Day 90: The Birthday Jar!

Wednesdays are busy days...filled up AP reviews, my team's volleyball practice, and studying! Tomorrow is Coach Lazarou's birthday! He is the PALs sponsor, so I set aside time to decorate this jar for him! I get really excited about other people's birthdays, because I just LOVE making crafty things! All you need is a jar, pictures, individually wrapped candy and ribbon! It is easy to make and incredibly unique! Hopefully he doesn't read this blog before he gets his surprise tomorrow! :) Also, Shannon had callbacks today for a singing part in her school's choir. In the Engle household, that is quite an accomplishment. We have no rhythm or singing ability... but maybe Shannon is the exception! Haha

Day 89: Our Flower!

Every Tuesday during class, the PALs teach Kindergarten at Oyster Creek Elementary School. Jiji, Fazile, Taylor and I had each of our students create a petal for our class flower. Since it is spring time and we have seen them grow up so much throughout the school year, we felt like a flower was the perfect craft! They decorated their petal and I took their picture to glue at the end of it! They all got really excited about putting the flower together and deciding what it should say in the middle! In the end our class flower turned out really cute and I am so proud of my little munchkins!

Day 88: Far Away

Most days it feels like God is so distant in our lives. An absent, complicated and quiet stranger. But we fail to realize that he is standing right next to us at church, sitting in our passenger seat, listening to our conversations and wishing so badly for us to acknowledge him. I am not talking about acknowledging him in our half-awake prayer right before we fall asleep… that we ramble on thanking Him out of obligation. I am talking about giving God our main entree, not our leftovers. In Crazy Love it says, "Leftovers are not merely inadequate; from God's point of view (and lest we forget, His is the only one who matters) they're evil. Let’s stop calling it a "busy schedule" or "bills" or "forgetfulness". It’s called evil." It is so easy to offer God our leftovers in life and be content with the sacrificing what is comfortable. The fact is... God wants our best, deserves our best, and demands our best. He is present in our lives, even on days when it seems like he is so far away.

Day 87: Same Shop Sunday

First of all, I absolutely love volunteering for the kindergarten ministry at my church! Every week I look forward to seeing all of their young cheerful faces! Today one of the other volunteers came up to me and told me that I should consider being a teacher when I am older! Her comment definitely made my day, even though I've heard that suggestion many times before! :) This afternoon my Mom and I went shopping. I’d like to call this afternoon 'Same Shop Sunday'! We went to a lot of the same stores, only in different locations. We went to 2 different Targets, 2 different Academys and a few other stores! This was the first Sunday in months that I haven't had a ton of homework- so I enjoyed spending it with my Mom!

Day 86: It's Crush Time!

Today was our first volleyball game and everyone was pumped! We made crush soda spirit shakers for the parents and awesome yellow t-shirts for the team! Everyone played great and we came out with our first victory! Ariel and I are the most energetic and excited coaches in the league! We go crazy when our girls do something great and we still cheer them on when they mess up. We told our team the most important thing is to have fun... and we definitely did! The parents were roaring, the girls played like all-stars and Ariel and I cheered them on the entire time! It's Crush time baby!

Day 85: Cupcake Walk

Tonight I volunteered at a local elementary school's spring fundraiser. It was a carnival and I was a face painter. They didn't have real face paint... it was more of a face crayon. That was frustrating! However, seeing each one of those kids absolutely love the hideous design I just painted on their face made it enjoyable. :) Throughout my entire shift I kept seeing people walk around with these delicious looking cupcakes that they won from the 'Cupcake Walk' and I definitely wanted some! Once my job was completed, I grabbed a ticket and headed to the Cupcake Walk. Here I am, this teenager without any younger siblings with me, joining the elementary kids for one round in the cake walk. The music stopped and I didn't land on a number... so I ran over to number 11. The first number they drew was 11...Go figure! I got my delicious cupcakes and a few volunteer hours for NHS. Sounds like a productive night to me!

