Day 151: Happy Memorial Day

Freedom isn't free. Many men have fallen. Many families grieve. Innocent men have lost their lives fighting in the service of freedom. How many men have risked their life and sacrificed everything they had? How many tears have mothers shed over the years? How many children have a missing father and now live without? I think about all of the children, mothers, brothers, sisters, wife’s, daughters, sons, and friends. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone that has fallen in the service of freedom, those who are still serving, and their families. Freedom isn't free. Happy Memorial Day!

Day 150: Laura & Travis' Wedding!

Tonight I went to Laura & Travis' wedding! Laura works at my church and she used to work specifically with the high school students. I have a ton of memories with Laura... from seeing the High School Musical 3 premiere & spending the night in her one bedroom apartment to her and Travis leading our hometeam every week! I am so happy that today it was finally her turn to get married; considering she has been a bridesmaid in countless weddings! I went to the wedding with Tori, Kelly and Rachel! I miss hanging out with all three of these girls! After the ceremony, we grabbed some dinner at Cafe Express then headed over to the reception. We snatched a picture with the beautiful bride and headed home. I love witnessing two amazing people fall in love, because true love stories never have endings.

Day 149: Home Theater

Tonight I went over to Haley's new house with a bunch of friends. This is her sweet home theater room... complete with a kitchen and amazing chairs that recline! In this picture is Harold, Katy, Taylor, Anam, Brandon, Ariel and Haley. They were all super excited to make the blog... so of course I was excited to put them in it! David, Mark and Melinda came over as well, just not in time for the blog picture! We swam in her pool and just chilled at her awesome new house. I do not get the chance to hang out with most of these people on a regular basis- so the times that we do spend together are always so much fun!!!

Day 148: When one starts, the other must end...

Today was our last day in the actual PALs 4th period class. We had senior share and the Lazarou's participated as well. This is a picture of everyone in a gigantic final group hug! This year has been incredible. We all get along so well and have become friends inside and outside of class. I have very distinct memories of this year...

1. The PALs Ropes Course :)
(Rapping on the bus, Magic Man, Katy & I on the high ropes)
2. Fazile's Pot Luck Dinner!
3. Dress Up Dinner in December
4. The Prom Fashion Show
5. The Girls' Disney Sleepover
6. The VERY FIRST Girls Hangout

And those are just to name a few.... :)

 

Even though his year has come to an end, a new PALs class has started under a new sponsor. Today we had our VERY FIRST girls hang out! We went to Bounce U and Chili's! These girls are so much fun and they make me laugh A LOT! We ran around Bounce U for a while, but you can only go so long without air conditioning! Haha... then we just sat and talked on one of the bouncers. It was a great start to a new year in PALs!

Day 147: Blank

This is the screen that I see every single day. It is a blank slate awaiting a memorable picture and meaningful words to reflect my day. Today I struggled to capture the perfect picture. It was the last FULL day of school, which is unbelievable! Since I am exempt from my finals, this whole entire week I have gone to school to watch movies, take naps and sign yearbooks. At least I am watching some pretty sweet movies in my classes. I watched Forrest Gump for the first time- it was so great! Mama always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." I feel like that quote represents my Project 365. I wake up each day and have no idea what I am gonna get.

Day 146: Double Digits

My baby sister turned 10 years old today! I can't believe it! This is a picture of her and two of her friends (Anna & Mia). Ten years ago it was the last day of school and I was at the Galleria with the Colborne girls making a build-a-bear. Once we got to the hospital, I sat in the waiting room watching "Making the Band" with my siblings and 15 minutes later my baby sister was born. It’s hard to believe that was 10 years ago. She can be totally stubborn at times, but I love her more than she'll ever know. She was the baby that I wished for and she is the sister that I love unconditionally. Shannon is one of a kind. She is my best friend. Happy 10th birthday Shan Shan!!!

