Prom Summary!

Because it's late, and I'm exhausted this is going to be brief and I'll expand tomorrow, I promise!

Prom was pretty awesome! Renee did an AMAZING job with my hair and makeup, and Megan was there for moral support (she's still kinda loopy from getting her wisdom teeth taken out). Not only was my hair beautiful, not only did it STAY beautiful without being super stiff with hairspray, Renee also dealt with my prom freaked-out stressed-out self. She was wonderful, I'm hoping I can be as much support next year for her at her prom as she was for me!

Pictures were crazy. Hello wind. I seriously look like I'm wearing blue leggings because the wind was making my dress wrap around my legs. If you see pictures, you'll understand!

Dinner was delicious. We went to Grotto's Italian and it was lovely. It was very formal but not terribly expensive. Plus--we had unlimited bread. Being a mainly swimmer group we were in love!!

We went over to the hotel where the dance was being held and took some more pictures. Then I came home and watched TV with my family until it was time for Project Prom at midnight.

Project Prom (the school sponsored, alcohol/drug-free afterparty) was held at Main Event in the Woodlands. There was laser tag, bowling, arcade games, pool/shuffleboard tables, poker, movies, etc. It was a lot of fun until about 3:00 in the morning when I decided that I wanted a piece of pizza and ended up getting sick. That part, not so fun. Atleast by that point I was exhausted and so I wasn't up for that much partying anyways.

I got home around 6:00 this morning and slept till 1.

Pictures will come tomorrow!

Prom Prom Prom

I have always said I would be the girl who wouldn't be the stereotypical senior who is freaking out the night before prom. I was wrong.

Luckily, I just tried on my dress that I haven't worn since July and it still fits.

I have painted both my fingernails and toenails so they are good to go.

Now. Tomorrow only consists of...
Getting starbucks and making it to school before 7:25.
Sitting in school till 2:30.
Taking a shower and blow drying my hair during 7th period in the locker room, that way I can...
Meet Renee and Megan at my house by 2:45.
They are doing my hair and makeup. Thank God for amazing friends who enjoy getting dressed up and being girly!
Meet at Windemere Lakes at 5:30.
Pictures from 5:30-6.
Dinner reservations at Grotto at 7.
Dinner until 8:30ish?
Home.
Meet at school at 11:30.
Project Prom till 6 AM.
SLEEP.

Geesh. It's going to be busy. I'm kinda excited though, it'll be fun to spend some care-free fun with my friends before I leave for camp. I'm really glad that my prom is this weekend and not earlier in May or in April... I don't have a care in the world about school anymore since grades are finalized, so I can just have FUN!

:)

A in Calc?

Hold up. Wait a second. The computer has to be lying. There's no way that...

I GOT A 100 IN CALCULUS THIS 6 WEEKS! AND AN "A" FOR SEMESTER!!!

Woah... I'm proud of myself!

Ramble Jamble

Instead of creating a rambling blog post of everything that is going through my head, I figured I should just create a list of the rambling that is going on in my head.

I only have 7 more days of school.
A week from Friday and I'll be at Cho-Yeh.
I'm really sunburned and that better go away before prom.
Prom is this weekend.
I'm not really going to prom though-just dinner and Project Prom.
I'm wearing the dress I wore in Steph & Erich's wedding to prom.
Talk about cheap... most high schoolers spend anywhere between $600-$1000 easily on prom.
I spent $25. Actually-mom spent $25.
Wonder if she could write me out a check for the $575-$975 that I saved her?
Doubt it.
I feel like there is 932084234 million things I should be doing.
None of them are going to get done.
I have already started to pack for camp, and am essentially living out of those boxes for the next few weeks.
I'm really excited to go back "Chome".
I had a wonderful weekend with my best friends-Kristen, Carley, Megan & Renee.
God has put them in my life for a reason, and I couldn't be more glad.
I'm ready to see what God has in store for Cho-Yeh this summer.
It's only 9:18... feels like midnight.
Is it weird that I'm a senior in high school, and still can't stay up very late?
If it is, too bad.
I have had an amazing set of teachers this year.
Well, more like 2 teachers this year.
And one from sophomore year.
Ms. Douglas, Ms. Johndrow, and Mrs. Breerwood will be the reasons I come back to visit Cy-Falls next semester.
They have shown me that it is possible to be a teacher, and still CARE about your students, not just your students grades.


