Highlights of 2012

Looking back on this past year, I am in awe of the amazing blessings the Lord has provided. Here are just some of the highlights:

• Honduras mission trip where I met and fell in love with my sweet baby girl, Sara. 
• Traveling around and loving life with my water polo team. 
• Finishing out my freshman year at Texas A&M.
• Spending all summer at Camp Cho-Yeh where I met some amazing new friends.
• Relaxing in Florida for a week with my family.
• Witnessing one of my best friends marry the man of her dreams.
• Meeting Rachel and having the privilege to live life with her for the past 5 months.
• Finding some precious new friendships through the water polo girls.
• Spending Christmas in Iowa with my extended family.
• Having the Lord show me grace and love in so many ways, while delicately drawing me closer to Him.

Here's to 2013!

Sleeping in a Zoo

When I went to Sea World camp, I had the opportunity to sleep in a zoo.

Last night was a very similar experience.

Dad snores.
Mom was stuffed up so breathed loud.
Kole yells in his sleep.

Y'all. It was an experience to say the least. Hoping to sleep some in the car today, can't wait to be at my grandparents!!

First Snowball of the Season

After about 12 hours in the car, we have stopped for the night north of Kansas City, Missouri! (Did you know there is also a Nevada, Missouri? Weird, I know). It was a fairly smooth day, once we realized that KJ was going to bark nonstop unless she was laying in my lap. When we pulled over into the hotel parking lot, Kole and Mom went to check in, while I plotted something else. Kole had a surprise waiting for him when he walked out... :)

The first snowball has been thrown! He wasn't expecting it all, making the moment even sweeter for me. I've gotten used to the cold since my dorm room is set to constantly freezing (obviously... I'm wearing a t-shirt and holding snow!), so I'm hoping my experiences with snow this year will be better than previous years!

The American Dream

The American Dream, a wonderful American phenomena that is ingrained into everybody's head to idealize what it looks like to be successful.

You know, having 2.3 children, a white picket fence surrounding a 2-story house with a dog for a pet, as well as a minivan to take the 2.3 kids to their sports practices.

Frankly, the American Dream scares me, and I want nothing to do with it.

America can keep it's white picket fence. All I need is Jesus.

I feel like the American Dream creates an impractical, unreasonable, and inaccurate picture of what it means to be "well-off", to be "successful", to be "blessed". We work and work and work, just so that we can materialistically get what we "need" to be happy. We strive to get more stuff (because really, that is all it is), and in the process are moving way too fast to see what we have been given in the first place. I don't need a 2 story house and a white picket fence to be happy. America can keep that jazz, all I need is Jesus. I will not let the American Dream run interference with the blessed life the Lord has given me. We don't need "stuff" to be happy and successful, although American does a great job painting that image into our heads. All that we need is Jesus to overflow in our lives.

3.81

3.81 could mean numerous things, but today this number has an extra significance -- 3.81 was my GPA for the last semester!

That's right: 5 A's and 1 B for the semester! I can't complain at all, especially after pulling out an A in calculus. I also officially have 60 credit hours which is the amount of hours required to be classified as a junior. That really has very little significance, unless you go to Texas A&M in which case you can officially whoop... WHOOP!!

Hate Sin. Love the Sinner.

The news has been flooded with the sad story surrounding the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy that happened on Friday. Nobody understands why someone would do something like this, and hearing the reports is heartbreaking.

Most of the United States hates Adam Lanza. Nobody can imagine what kind of person could commit this heinous act. We don't understand who would be able to murder 20 first graders and 6 staff members.

Frankly, the news isn't helping this image. I'm SICK of hearing the news talk over and over about him and what he did. I'm tired of it, and it disgusts me. Wanna know why?

Because Adam Lanza is no different than any of us.

We are called to hate sin, but to love the sinner.

At camp I like to do this example with the youngest of campers where I take a bunch of quarters and put them into 2 stacks. 1 stack has 2 quarters in it, and the other has 10 or so quarters in it. I ask my girls what kind of sins would be represented by the smaller stack, and they typically reply with lying, or being mean to a brother, or not listening to their parents. I then ask them what sins would be represented by the larger stack. Typically their top 2 answers are murder, or worshipping another god. I then have each girl stand directly above the stacks of quarters and look down on them from a birds-eye view (God's view) , at which point they notice that both stacks of quarters look the same.

In God's eyes, sin is sin and all is equal. A lie is equal to murder. As humans, we don't understand this. We excuse some sins that we often fall into daily, but we wouldn't think of committing "those other sins" such as murder or adultery that would hold to a different standard. We do not have the capability to understand God's perfect mind, and therefore we cannot possibly understand the phenomena where God sees all sins as equal. James 2:10 states, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it". Sin is sin. There is no such thing as a "worse sin", as all is disobeying God and falling short of what He wants for us.

I believe that through Jesus, my sins are forgiven since I believe in and trust in Him. I also know that this holds true for all of those who put their faith in Jesus. We hate sin, but love the sinner. Adam Lanza's crime is no more or worse than mine. Sin is sin. God hates ALL sin, but loves ALL sinners. We should do the same.

Summer 2013!

So happy to announce that I will be spending summer of 2013 back at the place I love -- Cho-Yeh!

This weekend we had our annual Summer Staff Christmas Party, and it was SO good to see all of my friends again. The relationships built at Cho-Yeh are unique and one-of-a-kind. Most of these friends I only see during the summer and then once a semester if we road-trip to each others campuses. The incredible thing about these relationships are that they are stronger than any other friendship I have been apart of. I often refer to Laura as my big sister, and my truest best friends are all Cho-Yehers. It's a wonderful place.