Day 145: Rock Star

Today my Physics Music Project was due! My dad and I made a one string guitar and it was legit. We painted it hot pink and my mom and sister decorated it with rhinestones. It had an amplifier and everything. This morning my mom drew a bunch of fake tattoos on my arms, neck and feet! We bought a Rock & Roll shirt specifically for today and topped it all off with some rockin' ear rings. When I got to class to perform... I got SO nervous. I don't get nervous about many things… but my hands were shaking and I definitely had stage fright. I finally started rockin' out to Ode to Joy, Happy Birthday and Smoke on the Water. ! I felt like a rock star on the road, because I performed in 1st period (Physics), 2nd period (History) and 4th period (for my little kindergarteners at OC). Everyone thought it was the coolest thing! And I am not going to lie, I felt like a rock star playing it. This was the 5th and final Physics project of the year. My Dad has been a part of every single project from start to finish. I cannot thank him enough for all he has done! 

"We all just wanna be big rockstars... " -Nickleback

Day 144: Awards Night

Tonight was the Austin Awards Ceremony. I got the Department Award in Physics and Sports and Entertainment Marketing, along with a few other awards. Getting these types of awards go to show that it isn't necessarily the smartest or brightest student... just someone who works really hard and shows enthusiasm every day. I know these awards ceremonies are so boring, but my family continues to come! I am so thankful for their support in school and in life. This is a picture of my brother Jason (who was REALLY excited to take a picture...), my father and me. I love them so much!!! After the awards ceremony we had a Bachelorette premiere party! Whoop!

Day 143: Graduation Party!

Tonight I went to Shannon's graduation party. I had so much fun with all of her friends and family! I cannot believe how fast the years have flown by. Shannon and I grew up together. We've been neighbors since I was one and a half and she is a part of all of my childhood memories. From car cars to cooking videos to chemistry tutorials.... we have done it all. I know she will have so much fun at Texas A&M next year and we will be friends for many years to come. This is a picture of Shannon, Ariel and me... the ultimate trio. We have a countless number of pictures together as kids and today we reunited! Here is a picture of us from my sister's birthday party in 1995 and Shannon and me with our infamous car cars. I love my neighbors!

Day 142: Season Champs!

Today Team Crush earned the title of Season Champions. Ariel and I were falling onto the floor, jumping out of our seat and gasping for breath in the final game. They played incredibly and it was a great way to end the season. We only won about half of our games in season... but when we got to the tournament everything changed. These girls are such goof balls and talented volleyball players. Our main goal this season was to have fun and we definitely accomplished that goal!!! All season we were the under dogs and no one expected us to win, but we entered each game with an optimistic attitude and it paid off. It wasn’t strategy that helped us win, but pure heart. We had such an awesome season and I couldn’t have been more proud of my girls today! This afternoon I went to a PALs crawfish boil at the Lowery household. It was so tasty and we all had so much fun! Thank you Mama Kay and Papa Kayse for the yummy crawfish and for having all of us over this afternoon!!! I love the Lowery Family!!!

Day 141: A Day Without Sight

This morning I took my LAST physics test and there was a random turtle in the classroom. You can always count on Mr. Speckien to have something odd in his class. In Psychology we had a day without sight. Brittany and I were partners in the blindfold experiment. We dodged kids in the hallways during lunches, drank water from the water fountain, guessed people's genders and names, and struggled stepping up and down the stairs. Brittany even got a kiss on the forehead! It was hilarious! We got our SAT scores in from the May test... which was exciting. Tonight I volunteered at the Kindergarten Girls Night Out event at my church. There were so many five year old girls running around everywhere in their Disney Princess attire. I had a lot of fun... but those girls wore me out! Afterwards, I went to the 2nd baseball game of the Austin vs. Clements round of playoffs. The baseball boys did great and left the field with a win!!!! Tomorrow is game 3 and I can't wait!

Day 140: Area Champs!

