We're Seniors Now!

Senior Swimmers
Class of 2011
Brian, Matt D, Matt J, Connor, Andrew
Jodie, Mina, Kylie



GOLD Team Captains



Swimming Captains

Favorite Quote of Today

Today was my first day in Kindergarten! It was so amazing :))

This was probably my favorite quote of the day from the kids,

"Miss Suddendorf, what do you do when you leave here and go back to Cy-Falls everyday?" --Teacher
"Well, I go back and then I go to math class" --Me
*Little boy raises his hand*
"Is it a hard math class? Like harder than 5+5?" --Kindergartner

Kindergarten's gonna be amazing :)

Twas the Night Before Kindergarten

Twas the night before kindergarten and as she prepared,
Kylie was excited and a little bit scared.
She stayed up doing calculus homework, dreaming of a good nights sleep in her bed,
while visions of derivatives danced in her head.
Slacks and Closed Toe Shoes and Belts galore
were in her athletic bag and set by the door.
Dress clothes were hung in closets with care,
knowing that kindergarten soon would be there.
In the morning it came, kindergarten starts later!
Would the cooperating teacher be nice? Would any children hate her?
Faces were washed, and teeth were brushed white;
The RST class posed in pictures for Mrs. Warwick with eyes sparkling bright.

2nd Period came and the class boarded the bus;
Worried and nervous, but not putting up a fuss.
Some students brought folders or their favorite lucky charm;
in hopes that the luck would help them through the day without harm.
Mrs. Warwick exclaimed: "You're teachers, WOW!
Let me lots of pictures so you'll remember this moment years from now"
Mrs. Warwick wasn't worried, her students would be fine;
they were ready for this, they had practiced a thousand of times.
So she told her class, "Everything will be okay
and when you are done, we will all chant HOORAY!"
Mrs. Warwick then let her class go with a smile,
and we all wandered to our class where we would stay for while.
The room was all filled with toys, books, and maps,
too entertaining for any mid-class naps!
The kindergarteners colored and painted and played Simon Says,
while the RST kids worked hard and wracked their heads.
They were super busy from beginning to end,
Within just a minute, we all had a new 5 year old friend.
The RST students were exuberant, they loved their class like an early morning sunrise;
It was the juniors and seniors who were in for a surprise.
When what to her wondering eyes should appear
but proud Mrs. Warwick who was holding back tears!
Her nose so sniffly! Her eyes red and wet!
This was the saddest first day Mrs. Warwick had witnessed yet!
The RST students all waved from the door of the school.
"Please don't cry Mrs. Warwick... Teaching kindergarten is cool!!"

--Adapted from Natasha Wing

Now I must actually go do that calculus homework that I mentioned line two... Off to Kindergarten in the morning!! EEEK!

Splattering Paint

Today, Renee and I were making our T-shirts for Team YES to wear when we help out at the little kid swim meets. We have found that the more stand-outness of the shirts we wear, the easier it is for the youngins to find us (especially at the 8 and under meets). Last year our t-shirts were tie-dyed, this year... paint splattered.

As I was standing out on the drive the gorgeous day splattering paint all over my black t-shirt canvas, I realized how much splattering paint is like life.

I'm sure you are just dying to hear this correlation, yeah?

My t-shirt had 8 different paints splattered onto it:
1. bright orange
2. light orange
3. blue
4. glow in the dark pink
5. regular paink
6. purple
7. yellow
8. lime green

Just like in my life, I have 8 things that are very important to me:
1. Friends
2. Family
3. Camp Cho-Yeh
4. Cornerstone
5. School
6. Swimming (and my little swimming sisters)
7. Relay for Life
8. Ready, Set, Teach

On my t-shirt, these colors all came together to make something beautiful (my t-shirt). Just like in my life, all of these things combine to make something absolutely wonderful: my crazy, busy, sometimes chaotic, slightly hectic life.

When is it Time?

