tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127816762024-03-13T18:33:16.591-07:00eudaemonic- (adj.) producing happiness and well-beingsteph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-88347348739232289212007-08-25T16:47:00.000-07:002007-08-25T16:49:03.684-07:00Until my marathon is over, this site has moved to....<br /><br /><a href="http://www.betweenruns.blogspot.com">www.betweenruns.blogspot.com</a><br /><br /><br />YAY!steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-34597040267616365602007-08-24T20:41:00.000-07:002007-08-24T20:59:02.497-07:00I'm renting a HOUSE! A real, front-door closing, no loud upstairs neighbor named Steffan, two-bed/one bath, roommate sharing house!<br /><br />And it's soooo cute!<br /><br />And it's cheaper than my apartment now.<br /><br />Big bedrooms, living room, den, big kitchen, moderate bath, backyard with a deck and right next to the running park!!!<br /><br />Oh, and here's the best part (besides having a sweet roommate) it's 1.3 miles from my office.<br /><br />YES!<br /><br />Oh yeah, and there's no lease!<br /><br />If I want to pack up and move to Alaska, all the landlady wants is 30 days notice<br /><br />Please come see me soon :)steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-17182963442372452912007-07-23T21:28:00.000-07:002007-07-23T21:30:34.152-07:00Idea of the day:<br /><br />Wedgies are fun to say, uncomfortable to have.<br /><br />hehehehehe <em></em>wedgie<em></em>steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-4479424739815313562007-07-22T18:17:00.000-07:002007-07-22T21:09:45.968-07:00Friday turned out to be a pretty busy day.<br /><br />I showed up for work around 8:30. A few phone calls, a trio of articles, and I was home by 4 p.m.<br /><br />See, I was to cover a school board meeting that night at 7, and to keep my time card within respectable overtime limits I had to hit the road early (so I could stay out late.)<br /><br />So, I got home, leisurely made some coffee and just relaxed. With my steaming mug o' Joe, I settled in on the couch and watched some Oprah (Hey, don't judge... I have four channels. It was either her, Judge Judy, Judge Judy copycat or Montel. I chose Oprah.)<br /><br />That day's episode was a how-to seminar for the single ladies of America. <br /><br />"Do these things and you can catch yourself a man, American women."<br /><br />As I chuckled (and secretly took notes... hehehehe), I lifted the coffee cup to my mouth.<br /><br />Wooo wee, it was H-O-T!!! The mug equally as scorching. It was so hot, I didn't want to hold the mug too tightly at the risk of searing off my fingerprints.<br /><br />SIDE NOTE: In any seminar, FFA event or lunch meeting I have ever attended, they talk about the importance of a firm handshake. <em>Web of the hand to web of the hand and hold securely for one pump up and one pump down. Then let go, lest you be labeled a creep.</em><br /><br />Well, the loose grip got me that day. As I gingerly juggled the cup... it slipped out of my hand and splashed hhhhoooottttt coffee all over my lap and chest.<br /><br />And time froze. Coffee arced out of the cup. If the arc had been bigger, I'm pretty sure some surfer could have totally hung ten on its curve. The cup slipped from my hand and floated mid air as the liquid came up and over the side of the cup, ribboned downward and splashed like Shamu on to my lap... there was so much liquid that it slid all over the couch, in between the cushions and soaking me down to my socks.<br /><br />Everything was wet: me, the carpet, the couch... yep... that's everything.<br /><br />Blah.<br /><br />You know? I had a meeting in an hour. I didn't have time to be cleaning up a mess, changing clothes and trying to get coffee out of the upholstery.<br /><br />No time for this mess.<br /><br />Yet, I had created it.<br /><br />Ooooh, how I wished I could have turned back time and not spilled that coffee.<br /><br />That seems to be a common wish of mine.<br /><br />After I screw up, I immediately want to go back... back when things were good...<br /><br />Back before my hamper smelled like Starbucks.<br /><br />And back before I hurt someone's feelings with a flip comment, put God on the back burner to watch a 10 p.m. showing of Everybody Loves Raymond, and wasted valuable time on nothing.<br /><br />I screw up a lot. <br /><br />But it kind of helps me be a better lover of people and a better forgiver. If I could go back and prevent the stupid things I did, then I could give the appearance of perfection.<br /><br />And I'm not perfect.<br /><br />I don't mean to mess up... but I don't not mean to mess up either.<br /><br />Sometimes my screw ups are just what I need to remind me that I'm forgiven. Sometimes my "no take back" messes and stains are a reminder that although I really made a mistake, and it hurt, and I don't like the consequences... and I think I'm going to be scrubbing out the mess forever... <br /><br /><em>"The Lord will have compassion on Jacob; once again he will choose Israel and will settle them in their own land........<br /><br />On the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and turmoil and cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: <br /><br />How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!....