Its My Life...and I Love It.

Home Again

2011-07-01T00:49:00.003-05:00

6 months after it began, my time at Cypress Creek ended. It was a bitter-sweet departure and will always look back on the farm with fond memories. I miss Spence, Lucy, and Tiny Baby, and of course many others. Sucha misses Gracie. Though it saddened me to leave, I look to the future with excitement and anticipation. I'm ready to move on and witness what life has in store for me next. For the time being, I'm
Back in Fort Worth and look forward to spending some much needed time with family and friends.

A quick update

2011-04-18T17:44:00.003-05:00

Sweet! So here's the quick low down on life. Sucha is getting so big! I'm officially the trainer for Cypress Creek Clydesdales. We went to out first show on March 20th and cleaned house. All of the horses did great and we won every class we went in. I met a lot of great people and started making my 'clyde' connections across North America. We should be hitting the big show road in August, heading up north to Canada and Michigan. We'll stay up there until the world championships in October and then come back to the great state of Texas for the winter.

The farm has 5 babies on the ground. They are all bundles of trouble but you gotta love them anyways.

I still can't figure out how to get pictures on here using my phone. It may just not be possible. Owell

iPhone post test

2011-04-18T17:39:00.002-05:00

So I think I finally figured out how to post from my iPhone. Hopefully this will work so that the people without a Facebook can stay up to date on my job and travels. So here goes nothing! Hopefully this will work!

Sucha Pics

2011-02-08T15:15:00.001-06:00

Clydesdales and Sucha Pup

2011-02-06T18:37:00.004-06:00

Casey and the Twins

So much has already happened in 2011. I have a NEW job working with Clydesdales out in the middle of no where Texas. I miss my friends and Kevin, of course, but this change has been amazing for me and I love it so much. I spend my days with wonderful horses and I couldn't ask for a better opportunity to be back with the animals I love.

I also just put a deposit down on a new Golden Retriever puppy. It was bitter sweet, but I am really excited about it. She's a beautiful little girl and should be pretty dark in color. I pretty sure I've decided on the name "Sucha," even though some people have called me crazy for it.. :-) I'm okay with being crazy.Momma Bear

Poppa Bear
Sucha's Litter. She's one of the Darker ones. I'll have specific pictures on Friday!

Can't Wait!

2010-12-13T16:27:00.003-06:00

I can't wait for a lot of things.

1st: Seeing my family in....7 DAYS!
2nd: Spending Christmas with Kevin and both of our families!
3rd: Going on an AMAZING snowboarding trip to Colorado with good friends over New Years!
4th: COTTON BOWL!
5th: Finishing up the the Spring, moving on, getting my new bundle of golden fluff and starting the next phase in my life.

I feel as though 2011 is going to be a good year!

Aggies in the Cotton Bowl!!!

2010-11-30T22:44:00.002-06:00

Get excited!!! Kevin's Dad just offered to buy him and I tickets to the game. Guess who is SOOOOOOO EXCITEDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!! this kid. right here. Go Ags! BTHO whoever we re playing!!!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving with No Family

2010-11-28T21:09:00.002-06:00

The holiday hit me a little harder than I thought it would, as it was the first time I was not able to make it home for any piece of the break...wait, break? What am I saying? I didn't have any sort of break, actually, because I worked Thursday(yeah, that's right, Thursday. Its bullshit, I know.), Friday, Saturday and Sunday...and also Monday, but that isn't here yet.

Anyways, having to work over a holiday made me more determined then ever to not be in the same place I am now next year. I love my family way to much to be away from them like this again.

There were two things to be Thankful for though.

1st: Kevin and I have officially been dating a year, on Thanksgiving Day. And I love him more then ever. I was, and still am, sad I was not able to go and see him and his family on Thursday, but, since I can't go home for Christmas Day, they have so graciously invited me to their house, and I am so greatful for that.

2nd: Good friends which turned a crappy holiday into a better one with a wonderful dinner which finished cooking at 11:30pm and an epic game of Cranium lasting well into the night. Thanks Christina, Jentri, Jauron and Aaron. It may have been a late dinner, but, damn it, we had a Thanksgiving!

All Work...and No Play.

2010-10-19T23:25:00.006-05:00

Okay, first off, I admit to neglecting this blog for over a month. I believe the last thing I posted was about having the Pre-K teaching job....EPIC DISASTER! But, I made it through and survived to tell the tale, get paid, and never look back. Lesson learned, I am not made to work with kids under the age of 4.

Luckily, My old Assistant Manager from American Eagle called me while I was doing the subbing job and offered my a pretty sweet position at Gander Mountain. By the end of the week I was hired and have been working like CRAZY ever since. Its a great job and I am still able to take subbing positions on my days off, which is nice, but for the most part I'm working full time at Gander. Its really laid back and the other employees are a lot of fun to be around.

Kevin got his Aggie Bling on September 17th. His family came in and he did his ring dunk that night with 5 of our other friends. It was an amazing time. I love spending time with his family, and I felt lucky to have been able to spend such a special occasion with them. Football and Bonfire also started that weekend. So, in the end, the weekend was quite an event.
Since then, Football has fallen to pieces. And for something I have loved so much for years now, Bonfire has been sitting heavy on my heart with how pathetic our dorm's turnout has been so far. No one talks about it, but everyone who has been around for awhile is thinking the same thing, and its hard to watch the years of hard work disintegrate in front of our eyes.