I am proud that I will be spending my 7th summer (4th on staff) working at Cho-Yeh this summer. I will get to spend 10 weeks developing relationships with girls and getting to teach them about God while showing Christ's love. It's hard and it's exhausting, but it is so rewarding and I am so blessed to be able to have this opportunity to be a part of this staff and spend another summer doing what I absolutely love!

Here's to a Month Off!

I'm DONE! D-O-N-E DONE!

No more calculus, ever. No more biology, ever. No more speech classes, ever. No more reading and reading assessment classes (for a month, anyways).

I'M DONE! I already packed up and am home -- so stinkin' excited!!

And I'm so ready for all the wonderful things that are scheduled for this next month: being home, time at Cho-Yeh, road-trip to Iowa, a white Christmas with my extended family, and the mission trip to Honduras! God's going to do great things over this break, and I'm ready!

So Stinkin' Close.

Y'all. I am SO stinkin' close to being done for this semester! All I have left is a calculus final tomorrow morning, and then see ya later College Station! All I need is a 60 on the final, so I haven't been too stressed out -- I just want to get it over with so I can load up my Honda and hit the road. All of my friends have left CS already and I am so ready for it to be my turn to be done! I'm so stinkin' close!

I'm Ready to be in Iowa

The past week has made me REALLY ready to be in Iowa with my family! To be able to be goofy and silly with Leah. To be able to sit in the kitchen while Grandma cooks. To be able to talk with my aunts about anything. To "redecorate" my grandparents Christmas tree with my uncles. To beat Gramps in cards.

I'm so ready to be in Iowa. I honestly cannot wait! (If Iowa would like to warm up about 50 degrees between now and then, that'd be wonderful...)

Until I'm Teaching!

Today, I reached a major accomplishment for me! I finished my last science class! Science has never been a strong suit for me, especially since high school. I suffered through biology, chemisty, physics and anatomy in high school, only to take 3 more science classes here at A&M: atmospheric geography, chemistry and biology.

Well, today I finished! I took my biology final, and I am DONE with science forever! Well, atleast until I am teaching anyways... such a good feeling!

Tonight, I'm relaxing. I think Rachel and I are going to go get dinner and have a Grey's Anatomy marathon. Then tomorrow, I'm relaxing. On Sunday I will begin to review for my last final of the semester, calculus, which is on Wednesday!

I'm so close to being done! And I realized that I only need a 63 to keep an A in calculus... adious motivation to study!

Apartment Hunting!

Well, today started the fun adventure of apartment shopping! Rachel and I are planning on living together along with two other girls. We had already been looking online, and had narrowed it down to a couple that we wanted to look at, 2818 Place, Campus Corner, and Reveille's Ranch.

2818 Place was super nice and updated. They had two different 4 person layouts -- a townhome and a typical apartment which were both fully furnished. We liked the apartment a lot more because of the open common areas and big kitchen. The downsides: they only had a 12 month lease, so we would have to sublease in the morning. Also, it's far from campus and not on the A&M bus route.

Campus Corner, we were not fans of. It was nice in the fact that it had a 10 month lease and was also fully furnished. It was kinda on the expensive side, and didn't have anything super "WOW" about it.

Reveille's Ranch: not as updated as 2818 Place, but still furnished and nice. The layout was unique, but it would work. We each would have our own room and bathroom. It is close to campus, and on the A&M bus route. And they have a 10 month lease option!

Ultimately, Reveille's Ranch is what Rachel and I are thinking! I'm so excited to be off campus!

A Needed Night

The past few days have been rough. They've been categorized with little sleep, not enough to eat, and too much to do. If you have ever met anybody in my family, you know that all three of those things are ticking time-bombs for us.

Yesterday was the worst. I went to bed around 1 AM, and was wide awake by 4. I couldn't fall back asleep, and so by 8 I was up. I went to library to study, and finally emerged for food around 2 that afternoon. I stopped at the hotdog stand (I know, sounds super sketch) on the way home, only to realize that I couldn't find my school ID to pay for lunch anywhere. Note: attached to my ID is my drivers license, credit/debit cards, cash, car key, dorm key, and house key. At A&M you need your Aggie ID to do just about anything, like enter a building or buy food. I majorly panicked. I checked my bag several times, only to end up having to appologize to the lady who had already made the hotdog, and tell her I couldn't find my ID. She gave me the hotdog for free, and told me good luck. I bolted back to the library to look for them, meanwhile calling Rachel to see if I had left them by where she was studying when I had stopped by to check on her before leaving. Nope. I stopped at a bench, and began to dig through my bag again. And again. A random guy stopped when he saw me crying and frantically searching, and offered to check my bag for me. Low and behold, he found them in a pocket I didn't know existed in that backpack. I went back to the hotdog shop and repaid the lady for my lunch before heading back for a much needed nap.

Except I couldn't sleep. I ended up turning on the TV to listen to as background noise, and decided to just relax for a while. I went to pour myself a glass of water, and the lid to my pitcher snapped off, dumping 3 gallons of ice cold water ALL over me, my blankets, and the floor. Great. Just perfect!