<br /><br />All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing."</em>(Isaiah 12)<br /><br />Isaiah is a book full of judgement and scary scary consequences for Judah and Israel's (and mine) sin... but there's also the story of release.<br /><br />They were released from that captivity.<br /><br />Isaiah talks about the coming of Jesus.<br /><br />It talks about the future Kingdom.<br /><br />This morning we sang It's Well With My Soul:<br /><br /><em>My sin, oh the bliss of that glorious thought. My sins not in part, but the whole, was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, oh my soul.</em><br /><br />Because of Jesus, I'm free from sin. It's still there, and I can still sin... but through His sacrifice, I'm forgiven... and through the Holy Spirit, I have the power to overcome and rejoice.<br /><br />Hence the word redeemed.<br /><br />So... if I could go back in time... then... well?<br /><br />I guess I wouldn't know all about that redeemed business. <br /><br />Plus, I think after all that scrubbing, my carpet is cleaner than before.<br /><br />Funny how that happens.<br /><br />:)steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-29796929168901059222007-06-15T21:38:00.000-07:002007-06-15T21:57:05.315-07:00I had a rough day... the worst of it came at the end of this story I'm getting ready to tell you:<br /><br />There has been another dead body in my week. The remains of a human found over Labor Day weekend 2006 were identified as an Athens woman missing for about a year. There are whispers filling the air that, perhaps, a former J'ville policeman -- well known in these parts for the rape of several women and retaliation when they outed him -- is involved.<br /><br />Those rumors can't be addressed in my story without attribution, which isn't forthcoming right now because there are federal cases still pending. Yet, tv news is spouting off this information without a name tied to it. <br /><br />But that's not the worst part. While I'm trying to find this woman's mother (and consequently, guardian of her two children) I call a wrong number from a police report. <br /><br />When I asked to speak with the woman I'm searching for, an elderly man said, "There isn't any X here. I wish there were. I'm all alone. I'm lonely."<br /><br />The day pretty much got more discouraging from there, but there's no need to drag you down with me. <br /><br />Oooooooh, people hurt in this world. People hurrrrrrrrrt, bad. I, as a Christian, am to make it better with the eternal balm of Christ. But, people hurrrrrrrrrrrt and I don't even know them. How do I help? How do I love people I don't know? How do I feed the hungry, give hydrate the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, take care of the sick and visit those in prison?<br /><br />Oh, there's so much.<br /><br />I pray today that I'll not just hurt for them, but actually help.<br /><br />Today.<br /><br />Come with me.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-86800035538328077682007-06-02T10:05:00.000-07:002007-06-02T11:42:31.385-07:00Running gives me a chance to think about things. It takes me outside, away from the television, away from the computer, and leaves me far too winded to talk on the phone (sweaty earpiece--- gross). It takes me to myself.<br /><br />And myself wonders.... <br /><br />Why am I so complacent with my "cheap grace" life?<br /><br />Buoyed by a book I'm reading and a sermon I recently listened to on my IPod, I'm certainly familiar with the term of "cheap grace," though I never would have named it that myself. <br /><br />"Cheap grace" is telling Heaven to wait... <em>I'm busy living the way I want to</em>. It's not diving down deep into the eternity in my heart-- becoming a holy sanctuary of adoration, living a spirit-empowered life. It's going to the store for fruit instead of allowing God to cultivate fruits in me. It's changing <em>how I act</em>, instead of who <em>I am being changed</em>. It's seeing prayer as words, instead of as change.<br /><br />I once heard a book described as "smelling of lust and prison."<br /><br />Isn't that a great description?<br /><br />It's also how a bunch of Bible men and women would be described... <br /><br />They didn't just <em>want</em> more God, more time with God, more connection to God, more ways to say "I love you," -- they lusted (def: crave, intense desire or need) for it.<br /><br />Death, jail time, fasting, crying, losing, loneliness, more and more and more followed them. They invited those things in... to get more God.<br /><br />And it didn't matter what happened.<br /><br /><em>Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior.--- Habakkuk 3:17 (relativity of this verse was stolen from the Ipod sermon) </em><br /><br />So, back to the question: Why am I content with living without that? Why am I not bothered that I don't hit the floor in desperation? Why am I not so shocked into action that I live that way all the time? Why are beliefs compartmentalized into "moral" and "unmoral"?<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />Why may not be the best question, so I'll stop asking it.