vs. On Campus
Living on campus or off campus is your choice. But in my opinion I feel living on campus is the better choice. It increases your social life and allows you to participate in all sorts of activities. Is closer and allows your easy and fast access to the school if need be. It is also much simplier because you do not have to worry about paying your rent, water and electric bills, along with cable and internet and grocery bills. Living on campus is clearly the way for a college student to go!

Me, Me, Me

My name is Kelsey Kristyn George Im 20 years old and I'm a sophomore here at MSSU, I transfered from a community school called East Central College back home in union missouri. Im the daughter of Kirk and Cindy George who have been married for going on 32 years now. Im the sister to Billie Conger (31) and Kirk George II ( 30). The aunt to Kirk II (9), Aiden (5), James (2) and Madelyn  (4 months) The owner to my dog Boomer, and the girlfriend to Alec Wickey. ( Been together for a year and 7 months) My family is very important to me and they mean the world to me. I graduated from St. Clair High School in 2009 and I drive a 2009 Mazda 3. My car is my baby im very protective of her! I LOVE the St. Louis Cardinals, Rams, and Blues. I dislike moutain dew and tomatoes and onions. I really anything fruity to eat or smell. My favorite junk food is Toms Hot Fries. I work out a lot because Im very body concious and I think being fit is an important trait to have. Missouri Southern has been a great experience for me I've met my new best friend Ryan Courier.YES Ryan is a girl! Im very outgoing and love to meet new friends and play sports like volleyball and basketball! Feel free to add me on facebook if you wanna be friends :)

College

After seniors graduate from high school most of them are excited to go to college weather that be a community college where they stay home and attend school or a university where they leave the nest and are on their own. Many people may not know it but there is actually a big difference in a community college and a university. The people you see, the classes you attend, the food you eat is all different.

Community College
My first year after high school I attended a community college in my home town, where I stayed, ate, and lived at home. So the food was great since my mom was still cooking it. The classes were small about 15-20 kids per class. I knew almost everyone who went there because a lot of people who attended when to my high school or the surrounding high schools. There was not a lot of diversity.  There were only 2 buildings for the whole school. We had the AD building then The AC,BC, and CC buildings were actually all onw building just different sections of the building, so it was quiet small.  The price of tuition was around $1,000 a semester not including books. It was much cheaper then a university. There are not a lot of activities to do around school either. My parents still had control of every aspect of my life because I still lived under their roof so I had to follow their rules.

University
After my first year at a community college I decided I was missing out on the experience of being away from home and trasfered to a university. A university is a much bigger school and has several buildings for different types of classes. There are a lot more people and I knew barely anybody, and it was very diverse. There are whites, blacks, international students, gays, all sorts of people that I was not use to seeing everyday. Although some universities try and keep the classes small and around 25-30 students other universities have up too 450 students in a class at a time which is a lot of students for one teacher to handle. Tuition also varies depending on the size of the university and everything it has to offer. some range from  about $5,000 a semester to almost $15,000 or more a semester not including your books. There is also campus housing at universities so it's like you have your own place and your on your own with out your parents telling you whatto do. The food isn't as good as moms cooking but its edible. There are always fun activites to do that the school puts on and football games, and greek life to attend and have fun at.

Community College or University?
I feel a university is the better way to go when deciding whether to go to a community college or a university. It is bigger and you meet so many different and diverse people and you can learn about their different cultures as you get to know them better. You get to live on your own and be a little bit more responsible for yourself than if you were living at home with your parents. It is more expensive then a community college but the experience and activities you get to participate in are worth spending a little bit more money.

