College Essay --> Topic A

Now that I have OFFICIALLY applied to Texas A&M University, and the application has been submitted... I decided to share two of my essays.

"The people who know us the best, who know our commendable traits as well as our weaknesses, are often the people who make the most impact on our lives. They are the people who push you to your limits, only to make you better. Who understand how you function, and know how to work with you. They are the people who know when something is wrong, just by how you walk in the door. They are the people who are there for you when you are at the top of the roller-coaster called life, and they are also the people who are there for you when that roller-coaster is nearing the ground. Throughout the years they are slowly impacting our lives, and helping to shape and mold us into the people who we are today. For me, that person is my eight-year swim coach, Coach Dennis Gagne.

Throughout the past eight years with Coach Dennis as my coach, I have grown exceptionally close to him and am even accustomed to calling him "Daddy Dennis". We tease each other like family, and he sure does love to make fun of me, but I know when it counts he will always be there for me. He guides out of love, and is always willing to be an ear to listen when the times are tough.

I started swimming under Coach Dennis when I was nine years old. I remember the first months of practice being brutal, not because the work-out was exceptionally hard, but because I was a quiet and shy little girl who did not fit in with the rest of the team who all seemed very loud and self confident. I was new to the club-swimming idea, and I knew that I was the new-girl. I let all of my teammates believe that of me too, and took a subordinate role to them, which lead to feeling left out and awkward during practices. Coach Dennis would tell me every day that all I had to do was be who I was and let my personality show, and that is all it would take to fit in with the rest of the team. It took quite a while for what he was telling me to sink in. After swimming for Coach Dennis for a few years, it finally made sense to me. I did not have to put on a face or a different personality for my teammates, or my friends for that matter. If I was just myself, the bubbly, fun-loving girl who I always had been, that is all I needed to be to fit in. Just be myself. And wow, once I figured that out it seemed as if everything fell into place. I went into middle school with a new attitude, and fit-in with my teammates for the first time since I joined club-swimming. Even now, eight years after this started, I can honestly say that Coach Dennis imposed that aspect into me that I now live my life by. Just be who you really are, and people will love you for that.

In the summer before my freshman year of high school, I was debating quitting swimming for good. I had been swimming for ten years at that point, and was pretty tired of the sport. I was not sure that I wanted to spend six hours a day at the pool during high school, and did not see what there was for me to gain by sticking with the sport. Numerous times I recall Coach Dennis sitting me down and explaining to me the pros and cons of swimming in high school, and after taking a couple weeks off I realized that I would not be the same person if I quit the sport. Coach Dennis helped me to realize that even though swimming itself may become time-consuming and mundane, the relationships made and experiences gained with my teammates and swimming family outweigh the possible benefits of quitting swimming. That decision that Coach Dennis was a part of decided how I would spend the next four years of high school, who would become my friends, how I would spend my weekends and ultimately who I would evolve into. Since I now spend up to thirty-five hours a week at the pool, I am not involved in partying, or the stereotypical high school scene because I know what will happen if I take my focus away from what I work so hard for: being the best swimmer that I can possibly be. I am not sure who I would have become if I had quit swimming before freshman year, but I unambiguously would not be the same person I am today.

This past semester I had a friend of mine pass away after an accident. I was emotionally a mess, and was having a challenging time getting through each day. I would show up to practice and Coach Dennis would know that I was upset just by how I would walk through the entrance to the pool. He was the only one who would momentarily stop the tears and the teenage emotions for the few hours I spent at the pool. I would pull myself out of the water after two hours of working out, and he would wrap me in a hug, promising me that it would get easier and that life would start to look up again soon. I would always leave practice feeling better than when I arrived, knowing that it was Coach Dennis' caring nature and genuine love that made all the difference.

A coach is someone who helps bring out the best athlete in you during those few hours that you spend together. Coach Dennis is more than a coach to me though. Not only has he coached me through the swim practices, he has coached me through life, making an impact on me every chance he gets. He has been there for me when everything is smooth-sailing, and he has been there when my life seems to be crumbling apart in my hands. I can think back to the nine year old girl I was when I met him and compare that girl to who I am now, and know that I am who I am in part because of the daily impact that Coach Dennis has made in my life over the past eight years."

I love you Coach Denny!!!

College Stuff & Summer Reading has been driving me CRAZY!

Well... if the title of this blog didn't give you a hint... College Stuff and Summer Reading has been driving me CRAZY

Did you get it that time?

All week I have been trying to finish up my summer reading book, The Book Thief, before school starts on Monday. Of course, I had to pick THE LONGEST book there was available this summer.. Humph.

Luckily, last night the book got semi-interesting and with 130 pages left till the epilogue (which was another 20 pages), the end was in sight. So, I sat down and finished it. PHEW! The last summer reading book EVER is done with!! Can you sense a little bit of excitement there?

This week I have also been trying to finish these essays so that once my parents help me with the last portion of the app, I can submit it all to Texas A&M! This afternoon, I finished the rough draft for the last essay! I'll probably revise/edit it tonight (I don't like this essay as much as the other ones. Maybe because my the time I wrote it I was feeling pretty done with this essay business) and then I'll be officially d-o-n-e.