On to happier things. Kevin and I went to a wedding this past weekend in Houston. He was a groomsman for an old HS buddy. We had a good time, despite the wedding being 'dry,' but it was nice being able to put faces with some of the names I always hear. Kevin's friend, Mike, is always fun to be around and we hung out quite a bit while Kevin was off doing groomsman stuff. As usual though, I took some pictures, but didn't get anything of myself. Go figure.
That sums everything up though. I'll try to keep up with things at least for a little while.

Teaching

2010-09-13T05:08:00.002-05:00

I finally got my first Subing job! I will be TAing in a Pre-K class for this entire week. I'm so excited..and nervous. I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep at all, hence this is being written at 5am.

I am really happy that this will be my introduction to Subing though. Having the chance to, more or less, shadow a teacher for my first week will be so helpful, rather than being shoved into a classroom with 25 kids and no clue on what to do with them.

It also makes me happy that this is a job for an entire week, which is something that I really needed after feeling so worthless lately.

Texas A&M Honors the Past

2010-09-07T15:31:00.005-05:00

At every football game, Texas A&M does a short segment called "Bugle Call" for former Ags who are truly incredible and inspiring. All of them are touching and give you chills, but this one is absolutely amazing and is the closest I have ever been to crying at a football game.

http://www.aggieathletics.com/allaccess/?media=192628

I couldn't get the video directly on here, but here is the link to it. A stadium of 81,287, record attendance for a season opener, gave Mr. Terrill a standing ovation. What a moment.

Move In Weekend...

2010-08-22T18:27:00.003-05:00

Move-In weekend has its pros and cons. For instance,

Pro: Friends finally return and we all get to hang out and have a great time.

Con: Do parents and freshman even know how to drive??? How did these people get drivers licences????

Pro: Gig 'Em Week. A time to get to know the new freshman and break them into the college life.

Con: Dealing with freshman who don't know how to regulate themselves.

Pro: Businesses go back to normal hours...none of this closed for half the week and only open 2 days a week.

Con: Why are there SO MANY PEOPLE HERE!?!?!?

Ahhh...College Station. How I love thee.

Population on August 21st: 54,000
Population on August 22nd: 100,000+

And now the 'real' people will be hiding out again until May 15th.

Finding the Passion...again...

2010-08-21T01:39:00.004-05:00

I used to have such a drive and a will to succeed. I used to know exactly what I wanted to do with my life. In the last 3 years, all of the passion I once had has completely disappeared. I'm not sure for the exact reason, whether it was the difficulty of finishing up school or the daunting task of taking on more. It could have been the amount of time I was away from the medical aspect of animals, but submerged in the management of horses in which I ended up hating.

Knowing I screwed up in college and I would have to get a Masters before I even thought about applying to Vet school is beyond what my brain can take right now, and THAT is overly depressing.

What happened to me???

I love to teach, and the more I think about it, the more I believe that a classroom is where I would like to end up, but is this a cop-out? Am I leaning on teaching because I can't mentally take going further in school? Maybe it's due to the fear of failing more than I already have..kind of a stop while I'm ahead reaction...but am I even 'ahead' at this point...not really.

When I write out my options, it seems silly to ask which is better. Of course I should give my original passion another chance to be re-ignited and immerse myself back into a veterinary setting and remind myself why I wanted to pursue it in the first place. Or should I try to start establishing myself as a teacher somewhere and just let it go.

I never excelled at the hard sciences when I got to A&M. I failed and I failed and I failed some more, and if that wasn't enough I failed again. Have I had enough signs already? Or was I just not focused and burnt out? But, Is it really worth paying for more school to find out?

I'm really trying to stay in good spirits, pretend like everything is okay, pretend like I have my life together. I have a strong personality, but this is slowly wearing it down.

New Voices

2010-08-19T15:24:00.001-05:00

These guys are fantastic. One of my old Students posted one of their covers on FB and I found this one of them covering Michael Buble's Everything. They also do an amazing cover of Hallelujah. School rivalries put aside, I hope these guys go on to do great things...despite being from tech..haha.

On the Brightside [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

2010-08-19T15:05:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Sydney..

2010-08-19T01:46:00.004-05:00

My new favorite song...

Everything by Michael Buble

Blue October...Yesss....

2010-08-18T18:43:00.003-05:00

I'm helping a friend out with the partial management of the Ziegfest Concert over Labor Day weekend. The line-up normally includes small country artists from around the area and then one or two bigger names, whether that is Texas Country names or something more widely known. This year, however, BLUE OCTOBER is performing!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited that I finally get to see them!!! And not only do I get to see them, but I get to do it for free...or, scratch that, i get PAID to see them! How freakin' sweet?!?!?

The Things I Miss..as of right this second...

2010-07-22T00:33:00.003-05:00

I'm secluded in Nemo, Texas. So, in conclusion, I was trying to write this super meaningful paragraph about things that I miss and why i missed them, but you see how far that got. So here is a list, because lists are very grown up.

As of right now, I Miss...(the first few are no-brainers)

1. Kevin, of course, that's a given.
2. Hanging out with my sister, walt and the girls...and my mom and dad and luke
3. being with friends and playing 42 at the chicken
4. riding Mulligan without a care in the world
5. being able to 'sleep til i wake up'
6. the smell of the barns at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds at Nationals
7. the roar of Kyle Field when A&M scores a touchdown
8. a comfortable bed
9. quietness
10. teaching lessons, believe it or not
11. snowboarding
12. good cell phone reception
13. normal music
14. Bailey
15. taking students to shows/competitions
16. being in New York with Luke and Andrea
17. sleeping without waking up every hour

but mostly, right now, i think i miss the feeling that I have made a difference in someones life.

