Lazy Days with my Best Friend

Finally it is Thanksgiving Break! I got back to Cypress around 6:30 Monday night, and loved spending the evening relaxing with my family.

On Tuesday I got to head to Livingston for a girls day with Laura. Geeze, I am so blessed by her friendship! We were super lazy and watched movies, went out for supper, and made hot chocolate. She played with my hair and we had deep heart to hearts that aren't always easy to have over the phone.

There is something about this friendship that is more like a sisterhood. I loved getting to go over to her house and lay on her couch and just enjoy her company. I loved getting to talk into the wee hours of the morning and share life with each other, even if only for a day.

We talk about everything under the sun: families, boys, school, work, classes, holiday plans, camp, friends, wedding dreams, my upcoming 21st, educational philosophies, dream jobs... literally EVERYTHING. I don't think I've ever had a friend that has known me as well as Laura does.

After staying up way too late talking and giggling, we woke up this morning and made cinnamon rolls before I helped her pack up her dogs so that she could head to the Woodlands to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family and Wayne's family, and so that I could head back to Cypress to spend the rest of the week with my family and Grandpa.

I consider Laura part of my family, and so I'm thankful that I got to spend part of this Thanksgiving with her, and now that I get to spend the rest of it with everybody else.

Why It Is Hard to be Picked On.

Growing up, almost all of my memories with my grandfather revolve around one of 2 things: either playing Hand and Foot or him picking on me. Almost all of them.

This is how the picking on would go. Grandpa would begin to torment me and then my Gramma would step in and go "Gene. Cut it out!" at which point Grandpa would stop picking on me, atleast for the next 10 minutes or so.

Now that my Gramma has passed away, it is so hard for me when he picks on me. Now he picks on me more because Kole eggs him on and gets a kick out of it, but I still wait for my Gramma to chime in and chastise him. Gramma and I were always a secret team. Now the picking on doesn't stop, and it often brings me to the brink of tears. Him "tickling me" or poking me or pulling my hair or yanking on my ears doesn't upset me - it's the fact that never again will my Gramma come to my rescue that always has the water works welling up in my tear ducts.

It's hard to be picked on.

Registration Woes, It's Almost Over, & For The Kids

Registration is always a nightmare. I always plan the perfect schedule, then all those classes are already picked before I get to register. So, this is what next semester is looking like

Monday: Observation in the elementary from 7-5
Tuesday: Multicultural Reading from 2:20-3:35, Statistics from 3:55-5:10
Thursday: Statistics from 3:55-5:10
Friday: Elementary Curriculum from 8-10:50, Dynamics of Managing a Multicultural Classroom from 11:10-2.
And then I'm taking an online ESL class.

It's not nearly the schedule I was wanting, but I was able to get all of my classes that I need to take this semester, so I guess that is all that really matters.

Then the realization came that I only have to register for one more semester at A&M. I am finishing up my 5th semester here, then have 2 observation based semesters, and then student teaching. It's almost over!

And thankfully, there is a point to the madness I call this semester. Spending 10 hours working math problems has a point. Writing a research paper every week has a point. Group projects out the whazoo - they too have a point. In a year and a half when I'm hopefully teaching my own class, it will all be worth it, because it is all for the kids.

You Can Tell Based on my Hair

I have come across the realization that anybody can tell what kind of day I am having based on what my hair is looking like.

Let's see if y'all are any good at this guessing game:

Well, what are y'all thinking? Do any of the following words come to mind? Stressed, busy, chaotic, hectic, sleep-deprived, exhausting, or insane? Because that is what the rest of the semester will be like! With only 6 days of class left and a billion things left on my to-do list, this will be the hairstyle I'll be rocking for the rest of the year! It says "I tried to look put together today by attempting a braid, but it just wasn't happening!"

Pictures from Georgia

I Did It!

And on that note, all 14 of us are back home in College Station safe and sound! WHOOP! I'm so proud of myself for pulling this trip off and getting to serve my team in this way by taking care of them!

Be ready for a billion pictures tomorrow. For now, I'm rewarding myself with SLEEP because I DID IT!!!

"But MOM!"

If only everybody knew the number of times that I have been called "Mom" in the past 36 hours...

Me: Does everybody have their seatbelts on?
Car: But MOM!!!
Me: Tina -- that includes you! Is your seatbelt on as you lay down across the backseat?
Tina: You won't wreck! You won't even speed! Mom!!

"Mom! What time do we play?"

"Where are we going to supper, Mom?"

"When are we leaving, Mom?"

"Mom! Pay attention to me!"