Day 84: Passion

Passion (n): An enthusiastic love for something. Our society is too frequently extrinsically motivated. We participate in activities to gain approval or rewards, we give one another compliments only seeking to get one in return, we volunteer for heartfelt charities because we are forced to, we work hard in school in order to make good grades, we go places out of obligation or guilt... where did our passion go? This is my daily planner that I write EVERYTHING in! I feel like each day is another to-do list... I got to check everything off to feel accomplished. I often get caught up in the routine of life and forget why I do the things that are written in this planner. This week I have been battling this idea of passion and truly questioned myself... why do I do the things that I do? Do I do it because I feel obligated... because my siblings did it... because I fear failing... because I want to avoid unnecessary conflict or because I want to put it on my college application? The truth is that I love everything I participate in! However, it is SO easy to forget why my heart was passionate about it in the first place and what my mission in life truly is. Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.

Day 83: Crush

Today was very busy, but none of it was very exciting. It is really hard to come up with something interesting to blog about every single day! This 365 Project is way harder than it looks! Anyways, today we had volleyball practice and our team's name is Crush! I thought it was quite a creative name except when I found out that 2 of the other teams are named Crushers and Crushed. Just when I thought our team name was original... Haha. Well Ariel and I are going to make spirit shakers out of Crush soda cans! I really am looking forward to coaching the best 'Crush' team out there this season!

Day 82: Free Cone Day!

During good news in Psychology class, Ms. Malin announced that today was Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's! I got so excited- because who wouldn't get pumped about free ice cream?! So after school I picked up Shannon from school and told her I had a surprise for her! Once we arrived at Ben & Jerry's and stood in a mile long line... we got our free cone!!! It was worth the wait for my scrumptious chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream! It was very spontaneous and tons of fun to surprise Shannon with this unique event! Hooray for Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's!

Day 81: T & Stephanie

Tonight my youth pastor T spoke at FCA and his sweet girlfriend Stephanie came with him! I am so blessed to have such a supportive youth pastor... T has influenced me more than he will ever know and I am so thankful for his friendship! I am so happy for T and Stephanie and I know that God has placed the two of them together so they will be able to spread His love in unbelievable ways. Tonight T spoke about getting rid of the dead things of your past and being made brand new in Christ! And how Sin jacks all of our lives up, but He has called us to come and nail everything to the cross. I think he did a great job and I want to say thanks again for playing a huge part in my walk with the Lord.

Day 80: Your GRACE Is Enough

Today I got some artwork in the mail from Lauren and she said it was sent to brighten my day… and it certainly did! She told me not to stress, to remember that God is in control and His grace is ENOUGH! With school starting back up tomorrow this is the exact reminder that I needed! Nothing makes me feel better than someone simply telling me, "Everything is going to be alright!" Lauren, you are such an amazing sister and you inspire me every day. Whether we were playing Barbies together or you were the only student in my pretend classroom, we have always been best friends. I love you so much and thank you for the artwork & letter that you sent!

Day 79: Katie's Collage

Jason was planning to head back to College Station tonight, but since my mom's car was parked directly behind his and we had no spare key... he was stuck hanging out with me for the night. He decided that he wanted to make Katie, his girlfriend, something creative. We headed to Michael's on a Saturday night and searched for the perfect craft. Once we decided to make a collage, Jason declared himself as the painter and word finder and me as the magazine cutter. Whenever he was supposed to be helping me search the magazines for letters and words, he ended up just catching up on the latest gossip and the celebrities’ newest hair styles. That kid cracks me up. This is our final product and it may be a little girly and look like we made it in the daisy Girl Scout troop.... but I think she'll love it!

Day 78: Home Sweet Home

This morning my Dad & I flew home after our week long college road trip in California! We started out in Los Angeles and ended up in San Francisco! We slept in 5 different hotel rooms and visited 5 different colleges. My Dad & I had no set plans; we just went with the flow and I was able to see the Pacific Coast in a really exciting and unforgettable way! Spending this spring break with my Dad has been one of the coolest experiences of my life! I am so thankful for every adventure and all of the little memories we shared throughout this journey. Airline Ticket... $400, Beverly Hills gross deli sandwich... $17, UCLA sweatshirt... $50, Spending the entire week with my best friend.... priceless.

