She Believed.

"She believed she could, so she did."

I found this encouraging quote today and I thought I should share. Confidence is so important when it comes to school, relationships, and life. I’ve learned from experience that whenever you flaunt your insecurities, it can only hurt you in the long run. Rejoice in who you are and always say what you feel. For example… my sister, Lauren, found out that she passed her huge nursing test this week and she now officially has her RN BSN!!! I couldn’t be more proud of her! If you believe you can accomplish your goals, you can… just like she did. Don't settle for less than you deserve and always show selfless strength. I can do it because I believe I can... so can you!

DESTINation

This past week, I have been in Destin, FL with River Pointe Church's high school youth group. I have traveled all over the map throughout the years with this great group of people. Although the destinations and faces have vastly changed, I have always left with a new set of unforgettable memories. Terrace Clayton, or "T", has been our youth pastor, leader, and close friend on every trip. The first time I met him was on a spring break mission trip in Piedras Negras, Mexico freshman year. He wouldn't stop jamming to 'Don't Stop Believing' and convinced us that 'teamwork makes the dream work'! We built new houses and served a full spaghetti dinner to the entire community along the railroad track. Our mission trip to Mexico was the start of something special. That summer, I headed to Camp Eagle! I met so many new people which sparked my involvement at River Pointe. That week at camp, we had to life-flight our unpaid summer intern to the hospital. We accidentally flung the tether-pole string halfway across the camp site and we left our burden filled rock at the foot of the cross. That school year, T and I kicked off "Quarterly Causes"- which was a way to help students focus on one global issue for a quarter of the year. With T's help, I chose to advocate for the Rapha House and we raised over $4,500 for girls recovering from human trafficking. That spring break we went on a mission trip in Galveston, TX. We scrapped tile off the floor of an ancient church for countless hours and snuck away to Wal-Mart with T for Sonic Slushies! We felt very sneaky and knew our bond was only growing stronger. That summer launched the first Destination trip to Corpus Christi and South Padre Island. We had 18 kids, 3 passenger vans, and countless mafia card games. We visited the Selena Monument, attended a Hooks minor league baseball game, and witnessed Jacob punch straight through the van window. What a memorable event! The following spring breaks I couldn't attend River Pointe's mission trips; however, they went to Arlington and New Orleans to serve the Lord. Last summer, I went to Destination- Part 2 in Destin, FL. Amber and I wrote the ultimate rap on the way home that summed up the entire trip. We had 28 students and one charter bus... which was a tight bonded group of a lot of my close friends. This year in Destination-Part 3, we had 91 people and two packed charter buses. It has been amazing to witness the growth over the years, but ninety one was too many to travel with (in my opinion)!!! The group consisted of several underclassmen, a few juniors, and then the classic senior River Pointe trio- me, Katy, and Amber. They all convinced me to come on our last trip, the final hoo-rah, the end of a life changing journey. I am so glad they drug me along, because there was a purpose for my presence in Destin. Our week was filled with playing sand volleyball, crashing through the ocean waves, relaxing by the poolside, shopping at the outlet malls and souvenir shops, floating along the never ending river, and eating a lot (and I mean A LOT) of food! We stayed at Tops'l Beach Resort and had condo-style rooms. They were absolutely AMAZING and by far our best accommodations to date! Katy, Amber, and I stayed in the master bedroom and we all slept in the king-size bed. Stephanie, T's wife, was our group leader and I adore her! We had pillow talk every night and I loved every second of snuggling with my girls!!! My favorite part of each day was worship on the beach. It was unbelievable to see how Jesus can speak to you while sitting in the grainy sand and listening to the waves crash on the shore. Bottom line... Jesus has changed the way I live. I started to grasp the idea of Satan working against me and viewing me as stolen property. The lies I've believed about myself as truth have affected my life as if it were truth. There's no doubt about it... I am broken like the rest of the world. I have been struggling spiritually and emotionally. However, God never promised me a life of comfort. He promised me a life that counts. God may push me outside of my comfort zone and he may challenge me to change, but it is all to accomplish the perfect plan he has for us. T has not only impacted my life, but also initiated the first steps in my walk with Christ. We have had countless laughs together and he has seen all of my facial expressions. On the final night of our trip this week, he gave a long senior tribute speech. Amber, Katy and I were all in tears. Surprisingly, T shed a few tears as well since it was our last trip all together. He prayed over us- for the next chapter in our lives and for our futures. My last moments on the beach were unforgettable and emotional as we linked arms and cried hand in hand. KK and Berr are my very best friends and I don't know what I would have done without these girls by my side over the past four years. DESTINation 2011, our last high school trip together.  HIS love never fails and the relationships we have built will last through the ages.

If our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
If our God is with us, then what could stand against.

Let's Meet Megan.

