Day 304: "Trick or Treaaat"

Happy Halloween!

This morning Taylor and I worked at 9ers. I brought Mario & Luigi hats, firefighter hats, a pirate hat, a princess crown and kitty cat ears for all of the workers to wear. We had a ton of fun in Halloween spirit and all of the Mexican cooks/bus boys were hilarious. Taylor & I ate Subway for lunch on the patio outside of 9ers and then I went on a rollerblade ride with my mom and sister! Tonight I dressed up as Pocahontas, my Dad was a hippie, and Shannon and my Mom were 80's girls. My Dad was definitely the coolest hippie around town- he cracks me up. My Dad & Mom took Shannon and some of her friends trick or treating in the back of his truck. There was a giant peanut M&M, Oscar the Grouch, a Bumble Bee and a few more. Oh how I miss the good ol' trick or treating days. Pocahontas passed out candy at the Engle household tonight. I loved opening the door to the precious little kids in costumes screaming, "Trick or treeaaat!" They made me smile!! I love kids, I love costumes, and I love candy.... so it's safe to say that I LOVE Halloween!

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Day 303: Halloween!

Today all of my family went to College Station for the 4th annual Colborne family tailgate. I couldn't go because I had to work at 9ers this morning. :( Technically tomorrow is Halloween- but since it falls on a Sunday everyone celebrated tonight. This is a picture of Anam as a cat, Taylor Campbell as a knight, Katy Lowery as a sailor and myself as a teacher. All of our costumes were a little questionable, but according to Lindsey Lohan... “Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." We had a lot of fun dressing up and laughing with each other. I love spending time with these girls! I'll never forget the year that I was a teacher for Halloween. The role fit me perfectly, but the costume was a little out of my element! Oh Halloween… gotta love it.

Day 302: DRACULA!

Today was the last official day of me and my mom's diet. We both stuck together, didn’t cheat and each lost 9 lbs. I would say diet=successful! Tonight was the H.O.T. Hangout for October. We all met at Whataburger and there was a great turn out of AHS students. Fazile, my PYPM leader from last year, surprised us at Whataburger! I was so excited to see her and catch up- even if it was only for a few minutes. I miss all of the old PALs so much- I know they are all off doing great things in college and we will all be reunited soon! After dinner, we saw the Austin Playhouse production of Dracula. All of the fine arts at AHS (Angels, Band, Choir, Art and especially the Theatre)... are unbelievable! My good friend, Bailey Boriskie, was an understudy. This is a picture of me and her after the play, with my Dracula program and the red rose that I gave her. It was opening night and everyone involved did fantastic! Justin Green, Kara Crawford, Riley Bauman, Brian Lisco, Jordan Moore...there is SO much talent at Austin! I know they have rehearsed for hours and all of their hard work paid off. This suspenseful and bloody play was the perfect start to my Halloween weekend!

Day 301: Speak Now

You can say what you'd like about Taylor Swift, but I have never seen so Facebook statuses about the release of a new album. Speak Now is her third album and she wrote it entirely by herself. It came out on Monday, so of course right after school I headed over to Target to buy it! I remember freshmen year I went to the Kenny Chesney concert- only to see Taylor Swift as the opening act. While she was performing, no one (except for me and my friends) were singing along and cheering for Swift. It is amazing to see the sensation that she has become in only a few years! Every day this week I have been listening to my new T-Swift CD and quickly learning all of the words. Her songs always involve happy endings, sincere apologies, and thoughtful messages to young girls! From The Story of Us to Back To December... she never disappoints. Each song is an open letter and represents a time when Swift wishes she would've spoken up. She wrote a sweet letter to all of her fans in the beginning of the album stressing the importance of words, expressing how you feel and living without regrets.

Dear Taylor Swift,

Thank you for writing amazing songs.
Love, All of the Girls in the World

Day 300: Rockin'

Today is Day 300!

That means only 65 days to go.

Only sixty five blog posts left? Holy cow.

