Words of Wisdom

It’s always good to learn from people who have been there and done that, so here is some advice from some very nice people.

Amy Brown- Agricultural Communications student at OSU, “Don’t be afraid to chase your dreams!”

Samantha Kruger- attending The University of Houston, Marketing–Downtown, “Don’t ever lose sight of the goals you have set for yourself. Never let anyone change your aspirations. Remember that you don’t have to please everyone around you as long as you’re happy.”

Larkin Davis- attending Texas Tech University, Agricultural Communications, “Get involved in as many activities as possible when you get to school. Explore your options, but don’t lose your morals.”

Gari Sue Haddock- attending West Texas A&M University, History Education, “Take the stairs and walk as much as possible – by the end of the semester your legs will thank you. And, talk to lots and lots of people with experience and wise advice when you’re trying to decide what major you want or which college to attend. The Bible endorses getting the counsel of others many many times – it’s a wise choice! There’s no reason to try to make such a big decision all on your own.”

Chris McClure- graduate of Texas A&M University, Agriculture Economics, “Choose a degree based on what you love – what God made you to do – not on the amount of money you may or may not make.”

Evelyn Lindsey- graduate of East Texas State University, Business Administration- “Be open to accept God’s plan for your future; which may mean a change in the plans you’ve made for yourself.”

Sunni Jo Stages- graduate of Clarendon College, Applied Science, “Life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% of how we deal with it. Always remember that actions speak louder than words and most importantly, be careful with burning bridges – you never know when you may need to cross back over.”

Janelle Popwell- graduate of West Texas A&M University, Elementary Education, “Don’t be surprised if you meet your best friend at college.”

Lisa Vardeman, attended Angelo State University, Physical Therapy, “You don't see it now, but later you will look back and see how much the decisions you make at this time in your life will have the longest lasting impact on the rest of it.”

Carly Holland- attending Texas Tech University, Accounting, “Just remember, day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become.”

Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you'll make a difference. ~Arie Pencovici

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com

Class of 2010

Graduation is such a joyous time. It means change, freedom and a new chapter of life. College, for me, has been a huge learning experience as well as a huge opportunity to grow as a person.

In the two years I have been away from home, I have learned some very valuable life lessons.

You will make mistakes. I am a people pleaser and like to do things right the first time, so this has been a tough one to realize. However, I have figured out that sometimes I learn the best from those mistakes. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

Embrace diversity. A great thing about college is everyone is different- each person has different experience, different goals and different dreams. I love to find out what others are studying. Where would we be if everyone majored in Agricultural Communications? Just like our different abilities and talents with jobs, we all have a special place in the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12)

Call your family. Make time to visit with your loved ones, even if it is just to say a quick ‘hi’. Also with this one, I’ve learned that your relationships with them will begin to change. My brothers and I all get along great now and my parents and I have become really good friends.

Find a church home. As the body of Christ, we are not created to function completely on our own. We need community; we need fellowship. Test different on-campus ministries and find one that fits.

Go to class. Trust me, if you show up on time, make an effort and study, life will be much easier. Also, take the time to get to know your professors – not only can they help you out with letters of recommendation and future jobs, but some of them are pretty cool people.

And this leads me into my next point – Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Most little kids I know ask tons of questions, but guess what, they are learning! You will never know if you don’t ask.

And finally, Colossians 3:23 says, Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com.

May Days

The year is full of crazy, wacky and interesting holidays. According to the website holidayinsights.com the month of May is National Barbecue Month, National Photograph Month, Foster Care Month and National Bike Month along with several others including Mothers Day.

Special holidays that have already passed this month include Brothers and Sisters Day on May 2, National Teachers Day on May 4, No Diet Day on May 6, Lost Sock Memorial Day on May 9 (one that I celebrate every time I did laundry in the dorm) and Eat What You Want Day on May 11.

Let’s take a look at a few day specific holidays in the upcoming weeks of May. All details about the day are according to holidayinsights.com.

May 15- National Chocolate Chip Day

This day celebrates and enjoys sweet, tasty chocolate chips. They are a great invention and certainly deserve a little recognition. After all, where would chocolate chip cookies, cakes and muffins be without the chocolate chips!?

May 17- Pack Rat Day

‘Cmon, admit it… you’re a pack rat like the rest of us. You might as well come out of hiding behind those poles of valuable “stuff”, and celebrate this fun day.

It’s really easy to let things pile up. After all, each item you acquire along the road of life may have value or serve some meaningful purpose. Making the decisions to discard something of even remotely questionable value, is difficult, if not impossible to do.

May 21- National Waiters and Waitresses Day

This day recognizes the value and importance of a good waiter or waitress. When you go out to eat, they represent the restaurant, and are all the difference between a good or bad experience.

You already recognize your waiters and waitresses every time you go to a restaurant, which is the form of a tip. Today, give them a little something extra.

Waiters and waitresses should recognize this day by making sure to provide exemplary service (as always).

May 23- Lucky Penny Day

Perhaps a lucky penny will be lucky for you today. Taken at face value, a penny doesn’t buy you much, if anything. It used to, though. During your parents and grandparents day, a penny bought a lot of things. Inflation year after year after year, eroded the penny’s value. There has even been some discussion as to weather to discontinue the penny.

Thought for today: “A penny for your thoughts.”

Chasing Lizards

I recently had the pleasure of meeting one of the sweetest boys I have ever known. His name is Ike and he is four years old.