Day 77: In-N-Out

Today was Day 2 in San Francisco! We started out by taking pictures with the Golden Gate Bridge and then actually crossed the bridge! Once in Marin County, we headed to Muir Woods. It is a national park that has a ton of HUGE red woods and dry organic muffins! The sight was beautiful, but my flip flops and capris were not the proper attire for the cold journey! Afterwards we visited the University of California Berkeley. It was Cal’s 142nd birthday… so they had free cupcakes, live music, moonwalks, and people everywhere! My Cousin Peter went to Cal and he honestly didn’t really care if I liked Berkeley, just as long as I hated Stanford! It turned out to be a really cool and lively campus, which totally beat the heck out of Stanford! For lunch my Dad & I snatched some cool hats and good burgers at IN-N-OUT, which is our all time favorite fast food restaurant in California! Afterwards we wandered on a trail along the San Francisco Bay and got the chance to hang out with some relatives that live in the area! I finally got to meet baby Emma and found out that we will have a new edition to the family soon! As I sit in the car typing this blog (which is a first), we are in ridiculous traffic at 10 pm! I can’t wait to arrive at the final hotel of this adventure!

Day 76: San Francisco

Today in San Francisco has been amazing weather and a ton of fun! We started off by touring Stanford University, which was beautiful. Even though I am not up to their academic standards... I felt like my SAT score was increasing as I walked the campus! My Dad & I had fun mimicking statues and creating our own self guided tour. After we finished up at Stanford, we headed to Fisherman's Wharf for some good ol' clam chowder in a perfect sour dough bread bowl! We wondered Pier 39 and finally got a lady to take a picture of the two of us together! Then we stopped by the Ghirardelli chocolate factory and ate some tasty ice cream. We traveled throughout San Francisco in a cable car, which awesome! Ever since I saw the Princess Diaries I have wanted to ride on one! Once we got to the other end of the city we shopped in downtown San Francisco and hit up the largest Forever 21 and Ross that I'd ever seen! And last, but certainly not least, we saw Wicked at the Orpheum Theatre! It was "perfectly thrilling" and I loved every single second of it! Today was so great and I excited that we are able to be in San Francisco for one more day!

Day 75: Santa Barbara

Today we started our day at the University of California Santa Barbara. It was very laid back, but I was not necessarily a fan. The campus felt distant from the world and I don't know how else to explain it. Afterwards we went shopping in downtown Santa Barbara. Today I definitely needed my shopping buddy here! I missed you Mom, but Dad tried his best to be girly and help me find the deals. Once we were shopped out, we headed north and stopped in the little town of Solvang! It looked like a town straight from Europe. Solvang had a few interesting shops and little bakeries. We snatched some fudge and headed towards San Francisco. Today was a major driving day, so we spent a lot of time in the car. But once we finally arrived, we ate dinner at a restaurant called Town. We enjoyed some garlic bread, salad and steak! It was very tasty! Now that we are in San Francisco, I can't wait to explore this city!!!

Day 74: Hollywood

Today my Dad and I visited UCLA and went on a tour of the campus! It was extremely beautiful and is located in Westwood, which is right outside of Beverly Hills. Our fun and entertaining tour guides gave me a great feel for the school. In my tour group, about 75% of us were from Texas. It was crazy!!! After our long anticipated visit to UCLA, we headed to Hollywood! We walked the streets and saw many infamous buildings! While I was walking the streets I saw Ali from the Bachelor!!!! She is the next Bachelorette and they were filming for the upcoming season! She was on a date with a cute guy that she said is really funny! All I wanted to do on this trip was meet someone famous and she is definitely famous in my eyes. Ali is just as sweet, bubbly and pretty in person as she was on the show! I still cannot believe that I met her and had to sign a release to The Bachelor staff- in case I am on the show! Wow! What an incredible day!!!

