Week 10: The Finish Line.

Week 10 has been insane... that's why my first blog entry is being published on Thursday night! After my spontaneous Saturday night adventure, I had to wake up at 4:45 am on Sunday morning to volunteer for the Memorial Herman Half Marathon. When I showed up, I saw Chad Henry! He is a player on the Austin baseball team, and I couldn't have been more excited to see a familiar face. He is much more reserved, so I finally got the opportunity to get to know him a lot better! We worked as partners for Mile 9, and called out pace time to the runners. I hope one day I can complete a half-marathon... I felt very inspired on Sunday! The rest of the day was spent working at 9ers, catching up on some sleep, and meeting with my prom group. The stress levels have been extremely high at school throughout Week 10, all thanks to prom.

I've been living my normal, hectic life- I am always on the go and there really is never a dull moment. I think this week I've come to realize that I've signed up for way too many organizations, activities, and events. I am stretching myself too thin, and I need to make sure I don't lose my sanity along the way. I always finish everything I start, no matter how many silly things are written in my overused white planner.

This week I've finally starting student teaching again since Spring Break! When I walked through the door on Tuesday, the kids bombarded me while cheering and screaming. It's those kind of moments that remind you of why you do the things you do. I told the class about that I got asked to prom. Ross, a short sweet boy, raised his hand and said, "Miss Engle, what's that boy got that I don't have?" It was the cutest thing ever. Avery, another little boy, told me that he would take me to prom (if I didn't have a date). When I broke the news to the class, he looked very upset. I went over to him and asked him if everything was alright. He sadly whispered, "I just thought I was going to take you to prom, Miss Engle." My little 4th grader's simply make my heart smile!

On Wednesday afternoon, we had our 10th Annual Commander Baker Softball Game!!! This is by far my favorite event that Austin High School puts on. They had Midway starting at 5pm, and the Student vs. Teacher Softball Game at 6pm. This is one of the few opportunities where our whole school can come together as one. The PALs plan and organize this event with the help of the rest of the school. FLO-SAIL had a "Balloon Pop" station at Midway, and a ton of other organizations brought different creative stations to the event. I'll never forget when I was chunking candy up to people in the stands, and I accidentally  nailed one girl in the face. I felt so bad, but what can I say... I desperately need throwing lessons! The game ended in a tie, but the whole event was a complete success!! We couldn't have asked for better weather or a better turn out. The night ended in a huge PAL group hug. We finally felt united and accomplished, and oh it felt so good!

Week 11: Prom?

On Saturday night, Taylor asked me to prom.

I said... YES!

Week 11: Never Alone

The end of my senior year is wrapping up; today marked the last day of the 3rd nine week grading period. We have only a quarter of the year left and time couldn't be flying any faster! Prom is constantly on everyone's mind and the center of most conversations. It is easily the most stressful event to plan. It sounds incredibly stupid  that so much thought and stress could go into one dance. Taking prom aside, drama seems to be following almost every situation. I hope that people start making peace, finding forgiveness, and enjoying the remainder of senior year. I am expecting a lot more hugging and crying as graduation day approaches. No one takes high school seriously anymore. I walk throughout the hallways and wonder what I am still doing there. Even though everyone has 'Senioritis', I still have a positive attitude in class and continue to have my full load of extracurricular activities in the evenings. This week I got accepted into the University of California-San Diego. Which was very exciting to know that I am welcome to the west coast, even though my heart is still set on attending Texas A&M! Tonight, the baseball boys played Marshall! They did great and we got a win for the first time in a while! Savannah and I have become quite the little manager buddies- I couldn't survive in that dugout without her! The boys conversations flow A LOT differently than most girls. Regardless, I still love spending time with the team and keeping the official book during the games. I will cherish all of these little moments for the rest of my life. Senior year is unlike any other. It doesn't hit you when you write that generic essay for English, when you wake up for your last first day of school, or when you're having the time of your life at prom. It never truly hits you until graduation day, when you look around and realize that you will never see half of these people again. Senior year only happens once, and we have to make the most out of every opportunity. It won't be long before I meet new people and inevitably grow apart from others.