The day I met Ike, he walked in wearing his starched shirt, nice blue jeans, boots and cowboy hat. To finish off the look, he wore his belt buckle, which was won by his older brother for saddle bronc riding. When it was his turn to introduce himself he removed his hat, had a good firm handshake and said, “Hi, I’m Ike. It’s nice to meet you.”

The next time I saw him, he and his family were branding calves. He explained to me what each person’s job was. He knew exactly which calves were to be cut and those that were left to be bulls.

Every good ranch hand needs a good horse. Ike and Fire Fly, his pony, make a good team trotting around the pasture.

Ike is excellent at spotting lizards! While searching for the little creatures, he sat down on a big rock, looked out across the pasture and said, “This is a good place to sit and talk to God.”

A tad bit shocked, I sat down beside him and thanked God for an amazing day.

Matthew 18:1-4 says: At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Ike revealed to me that day that I need to take the time to sit down to talk to God and quit being so busy chasing lizards.

Now Ike’s manners and wisdom didn’t just happen. He has some really fantastic teachers and role models with three older brothers and three older sisters as well as very kind parents.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com

Unintended Consequences

Every day, each of makes hundreds of choices. Some are small, as in ‘Am I going to eat an apple or an orange?’ while some are a tad bit bigger.

How often do you weigh both sides of a decision? What are the unintended consequences of your choices and actions?

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) both claim to be animal welfare groups. Despite how they present information, they would like to end production agriculture.

What would be the unintended consequences if we quit producing cattle for food?

First off, cattle would overpopulate the land very quickly and then begin to go hungry (which is a complete contradiction to the animal rights groups). Cow/calf operators manage their herd based on the amount of land and grass that is available.

What about all the byproducts that cattle provide?

“I ♥ beef cattle because they provide all of us (even vegans) with the essentials to a good life: nutrition, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, deodorant, crayons, stearic acid in my tires, printing ink, asphalt, candles, soaps, shaving cream, detergents, plastics, pet food, toothpaste, fabric softeners…and the list could go on. Beef by-products enable us to use 99% of every beef animal, everything except the moo!” says Amanda Nolz, editor of the Beef Daily Blog.

According to the Agriculture Awareness Coalition in Nebraska, from one cow hide 12 basketballs or 144 baseballs or 20 footballs or 18 volleyballs or 18 soccer balls or 12 baseball gloves can be made.

Let’s take away cattle and see where we are with alternatives to all of these items that would be ridiculously priced.
The Bible amazes me because it addresses every question that could arise.

In Genesis 3, Eve was temped by the serpent to eat from the tree that God has specifically told them not to eat from.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

I’m sure Eve didn’t intend to cause the downfall of man, but it was a consequence of her decision. Think about the decisions you make. Examine them from different angles. Make good choices.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com

Where’s the “Angus” Beef??

Today, the word ‘Angus’ is everywhere. From fine dinning restaurants in New York City to McDonalds across the country, Angus has been paired with the words ‘premium’, ‘certified’ and ‘black’. So is Angus beef really better?

According the Certified Angus Beef® “All Angus are not equal.”

“The Certified Angus Beef® brand selects for higher quality beef than other Angus brands. Its 10 science-based specifications are so strict that only 8% of all beef qualifies.”

Angus is a breed of cattle, not a quality of beef. That is why only one in five Angus cattle actually earns the CAB® brand.
In order for cattle to be worthy of the CAB® brand, they must meet the following specifications for flavor and quality:

1. Modest or higher marbling – for the taste that ensures customer satisfaction
2. Medium or fine marbling texture – the white “flecks of flavor” in the beef ensure consistent flavor and juiciness in every bite
3. Only the youngest classification of product qualifies as “A” maturity – for superior color, texture and tenderness
4. 10 to 16-square-inch ribeye area
5. Less than 1,000-pound hot carcass weight
6. Less tan 1-inch fat thickness
7. Superior muscling (restricts influence of dairy cattle)
8. Practically free of capillary ruptures (ensures the most visually appealing steak)
9. No dark cutters (ensures the most visually appealing steak)
10. No neck hump exceeding 2 inches (safeguards against cattle with more variability in tenderness)

The specifications are to ensure that each eating experience is consistent and of the highest quality.

Grilled Ribeye Steak with Classic Steak Butter
(4 servings, 209 calories per serving)
• 1 (10 oz.) CAB® ribeye steaks
• ½ pound unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp roasted garlic
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp finely chopped shallots
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Thoroughly combine softened butter with garlic, salt, pepper, shallots, parsley, sage and rosemary. Roll with plastic wrap into a log shape 1” in diamater; refrigerate 2 hours or until butter is solid (Note: Recipe will yield 16 butter servings; reserve 12 for later use.)

2. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Grill to desired doneness. Cut butter into ¼” slices and serve over steaks.

For more information about Certified Angus Beef, grocery stores and restaurants that carry the product, or more recipes, visit www.certifiedangusbeef.com.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com

Falling at 120 mph

Skydiving is truly an amazing experience! I recently made my second tandem jump at Skydive Dallas.

God’s creation is beautiful, and it’s a neat experience to see it at 13,500 feet freefalling through the air.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of god was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:11-12)

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the night and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the starts. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning. (Genesis 1: 14-19)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

This is the perfect time of year to sit in awe of God’s intricate creation. Watching flowers bloom, baby animals grow and grass turn green remind me of how great our God is.

I encourage you to take some time to sit outside or take a walk and enjoy the blessings that God has given us.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at Kristen_odom@hotmail.com.