Cho-Yeh 2012.. It's happening!!

I am very excited to announce that I will be spending another 10 weeks at Camp Cho-Yeh next summer! I was officially asked to come back as a lifer, and I couldn't be more excited to see what God will do this summer! I was the 2nd one asked back, YIPPEE!!! I am now too excited and hyper to study, but that's okay! I had my mini-study break and made the excited phone calls, and will now go back to the wonderful world of history. BLECH.

I'm sure more excited blogs will come to follow. No worries :)

Precious Precious!!

Over the past few weeks, I have absolutely fallen in love with some of the kids that I work with once a week. Both of my children come from hard family situations, and I love that I get to sit with them and work with them one-on-one.

I was kinda dreading going into the elementary today because I didn't want to say goodbye to my children. Today we spent a little bit more time talking, I spent a few extra seconds listening and asked a few more questions about their break. PRECIOUS! I was working with my little first grader named Lane and we were reading a fairytale like book. He has progressed SO much this semester but can't move into the next level of books till next semester, and so he has read through all of the "boy" books in his level and has had to start on the "girl" books. So, we were reading a fairytale and once we finished it I was asking him about fairytales and movies that he liked with fairytales in them. We were talking about Disney movies, and he was surprised that I knew Disney movies and had a favorite. He was literally shocked. When I told him that I had been listening to Beauty and the Beast this morning, he said this to me --"Miss Kylie, you can't like Beauty and the Beast. That's a kids movie. You're old. You have to like grown up movies and things like that." He went on to tell me how I needed to like the news and Dateline. It was so cute!!

When it was time to leave, my little boy started crying. He was like "but Miss Kylie. You can't leave and never come back! Who else is going to read with me? If you leave I won't ever be able to go to second grade. Then I'll be 82 years old and still in first grade. You CAN'T leave!" I was so heartbroken. I felt horrible leaving him!! I told him I would have to get my schedule for next semester and try and figure something out. Such sweet kids!!! Gosh. They're so precious.

It makes me so mad because they tell me that nobody else reads with them, and their parents won't sit and read with them. I want to bring them home with me and just read with them all afternoon, because they LOVE when somebody will sit there and listen to them, and I love being able to. I love the progress that he made in one semester. I love the way that he gets a huge smile when he walks in. I love that he wants to learn and that he loves to read if somebody will sit with him. LOVE it!! Such precious kids!!! They made my morning!!

Radical -- convicting me again!

(This is from last Wednesday but some how never got actually published...)

This summer at camp, my Bible Study read a book entitled "Radical" by David Platt. If you haven't read it before, I HIGHLY suggest it. Warning: it will make you rethink the way you live your life down to the itty bitty details. One thing that has stuck with me since this summer from that book was about how we spend our money. This has come back to convict me several times, and today was no different!

Platt talked about how as Americans we waste money on many things that do not matter at all. We spend money on things that don't have any positive effect on our lives and that don't bring God glory. Ultimately, our money is a gift from God and He has entrusted us with that. He doesn't give us this money in order for us to buy things that will make us happy, He gives it to us to bring glory to Him.

I've mentioned a few times about wanting to get a nicer camera. My digital camera that I have right now is old and the screen is cracked. It's not in the best condition, but it serves the purpose that I need it for. Still though, I wanted a nicer camera. I tried to validate the reason I needed one by saying I could take better pictures when I went to Honduras, and that my photos would be nicer and higher quality. On Black Friday they are having HUGE sales on these cameras, and I decided that I would go look at cameras and think about getting one.

I walked into Best Buy today and was excited to look at them and play around with them. I had no idea what I was doing or even looking for. By the time I walked over to the cameras, I instantly began thinking about the book Radical. Yes, the cameras were going to be on a VERY good sale. What was originally a $900 camera was going to be marked down to $450. For these kind of cameras that is an insanely good price. But did I need a $450 camera? Would I get enough use out of that camera? Was it worth it? Ultimately, the answer was "no". I immediately began thinking about how I've been convicted about the education of children in 3rd world countries, and how recently my heart has been moved for them. I thought about how many books I could buy for those children, and what other things that I could use that money for. I could go on another mission trip, I could volunteer in an orphanage, I could do so many other things that would have a better use for that money than using it to buy a camera that I didn't have a real need for.