On Day 300, I went about my normal schedule and then babysat the Singleton kiddos. I've missed them so much and every time I see their sweet faces it always puts me in a great mood. We made several videos on my iPhone and watched them at least a thousand times. It was priceless listening to them giggle hysterically as they watched themselves on film! Ellie started to call me 'Miss Kaitlyn' like the others... she is quite the little talker! These sweet blonde babies are growing up way too fast! :( This picture is from bath time and we played hair salon. As Caroline would say, "This is Ellie's rockin' look!"

Here's to rockin' out the last sixty-five days of my Project 365.

Day 299: Halloween Art

At Walker Station every class is supposed to design and decorate a pumpkin. They started this tradition last year and I think it creates the cutest Halloween decorations. These are just a few of the pumpkins that decorated the hallway! Arthur is by far my favorite, but they were ALL adorable! This is just another one of those things that makes me want to be a teacher that much more! Don't all of these pumpkins inspire you to get in touch with your creative side? :) Today was a pretty bright day, however even the brightest days can have a few grey clouds. This morning, I realized the power of words. Words can lift us up, drag us down, wound us deeply or heal our hearts. Words have the power to break confidences, build lifelong friendships or start wars. Words can make us or break us. Have you been building others up with your words or tearing them down? 

Day 298: I am Second.

 Today at FCA we got our new t-shirts and we watched Colt McCoy's I am Second video. I am Second is a movement meant to inspire people of all kinds to live for God and for others. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Drug addicts. Your next-door neighbor. People like you. The authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. These are stories that give hope to the lonely and the hurting, help from destructive lifestyles, and inspiration to the unfulfilled. You’ll discover people who’ve tried to go it alone and have failed. Find the hope, peace, and fulfillment they found. Be Second. I am Second is designed to help people discover their purpose in life. Have you discovered yours?

This is such a great movement and they have several captivating videos!

Check it out at www.iamsecond.com!

Day 297: Bargain Shoppers!

 I spent this afternoon shopping with my mom! There are a few significant things that mothers and daughters usually shop for together-the homecoming dress, prom dress, wedding dress... and today we added the outfits for my senior pictures to the list. In a few weeks, Maggie will take my senior pictures and I am excited! On our shopping trip, we went to Ross, Marshalls and Forever 21- because we are bargain shoppers. If it's a good deal and it's really cute- we will usually find it. We are and always have been shopping buddies! Most days I dislike the things that my mom picks out for me, but lately she's been impressing me! She is getting more and more stylish by the day! I had so much fun shopping with her and I can't tell you how much I enjoy days like today.  When we got home, we had a fashion show of everything we bought (like always)!  And then I completed my Calculus project over related rates. We had to write two original word problems, show our work and create a theme. So here is my Halloween Calculus project- with an exceptionally freaky clown in the bottom left-hand corner.

Day 296: VICTORY!

Mays Business School- Texas A&M

This is what Math does to us....

Today, Brittany Muller and I participated in the Texas A&M Mathematics Competition in College Station. We did it for the math club at our school- not because of our passion for math. Brittany picked me up at 5:30 am and we didn't get home until after 6pm! We were the only white girls there representing Austin High School. I have never been surrounded by so many smart Asian and Indian kids before in my life! Brittany and I definitely stuck together all day and were isolated from the group. If we didn't have each other, it would have been miserable. We took two impossible math tests, waited around for hours, ate lunch at Potbelly, waited around some more and watched a bunch of geniuses get their awards. After a long Saturday wasted on math, we finally headed home! Right afterwards, Taylor picked me up and we went to the Austin vs. Clements football game. When we were walking into the game, I saw there was a full moon tonight (that was sign #1 that it was going to be a great night)! The tickets are $8 at the door and just before Taylor went to buy his... a nice man just GAVE him his extra student ticket (that was sign #2 that it was going to be a great night). The Austin boys played GREAT the entire game and we WON 36-31 against Clements!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is definitely sign #3 of a FANTASTIC night! That was our FIRST victory in EXACTLY two years! We finally broke our long losing streak and it felt so good! The fans were going wild and the football boys were ecstatic (and that's an understatement)!! They dumped the entire ice chest on Coach Schreiber after the game... it was priceless. At the very end, we all stood together and swayed, waving our bulldog signs in the air. We’ve been waiting for that moment for a long time! Tonight is one of those nights that I will remember for the rest of my life. It was our last official game of my senior year and we won... WE WON! I am so proud of our football team- they played incredible tonight! They have worked so hard this season and have been disappointed way too many times. Tonight was their night to shine against Clements and they played with heart. What an awesome night in AHS history!

