Wednesday, November 24, 2010

I’m Thankful For…

All month I have been posting a status each day of what I’m thankful for. It’s amazing what all happens in one month! The following is a look at each post:

Day 1: I’m thankful for the ability and opportunity to wake up on a Monday morning and attend college to receive an education.

Day 2: I’m thankful for the cool, crisp air of the fall morning and the deep colors of the leaves.

Day 3: I’m thankful for Dr. Meyers’ class – best writing class I’ve ever taken!

Day 4: I’m thankful for great roommates!

Day 5: I’m thankful for my warm bed and amazingly soft pillow.

Day 6: I’m thankful for my sweet family! I absolutely love being at home and spending time with them!

Day 7: I’m thankful for RA Brown!

Day 8: I’m thankful for a God whose love is never-ending!

Day 9: Today I’m thankful for my awesomely cool older brother, Nick.

Day 10: I’m thankful for all the fun people I work with at Triumph.

Day 11: I’m thankful for all the neat things I learn as an agricultural communications major.

Day 12: I’m thankful for all the sweet friends that I am blessed with!

Day 13: I’m thankful for Saturdays!

Day 14: I’m thankful for the ability to go to the church of my choice and also to go to church in the first place.

Day 15: I’m thankful for safe food, especially beef!

Day 16: I’m thankful that my Sales class next Tuesday is cancelled so I can go home early.

Day 17: I’m thankful for God’s power in the wind – It’s so amazing!

Day 18: I’m thankful for my sweet boyfriend who calls me early in the morning to help me with my homework.

Day 19: I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to lecture to the ag communications technical writing class today.

Day 20: I’m thankful for modern medicine and that my grandmother is doing okay.

Day 21: I’m thankful for my little corgi – especially when he is so excited to see me that he tries to sit on my lap while I’m on the computer.

Day 22: I’m thankful for my amazing family!

Day 23: I’m thankful for a sweet mother with a kind heart, who is also an amazing role model!

Day 24: I’m thankful for a loving God who has blessed me beyond what my mind could ever fathom!

To contact Kristen, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com or send a letter to The Wellington Leader, Attn: Kristen’s Corner, Box 992, Wellington, TX 79095.

Happy Trails & God Bless!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Beef on a Budget

I have two very sweet friends at Oklahoma State University that share my passion for God and the cattle industry. These are two people I hold very close to my heart!

Amy Brown was raised on ranches in Colorado and Texas.

“I choose to major in agricultural communications to show agriculture to the people who live in apartment buildings and ride the subway to work, to those who buy their groceries with no knowledge of how that food came to be on the shelves.

“The public needs to understand how public policy can affect the production of food that is feeding the world. I want to tell a story, the real story of rural America.”

Anna-Lisa Giannini grew up in the North-eastern half of California on a ranch that her family purchased when coming to America from Switzerland in 1903.

“As I have grown older I have grown to appreciate my ranch raising more and more. Ranch kids are just raised a little different. I heard it said once that a ranch woman will find way and make a way, over, under, around and through! I believe this to be true in all aspects of our lives. We find a way to use every cut of meat in the freezer, we find a way to cook a meal that our families will enjoy and we make a way for our dreams to come true.”

These two inspiring ladies created a blog to share their experience of cooking on a budget with beef while attending college and living in town.

According to their blog, “We want to share with you how easy it is to eat high class, while also eating healthy and enjoying every bite all the while making every dollar count!”

I encourage you to check out their website http://beefonabudget.com/ for amazing beef recipes… on a budget! They do a great job of explaining the recipe with how they came across it or the inspiration behind it as well as the directions, pictures and a cost break down.

Featured recipes for October included Beef Burox, Pumpkin Chili and Stew A Fuego.

While browsing through receipes, scroll down to the bottom and sign up for their emails when they post updates.

Psalms 34:8 ~ Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

To contact Kristen, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com or send a letter to The Wellington Leader, Attn: Kristen’s Corner, Box 992, Wellington, TX 79095.

Happy Trails & God Bless!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

My Hometown

I’m so proud to call Wellington, Texas my hometown. If you missed the play, “Peter Pan”, this past weekend, you missed an amazing performance! Everyone did an outstanding job!

I am amazed at all the talent that Wellington is blessed with. And they are all unique talents – athletics, academics, acting, agriculture (notice the alliteration Mrs. Ashmore!).

Romans 12:6-8 says, We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

And 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 says, There are different kinds of gifts, but the same spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

I love that we are all blessed with talents specific to our abilities. Some of us have no acting ability at all while others soar across the stage with their talent. There are those who excel on a field or court while others write for magazines.

I thank God for each person who has been a part in the community of Wellington and for all of our talents and abilities. I pray that we use them to be a blessing in doing God’s will.

Shine God’s light everywhere you go, to everyone you meet.

To contact Kristen, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com or send a letter to The Wellington Leader, Attn: Kristen’s Corner, Box 992, Wellington, TX 79095.

Happy Trails & God Bless!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

My Big Brother

I love the month of November! The morning air is crisp, the leaves hold deep colors of orange, yellow and red and it’s my older brothers birthday month.

In honor of Nicholas turning 23, I would like to dedicate this column to him.

Nick is the brother that knows how to push my buttons. Growing up, we clashed pretty hard. When we got into arguments, I did have the benefit of being the girl when it came to getting in trouble. I do have a confession Mom and Dad – all those times on family trips when I would squeal, it wasn’t always Nick that started it. (Sorry Nick!)

Since we are both out of high school, we get along much better and he is one of my best friends. He’s the one I call when I have too much on my mind and I need to sort things out. There have been nights that we talk on the phone until 1:30 a.m. Nick has many words of wisdom and inspires me to dream big.

He also let’s me know when I’m not using a nice tone of voice. I was not very happy, to say the least, when he informed me that I needed to change me tone when we were at home one weekend. We went our separate ways for about three hours and it gave me time to reflect. When we did run into each other (I think he was avoiding me), I thanked him for not allowing me to act like that. Even though it made me mad at the moment, I appreciate your guidance.

So Nick, thank you for all your words of wisdom and for teaching me about sharing, being nice, dreaming and excelling in life.

Also as November begins, I am reminded that the holidays are approaching quickly as I just saw a Facebook status with a countdown figured to the minute until Christmas.

It is easy to become overwhelmed this time of year but I want you to take time every single day this month and reflect on what you are thankful for. You may prefer to just reflect mentally or write down what you are thankful for in a notebook. To see my thanksgiving blessings, check out my daily Facebook updates this month.

Shine God’s light everywhere you go and to everyone you meet.

To contact Kristen, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com or send a letter to The Wellington Leader, Attn: Kristen’s Corner, Box 992, Wellington, TX 79095.

Happy Trails & God Bless!