Tonight was the Austin vs. Clements baseball playoff game. Each team was Area Champs and tonight they faced off on our home field. We are making history since this is our school's first year ever to be Area Champs! The stadium was filled with students, teachers, parents, even television stations (High School Sport Live- Channel 55)! Sadly, we lost tonight. But luckily we have another opportunity tomorrow at Clements. Let's go baseball boys!!!! And a special shout out to all of the fans that let me take their picture—especially Shannon! Y’all are awesome! :)

Day 139: Fast Asleep

Tonight Team Crush won our first game in the tournament! My girls played awesome and I am pretty sure I lost my voice from screaming SO loud. I also babysat these sweet little girls in the picture above. I did not take this picture, because I forgot my camera tonight! It was very depressing. However, Sugar Land TX Photography took this picture a while ago and I am obsessed with it! Brooke and Reese are growing up so quickly and Brooke literally copies everything that Reese does and says. When I took the girls to bed, I told them to pretend to be my babysitter. So they tucked me in, gave me a hug and a kiss, and sang me a lullaby. We flicked the lights off and all of us fell fast asleep.

Day 138: The Final Chapter

Tonight was the last WOW ever. WOW is a bible study called Women of the Word and Mrs. Lazarou has been leading us for around 3 years. Tonight was the last Tuesday we would ever meet as a 'WOW' group. We studied the final chapter of the bible- Revelations. It is neat studying what God has prepared for us in Heaven, but it breaks my heart for the people that do not know Christ. The mission of a Christian is to spread his love, not keep it to themselves. God loves each and every person and he seeks to have a relationship with them. I pray for the people that surround me in my life. Whether you sit in my class, you pass me in the hallway, you grew up with me, you live with me, or you don't know me... I pray that one day  I will see you in Heaven. I am confident that when I die I will be dancing with the Lord surrounded by the people that I love. This may be the ending chapter of WOW; however, our story as sisters in Christ is endless.

Day 137: The Competitor's Creed

This is the Competitor's Creed... We read it at the new FCA leaders meeting tonight. It is very humbling and a great reminder of how Christ has called us to live. This picture is from the bonfire at the bay house. I hope my fire for Christ never dies out.

I am a Christian first and last.

I am created in the likeness of

God Almighty to bring Him glory.

I am a member of Team Jesus Christ.

I wear the colors of the cross.

I am a Competitor now and forever.

I am made to strive, to strain,

to stretch and to succeed

in the arena of competition.

I am a Christian Competitor

and as such, I face my challenger

with the face of Christ.

I do not trust in myself.

I do not boast in my abilities

or believe in my own strength.

I rely solely on the power of God.

I compete for the pleasure of

my Heavenly Father, the honor of Christ

and the reputation of the Holy Spirit.

My attitude on and off

the field is above reproach -

my conduct beyond criticism.

Whether I am preparing,

practicing or playing;

I submit to God's authority

and those He has put over me.

I respect my coaches, officials,

teammates and competitors

out of respect for the Lord.

My body is the temple of Jesus Christ.

I protect it from within and without.

Nothing enters my body that

does not honor the Living God.

My sweat is an offering to my Master.

My soreness is a sacrifice to my Savior.

I give my all - all of the time.

I do not give up. I do not give in.

I do not give out. I am the Lord’s warrior -

a competitor by conviction

and a disciple of determination.

I am confident beyond reason

because my confidence lies in Christ.

The results of my efforts

must result in His glory.

LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN.

LET THE GLORY BE GOD'S.

Day 135 & 136: Prom 2010

PROM 2010

Taylor and Me

Our Prom Group!

Crysta, Katy and Me!

Taylor, Katy, Harold and Me

The Girls! :)

Shan Shan & I - I love that she dressed up for prom!

My Best Friend and Me :)

Saturday, May 15, 2010 was Prom! I couldn't decide on just one picture, so I posted a bunch! The night before and the morning of it rained a lot! Everyone was praying for sunshine! Not for the whole day, not for the whole night... only for one hour- picture hour! 5 pm rolled around and the sky was miraculously clear. My prom group consisted of Me & Taylor, Katy & Harold, Courtney & Austin, Crysta & James, Jiji & Ashkahn, Lauren & Dalton, and Marisa & Blaine. We took zillions of pictures at Lauren's house and then the limo arrived. We ate a full course meal at America's and then headed to the Omni Hotel. I had so much fun dancing at prom and seeing all of the other beautiful dresses! Lauren Hughes was prom queen and Lanre Aboderin was prom king! After prom, we headed to the James’ Bay House! It was filled with bonfires, four wheelers, deserted playgrounds, apples to apples, Mario Kart and SO much more! It was truly an incredible weekend and one I will never forget. I am so thankful I got the opportunity to go to prom as a junior and I will always cherish the memories from this weekend. I have such amazing friends and am truly blessed. Special thanks to family and friends for making this prom so special for me!