This summer has been a strange one, full of mixed emotions. Don't get me wrong, I have really enjoyed being a lifeguard and the duties involved with it, but I really miss the teaching aspect of camp. I miss the horses too.

computer revived

2010-07-04T13:32:00.004-05:00

For the time being, my computer has decided to work again.

So, here are some pictures from camp...just a couple to give you guys an idea of what I'm doing...kinda.

During the week we have Secret Pals and mine got me this wicked awesome little bow and arrow set. I spent the entire day on Friday shooting things, and people. Best Friday Ever.

Team Lifeguard...We are what we are, don't judge. From L to R: Me, Erin, Sydney

For my Birthday last weekend, a big group of us went to Six Flags. It was mostly people from College Station, but a few from camp came as well. From L to R: Erin, Megan, Sydney, and me.
Team Tuesday! Since I'm the only person from Aggieland I decided to get a little extra help on Team Tuesday by raising the T Star Aggie flag in the staff unit...hehehe...i'm awesome.
Always "happy" at camp.
Erin and I re-enacting Romeo and Juliet during staff week.

So much to talk about

2010-07-02T00:44:00.005-05:00

So much has happened in the last month. One thing that hasn't happened though is getting a job, other than the camp position i have at the moment. But, on the list of things that have happened is:

1. Becoming a certified Lifeguard

2. Turning 24...woohoo?

3. having a dead computer

There's more, but thats the general idea. So, as of now, I don't have a computer. Lame.

On the up side, I do finally have post-grad pictures!

Graduation!!!!

2010-05-26T01:44:00.003-05:00

I'm working on it! haha. Apparently, I didn't end up with any pictures from graduation, so I'll have to get those on upon my return home! Amber and I are going to take nice "senior" pictures tomorrow or Thursday, so eventually, I'll have something up.

In short, graduation weekend was amazing! I didn't trip or fall while walking across the stage, though one of the masters graduates not only tripped and fell, but also drop her diploma and her cap while trying to shake the President Loftin's hand...you couldn't help but chuckle a little to yourself. She took it in stride though and shook it off.

I felt honored to have been able to share my graduation ceremony with one of the 1999 Bonfire Collapse survivors. After being paralyzed in the collapse, he was finally able to return to A&M and finish his degree this year. It was a very touching moment to see him cross the stage.

The weekend also brought a huge celebration with my entire family. My sister was able to come with the twins and she even stayed the entire weekend! Everyone had a great time and it was a perfect ending to such and amazing period of my life.

And this is for my good friend, John Varner, who has said such nice things about my blog! I love him to death and wish him the best as he moves into his engineering career with Union Pacific!

Congrats to all of the 2010 graduates! Kennedy, John, Gonzo, Antonio, Danny, and I'm probably missing people...so sorry!

As soon as i get pictures, they'll be up!

As it All Comes to a Close

2010-05-04T00:09:00.002-05:00

What a ride this college career has been. From the rough beginning at UNT to the beautiful finish at Texas A&M, it is a journey I will never forget.

I will attend my last class tomorrow and turn in my last assignment. Its still seems surreal.

Graduation is officially 10 days away. My entire family is coming into town, and it's going to be a party up in here, no kidding. Pictures to come for sure!

Going Back to Camp

2010-04-14T09:45:00.002-05:00

Ah, Stevens Ranch. After emailing one of my old co-workers who is now the assistant director of the camp, I came to find out they were still in need of a lifeguard. At first I turned the position down because I didn't think I could get in a physical condition to pass the lifeguard swimming test, but after a little research, I decided it just might be possible. It'll be weird not working with the horses, but I think it will be a good change of pace. Something new and different to add to the resume.

Anyways, I'm pretty sure I'm a natural at this whole saving lives thing...need guarding? I got ya covered.

Helping the Community

2010-03-28T15:26:00.004-05:00

Everyone at the end of the day
L to R: Jenga, Chris, Zach, Corbin, Ms Teetes, Matt, Kevin, Funke, Katie, Reimers, Me and Jr.

Every year Texas A&M hosts The Big Event. Big Event is one day set aside to thank and give back to the community for their continued support of our amazing university. Last year was a wonderful experience, so our Bonfire group, Dunn Hall, decided to participate again.

This year we were to help a former Aggie, Ms. Teetes Class of '94, redo the landscaping on her property. About an hour after we started, a couple of the Big Event committee members came to see how the project was going and informed us that we had one of the biggest projects of the year, which made our small team of 11 people even more determined to finish the project.

We broke for lunch around 2pm, the time at which most groups are finishing their entire projects. I'll be the first to admit I did not think we could actually finish the project. At 4pm, we finally finished the front yard and inside of the house, which involved clearing the yard down to dirt, spreading new fill dirt to even out the yard, laying new sod, building a barrier to keep the yard from eroding into the driveway, redoing a garden, and repainting the bathroom and stairway. About this time we decided to call the Big Event Committee and let them know we would be late returning our tools because we still had the backyard to finish which is when they decided to accuse us of not having enough people to finish the job in a timely fashion. Hmmm....Thanks for appreciating our commitment to the job. After that pleasant phone call we decided to take our time finishing the backyard.

After we completed the project, Ms Teetes donated the extra sod and fill dirt to the "broke college students have a horrible yard fund" and Corbin and Kevin were able to load it up and take it home to help their pathetic backyard recover from the insane amounts of rain. During the clean up process, one of our friendly Big Event committee members decided to show up and see what actually took us so long and, lucky for us, was so nice as to take all our tools back for us...actually, we stacked the tools behind his car and suggested he take them back, since apparently they needed out rake and shovel so bad.

