TAP Road Trip

This weekend was the first official TAP Road Trip! In MSC FISH, we are divided into “schools” and as I have mentioned before… I am a part of Toates Angsty Platypi. We’ve had a slower start than most schools; however, this semester we stepped it up big time! The majority of our school spent the weekend at Luke Hillin’s grandparents’ house in Lake Conroe. We left College Station Friday afternoon and arrived at their house around sunset. We walked into their GORGEOUS house situated perfectly on the lake and the golf course. The entire back wall of their house was made of glass, so we could all watch the sun setting across the way. The house looked like it was stripped straight from a chic magazine. They moved in almost two years ago and custom designed the house from start to finish. All members of TAP stood in awe for a solid 30 minutes and were excessively complimentary of their home. We explored the many rooms, situated our luggage, and headed out to the lake. We took a few pictures with the setting sun and instantly knew this would be an unforgettable weekend. Friday night, we went out to dinner as a school at a local restaurant called Mackenzie’s BBQ. It was super tasty and the cheeseburgers hit the spot. The rest of the night was spent playing games, bonding over jokes, eating homemade chocolate cake, hanging out in the media room, and playing poker. Saturday morning, we woke up to a gourmet breakfast prepared by Mrs. Hillin. She laid out homemade coffee cake, kolaches, cereal, yogurt-covered fruit salad, and much more. It was a college kid’s dream and tasted absolutely perfect. We got ready for the day and headed to Incredible Pizza Company for Go-Kart Races. Despite a little controversy with the entrance workers, our girl-in-training, Serena, hooked us up and we headed to the races. The boys raced against each other and, despite Christian’s initial lead, Luke Hillin brought home the victory. The girls raced against each other as well and it was a highly competitive 10 laps. With a rush of adrenaline, I ended up in first place and the Go-Kart Races were a complete success!! We loaded up into the cars and headed to the Woodlands Mall. We ate a late lunch outside, explored a few of the cute shops, and laughed the entire time. TAP was already on a roll for this weekend. Around 4 pm, we drove back to Lake Conroe in order to take school pictures with the sunsetting at the lake. I made everyone coordinate outfits for the pictures, so we ended up in plaid shirts, jeans, and boots. TAP took a zillion pictures that evening and I am OBSESSED with every single one of them. It is crazy how happy pictures can make me. That night I sang karaoke (and danced)… by myself. (A) It wasn’t really karaoke and (B) I can’t believe no one wanted to dance with me. At least it was entertainment for the rest of the school to watch, right? That night we sat out on their patio next to the warm fire and truly bonded on a whole new level. We were bundled up in our blankets while shivering from head-to-toe, but somehow perfectly content. We all chose to come to Texas A&M for a reason. We were all accepted into MSC FISH and placed into TAP. This wasn't a coincidence. In fact, it was all a part of a bigger plan. Our school is corky and sometimes awkward. We do weird things and we don’t always understand each other. We say whatever we want and it usually doesn’t make sense. We’re not always the most involved, the most popular, or the most likely to win an award. We each have our own stories and come from completly different backgrounds. These things are what makes our school unique. They are what makes TAP perfect. I was able to get to know each of the other TAPsters on a much deeper level this weekend and bond with them in a special way. I really wish the four missing members of our school could have spent the weekend with us at the lake, but I am thankful for everyone that was able to be there. Luke’s grandparents made this weekend amazing for our school, provided us with a beautiful home, and showed remarkable hospitality.  We talked way late into the night on Saturday and woke up to a breakfast buffet at the local country club. I believe TAP had one of the BEST Road Trips MSC FISH has ever seen and I am forever thankful to be a part of such a unique school that fits together perfectly.

Besties, Boston's, and La Bodega!

This semester I have an 8 am class every single day on West Campus. It is exceptionally early, but the only day that is a constant struggle for me is Friday morning. This week I decided to actually socialize/go-out on a Thursday night like a true student in College Station. I met up with my very best friend, Katy Lowery, for dinner at Boston’s. It had been way too long since I have seen this girl and we had way too much to catch up on. Stories, jokes, boys, schoolwork, friends, struggles, events, and life itself. We could talk for hours and it would literally never get old. I am confident our friendship will never change. We ate a tasty dinner and headed to La Bodega to listen to my good friend, Erin Briers, perform. She plays the guitar and two other girls that live in Underwood sing alongside her. This was their first gig and there was an incredible turnout. Erin and her band played some amazing songs and I am very thankful I was able to be a part of their journey as musicians. Katy was able to meet so many of my friends from my various organizations on campus and it was the perfect collision of two worlds. Despite the huge crowd, Katy and I continued to chat it up the entire night. I even sang her a few of my Tri-Delta songs… I know she just loved that. She made fun of me the entire time, but that’s why I love her. Katy is like a sister to me and I don’t know where I would be without her.  She convinced me to stay out pretty late- considering I had an 8 am Management Test this morning (most rebellious moment of college to date and so unlike me). I loved spending time with Katy last night, since “time” itself seems to be something I never have enough of. Even if I did poorly on my test, it was worth one night of spontaneous college life filled with Besties, Boston's and La Bodega!