<br /><br />Here's a better one: How?<br /><br />How do I live that way?<br /><br />It's not through trying to act this way... because I've been trying. It's hard to constantly change the way I act and talk when my insides are the same.<br /><br />The Bible says it's by throwing away what is mortal and allow myself to be swallowed by this life that I crave.<br /><br />So, I get rid of me. <br /><br />That's the definition of freedom if I've ever heard it.<br /><br />Will I ever figure all this out?steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-19033765468811486932007-05-30T21:16:00.001-07:002007-05-30T21:21:30.453-07:00It's the little things:<br /><br />- I went to the grocery store and grapes were on sale!<br />- I only painted one coat of deep red on my nails... and they have yet to chip.<br />- I didn't go for a run today, but I can feel my knee healing.<br />- I made a tomato sauce dip for a "bring your own dish" work luncheon tomorrow. I'm going to serve it in a little baby crockpot. It doesn't get much better than that!<br />- I have a shrimp smell in my house, but it reminds me of gal pals Tam, Kat and Chelsea because we ate it together.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-13630536085565397022007-05-29T13:49:00.001-07:002007-05-29T13:53:48.142-07:00The Efficacy of Chocolate Milk as a Recovery Aid<br />[Annual Meeting Abstracts: C-34 - Free Communication/Poster: Post-Exercise Nutrition]<br />Karp, Jason R.; Johnston, Jeanne D.; Tecklenburg, Sandy; Mickleborough, Tim; Fly, Alyce; Stager, Joel M. FACSM<br /><br />Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.<br /><br />Email: runman@indiana.edu<br /><br />0850 <br /><br />Sport nutritionists recommend that endurance athletes performing two workouts a day ingest carbohydrates immediately following the first training session to rapidly replenish muscle glycogen. To meet this need, many nutritional products have been marketed as carbohydrate replacement drinks (CR) or fluid replacement drinks (FR) containing less carbohydrate. Since chocolate milk has a similar carbohydrate content to that of many CR, it may be an effective means of recovery from exhausting exercise. PURPOSE: To test the efficacy of chocolate milk (CM) as a recovery aid following exhausting exercise. METHODS: Nine male, endurance-trained cyclists (22.1 ± 2.0 yrs, VO2max 65.0 ± 9.0 mL.kg-1.min-1) performed an interval workout to deplete muscle glycogen (Kuipers et al., 1987), followed by four hours of recovery, and an endurance performance trial to exhaustion at 70% VO2max (Fallowfield & Williams, 1997), on each of three days. Immediately after the first exercise and at two hours of recovery, subjects were given isovolumic amounts (based on body mass) of CM, FR, or CR, in a single-blind, randomized design. The carbohydrate content (1 g.kg-1 body mass) was equivalent for CM and CR. Blood lactate concentration, body mass, and total body water (TBW) were measured pre- and post-exercise. Time to exhaustion (TTE), average heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and total work (WT) for the endurance exercise were compared between trials using a oneway, repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: TTE (40.0 ± 14.7 min; 41.3 ± 15.0 min; 26.8 ± 10.3 min) and WT (626.5 ± 262.7 kJ; 590.5 ± 218.7 kJ; 398.6 ± 185.0 kJ) were different (p<0.05) (CM, FR, and CR trials, resp). There were no differences in exercise HR (169 ± 13 bts.min-1; 172 ± 5 bts.min-1;172 ± 13 bts.min-1), end-exercise RPE (16.2 ± 2.3; 16.8 ± 1.4; 17.2 ± 1.5), or post-exercise blood lactate (3.9 ± 3.3 mmol.L-1; 2.9 ± 1.3 mmol.L-1; 2.6 ± 0.7 mmol.L-1) (CM, FR, and CR trials, resp). TBW did not differ across treatments or within trials. CONCLUSION: As compared to the commercial products tested, chocolate milk is an effective recovery aid following exhausting exercise.<br /><br /><br /><br />Drinking chocolate milk instead of Gatorade<br /><br />Can you beleive it?steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-76211671921201643062007-05-15T20:27:00.000-07:002007-05-15T20:31:13.613-07:00It's thundering... this is when I wish I had a roommate. It kind of scares me. <br /><br />Apparently, I'm 12.<br /><br />I'm also reading a scary book... the anticipation never goes down and it's full of twists and turns. I can't decide if I like it or not. I don't know if the writer is a really good story teller for keeping the adrenaline pumping for hundreds of pages, or if he's lazy and can't take a story through natural progression. Throwing crazy stuff on a page is good for a little while, but I'd like some down time. :)<br /><br />So says the lazy reader :0)steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-77031827363790726692007-05-14T21:08:00.000-07:002007-05-14T21:11:41.018-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa6rfMusXQoUAg0bHtZ2JEs5Fc4VfulBa17G_Z6B1NWI96zYnxuaepvSwcruQaHhBBWJUePQDXqGD8lLunRuqib3QhVD5ZsVRmDsH7LIJp4Uw06juFIg8tTlykIL-W-k3kSl-/s1600-h/Senator+Cornyn+141.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa6rfMusXQoUAg0bHtZ2JEs5Fc4VfulBa17G_Z6B1NWI96zYnxuaepvSwcruQaHhBBWJUePQDXqGD8lLunRuqib3QhVD5ZsVRmDsH7LIJp4Uw06juFIg8tTlykIL-W-k3kSl-/s400/Senator+Cornyn+141.