Yesterday continued on like that. So when an opportunity came to visit Laura tonight in Livingston, I jumped on it. I drove the 2 hours this afternoon, met her at a restaurant and got to sit and talk. We made a Walmart run to pick out a Christmas present for her mentee kindergartener, and walked around Livingston. I hadn't seen her since September, the longest we had ever gone without a visit. It was so nice, and such a refreshing time before going into this week of finals. I have 2 finals tomorrow, 1 on Friday, then 1 on Wednesday before I'm FREE. All I know, is that this visit tonight was much needed!

#SiblingLove

I had the opportunity to surprise this guy today and watch him play in the championship game of their baseball tournament! I love this guy so much, and love that I live close enough that I can still support him, even on a school night! 

I also realized today that the only way I will ever be taller than him anymore is if he gives me a piggy back ride, hints this picture. He is growing up, but he will always be my baby brother and my little buddy!

Cupid Shuffle -- Water Polo Style!

It was our last water polo practice of the year.... So we decided to have a bit of fun! In addition to going off the 1, 3 and 5 meter platforms along with the 1 and 3 meter springboards, we decided to make a video! It's kinda blurry, but we had so much fun making it!

Spring 2013

Well, after countless hours messing with timing, after plenty of email exchanges with several advisors, after a 30 minute conversation with Laura discussing professors, and after my 6 AM registration time this morning, I am all registered for this upcoming spring semester!

I wasn't able to get into the math class that I needed, but I'm hoping to get forced into it during open registration. If I am not able to get into the class though, I picked up an economics class I would have had to take in the fall, and it will all work out!

As of right now, here is my schedule:

MONDAY:
9:10-12:20 -- Children's Literature

TUESDAY
2:20-3:35 -- Economics
3:55-5:10 --- Multicultural Adolescent Literature

THURSDAY
9:35-10:50 -- Volleyball
11:10-12:25 -- Technology in the Classroom
2:20-3:35 -- Economics
3:55-5:10 -- Multicultural Adolescent Literature

I am also enrolled in a 3 hour online class. But, note the fact that I don't have any 8 AM classes, and I don't have class on Wednesday or Friday! Unfortunately, if I do manage to get into the Math class, it meets Monday, Wednesday, Friday so it would kinda ruin that. So, we shall see. But considering I had the LAST spot for sophomore registration, I'm VERY pleased with how this all turned out!

"Science is Cool!"

Well y'all it's official. This chick is DONE with labs for the rest of her college career! In our last biology lab today, we actually got to do some pretty neat things that had us exclaiming (just like Bill Nye the Science Guy) that science is cool!

At one point, we closed our eyes and held our nose while somebody unwrapped a LifeSaver and gave it to us. It was IMPOSSIBLE to figure out what flavor the LifeSaver was since you couldn't smell it. So cool!

We also did an experiment where if there is a brightly colored object right on the brink of your peripheral vision you can see that something is there, but you can't tell what color it is because the cones in your eyes don't focus in that direction. So cool!

We spun a girl around in a rolly spinny chair for a while, then got to watch her eyes bug out as she tried to readjust to the motion. So cool!

We were able to taste solutions and figure out which part of our tongue the taste bud was on for sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and savory tastes. So cool!

I got hooked up to a brain monitor and my group was able to look at and match the brain waves going on. Let's just say I have WAY too much going on up there because it was going off the charts! So cool!

Y'all, as EXCITED as I am to be DONE with science labs, today's was pretty neat!

I Chose Laughter

To any situation, there are always two possible reactions. You can cry, or you can laugh. I choose laughter.

After waking up at 9:15 for a 9:35 class, I chose laughter as I danced around trying to get ready and find clean warm clothes that match.

When adding an extra 5 minutes to my travel time from class to home because I wanted to stay inside the warmth of buildings, I chose laughter as I realized how ridiculous I was considering it was only 50 degrees outside.

When spending over an hour trying to figure out html codes to apply the new background and header to this blog, I chose laughter as I frustratingly kept google searching for a user friendly html guide.

When sitting in a 3 hour class, and my professor spent an hour and a half talking before saying "now to begin what today's lecture is over", I chose laughter instead of irritation at the waste of time.

When finding out I had a quiz that I didn't know about, I chose laughter. Considering I studied for the previous 3 quizzes and failed with flying colors, I knew I was in for a treat.

When I got a 100 on aforementioned quiz that I didn't study for, I chose laughter at the irony.

When walking out of that brutal 3 hour class for THE last time ever, I chose laughter as my entire class danced around academic plaza celebrating our survival.

When I had to re-do my schedule again because my classes were getting taken, I chose laughter when I began picking classes based on which friends would be in there rather than what times they were offered.

When I went to print off the article I based my speech off of that I have to give tomorrow and found the article had been taken off the Internet, I chose laughter as I got to rewrite the entire speech.

When I completely missed the stairs in the Rec and faceplanted on the ground, I chose laughter as everybody else laughed along with me.

When the lifeguard at the pool made fun of us for a good while I was danced around the pool deck to avoid getting in the water, I chose laughter instead of embarrassment.

When I walked to Reed for Breakaway in 48 degree weather with a wet head, I chose laughter as I realized how dumb I probably looked.

When I waited 20 minutes to buy a drink from Rattlers before heading back to study tonight, I chose laughter as I ultimately finished my drink before I could buy it since I waited in line forever.

When I walked straight into a sliding glass door that didn't open, I chose laughter as I should know by now not to assume these doors will automatically open.

Ultimately, at this point in the day on as little sleep as I have had, tears probably would have come more naturally. Choosing laughter is ALWAYS a better option :)

Registration NIGHTMARES.