Also, Shannon got her overhand serve over the volleyball net for the first time today!! She got two over and one was the game winning point... that was definitely her VICTORY!!

And I didn't bring my camera to the one game we actually won... so these are borrowed pictures!! Unbelievable!

Day 295: Reno 911!

Tonight, we had our monthly PALs Hangout! We met at Cassandra's for a costume party, a surprise game and dinner. I was a ladybug and KK was the angel of death... the outfits were pretty much my spirit week attire revamped! We had a football player, a pumpkin, a cowboy, a cat, and my personal favorite... a cop from Reno 911. This is Colby's costume below and it was priceless... he even had the hairy legs to pull it off! We played a game called 'Bigger and Better'. Your group starts with a paper clip and you’re supposed to search the city of Sugar Land for something BIGGER and BETTER. My group was Chris Long and Ashkahn.  Chris was our chauffeur and we found a giant stop sign first! We continued our search throughout the neighborhood and our friend’s mom had a brand new red Mercedes convertable. It was so stylish!!! She drove it over to Cassandra's for us to use and it was definitely bigger AND better! The other groups had a Coca-Cola ice chest, a patio set, and an old school orange Challenger! It was pretty fun and then all of the PALs ate Pappasito's and cookie cake. I was super jealous I couldn't have any and it definitely took will power to resist!! :( Afterwards, KK & I went to dinner at Escalante's with her sister, Kayse, and her friend, Melissa. It was so much fun to listen to all of their crazy stories- from college to teaching! They are a riot!!

Day 294: Block

Writer's Block- the inability to write.

In 4th grade, writing is a huge part of the curriculum. On March 3rd, the fourth graders have to write a two page composition for the Writing TAKS Test. When I student teach, I always help the kids with their writing skills. Whether I am editing their rough drafts, brainstorming creative titles for their papers, teaching them new grammar rules or chanting new vocabulary words with them... we are ALWAYS writing! The class that I assist with is having a lot of trouble understanding the concept of three parts to a story: the introduction, body and conclusion. They just don't get it. Mrs. Sebesta says the same thing over and over again, and I swear- it goes into one of their ears and out of the other. Today, she taught them what 'Writer's Block' means and how the class will continue to write every day- so they don't get stuck on the day of their test.

As I sat down to write this blog, writer's block hit me big time. I could sit here and list everything that happened to me today, but I don't even want to read about that. Here are three things...

1. I sent in all of my transcripts, resumes, and teacher recommendation letters today!!

2. I made this cupcake menu for my 'small business' in Economics.

3. My brother did AWESOME in his job interview and got an offer to interview in Atlanta! I love you, Jason!!

Day 293: Baby Carrots

It is totally lame to post a picture of baby carrots... I am very much aware! But this is what you get when you leave for school at 6:20 am, go student teach afterwards and then work a six hour shift at 9ers! This week my mom and I started the Scarsdale diet. The only thing that you are allowed to eat (other than the three basic meals) are baby carrots. These are pretty much like a dessert to us... which is pathetic! Since I wasn't home for 30 consecutive minutes today, my mom delivered my healthy dinner to 9ers. She is seriously the best! When she got there, I took a break and enjoyed my dinner with her. We sat outside together and talked about our day. Even though the diet meal plan is bland and boring, we are each other’s cheerleader! We don't cheat and we definitely feel one another's pain. We're in this together and so far, so good!

Day 292: Best fan ever!

This afternoon, I went to the Austin vs. Clements varsity volleyball game! Taylor brought his brother and we hung out the entire time! Collin is seriously the sweetest and funniest little boy ever. When we got back from the concession stand to get him some M&M's, he handed me a $5 bill. I told him that I didn't need his money and he turned to me and said, "Kaitlyn... you're telling me that you don't want a $5 foot long!!"- Obviously implying that I needed to use the 5 dollars for a Subway sandwich. This kid cracks me up! We had a lot of fun cheering at the game together- even though they lost! :( Afterwards, we were holding hands walking out together and I told him that he was coming home with me (totally joking). Collin told Taylor that he was with me for the night and Taylor left the game without him! So... I ended up taking Collin to Chic-fil-a. He ate dinner, played in the play place and listened to me read him the story from his kid's meal. Even though he is only 5 years old, I love hanging out with Collin Cobb!