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064634765315338322" /></a><br /><br /><br />I got this in my e-mail last week. Senator Cornyn visited the Gregg County Courthouse for a press conference. It wasn't an explosive story (or really even an interesting one) but, it's a memory, I suppose.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-45475405875594915812007-05-14T20:59:00.000-07:002007-05-14T21:07:03.459-07:00:)<br /><br />Hi.<br /><br />I made a quick trip home this weekend. My mom had a $100 card to Target, and while I was home, we blew it.<br /><br />We got a few needed things:<br />aerosol sunscreen<br />knee vitamins<br />deodorant<br />body wash<br /><br />And a few un-needed things:<br />A season of Monk, the TV show<br />A birthday card<br />CDs<br />Dream Girls DVD<br />An Ipod arm band for running<br />Soundtrack to Wicked <br /><br />That Wicked soundtrack is tre good. I went running today (with the new arm band) and listened to Wicked the whole time-- until it started thundering big juicy booms that ran me indoors.<br /><br />It's a really fun CD.<br />The trip home was really fun too.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-57954029492099143032007-05-08T21:05:00.000-07:002007-05-08T21:10:58.446-07:00I watched Everybody Loves Raymond tonight. It was the one where Robert made friends with his partner at the police department. Remember, she's the short black lady with a quick wit and limited patience for idiots?<br /><br />Other than the show where Robert danced at his wedding, I think this one is my favorite. <br /><br />He picks up words like "dawg", "yo yo yo" and my favorite, "That's whack (or wak or wack... I'm not so sure)."<br /><br />And Raymond responds... <br /><br />"Robert, we're Italian. Whack means something entirely different to us.<br /><br />ba hahahahaha.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-63438328768373210082007-05-07T09:57:00.000-07:002007-05-07T10:58:36.808-07:00I had a weird week.<br /><br />It wasn't bad... just kerflunked. I felt like every story I wrote evoked an "eehhh, so-so" from my imaginary peanut gallery. No one ever said anything, but you (the writer or teacher or engineer or whatever) can always feel the dichotomy between the good and not so good work.<br /><br />I have a big story coming up in a week... and have yet to start -- Well, I guess that's not completely true. I have made several phone calls, but they all hit the wall... and then slid down hitting the trash can.<br /><br />If the writing referee can't call the play the way I want him to, at least the trashcan ref can still yell <em>AND IT'S GOOD</em><br /><br />:)<br /><br />I'm working with another reporter on this piece, which is not my favorite way to write, but I think it will be a good thing. Two reasons: I really like the other reporter (she's nice) and enjoy reading her stuff (she's good). We've also written another story together and it turned out ok. So, hey!! That's not too awful! But, still... my independent flesh likes to do things on my own :)<br /><br />That side of me - that prideful, self-sufficient SJ - has been a topic of self-talk for a few months. Either it's getting worse, or my God has chosen that particular area of my life to show me what life could be if only I would take the hand being offered. Either way, it's a personal attribute that gets the Vegas-glitter treatment...<br /><br />Meaning, when I have that gut reaction to close a heart door so I don't get hurt, or when I have the urge to not ask for help, or when I just itch to abandon ship and captain my own raft... I know what I'm doing. It's not a second nature thing where I don't realize that I'm doing it (like popping gum or clicking a pen). It's as clear as if the neon signs and feathered show girls moved into the barn down the road. Quite noticeable.<br /><br />Ooooh, yes. I know that I am actively making the decision to keep my title of President of the deserted island. <br /><br />All hail me... All? Ummm... you forgot, Sparky... you're alone here :)<br /><br />Hahahaha.<br /><br />I've been really drawn to the study of the Holy Spirit. For the past week it's been my thang'. And there's one verse that I really think you would enjoy too. It's in 2 Cor. 5. I'll just write the whole thing here. It's not that long.<br /><br />"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, <em>so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.</em> Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose <em>and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."</em><br /><br />Nice, aye? So that mortal may be swallowed up by life. Humm... and right after that Paul said that God made us for that (hummm...our forever purpose, could he mean Heaven???) and that God gave us the Holy Spirit now as deposit for what's 'round the bend.<br /><br />So, if I understand this correctly (no promises), then doesn't that mean that although our insides groan for heaven (no pain, no hurt, no hunger, no fights)... with the arrival of the Holy Spirit, we can experience a little of that here on Earth?