So, lesson learned -- I'm not getting a new camera. I had texted Carley when I decided not to get one with the simple words "I'm not getting a camera". She replied "thinking about the kids that could have a better use of that money?" She knows me so well. But ultimately, I can't buy something that nice for myself and know that there are kids who could get so much more out of it. I think I'll save the money for now, and use it next year to go on another mission trip!

Break Day 1

9:00 wake up
10:30 leave for errands. Go to James Avery, Lifeway, & Toys R Us.
12:45: lunch at Boston's Pizza
2:45: Sandlot for Kole's hitting lesson.
4:10: leave Sandlot and run up to Frazier's to shop some more
6:00: Get home and run up to the pool to see Coach Dennis and Coach Kris
7:45: Dinner.
8:15: NCIS Episode 1
9:00: NCIS Episode 2

GEESH!! Busy busy busy!!!

Tomorrow: BAKING all day, getting my hair cut and online Christmas shopping! Looks like tomorrow won't be any more relaxing than today...but that's okay -- busy is what I'm good at!

Such A Rebel

"You are such a rebel.. I'm so PROUD" --Coach Kris

Happy Thanksgiving to ME! After my one quiz that was supposed to be tomorrow got moved to December 1st, I decided that an early thanksgiving break sounded like a great idea. Even if my geography professor decided to give a pop quiz, I could take a 0 and only lose half a point for my entire semester grade. If my music prof gave a pop quiz my final grade would drop from a 112, to a 109... In other words, HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ME!

I packed up my room and drove home around dinner time tonight. We had family movie night and watched "Water for Elephants", and it was actually pretty good! I've gotten on a minor movie kick lately (I know, shocking for me!).

Mom and Dad are already in bed, and Kole is playing x-box. I am finishing up some laundry (first time all semester I brought laundry home!) and will probably study a little bit tonight. That's my goal -- once everybody goes to bed, I have another 2-3 hours before I would even think about going to bed if I were at school, so I'm going to use that time to start preparing for finals which are in 2 weeks!

This is my schedule for when I go back to school

Mon-Wed = regular classes
Thursday = History final and last day in History!
Friday = Education final!
WEEKEND
Mon = regular classes
Tues = lab final
Wed-Thurs = NO CLASSES :)
Fri = Music and Geography finals
WEEKEND
Mon (DEC 12) = polisci final
WINTER BREAK!!!!

So, if I start studying for these finals now, hopefully I won't be so stressed when I get back to school :)

But for now, I'm enjoying being a REBEL... I feel like if this is the extent of my rebelious state, I'll be perfectly okay :)

Well, when you put it that way...

I have been complaining all weekend about how I'm not on Thanksgiving Break yet, and how A&M is making us have classes Monday-Wednesday of this week. I don't think it would've been as big of an issue if I didn't know that my family is at home relaxing right now while I'm supposed to be writing a paper and stressing about this quiz that I have tomorrow.

Last night I was talking to Carley about something that God had convicted her of at a concert last night. I've always been a big believer of God speaking to us through other people, and last night was no exception. By the end of our conversation, I was feeling quite convicted too (about something entirely different than what Carley was talking about).

Why am I complaining about 2 days of classes when there are kids in other countries that never have the opportunity to go to school? In some countries families can't afford to send their kids to even elementary school, and the kids have to stay home and work to provide for the family. In some places going to school is dangerous and unsafe. I know there are some areas and some villages/tribes (mainly in Africa) where they don't even have schools.

All these kids want is an education, and they are either being denied one, or it is too risky for them to have one. And here I am complaining about having to sit in 5 hours of classes at a nationally accredited university. These kids don't even have the opportunity to go to kindergarten, let alone graduate high school and go to college. Why am I complaining?!