Day 291: Complete

Today was a super productive day! I worked ALL afternoon on college applications. I can finally say that I have successfully submitted my applications to Texas A&M University, the University of Texas and Texas Christian University! This has been quite the procrastination process, but all of my Apply Texas applications are COMPLETE! It feels SO good! Tonight, I was rushing to my FCA leadership meeting and while I was waiting to cross HWY 90, I snapped this picture! I only had time to take one picture and I thought it was pretty neat how the sun rays were shining through! Tonight at FCA we played dodgeball. Those are my all time favorite weeks because...

1. They are Outreach weeks, where EVERYONE feels welcome and comfortable

2. We get to play dodgeball… duh!!

Harold Kalibala, one of my best friends from PALs last year, came to FCA tonight! He plays college football in Ohio and I've missed him more than you can imagine. I pretty much tackled him when I saw his face come through the door! He is such a sweetheart and I am so thankful he came tonight! Thank God for submitting college applications, playing dodgeball and seeing old friends! :)

Day 290: Little miss

 Today was a whole lotta work for me! I worked at 9ers from 10am-4pm and went straight to babysit from 4:20-7pm! At 9ers, I thought we needed some halloween decorations... so I made this sign! I only had a black sharpie, an orange pen and a few sheets of notebook paper- so this is what we got! It has every cashier's name on it and the decor hangs just below the huge menu! 9ers needed something to spice it up a bit! When I got to the babysitting job, there were nine kids between the ages of 1 and 8 years old. Somehow between keeping them happy and preventing anyone from getting hurt- I colored the sign below. It says, "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." That is one of my favorite quotes for athletes and I guess for anyone! I had to color with crayons... ew. I strongly dislike crayons- they are SO messy! That was all they had, so I gotta work with whatever I got! The duo Sugarland recently came out with a new song called Little miss. I bought it once I got home and it is a breath of fresh air! It's really encouraging! Here is a little part from it.... now go listen to it!

Little miss down on love

Little miss I give up

Little miss I'll get tough, don't you worry 'bout me anymore

Little miss do your best

Little miss never rest

Little miss be my guest, I'll make more anytime that it runs out

Little miss you'll go far

Little miss hide your scars

Little miss who you are is so much more than you like to talk about

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright

Yeah, sometimes you gotta lose 'til you win

It's alright, it's alright, it's alright

And it'll be alright again

It'll be alright again, I'm okay.

Day 289: DINOSAUR

Let me start by saying that I have the best family and the best best friends in the world. All day my family was getting excited about Halloween- they set up outdoor decorations, made boo bites and pumpkin pie, and carved pumpkins! Tonight the Halloween buzz continued! Once I got off of work, KK and Taylor came over to party with the fam! We decided to make a music video to KE$HA's hit song DINOSAUR.

D-I-N-O-S-A, you are a dinosaur

D-I-N-O-S-A, you are a dinosaur

An O-L-D man, you're just an old man

Hitting on me, what? You need a CAT scan

It is all about an old man hitting on some young girls at a bar... and it is very catchy! We grabbed the costume boxes and found so many random things! These were our final outfit choices and it was show time! Anam came just in time to be in the video, but a little too late to be in the pictures! :( We got my Dad to dress up as a dinosaur- he is such a trooper. I don't think any other dad would have... 1. Been willing to participate and 2. Been able to pull off this costume! I love him so much! Our video is priceless. Once I published it to Facebook, I sat there and thought... "This video is a little strange, but people would expect this from our family. I can't even imagine seeing someone else post a video like this... in ridiculous costumes- with their mom, dad, siblings and best friends all dancing around crazy in their living room." My family is seriously the best! The whole night was A TON of fun and we got so many great laughs. Taylor & Dad were such good sports throughout the whole thing and I am so glad they were our DINOSAURS for the evening!