<br /><br />I think it does. That if we quiet ourselves and recognize what sits inside of us (Eternity) instead of filling out my stupid hour by hour day-planner... we can tap into that <em>life</em>.<br /><br />That the removal of that pain and suffering could be closer than we think. Good example... with the last big story I wrote, I was so beyond frazzled. It was bad because I forgot what I have in my chest. I totally don't have it figured out, but after that horrible experience I remembered the sanctuary of the soul, a place where God can speak and actually be heard over the cell phone.<br /><br />So, verrrrrrrry long story short, with this upcoming big story, I've not gone crazy! That's good! I'm still worried, but it hasn't taken that life. <br /><br />The Holy Spirit swallowed up the mortal.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-21517653970124706542007-05-02T22:38:00.000-07:002007-05-02T22:40:01.718-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCFwS5MTKGMYynYnfCSOF741pZzBwGippnCNsDa0ILNxnI7KQianLQQSW02b7S3W14AuwYUB9igFTktDnxVZolT6uT7o3y0ABxw6FEGpAnAP3Fk9H-Qjy9Htr7XGvseYdvtGj/s1600-h/IMG_7107.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCFwS5MTKGMYynYnfCSOF741pZzBwGippnCNsDa0ILNxnI7KQianLQQSW02b7S3W14AuwYUB9igFTktDnxVZolT6uT7o3y0ABxw6FEGpAnAP3Fk9H-Qjy9Htr7XGvseYdvtGj/s400/IMG_7107.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060204772837486658" /></a>steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-12968406080787162542007-05-02T22:37:00.000-07:002007-05-02T22:38:23.479-07:00I put a few new pictures <a href="http://www.groovyphotorama.blogspot.com">here</a>steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-49055621205240307462007-04-30T21:01:00.000-07:002007-04-30T21:06:43.766-07:00My weekend<br /><br />- The zoo (I like elephants)<br />- Laundry (clean clothes are good... except just remembered... forgot them in the dryer)<br />- Prepare portfolio (be gone 4 ft. stack of papers!)<br />- Clean house (pinesol... mmm)<br />- Dinner with friends (yes, very good)<br />- Lively conversation (you too? me too!)<br />- Read a whole book (not good, not bad)steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-67097998124081486832007-04-16T08:25:00.000-07:002007-04-17T09:24:02.199-07:00In among the magazine shelves, the newest self-help books and the editorial on Good Morning America...have y'all noticed <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/magazine/15green.t.html?em&ex=1176868800&en=6d53d735b961773d&ei=5087%0A">this</a>?<br /><br />In the past year, going "green" has turned hip.<br />In the past month, I've seen morning news show hosts "ooh" and "aww" over a wedding table placement made out of recycled materials and no-ship flowers (driving the pretty pretty petunias hundreds of miles from the farm to the florist lets loose a lot of pollution).<br />Tax commercials are even getting in the gig, showing prospective customers how they can get money from Uncle Sam by using solar power in their homes.<br />In the past week I've seen a Glamour magazine article yelling the same message...<br /><br />"We must care for what we have."--- HEY!!! Me too :)<br /><br />Wow... when did this happen? When did being environmentally conscious become a t-shirt logo.<br /><br />I think it's AWESOME that people are taking notice to water usage, except, when something takes hold in this society... it normally turns militant. <br /><br />I'm envisioning a paper-plate burning to make a statement about our disposable culture.<br /><br />hehehe, probably not :)<br /><br />Also, I guess... I'm just a little disappointed that the whole idea has turned so... popular, rather than care-driven. But, even if it's for the free recycled soda coozy, I'm glad that people who didn't used to care are now donning a reflective orange vest to pick up trash on the side of the road.<br /><br />Celebrities like Madonna and Al Gore are getting the credit, while agriculture (the original naturalist) still doesn't get any props. I think about all the work the Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Cooperative Extension, Farm Bureau do in the name of education and research for environmental quality. For no lip service. <br /><br />I'm such a snob... they don't need any back pats, but I'd like to see ag at least <em>mentioned</em> in the national mind for being <em>partly</em> responsible for the cool new burlap bag shoes in Foley's window.<br /><br />Ag is hip to the green push.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-25776723837208394452007-04-11T21:34:00.000-07:002007-04-11T21:54:47.610-07:00My hometown church served Lord's Supper at Easter. <br /><br />Yes.<br /><br />Good.<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />Because...<br /><br />I had been thinking about how... how can I write this. I had been thinking about how a lot of Christian teachers say that to make God happy, or for you to be happy in your Christian walk, or to make God <em>really</em> love you, you need to be perfect. Sinless if you will.<br /><br />(***Disclaimer, I know that we are called to be like Christ and Christ was perfect, alas, we are to be perfect, but there's a line there... I think it falls right beside the fact that I'm not Christ. Huh... who knew? But, still I know you can go too far with this way of thinking, just like you can go too far with the drive to be perfect. So, walk with care.)