Day 73: California Dreamin'

Today my Dad and I flew out to California for Spring Break! We will be here for the entire week and plan on visiting colleges, sightseeing and having fun! This morning we had an early start, considering today we 'sprang forward' and switched time zones. After arriving we went to Beverly Hills High School and attended Mosaic, which is a church here in Los Angeles. I was simply in awe that I was in the actual high school that inspired the show 90210! After church we drove to Malibu and visited the beautiful campus of Pepperdine University! We grabbed some tasty pizza and walked along the Santa Monica shoreline. After we reached the 'End of the Trail', we went to Venice beach... which was interesting. They had tons of little shops and activities lining the beach. The people on Venice Beach were very different from anyone I'd ever met. Overall today has been a great start to a great week with Dad!

Day 72: The SAT

Today I took the SAT for the first time and it was exhausting. That silly test is SO darn long! Every time I reached the math sections I was ecstatic, but the critical reading sections are definitely not my thing! Besides the SAT.... Lauren and Jason came in town today for Spring Break! I enjoyed spending the afternoon with the girls and getting pedicures on our toes, toes! :) Tonight we just had some family bonding and went out to dinner! All in all, it was a good day… except for the part when Jason mooned me while I tried to take his picture! Haha! In my eyes it is FINALLY spring break!!!

Day 71: The Prom Fashion Show

Fazile, one of my fellow PALs, and I have been planning the Prom Fashion Show at our school for a long time! TODAY was finally Show Time!! This event is intended to provide students with tons of entertainment and help different charities along the way. We have 20 girls and 20 guys from various clubs and organizations participate by modeling fabulous  prom attire! Today it was very stressful; since we were missing some dresses and 10 dresses literally arrived seconds before the show began! I hope the audience enjoyed the show and I am glad it is finally over! Thank you to all the PALs, models, theatre students, cosmetology classes and anyone else that helped make this a memorable and fun show!

Day 70: "Cranky" the Crane

Today our crane was due in Physics! I named mine 'Cranky', because it makes people cranky when you have to work on it and it cranks when the motor is running! It could haul 53lbs up without any issues. It wasn't the fastest crane, but it sure impressed me! My Dad works so hard on all my physics projects and I could not do any of them without him. Everyone at school thinks he is an engineer, and then they are really impressed when I say, "No, he's a business man". Haha :) Even though I hate physics with a passion.... it does provide some good daddy-daughter bonding time. I love you Dad and I am so thankful for everything you do for me. We got 4 projects down... and 1 more to go!

Day 69: First Practice!

My friend Ariel and I are coaching my little sister's volleyball team this season and today was our first practice! I just love being able to teach them the sport and let them have FUN while doing it! We coach 2nd-4th grade girls and volleyball is extremely hard at that age. So instead of yelling at them, we just encourage them... because there is nothing worse than a negative coach. Just seeing their faces light up after they accomplish something challenging makes my day! Our girls love to cheer and scream at the top of their lungs, because they know Ariel and I will be doing it right along with them! Hopefully this season is one we will never forget!

Day 68: History In The Making

This morning I really wanted to go to the rodeo and come 2nd period... I was offered 4 FREE tickets plus a free parking pass! I was totally caught off guard and really excited! So tonight I went to the rodeo with Katy, Harold and Eric... and I felt like I was living on the edge going on a school night! :) Anyways, Harold asked Katy to prom on the Ferris Wheel and we got to see Darius Rucker perform LIVE! Tonight there was definitely some history in the making! And for those of you who don't know- that is one of his great songs! Memories like these are the ones that I will never forget!

Day 67: Follow Your Bliss...