Day 288: LAUREN!

Today Lauren came home for the weekend!! I usually talk to her a few times a week on the phone... but there is nothing better than seeing her pretty face in person! We ran around, danced in the car and bought some random things- from phone covers to new watches. The family and I grabbed an early dinner at Pete & Shorty's. They mainly wanted to go there for Happy Hour and shuffle board... go figure! After we inhaled our food, we headed home and watched the start of the Rangers vs. Yankees game. Katy, Brittany and Crysta came over and they went with me and Lauren to see Jackass in 3D! It premiered tonight and it was HILARIOUS! They performed some ridiculous stunts and everyone in the theater was dying laughing. My favorite stunt was "Jet Engine"- SO FREAKING FUNNY! I am not going to lie; this was the funniest AND grossest movie that I've ever seen in my life. It will be a classic! The girls and I got a million great laughs tonight and I am so glad that we chose to see this movie together!

Day 287: Little PALS!

Today was the first day we wore our brand new PALs shirts to school. It is the same logo as last year, but they fit much better! It was also the first day we went over to Oyster Creek Elementary School during class to meet our little PALs. Each PAL is matched up with either a girl or a boy little PAL. The little ones are chosen by the counselors and they may be struggling at home, lack attention from their parents, or in desperate need for a friend. That's what we're there for!! My little PAL's name is Lizzie and she is in 2^nd grade. She is a blonde hair blue-eyed little girl and full of energy! She told me that I could call her Lizzie the Lizard, because that’s what most people call her. I can't wait to get to know this sweet girl better this year! Also, while I was at OC... I saw my best friend Collin Cobb!! Seeing his charming little kindergarten face in the hallway completely brightened my day! One of the main reasons I love being in PALs class is for the days we spend over at Oyster Creek- I just love those kids!

Day 286: Fields of Faith

Today has been the most amazing day. Seniors were supposed to take the ASVAB test during 1st through 4th period; instead, most of us skipped school. I slept in and got breakfast tacos with Katy, Anam, Taylor & Tyler. Afterwards, the boys headed back to school and the girls & I went down to the Museum District/Herman Park/Rice Village area. We spent most of our day outside and we went to the Museum of Natural Science. I am not really the museum type- I am more of a looker and a mover. I can go and find it interesting, but I don't spend too much time looking at each exhibit. We grabbed lunch at Which Wich- which is always a favorite lunch spot! :)

Tonight was the most amazing night of my senior year so far. I attended Fields of Faith at the FBBA stadium. It is an event put on by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. All of the surrounding FCA's in the area came out and over 400 fields around of nation had this event tonight. Derrick Moore, a former professional football player, spoke to us tonight. He is one of the most inspirational speakers that I have ever heard. Mr. Moore claimed that we are all running out of time. It is the 4th quarter in our lives, the clock is ticking away and we must make a choice: a choice whether to live for Christ wholeheartedly or a choice to be a part of this world. He said there are two types of people in this world: The born and the born again. I am proud to say that I am born again in Him. I know that the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth, loved me enough to sacrifice himself and offer me everlasting life. I am 100% sure that when the final buzzer rings, I will be entering the gates of Heaven and running into the arms of Christ. Every day that I wake up, I have been living for Kaitlyn. I was the burnt out believer. The one that looked like she had it all figured out, but whose heart was stuck in a desert. Tonight, I felt Jesus. I realized how he has transformed my life and why I am called to love other people. I want to wake up in the morning, and ask, "How can You use me today to further your kingdom?" In life, there is Team Jesus vs. Team World- you can't be a part of both teams. You chose the team that you play for on a daily basis. Tonight so many students chose Team Jesus Christ. There were over hundreds of students there- some were passionate believers, some were burnt-out believers, and some were nonbelievers. At least half of the people there gave their life to Christ tonight, even some of my closest friends. They stood on the field and publically proclaimed their faith. As I stood on the sidelines of the football field, I had tears streaming down my face. It was unbelievable to see how many lives Christ touched tonight. He sparked a new fire in old believers and stirred up the hearts of many new believers. I know that Fields of Faith 2010 will be a night that I will never forget.

