Top 10 of 2010

*I saw this idea on another blog and thought that it was a really wonderful way to reminisce about the past year and to remind oneself of the multitude of blessings the year provided!*

2010 has been another year of completely unforgettable and wonderful moments. Much like past years at Texas A&M, I can say that 2010 was full of surprises. Every New Year I imagine what I will be feeling this time next year and I'm never even close to the real emotion. 2010 marked some big moments for me, including but not limited too, becoming a sister-in-law, going out of the country alone, starting my senior year of college, and trying to make grown-up decisions about my future. Through it all I have learned to see God's hand in every aspect of my life. He has shown me that through faith we have been given great freedom and have become surrounded and involved in a love greater than anything else on the planet.

When I imagined my life at 22, as a young girl, I can promise you that it looked very different than the life I am living. For this, I am eternally thankful. While many of my friends have taken huge steps such as getting engaged or married, and even having babies, I myself still feel too young for such great commitments. Living as a young, single, but wildly independent lady has taught me a lot about myself and the things I cherish the most.

Enough about all of that, it's time to write down some memories.

DISCLAIMER: The following memories are listed in no particular order, except for number one. If one of your favorite memories with me is not including please remember these are only the first 10 I could think of. :]

10) MY OLDEST BROTHER GETS MARRIED!!!!! March 13, 2010
My oldest brother, Michael, met his match and married her. :] I became a sister-in-law but most importantly finally had a sister!! April fit so perfectly in our family from the start. I love the way Michael and April interact with each other. I can say that I'm pretty excited to watch as they spend the rest of their lives together. The wedding itself was truly beautiful. It was one huge celebration and for the first time in years most of my family was there.



9)SNOW DAY IN COLLEGE STATION! February 2010
It has snowed twice in College Station since I've lived here and it's always so beautiful. There's just something special about the way the snow just covers all imperfections. It doesn't seem to matter what goes on in class or at work that day, because when you step outside, everything is perfect. This year it started snowing on a Tuesday, during the semester. I remember this because I volunteered at the hospital on Tuesdays. The patients we saw that day were so joyful and thankful. The snow seemed to remind them that even though things are hard now they do get better. It was by far one of my favorite days at the hospital.

8)The Fightin' Texas Aggies (18) BTHO Nebraska (8) at Kyle Field! November 20, 2010
If you know anything about me at all, you know I love college football, but I absolutely adore Fightin' Texas Aggie football! There is truly something awe-inspiring about being a part of the 12th man that you really cannot explain to anyone who hasn't been a part of it. The roar of the crowd during a sack, the anticipatory silence before a big play, and the rumble that echoes throughout the stadium during the War Hymn, gives me goosebumps every dang time! This game is particularly special to me not only because we beat a fantastic Nebraska team, but because it would be the last time I would stand with the 12th man as a student. I remember being able to feel my heart beating in my chest during the entire game, and I'll never forget the emotions everyone felt when we realized we were going to win this thing! "There's no formation, like the victory formation!!" I'll never be able to erase the way the 12th man towels looked as a record number of devoted Aggie fans waved them proudly for four innings. I wanted to cry at the end and not because of the win, but because I realized that this was it. This was the game that I would always remember. This was the game I'd be telling my grand kids about, because yes, it was a great game, but even more importantly it marked the beginning of the end of my time as a current student. Gig 'Em Aggies!



7) Megan and I MOVE to THE TRAILS! August 2010
After living with a boy for almost a year, I can tell you that I dread moving in with another one later down the road of my life. It's not that I don't love Phillip like a brother, but they have a different mentality about cleanliness. haha! :] It didn't help that the apartment that we lived in was probably part of one of the crappiest complexes in College Station, but man was that place cheap. Needless to say, Megan and I had had enough and were ready for a change. We found a cute 2bedroom/1bath apartment near Wolf Pen Creek and decided this would be our new home. Megan and I have lived together since first semester of freshmen year. We were randomly placed together, by the housing gods of Texas A&M University and more importantly by our own Heavenly Father, who knew that without each other our experience at Texas A&M would not be all it could be. Megan has been there for me through everything. She is my dearest and closest friend, and 2010 was no different. As for the new apartment, we still love it. We finally have a cute-sie decorated pad! :] Very girly, sometimes messy, but definitely us.
*First photo is one of our first games at Texas A&M some time in 2007, and the second photo is from our last game, November 2010.*






