May Madness

This blog consists of my entire month of May since I’ve been back in Sugar Land. It has been fast paced and very different, but eventful to say the least. I am starting to think "busy" is just my way of life. Living in College Station this past year was so great and I miss all of my friends tremendously; however, few things compare to spending time with my family. I completed an Economics May Mini-Mester at WCJC, which pretty much consumed my life. I had class every day from 8-12 with plenty of tests, papers, and lectures about things that I could care less about. My first weekend in Sugar Land, we celebrated the Colborne’s 30^th wedding anniversary. Shannon and Janelle planned a surprise party for them with all of their friends. The Colborne’s have been our neighbors ever since we moved to Texas in 1993 and they are pretty much a part of our family. We also celebrated Mother’s Day, Aunt Diane’s 60^th birthday, and Caitlyn and Chris’ wedding. I attended a funeral for my dear friend, Mark Agatep’s mother. She was an incredible woman and her funeral reminded me of the importance of leaving a legacy. Katy Lowery and I traveled to Surfside Beach for the day to relive our glory days. It was fun packing a picnic, catching up with old friends, and relaxing with our toes in the sand. One afternoon, a few people from MSC Fish reunited at the Houston Race Track. We played mini-golf and raced go-karts for an hour. It was so great to see some familiar faces from college and spend time with this great group of people. My brother, Jason, flew into town from Charlotte, NC this past weekend. I haven’t seen this crazy kid since Christmas and it was so great to have him back in Texas. We celebrated my baby sister’s 12^th birthday on Saturday. I can’t believe she is already finished with sixth grade… Shannon’s growing up way too fast! We hosted an Amazing Race themed birthday party—each Engle was a Team Captain. Katy and I were the leaders of the Purple Team and it was an absolute blast traveling throughout New Territory completing different challenges. It is so rare for the entire Engle gang to be in the same place at the same time. Between schoolwork, family activities, various celebrations, and everyday life— blogging has not been my first priority. Summer in Sugar Land has been fun, but a different kind of fun! I miss having a social life on the weekdays and grabbing lunch with my friends on a regular basis. I miss walking on the A&M campus to go to class... my drive to WCJC doesn’t quite compare. I miss my Fish Camp and my partner, Dave. I miss life in College Station. However, there really is no place like home. May has been madness, but I am so thankful for every last bit of it. Through tears and celebrations, reunions and deep conversations, parties and countless errands… this is just the beginning of my busy summer.

 

Freshman Year.

I can’t believe my freshman year of college is officially over. I moved back to Sugar Land a couple of days ago and the reality of it is finally starting to hit me. It seems like just yesterday that I was at my New Student Conference frantically signing up for classes and wandering like a lost soul on campus. I have come a long way since then and a million things have changed. Thankfully, I have documented the past year of my life through pictures and blog posts. I feel like my blog followers have experienced my freshman year right alongside me. I was a very involved Aggie from the beginning and I believe that I took full advantage of everything Texas A&M has to offer. From the Greek community to the FLO World, my life was a little busy to say the least. There was never a dull moment and the planner was always filled. My transition to college was relatively easy and not many people are able to say that. Although I was extremely involved, my freshman year was not defined by my hectic schedule. My year was defined by the relationships that I formed and the people that I met throughout those many organizations. There are multiple people that have changed my life and challenged me to become a more selfless leader. These people have become some of my very best friends.  There was a reason that each and every single one of them came into my life and became a part of my freshman year experience. They are each so unique and bring something different to my life. Even though our first year together has come to an end, I am confident that this was only the beginning to several lifelong friendships. College isn’t easy. In fact, college is rather difficult. I’ve heard it said that, “College is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.” And that statement couldn’t be any truer. You live in a dorm with a pot-luck roommate, you do your own laundry, you decide whether to go to class, you choose to apply for organizations, you study countless hours for one test, you determine how much free time you have, you meet new people that instantly become your closest friends, you try to avoid the freshman fifteen, and you wash dishes in the same sink that you brush your teeth. College is uncomfortable, but it is the place where you discover who you truly are. What made you unique is what made you cool around this place. I am still the same person that I’ve always been, but I simply became a more confident and independent version of that girl. My freshman year at Texas A&M far surpassed any expectations I might have had. Somehow I managed to balance academics, friendships, organizations, fitness, and fun. Many people have told me that their freshman year at A&M was by far their favorite year; however, I believe the best is yet to come. Freshman year rocked my socks off; it was the bee’s knees, the cat’s pyjamas, the greatest thing since sliced bread, everything I wanted and so much more. Words cannot express how thankful I am for every single person that made an impact on my life this year. Through MSC FISH, Tri-Delta, Fish Camp, Impact… the list goes on and on. My first year at Texas A&M is now complete and this summer will be spent in the sweet city of Sugar Land. Even though I will miss College Station and all of my friends, I know great memories and adventures will be made in Summer 2012! I am now creating and designing my digital blog book from freshman year. Each year at Texas A&M will be a separate volume of Peace, Love, & Gig 'Em. I still have a ton of editing ahead, but I can't wait for this hard cover book to be complete! As for now, THIS is my last official blog post for my freshman year, but don't you worry... there will be plenty more to come!!!