"You looked like such a proud Mama when I scored my first goal!"

"Mom, can we have dessert instead of dinner?"

"How much is the student discount, Mom?"

Stranger: How'd you get stuck having to be all of their mom's this weekend?

"Mom. You take the fun out of everything. You won't even let us go play ding dong ditch with the prostitutes next door!"

And it goes on. And on. And on.

... Obviously I am a fun-sucker and I know the answer to everything... Welcome to water polo weekends!

Here We Go!

Well, ready or not in about 12 hours we will begin our trek to Atlanta, Georgia! We are hoping to leave College Station around 10:30, get to Dallas by 2, be in the airport by 2:30, checked in and through security by 3:30, then have an extra hour to go walk around the airport!

We scrimmaged tonight where I took a shot to the face that had me out of the pool for a good minute or two until everything stopped spinning. It gave me a vivid reminder of what it was like when I got (what we all realized about a week later) what was probably a concussion last fall. That's one of the things that gets me nervous about traveling. Somebody always gets knocked around or drowned in polo games. Concussions are actually pretty frequent, as is dislocated shoulders, broken noses, etc. Knowing that I will be the one on point for taking care of anything that happens is nerve wracking, but all of the responsibility also provides me an incredible opportunity to handle leadership with grace and love. To love the girls through the INSANE learning curve that this weekend will be. To love the girls when we are losing, as well as when we are winning. To love the girls when we are out on the town Saturday night. To love the girls as we are navigating airports. I have such a huge opportunity this weekend, and I am so excited to be given this leadership role as a blessing!

So on that note, I should probably go finish laundry and pack! HERE WE GO!

Happy 20 1/2!

It's no secret that I like to make a HUGE deal out of my friends birthdays during the year. I pull out all of the stops, and love getting to see their faces when I surprise them with something they weren't expecting.

The best thing about this, is that I'm NEVER here for my birthday, so they are never able to get revenge. It's great.

Well, that changed last night. You're right, November 12th is not my birthday. But, my best friends decided that because I have a summer birthday they were going to celebrate my half birthday! They told EVERYBODY about this, except for me of course.

So when I walked into the pool last night I was greeted with banners, cupcakes, flowers, cards, and lots of singing. As much as I hate celebrating my birthday and hate surprises, I loved the thought that they put into this. I sure do have incredible friends!

Katie, Me, Myriam and Jen with the birthday banner they hung at the pool.

When You Put It That Way....

There are some "big things" that I am proud of accomplishing, such as graduating high school, making an A in college calculus, being the sole girl on a team of 6 guys last summer, making the decision to come back to school this semester, being elected as water polo president, and living in an apartment this year.

But I don't think any of those things will compare to the accomplishment I will feel at 11:00 Sunday night.

On Friday I will be responsible for getting 14 people safely to Dallas, through check in and security at DFW and then onto an airplane to Atlanta, Georgia. Then I will have be responsible for 2 rental vans (through the university) and 4 hotel rooms for 2 nights. I will be responsible for getting 14 people to the tournament, warmed up, and run subs throughout our 3 games on Saturday. Then find some safe, non-alcoholic form of entertainment for Saturday evening. Oh yeah, planning dinner for 14 goes in there too. Then back to the hotels and at it again on Sunday. Only one game on Sunday, then back to the airport to return rental vehicles then the whole security shabang again, before landing in Dallas. Then driving 3 more hours back to College Station! When we get everybody home safe and in one piece, I am going to be SO stinkin' proud of myself!!!

Stress, Sleep Deprivation and Everything Else College.

Reality check: college isn't all fun and games. It's not just football days, elephants, friends, tailgates, concerts, and road trips home. It's not even just studying and doing homework and editing papers for hours.

College is stressful. I can't think of the last time I actually sat down and didn't have anything I had to do. I can't think of the last weekend where I got to just enjoy time off. No. I have spent at least 8 hours in the library every Sunday for the last 4 weeks.

I haven't slept through the night in months. I wake up every hour, my brain reeling with everything that needs to get done. I am up and showered by 7 almost every morning, even on the days when I don't have class until nearly 1:00 in the afternoon. There's just too much to do.

And water polo is a HUGE cause of it. I can't just have the luxury of skipping practice when I don't want to go. I have spent so much time planning our trip out to Atlanta, and although I'm excited to get to play, I can't wait for it to be over with. I went to the office FIVE separate times today for various things Atlanta related. And the office isn't even on main campus! Talk about some good treks to and from that building.