Tonight was the first night that Amanda Glassholf officially took over as our FCA sponsor. It was very exciting and really sad at the same time. I am going to miss seeing Mrs. Lazarou's smiling face at FCA all the time. But I know that God has a great plan and I can't wait to see how it all unravels! Tonight we talked about not wasting your life and living every single day to glorify Him. I don't know what God has in store for my life. I don't know if I will die tomorrow, a month from now, or when I am 90 years old... but I do know that whatever time I am given, I will make the most of it. I think we all need to start living selfless lives and trust that God's got everything under control. :)

Day 66: Kennedy's Mama

Today I have a very long list of things I need to do... but one of those things was to film a project for my history class. It is over the JFK assassination and we had to express which conspiracy we believe is true. Our group consisted of Nina, Nadia, Taylor and I. We argued that LBJ, the vice president, planned JFK's assassination. We all portrayed different roles and in one scene I was the President's mother. The scene was meant to be very emotional and I needed to be able to fake cry... so we grabbed the visine and got to work! Taylor was practically falling over laughing at my acting abilities, which caused me to have trouble trying to read the script. I kept hinting for her to move the paper back by saying, "I keep having flash backs... Go back... GO BACK!" Everyone was dying laughing and needless to say... I am a very memorable Kennedy Mama!

Day 65: Dr. Dog

This morning my friend Taylor and I volunteered at a Wellness for Life event in Town Center! We set up tables and chairs and helped in other various ways. After the first hour, it seemed like our jobs were accomplished. So we got a chance to talk with some student council volunteers from our school and PAL volunteers from other schools. We had a lot of fun checking out most of the booths, at least the exciting ones! We snatched a picture with Dr. Dog and got a free Jamba Juice smoothie! Today has been a very, very busy Saturday!

Day 64: Girls Night Out

Tonight we hosted a CAbi Party at my house! It was a ton of fun modeling these cute spring clothes with some of my best friends. I am not exactly the model type, but Katy was giving me a few pointers along the way. Shannon and Katy are both extremely beautiful and I am so thankful to be able to call them my friends! I enjoyed socializing with the moms and seeing them go crazy while trying on these clothes. It really was a lot of fun tonight and if you're interested in CAbi clothes.... check out http://www.cabionline.com/ :)

Day 63: Fortune Cookie

Tonight my mom brought home Pei Wei for dinner! When we grabbed our fortune cookies I said, "No matter what they say... they are going to be true". So we unwrapped our fortune and this is what I got-- "Your ability to juggle many tasks will take you far." Isn’t that the truth? I constantly feel like I am juggling a million and one tasks at a time. Hopefully my multitasking ability will take me far one day. Oh and a little ironic tidbit.... if you add the first 3 lucky numbers together, they add to give you 63! And today is Day 63!

Day 62: Score A Four

Today was the English TAKs Test... so Shannon drew us a little sign for motivation. We both had a writing section for the test and a four is the highest you can score. In 4th grade TAKs is a huge deal, so they have been making t-shirts and all sorts of other 'spirit' things. It is really cute how much they get into it. Shannon's teacher suggested that no matter what the prompt is, she should write about volleyball. Well... her prompt was 'Tell us about a time you found something'! So, ofcourse, she followed the rules and wrote about a time when she 'found something under the bleachers'! Haha!! This was the last time I will ever have to take the English TAKs Test and it is over! Woo! :)

Day 61: Say Yes To The Dress

The Prom Fashion Show at my school is right around the corner! It is an event planned by the PALs where 20 girls and 20 guys model prom attire. Afterwards, all of the proceeds go to charity! It is for a great cause and it is a ton of fun for Fazile and me to plan! Tonight I went with some of our girl models to David's Bridal to pick out dresses, accessories and shoes! The lady that assisted us was so helpful and sweet! Although I am not in the show this year, I am excited to run it from backstage! Tonight was very successful and all the girls said yes to the perfect dress!

Day 60: The Bachelor Finale

Okay...  so I feel lame blogging about The Bachelor again. BUT, tonight was the finale and Jake definitely did not pick the sweetest bachelorette in the show's history. At first my heart was upset for Tenley, but then I decided that she deserves a guy that is totally in love with her... and Jake was not. Vienna, the girl Jake proposed to, was portrayed as a mean girl with the wrong intentions. She could be very different in person and I hope they are happy together, because that is all that matters... right? All I know is that I am EXTREMLY excited that Ali is the next Bachelorette!