Day 134: Trash Bags and All

After school I went with my Mom, my sisters and Melinda to get our nails done! Melinda and I were getting our nails done for prom! :) We went to Sweetwater Nails and it doesn’t matter what time/day you go... it is ALWAYS crowded! Lauren is in town for the weekend and she had to wait forever to get her nails done! I also met a sweet lady that just moved here from England! She started telling the worker what she wanted done to her nails... abruptly stopped herself and said, "I am sorry. How is your day going?" It is always a breath of fresh air to see such kind people in the world.  Just when it was time to go, the rain was pouring down! Today there was only a 20% chance of rain... but the sky was pitch black and the rain was coming down hard! We asked the owner if we could use some trash bags... so here we are leaving the nail joint, trash bags and all!

Day 133: HGAP

Tomorrow I am taking my Human Geography AP Test... And that means I was studying my life away today after school. I am so tired of studying... it is ridiculous. Over the past month I have been typing up a LONG review. 54 pages long. It is intimidating. This subject is especially hard for me to recall since I took the class last semester. My junior year is so busy and there is no way I am getting by on my own.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills—

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

The maker of heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:1-2

Day 132: National TV?!?

Today I saw a trailer for the upcoming season of the Bachelorette! During Spring Break, I actually met Ali while she was on one of her dates in Hollywood, CA. In the trailer they have a clip from the date that I witnessed. The picture on the left is a picture that I took of Ali and her date... you can see the camera men in front of me. In the picture on the right, you can see where I paused the trailer clip. There is a man with a cowboy hat and video camera in the bottom left of this shot. I started freaking out and hollered at my Dad to come over to the computer. I told him that I was literally inches away from the man in the RED shirt on the left. As I was scrolling through my pictures from CA, I found the shot on the bottom right. Check it out.... the exact same cowboy man is standing there, with Ali in the shot!!!! I am literally going crazy.... I might be on national television for a split second! :) This picture is one that you definitely need to double click to see it clearer!!!

Day 131: My Little Dwarf

Oh how fast time flies! It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting on the WSE risers singing and clapping along with the choir. Tonight was Shannon's performance in the Disney concert. There was a guest appearance from Pinocchio, Belle, Cruella De Ville, Snow White and all of the other favorites! The 4th and 5th grades sang all of the classic songs and I was jamming along the whole show. Every time I go to that elementary school it reminds me of how I can't wait to be a teacher! I had to add this picture down below... it just cracks me up. Shannon was one of the 7 dwarfs and after she did her dance on stage… she was the only one that kept her costume on. My little dwarf is incredibly brave and doesn't mind standing out!!

Day 130: AP Psychology

Tomorrow is my AP Psychology test... that means I studied for it a lot today. This is my infamous spiral that is organized to perfection. Everything is divided up by unit and would highly please left-brain dominant individuals! I have worked really hard all semester in this course and I hope it pays off tomorrow! Ms. Malin said that the most important thing we could do to prepare for her AP is get some sleep-- that is why I am blogging so early! :) "Connect the dots... la la la." -Ms. Malin

Day 129: Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am for you. Your smile can brighten any moment, your hugs put joy in all of my days, and your love will stay with me forever and touch my life in countless ways! You are always here when I need you and I can trust you with anything. You sincerely care about what is going on in my life and you sacrifice your own time to help me. I don't say thank you enough or appreciate the little things that you do—so… thank you times infinity. You will always be my best friend. I love you, Mom... more than you can ever imagine.

Day 128: Angelica

Tonight was Angelica- Angel Changes Through the Ages. The Austin Angel's did an outstanding job and impressed the parents, students and many alumni Angels! They worked so hard all year and their dedication was unmistakable tonight. They gathered Angel's from years back to perform an 'Alumni Dance'... complete with costumes, dance moves and music from the past 15 years. The Angel parents dressed up like bumblebees and danced to “Imma bee”. Shannon's last performance, as an Angel, was tonight and she did great! I have seen her grow throughout the years as a neighbor and a friend. I will always cherish all of the memories I have with her! In this picture is Torri, Shannon and Pam- three amazing girls with angelic talent!