I've been really convicted lately about what I am supposed to be doing with my education degree. Am I supposed to teach in the "ideal" school where my only problems will be over-concerned parents? Am I supposed to teach in schools full of low-income children where I may have behavior issues constantly but where I'll have the chance to really make a difference in the kids lives? Am I supposed to go teach English in a South American country? Am I supposed to go provide an education for children who otherwise would never have the opportunity to learn? Am I supposed to be in education at all?

I do know this, I am NOT complaining about having to go to classes anymore!

'Ohana

"'Ohana means family - no one gets left behind, and no one is ever forgotten." --Lilo and Stitch

One of the weird things I do, is I always think of a quote that describes a situation. Typically, they are Disney quotes, and today has been no different.

Tonight I was having some hard-core thinking time. I realized that this has been a real tough year for my family. Several things have happened this year that has directly affected my family. It's been rough. But one thing about our family is that we band together. We may not always get along the greatest, we definitely have had our issues, but my family -- my parents, Kole, my grandparents, my aunts, uncles and cousins, my FAMILY -- we are strong and we are ALWAYS there for each other.

That is one of the greatest blessings about my family. Nobody is ever left behind, and nobody is ever forgotten. We are a family and there is nothing that anybody can do about that. We have had our moments, that's for sure, but we stick together. Regardless of what trials are thrown our way, we stick together. The Suddendorf's, the Zieman's, regardless of the last name or which "side" of the family it is, we STICK together through thick and thin. It is the greatest blessing of all. I cannot wait for Christmas and to be wrapped in the arms of my family again.

Roommate Convo and Defensive Education Major!

Conversation that just took place between Genny and I:
Genny: UGHH!!! I don't understand this stupid chemistry!!
Kylie: Oh, it can't be that bad, you love chemistry!
G: Well it is. Do YOU know what the atomic radious something or another is?
K: Yep! The answers A.
G: It's not multiple choice...
K: Then the answer is infinity!
G: I hate you.
K: Pshhh... you could always be an education major and just deal with kids :)
G: I'd MUCH rather do chemistry!!!

Bahaha, Genny and I are SO similar, yet so entirely different at the same time. She can't stand kids. I absolutely adore kids. It's really funny when we get on topics that involve kids because we are both VERY passionate about how we feel about it!

But in reality, I'm actually frustrated with people here at A&M considering education majors dumb. Really fed up with it to be honest. A&M is FULL of engineering, biomedical science, business, and math majors. Yes, those are hard majors, but THEY choose to be in that! They want to spend their life doing math stuff and other stuff that those majors do for a living. But education majors AREN'T dumb! And we don't have it that much easier than everybody else. No, we may not have 23048 math problems per week, but we write just about that many lesson plans! We may not have a test every other week, but we have massive projects and presentations! We didn't chose education to major in because we weren't smart enough to do anything else. We chose to be teachers because we want to make a difference!!

There is a quote I found on Pinterest the other day that sums this up pretty well... "I teach to enable, enliven, and encourage. NOT because I can't do anything else!"

Disney Pandora

I found a Disney channel on Pandora and have been SUPER excited to be jamming out to music from Disney movies.

Genny is convinced I am a 5 year old trapped in a college kids body.

But in essence, she may be right! I love dipping french fries in milkshakes, I checked out children's books from the University library, my closet is color-coded, it takes me forever to figure out how to get our door to lock, I trip over anything and everything, I enjoy wandering around when I have no idea where I am (maybe that's my way of pretending I'm not lost), I find entertainment by finger painting, I have no problem going to bed at 10....

Just because I'm living 90 miles from my parents and 140 miles from my best friend, just because I'm taking college classes, just because I am legally an adult, just because I am going to another country without my family in January, and just because I can be self-sufficient and independent for the most part DOESN'T MEAN that I'm a grown up!! I'm still a kid at heart :)

Therefore, I will continue to listen to my Disney music and waste hours in the children's library on campus :)

Blogging!