In the end, we were able to finish what seemed like an impossible project. Ms. Teetes was so grateful which made all of our efforts more than worth it. She is an amazing women who deserved what we were able to give her.

starting off..lots of sod and dirt

chris and jenga tackling the garden which started out as a vine/bush covered mess

Zach was put in charge of the Barrier to keep the yard from eroding. Glad to have a few engineers on hand since the job ended up being a little more intense then originally planned

Reimers and I purchased this sleeper couch from the garage sale next door. It served us well during the job and has actually graduated from our intended purpose of taking it to chilifest to replacing a couch in chris' house. It's really comfortable...

Possum Kingdom Lake

2010-03-27T00:38:00.005-05:00

For our annual spring break trip we decided to trade our snowboards in for swimsuits and head to Possum Kingdom Lake for a few days of fun in the sun. Luckily we were there during the warmer part of the week. The day we left a cold front came through and drop more snow on the ground.
Katie's dad hooked us up with an awesome lake front residence with a HUGE covered porch and beautiful view. We started out with a group of 15 on Tuesday, then it dwindled down to the final 10 of us.

(Christina, Katie and I: roommates for 2010-2011 school year)

For the most part we just chilled out, played a ton of Spades and 42, and drank....a lot. On Thursday afternoon we had access to a boat which we almost managed to sink about 15 minutes after getting on it. I felt like I was on the Titanic...it was kind of crazy. After we adjusted our weight distribution we headed to see Hell's Gate and then went some of the other cliffs to do some cliff diving. At first Rowdy was the only one daring enough to do it, but then a few of us got up the courage to try it out. Katie and I went of a smaller cliff, about 20 feet, and the guys went off a slightly larger one, about 30 feet. It was absolutely amazing, despite the 40 degree water.

Since we decided to stay an extra night to let the guys driving back to Houston and San Antonio recover and rest up, we had to pack up and leave pretty early in the morning. The early departure did give us a chance to get a last look at the beautiful, calm lake..and skip a few rocks.

Spring Break - Ice Skating

2010-03-27T00:29:00.003-05:00

(Katie being silly)

Before heading back to Fort Worth, the crew decided to try something a little new and we all hit up our local Ice Skating rink here in College Station. Though some were skeptical to begin with, the idea quickly turned out to be a ton of fun. The guys practiced their Flying 'V' formations and also got fancy with their feet with some attempts at scales..haha...it was very entertaining.

(Kev showing off his mad skills)

(Most of us lacked the ability to stop...and this was Carp, using me to do so)

So Much to Catch Up On....

2010-03-27T00:08:00.005-05:00

(Jess looking Stunning)

I'm a slacker, no doubt. So, backtrack to March 12th when spring break started. I got to head home a little early and hang out with the family a little before my cousin, Jessica, got married on the 14th. The wedding was beautiful and my nieces, Camryn and Kristin, were the most adorable flower girls. I seem to have made it all the way through the wedding without getting a single picture of myself, go figure, but maybe one will pop up else where.

(C and K looking at Sara who was on the Balcony across)

My brother and his fiance announced their engagement to the rest of the extended family at Jessica's reception, but did it quietly as to not take the spotlight off of Jess and Brain's night. Obviously, everyone was very happy for them and Jessica actually cornered my brother and made him spill the beans to her. It was fairly entertaining.

(Walt, Andrea, Luke and Connie)

Since we had the rarity of ALL the siblings being in town and not having anything to do on the Monday after the wedding, we packed up the twins and headed to the zoo. Me, Luke, Andrea, Sara, Walt and the girls. It was a fun morning that started out fairly brisk but ended up being a really nice day.

(Me Talking to C and K about the Macaws and how loud they were.)

Congrats to Luke and Andrea

2010-03-24T23:58:00.004-05:00

Now that I'm not ruining any surprises (oops!) I wanted to congratulate my brother and his fiance on their recent engagement. Luke proposed to his most amazing girlfriend right before they came into town for Jessica's wedding a couple weeks ago. We are so happy to have her joining the family. She's absolutely amazing and we love her to death. In the picture Andrea, her son Miles, and Luke. An added bonus, Miles and I share the same birthday, minus the year of course. But I think its really fun!

He Makes Me So Happy

2010-03-01T18:21:00.002-06:00

I was trying to figure out something to write. Something witty and smart. But there isn't anything to say when someone makes you this happy. So, I'll just leave it as Kevin is the most wonderful person a girl could ask for. That is all.

Proud to Be An Aggie

2010-02-27T17:46:00.003-06:00

There are so many things about Texas A&M that I love. The tradition, people, rivalries, atmosphere, but most of all, the respect we have not only for our fellow students but also other Universities.

The University of Texas in Austin is our #1 rival, which I have always thought was kind of funny because they do not share the same thoughts. Let me clarify, they don't like us, but the don't like OU even more. Now, I will be the first to admit that we are not normally a "threat" on the athletic board, but we still get pumped up and claim to Beat the Hell Outta whoever we can. So, on game day we are always there to win, even if the odds are not even close to being in our favor.

Since you have a little background, I will continue with my original reason for the post.

Rewind back to Thanksgiving Day 2009. Aggie football brings us the biggest game of our season. The only game we revolve around. The crowd is close to record breaking and completely deafening. There is truly nothing like an Aggie home game, and not much could contend with the noise made when that home game is against TU. But, when an injury occurs, Silence. If there is anything more bone chilling then hearing a stadium or 85,000+ people go silent, especially when the injury involves a player on the other team, I don't know what it is. Kyle Field was dead silent for almost 10 minutes as a team of trainers worked to stabilize UTs injured player. Oddly, the only noise made was a group of UT fans who started chanting some stupid UT yell, and it was us Ags who told them to shut up. Interesting how the school can't even give their own player the respect of staying quiet. As soon as the player was taken off the field, The noise started again, but for those 10 minutes the silence made me grateful for the school in which I attend.