In January, I decided that I wanted to live on-campus at Texas A&M next fall. Although I know several people living in College Station, I opted for a “potluck” roommate. I wanted to meet someone new and experience dorm life- for better or for worse. I knew that it could be potentially really bad… I have heard all of the horror stories. However, it would certainly be a learning experience that would forever be engraved in my mind. I joined an Aggie roommate finder site in January and met several girls. I felt like it was an online dating service for roommates. You would find their Facebook, stalk their pictures, interpret all of their given information, and message them if interested. It sounds strange, but that is the process. Throughout all of this craziness, I met Megan Aduddell. She will be my roommate next fall and she is from League City. Today I met her in person for the first time, even though I’ve been getting to know her throughout the past several months via technology. She drove into Sugar Land and we met up at my house. I gave her a tour, she viewed my senior legacy, and we headed to lunch at Pei Wei. It was so great getting to know her, talking about our plans for next fall, discussing decorating ideas, and exchanging our dramatic tales from high school and our expectations for college. She seems innocent and humble. I hope that our journey together as roommates  goes as smoothly as possible. We will learn a lot and it will definitely be an adjustment living in the same room as someone else. I feel like we are one step ahead of the game by hanging out in the summer. Megan is a sweet girl and I would like to formally welcome her to my college life blog!

Cancun Chicas!

DAY 1:

A month ago, my mom surprised the Engle girl’s with a graduation trip to Cancun, Mexico! Lauren and I were allowed to invite a friend to celebrate all of our accomplishments. Of course, I brought my best friend, Katy Lowery, and Lauren brought her best friend and fellow longhorn nurse, Kassie Hourin. This blog will be written by the day. It all started on Day 1… At 3 AM on Sunday morning, all six of us got our butts out of bed. We left the house by 4, boarded the plane by 7, arrived in Mexico by 9, and then we met our awesome travel guy named “David”. Total sarcasm. He repeated the same thing over and over and over again on the bus ride. We finally arrived at the Flamingo resort in downtown Cancun and upgraded our rooms to have an ocean front view. This resort was nothing like we were used to compared to our 5 star Barceló accommodations from years past, but it would serve its purpose for our girl’s trip. We lathered up in sunscreen and spent our first day out by the beach. We played in the waves and laid out in the intense Mexico sun. In the evening, we went across the street to eat appetizers at Margaritaville. We used a promotion card and the tab was still outrageous! Anyways, they built us an incredible balloon hat house and we danced with all of the employees on the stage. Kassie or “Meredith’s” booty shaking earned her Roberto’s love for the evening. The “Make a Baby” song that was sung to the newlywed couple sitting near us quickly became our go-to line all week. After dinner, we walked through part of downtown Cancun and got rejected by a nicer resort. We found our way back onto the beach and partied our socks off at a wedding reception that we weren't invited to. We tried to use our hip dance moves and sweet-talking skills to get an invitation. No luck. We still had a ton of fun dancing by ourselves on the beach to their loud party music! Day 1 in Cancun… Successful.  

DAY 2:

The weather forecast for Cancun this week was not too promising. There were scheduled thunderstorms each and every day. We woke up on Day 2 to lightening and clouds. There was nothing ‘beach-y’ about this weather. All the girls sat outside on the balcony and watched the lightening show. They would cheer on the lightening and holler at the thunder. It was pure entertainment. Kassie and Shannon even hopped on top of the little elf house down below for a picture. After a tasty breakfast and splash of patience, the sun slowly came out for the day. We played a ton of pool volleyball, sipped on some pool-side drinks, relaxed by the water, and met some new friends. Mom picked up our free dinner passes for Senor Frogs and the rest of the day flew right on by. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner. Prior to our trip, we decorated tank tops that had different party slogans and we decided to wear them on the night of Day 2. We took pictures by the beach and gathered on the bus with fellow Flamingo guests and headed to Senor Frogs for the evening. We ate our free dinner and were served one free drink! They had hilarious signs all around the restaurant, they made us balloon hats, and gave each of us a nickname. Some were very inappropriate, but Shannon’s was “Next Top Model”, Lauren’s was “Single and Looking”, Kassie’s was “Easy” and Katy’s was “I like to blow bubbles”. The staff was goofy and very entertaining. Some of us ordered a yard drink for the souvenir cup and others of us sang karaoke to “Don’t Stop Believing”. We danced on stage and all around the dance floor. Our evening at Senor Frogs was an absolute blast! Afterwards, we walked the downtown Cancun strip and saw Coco Bongo, Carlos and Charlie’s, and plenty of other famous bars/restaurants. When we got back to Flamingo, we hung out in the lobby bar and headed out to the beach. We saw a GIGANTIC TORTUGA (turtle)! It was unbelievable and definitely a highlight of the night. Day 2 in Cancun… Unpredictable!

