one.two.eight.eight.five.

12,885.

What does that number represent to you?

The amount of money you wish you had in your bank account?
Your zip code? (If you lived in NY)
The price of a new car?
The number of minutes you spend in school in a month?
The number of seconds in a Harry Potter movie?
How many pages it seems are in your new English AP textbook?
The amount of undergrads at SFA University?
Miles it takes driving from Houston to NYC nine times?

All of those are very good guesses, except that isn't what 12,885 means to me.

That is the number of hours I have (guesstimation) spent at the pool since I joined competitive swimming when I was 4.

Yes. Twelve THOUSAND eight hundred and eighty five HOURS.

From ages 4-6 I estimated I only spent an hour a week at the pool. I know that is a way low-estimate because in the summer, I spent atleast an hour a DAY at the pool.
When I was 7 I started taking private lessons, so I guesstimated the hours a week to 6. Becuase I lived at the pool when in the summer, plus swam summer league, plus started private lessons.
Ages 8-9 is when I first started club swimming. So, 7 ish hours a week? I know in the winter it wasn't that long, but summer was WAY over that amount.
10-13 (upper elementary/middle school) I was hardcore swimming club, about 2 hours a day, 4 days a week. So 8 hours a week.
Since I was 14 I averaged up to 28 hours a week at the pool between Varsity Swimming, Water Polo, Team YES, meets, tourneys, games, etc.

So... since I fell in love with the sport, I have spent 12,885 hours at the pool. That's ridiculous.

To-Do Lists

Every year in middle school we got those stupid planners that we all hated, but had to write stuff in just because the teachers wanted us to. We hated them! Even freshman, sophmore, and part of junior year I felt that I could remember everything that I had to do that night. WELL. This year... different story! My planner pretty much holds my life schedule. So... as I was trying to figure out what all I had going on this week (I'm in between studying for part A and part B of tomorrow's anatomy practical), I figured maybe the blogging world would like to know the crazy to-do list called my planner.

TUESDAY:
Varsity Prac
@ Millsap -- don't forget clothes and shoes
Finish Metamorphosis Questions for Chapters 2/3
Figure out guidelines for author abstract paper
Start studying for Friday's calc test
Study majorly for Wednesday's anatomy test
Swim practice TYES
Read chapters ?? for government out of hard copy textbook
Government definitions

WEDNESDAY
@ Millsap
Lead RFL meeting after school
Tutor @ Millsap 4-5
Kole's Cross Country Districts @ Bear Creek
Bible Study
Author abstract paper
Study for calc test
Bulletin Board File (atleast 5 done)
Captain stuff for Thursday's meet

THURSDAY
Varsity Practice
Clothes for Dress Professionally all day (get from Warwick's room or bring home)
@ Millsap
Meet v. Ranch (4:30-9?)
Study for Friday's calc test
Metamorphosis Paper on Friday (Review formatting and what to improve)
Author Abstract Paper due Friday
Bulletin Board File (finish 10)
Figure out large group/visual for RST
Apply for housing at Texas A&M

And these are only the things I know about this weekend! Luckily a lot of these I have set goal dates for myself to be done by, that way I'm not stressing out the day of (even though I probably will anyways). I didn't even include Friday's busy-ness! There honestly are not enough hours in a day to be in high school, take AP classes, get good grades, be in as many extra curriculars as we need to be in. I mean seriously... what happened to sleep!?!?

OK... brain has de-anatomy-ified. Now back to some more anatomy!!! GAH! Have a great week everybody :)

Some Funny T-shirts :)

In between watching Texas A&M's polo games up in College Station today, we did a little shopping. Here are some of my favorite t-shirts that I saw (luckily they are all online!)

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.