Why does registering for classes have to be so stinking stressful? I don't understand. There are several problems that occur almost yearly when it comes to signing up for classes:

• The classes your advisor wants you to take don't work schedule-wise with each other
• Even though your advisor tells you to take a class, you find out that you don't have the necessary requirements or hours, and so then you have to wait for your advisor to force you into the class.
• The ideal sections drop, and you are left with less-than-great class times.
• The classes fill up, stranding you without any options!

It is so stressful. As of right now 38/40 spots for one of my classes have already filled up, and I don't register till Thurdsay mid-morning! So either I'll get to play the add/drop game, or I'll be finding a new schedule!

Desert Training

When I hear the name "Moses", several things come to my head. Moses: the guy who God gave the 10 commandments to. Moses: the guy who delivered the people from Egypt. Moses: the one who parted the Red Sea.

What I don't think of when I hear the name "Moses". I don't think of a guy who spent FOURTY years in the desert, waiting on God's call. That is not what comes to mind at all. I think of this extremely successful man who loved the Lord and who did significant work for the Kingdom of God.

The thing is, we all have our times in the desert. These times are hard, and it is in the middle of these periods when we don't feel like anything is happening. When we aren't growing closer to the Lord, when we are even falling away perhaps. These times are rough. Nobody wants to spend time in the desert, and nobody wants to admit that they've been stuck in the desert, in a dry spot.

These times are so much more than waiting in the desert. It is during these times that the Lord is training us, shaping us, preparing us to be ready to do what He has for us to do. We suffer trials and hardships during these times, but the Lord uses all of that to ready us for what He has planned next, what is planned after the desert.

Moses spent 40 years in the desert before He was able to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Desert training is not pleasant, but it does help mold us into the people that God wants and needs us to be!

Thankful-Day 22

Thanksgiving

"Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

There is always a reason to be thankful, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. We serve a God who truly LOVES us, who gave everything for us, and who is always there for us. Nothing else matters. Family, friends, food and football are all great parts of Thanksgiving, but they are worthless without a God. Today, as with everyday, the thanks goes to our Father who loves each one of us just as we are. For that, I could not be more thankful.

I hope everybody had a blessed Thanksgiving!

Thankful-Day 21

Today, I'm thankful for family time. I can't remember the last time my entire family was in one room for more than a few minutes, but tonight we were able to sit and laugh together. We were able to joke around and be goofy, and just spend time enjoying each others company. My family is crazy busy, and I'm rarely home for more than a couple hours at a time, so this time together is rare, and I'm so thankful we got that tonight!!

Thankful-Day 20

Today I am thankful for REST.

The last few days in College Station were stressful, chaotic and busy. They were categorized with much sleep-deprivation and lots of activity. Therefore, when I managed to sleep 15 hours last night, and then stay in bed an additional two, I was so grateful. I am very thankful for this break from school and this chance to rest and relax!

Tomorrow starts all the baking for Thanksgiving -- here we go! Holiday craziness starts soon!

Thankful-Day 19

Today I am thankful to be HOME.

Things I did today that I wouldn't have gotten to do if I wasn't home.

• I let Kole drive me around for the first time. We blared the music (only to a safe volume of course), had the windows rolled down and were laughing the entire time. We went to Fiest and to Aragon to visit the parents and enjoy each others company.
• I had real dinner. Like a dinner with a main meal and sides. That hasn't happened in weeks.
• I watched the Aggie basketball game with Dad.
• I got to spend time with my family. 

Today's been blessed. So thankful to be HOME.

Thankful-Day 18

Today, I'm thankful for peanut butter.

In the past week, I have ate an entire jar of peanut butter by itself. Not on crackers, not on bread. No, just straight peanut butter, like licking peanut butter off a knife...

I have realized that peanut butter has become a meal. This past week, meals were rare. I'm officially tired of campus food, so peanut butter has been my go-to.

Thursday: didn't get to eat lunch until 4:30, therefore didn't want dinner until about 10... so I ate peanut butter out of the jar.

Friday: I knew I was going out to dinner with Emily, and I knew I would order a lot at Layne's so I didn't want a lot for lunch.... so I ate peanut butter out of the jar.

Saturday (GAME DAY): Had a burrito for lunch around 10:30 before going on a 2 hour quest to find Sandy. When the game was over we were starving, and Emily and Emily wanted to go to a family's friends house that was having tamales. Since I don't like tamales, I had dinner on the drive... so I ate peanut butter out of the jar.

Sunday: Had pasta for lunch which resulted in me puking my guts up about 20 minutes afterwards... snacked on crackers, grapes, and cheese while I spent 10 hours trying to teach myself calculus (the joy of having a professor that doesn't speak English very well!). Finally accepted my 93 on homework since I couldn't figure out the last stupid problem, and realized everything was already closed for dinner. So what am I having? Oh yeah... peanut butter out of the jar.

My goal tomorrow: NOT having peanut butter for dinner! And thankfully that should happen since I'm going home and we are having STEAKS. Praise the Lord for Thanksgiving BREAK!

The People of Kyle Field

After finishing up my 2nd year of Kyle Field Clean Up's every Sunday morning after home football games, I have complied a list for y'all entitled "The People of Kyle Field". So, go ahead and pull up a comfy chair, pop some popcorn, and be ready for some high quality entertainment here!

You can tell A LOT about the types of people who attend football games at Kyle Field just by what they leave behind!

First off, you have the annoying fans: the ones that buy peanuts and leave all the shells on the ground, and proceed to stomp all over them so that there are a billion itty bitty pieces.