(Photo from AggieAthletics.com)

Now, to the present. Once again, Aggies host UT, this time in Basketball. UT overtook us earlier in the year so this was a chance for us to redeem ourselves. Last 2 minutes of the game our star point guard and a Longhorn player collide. Both injured on the ground, and again, Silence. Reed Arena was packed with almost 14,000 people, the largest crowd in Texas A&M basketball history. There was no laughing, no joking, only silence. In the end, the UT player was taken off the court on a stretcher with a neck injury, but it was during the silence, once again, that I remembered why I love this school. Our respectfulness did not go un-noticed, ESPN was televising the game and commented multiple times on how quiet the arena was after being so crazy before the injury.

Obviously, this is not the only reason why I love being here, but it's a great added bonus. Oh, and we won the basketball game...Whoop!

Go Ags.

I'm Such a SLACKER

2010-02-27T16:00:00.002-06:00

I haven't blogged in forever...oops. It got kind of crazy with my ansc 481 paper due this last thursday. But, now it's done and I don't have to worry about it!!! Woohoo!!!

Next step is presenting my topic, which still freaks me out a little, but I'm starting to become more okay with the idea. I think I really just want it to be over with so I can be completely done with the class. Soon enough, soon enough.

Other than that...I put my 2 weeks notice in at American Eagle. It felt good...liberating... I will be officially off their schedule in time for spring break.

For spring break, our group of awesome peps will be going to Possum Kingdom Lake for a few days of amazing fun! We are all really excited to pull out the bathing suits, rather than the ski clothes. It should be a good time.

Until next time...

E-Mail Christmas

2010-02-11T11:32:00.003-06:00

When any college student opens their email in the mornings, or before classes start, we are all looking for the same thing. For instance, the Subject lines stating: [Spring '10 ENGL301576] Class on (2/11/2010) or [Spring '10 ANSC481504] Reminder: No ANSC 481 today. Though these are always great emails to get, they are even better when they come on nasty, cold, rainy days...like, today.

Thank you Email Santa Clause for canceling BOTH of my classes for the day. You rock.

Louis' Wedding

2010-02-09T23:25:00.004-06:00

I forgot to post pictures from Louis' wedding. I don't have many, just a couple of me and some of the guys.

The wedding was beautiful. Ceremony was short and sweet. It was great to be able to see the 'gang' again and they all look so spiffy when they are all dressed up. Sadly, until I get married, they probably won't look like that again. lol.

-Donnie and Alex-

Diet and Exercise...or Exercise and Exercise....

2010-02-09T22:56:00.002-06:00

I'm still doing pretty good on my exercise program. My weight has been consistant because I pretty much refuse to 'diet,' but the workouts are getting easier so I know I have started to gain some muscle.

Now, let me first say I have tried to do the whole diet thing. Not literal diet, but at least watching what I eat rather then eating everything that crossed my path. The problem I run in to when I do this is I end up not taking in nearly enough calories and then crashing about mid-way through the day. So, I ditched that plan and just eat what my body tells me to and continue to work out 5-6 times a week.

I have started to hit a speed bump in my workout problem though. I sustained two injuries during the ski trip our group went on over Christmas break, one of which was some cracked/bruised ribs. I started working out not two weeks after returning from the trip and now I'm so far into my workout routine that if I stop, I will loose some major ground. Unfortunately, I never gave my ribs an adequate amount of time to heal properly, so I'm still having to deal with an amount of discomfort. It's not keeping me from my workouts, but it definitely gives me a constant reminder that it hasn't healed all the way. Swimming, on the other hand, has been moved to the back burner for the time being since I can't really fully expand or stretch out my rib cage.

And...now I'm going to sleep.

Withdraw...of the Equine kind

2010-02-05T23:48:00.003-06:00

I'm in major horse withdraw. Times like these are when I start looking for my next new prospect which has landed me drooling over this stunning Morgan Colt. One day I will not just have to stare and wish I had such a beautiful piece of horse flesh, I'll be able to hook up the damn trailer and go get him! My friend, Emily, said it right: "That boy is gonna be a Heartbreaker!"

(photo from Nashboro Morgans)

Welcome to the Real World....

2010-02-03T16:43:00.003-06:00

I'm fairly convinced that the true introduction to the real world is the purchase of your first dress suit.
Now, if only I could actually get a suit to fit like that...owell.

Ultrasound and Homeward Bound

2010-01-29T12:39:00.003-06:00

I just realized I have been going so crazy this week I haven't written anything.

ON Monday was my first 414 lab(that's Sheep and Goat Productions for those wondering). The only thing I have wanted to do in that class is ultrasound, and guess what we did on the very first day of lab. WOOHOO! It was so much fun!!! I got to ultrasound 3 sheep for pregnancy and found the little tykes right off with little to no guidance from the TA. The only one he helped me with was a ewe that was so far along in her term you could only make out one giant placentome, the area of fetal/maternal blood, waste and gas exchange. I was thoroughly impressed with myself.

Anyways, the rest of the week has been fairly uneventful. I finalized my 481 seminar topic which will be Osteochondrosis: Developmental Orthopedic Disease In Horses- Causes, Symptoms and Treatments. The reason behind choosing this topic is because Hayley, my rescued Thoroughbred mare at home(and pictured above), suffers from this in both front legs. Since I am completely petrified by giving presentations, I'm hoping that having the link to home and being able to talk my first few minutes about her story will ease my jitters so I can successfully finish the rest of the presentation. Maybe, just maybe, this grand plan will work.