Day 285: Run

Running is one of those things that I hate to do, but I love the feeling after I am finished. Since we live in Texas and it is unbearably humid for the majority of the year, I don't run outside as often as I'd like. But today I decided to take on the challenge- and yes, it was a challenge. I am not the fastest runner, but I try to run the entire way. My face will turn tomato red and I will usually be gasping for air. Lauren texted me yesterday, "To my family and friends that are exhausted: 'In seeking you shall find a breath of desire and My spirit is there- to replenish and renew. Know this that a Comrade infinitely tender, infinitely strong, will tread the way with you." Yesterday that text from my lovely sister didn't mean much to me, but for some reason I remembered it in the midst of my run. How reassuring is it that God is running the race right alongside us- that he will tread the way with us! No matter how exhausted we might be in the midst of our lives... He will always replenish and renew our spirit! 

Day 284: I Wish I Could...

I wish I could write about every thought that goes through my mind each day. I have so many entertaining stories and side notes to my life that are just not blog material. It's not that they are inappropriate; they are just not for the whole wide world to read. It's like this blog is a filter to my life. Everything you read is not necessarily everything that is going on in my life. I am not perfect, nor will I ever be. There are positives and negatives throughout my days, just like everyone else. This blog is not meant to exploit other people, organizations, teachers, or the current high school drama. It is meant to give people hope and a reason to smile every day. For those of you that read my Project 365, I wish I could say how easy it is to capture a creative picture everyday- but it's not. I wish I could tell you all of the little things that make me so mad- but I can't. I wish I explain to you the life of a daily blogger- but it's too complicated. I wish I could tell you that I get excited about blogging every night- but it's bittersweet. I wish I could describe the feeling that I get when people tell me that I have impacted their life in some way- but it's indescribable. Today SO many things have annoyed me and I can't blog about them... but I wish I could.

Day 283: Too Much Opa...

Today I volunteered for NHS at the Greek Festival in Downtown Houston. Shannon and Mom came with me- but they came only to spend their afternoon outside! I was initially excited to spend my day serving outdoors and people watch at the festival. However, once I arrived I was stuck inside the volunteer sign in room all by myself. Not only did I not have any other high school students to volunteer with, but the room felt like it was below 20 degrees. I was literally shivering. I had to alphabetize over 2,000 volunteer name tags. Keep in mind we're talking about GREEK last names, so names like… Kostopoulos, Karahalios, Papageorgiou, Papadopoulos, Stathopoulos- ABSOLUTELY CRAZY! My job was incredibly boring, yet easy. Every volunteer that I talked to reminded me of the people in the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. They all have such a thick accent! I overheard traditional Greek music playing all afternoon and saw the entire Karastimatis clan- who are our neighbors! Marika, Christina and Panteli were all dressed head to toe in their Greek attire for their dance performances. My mom and sister got to enjoy the beautiful day outside and eat some traditional Greek food favorites. Needless to say, today there was a little Too Much Opa for me!

Day 282: KK's 18!

Today was my best friend, Katy Lowery's, 18th birthday! I made her a giant ‘18’ sign-covered with pictures of the two of us since middle school, plenty of inside jokes and a few encouraging quotes. I don't know where I'd be without this girl. She can always make me smile! I also gave her a frame with a picture from homecoming and it had a quote on the bottom. The quote says... "You are one of the best things that's ever happened to me. You're my best friend. And every day that goes by, it seems like I discover something new about you to love. It's incredible to me how one person can make such a big difference in my life. You touch my heart in a way I never knew before. It's incredible to me how one person can make such a big difference in my life." J We went to the football game tonight against Travis- and the bulldogs got killed (again)! Afterwards, we went to KK's house and celebrated her 18th birthday! Quite a few people showed up and we just hung out and ate yummy food. Happy 18th Birthday Best Friend- I love you more than anything!!

Day 281: TEAM OBAMA!