Thankfully, friends make it worth it. Myriam and I often spend the long days in Evans together, treating ourselves to 5 minutes of talking after an hour of solid productivity. Rachel and I keep each other company during the wee hours of the morning while we both try to cram more information in our brains.

College isn't all fun and games. There's a bunch of stress and sleep deprivation that goes along with that!

An Aggie Filled Weekend

Junior E-Walk was on Friday afternoon, but that has already been covered in a previous post.

Later Friday night was Midnight Yell. Although I generally go to one Midnight Yell a year and that's enough for me, this one was particularly important. It was Dr. Loftin's last Midnight Yell before he retires as the President, and it was also the last Midnight Yell in the original Kyle Field. So of course, my tradition crazy friends dragged me along. And it was worth it, the atmosphere was CRAZY!

Saturday morning Laura surprised me and came into town early before the game and we went out to lunch with her mom. I have never seen so much maroon in one restaurant!

Then Saturday afternoon was The Game. The last home game of the season. The last game in the original Kyle Field. The last home game potentially with both Manziel and Evans. Katie and Jen's last game as students. Golly. It was a great game, we had lots of fun, and we won! WHOOP!

This morning was the last Kyle Field Clean Up. Having survived eight KFC's this season provided for an exciting LAST one! I brought donuts and we had a little party before we cleaned. Then Myriam, Katie, Jen, Jenna and I went on an adventure around Kyle. It's crazy the amount of renovations that have already started!

All in all, a good weekend! Now spending the rest of the day studying just like every other Aggie on campus today. Then a 4-day weekend before we head to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia for a water polo weekend!

Junior E-Walk

Today was Elephant Walk and Junior E-Walk! I don't really know the story behind the tradition, nor did I actually participate in the walk itself, BUT I did get to see ELEPHANTS on campus today!! The crazy thing to think about is, HOW am I already a JUNIOR?!?!

Well. Our Fire Alarms Work.

If I had to describe this week in 1 word it would be "Rollercoaster". I don't think I have had so many ups and downs in one week in a LONG TIME.

This afternoon, I tweeted Dr. Loftin (Texas A&M's beloved President who is retiring at the end of the semester) off of the water polo twitter and said "We would love for @AggiePrez to come to the Diving Well of the Rec between 6:15-8pm. We need a team picture with the best President!" and Dr. Loftin replied "I will do my best!"

Well. He did! He came out to the Rec before our practice and we all got to take pictures! For those non-A&M people -- this is a BIG DEAL.

We then had practice, nothing too exciting.

Overall today had just been full of many routine ups and downs. I have been exhausted and hadn't had supper yet; for me, that is an equation for an emotional meltdown. I called Laur to vent for a little bit and ended up bawling my eyes out when she reminded me that these wordly things don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

After hanging up with her (it's 9:30 by this point) I decided I was going to make dinner and then go to bed. In the process of boiling water to make noodles the smoke got to the smoke detectors (WHY do they put the right above the stove? Doesn't make sense!) and the fire alarms began to go off. At which point I got everything turned off and made it outside the apartment door to realize that it was only my individual apartment going off, not the entire building. I proceeded to slump on the side of the wall and proceeded to cry again because I had scared myself so bad.

After the alarm turned off, I made a McDonalds run (because I obviously wasn't going to be trying to make dinner again) and ended up inviting myself over to Katie's because I didn't wanna be myself at that point. Jen met us there and after debriefing why I was a wreck we proceeded to tell funny stories and after about an hour we were crying from laughter, not from frustrations.

I got home around midnight to find that Rachel had cleaned up the mess that I had left in the kitchen. She wrapped me in a big hug and decided to show me possibly the most adorable wedding video ever. I'm so lucky to have her in my life.

All in all, a couple of realizations from today:

• I go to a University where the President cares enough about his students to come to a club practice to take pictures. How cool!
• I don't do well on little sleep -- shocking, I know. Not that this is a new realization.
• My friends are incredible and I don't know what I would do without them.
• Our fire alarms work perfectly fine! If they were to ever go off, we would know for sure!

21 Seasons

Having a coach for a dad, I grew up under the lights of a football field, basketball court or baseball field, depending on the season. I didn't miss a single game until middle school, and even then I still made it to at least one game a seaon. I wasn't about to let that streak be broken, so with a free afternoon on Tuesday, I was able to road trip it home to surprise my dad at one of the last games of the season.

He had NO idea I was coming. And his face when he got this text message as I walked through the gate was priceless.

I love that I go to school close enough that I can make a surprise visit home on a week day! Love getting to be my Dad's cheerleader!