A lot has been going on lately. Over the past weekend I went to the Lake of the Ozarks with my family and boyfriend Alec. We went swimming, grilled, fished and walked the strip. It was a lot of fun. I missed my family especially my niece ad nephews. Also the anniversary of one of my best friend Zack's death is only 14 days away, and it will be one year since he's been gone. As the day comes closer my heart grows heavier and I miss him so much., andI'm hopeing to go home on the 14th to visit his family with a lot of my highschool friends. On a happier note, I've made many more friends since I've been down here and I have been hanging out with them working out and playing games and watching movies to keep my mind in a happy place. I've made plans to travel to Arkansas to watch a Razorback football game with my new friend Haley and Im goin to take her to my hometown and go to a Mizzou football game or Cardinals game so Im  really looking foward to that. Im excited to see what more this year has to offer to me. <3

Chi Irons V.S. Non-Chi Irons

Many girls prefer a certain type of hair straightner. Some hair straightners do not do as an excepectional job as other hair straightners. They do not get the hair as straight or keep it striaght in a short amount of time like the Chi Iron does. I have used a non-Chi Iron and a Chi Iron, and the Chi is by far a better choice when it comes to getting my extremely curly hair as straight as possible in a short amount of  time.

Chi-Iron-The Chi Irons have 100% real cereamic plates that distribute the heat evenly through your hair, the Chi also helps save your hair from humidity, it does not save it from all humidity such as Florida or Texas. Chi's a little more expensive then non-Chi straightners they can run from $60.00 to more than $100.00. Chi Irons are also very good on color treated hair and does not strip the color from your hair. The cords on Chi irons also swivel 360 degrees around so the cord will not get in the way or tangled up when your moving the iron around your head. The cord on the Chi's is 10 feet long which is helpful for hair stylist who are constantly moving around and doing other peoples hair. It gives you plenty of room to move. The iron heats up to 370 degrees, which is MUCH hotter then other non-Chi irons. There are some more expensive Chi's that have different heat settings so it would be better for people with really fine hair to get a Chi with different heat settings. The top platic part of the Chi does get warm but it does not get scalding hot to where it will burn your fingers if you happen to touch the iron in that spot. The Chi Iron is suprisingly an energy saver it only uses about 20-25 watts of electricty per use; so it's actually planet friendly.-(Emery Harper McAtee)

Non-Chi Irons- Non- Chi Irons are cheaper then a Chi, But you get what you pay for. Most non-Chi irons will not protect your colored hair, often do not have ceramic plates ( a way to tell the plates are not ceramic is color change and chipping of the layers in the plate); which can can that can sometimes pinch and pull your hair and cause serious damage of the hair, and nobody wants that. The Chi takes almost under a minute to heat up to my desired temperature while non-Chis can take up to 30 minutes to get hot! Many professionals  will not use anything other then a Chi because of how time consuming and bad for your hair the other irons can be. By experience I know that non-Chi Irons do not last that long before they break or short out. I've had my Chi for over 2 years now and I've yet to replace mine. Unlike when I owned two Conair brand straightners they lasted me only a few months at a time.

CHI or NON-CHI ?
After reading all the reviews on the Chi Iron and non-Chi Irons you'd think it be a no-brainer on which Iron is the better choice for your hair. The Chi of course!...Yes the Chi is a little pricey, but it last much longer and does not need to be replaced as often as the Non-Chi Irons so in the end you will be saving yourself money with fabulous hair!

**Whatever I Want**

So far I have had a good time at MoSo.I love my roomate Sam Evans and well my other roomate I never see. lol I've meet several new friends Such as Ryan Courier (yes shes a girl) and we hang out a lot I love her to death. Im hopeing to meet and become closer friends with more people the longer I'm down here. I miss my family and my dog a lot, but it just takes some getting use to. Im excited and ready to attend the MSSU football games and cheer on my friends seeing that I've made friends with some of the players. Thats all for now :)

Kelsey K George

My name is Kelsey George, I grew up in St.Clair Missouri then moved to Union Missouri when I was a Sophomore in High School. I graduated from St.Clair High School in 2009. Im very outgoing and have a goofy personality. I have 1 sister and 1 brother who are both much older then me. I love my dog Boomer and my 3 nephews and 1 niece. I am really comptitive and my sports of choice are basketball and volleyball. Oh and I HATE mountain dew :)