Today was the Dodgeball Tournament! It is a fundraiser put on by the AHS PALs that raises money for Breast Cancer Awareness. I was the court monitor, the photographer and the coach for Team Obama! I am not sure why that was our name, but I bought a Michelle Obama mask to have team spirit! It was hideous... I looked like a monster with it on. Taylor had a President Obama mask, which actually looked normal! I took a few pictures with my nasty mask and I was so done with being Michelle! Everyone from Austin was so spirited- I LOVED IT! A few of the teams that stood out were Schwartz's Sharks, The Loko, Cody Brown's Team, and of course TEAM OBAMA! Taylor, Anthony, Eric, Mandy, Priscilla and another softball girl were on my enthusiastic and competitive team! They made it to the championship game against Cody Brown's team. Everyone in the crowd was going wild for Team Obama, but they didn't end up winning the golden plunger. It was disappointing, but they played so well! Tonight we had some insane referees, a ton of spirited teams, and some hard working PALs. We were very successful in raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness and I enjoyed watching everyone unleash their competitiveness! Go Team Obama! :) Afterwards, I went to Whataburger with the PALs and then saw Life As We Know It with Jason!!!! It was a late showing, but it was so worth it. This movie guarantees plenty of laughs and tears!

Day 280: Take the Lead

Last school year, I learned a lot about leadership through the organizations that I was involved in. However, it was not until this year that I truly realized what I learned and how to apply it to my life. The key to leadership is delegating tasks and trusting the people that you work with. That is extremely hard for me, because I tend to want to control everything and I always strive for perfection. This year I am in charge of FLO/SAIL, which is a freshmen and sophomore leadership organization. Today I was making the agenda for our next meeting and I found a quote that suits leadership perfectly: "Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results." I always want people to trust me and my ability to get things done and in return I need to trust other people and always bring them up- not down!

Day 279: Picture Fail.

Today was a picture fail. I don't know if I am allowed to do this, but I figured I could make up my own rules as I go along. I took over 500 pictures last week and posted over 400 on Facebook. Needless to say, my camera and I were taking a break today. I honestly can't believe it is Day 279 and I haven't had a 'Picture Fail Day' yet. However, just because I didn't take a picture doesn't mean my day was insignificant. This is from the song ‘It's Your Life’ by Francesca Battistelli...

It’s your life

What you gonna do?

The world is watching you

Every day the choices you make

Say what you are and who

Your heart beats for

It’s an open door

It’s your life

Are you who you always said you would be?

With a sinking feeling in your chest

Always waiting for someone else to fix you

Tell me when did you forget

It's your life.

The line that stood out to me today was, Are you who you always said you would be? Picture yourself 10 years from now... now picture what your life looked like 10 years ago. It's incredible what changes can take place over a 10 year span! We never could have predicted the exact circumstances that we are in today- our struggles, our triumphs, our appearence, our friends, or our challenges.  Everyone always says, one day I'll be a better person and I'll be more _________ (fill in the blank). My question is... why can't that be today? We should be making choices and living our lives in a way that reflects how we want to be remembered. We are not promised another day... are you who you always said you would be?

Day 278: Dinner?

It's actually really pathetic... my weeks are usually so busy that I am hardly ever home for dinner. This week, including the weekend, I will not be home a single night for dinner. When I get home late at night, I am stuck eating a Lean Cuisine on the couch by myself. Where did the days go when eating dinner with the family was common, when I had time and energy to play kickball outside with the neighbors and when I could have a conversation longer than 15 minutes with my mother on a normal school day! I need to work less, relax more and eat dinner with my family for once!

Day 277: Life's a Mess

Today has been such a good day! It all started with a YouTube video that Jason, my brother, posted on my Facebook. With the song's catchy beat and motivating lyrics, it set my day off to a great start... "We're gonna have a good day and ain't nobody gotta cry today." Tonight Taylor Woods & I spoke at FCA about our messy lives. I painted this canvas to demonstrate how all of our lives are messy, dysfunctional and cluttered. We spend most of our lives worried about what we don't do instead of what we have done, focused on our imperfections instead of God's fondness for the imperfect. But maybe that's just it... maybe we spend too much time worried about achieving perfection and not enough time admitting that we will never have it completely together. Real Christianity is messy and lopsided, and exceptionally liberating at the same time. God will be there for us throughout the mess of our lives- he is never going to let us down or leave us. I want to be loved, imperfections and all, by the God who meets me and transforms me in the midst of my unpredictable life.