Impact

I spent this past week at the Alpha session of Impact! Impact was a 4-day retreat for incoming freshmen at Texas A&M University and Blinn College that aimed to connect freshmen with Christian students as well as local churches and ministries in the Bryan/College Station area. While we were there, we engaged in speaker sessions, breakout groups, small group discussion, a ministry fair and plenty of other fun activities. Ariel and I drove to College Station together on Monday morning, and I am not going to lie… I wasn’t looking forward to the week to come. I had just finished my incredible week at Fish Camp, and I wasn’t ready for more “camp-life”: Uncomfortable bunk beds, disgusting showers, and the infamous camp food. Not only was my energy level low, but my voice was also still recovering from Fish Camp. At check in, I was assigned to the aqua group of Alpha Asher. Our group was divided further into BASIC Groups, or BGs, and mine was Oh so COMFY for your RUMPY. Shelby Harrell, the sweet and fun girl I met from Fish Camp, was ironically in my same Impact Group. We were able to become much better friends, as well as meet and grow with a bunch of new people. We participated in a Camp Relay, which consisted of twelve different obstacles and a giant slip n’ slide! Every day we would create a new cheer for “Roll Call,” and I am happy to admit that Alpha Asher WON the spirit stick with our Buzz Lightyear skit on Wednesday. WHOOP! Every morning and night, Jeff Johnson led worship and we would hear God’s word. They set up a giant ministry fair in the auditorium, which allowed us to learn about different churches, small groups, and Christian organizations on campus. We also went to breakout sessions, where we learned about the importance of accountability and community. One of my favorite parts was the optional sorority meeting during free time. The girl counselors that are currently involved in Greek Life gave us advice on how to be a light for Christ in our future chapters and make a difference. I cannot say that it was the best week of my life or anything as I had expected. I was reminded that God will continue to be faithful even when we are faithless. He has a plan for our lives that far surpasses anything we could create or suggest. Impact stressed the importance of getting involved and developing your own church community in College Station.

Here were four of their suggestions:

1. Think small

2. Be prepared for messy tension

3. Quit pretending

4. Take initiative.

Overall, I am very thankful that I got to experience both Impact and Fish Camp. I move out in one short week, and I am looking forward to spending time with my sweet family and friends in Sugar Land! 

Campers & Careers!

Today has been a very exciting day and I couldn't resist blogging, yet again! We drove to Columbus, TX and picked up Shannon from Pine Cove Outback. She spent the last week at camp and we missed her tremendously. My experiences at Pine Cove were by far some of my favorite memories growing up, so I couldn’t be more excited for Shannon to be a camper there this week! Once we arrived, there were luggage totes, hyper counselors, and exhausted campers everywhere. We sat through the closing ceremonies, watched them dance around to worship songs, and listened to Shannon’s ‘Character Qualities’. She was slightly disappointed with her counselor, but overall she had a great week! On the way home, we stopped at the Shell Gas Station where Lauren received one of the best phone calls of her life. She was hired as the newest Labor and Delivery Nurse at St. David’s Hospital in Austin, TX. It was her dream job and we were ECSTATIC for her accomplishment! Lauren starts in October and will live with two of her very best friends. She is officially employed and couldn’t be more thankful for this opportunity. I am so proud of her perseverance and hard work throughout this job searching process!! To celebrate, we went to Dairy Queen and ate tasty Blizzards! With all of this excitement surrounding me, I am reminded that I move out in exactly TWO weeks. Our family is beyond blessed and we are anxious to see what else the Lord has in store for us in the weeks to come!

Surprise!

This blog post will be short and sweet! Janet Colborne and Sandy Coombs planned a surprise birthday celebration for Mom’s 50^th birthday. They are her best friends and thought she deserved a little something special! Literally 5 minutes after arriving home from Fish Camp, I hopped in the car and went downtown with Lauren and Dad. I was past the point of exhaustion from camp and the only thing I wanted to do was shower and sleep. However, I knew it would mean a lot to my mom if she saw me there. The celebration was at Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar in downtown Houston. It was the first bar I’d ever been to and I used Lauren’s passport as my I.D. Yikes!! :/ This place provided one of the neatest and most unique nightlife experiences in the country. They had several talented musicians that performed songs from all genres and made the audience apart of the show. A bunch of my mom’s friends came out to help celebrate her birthday and she was completely surprised to see all of us. The entire night was a huge success and my mom had an absolute blast. She may be fifty, but she still loves to let loose and have a great time! She was a dancing machine and the life of the party all night. I was highly entertained and so thankful I decided to come help her celebrate her 50^th!!!

Fish Camp!