CRAZINESS.

MSC FISH Staff

2012-2013

-The Athletes-

-Granola-

 -The Nerds-

 -Old People-

 -The Lovely Ladies-

 -The Handsome Men-

 -The KFD Committee-

DELTA RAVE:

Camp Duke Photoshoot:

This week has been a little exciting to say the least. Tuesday morning, I found out that I was selected to be an Assistant Director for the upcoming year in MSC FISH. I nervously walked up to the new MSC with Steven Baker to pick up our letters at 8 AM sharp. Will Brooke dropped them off and we slowly opened them together. What a memorable moment! We were both selected along with 16 other incredible people. They couldn’t have picked a better staff for next year. Not only will we be unified as friends, but we will also work so well together. Almost all of my best friends are on staff for next year and I couldn’t be more excited about it! It still seems serial that I will be taking on MSC FISH for a second year with a new role and a new mission. The first time we were brought together as a staff was Wednesday for Rev Night. There were four different groups; athletes, granola, nerds, and old people. We took several staff pictures for the first time ever and they turned out precious. After our photoshoot at the District, we hopped on the bus and headed towards campus. We stepped off near Rudder and were greeted by most of the AD’s and Exec’s from this past year. It was an emotional send off for them to pass off the responsibilities and excitement to us, but I was so glad to see all of them for this big moment. We have some huge shoes to fill! We took pictures with our old schools and they all told us how proud they were of us. It was at that point that I realized how much there was to look forward to in the future and that this night would be one I wouldn’t ever forget. We began our journey throughout campus—playing games and challenging each other—all to discover our committees for the upcoming year. Trick after trick, we were finally placed into our real groups by color. I am on the Kyle Field Day Committee with Steven Baker, Carolyn Phillips, Zach Siegrist, and Laura Mixtacki. I am SO stoked to work with each of them next year!!! After all of the committees were revealed and more pictures were taken, we headed to Cici’s for the next FISH tradition. We all ate dinner together for the first time as the staff for MSC FISH 2012-2013 and spent the night at Will Brooke’s house. It was unbelievably exciting to look around at each person in the room and realize what an incredible group of people I was surrounded by. The Exec’s spent night after night for the past several weeks reviewing applications and interviews all for this moment. They selected 16 completely different and unique individuals that bring a variety of strengths and new ideas to our organization for the upcoming year. I am confident that this will be the best group of AD’s that MSC FISH has ever seen. I am so thankful they chose me for this role and provided all of us the opportunity to continue to make a positive difference at Texas A&M. Next year will by far be the busiest and most fun year of my life! Wednesday night was also DELTA RAVE! I left Rev Night early in order for Landon Sikes and I to attend the last Tri-Delta date party of the year. We were rockin’ our neon green tanks, wore plenty of glow sticks and glitter, and ended up covered in paint. This date party was a mini version of Day Glow (America's Largest Paint Party) and it was a BLAST! Landon was so sweet to come with me and meet all of my friends. I couldn’t have asked for a better date! We raved the night away and pulled out our best techno dance moves. Between the spattering of paint and the black-light filled room, the date party was a complete success. I had so much fun dancing crazy with my delta sisters and laughing the entire night. I returned back to Will Brooke’s house completely covered in paint from the rave, but ready to continue to bond with the newest staff members. We played mafia, watched movies, talked the night away. The next morning, I woke up and returned back to my dorm only to shower and get ready for the Camp Duke Photoshoot. It is a Fish Camp tradition to take pictures with your fellow counselors and co-chairs during the spring semester. We all wore white shirts and jeans- and were looking pretty spiffy. The pictures turned out to be precious and the Duke road sign was the perfect touch. Every chance I get to spend with Camp Duke, I love them more and more. As for now, I’ve taken over 200 pictures in the past 48 hours and I am completely pictured out. This is my life. It is crazy and it never slows down. I am surrounded by people all the time. There is never a dull moment. I constantly hop from one activity to the next and change from one costume to another. I am blessed beyond measure and I have absolutely nothing to complain about. My life is craziness, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.