When I was 3 I learned how to swim. I wasn't very good at it. I was the 6 and under that hung on the lane rope every 2 seconds. I was the 6 and under that the parents would clap for, because I had finally finished a 25 and the meet could move on. I was the 6 and under who could never manage to get all my hair in a swim cap, and always looked very dorky and out of place. I was the 6 and under who would always love to swim backstroke because it didn't involve putting my face in the water. I was THAT 6 and under. (Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about). But I was in love with the water, and nothing was going to change that.

A lot has changed in 14 years. Instead of 30 minutes a day, I have reached a maximum of 7 hours a day (only when polo and swimming were going on at the same time). Instead of 25's we now peak off around 7,000 yards a practice. Instead of the 6 and under that would have gotten lapped on a 25 if that was possible, I now compete and it's exciting (and sometimes [rarely] even lap other people). I'm now a pro at putting on swim caps (thanks, I know it's a real accomplishment), and I now think I look more natural in one than sometimes I do when I wear makeup and do my hair nice. I still love backstroke, but now it's because it's a pretty stroke, and I'm decent at it. The thing is, I'm not THAT swimmer anymore who loves swimming.

I have figure out that there's a difference between loving swimming, loving your teammates, and loving your coaches. Unfortunately, I just don't love swimming anymore. And I really wish that I could fall back in love with it, and who knows, it could happen. I don't find the excitement in practicing like I used to. I don't find technique weeks fun anymore. Honestly, sometimes I don't even love my team like I used to. All of my best friends used to be at the pool, and I'd call them my second family. Thankfully Renee and my little swimming sister Jacy are still there to keep me sane. In all truth, if it wasn't for my coaches Dennis and Kris, I would have been long gone.

Dennis and Kris know me better than anybody on the planet I can honestly say. There were points last year when they knew more about my day to day life than my parents did, simply because I saw them more. Coach Kris can read me like a book. I can have a smile on my face and be playing the act well, but he KNOWS when something is up. And the thing is, he doesn't just know something is up, he cares and he does his best to offer his "big brother" advice as I call it. And he will never let me leave if I'm not smiling. Coach Dennis is like my second dad. As proud of me as he is when I drop time, or keep up during practice, he is also proud when I tell him I got accepted into A&M, or that I aced a test. The fact is, they care for me in the water AND out. Almost all the time now, they are the reason I come to practice. Not because I have some passionate desire to swim. It's because I want to see my coaches.

How do you call it quits? How do you leave behind something that has made you who you are. How do you give up something that you have worked 14 YEARS for? This question ponders my head constantly, as I know the end is coming real near. There is a very real possibility that I'll be done in February. As done as I am with swimming, I still don't know how I will be able to give that up. I know one thing for sure. Just because I'm not swimming, doesn't mean Dennis and Kris still won't be a very big part of my life. I just can't picture it any other way.

............................................................
There. I feel better. Weird how blogging does that huh? Now off to go do that homework!!!

This Deserves It's Own Blog Post...

I GOT A 96 ON MY CALCULUS BC TEST!!

That is all :)

A good day :)

While blow-drying my hair in the locker-room an Energizer from Cho-Yeh came on my iPod, and so I did the energizer dance around the locker room :)

In government I found out I got a 100 on my Federalism Essay!! (Thank you Grandpa Zieman for ensuring that government runs in the blood :P)

Ready Set Teach was fun as normal, we go to the elementaries a week from tomorrow!

Calculus Test wasn't too hard. I wasn't for sure on 4 of the multiple choice parts (I had it narrowed down to 2 answers though) and according to what everybody else got, I guessed lucky on 4 out of the 4 questions!

Anatomy was a joke. We watched presentations all period long :)

English was easy. We took a quiz which I thought was simple, and then had time to work on whatever we needed to.

I made Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) ribbons during JV Swimming in preparation for next weeks RFL meeting.

NHS meeting after school was only 15 minutes, and I'm pretty sure this is the only one in which we didn't get yelled at for attendance... (maybe because it is only the first meeting of the year?)

KSBJ played good "driving with the windows down and the radio up" music on my way home form school.

And I have NO mandatory homework due for tomorrow!! Although I'll probably try and get ahead for the rest of the week :))

Today was DEFINITELY a good day :D