OK, I feel better now that I've rambled! :)

What a Birthday :)

Wow, what an amazing birthday I had yesterday!

I was kinda worried when Wednesday night I had the worst headache imaginable that caused me to have to turn OFF the music that I always listen to at night, and just completely lay still hoping it would go away. Thankfully when I woke up on Thursday morning, the migraine was gone, and the day began perfectly!

I woke up and got ready. My parents wanted to open presents that morning since we weren't sure there would be another time all day that we'd all be home and have time for it.

As excited as I was about all the presents that I received, I was really excited when I got my first pair of TOMS shoes, knowing that one child in Africa now had their first pair of shoes too! When I opened my Grandma's envelope and found out she had donated money to Cho-Yeh in my name, I got even more excited! I was helping send a kid to camp, the same camp that completely changed my life!! I was super stoked.

School was eh. Nothing too exciting, that is, until 7th period.

Quick story to preface the story I'm about to tell you. I remember growing up and sitting by the window with my Gramma when it would rain. If we weren't playing cards, we were sitting in their living room watching the rain (or snow if it was at Christmas) come down. I remember at one point it was just Gramma and I by the window, and she told me something to this effect "I love it when it rains, it reminds me that somebody in Heaven is watching me". Well, ever since she passed away in March, I have not seen it rain.

But, in 7th period the power went out and I ran outside to find it POURING! It was storming and raining so hard, and I was so excited! I hurriedly took off my shoes and rolled up the legs on my jeans and went running into the rain. I was laughing and crying all at once, so happy to see the rain. I knew it was my Gramma's little gift from Heaven, and what a birthday present it was. Nobody else understood it, but it was a super special moment for me.

After school, Kole's baseball game got cancelled and so we all went out to eat as a family. I loved the time that was spent just relaxing together, as rarely does that happen during the school week. That night I went out for ice-cream with Renee and Megan, and was loving the time catching up with them when all of a sudden my phone rings. I didn't recognize the area code, and didn't know who it was, which normally means I just let voicemail take the call. For some reason though, I answered the phone. And boy, am I sure glad I did.

This is what resulted...





It was my Godmother, Sandy. I haven't talked to her since I started Middle School 7 years ago. We lost touch and both of our lives got super busy. Hearing her voice, her telling me "I'm proud of you", talking about her life and mine, and what all I'm going to be doing this summer. We talked about camp, and at one point she said something like "I wanted you to come up and spend a week with me, but what you are going to be doing is so much more important. You will be changing lives of those kids who need it so much. I couldn't be more proud of you". I was already crying because I was so happy, but this pushed me over the edge. I was so genuinely happy. Hearing from her made my day so memorable, and I know that we will not lose contact EVER again!

What a birthday :)

AP Classes

Today during English I realized just how thankful I am that I have been given the opportunity to take AP classes. I finished my LAST AP exam today (whoop!) and was so excited to be D-O-N-E with those classes! But as I sat in English listening to Senior Speeches, I realized just how much I'm going to miss these AP classes.

These classes have given me an opportunity to learn in a different environment than what I was used to. An AP class is run VERY differently than your normal on-level or even upper level classes. You are given the chance to learn off of each other, and to discuss/debate your own ideas. These teachers don't get much praise from the administrators. They aren't the "fun" teachers that get nominated to read off senior names at graduation. They aren't the teachers that all of the students like because they always show movies or let them play games. No, these are the teachers that allow you to learn in your own method, and want so desperately for you to succeed. They are the teachers that once one leaves their class, they are always remembered by how much they taught them not only about a specific subject, not only about how to learn/study, but about who they are and opened the doors to any future that they wish to behold.

I'm so thankful for my AP teachers. Mrs. Fitz, Mr. Keeble, Mrs. Riggs, Mrs. Johndrow, Mr. Cutsinger, and Mr. Hallmark --definitely a huge part of making me who I am today by providing learning environments that challenged me to be my best, and then be better.

I wish they had AP kindergarten... that'd be what I'd want to teach!

Summa Cum Laude!

Why yes, I will be graduating Summa Cum Laude this year!! That's all :)

This is it...

I realized today as I walked from anatomy to English just how close the end of senior year is.