I started blogging nearly 2 years ago as a way for me to get my thoughts out. I was a VERY quiet person (what happened?) and didn't really share thoughts with anybody. Blogging was my way to vent and to answer the simple question "how was your day?" every once in a while.

Now, I am SO glad that I began blogging. It is a way to permanently lock in certain emotions and feelings from times that I don't ever want to forget. For example, I went through and read through some of my blogs from my last week of competitive swimming and remembered the sadness of that chapter being over, and officially called myself crazy for surviving 5:30 AM practices for 3 years. I went through and read my posts from the week before and after my Gramma passed away, and cried. I remembered the emotions that filled that week, and even more memories about the amazing and loving Gramma who is waiting for me in Heaven and always watching me (it RAINED today! Rain always reminds me of my Gramma and makes me laugh and smile). I read posts from this summer at camp, and remembered the sheer joy and love that I have being at Cho-Yeh.

Blogging is a way to permanently document memories, I'm SO glad that I have these memories to look back on over the past 2 years, and look forward to adding many more years to come!!

Home

Just like I have many different "families", I have recently realized that I have many different homes too.

I have my home in Houston, which I never realized until this year how much I love it. I didn't realize how much I love and value being home. When this week has gone from icky, to worse, to down right horrible, I have longed for Houston.

I have my home in Iowa. I sometimes feel like I am who I am because of the many summer days I spent up north. Maybe it's the "small-town" feel that I love, or maybe it's just being up north and surrounded by family, but I definitely have a home in Iowa.

The pool has been my home for quite a few years, but I have moved on from that. I still spend quite a bit of time at the pool, but it doesn't have the same nostalgic feeling tied to it that my pool-home did for so many years.

Obviously, I have my camp home. I call it "Chome" (Cho-home) on a regular basis, and even get "chomesick" on multiple occasions.

College Station has become a home too. Even though I'm not in love with the city, I do enjoy being here for the most part, and have made my little 10'x15' room into a home that I love.

I have recently been thinking about the world as a home. For missionaries and people who have dedicated themselves to being the hands and feet of Jesus on a large-scale, the world is their home, and every country, every continent is just another room that they enter into. This is an awesome thing to think about, and I have SO much respect for those who do consider the Earth as a home.

But really, all of these Earthly homes are insignificant in comparison to the Heavenly home that our Father has created for us. So when our "homes" get rough, don't forget -- there is an absolutely PERFECT home waiting for you at Heaven's gates!

Target Mishaps

So, after a fairly crummy day of classes, I decided that I needed to go to Target and pick up some things. I was out of food, and snapped my FAVORITE headband this morning, and so a Target trip seemed to be in order.

I should've just taken a nap instead.

[Background Story: when I was at Carley's this weekend we ate SO much vanilla yogurt with M&Ms mixed in. They were delicious!]

So, on my target list was muffins, granola, headbands, yogurt, m&ms, and a few other little things. When I get to check out the total was something like $27. My debit card didn't work. Target wasn't taking bills over $20 that day (for some reason I only had a $50, $10 and a $5 because I NEVER carry cash), so I had to put things back in order to check out. Super embarrassing.

I get back to my room and make up a HUGE bowl of vanilla yogurt and pour in a bunch of M&Ms in. I take a big bite expecting deliciousness, and nearly gag. Guess who bought sour cream instead of yogurt? Yep. Disgusting. Don't EVER try it. NASTY.

I really should have just taken a nap instead.

Bipolar weather!!

My dorm room: anywhere from 55-75 degrees
Classes: somewhere around at least 80... miserably hot!
Last week mornings: 31 degrees
This afternoon: 84 degrees

I never know what to wear!!! It's FREEZING in my room, nice outside, blistering hot in my classes, then freezing the next day!

Dear Texas, it is FALL here in Texas. Please get down to the 60-70s and STAY THERE please :)

Thanks and gig'em :)

Dear 4th Floor...

Dear 4th Floor Residents,

Your floor is not a trampoline. It is in fact my ceiling. Please stop jumping NOW!! Seriously, I don't want to meet you by you falling through my ceiling.

