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

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

I have found it. I have found the jewel of the joggers, the sparkler of the scampers, the treasured trophy of the trotters. I have found the best running trail in the state of Texas! It isn’t hidden somewhere. It’s marked with a big ole’ sign and title- “City Park.” (It’s not really called City Park. It has some cute name related to flowers, but I can’t remember what it was) Oh man, it is GREAT! Trees everywhere, natural hills, multiple routes, running water, wooden bridges, and it is all conveniently located about a-mile-and-a-half from home. I lough it darrrrling. There is nothing that makes me happier that a beautiful track o’ ground (well, in truth there are multiple things that make me happier, like forgiveness and love… but I’m going for a point here). There is even a center line on parts of it. That was my favorite place to run in Troy, right on top of the center stripe. There’s something motivationally beautiful about watching your shoes thump thump forward on the yellow center stripe. Aaaugh, I love it.

So, good run today. Patty Griffin sang the tunes and God painted love notes in the trees.

Oct. 30 (my first full day in T-town)

There is red dirt in my running shoes.

I knocked the iron-rich acidic soil of East Texas off my treads for the first time this morning; I guess that means I’m here.

I don’t know how long I’m going to live here, but my minimum Tyler residence will be 365 days. One year to do my thing. :O) One year to write articles that are meaningful. One year to love the people of E. TX. One year to laugh here. One year to create here. One year to grow, learn, enjoy, go all-out, BE!

I’m a little nervous about starting my job. It’s not that I don’t think I can do this (self-motivation...I CAN DO IT :o) ). But, it’s a lot of pressure. See, I have this diploma that says I can write. My bosses definitely took that into consideration when I was hired :O). So, to pull all the corners in, my performance reflects back to the university that gave me that diploma. WHAT? I know I'm going overboard on this connectivity of life theory, but MAN!

Phew. What I really need to do is just enjoy this. I like writing. These people are going to pay me to write. This is an ideal situation to be in right? :O) Right about the write? :O)

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

I haven't blogged in a while (sorry Meg-a-marvelous), but here are words to come....

* I'm the newest regional reporter for the Tyler Morning Telegram! (yahooooo!)
* A little girl fainted while I was cleaning her "boo boo"
* I found an apartment in Tyler!
* My last weekend was spent in Ingleside for Crystal's wedding shower!
* I found my diploma!

Monday, October 16, 2006

I think I have lost my diploma.

NOOOOOOO...

Do they make new ones? Or, a better question, where did it go? In my mind, it's still perched on the television stand back in good ole' C.S. riiiiggghht where I left it before my move.

It's amazing how much I miss that little thing. It's like my unemployment teddy bear... it provides comfort and is a reminder that I actually graduated.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Want to hear a story... anyone? Anyone? No objections? Okay, then I will commence to start :O)

We have these chickens. They like to squawk and cluck and poop, but their contribution to the world pretty much ends there... that is until recently. Yes! Our chickens have started laying eggs! About a week ago, we found some nests full o' eggs but never cleaned them out because we were afraid the chickens would stop laying there (and move to a unseen location to create their sunny sides up :O) ). Anyway, I decided that today would be the day that I cleaned out the nests so that we could make things with eggs in them... and not just any eggs... our chickens' eggs. (mmmmmm, :O) ). Starting my task, soon I had gathered up about 30 eggs for the trash bag, but instead of throwing them away... I LAUNCHED them into the pasture!!!! "And she has the egg, she checks third base, winds up and lets the yolk FLY!!!" (or) "For the first time in Olympic history, Troy, Texas has a contestant in the egg throwing competition. Her past throws have caused even the most solemn faced Old McDonald to break out his celebration overalls."

Sometimes you just want to be destructive, you know? Eggs flying... cows looking... sticky hands...Yes, it was a beautiful thing.

I also learned something. I couldn't throw in high school. I couldn't throw in college. And, wouldn't you know it? I can't throw as an old lady either!

Thursday, October 05, 2006

WORD OF THE DAY (okay, it was from a few days ago... but today is the perfect day for it)- Madeleine \MAD-uh-lun\ noun
1 : a small rich shell-shaped cake
*2 : one that evokes a memory

I'm at subbing at the high school today and, ahhhh, madeleines up to the ceiling! First I guess I should stutter my excuse for being on the computer while I should be shaping young minds (or at least making sure the students don't take those minds and bang them against each other). I'm the ARD girl. When the teachers leave to go to their meetings I take their place; so, I go to a different class each hour. The class I was scheduled to be in (the home ec. class) doesn't have students until 11:50. I was kind of hoping I would get to play in there. BUM! Oh well. I am now in my mother's classroom talking to you :O).