<br /><br />So, if that were the story: if us being good made God happy... then... why do we celebrate Easter? If us being good made God happy, then why did God feel the need to send Jesus to earth? If us being good made God happy, then why did Jesus have to die.<br /><br />That's not a hard message to send out.<br /><br /><em></em>Hey, kids: Be good or you're not my favorite... and we all know where my non-favorites go (points down)<em></em><br /><br />No, rather God's message was, what?<br /><br /><em>I come to give you life.<br /><br />It is for freedom that I have set you free.<br /><br />I'm tossing your sins as far as the east is from the west.<br /><br />Drop off your burden at the cross.<br /><br />I don't come for the healthy, but for the sick.</em><br /><br />Yeah? I think Christianity has become too synonymous with morals and conservatism and Ann Taylor with pearls (although I love Ann Taylor and pearls). God's love is unconditional even for those who struggle.<br /><br />You think so too?<br /><br />So, next time you hold the bread and grape juice (hahaha) remember that Jesus wasn't sent to remind us that we better behave or don't dare approach the throne... he came to say he is love and then he died to take that sin we won't let go away from us.<br /><br />I love Easter. Spring seems to be a time for starting anew, but that fresh start is offered any day of the year.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-80228211814956817162007-04-10T21:27:00.000-07:002007-04-11T21:56:32.597-07:00There's something deliciously exorbitant about having your fingernails and toenails painted the same color... especially when that color is pink... and you're eating yogurt.<br /><br />I'm not and they aren't, but still.<br /><br />I think commercials have finally penetrated my psyche.<br /><br />It's a strange combo of Yoplait and Talbot'ssteph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-76098189453659040852007-04-01T20:31:00.000-07:002007-04-01T20:54:24.331-07:00Leave it to other people to put into words what's swirling around my head.<br /><br />Had dinner with a friend Friday night. She came in for a funeral -- for a 20-year-old. He was eating at Texas Roadhouse with his girlfriend in College Station when he took a breath and died right at the table.<br /><br />Right at the table... probably before he ate his favorite green beans.<br /><br />I don't say that irreverently... you'll understand after you read what my friend said.<br /><br />"Stephanie, it was like God just bonked me on the head... was his life any less real... any less fulfilling... any... less, just because he hadn't gotten married, had kids, gotten a job... all the things that I want?"<br /><br />(that was a paraphrase, by the way)<br /><br />No, his life wasn't any less real. My friend said he was a believer. At the funeral, she said his mom kept a smile on her face, because "she knew that he was in a better place."<br /><br />First off, wow, I that's insane, where I am now, I don't think I could smile. I would be doing good to keep breathing myself... Jesus must have really been working in her ... second off, true, so true, he is in a WAY better place.<br /><br />It got my friend, and me, thinking... why do I work so hard at things that don't matter. I'm not talking about working hard at a job or working to keep my butt equal to my jean size. I'm talking about every breath I take that isn't spent furthering something. I'm talking about idleness (a stark comparison to working, but it's applicable for me). I'm talking about "I'll do it tomorrow-ness."<br /><br />If I don't do the things I want to accomplish in my life -- get married, raise a family, live out of the country, write interesting articles, blah blah blah -- will my life be any less?<br /><br />Not if I don't live that way.<br /><br />That means I need to drop the burden that I have to control <em>all of this</em> ... I need to drop what I can't control and life my life. <br /><br />Like what-ever-his-face-with-the-famous-name-I-can't-remember-Christian-writer pointed about in his book-title-I-also-can't-remember... When God gave manna to the children of Israel He gave enough for the day.<br /><br />Well, that's all we're promised... Manna (aka: strength) for today. He's given me enough to just take care of April 1, not enough to also worry about April 2. <br /><br />I just took a deep breath... my chest rose and fell and then did it again. My lungs filled. That means I'm still here. That means there's still time. That means I'm going to do something for Jesussteph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-29627498713017870972007-03-21T20:32:00.000-07:002007-03-21T20:54:13.721-07:00I went to the local Boys and Girls Club for a story today. They built a new facility, so the owners of the paper and I took a tour.<br /><br />It was so, very nice.<br /><br />BUT, the thing that captured me most about this group wasn't the brilliant wall color or smell of fresh varnish on their new gym floor (twice the size of the old one)... it was the zing by which their president voiced what they <em>do </em>within those walls and on that floor.