eudaemonic- (adj.) producing happiness and well-being

Sunday, July 31, 2005

For all those who take my word as golden truth (which I know is everyone in my reader base HA) SLJ recommends Best Western in Milwaukee, WI. Yes indeed, I do. Why you ask? Well… there wasn’t a mint awaiting my arrival. Nope, no morsel of chocolate atop a freshly laundered, fluffed pillow to welcome a weary traveler. I didn’t receive a warm greeting. No one offered to carry my bags. The room doesn’t smell of potpourri, in fact it kind of stinks, and I don’t know what’s going on outside, but they sure are making a lot of racket! So why do I recommend these four walls hastily called a hotel? Well..did the catch the tense change in the last sentence… .YES! I’m speaking in present tense! I am connected to the internet AS WE SPEAK! As in right now… 10:04, oh wait :) 10:05 Sun. night (do you see how right now it is! The time changed!) I’m really enjoying it!

So, my day started at around 5:30 when my parents (yep, both of them, that’s how much they love me) woke up and headed out to Austin to catch my flight to Milwaukee for the Ag Media Summit. I have more to write about my flight, but since it’s 10:09 (AAAH isn’t it great!) I’m going to save those musings for a later date, but don’t worry, I took notes. Made it to WI in one tired, worn-out piece and luckily caught a free 20-mile ride with other Summit folk to the Hilton where the conference is being held. Dropped off my stuff and headed over to get some grub from Applebees. Then, I met my roomie for the next couple of days, Sara and we headed to register for the summit. Right off the bat, I’m getting a vibe from all the girls that they aren’t here to make friends. They’re here to win. That’s a little weird for me. More to come about that in a future post (10:13). So, I’ve decided that I might not be here to win, but rather to (gasp) learn something.

Good things happen on charter busses. In San Antonio, Crys sat next to a absolute sweetheart from D.C. She is now my friend and said she’d take me to church when I get there. Tonight I sat next to a man named Ray. As he was passing me on the bus I said “howdy,” and he stopped in his tracks, turned around and sat next to me. “Howdy? Did you say howdy? Are you an Aggie?” I told him yes, and with a big grin he stuck out his hand and introduced himself as Ray, class of ireallycan’trememberit’sbeenmorethan5 minutes. He works for the USDA. After a few minutes of chatting about what I wanted to do with my life and what he’s done with his life, he told me to send me my resume and he’d hire me. HA! How about that? I love conferences!

Okay…. More to come

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens;Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens;Brown paper packages tied up with strings;These are a few of my favorite things.Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels;Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles;Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings;These are a few of my favorite things.Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes;Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes;Silver-white winters that melt into springs;These are a few of my favorite things.When the dog bites,When the bee stings,When I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things,And then I don't feel so bad.

A few of my favorite things:
The smell of a crushed succulent leaf
Chocolate pudding
Greeting cards
Proper grammar (well, when it’s necessary :) )
Photography
Knowing people are happy
Bath robes
Colorful socks
Blueberries
Little Anne’s wagging tail
The smell of dryer sheets
The lake
Having a girls night where all we do is… nothing
Crafts
Yoga
Fresh tomatoes
Smiles
Chapstick
Handouts and packets
Feeling strong
Old trees
Children
Rain
Fresh flowers
Checking off to-do list boxes

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Okay, I'm going to do it! I'm going to run a half-marathon! I laid out a training plan and I'm starting it tomorrow! Excited much? I know I am! I figure if I'm going to be running a lot, I better eat right and get the proper amount of rest too. I'm going to cut back on sugar (eek) and eat more meat instead of my normal food stuffs ( mac and cheese, ice cream, salad, green beans and chicken noodle soup (rewind and repeat every week, over and over again) :) ). Hey, you never know, this might energize me so much that I won't need coffee every morning!

I'm a big goal girl, as in I like to make goals and then work to achieve them. I haven’t done anything new in a while, so I'm pumped! I hope I'll be able to make room in my schedule to do this ambition justice. I’ve found myself extremely busy recently and I don’t know why. It’s summer for crying out loud!

I’ll keep you updated on the running bit… better dash (I’m picking up on industry terms already!)