Before I left home ec, I used her restroom. Oh man, I hadn't been in there un many many moons! I can remember utilizing her WC after FCCLA meetings in the mornings or lunch... they weren't in the actual restroom, but the restroom is part of the classroom. When we left for meetings or contests, we would use that restroom to get ready. I kind of got a nervous stomach feeling in there because four years ago it would mean I was about do so some public speaking. I guess old habits die hard. :O)

Application sentence (hehehe)-
The home economics bathroom, with its ribbon embellished mirror and half-a-decade old posters, was a madeleine for me, taking my brain on a time warp ride back to high school.

hehehe

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Hi Meg :O). I’m still here and eating my daily word count for verbal health. My new favorite these days is bilk, as in sorry I bilked you out of happiness by not blogging. Nice aye? Useful, usable in everyday situations…Yessssssss… NEW WORD DANCE!!! (ba ba ba bum, snap snap clap) So, here’s the story. My internet works slower than Spray ‘n Wash on a blueberry stain and I’m as patient as a football fan waiting for the electricity man to show up Superbowl Sunday. Is Superbowl one word or two? Hummm… oh well :O) Anyway, the point is I’m a loser and have been writing for me on my un-Internet laptop. Through the technology of the thumb drive I have moved my musings to the hooked up computer. I think you introduced me to the T. drive too. Huh, cool man. So, here you go… a few for you… step in to my mind little one….

Sept. 4
He’s part of every children’s book, love song and limerick – he’s the Man in The Moon and boy, was he was out in full glory Thursday. I was thinking about the moon and how it has the ability to draw people in. I mean, that dadgum piece of rock is 238857 miles away and yet we’re told to reach for it, wish on it and some even dream to walk on it.

I went to the JV football game Thursday and rode the bus (my mother is the cheerleading sponsor so I rode it with the spirit squad too). I sat in the vinyl chair, gently swaddled by the girls’ chatter, staring at the moon. It made me laugh when I realized that I was there doing the same thing four years ago! I can remember sitting on the high school band bus looking out at the moon wondering who else was looking at the same thing. Okay, okay I actually thought about a certain boy on another bus who might have been staring at the moon too (tee hee :O) ) Anyway :O) the memory made me smile. Walking out of the bleachers, the moon was at eye level and awesomely huge. On the way home, once I was driving in my own car, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it… it was just so big. That song about how we only have a set number of full moons in our life popped into my head.

“…………..” (I tried… I can’t remember, blast it)

This is my life and I want to live it ABUNDANTLY I want to say “Yes” to the Lord’s whisper/call/holler. I want to be where the Lord wants me to be… I want to look at the moon in a few years and think back to that night when I was reminded that my life may be my responsibility… you know, wear your seat belt, eat right, exercise a little to keep the ticker tocking… but it’s not really my life. I want to be on a path, the path, that I was made to be on.

Like, woah, that’s what I want.



Sept. 25
These days, 24-hours go by faster than my orange Popsicle supply, even the single packs. Moments whirl by and I don’t know where they go or… more maybe a better query is I don’t know why they’re in such a hurry to get there. I’m guessing there is one heck of a party for all the hours once they put in their time because that revolving door never stops spinning. Even without a permanent job, my days suffer from the double-time disease. However, sometimes there ARE moments that slow down. For instance, I was running tonight and the LIGHTING BUGS ARE OUT!!! It was phenomenal. I run on this road out by our house with lots of twists and tree-covered turns (think trees making a tunnel around the road), it’s dangerous because you can’t always see the cars coming, but oh is it nice for the unveiling of (one of my) favorite natural wonders. Setting the stage… I’m running on the yellow center line, watching my feet thump thump in between the solid lines. All of the sudden the fire bugs start talking to one another and little jewel flecks pop into the sky.

Wait, but that’s not all :O), before the sun even went down, there were these birds with white underbellies and wings. The sunset was so vibrant that the orange-red color was reflected onto the bird’s underside! It was really pretty.

Oct. 1
I had a happy weekend. Sigh, happy. It was the “Robin Reunion” in College Station. YES my sweet Robin bird flew in from Lubbock for a visit! Friday night Kat, Chapel, Rob, Amber and I went to Bennigans for dinner, rented a movie and had a grand old time. On Saturday I went to the L-1 tailgate (of course) and watched little bro do his corps thing. I think he’s the cutest/best/most distinguished one out there, but of course that mirrored last name makes my opinion a little biased. :O) Then I went to the lake with a bud and some of his friends — a family from Sri Lanka. WHOOP for the lake and WHOOP for new friends. They were so much fun. The dad is an Ag Eco prof, mom is very pregnant and little girl is three and entirely too cute and smart for her age. It was really fun. We then reconvened, got dinner to go from On the Border and watched the Green Mile. Oh happy day :O). I miss being with my friends, but weekends together really hit the spot. Sunday was good too. I saw sweet Edith and just enjoyed the company for the day. Whelp, there you go… a slightly neurotic, run-on sentence, non-organized post :O)

TA-DAAAA :O)