May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win but stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone.
-Lady Antebellum
<3

Week 11: Elevation.

This past week in North Carolina has been incredible! This morning we went to Elevation Church at the uptown location. This is Jason's church home; however, I have been watching Elevation services online for the past couple of years. It was so neat to finally experience it as an actual audience member! They talked about Resistance in our lives and how to overcome the things that are holding us back from sharing God's love and reaching our potential. The resistance in our lives will be weakened and defeated in the presence of God. The resistance is that nagging voice inside your ear that continues to say God could never use someone as broken as you or the temptation that trips you up time and time again. There are four pressure points of resistance; The Devil continues to lie to us and fight against us. He wants us to remain in our sinful ways and grow comfortable with complacency. There will be resistance in your life, but God will be victorious! The areas where we limit our sacrifice are the areas where resistance will stop you cold. God wants us to beat the resistance and have a fulfilling life. If the Lord is for you, than he is definitely more than the world against you. I loved my experience at Elevation Church! The rest of the day was spent sitting in airports, boarding flights, and floating in the sky. Nothing too exciting; however, I did have a great Spring Break with Jason and the rest of my family! We missed you, Lauren!! I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to visit him and play in downtown Charlotte. Now it's back to reality in Sugar Land... let's see what these last few weeks have in store!

Week 12: Parades and Paddles

Today has been an action packed day and by far the best day of our trip to North Carolina! We woke up and immediately went to the St. Patrick's Day Festival and Parade in downtown Charlotte. We walked the entire street, and at that time there were hardly any people out and about! Once we made it to the festival, I got a set of clovers painted on my cheek (one of the highlights of my day), Shannon jumped in the bungee jumper, Jason and Mom sipped on their drinks, we met a couple from the Woodlands selling homemade salsa, we took advantage of every free sample and savored the smell of all the fried goodies. All of us were in our St. Patty's Day attire and loving every second of this event. We made it back down the street to find the perfect spot for the parade, and trust me... the streets were packed with people in green! We were located in the sun, directly across from all of the television crews and radio stations. The talk show hosts were narrating the entire parade and it was very helpful and entertaining for us! My favorite part of the St. Patrick's Day Parade was watching all of the children in the show and in the audience. They were absolutely adorable in their green attire and so cheerful about every miniscule detail. Their eyes were open wide and all of their attention was directed towards to the dancers, clowns, and floats. After we were 'greened out', we headed to lunch at Boardwalk Billie's. We sat outside on a patio that overlooked a lake… it was perfect! We ordered burgers, coconut shrimp, and more. This was by far my favorite meal from our entire trip- and we've been a lot of different restaurants! Shortly after, we drove down to the U.S. National Whitewater Center, since Jason made a reservation for us this afternoon! This place was ridiculously cool; it was like a Six Flags for adults! They had rock-climbing, mountain biking, zip lining, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and not to mention it was unbelievably beautiful! Our white water rafting experience was simply unforgettable. Jason and I sat in the front, and attempted to paddle in perfect coordination. Dad fell out of the boat, even though he doesn't like to admit it. Right as we crashed into a huge wave, Shannon screamed, "Gosh... I LOVE THIS!" Mom was scared to death the whole 90 minute ride. Every time I was almost knocked out of the boat (which was frequently); Jason decided it would be funny to give me an additional shove. Our training guy acted too cool for school... "Let’s go backwards. That's a GREAT idea!" We also went mountain biking, and that was an extreme cardio workout! I had an absolute blast at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, and it is definitely a place that I'd like to go back to! Our last night in North Carolina was spent sharing milkshakes at Cook Out and relaxing at Jason's apartment. Today was filled with parades and paddles... which was the perfect combination!

Week 12: Carolina Success.