DAY 3:
When we woke up, the sun was radiating through our window. Today was going to be a great day! We ate the usual omelet breakfast with all of the fixings and relaxed out by the beach/pool. I always preferred the beach-side spot, since we have a pool in our own backyard. But regardless, we were enjoying the great Cancun weather and soaking up the sun. We gathered up six lounge chair cushions from around the resort and got attacked by the intense waves. They were a blast to play in, but they were giving the lifeguard a run for his money. I read my book, Something Borrowed, for the majority of the day and simply enjoyed laying out by the beach. Every day we hit up the poolside grill for lunch, which served cheeseburgers, hot dogs, wings, and fries. Nothing good for your waistline, but the best food the Flamingo had to offer us. Carbs, carbs, and more carbs all week long. In the evening, we took pictures and went on our first excursion. We hopped on the public bus, which was totally unsanitary and packed with local workers, to be dropped off at Playa Tortuga for the departure of our Carnival Cruise! Once we finally set sail, we met a group of young football players from New York. They came ready to party and we clicked with them right away! The Carnival Cruise took you on a 45 minute boat ride across the ocean to a separate island, where they provided a buffet dinner and an incredible show. They offered an open bar and we danced the night away on the boat and at the show. They had poppin’ music and the “party animal” staff was very entertaining. “Mosquito” was by far our favorite and he was the leader of the pack. Dinner was delicious and the show consisted of three parts: (1) Professional entertainers that took us through many different locations/cultures through dance and music, (2) A full out dance party with all audience members on stage bustin’ a move, and (3) Contests that involved crowd participation and creativity. The two contests were a dancing contest and a singing contest. Katy Lowery was chosen to participate in the dancing contest and she came in second place! Kassie sang “La Bamba” on the microphone, had the crowd hoopin’ and hollerin’, and tied for first place! The entire boat ride back we danced and rocked side to side. The Carnival Cruise was by far my favorite part of our entire trip! Day 3 in Cancun… Memorable!

DAY 4:

We woke up super early on Day 4 for our second excursion. We hopped back on the public bus and got off at Playa Tortuga like the night before. We signed in on a new boat for our day at Garrafon, which is a reef park at Isla Mujeres. They provided breakfast for us and I felt like I was rocking back and forth like on a cruise ship. We arrived at Dolphin Discovery, signed in there (even though we weren’t supposed to), hopped in a pre-paid taxi cab to go to the correct location, and then had to sign in for the one hundredth time there. Once we got our towels and keys to our lockers, we began to explore the island. It didn’t take us long to hop in the infinity pool and meet plenty of boys. They were all recent high school graduate baseball players from Georgia on a mission trip in Cancun. They spent their days teaching elementary school kids how to play baseball and introduced them to the love of Christ. In the evenings, they had actual baseball games at the professional stadium against the local 18’s team from Cancun. What a great group of guys to meet! They were exceptionally sweet and got us all the more excited for college. We spent the beginning part of our day getting to know them and the second half was spent kayaking, snorkeling, and exploring. They had so many iguanas everywhere and we saw a barracuda during our snorkel!!! The scenery was beyond beautiful, the buffet lunch was tasty, the rainbow shots were plentiful, and Yovany was the best server we had on this trip. We also met several other interesting fellows throughout Day 4, and they had some ridiculous stories to share. There were four men, all of which traveled separately to Cancun. They met on their vacation and were from several different walks of life. I love meeting adventurous and exciting people that are carefree and full of life. Our day was an absolute blast at Isla Mujeres, even though the constant rocking back and forth from the boat never left us. Later that evening, we had dinner reservations at Flamingo’s nicer restaurant. Needless to say, the food was no better than the usual buffet and we would have been better off ordering Domino’s Pizza and having a pajama party in the hotel room. It was our last night in Cancun, but we were all beyond exhausted from our exhilarating activities. Day 4 in Cancun… Adventurous!

DAY 5:

Our last day in Cancun was filled more sun and more airplanes. We relaxed all day at the resort- slept a little, read a little, packed a little, tanned a little, swam a little, and shopped a little. We were all pretty burnt out from our action-packed vacation and ready to return home. We left our resort at 5 pm for an 8 o’clock flight. First of all, the boarding pass worker took twelve hours to print out our passes and check our luggage. Second of all, my mom bought an expensive bottle of tequila for Father’s Day, but she forgot to put it in her checked luggage. Everyone knows that security will make you throw away all liquids greater than 3 fluid ounces. She was asking all these random families to pack her liquor in their luggage. It was a little entertaining, but more frustrating than anything else. Once we finally got to security, my bag got stopped for a water bottle that was filled only one third the way with water. The lady was taking her precious little time checking out every single item inside of my bag. We bought a $26 overpriced large pizza for dinner and waited to board our flight. When row 17 was called to board the flight, my bag was chosen once again for a random search. I do not have the patience for airports. Despite those travel tribulations…our vacation was a total success and everyone was given a nickname to sum up the trip. 

Lauren = Tomato Face

Katy = “Hey, What’s Your Name?”

Mom = Mama-quito

Shannon = Water Baby, Short Stuff, and Corndog

Kassie =Two-Toned-Ass, Freckles, and La Bamba

Kaitlyn = Beach Bum 

Thank you so much for everything, Mom… This girl’s graduation trip couldn’t have been possible without you! These Cancun Chicas love you so much!!! Cancun 2011 = Unforgettable!