Saturday, July 23, 2005


M.B. no. 11 Posted by Picasa


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Martha's Bloomers Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

CHOCOLATE

http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100108470
ATTENTION ATTENTION!!! NEWS WORTH KNOWING ABOVE!

Okay, so maybe it's not the all to end all, but I'm proclaiming it from the street corners! Friends, neighbors, colleagues, random person beside me at the red light.... CHOCOLATE IS GOOD FOR YOU! Can you believe it? Doctors actually said that when 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate were consumed daily, blood pressure went down. It also benefits insulin!

"Dark chocolate can be included as part of a healthful diet in patients who have hypertension," said Jeffrey B. Blumberg, a professor of nutrition and a senior scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. AAAAAHHHHH part of a healthful diet! Yessssssssss

Don't bombard the vending machines yet because these healthful benefits only come from dark chocolate and its (mmmmmm) high flavonoid count.

This announcement has truly changed my life :). Before, chocolate was a hidden part of my personality. It was a secret. I brushed my teeth after enjoying, shredded the wrapper and always concealed my true almost psychotic adoration for chocolate. My life had two sides. There was my public "non-chocoholic" life, and my private "chocolate bars hidden in the shoe box life." Now, they combine- Ladies and gentlemen, I say with pride: I am a chocoholic! (just incase you’re not picking it up, I’m being a bit facetious…. But just a bit :) )

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

You know what I had for lunch? Chicken noodle soup and green beans.... mmmmmmm. I really think that just might be the best food combination in the entire world.
It loses to real cooking, but when you consider that both entrées come from a can, it's pretty dang good! I mean you stick the two cans in your bag in the morning, that equals zero preparation, and have a super yummy warm cheap lunch. It doesn't get any better than that! Plus, chicken noodle soup makes me smile. It just feels good! Add some sort of chocolate treat and I'm in cuisine heaven.
On the track of meals, I've been really inconsistent about running. I was doing so good for the past few months, but I didn't do any kind of anything from Wednesday to Sunday. Eeek! This weekend was a splurge weekend too with all sorts of wedding treats. It's time to get back on the bandwagon. Running is a relaxing time for me, but if I don't do it regularly, it loses it's soft sigh "aahh" factor and becomes an aggressive angry "AAAAHHHH!" :)
I read a new joke today... here it is:

"As we have learned," the teacher said, "the former ruler of Russia was called a Czar and his wife was called a Czarina. Now, who can tell me what the Czar's children were called?" CZARDINES! :)

Monday, July 18, 2005


The Fergusons Posted by Picasa

Sunday, July 17, 2005

I got in late last night from my Elizabeth's wedding. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I cannot believe that she's married! She and Jason looked so happy! Aaahhh! They're married!

The wedding day was actually a wedding weekend for the bridesmaids. I left College Station around 11:00 on Thursday to drive to San Marcos for Elizabeth's bachelorette party! We stayed in a condo on the river... it was SO much fun (beside the fact that I was late and got lost. It was not a great way to introduce myself to everyone). We floated the river, hung out, ate at Joe's and had just a really fun time. I have never floated the river before, but it's super! Let's go again! We played shower games, opened lingerie (ooh la la) and ate yummy food. After we were done with the festivities and were ready to hit the hay, we prayed over her. It was really special. We all just love her so much!

The next morning we got up early and drove to Fredericksburg to decorate the reception hall. Red and crème was beautiful! After decorating, we had about an hour to get to the rehearsal ... left right left... and then had the rehearsal dinner in Stonewall. BBQ, PEACHES AND FRESH TOMATOES!!!! Yum-ola! Then we headed back to the Henke home and helped Eliz make some final preparations. She was the calmest, coolest bride I have ever seen or heard of.

The next morning (the day of the wedding!) we got up and headed to the beauty shop where they had decorated the windows for Eliz. "Sexy Bride" "We love Eliz" and "Congratulations" were written all across the front windows! It was really special! Some of their close friends had put together a brunch... it was just so special! I wish I had a different word, but the whole thing was just SO special for Eliz.!!! We got all pretty and went to the church! After getting dressed and taking pictures it was all just a blur! I don't know how the bride and groom will remember it all! I guess the million-half pictures will help :)! When Eliz walked down the aisle I had to catch my breath.. I had seen her in the dress, but she was just radiant! And Jason! He was just so happy! Bing bang boom and welcome Mr and Mrs. F!