 Today has been quite the productive day! We started out at Concord Mills Mall, which looked almost identical to Katy Mills Mall. They had a prom dress store called Group USA. It was another fail, but we were very determined to find a prom dress today. I ended up buying a pair of country western boots there. Coming from Texas, home of the endless supply of boots, it was ironic that I ended up buying a pair in North Carolina. I absolutely love them and I can't wait to go country western dancing! Jason got his signing bonus this morning and today was his payday- which were both extremely exciting! Out of all of the things he could've purchased at the mall, he bought two Auntie Anne's pretzels (and that was him splurging)! He cracks me up. After shopping for awhile in Concord, we headed back to the city to pick up Dad for lunch. We walked into downtown, picked up food at Newks, and had a picnic in the middle of the city. It was absolutely perfect weather outside today- about 80 degrees without any humidity! After lunch, we walked through the city and took lots of pictures. The white trees in the scenery took my breath away. They are EVERYWHERE and I love them! I am convinced that these trees will be at my wedding or at least in my bridal portraits one day! I took a few pictures of Alpha Mills, Jason's apartment complex, and a few more pictures of the inside of his place. Alpha Mills used to be a textile mill back in the day, which explains the smokestack in the background. In the afternoon, my parents and I headed to the South Park area. This was definitely the high end uppity section of Charlotte. The houses were unbelievable, the trees and greenery surrounded us, and the mall was their version of our Galleria. We went into Nordstrom’s, or as my Dad would say, "Nordy's". Believe it or not... we finally found my prom dress! Boots and a dress in one day? I think this is a record for me! We headed back to Jason's apartment to meet his friends, RJ and Megan, and watch the fightin' Texas Aggies lose to Florida State. We hung out, played games, and then headed to dinner at Cabo Fish Taco! It was very loud and crowded, but I enjoyed getting to know his Charlotte friends and spend more time with my family! On this trip, I've eaten more food than I have in the past month. I swear, I am going to go into a food coma. Despite my overwhelmed stomach, today was a total success. I am loving everything about North Carolina!

Week 12: Totem

This morning started off with prom dress shopping in Charlotte. I am convinced that I have tried on way too many dresses, and I am now immune to prom. After exhausting the racks in one store and finding nothing, I had a bit of a frustration break down. The dress I wear to prom isn't really that big of a deal; however, it was everything in general that brought me to tears. No crying is allowed in Charlotte! We grabbed lunch at Subway and continued our day with more shopping that had nothing to do with prom (thankfully). Instead, we were looking to purchase surprises for Jason. He had to work all day, so my parents decided that we should get him a few things to fill the big empty spaces in his apartment. We went to a couple ghetto furniture stores, until we found the Rooms-To-Go Outlet. While my parents were seriously shopping, Shannon and I were laying on mattresses, playing on dining room sets, and testing out couches. My mom found a reasonably priced leather couch and an inexpensive kitchen table for Jason. Since we don't have Dad's Tundra, we had to rent a U-Haul in order to get it all back into the city. We rushed back to his apartment with all of the new furniture and little nick-knacks just to discover that they gave us the wrong color dining set from the warehouse! It caused quite the commotion. Tonight, we all went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant called 'Cinco de Mayo'. Texas Mexican food is way better than anything you find in North Carolina... no comparison. Afterwards, Jason took us to see Cirque Du Soleil! This show was a combination of the circus, a live music concert, and a Broadway production. Totem illustrated, through acrobatic and visual language, the evolutionary progress of species. They had men on the bars, a circle of life hoop dancer, the unicycle and bowl Chinese girl act, the devil sticks, the scientist that manipulated atoms and molecules, the fixed trapeze duo that discovered love, the roller-skate act, and the flipping men on Russian bars. The set design, the costumes, the make-up and the music were incredible. I have no idea how people can create and design such an incredible show. These folks had WAY too much talent. My favorite part was the Chinese unicycle girls that flipped multiple bowls onto their head. Jason turned to me and said, "I can't even catch a jelly bean in my mouth!" Shannon's favorite part was the young men without shirts on... she thought the surfers were way cute! Totem showed us the fascinating journey into the evolution of mankind and was by far one of the best productions I've ever seen!

