Joyfully Jen

Today I was reminded that there are still beautiful people in this world that genuinely care about others. As I was starting my day headed to work this morning I stopped at Dunkin Donuts to pick up a coffee. In the drive through I noticed the cashier at the window smiling and nodding to the person in front of me. It wasn't the regular friendly smile that cashiers put on their face to get good customer service reviews, you could tell this cashier was genuinely happy about something. I began to wonder what had happened to cause his excitement.  As the person in front of me drove away and I pulled up to the window I was handed my coffee. When I went to give my money the cashier smiled at me and said the person in line in front of me paid for my drink. I was speechless! I always hear of people paying it forward but I never thought it would happen to me, as I'm sure most people don't.  Instantly my day had been changed. I went about my routine with the most positive attitude

Nothing is better than the Holiday Season. It is a great time of year where everyone is in a great mood! I get so excited when the first snow fall hits. There is also something special about picking out a christmas gift for the special people in your life. When you find the right gift, there is nothing more rewarding than watching their face as they open it. More importantly than that, the holidays are a great time to be with your family. The older you get the more christmas means to you. It's not about the gifts you receive anymore as much as it is about who you spend the time with. That is the spirit experienced throughout this season, and it warms my heart to think about it. This past thanksgiving I really realized the meaning of the holiday season. My aunt has been in the hospital for a couple weeks since she had a stroke. She was devastated knowing she would be missing out on our thanksgiving meal, but more importantly that she wouldn't be able to spend time with the f

Something that has always been enjoyable for me is cooking. It is a great way to clear your head, experiment and get creative while at the same time you create something that you are proud of! Pinterest has been my best friend when it comes to coming up with new and exciting recipes. The last one I made was a new favorite of mine that my roommate showed me, therefore I will share it with you! Ingredients: 2 teaspoons salt, divided 1 1/4 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper 1 large spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds) 4 slices bacon, cut into small strips crosswise 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1/4 cup chicken broth 2 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prick the squash all over with a fork.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp. pepper. Roast on a foil lined pan  1 to 1 1/2 hours. (I did 60 mins but would go longer next time)  Let cool a bit.  Slice in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and shred the s

Today in one of my classes we were watching a TED talk by Shawn Achor titled The Happy Secret To Better Work . This inspired me to write a blog today that is a little different then what I have been doing. This talk challenged me to think a lot about my own life and how I measure success in the work place, or even at school. This video mentioned that the typical process we go through is working hard at our daily tasks, which leads to success which then leads to happiness. Shawn mentions that this doesn't work because once we reach that state of happiness we then change our standards to be harder. For example if we were to work extra hard in school to get all A's and B's on our report card we would be happy once we achieved that, but after we achieve it we would then set higher and harder standards for the next time for example getting all A's on the next report card. Because of this mind set that we always need to be getting better and better we stress ourselves out

Exercise is an important part of our daily routines. It not only is physically good for you but it is mentally good for you as well. You get  a sense of pride from working out. I am not the most fit person out there, in fact I have been slacking in that area but I still appreciate it when I make the time for it. My favorite part about working out is the confidence you gain in yourself after your workout is done. You not only feel better but you think much more highly of yourself. I personally feel happier when I get a good routine going to help me work out. It is one of the best ways to clear your mind, and relieve yourself of stress. I am no fitness guru so I have to look up a lot of my exercises. I find most of them on Pinterest. That is probably the first place I look especially when I am trying to work out a certain part of my body. If I am wanting to run I usually use the Nike app to track how far I run and how far I've ran in the past. One of my favorite ways to exercis

            Four years ago I would have told you that I wasn't going to join a sorority in college. I didn't think it was something I was interested in, and I definitely didn't want to be seen as the typical sorority girl. That quickly changed when I got to school. My roommate was all about Greek Life. Her whole family was apart of it in their college careers and she wanted to follow in their footsteps. She managed to convince me to go through recruitment and I never knew how much I would appreciate that in the future.             It wasn't until I moved into the Pi Phi house my sophomore year when I began to truly learn what sisterhood really meant to me. It wasn't just the philanthropy, or the rituals that bind you. It's the memories you make along the way and that is by far the most rewarding aspect of sorority life. You always hear "These are the best four years of your life" but you never know what that means until it's about to be gone.