You have the frustrating fans: the ones that buy popcorn in a souvenir bucket and don't eat the popcorn, but rather dump it all on the ground and take the bucket home.

You have the weird fans: the ones who buy a water bottle and don't even open it at all.

You have the forgetful fans: the ones that leave sunglasses, jackets, bracelets, jeans, and who knows what else behind for us to claim.

You have the sick fans: literally. The ones who throw up and don't alert a janitor.

You have the drunk fans: the ones who produce the sick fans. They are also known for leaving up to 12 empty beer bottles in a two seat range.

You have the considerate fans: the ones who put all their trash in their popcorn bucket, but leave it for us to dispose of.

You have the law-breaking fans: the ones who bring in their own food and leave their wrappers as evidence.

You have the picky fans: the ones who buy a huge plate of nachos, and only eat one bite before dumping it under their seats.

You have the disgusting fans: the ones who leave their dip cups for us to encounter.

You have the artistic fans: the ones that draw pictures in the ground with their skittles/M&Ms before the candy turns to powder.

You have the broke fans (they are tired for my personal favorite kind of fan): the ones that don't buy any food at all!

And last but not least, you have the Aggie-like fans (also tired for #1 fan): the ones that throw their own trash away and leave their area nice and clean!

What kind of fan are you? Next time you go to a sporting event, you should become and Aggie-like fan and dispose of your own trash. Cleaning a stadium is hard work -- give the janitors (or students) a break! Well, this concludes my list of People of Kyle Field. Maybe some extensions will be added next year, but for now... NO MORE KYLE FIELD CLEAN UPS!

Thankful-Day 17

Today, I am thankful for my Godmother.

13 years ago, Sandy was a huge influence in my life. She worked at my elementary so I got to see her everyday, and we were very close. We would be silly together, and I loved hanging out with her. To me, she was like an aunt that I got to see ALL the time, which considering I only get to see my extended family once or twice a year, I loved that she was close.

Then life happened. She moved about 4 hours away, and both of our families got really busy. They came down to Houston 10 years ago, and we got to see them for a couple hours, but that was the last time that I saw Sandy...

.... until yesterday. She came to College Station for the game and I got to see her for the very first time in 10 years. We didn't even know where to begin on catching up. She filled me in on her life and her kids, and I was able to tell her a bit about school and the life that I now live. A lot changes in 10 years, and it was really sad that we missed out on all of that with each other, but it was great to be able to catch up and see her! Hopefully it won't be 10 years before I see her again!

Thankful-Day 16

Today (Friday) I am thankful for sweet friends and sleepovers!

Who says slumber parties are for kids?!

One of my friends (Emily) came into town on Friday from OU to visit another friend (also named Emily) and I for the weekend! She got here around 9 and we went to Laynes for dinner. They got to meet Rachel, and we all just enjoyed hanging out, talking, and devouring some yummy chicken strips! Then we went and got frozen yogurt where we stayed for a while longer before heading back to campus for midnight yell.

It was my first midnight yell of the year (whoops... bad Aggie over here), and so it was fun being apart of that with Emily, Emily, and Rachel. Afterwards Emily, Emily and I went over to Emily's house (I know, the names are confusing) where we ended up staying up till 4 AM talking and catching up, and then our alarms went off at 8... Whoo! To say we were tired on Saturday was an understatement!

I loved having this fun time to catch up with my precious friends!

Thankful-Day 15

Today I am thankful for lazy nights with Rachel! We are currently lounging in our room, dressed in our comfiest clothes, and watching Grey's Anatomy for hours on end. We are giggling at the funny parts, and grossing out at the disgusting parts, and just loving the moments of relaxation. This week has been pretty crazy for both of us, so this time to chill is so needed and loved!

Thankful-Day 14

Today, I am thankful for modern medicine!

When headaches come, when your back hurts, when you start running a fever, when you can't sleep -- we are blessed to have medicine that takes care of all of these aches, pains, and ailments.

Today, I have had one of the worst headaches I have ever had. I'd turned off all the lights in my dorm, only having one lamp on to try to help ease this annoyance. Finally I gave in and took an Aleve, and it worked wonders within about a half hour! I was able to get a solid few hours of studying in before the headache returned.

I am so thankful for modern medicine! It plays such a huge role in our lives and we don't even realize it. Granted, it has started to cause some issues as far as antibiotics and antibiotic resistance is concerned, but things like ibprofin, advil, tylenol, aleve... It keeps us going when our bodies don't want to!

Then again, this thought enters my mind: what if these ailments are our body's way of telling us to slow down and we are just masking them? Regardless, I am thankful for modern meds that keep us going when our body's would rather not!

Thankful-Day 13

Tonight, I'm thankful for Breakaway!

Breakaway is an on-campus ministry at Texas A&M that combines worship and a message to reach out to college students every Tuesday night. Tonight was a special night called "Go Missions", where mission organizations from around the world came to have booths to give out information. Afterward the "mission fair", Shane & Shane lead worship, and Louie Giglio (well known college minister who leads Passion Conferences) spoke about how missions are everyday. We are all "going" somewhere in life, it's just whether or not we allow Jesus to be the center of it.

Every Tuesday this serves as a wonderful refresher in the middle of the week. Typically we meet in Reed Arena, and on average 4,000-6,000 college students show up. Tonight was a bit different, and we were in Kyle Field. It was 48 degrees outside and rainy. Not a great combination, but thanks to Rachel's fantastic stealth skills, we got some seats under the overhang. The rain stopped before the worship started which was nice, and I had brought my extra comforter to keep us a bit warmer.