<br /><br />They build kids up, he said. They give kids a sense of belonging, a sense of responsibility and the encouragement that they can do anything. Really, anything.<br /><br />It was after that tour that I realized that I probably have the best job in the world. I get to visit with people who have that same zing for issues across the board. Sometimes, a lot, of times bad stuff happens - like rapes, murders, assaults, corruption and the like - but, love always wins.<br /><br />It's true isn't it? You can disagree with me if you want to, because I know bad things happen in this world. I'm not completely immune to the pain and suffering going on around me... but, it's love that makes people act... that makes people stand up and work to fix problems.<br /><br />Tam and I were admiring the passion of a shoe salesman (he's more that that really, but, he makes shoes, so that's his job) who gives one pair of shoes away for each he sells. The shoes look exactly the same - minus shoe color - so, it's kind like a fashion and a cultural statement.<br /><br />Anyway, I was complaining that I wanted to do something (to pull a Nehemiah and rebuild some wall for Jesus, fix some wrong)... but I don't have any particular people group screaming in my ears. I don't know where the broken wall is. <br /><br />She told me that the way I was fighting injustice was by writing about it, by informing others. <br /><br />...<br /><br />But, I don't think I really do that. As a journalist... I feel like I should remain completely neutral and I mean COMPLETELY neutral. No lean, no slant, no shading of the issues.<br /><br />I'm a wiry, young laborer... give me a hammer somebody :)steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-68151274343181063262007-03-18T20:49:00.001-07:002007-04-25T20:35:52.864-07:00Very interesting... I don't know if you can study yourself, but I noticed something about people -- um, by... watching myself (weird!).<br /><br />So, I'm just going to put this out there... I didn't brush my teeth this morning. Oops. (I wanted to wait until AFTER coffee.) I realized this after I was already in the car. <br /><br />"It's okay, Stephanie, just sit on the back row and you won't have to talk to (on :) ) anyone."<br /><br />But, here's what happened:<br />-arrive at church<br />-sit in back<br />-completely forget about smell and move across seven empty chairs to sit next to this older woman who wore her sweater like a cape.<br /><br />Yep, I had selective hearing with myself.<br /><br />People are attracted, magnetically attracted, to other people. It's just the way we were made. (Follow me here) And we were made in Christ's image. So, if x=y, they y=x, the that means Jesus is attracted to people.<br /><br />You didn't need a theory for that one.<br /><br />Jesus was all about people. Which makes me think this, spurred on by a book I just read -- You know in the New Testament, when Christ just hung out with his disciples. There are lots of examples; have one in mind? Well, I bet Jesus really really happy during those times. Here were people whom, had they completely known who he was based on old testament reactions, would have been totally freaked out by God (three in one) sitting there with them belching around a fire. I mean, I bet the disciples didn't watch their words like they were at the preacher's house. They were totally real. They asked questions, ate food, talked about stuff, and... I bet even laughed when one of them tripped and ate dirt. You know? <br /><br />So, here's God, hanging out with people whom he loves so much that He's willing to give it all. I just bet that was pretty awesome.<br /><br />I guess that's all :) Just a reminder of how much we're loved.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-34633755060770399242007-03-12T20:28:00.000-07:002007-03-12T21:32:30.323-07:00<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/13/science/13tier.html?8dpc">This </a>article is vewy interwesting.<br /><br />Take a look (What's so funny? Well, Maybe Nothing.- New York Times)<br /><br />On a side note, hi :)<br /><br />I woke up this morning to the sound of thunder. Let me tell you, friends, there is nothing more soothing than the sound of thunder while wrapped in a blanket, 5 minutes before the alarm. Aaah, glorious. <br /><br />I got up, opened the windows and wrote some letters on the on the front porch. I folded some laundry, cooked a little for the upcoming week (salmon and a new recipe for horseradish hamburgers), hung out and went browsing in Tyler's antique shops with my friend.<br /><br />This afternoon, the workout room was all mine and I ran to the Rent soundtrack... and sang most of the songs. I feel a lot better after running. I can't live this week like I lived the last one. That's part of how I got in trouble emotionally.