Thanks and Gig'em!

One Very Irritated, Frustrated and Tired College Student

Nac-a-NOWHERE!!!

I now understand why Nacogdoches is nicknamed "Nacanowhere!"

On Friday once classes ended I ditched campus as fast as I could and headed off to Nac to visit my best friend Carley who attends SFA there. By 4:30 I was pulling into her school, and was shocked at the fact that they had FREE parking! That's an unheard of concept here at A&M!

Friday night consisted of dinner with Carley and Taryn (Car's friend who is applying for Cho-Yeh!) on campus. Then we went to their campus' movie theater where we saw a $1 showing of The Help (SO GOOD! And funny! Although I think Carley and I might have been the only girls not crying...). We then went back to Carley's dorm and had girl time talking about anything and everything under the sun. It was fantastic!

On Saturday we woke up and were lazy. We went to Hobby Lobby and got materials for craft projects. We each created a super cute canvas with the words "Seek Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly" on them (from the song "Courageous" by Casting Crowns). That evening we went and got dinner and went to the SFA/Southeastern LA football game. Football is SO lax there, it's GREAT! I got to see one of my supervisors from the summer, and enjoyed meeting everybody Carley talks about. That night after the game we played Ultimate Frisbee (on the football field... I definitely don't think that is legal here!), and then went back for a movie night.

This morning we went to church and then met another girl from Cho-Yeh for lunch at Quiznos. After that I headed off to Livingston and spent the afternoon helping Laura in her classroom and just chit-chatting. I made the drive back to cstat tonight, and walked into my room that had turned into a disaster zone. But, it's all been cleaned up, and I'm ready for another week!!!

Quick note... I only have 2 more full weeks of class!! :)

I have class November 14-18, Nov 21-22, Nov 28-Dec 2, Dec 5-6, then I have 2 finals on the 9th, a final on the 12th, and then I'll be DONEEEE for the semester! It's CRAZY! I'm so excited :) That is 32 classes! How crazy?!

"Is Your Hair Stuck That Way?", Academic Successes, and Weekend Plans

This weekend at Chovember, some of my 5th grade girls from my last week at camp ran up to me, and after hugs and more hugs this is the conversation that happened.

Katie: "Do you want to know how we knew that it was you from all the way across the field?"
Me: "Of course...?"
Kelly: "YOUR HAIR!" (My hair was in a french braid)
Me: "What?"
Catherine: "Your hair. It is always in a braid. It's like your hair is stuck that way"
Me: *laughter*
Anna: "They are right you know. The only time your hair wasn't in a braid was when somebody was re-braiding it for you!"

It was so funny! The girls did have a point, my hair was always in a french braid at camp. And because my hair is crazy, it would ALWAYS fall out, and so everytime I saw Laura, she would use the excuse of re-braiding my hair as a few minutes for us to talk about our days. You would be shocked at how much those 3 minute conversations meant everyday in the midst of a crazy camp schedule! I definitely miss those girls and the camp experience. Everytime I braid my hair (which is essentially daily), I will forever think of these four lovable 5th graders!!

This week has been pretty blaaah for me. It has taken so long and nothing exciting has happened. BUT, on the plus side... I didn't fail the polisci test that I thought I did (I got an 82!! 20 points higher than the class average! WHOOP!). I also got a 97 on my HUGE semester long education presentation/project (the 2nd highest grade was an 84). It was sooo rewarding! AND... I'm essentially DONE until finals! WHOOOOP!

I am SO looking forward to this weekend! Tomorrow after class I'm heading to SFA in Nac-a-nowhere (aka Nacogdoches) to spend the weekend with Carley. I'm excited to spend some time with her and have real conversations in person (as opposed to over skype). I'm also looking forward to getting to meet all of the people that I hear SO much about from her! On Sunday I am driving through Livingston and stopping at Laura's to spend time with her and talk with her. Even though I saw both of these girls on Sunday at Chovember, we were surrounded by a bunch of other staff and plenty of kids, so we didn't get to have "real talk". It is much needed and I'm excited to relax away from Cstat!!