Week 12: Tar Heel Nation

Today was our first official day in the beautiful state of North Carolina! We started off with a big breakfast that consisted of French toast and homemade biscuits at the well known restaurant called Breadmen’s. Apparently it is a Chapel Hill favorite! We rushed over to Jackson Hall for our scheduled conference with an admissions counselor and a student guided tour. Last fall, I applied to the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill to be admitted for the fall of 2011. Sadly, I did not get accepted; however, I've been dying to visit this campus! Over 7,000 students applied from out-of-state, and they only accepted 900. Not to mention only 42% of 2nd year students are admitted to the business school-58% are denied! The state of North Carolina requires this university to accept 82% of in-state freshmen, and only 18% from out-of-state. That made my rejection letter hurt a little less. I kept joking throughout the day that UNC really is seeking me; they just don't know it yet! I am convinced they can't judge me by my SAT scores and AP work load alone.  If you took the beauty of UT and the hometown feel of A&M... you would get UNC. The campus was incredible and it won as my dream school. Taylor, our tour guide, was an annoying frat guy that was obsessed with talking about himself. He didn’t add any enjoyment to the tour, but I was preoccupied with taking pictures anyways. The girl to guy ratio is 60:40... that wasn't looking too good for me. They only have two traditions; drinking from the fountain and sitting under the marriage tree. I am convinced that UNC may have an outstandingly beautiful campus, but A&M has much better looking students! After our campus activities, we had free lunch passes to one of their dining halls. Despite our huge breakfast, the Engle's cannot turn down a free meal. We explored the city of Chapel Hill and I absolutely loved it. Franklin Street is almost exactly like Northgate, but better. They even had a specialty cupcake shop called 'Sugarland'! Once we saw all of Tar Heel Nation, we headed to the city of Charlotte. It was approximately a two and a half hour drive, and then we finally got to see Jason! We saw where he works and his apartment complex for the first time. When we walked into his apartment, he had posters hanging up that said 'Spring Break 2011' and 'Stop... Let's Party'. He baked cookies for us and stocked up his fridge with all of the things we love. I've missed him SO much and I was so excited to be in his city! Tonight, we wandered downtown Charlotte and experienced the city life. We ate at a restaurant called 'Dandelion Market'- which is basically a tapas bar that sells a ton of different small appetizers. Jason has a ton of exciting things planned for us the next couple of days and I am sure there will be plenty more pictures as “North Carolina 2011” continues!

Week 12: Rainy Raleigh

It is currently Week 12, and that means it is finally Spring Break!
Today, we headed to North Carolina to visit Jason and explore his city. This morning
I started packing... a little last minute! The gang and I hopped in the car
around noon and we drove to Hobby Airport. Our day started off a little shaky
with lunch at Jack in the Box. We were running short on time, and it was the
only thing near the airport. All of our stomachs were rumbling and grumbling
the entire flight. After checking our luggage, the first leg of our adventure
took us to Atlanta, Georgia. I did my Calculus AP prep work the entire flight.
I had notes from the entire year sprawled out everywhere. It was a hot mess!
Once we landed in Atlanta, we had a one hour layover. We all sat there and
obsessively played Words with Friends. At 7:05 pm, we headed to Raleigh, North
Carolina. Shannon and I sat together, and fell asleep cuddling on the plane.
Jason lives in Charlotte, but we flew into Raleigh so that we could visit the
University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. We arrived to the rainy and chilly
city of Raleigh, and took a shuttle bus to the wrong rental car location. We
hiked across the street with all of our luggage, and finally loaded into our
itty-bitty car. We drove 15 minutes to Chapel Hill, and quickly found our hotel
room. It was incredibly dark, and for some reason they don't believe in street
lights around here! You could barely make out the enormous trees, but I could
already tell this city's beautiful scenery is going to take my breath away! We
unloaded our belongings into the hotel room, and headed to downtown Chapel
Hill. We found ourselves on Franklin Street, and it was clearly the place to
be. We ate dinner at a restaurant called "Carolina Brewery". We tried
their Greek Pizza and Research Pizza (RNT)… both were super tasty! It has been
a long day of travel, and everyone is completely exhausted. I cannot wait to
explore the campus of UNC tomorrow and spend the day in Chapel Hill!