I'm headed home to Fort Worth this weekend for a wedding for one of my practically brothers, Louis. Kev was supposed to be joining me until we got the news the wedding was at 7pm...on Sunday evening. I have an 8am class on Monday morning...and he has a 9am class. So it just didn't work out for him to come. I will put myself through the all night drive back to College Station and going to class on little to no sleep, but there is no sense in making him do it too. On the brightside, the dress I have for the wedding is so pretty. I love it! Pictures to come, of course.

Since the papers from all my classes have finally done their job of practically drowning me, I must get to working on them before going to work.

A Week Well Done

2010-01-24T18:37:00.006-06:00

Working out this last week went amazingly well. Sunshine assisted with my early Thursday workout and I went later in the afternoon with Katie. Everyone involved was so sore on Friday, we opted to take the day off and concentrate on being able to function for Corbin, Stickney and Carp's birthday bash planned for the evening.

The party on Friday was great, minus the rude interruption of our friendly neighborhood police. I had to work on Saturday afternoon which is when my body decided to remind me of the past week of torture...lets just say movements other than plain walking was not welcomed by any muscle, which made for an interesting work day. After work, I had the grand idea of doing so lap swimming to aid in the loosing process of my muscles. At first it seemed like a failed plan, but this morning I feel much better. Total workouts for the week-6; I'm finally using the Rec fees I pay for every semester!

Kevin and I went on a grand adventure last night in a search of ice cream. We were actually headed out to try the new frozen yogurt place called Spoons, but upon arrival the mass of people diverted our destination to Coldstone. Sadly, the same thing happened there. Who knew ice cream was on the minds of every college student last night. On the way to Sonic, I mentioned getting a blizzard from Dairy Queen. Done deal, Dairy Queen it was. Once we got back to Kev's place, Corbin came in from a movie with Reimers and Matt Fox. They had followed our lead, except stopped at Coldstone. Great minds think alike.

The Right Motivation

2010-01-20T10:29:00.003-06:00

The first thing my friend, John, said after I told him about my motivation to start working out again for spring break was, "That's how eating disorders are started!" To give reason to his statement, my motivation came from the arrival of Victoria Secret's 2010 Swimsuit Catalog.
Though this might drive the slightly insane person to stop eating completely, or start purposely losing what they decided to put in their mouth, you can ask anyone who knows me, that will definitely not be the case. I love food WAY to much. What it did encourage me to do is start a workout routine again. So, my roommate and I are hitting up the rec center every day during the week, excluding this past Monday since we started with the first day of class on Tuesday. We'll see what I say at the end of the week, but as of now I feel better than I have in months.

We both have very attainable short term goals for spring break and I'm really excited about continuing our routine after that as well. In addition to working out with Katie each day, my friend, Dustin aka Sunshine, is going to act as sort of a personal trainer, I guess you could say. It always helps to have motivation and working out with Katie has been a life saver. It really keeps me going when I would normally just stop. I'm really excited to work with Sunshine as well. He's an intense runner and is going to help me out in that area.

Should turn out to be a transforming semester!!

And, in case you were wondering, I don't plan on looking like the pictured model...though I'm sure Kevin wouldn't mind... :-)

A Last First Day...Finally!

2010-01-19T12:57:00.004-06:00

English 301, aka Technical Writing, thank you for becoming my last first day of undergraduate classes. I will admit I was not excited about taking this class, but my prof seems really cool so hopefully it won't be as bad as I thought. There are two other graduating seniors in the class, and he said to not worry, he won't be the reason for us to not walk...good to know.

I really aiming to get a 4.0 this semester. Honestly, I better be able to. There are really no excuses as to why I couldn't. So, semester goals are as follows:

1. Make a 4.0, as stated above
2. Overcome my insane fear of public speaking, since I have to do a huge presentation in my Senior Seminar class. Or figure out how to just deal with it enough to make it through that speech.
3. Workout 4-5 times a week...i have the time so I figure, why not?
4. No Procrastination!!! We'll see how that goes...

With the return of class comes the fun additions to notes as well. Today's doodle of the day: Pacman, a plinco-ish game, and the typical Bonfire. It was a productive day of class.

All Work and Maybe A Little Play

2010-01-18T04:14:00.000-06:00

As most know, I work at American Eagle Outfitters. It is the typical crappy college retail job paying minimum wage with meager hours, the only benefit being the convenient discount given on the clothing and accessories.

I was planning on quitting upon my return from Christmas because of the tension between the manager and the rest of the employees, including the assistant managers. Luckily, when I arrived back in town I came back to a new manager...well, not quite yet, but his first day is Tuesday.

The change in atmosphere just over the last week has been unreal. It's amazing how employees that enjoy their management staff will work to please them rather then working because they have to. Tasks get done more efficiently and attitudes stay as positive as they can be given the certain situations.

I just got done with my most hated part of the job, floorsets. What was supposed to be three back-to-back days of all-night floorsets turned into just two for me, after being cut from Fridays schedule. The work is not what gets to me during floorsets. What sends me into a whole new dimension of pissed off is the uncertainty of when we will be finished. Though the schedule said 9pm-4am for Saturday and 6pm-midnight for Sunday, we actually left at 6am and 4am, respectively. And this happens every time. My saving grace this time around was finally having a MOD who is ridiculously amazing. Thank you, Jentri.

Now, after ruining my sleep schedule the day before the semester starts, I need to go to sleep.