This weekend I must clean my room and bathroom (and all the other crevices in my house where my stuff seems to magically wind up). Tomorrow there is a huge crawfish boil in my cul-de-sac, so I will probably spend quite a bit of tomorrow outside with the neighbors. Sunday is Mother's Day.

Tuesday is my LAST AP TEST EVER! Government. I was good at government this past semester when I was in the class, and so I'm pressuring myself to get a 5 (the highest score possible) on the test. Therefore, I've been studying like crazy. My family doesn't THINK I've been studying, but they don't see the 2 periods of RST I use, my calculus period, my athletics, along with all the other moments I get in between classes to study. I then try to spend the afternoon with them, or doing other things like getting stuff ready for my birthday party or grad party or preparing for camp. Once that is done and my parents go to bed, I crack open the AP books again. Government is seriously going to be oozing out of my ears by the end of Tuesday.

I also have a major English project to present on Tuesday. Joy. There is a movie, a visual, and an 8 minute speech required. Yep, I haven't started on it yet. Great, should probably get going!

On Thursday I turn 18. AH!!! That's really all I can say. It doesn't seem real, I'm pretty sure I'm not ready to be a legal adult yet.

The next weekend is my birthday weekend. Carley is coming in from Clear Lake, Kristen from Memorial, Megan will be home from college, and Renee is coming over for an 18th Birthday extravaganza! Mom and I are just starting to plan the weekend, but it's going to be amazing regardless!

The week after that is kinda up in the air. For now. Who knows though by that point.

The next weekend is prom weekend. It won't be a big deal for me. I'm going to dinner, and to project prom (the school-sponsored after party), but skipping the actual prom part.

Then I only have 3 days of school the next week. My summer vacation starts on Thursday.

That Friday I go to Cho-Yeh. I won't be back until Tuesday.

Wednesday morning is Senior Breakfast.

Friday--family comes in town.

Saturday--Grad Party

Sunday--Graduation

Monday--Livingston till August...

Wow. It seems SO crazy to me just how quickly this is all going to end!!

Isaiah 57:1-2

"The righteous will perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death"

I found this verse after Clay passed away and clung onto it. After Gramma passed away I looked for it, but couldn't find it and had gotten a new Bible and so it wasn't highlighted. Mr. Cloy passed away last night, and I know that it was in God's perfect plan to have me find this verse again as I was reading this morning. The part that says "the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil" is especially meaningful to me, it isn't necessarily a "reason" to say, but it is something tangible for me to look at, read, memorize, and fall back on every time the question "why?" pops into my head.

No Wonder...

When I got home from a church retreat today, I was in the BEST of spirits until I found out that a good family friend is in the hospital. I thought to myself "really God? Again? You're throwing another hurricane at my family AGAIN?"

February 27th- I was apart of a fundraiser at my church to raise money for our summer mission trips. We walked 7.75 miles, and I left the event in wonder of how many awesome things God is going to do with these summer mission trips. I got home to find my gramma had been given 24 hours to live. I was crushed and devastated.

March 4th- Carley and I had a spectacular time at a Hillsong concert. We sang and danced our hearts out, and my faith was on fire! It was amazing. I came home to find out my gramma had gone and met Jesus.

April 10-I spent the day at camp working "Family Fun Day", a day where families were able to come and see and experience camp. Praise and worship that morning was amazing, and kick-started my day into the perfect place. I worked on top of the blob dock, and was able to pray for several kids who were utterly terrified to jump off the dock and trust the zip line to support them into the water. Once again, amazing boost to my faith. I got home to find out my other grandmother was in the hospital.

Do you see a trend here? Everytime I come home to bad news, the day had provided an amazing spiritual boost, a "faith on fire", "top of the roller-coaster" experience. For a split second today I felt broken, WHY must bad things keep ruining the wonderful and uplifting days that God has placed in my life? But I instantly realized something - God has given me those days to allow my faith to grow, to allow myself to feel secure again spiritually in order to prepare me for the hurricane that has stood before me so many times this year. At times, I felt like my faith was skimming the bottom of the "well of faith" until that day where I was able to get the faith-slap I needed to refocus myself. Without those, who knows what these past months would've looked like. They've been a struggle to say the least. But without God, and those opportunities the hours before my life was seemingly turned upside down, I don't know how I would've gotten through it. Another storm stands before us, and the next hurricane may be around the corner, but God knows how it all needs to work out... No wonder... He IS God after all!