I also started looking for other scholarships today too. Did you know you can get a scholarship for being TALL?? Why did I not get those genes?? Sigh. I did not realize how many different scholarships there were out there though, so I guess that is a good thing?

Tonight while I was watching the news with Daddy, they were talking about this website called Sponsor My Degree, where you have the ability to advertise yourself, what you want to do in college, why you need scholarship money, etc on this webpage, and then companies can search and donate money. It's called Microsponsorships, most of the time $5 or $10, but still!! Every dollar adds up! So I got online and started doing that tonight. Geesh!

One of my best friends, Megan, leaves tomorrow for college. So tonight I have to go over and say "see you later" (we aren't saying bye. Neither of us can handle that again after she moved to Canada for a year). Sigh.

Been so busy this week! And school starts up again Monday. BOO! Summer is officially over.

Today hasn't been my day

Today HASN'T been my day...

I woke up at 7, and realized that in exactly a week I'd be sitting in first period with Coach Hawkins.

Which means summer would be officially over.

I spent an hour reading my summer reading book.

It's a waste of time.

I think I left one of my favorite Cho-Yeh shirts at camp somehow.

I cleaned my closet, only to have my entire box of camp stuff somehow fall off the highest shelf and knock off a lot of the stuff that I had just cleaned and put away.

In said closet disaster I realized that my favorite 3 pair of jeans are like high-waters.

I went to the ortho, in the hopes of getting my braces off considering in MAY they told me I'd get them off by August. I hate the ortho.

They decided to beat up my mouth.

It feels like they've punched me in the face.

And I'm not getting my braces off now until December. Maybe.

I have a strong desire to go swim because that's what I do when I have a bad day.

But team YES is still on break.

And it's thundering so the neighborhood pool is closed.

AGH!!!!

HMPH.

Maybe tomorrow'll be better?

Figurin' Out the Essays

Figured out what I'm writing about for all my essays!! I think I've figured out a way to spin all of them so that I can write about something I know well/am passionate about.

TOPIC A... I'm writing about my swim coach and how he has impacted my life. CHECK!
TOPIC B... I'm writing about Relay For Life. CHECK!
TOPIC C... I'm writing about camp. CHECK!

SUH-WEET! These essay's are looking a lot less scary now that I have found ways to write about what I love! YAHOOO!

Senior Pictures, Senior Orientation, Class Ranks, College Apps... What a week!

I got home from camp on Sunday, and have been thrown right back into the mouth of this world called reality. Sigh.

Monday I started my application to Texas A&M. I was banking on being in Top 10%, and therefore knew in the back of my mind I was already going to be accepted. Still doesn't make it any less stressful though! I knew I was in the top 5% at the end of my sophmore year, but didn't really know where I would stand after Junior Year considering I had taken art, BCIS, and swimming which would all be considered on-level and therefore would drop my GPA. I started filling out the application, and got so flustered realizing just how close and real college is now.

Tuesday I was up at school taking Senior Pictures for the yearbook. Wearing the graduation gown (well... the top of the gown anyways), and the cap was like "woah... I'm not ready for this yet! I don't graduate till June 5th (I think), isn't this kinda early to be thinking about cap and gowns??

Wednesday I went up to school to try to get my transcript. Um. Yeah. That didn't work out as planned. Long story short, I left very irritated at the administration/registrars, and left without a transcript.

Thursday I worked on my college app and finished most of it, minus the scholarship part and the essays.

This morning I was up at school for Senior Orientation. We got our parking spaces for this year (yahoo being closer to the school!), class ranks, yearbooks, mock-schedules, and were able to sign up for lockers. Since when do you SIGN UP for lockers?? WEIRD! After my JR year I'm ranked number 32 in my class out of 775, which places me in the top 4% of my class with a GPS of 6.6something. I was STOKED! I knew this meant that once I get everything turned into A&M I'll be accepted :). I got my yearbook from JR year, and was really happy with the Water Polo page (that's still the only page I've actually read out of the entire thing). It brought back so many memories of state and made me even more stoked for this next season. My mock-schedule was messed up: it had me in JV swimming and didn't have me taking government or economics... which are both required in order for me to graduate. Somehow my counselor just SKIPPED OVER that fact when signing me up for classes. And she wasn't even there for me to talk to and get it fixed. Luckily with a call to Coach Hawkins and another counselor I was able to get them fixed. Sigh of relief. I was even able to sign up for a locker near the pool! HOORAY! That'll make next year easy :) I then went to the Registrars office and got the information for my transcript, which they are sending directly to A&M for me! Yippee!

Now I'm planning on starting one of the three essays that I need to write. Somehow blogging is just SO much easier than writing essays!! I'm so out of school-practice that sitting down and writing a formal paper just doesn't come easily anymore. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.

Still can't go to bed without singing TAPS

After the evening programs at camp, we would sing "Taps". It's the perfect prayer before bed, and thought I'd share. Even now that I am home, I still sing it before turning out the lights!!