Pure Joy

Pure (adj): Free from any contaminating substance
Joy (noun): a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something greatly valued or appreciated

Today I realized, that I am purely joyful when I am surrounded by kids and sharing Christ's love. I was looking through pictures from Chovember Fest and camp, and I realized that my smile is more genuine and of sheer happiness when I am surrounded by God's beautiful children and getting the privilege to teach them about their Heavenly Father and show them a Christ-centered love. The feeling that I get when pouring into these children is unmatched when compared to anything else I have ever experienced. It is then that I am at my true high and where I believe I am at my best.

This makes me excited for the road that I have ahead of me. I will be in Honduras in January sharing Christ's love to the orphaned children, the poor, and the homeless. Next summer I will hopefully be back at camp participating in a ministry that I have a love and deep passion for. I am pursuing an education degree where one day I will have my own classroom and will get to live out St. Francis of Assisi's saying "preach the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words." I will have the opportunity to love on kids and show them a caring that they may not get at home (this is where my passion for the poorer school districts comes into effect). If I ever have the chance to go into children's or camp ministry I will still more than likely jump on it, as I believe that is where my true passions lie and where I can fulfill what God has placed on my heart to the best capacity. Until then though, I am satisfied loving on kids every chance I get, and sharing Christs love wherever I go! Because it is these 2 things that bring me PURE JOY!

Polo and Camp... what a weekend!

This weekend was one of my favorites so far!! Maybe because it included water polo AND camp? haha :)

On Saturday we hosted a tournament at A&M. I was excited to play, but kind of skeptical about the entire thing because I didn't really know what to expect. We had been practicing for about 10 weeks, and so I knew the girls on the team pretty well. I don't hang out with many of them outside of the pool because how we spend our nights and weekends very CONSIDERABLY, but in the water they are great people to be around.

The tourney was a BLAST! I was thoroughly exhausted by the end of it, but I loved it! I had so much fun playing on the A&M team (not to mention that a girl I know from camp who graduated from A&M last year was coaching us). I never realized how much I missed getting to play. Definitely makes the time commitment worth it!

Then on Sunday I had a camp event all day in Houston! It is called Chovember Fest, and essentially it is just a huge fall-festival type camp reunion. I had 9 campers of mine show up, and it was a lot of fun! I got pied in the face 4 times by my girls (they would win tickets for playing games that we had set up, and then could use the tickets to pie us), and I think I still have whipped cream in my ears...

There was also a fundraiser for the Honduras mission trip there. People could buy tomatoes, flour, eggs, and water balloons to throw at us while we ran through an obstacle course. Somehow I made it through the obstacle course pretty clean... that's because all of my girls then chased me around the entire site throwing things at me. I was DISGUSTING by the end of it... but I think we made somewhere around $500 to put towards the mission trip! WHOOP!

I also got to see Carley and Laura while we were at Chovember Fest. I hadn't seen Carley in about a month, and hadn't seen Laura in about 6 weeks. Seeing them was also a major bonus. I miss those two like CRAZY!!

I got back to College Station (WITH MY CAR!!) around 7:30 last night and then studied for a while. But overall, it was a great weekend!!!

Endurance? Strength? Agility? Nerve?

I ran across this quote on ESPN earlier and LOVED it! It makes me laugh when people don't consider water polo a sport. :)

"Endurance? A water polo player swims 1.5 miles a game, with another player dragging and climbing all over him, pushing his head under the water and saying unkind things about his mamma when he comes up for air.
Strength? These guys egg-beater their legs for 32 minutes in nine feet of water, muscle each other for position and rise up into the air like they’re jumping off a trampoline to shoot and block shots.
Agility? They work back-cuts and spin-moves like Kobe and Marvin Harrison.
Nerve? They take 50-mph shots in the face and breathe in lungs-full of water. And they keep coming back for more."
-ESPN

I can't wait to play some real polo this weekend!!!