One Last Hurray

2010-01-16T15:18:00.000-06:00

The Spring semester starts Tuesday...oh joy, oh joy. Even though the Sheep and Goat Management class I was shoved into at the last second added the dreaded 8am class to 3 of my days, I'm still quite happy with the line up for my final semester.

If you are wondering why Sheep and Goat Management the answer is simple. The class counted for 2 different courses I needed to be able to walk the stage in May...anything to spend less money, right? I have no interest in sheep or goats, but I am looking forward to a couple of opportunities this class may have to offer. See, with those two species, ultrasound is used for almost every type of diagnostic because it is quick and easy...and can be used outside the body (if you have ever worked with horses or cows, you'll understand the significance of working on the outside of the animal...) I have always been fascinated with x-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc etc, so maybe I'll be able to try out the ultrasound machine. The Animal Science department here at TAMU is very hands on and very willing to let the students try just about anything they want to in lab...which makes the classes fun and a tad awkward at times.

Up to Date!

2010-01-15T22:33:00.000-06:00

With the last post it brings us to now! The Spring semester starts on Tuesday, so I'm sure I'll have plenty of time that needs to be wasted after that.

Dunn Hall Tour de Ski: Part Deaux

2010-01-15T21:38:00.000-06:00

After tearing up the slopes of New Mexico over last spring break we decided to travel a little more north to get the full snow affect for New Years. We traveled a little differently this time around since we left so close to Christmas. A group of 6 left from College Station and drove to Midland to pick up Corbin then met the 3 of us who were traveling from the DFW area just south of Amarillo in Hereford to pick Chuckles. After loading up Chuckles, we headed north and west to Colorado.

Wolf Creek, CO was our final destination and it was a fantastic choice. We stayed in an awesome cabin in South Fork which is about 15 miles away from the actual ski resort but it worked out perfectly because the mountain got over 15 inches of snow on the 2nd day we were there.

Probably the best addition to this trip was our Rest and Recovery day in Pagosa Springs where we took advantage of the natural hot sulfur springs to soak our soreness away.

Sadly, we were having so much fun carving up the mountain, we forgot to take any pictures on the mountain but we did get some back at the cabin.

L to R: Me, Kevin, Chris T, Funke, Katie, Reimers, Corbin, Chris C, Jr, Chuckles, and Sean

New Years Eve brought many drinking games. Kevin wasn't very happy with me by the end of the night..hahaha...
L to R: Kevin, Me, Sean, Jr, Chris C
After being stuck in a cabin with 9 guys, any girl would go a little crazy! j/k. We love our guys!!
My most amazing roommate, Katie, and I being goofy on New Years Eve.

My Golden Angel

2010-01-15T20:31:00.000-06:00

The highs points and joys of the year could never have prepared me for the heartbreak of the low.

When I went to pick out my little bundle of golden fur back on labor day weekend of 2003, I could have never imagined the bond and friendship I would grow to have with the most amazing dog I have ever met. The golden ball of fur would be known as Bailey, named after her milky puppy color which was quite similar to that of Bailey's Irish Cream, and Bailey would be one for the record books.

Her quirky personality soon became evident and her obsession with tennis balls was something no one could avoid noticing. She had a love for cats and would specifically find stuffed cats to carry around and also try to cat-whisper all the neighborhood cats and make them into her playmates. She was a character.

She spent 2 years in College Station with me and guarded the SASA CASA so very well. She befriended Montclair, the neighborhood cat, and they would bask in the sun on our porch for hours on end. She was my running partner and would impress everyone on our leash-less runs through campus. She was always happy and greeted everyone with a smile, or a tennis ball!

With the move to my new residence in May, Bailey had to move back to Fort Worth because I couldn't afford the $500 pet deposit. As much as I missed her, it worked out well because my mom was finally able to get her German Shepard puppy and Bailey was put on puppy sitting/mentoring duty.

Her fight would start at the beginning of November with an emergency surgery to stop a ruptured mass and internal bleeding. She would continue to steal the hearts of the entire staff of Davis Blvd Clinic and many others while battling for her life. She never objected and continued to greet the staff with a wag of her tail every time she saw them. Against all odds she made it through procedure after procedure and it wasn't until the last surgery on December 11th that she decided the fight had lasted long enough.

Her loss was felt quite literally around the world. She was the greatest dog and such a fighter. Her strength was beyond anything I could have imagined. She will forever be remembered and always be missed.

In true obedient form, Bailey holds my Aggie Ring

my guardian angel

Rest Peacefully My Beautiful Bailey
July 15, 2003 - December 11, 2009

A Little Ring Made of Gold

2010-01-15T18:55:00.000-06:00

On September 18th I became the very proud owner of my 3rd and final piece of Gold. The Aggie Ring is one of the most recognizable piece of jewelry in the world and I am ecstatic to be able to look down and see it on my hand everyday. After being a nomad for so long it feels beyond amazing to finally be able to label myself with one incredible school.

The Ring Ceremony is a huge to-do and involves family, friends, a big presentation process and, of course, a full pitcher of beer of the ring bearers choice to chug as fast as possible...because that is a fantastic idea. This is better known as a Ring Dunk. I was blessed to have almost my entire family in town for this special occasion. Not only were they able to attend my ring dunk on Friday the 18th but I was also able to get tickets for all of them to attend the home football game on Saturday, because there is nothing like an Aggie Football game.

The emotional overload is something I can't explain, and yes, my mom got to present it to me which was very cool.
I haven't been able to look at beer the same.

My friend, Karl, dunked his ring with me because it's always better to dunk with someone and it helps that the majority of our friends are the same. Sadly, he had just eaten a $30 steak at Christopher's Steakhouse for his dad's birthday, so he didn't keep much of his beverage, or steak for that matter, down for long. Here's a video. He only finished before me because I started laughing at the very end.