"Day is done,
Gone the sun,
From the lakes,
From the hills,
From the skies.
All is well,
Safely rest.
God is nigh.

Thanks and praise,
For our days,
Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
Neath the sky.
As we go,
This we know.
God is nigh"

Perfect, right??

The Best 3 Weeks: Where do I begin?

I don't even know where to begin to describe/explain these past 3 weeks. It was simply AMAZING.

The first 2 weeks was full of WC tasks. We lumped ALL the campers luggage every Sunday afternoon and Friday nights. We raked off mud 2 inches thick on a pedal karts course. We made a trail from the New Meeting Hall to the Chodome. We cleaned the SHO. We did low-ropes in the rain. We went through the entire Staff Training Manual. We had an AWESOME Bible Study. We worked activities for campers. We facilitated Alpha/Omega games. We shadowed cabins. We served breakfast every morning. We signed up all the campers for 8 activities. We facilitated H2Chomania, and evening programs. We were up by 6:40 every morning, and oftentimes wouldn't get back to our A-frames till 11:00. Then we'd have to run to the bath-house (no, it wasn't adjoined to the A-frame, and yes, I'm pretty sure it was built in 1947 when camp opened and hasn't been remolded or updated since) to all shower. Then one WC'er would share a testimony, and THEN we'd go to bed. If we were asleep by midnight, it was worth celebrating.

This past week we were actually in a cabin as a counselor. I was with the baby cabin, consisting of nine 6 & 7 year olds. At the start of the week I didn't know how I was going to make it to Saturday. They were crazy children, and were all WAY hyper. It was A LOT of work, because it was like being a mother to 9 kids, all at once. They all needed you to make a sandwich for them, fill up their water bottles since they couldn't reach the button, comfort them when they trip and fall (even though they are PERFECTLY fine), braid their hair in the mornings, find their socks when they misplace them and you're already running late, answer all of their questions, and love them all the time. But as much work as it was, the hugs and love that were given in return made it ALL worth it. The times when the girls would ask serious questions about God, when you got to answer those questions, and the looks on their faces when they realized just how much God loves them... ALL worth it, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The wonderful thing about camp is even though it's centered around the campers, staff gets a lot out of it too. WC's Bible Study was entitled "Becoming Satisfied In God", and was AMAZING! We learned about how to give up everything and to turn to God for satisfaction, because only He can satisfy us completely. I know I often turn to swimming or my friends for satisfaction, and so hearing that as much as I try to find satisfaction in Earthly things it won't ever fully satisfy me was amazing. I know this past semester when things got rough I swam in the hope that I would feel satisfied leaving. And most of the time I did get some satisfaction that I was able to finish that hard practice, but it wasn't enough. I know this next semester when the going gets tough, all I have to do is turn to God and He will satisfy my everything. How awesome is that? It brought me a lot of peace and assurance.

I learned a lot about love too, and how to selflessly love. It's so easy to love those who are good to us, those who are easy to love. But loving the one child in the cabin who is never listening? The one girl who tries to throw herself off a porch 20 feet high on the arts and crafts building? The girl who dances on the top of her bunk when it's time to go to sleep, who refuses to put on shoes, who won't walk any faster than a snail, who runs and hides in the forest instead of going to lunch, who hits and kicks and throws tantrums when she doesn't get her way. How do you love that camper?

You just do. God loves us all, and we are just like that camper. We don't always listen, we don't always like the answer we get. We don't stop and listen to God's whispers. Heck, sometimes we don't hear it when he speaks very loudly to us. Sometimes we grudgingly walk towards God, when all He wants is for us to run to Him with open arms. We are JUST like that camper. But yet, God loves us all as if we are perfect, and we are as far from perfect as you can get! But God loves us all regardless, so what can we do but love everyone else the same way?

So after every tantrum thrown, every long walk that took way longer than necessary, every instance that she kicked and screamed and wouldn't listen, once she was disciplined and we moved on... we gave her a hug, and we loved on her. We filled her up the way she probably had never been before. When all I wanted to do was scream and bang my head against the bunk/tree/wall/gaga-ball-pit/whatever was closest, I remembered that God doesn't get frustrated when we don't listen, He doesn't leave us when we try to leave Him, He loves us ALWAYS, and that's what we need to do for everybody.

I can't even describe the feeling camp brought me. Once again I feel like it has changed my life, given me the opportunity to realize who I was and what I stood for. I made some amazing friends that I know I can always turn to when times get tough and they will be able to lift me up. I realized that I was doing what God wanted me to do (I often wonder if swimming is what God really wants me doing 7 hours a day..., but these past 3 weeks I KNEW God wanted me at camp and impacting the lives of those campers), and I think ministry is what God wants me to pursue. Now whether that means getting a degree in Education, and working towards being a youth minister, I don't know. But I know one thing for sure, God has a plan for me, as does He for all of us, and if we just take the time to listen to the whispers, if we take the time to pause and reflect, He'll always help us through.

It's been the best 3 weeks of my life. Without a doubt. I'm so blessed to be able to go to camp, and to be able to be surrounded by such a great group of people. It was simply amazing.