Such a wonderful night of worship! God is good and AT WORK here in College Station!

NEWSFLASH: How NOT to get a Girl's Number

So, I'm sitting in Sbisa eating my typical Tuesday lunch in between classes, while studying for a quiz. There are PLENTY of seats available, and yet these two foreign guys come and sit down right next to me. The conversation goes a bit like that

Foreign Guy 1: Hi, I'm alsdkfjaoisfjsd!
Me: I'm Kylie, nice to meet you.
Foreign Guy 2: I'm aslduoweifjskafjwoei
Me: Nice to meet you
Foreign Guy 1 & 2: *Talks about math concepts that are WAY over my head.*
Foreign Guy 1: What do you think about this concept?
Me: I lost y'all about 10 minutes ago. I'm not a math person.
Foreign Guy 2: What major are you that doesn't involve a lot of math?
Me: I'm an education major.
Foreign Guy 1 & 2: *laughs for a long time*
Foreign Guy 2: Only people who can't keep up in engineering become teachers!
Me: Nah, I love my major!
Foreign Guy 1 & 2: *Resume geek speak. 10 minutes later they proceed to pack up their belongings*
Foreign Guy 1: Well it was nice eating with you, can I have your number so I can tutor you in your math classes?
Me: I don't have any more math classes to take, but thank you!
Foreign Guy 2: Well, can I have it anyway?
Me: No?
Foreign Guy 1: Why not? That's rude!
Me: Typically girls don't give you their number after you insult them and laugh at them...
Foreign Guy 2: Oh. Well. Bye then.

Thankful-Day 12

Today, I am thankful for families that I have gained outside of my biological family. Today I can specifically think of 3 "families" that I'm thankful for.

Rachel: Geeze, I am so thankful for the family that I have gained through my roommate this year. I love just getting to sit and talk with her, share stories about our days, talk about future plans and such like that. Living with somebody who you enjoy living life with is such a blessing!

Water Polo Family: The entire water polo team gets close, but there are also groups within our big team. My "family" consists of Lauren (super senior), Jen (senior), Katie (junior), Me (sophomore), Myriam and Maddie (freshmen). After practice tonight we all went out to dinner and just got to spend time being goofy and silly. Geeze, these girls brighten my day and I love having them in my life!

Laura: All of Cho-Yeh is close, but I have always been really close to Laura. We have a sister-like relationship, and we often address each other as "big sis" and "lil' sister". Tonight we had a good conversation and I was just reminded of how blessed I am to have her in my life.

In college, you don't get to see your family all the time. I'm lucky in the fact that I see my family more than most people do, even if just for a few hours at a time. It is the "families" that you gain in college that are the people who are there during the everyday parts of life. I'm so thankful to be surrounded by such wonderful people! So blessed!

Thankful-Day 11

Today, I am thankful for home.

This past week has been rough. So many things have happened that are uncharacteristically me that have caused plenty of frustration. I have "lost" my car twice in small parking lots and spent 20 minutes looking for it both times after practice. It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to get my printer turned on the other night, the printer I use several times a week. I locked my bike to another bike supposedly. I got confused when giving my speech and somehow said my conclusion twice. I broke down in tears for no reason on several occasions, probably because of a severe lack of sleep. There was polo drama going on, and I was feeling "blah" all week.

All week, I just longed to be home.

I am so thankful that I only live a bit over an hour from school, and so coming home is always an option. After spending the weekend with a precious friend in Livingston, I decided to drive home instead of go back to school and spend tonight with my family. Because I live so close to school, I can leave tomorrow morning, and get back to school before my first class starts without being rushed. I am so glad that I have the ability to just be home and be with my family. It is such a blessing, and something that I definitely needed tonight.

Thankful-Day 10

Today, I am thankful for the way that my family's raised me and the way that my family functions. I love that we get things done in a timely manner, that time means something to us. I realized today that not every family functions that way, and it made me appreciate my family's way of doing things. At the same time, I also realized that because we are efficient at getting what we need to accomplish done, we don't get to spend as much time together just enjoying each other's company regardless of what we are doing. Errands are typically a "task" to get finished, as opposed to an opportunity to just be a family together.

Nevertheless, I am still so glad that my family is a "get it done" kind of family! I'm not sure I could stand it any other way!

Thankful-Day 9

Today, I am thankful for the ability to go visit friends on the weekends. I drove to Livingston Friday afternoon and got to spend the weekend with Kasey, a precious friend from Cho-Yeh. Although we were busy all weekend, we got to spend some time Friday night having girl talk, getting manicures, and just being giggly friends.

So thankful for friends like Kasey (and all my other Cho-Yeh friends) and the blessings that they are in my life!

Thankful-Day 8

Today I am thankful for the opportunity to learn and study at Texas A&M.

I had a revelation tonight while working on a mundane reading assignment, where a lot of different things clicked for me. I don't remember having to "learn" how to read, it always just seemed to just make sense. That has made these reading classes hard, because I couldn't relate to much of it.

I also learned a lot of information in biology today about certain body systems. When I look at the experiments that I get to be apart of in lab, they are really cool and interesting, and I know that this isn't an opportunity that a lot of people my age get to have.

Going to a University is a privilege, and is definitely something I was reminded that I need to be thankful for today!

*Note: I'm going out of town this weekend to spend the weekend with Kasey (YAY!) so days 9-11 will be coming on Sunday more than likely!*

Thankful-Day 7

Today I am thankful for NAPS!