Day 127: Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451- "The temperature at which paper burns..."

Tonight I babysat Camryn and Tyler. Cami is in my kindergarten class at church and I love her! We all played volleyball, rode go-karts/scooters, painted fingernails, ate pizza and ice cream, and played a game called "Who Am I?" Tonight was the first time I have ever played it... and it was really fun! You put the mask on, without knowing what it is, and your goal is to figure out who you are through asking for clues and guessing! Cami came up to me as a firefighter, I handed her some books and boom... Mr. Johnson here is my personal reference to Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451! Even though we weren't burning books tonight, we had so much fun! Both of the kids told me that I was their favorite babysitter and they wished I was their sister! It made my night. :)

 

Day 126: Kalissa & Josiah

I always get to babysit the cutest kids! This is Kalissa and Josiah and they have the sweetest parents ever! Their mom is pregnant with baby number 3... And I am very excited! Tonight they went to a bible study, so I babysat for them. The kids wanted to play outside in their pajamas... so I let them. While we were outside, Kalissa looked up at me and said "We have to be married to touch other people's bottoms." She always has something to say that will crack me up! As I was reading Kalissa a bed time story out of her Disney princess book, I asked her if her Dad gave her this book. And she responded, “No, he gave it to his princess.” I was confused and asked, "Well isn't that you?" And she whispered.... Mommy is Daddy's princess. Kalissa is the sweetest little girl, ever.

Day 125: 1980's

Aeyyyy (like Fonz from Happy Days)! In 2nd period we worked on our Decades Scrapbook and I flashed back to the 1980's. On each page you have to show the  culture and a significant event from that decade . The 80’s culture was filled with Pac Man, MTV, Wheel of Fortune, Michael Jackson, Tetris, Cheers and Dirty Dancing! While in the library researching the fads of the 80's, I spotted Cale and Mark singing Lady Gaga. These guys have wanted to be in the blog for a long time and this is their day! Cowabunga, as said by the infamous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Day 124: Job Applications

Job applications were a hot topic today! I applied to be a summer camp counselor at Life Time Fitness, Shannon applied to be a pay master for mini society and I talked to Brittany about all of the places that she applied to work! I have an interview on Thursday- so I am excited! Shannon had to fill out her application all by herself. I had to explain to her what ‘qualifications’ are and I think it is cute where she wrote “I am honest.” A ton of students are in need of a summer job.... so the search is on!!!

Day 123: The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies. They really are great! I have baked them about 4 times in the past week for various occassions. It is a super easy homemade recipe and they taste delicious. Give them a try! :)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 egg

2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts

1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.

2. Mix sugars, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy! :)

Day 122: Thirsty?

Today during high school service we had a competition. Without knowing what the competition was, I volunteered to participate. The challenge was to eat 6 saltine crackers in less than 60 seconds. It was tough stuff and I was left feeling incredibly thirsty! This game made me realize how many times in life I am left feeling thirsty. Our society seeks after so many worldly things that will never fully satisfy us. For example: grades, success, good looks, money, human relationships... you name it, we want it! But the truth is that even when we get the things that we desire, we still want more. Jesus is the only one that can fully satisfy our thirst. Augustine once said that God puts salt on our tongues that we may thirst for Him. Sometimes it is tears which carry the salt. What do you thirst for?

Day 121: Pressing On

This morning I took the SAT for my 2nd and LAST time. I wore my UCLA sweatshirt for motivation and listened to 'Pressing On' on the way to the testing center! Woo! That test is like a marathon, but it is finally over! This afternoon I continued to build my physics music project... it is definitely a work in progress. Tonight I hung out with Katy and Crysta to celebrate the end of a long testing week! I love those girls and I am so glad that I got to hang out with them! :)

"I think we're going somewhere.

We're on to something good here.

Out of mind, out of state.

Trying to keep my head on straight.

I think we're going somewhere.

We're on to something good here,

and we're gonna make it after all." - Reliant K