Now they're in SA until they catch a flight to get on a cruise.... watch out world, here comes the lovey dovey dynamic duo!

Sunday, July 10, 2005

How stinkin' long does it take for a CLEP test to be graded? It has been almost three weeks! Dear CLEP test people: I'd really like to see what my grade is. The sooner the better. Love, Stephanie Beside that :) We celebrated my grandparent's 55th wedding anniversary yesterday. It was a day full of fun, family time, pictures and coconut.... One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong. :)

My grandparents read a book proclaiming the healthy powers of coconut. That means using coconut oil, juice, milk and the actual fruit, errr nut... What is a coconut? A fruit or a nut? No matter what it's classified as, it's believed to reduce cancer, improve general health and taste really yummy! We had coconut served fresh, baked in a three cakes, blended in smoothies, poured as a beverage, and I can't remember what else! Some people in my family even use the oil on their skin.

Almost everyone in the Jeter family (besides me, my mom, dad and brother) have some sort of musical talent. So after trying all the coconut concoctions, everyone pulled out their instruments and we sang. I don't think I've ever been to my grandparent's house when we didn't sing.... but I'm tired of sitting idle while everyone else strums, picks or bows (a bow for a fiddle) their way through our worship... I want to play too! I got my first lesson this weekend by my cousin Becca. I learned C, D, G, F, E (major and minor) and A. I don't know if I'll be able to remember them since I don't have a guitar, but I'm going to try! Maybe by Christmas I can join in too!

I bid thee farewell :)

Friday, July 08, 2005

Last night it rained HARD. I'm talking thunder shaking the ground, lighting flashing across the sky and rain pelleting my brown lawn. It was the good kind. I hadn't heard or seen rain for such a long time that I just sat and listened. I turned off all the lights in the house and opened the front curtains. As soon as I did, thunder crashed and a bolt of lighting flashed and lit up the whole kitchen and living room. It was glorious! I sat there and thought about rain. I understand that the water droplets are formed when warm moist air rises. The water vapor condenses and forms raindrops. The drops bounce around in the cloud and run into each other. That causes the drops to get bigger... and biggER.. and BIGGER until they're too heavy to stay in the cloud, falling gracefully from the toasted marshmallow looking clouds in the sky to the tip of my nose. But, there's something else behind the science of sidewalk splashing puddles... a creator. AAAHH, just observing the force of nature just makes you proclaim "He's my God!" Man, He's strong, powerful, mighty, my healer, banner, love. He's all knowing and cares about the little things- Cattle didn't have any grass to eat because it was dry... cue, rain. This description is all very bouncy (from one subject to the next) but that's how it was revealed to me... with each flash of lighting or crack of thunder I caught a glimpse of my mighty all-powerful God. With each drop that was absorbed into the ground, I was knocked down at how much He is in control of all things, and how much He really cares-Which is a lot! A whole stinkin' heck of a lot! Let it rain!

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Move over McDonalds lawsuit lady, I'm suing my curb! Just kidding. I did something a little dumb today. I drove my car with a cup of steaming coffee between my legs. I didn't travel 20 yards before the black gold spilled over my blue polka dot mug onto my thighs. OUCH! What can you do when that happens? You make that gasping for air noise, widen your eyes and put your foot on the break. You know that "Worst Case Scenario" game made from the books? They should add that case in.... it would go something like this: "If you were driving at approximately 70 miles per hour and a squirrel climbed into your car and tipped a scalding hot cup of coffee over in your lap what would you do? (A) Tranquilize the squirrel with the tranquilizer gun you keep in your glove box (just incase) and use it to wipe up the mess (B) employ the buddy system by running into the next car so that they will stop and help you. (C) do the smart thing and don't drive with a cup of coffee balanced in your lap"
DING DING DING! C is the correct answer!
So, invest in a travel mug... your skin will thank you :)