<br /><br />On a brighter note, a few good things came from that crazy last week... in particular that crazy Saturday. That day, I had two car crashes that ended in fatalities, an attempted kidnapping, a double shooting, and a drowning. Well, I scooped the T.V. news with the kidnapping and a story I did earlier about a sheriff deputy and his wife getting busted for insurance fraud. I love beating T.V. to things. It's my favorite. Plus, the attempted kidnapping was the top T.V. news story today. The paper had it in Sunday's edition. Boo-ya :)<br /><br />Can I boo-ya television news?<br /><br />Another good thing that came Saturday evening was a visit from a dear friend from College Station. Oh how I miss Aggieland. I wrote my brother about that - how I miss college. But know if I went back today, or if I stayed and got a job there, it wouldn't be the same. College was so wonderful because of the people... not the MSC grass or muddy boots. It was because that's where we spent our lives together. <br /><br />I do miss College Station as a dot on the map, though. I read a facebook group titled "You know you're from College Station when..." and it brought back so many good memories. No one else understands A&M but another Aggie. "From the outside looking in you can't understand it..." And I sure can't explain it. It was so much more than school, you know?<br /><br />Once, my dad asked me if I wished my major was something else. My answer? Never. Never, ever would I want to change that decision. It was how I met you, Megan :). It was how I met Crystal and Edith. I learn so much about myself in your love :) It's true! It's true.<br /><br />And, you know... I probably wouldn't have followed through with Estonia had it not been for Ralph's scholarship and convincing. Oh yeah, and Edith's nudging. Can you imagine? I wouldn't have met Tamara, Katherine or my sweet Robin. I don't even want to imagine my life without y'all in it.<br /><br />Oh man... I heard a good analogy today. It was about how we don't know what's going to happen in our lives, but if we're with and following God, it will somehow end up for His glory. Well, anyway, the analogy went... (switch into story mode)...<br /><br />This guy was on a date during an Aggie (*team name changed for relevancy*) football game. He was recording the game on a VHS back home, but got a spoiler text message that said the Ags had won. <br /><br />Well, back at home and watching the game, he said the first three quarters were brutal. His team was losing, and to make it worse, the Ags fumbled with only seconds on the clock. <br /><br />At that point, he said had he not known the ending, he would have been "kicking things and yelling"... but because he knew the Ags were going to win, he said he couldn't stop smiling at each failed play. He said he "couldn't wait to see how they would turn it around and win."<br /><br />Well, I'm a screw up, no really. Still, there have been some pretty awesome things happen in my life. I don't know how... I'm not too good at life, so it wasn't at my hand. So, knowing the ending... I guess I'm a little excited to see how God is going to turn the game around.<br /><br />You know? Did that make sense?steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-57170310482864974342007-03-08T21:53:00.000-08:002007-03-08T21:56:17.065-08:00Forgive the down-ness that follows... <a href="http://www.deepandblue.blogspot.com">This</a> made me feel better.<br /><br />It's Kendra's latest post. She talks about not seeing the reality of how taken care of we really are.steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12781676.post-68808123324452534912007-03-08T21:19:00.000-08:002007-03-08T21:47:10.861-08:00I could be losing my mind.<br /><br />I've become a worrier and slightly OCD. I can't sleep because I'm worried about a source questioning the article. I can't sleep because the dishwasher isn't emptied. I can't sleep because I'm scared I won't get it done.<br /><br />Pretty much, I just can't sleep.<br /><br />My stomach gnaws at itself; I can't take care of myself and it's stupid.<br /><br />When other people worry, I tell them that no matter what, in the end there are two results... either you fail and everything will still be okay, or you succeed and everything will still be okay.<br /><br />So, there you go.<br /><br />Then why am I so anxious... <br /><br />I feel so overworked and so under skilled.<br /><br />Bad weeks normally happen when I work 12 plus hour days... and yet, am still handed stories. That means I can't be proud of any of them, therefore feel like I'm not doing my part because I'm not improving the paper.<br /><br />Plus, when I'm working so much, I get home just long enough to wash my face and try to unwind... then lay in bed, staring at the clock. <br /><br />With no quiet, calm time with God and no real digging in the Bible... I have no protection and my weak (puny too, because there's not enough time to run) body gets bombarded and knocked down by the Devil. Not the one with plastic horns and a tail, but the one who tries his best to lodge lies in my head that make me feel less loved, less worth it, less rescued.<br /><br />I don't know if I need a vacation or some encouragement... I could go for some encouragement.<br /><br />Maybe after my big story is done (or at least started) I'll feel better.<br /><br />:)steph-a-roniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10981580646208817978noreply@blogger.com1