Howdy! My name is Kaitlyn Engle and I am a freshman business major from Sugar Land, TX. But more importantly, I am the loudest and proudest member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2015! AAAAAAAAA! I’ve spent the last four days at session A of Fish Camp! Fish Camp is a freshman’s First Tradition at Texas A&M. They officially welcomed the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2015 and gave us the opportunity to have fun, make friends, and learn more about life at A&M. This past week has been indescribable, but I will try my very best to give you a small glimpse into my Fish Camp experience. The first day, I drove into College Station by myself slightly nervous not knowing what to expect. Once I arrived at Reed Arena, I saw college guys in tutus with colored mohawks everywhere and swarms of uncomfortable freshmen. I knew I was in for an interesting week. I was handed my freshmen packet, which placed me in Camp Holmes (Blue Group) and the DG: Have You Told Your Mom Yet? I met Amanda and John while sitting in the arena, and they will always be remembered as the first people I met at Fish Camp. We drove 2 hours to Lakeview Methodist Conference Center, where there were below average cafeteria meals, bitterly cold showers, and squeaky bunk bed arrangements. Everything was unsanitary and ancient to say the least, but I could toughen up for four quick camp days. We sang chants, cheers, songs, and hymns non-stop all week.  There were approximately 900 students in Session A; about 160 in the Blue Camp. Our camp shared a special bond as we spent plenty of time getting to know one another. We attended programs that highlighted the opportunities and services available on campus and participated in Aggie Traditions such as Yell Practice, Aggie Muster, and Silver Taps. There were camp wide themed mixers every night, which was by far my favorite part! The themes were Flashback, Country Western, and Neon Glow the final night. I met more people this week than I have in my entire life. I am by no means shy or hesitant to introduce myself to people, so I had no problems making some great new friends! Laine Stebbins, my “Bunkie,” was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. We ended up being in the same cabin and not only sharing a bunk-bed, but also sharing several similar interests. Back in January, I met Mackenzie Edwards on the Aggie Roommate Finder Website. We had talked about being potential roommates at one point, but ended up becoming great friends at Fish Camp! It may be a huge university with a large Aggie Network, but it seemed like a small world. Shelby Harrell and I quickly became close friends after stalking two very attractive players from the A&M baseball team. This girl knew every dance move and loved to have a great time. The four of us became super close, bonded over sorority recruitment, and danced the night away at the mixers. I will always consider them my best girlfriends from Fish Camp! Meagan and Nikki were both in my DG (Discussion Group) and I enjoyed getting to know them as well. Meagan’s sarcasm and dry humor reminded me of several friendships from Sugar Land! I met so many new people this week, but I am hoping I can stay in contact with at least a few of them come the fall semester. Texas A&M is unlike any university in the entire world. We are friendly, spirited, and rich with tradition. We come from different backgrounds. We all have a story to be told. Together we make the Aggie family. Together we are united as one. This week I had a defining moment in my Aggie story. We were at the Flashback mixer singing the Aggie War Hymn. I was swaying alongside my girlfriends with our arms around each other and our feet overlapping. I was filled with excitement singing this song at the top of my lungs, and at that moment I knew in my gut I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I knew that I was always meant to be an Aggie and I couldn’t understand why anyone would pass up the opportunity to attend Texas A&M. People say that there is a spirit that can never be told… and I can’t explain how true that is. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it. But from the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. My Aggieland story has officially begun and I couldn’t be more thankful for my experiences at Fish Camp! Thanks & Gig ‘Em!

Fish Camp 2011,

Aggie Spirits' what we're reppin',

Newest 12th Man on the team,

Fightin' Class of '15!

AAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Fifty Ain't So Fabulous

My Mom’s 50^th birthday is on August 4^th, which is right around the corner. This upcoming week the Engle’s will be spread all over the map. My Dad will be in California, Shannon will be at Pine Cove, Lauren will be in ATX for an interview, I will be at Fish Camp (WHOOP!), and Jason will still be in North Carolina. We decided to celebrate Mom’s big birthday milestone a couple days early and deck out the house with ‘Fabulous Fifties’ decorations! Dad, Lauren, and I spent the entire day planning and shopping for the evening. Whenever we actually came up with a “good” idea, we constantly bickered about who could take credit for the creativity. The day was filled with plenty of jokes and laughter. Once we arrived home, we decorated the entire house in record time. There were streamers, signs, and plenty of 50’s spirit everywhere! We kicked off the night with cocktails and the envelope game. My Mom always hates the envelope game, and this year was icing on the cake. Typically, we put one big gift idea in each of the three envelopes and she can only pick one envelope without knowledge of the gifts inside. She hasn’t had the best luck at this game in years past… this year was no exception. Needless to say, it ended in tears and we have officially retired the envelope game for good. As for the rest of the evening, we planned out a surprise progressive dinner to celebrate her birthday. A progressive dinner is where you start at your favorite appetizer restaurant, followed by the best entrée location, and end at the last spot for some sweet dessert. We started the night at T.G.I. Fridays for green bean fries, potato skins, and drinks. Then, we rushed over to the Cheesecake Factory for our entrée- Jambalaya Pasta and Santa Fe Salad. Our original plan was to hit up Dairy Queen for dessert, because it is her all time favorite. If we were really smart planners, we would’ve known that it was National Cheesecake Day and ALL the cheesecake was half price. But we’re not that smooth. We ended up staying at the Cheesecake Factory for dessert, because we couldn’t pass up that bargain! We all sang happy birthday to her and returned home to open presents. This night did not end up how we expected at all, but everything we planned was with good intentions. I can’t believe she has been alive for half a century. She is still one hot, super fun, and active Mama!! I know the best years of her life are still to come. Even though we love to pick on her some days, she is truly the best mother anyone could ask for. I have never met a more selfless woman in my entire life! Some people say that Fifty Ain’t So Fabulous, but I know she’ll prove ‘em wrong.

Happy 50^th Birthday, Mom!!!

DayGlow

On Sunday night, I went to DayGlow Houston with Ariel, Taylor, and Brandon. Never heard of the DayGlow event? As of last week, neither had I. Here is the official description: DayGlow, “The World’s Largest Paint Party,” began in 2006 on college campuses, and it quickly took the nation by storm by positioning itself to be a one of a kind experience.  Now, hundreds of thousands of people have witnessed this spectacular show that fuses high-energy music, art, dance, and PAINT into one mind blowing combination.  DayGlow is truly a unique, spectacular, and innovative show that you must experience to comprehend. What initially began as a college tradition has transformed into a world-renowned live concert, featuring spectacular DJs, soaring aerial acts, stilt-walkers, contortion acts, fire shows, and cannons to deliver the famous “Paint Blast,” along with many other unforgettable live performances. DayGlow has grown immensely each and every year in attendance, strength of line-up, and production. DayGlow was by far the best night of my life. It was an experience that I simply will never forget. They had two shows this weekend at Stereo Live on Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday show was in high demand and quickly sold out. However, at 12:30 am the Fire Marshall came and shut down their entire party. I can’t even begin to imagine how crowded that dance floor was. Our show wasn’t sold out, yet it was still packed. We danced the entire night- from 9 pm until 2:30 am. No breaks… just an unfathomable amount of sweat and paint. Sunday night was way better than Saturday, and it proved to be the coolest and most innovative show that I have ever seen. I am speechless. Some of my favorite memories were watching the crazy crowd, getting blasted with neon paint, and trying out our YouTube-learned rave dance moves (walk the dog, pick the apples, etc.). I didn’t bring my camera inside, so I was completely worry-free. I lived in the moment and embraced each and every second. DayGlow Houston was incredible! I am so thankful I got to experience this night with such a fun group of friends. Now, my legs feel like Jello and none of us can hear anything. Thank You, DayGlow, for giving us a night that we’ll never forget.

One Month.

I move out of Sugar Land in exactly one month. The reality of starting college, packing up my closet, and entering the next stage of my life is beginning to set in. There have been a thousand things on my to-do list… including shopping for dorm decorations. I have loved every single second of it. From our family competitions in Bed Bath & Beyond to our mother-daughter shopping trips, we have finally covered the basics. The Singleton’s gave me monogrammed towels and washcloths as a part of my graduation present. Little did I know… the embroidered green initials on the towels would inspire my entire freshman dorm room. Thank you, Maggie, for making me fall in love with the color green! My roommate, Megan, and I attempted to coordinate our bedspreads, pillows, etc. Our base color is black and we each accent with a different color (mine is green and hers is aqua). We have been working on sorting out all of the other essentials and cute decorations. It makes me super excited that she gets equally as excited when it comes to deciding things like this. We are such girls about everything and I love it! Lauren has been painting canvases to personalize my tiny dorm room and my Dad is still convinced it should be monkey-themed. He cracks himself up. In this final month before school starts, I will be exceptionally busy with Fish Camp, Impact, Move-In Day, and Rush Week. I am so excited to see what these next years at A&M have in store for me. As for right now, I am going to appreciate all of the little things that matter most to me and be productive with my time in Sugar Land.

Peace, Love, & Gig ‘Em!