Geeze, I have been so sleep deprived this week. And when I am lacking in sleep, I get very cranky. Combined with being a busy week in general, this low-sleep factor has not been helping!

Today after class and finally giving my speech (which didn't go over too well), I was able to crawl into bed and just lay there. Note: this was at 1:45 this afternoon...

Then 6:00 rolls around, and I finally pull myself out of bed and head over to the pool. Yeah... that 4 hours could have very easily been put to better use, but oh well! It was much needed and so worth it! Very thankful for that period of rest today!

Thankful-Day 6

Today I am thankful for people who actually do their jobs.

The story of this one is in quite contrary, as it is a story of somebody who IS NOT doing their job at all!

I walked out of class today to find my bike parked in the bike rack where I left it before class, with a neon Univeristy boot (a different form of lock) attached to my bike, so I could not take my bike after class. The only reason I could think of why my bike would have gotten booted is that somehow my lock didn't get latched all the way. This is around 2:50 this afternoon.

I called the number that I was given to contact to get the boot removed, and they gave me a different number to contact the unlock people directly. No answer. Tried 10 minutes later. No answer. Tried 5 minutes later. Left a message. Tried every 10 minutes. STILL no answer!

By this point I am extremely frustrated because a) my bike was parked legally and they had no reason to boot it, and b) they are not doing their jobs by not answering there phones. It has been over an hour and a half, so I finally called back the original number to try and talk to a supervisor. That supervisor was supposed to call and figure out what was going on, because the unlock people are supposed to return calls within 10 minutes of receiving them. Needless to say, I'm probably not getting my bike back today, and I'm very frustrated about it.

So, this reminds me today of how thankful I am for people who actually do their jobs everyday, most of the time people who go without recognition. To them, I am quite thankful for today! If only everybody was more like them!

Thankful-Day 5

Today, I am thankful for the ways that the Lord loves on me in small ways.

When I woke up at 7:00 this morning to hear the band playing way too loud next to my dorm, my first thought was "my alarm isn't going off for another 3 hours. What. The. Heck!". It turns out I couldn't fall back asleep, and so at 8:30 I crawled out of bed and splashed some water on my face, and then got to go spend an extra long time in the Word and talking with Jesus this morning. Thanks to the extremely loud Aggie Band, I was able to start my day off in the perfect way. The Lord loved on me through that.

In my first class, Myriam texted me checking up on me, and then she asked me to hold her accountable in her challenge to dive more into the Word in her quiet times. Through her talking about her passion for being immersed in the Bible, the Lord reminded me of my original goal to have the New Testament read by the end of December. I have a ways to go, but the Lord loved on me through her sweet vulnerability and request for accountability.

I was missing Cho-Yeh a lot this weekend. A lot of my camp friends were in Louisiana hanging out together. A bunch of staff were at Chovember Fest hanging out with campers and fundraising for Honduras. Kasey and Jessica were on a retreat at Cho-Yeh. Meanwhile, I was in College Station, and although I loved this weekend, I still felt like I missed out on so many camp activities. Today, I ran into Kristen, Cameron, and Erin within an hour of each other, and it was precious affirmation that I am still surrounded by those people here at school.  The Lord loved on me through that reminder.

This afternoon, I spent nearly 6 hours in the library getting homework done. I didn't do much of anything school-wise this weekend because of water polo, and so with test week around the corner I was seriously behind. I am not a very sit-still kinda person, but I was able to focus and get a lot done. I was able to cross things off my to-do list, and feel reassured and more confident going into the rest of this crazy week. The Lord loved on me through that accomplishment.

Tonight, I am exhausted. My body is physically bruised all over from this weekend. I have an on/off headache still from where I got kicked yesterday. I have a lovely scratch covering the length of my arm that resembles a bear mauling. My back is sore. Through the aches and pains of today, the Lord has reminded me of how blessed I am to have the physical talents to play such a brutal sport, how lucky I am to be able to fight with such aggression. He has shown me what I take for granted often, a healthy body. I can walk, run, bike, swim, shoot, block, wrestle. So many people can't do that. The Lord loved on me through my physical pains today.

I am SO thankful that I serve a Lord that chooses to love us. That wants to love us. That takes pleasure in loving us. Even in the small things, Our God LOVES.

Thankful-Day 4

Today, I am thankful for WATER POLO!

Geeze, it is such a blessing to be a part of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Women's Water Polo Team! This weekend was so much fun, and I loved being back in the water. This weekend definitely reaffirmed my love for defense! Just ask anybody who was there. I even scored while on defense, yes it is possible!

These girls are so wonderful. They brighten any day, which is probably why I have only missed 1 practice in the last 7 weeks. That is 31/32 practices! Even on my worst days, the stressful days, the days when nothing goes right -- it is 2 hours spent in the pool with these girls that make my day!

Last year, we established a kind of "polo family". 4 of us got super close, and it just so happened that we had a senior, junior, sophomore, and a freshman in our group. Jana, Jen, Katie and myself. Jana graduated last year, and this year it was my "turn" to adopt a freshman into our group. Well, we ended up with Myriam and Maddie! TWINS! These girls. Living on campus, I have gotten the opportunity to bond with Myriam through drives to practice, and we have even started going to church together. Maddie and I have class together on Tuesday/Thursday, so I have gotten to get super close to them too. Not only do I get to hang out with them, but I get to love on them daily and be encouraging! I know from last year that freshman year can get tough, so I enjoy getting to be a support system for them. They uplift me too and make me laugh more than I knew was possible. Between Maddie, Myriam, Katie and Jen -- we are a laughing machine! SO blessed!