And last but not least, the everyone that was able to come in from Fort Worth. I was so happy to have them all here! From left to right: Bonnie, Louis, me, mom, Elizabeth, Donnie, Joe, Nikki, Walt and Jonathan.

And, if you are wondering why I said the 3rd piece of gold, this should explain.
The ring, horse and an unforgettable dog made of Gold. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

Fall 2009....Tis the season of Bonfire

2010-01-15T15:57:00.000-06:00

The Fall semester brings a part of the year I will forever hold dear. Bonfire. It's a sticky subject for some, but for those that participate in Student Bonfire, it is a family of amazing people who all come together, putting aside differences and rivalries, to build a magnificent structure. Blood, sweat and tears go into 3 months of building the 5 tier bonfire which burns a few days before the Thanksgiving football game between Texas A&M and the University of Texas.

I am a part of Dunn Hall, a previously all male dorm on southside which recently changed to co-ed about 3 years ago. This is my family away from home and will be a group of life long friends.

This is also how I met my most wonderful boyfriend, Kevin. In true Bonfire style, our first date was burn night and it was amazing!

During the 'cut' part of the season, Dunn was put in charge of stack site and unloading and organizing all of the logs coming in from cut site. In previous years this job was normally given to a dorm as punishment, and though that may have been the original intentions of the upper leadership, we quickly made it into our own domain and renamed it 'Dunnload.' We unloaded and sorted during every type of weather condition, including the non-expected flood of mid-September.

This year the upper leadership decided to bring back the true 'push week' during stack which means instead of just working from 6pm-midnight, we had two crews alternate between a 6pm-midnight shift and a midnight-6am shift. This was an incredible experience, though extremely taxing on the body and immune system.

-A Misty Morning At Unload-

-Just another day of Unload in the Rain-
Sunrise over stack taken by my roommate, Katie. This was after the 1st midnight-6am shift.
Absulutly stunning and named the best picture of the year, for obvious reasons.
Kevin and I at Burn. November 25, 2009

Summer 09

2010-01-15T15:43:00.001-06:00

May 2009 - I moved into my new place on Legacy Ln. The move was one of those bitter-sweet moments because I loved the quirky Montclair Ave house, my neighbors and the happy neighborhood cat appropriately named Montclair, but the time had come to upgrade to a better residence with new roommates in a less sketchy area of the city. I will miss Montclair, but Legacy Ln is a great place to be!

June 2009 - I turned 23. It was the first time I have actually been able to celebrate it with friends, so I took FULL advantage of every second of it, starting with a trip to Northgate with Katie and Gilmore on the night of the 25th/first hours of the 26th and finishing with a rather large gathering at my house on the night of the 26th. It was the most fantastic birthday I have ever had.

The awesome message Katie left for me in the bathroom of one of the bars.

Me, Katie and Gilmore at the Dixie Chicken. We decided if we put on Gilmore's hat and glasses we instantly became him. Funny thing, I don't remember this picture being taken...go figure!

August 2009 - My mom, sister and I had the rare opportunity to visit my brother, Luke, and his girlfriend, Andrea, in NYC. Walt, my brother-in-law, was so amazing to take care of the twins for the week we were gone. We did all the tourist things including visiting Lady Liberty, Ellis Island, Time Square, China Town, Little Italy, etc etc. Andrea and her son, Miles, were amazing tour guides and took us all around the city. We also took an afternoon and went to Ledo Beach, which was a ton of fun.

The Rundown...Spring 09

2010-01-15T14:44:00.000-06:00

I tired to do the entire year at once, but I haven't figured this site out completely and for some reason I can't get another picture to load, So, I'll break it up a little. That will make it seem like I have done more too....I'm pure genius, I know. :-)

1. January 6, 2009 - I got my first, and hopefully only, tattoo in memory of my brother, Mark. The tri-horse design is a celtic symbol Mark used to always wear. After removing the intricate knot-work I had the tattoo put above my left ankle. Mark's initials are 'branded' on each of the horses. It was simply done and matches what I wanted it to represent perfectly. I had a great support group including Mark K, Chris C, Sean and, of course, my best friend Amber.

2. Spring Break 2009 (March) - 9 of my most amazing friends and I packed up and headed to New Mexico for some skiing/snowboarding fun at Sipapu and Taos. It was the 1st trip I had ever taken with a group of friends and turned out to be a very memorable one. From left to right: Kevin, Funke, Anna, Chris, Katie, Me, Corbin, Reimers and Jr.
3. April 2009 - The Dunn Hall group volunteered for Big Event, which is an annual area wide volunteer day Texas A&M hosts. It is the largest organized volunteer day in the nation, so it was really cool to be a part of it. We helped a young couple finish a garden they had been working on for almost a year. The wife was 8 1/2 months pregnant and they really wanted the garden finished before the baby came. Well, we did it, because we are awesome. From left to right: Andrew E, Katie, Kelsey, Alli, Cody, Christina, Jr(behind cody and christina), Daniel, Kevin, Funke, Sean, Me.

Is this a good thing?

2010-01-15T13:33:00.000-06:00

I have finally conformed to the current blog craze. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, we will soon find out.

So, here is your formal welcoming to the blog of my Life as a current student at Texas A&M University. I am entering my final semester and it should pan out to be one of the best of my long career as a student. Hopefully my optimistic attitude will be maintained through May when I finally join the Association of Former Students.

After I eat some food, I'll catch you up to date on the events of the past year. The highs, lows and everything in between.