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.