Fightin' Texas Aggie Women's Water Polo Team: 2012-2013

Myriam (left) and Maddie (right!)

My precious girls in their first COLLEGE water polo tournament! They did so wonderfully!

Things You Aren't Told

This weekend, I have composed a list of things that you are not told when you sign up to play water polo:

1. You will be drowned. Literally, I was inhaling water at the bottom of the pool today for what seemed like longer than a couple seconds.
2. Your head will be treated like a soccer ball. You will be kicked mercilessly hard in the head/neck region.
3. Bleeding is normal. I was swallowing blood at one point - yummy!
4. The bar on the cage is your worst enemy, outside of the other team.
5. Sympathetic looks from the refs will happen, but they still won't make a call in your favor.
6. You will get cussed out on several occasions. 
7. Your suit will look like it could fit a Barbie doll, don't worry, you can make it fit somehow!
8. Said suit may take 3 people to zip up
9. All is fair when it happens under the water.
10. Fist fights will occur, elbows will be thrown, a punch may happen... and nothing is called.
11. "Unsportsman like conduct in the water" should have you thrown out from an entire tournament, not just one game. Because obviously Texas State's #9 doesn't learn when you roll her from the previous three games!
12. You will guard girls 3 times your size, and you will be responsible for not letting them touch the ball.
13. And last, but certainly not least: you will become closer to your team than you ever could previously imagine. You will meet your best friends, you will become a family. Don't try to fight it. Embrace it. Love it. I guess the teams that drown together, win together!

Thankful-Day 3

Today I am so thankful for my family. I love that I only live a bit over an hour from them at school and therefore they can come see me play water polo and I know that I can always drive home. In college, your family isn't a big part of your daily lives. Yes, I atleast text either Mom or Dad once a day, and typically call home atleast once a week, but they aren't there to see my highs and lows. Seeing them in the stands today, rooting me on, meant and symbolized so much. Not only are they physically cheering me on in water polo, but they are cheering me on in all parts of my life, regardless of where that takes me. So thankful for them and their unfailing support!

Thankful-Day 2

Today I am thankful for Friday's. A day of relaxation, hanging out with friends, and just being silly.

This Friday was spent with some of my favorite people in College Station. After I slept in and went to calculus, I came back and spent a while cleaning up my room and doing the dishes. Then Rachel got off and we navigated the bus-system to get over to west campus to eat at THE best place on campus- Which Wich!

I then made a Walmart run to pick up pictures before Myriam and I went to the annex to pick out some movies. We then had a Grey's marathon which Rachel joined us for, who we successfully got hooked on one of the best TV shows ever!

All of us then piled in the car and headed over to Katie's where we watched "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days", while eating way too much popcorn, cookies and cookie dough. Jen and Dani net us there too, such a fun girls night with friends!

Rachel and I came back and watched another 2 episodes of Grey's, she is obsessed now and I love that she will watch them with me! So fun!!

There isn't much time in a busy school week to just relax and hang out, but that is what Friday's are meant for!!

Thankful-Day 1

Today, I am thankful that my God has a plan for me.

I was reminded of this very blatantly today when my best friend was offered a leadership spot for next summer at camp, meanwhile I don't know if I even get to go back next summer as a counselor. Right as I started to get jealous that she got a "promotion" and I may not get rehired, I was reminded that God has a beautiful plan for my life, and I am so thankful for that. Whether that plan includes camp next summer, or some other opportunity, His plan is perfect and I put my trust in Him.

It's Polo Time Again

WHOOP! It's that time of year again -- water polo season is about to begin! Well, for this semester anyways. And I am so excited!

There are some frustrations tied to this weekend in regards to certain teammates and commitment issues, but overall I can't wait to be back in the water playing!

I am ready for this week to be over so much! First of all, I am in need of a nap on Friday afternoon. Then some of my freshmen are coming over for a movie night Friday night. Saturday and Sunday we get to play all day. And my family will be here! And they will finally get to meet my precious and wonderful roommate! It's going to be all around wonderful and I can't wait!! It's polo time again!!

Relationships

There are some things I would rather just not blog about. Things like this. Things that I wish didn't happen, that didn't need to be blogged about.

But in the effort of making this blog an accurate representation of my life, I will include it.

A huge part of college is about relationships, and a lot of emphasis is placed on relationships involving guys. I have never been one to be eager about jumping into relationships, never been the girl that had to be in a relationship to be happy. I'm SO far from that. But that does not mean that I don't wonder what it would be like to have a boyfriend, that I don't dream about that, that I don't want that one day in the future.

So when the guy that you have liked for a long time goes on a date with another girl, it sucks. And when you spend the afternoon hanging out with a group and they are both there flirting with each other, it's rough.

There is no nice way to put it, it's hard and it's not fun.

But there is a silver lining. As wonderful as he is, he just may not be the right one for me, which means that if it is in God's perfect plan for me to one day find a guy to spend the rest of my life with, then he is better than the guy I've been liking. I can't complain with that, I can't be unhappy with that. And if it isn't in the plan for me to end up spending forever with a guy, then I am meant for something else that is more perfect.

My point is: for every wonderful guy that isn't the one I'm meant to date, that means there is somebody more wonderful out there if that is what God's perfect plan holds for me. I trust in God's perfect plan, and that is enough for me!