Sweet Land of Sugar

The month of February is almost over and I have only blogged once this month. My life hasn’t slowed down a bit, in fact it has sped up. With that said, I have been struggling to find time to blog this semester or do much of anything semi-relaxing. Between studying, training, socializing, and leading... I am a tad overwelmed. I still want to remember all of the precious moments and unforgettable memories, so my blogging habits are in desparate need of change. Last weekend, I went to Sugar Land for the day with Kandace Beall. She is from a small town in East Texas with one stop light and we met through MSC FISH. She is one of my very best friends at A&M and I wanted to bring her to my home in Sugar Land. We left Friday morning after classes, and arrived around lunch time. We picked up my baby sister from school and went to my favorite lunch spot, Thai Cottage. Afterwards I introduced her to the infamous tapioca from Teahouse… always a crowd favorite. Or at least my favorite! The weather was rainy and not ideal, but that didn’t slow us down. I showed her around Town Center and the rest of the city. We shopped, laughed, and took bunches of pictures. My favorite part was taking her on a tour of my own house and introducing her to my family. She was able to look through all of my scrapbooks and pictures. This was my first college friend to come home with me, and I am so thankful it was Kandace. One of the reasons we came into town was for my mom’s Cabi Fashion Show. Her best friend, Janet Colborne, sells the Cabi clothing line every season. Kandace and I were models in her little show on Friday night. Even though there was a slim turnout, we still had a great time together. The evening was spent trying on clothes, munching on snacks, and hanging out with my incredible family. I miss them every single day and I feel so blessed to be able to bring my friends from Texas A&M home to meet them. It’s my two favorite things coming together as one- Aggies & Engles. Kandace and I had a rap battle with my crazy father, caught up One Tree Hill episodes, and had an action-packed day in the Land of Sugar. Our adventure was sweet, but certainly too short!

ΔΔΔ Formal

Friday night, I attended my first Delta Delta Delta Formal. A few weeks ago I invited my friend from MSC FISH, Scott Starwalt, to come as my date. His Mom and sister were both Tri-Delts and I figured we would have a great time together.  My mom bought me a fancy dress as one of my Christmas presents this year— and surprisingly it only took us one store to find it! Kandace and I created this sign a while ago and hung it on the door to Scott’s dorm. It felt like prom season all over again! He said YES and so our “ΔΔΔ Formal” journey began. We shopped for a matching tie, a Mardi Gras mask, and a black suit jacket. We found all of the bargains and were very successful with our purchases. The day of the event, I ate lunch with my best friend, Katy Lowery, and spent the entire afternoon with her. We caught up on life while she curled my hair and fixed my make-up. I don’t know what I would do without her! The night of the event there was a forecast of about a 30% chance for rain. Eh, that’s not too bad… Right?   The sun was shining all afternoon and I was very hopeful for my outdoor picture plans for the evening. Come 6 o’clock it was absolutely POURING. Not just rain, but hail… and LOTS of it. The sky was pitch black and filled with tremendous lightning bolts. We received three text messages from CODE MAROON that said: “Tornado Warning. Seek Shelter Immediately.” Scott and I had a formal to attend, and we weren’t going to let a tornado stand in the way. There was a quick change of plans for pictures and Kandace Beall came along to be our little picture taking “Prom-Mom.”  We parked in the closest parking space and still got completely drenched. Despite the circumstances, she took some GREAT pictures for us at the Callaway Villas! In heels and a dress, this weather was anything but ideal. After pictures, we headed to Olive Garden with a group of thirty people. The power flicked on and off due to the inclement weather, but we all endured the flood together and ate a very tasty dinner. This was the perfect opportunity for Scott to meet some of my Tri-Delta sisters and get to know their dates. Around 9 pm, we headed to Formal in Downtown Bryan. It was Mardi Gras themed and it couldn’t have been any more fun! There was a live band, decorations, beads, and the whole bit. We never left the dance floor the entire night. I had an absolute blast dancing crazy alongside my Tri-Delta sisters and my date! The band played some interesting song choices and people watching was half of the fun. My favorite part was snagging part of the decorations, using it as a boa, and dancing right up next to the stage. All of my sisters looked unbelievably stunning and I am so thankful we were able to celebrate our first formal together. Scott was a great date— a gentleman that was full of dance moves, personality, and fun! With the help of my friends and family, my first ΔΔΔ Formal was a complete success. I’ll always cherish the little memories from that night- including the flooding, tornado warnings, and uncontrollable hail. What can I say... Tri-Delts make it rain!

CODE MAROON: Flood Warning... Seek Shelter Immediately.