6) Halloween! October 31, 2010
I will be the first to say that Halloween of 2009 was a complete and total disaster for me. It is one of the few days from the past years at Texas A&M that I look back on and think "Really self?" BUT this year was a complete BLAST! Megan and I both had tests the following week and so we decided to have a low-key but still awesome Halloween. I'm pretty sure we started buying the stuff for our costumes some time in September, but whatevs. We originally were going to try and be the 90's band "Ridiculous", a group we created, but after finding some fabulous steals at Goodwill, we became "Punk/Pop". I portrayed a 90's punk kid and Megan portrayed a peppy, 90's pop star. All-in-all the looks were fabulous and a TON of fun to put together and wear. We spent the night with the lovely ladies of 2302 and assorted other guests. It was great night with wonderful people!

5) KARAOKE TUESDAYS!! Summer 2010 - Present
For some reason, Karaoke Tuesdays became a staple in my schedule starting some time in late spring/early summer. Karaoke Tuesdays is exactly what it claims to be. It is a Tuesday evening that consists of getting dressed up all cute, going to O'Bannon's and singing your heart out to classics and not so classics. It's always a good time and you are guaranteed to meet interesting people. I have proudly sang Karaoke myself a few times. My repertoire consists of "Spice Up Your Life" by The Spice Girls (DUH!), "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, and a multitude of other crowd pleasing favorites. One of my favorite parts about being in College Station during the summer is the lack of crowds. You can go out with your friends and pretty much see the same people. You don't fight for tables or wait in lines, and you can actually drive on Texas and University. But my all time favorite part of CS in the summer is that even if you are taking summer classes, you always seem to find a way to squeeze in some fun!

4) MY VERY OWN AGGIE RING DAY! September 17, 2010
I understand that most universities do in fact have a "college ring", but I have yet to hear of any school that makes it quite the CELEBRATION like we do here at Texas A&M. The Aggie Ring symbolizes many things but to me it symbolizes 4 years of hard work and serves as a reminder of all the memories you made at this great University. I still remember being given my Aggie Ring Day Countdown Calendar my freshmen year. I proudly pulled off hours at the end of each semester and when the day finally came to order my ring I couldn't have been more excited. I come from a long line of Aggies and I had been wanting my Aggie ring since I was a little girl. Going to the Former Students Association building to order my ring was exciting but not nearly as exciting as going back there to pick the little gold piece up! I woke up super early and snagged the first ring day pick up slot, which was at 2:45pm (i think?). Of course classes dragged on that day and by the time I finally could go home, I just couldn't wait anymore. I changed into a cute outfit and called up my girls, Megan and Emily. We got in line and waited in anticipation. I'll never forget how exciting the whole process was, from signing off for my ring to finally having Megan place it on my finger to taking tons of pictures with friends! It was a great day! And yes, I did dunk my ring. No, it wasn't enjoyable, but I'll never have to do it again. :]

3) My Bestie's 21st Birthday! August 31, 2010
Megan was such a trooper. I turned 21 almost a year before she did and between my birthday and hers practically everyone we knew turned 21 as well. But finally her day came and we made the best of it! Her birthday was during the week and on top of that took place during the first week of classes. We still took her out for margaritas at Ninfa's, which sadly turned out to be a major flop because of a nasty fake strawberry mix in. Then later that night, which was luckily a Tuesday, we took her out to North Gate to our old reliable O'Bannon's for some singing. We ended the night at Mad Hatter's where Megan could get her dance on. :] It was a really fun time, even with a small group!






2) ROAD TRIP TO AUSTIN! June 26, 2010
Megan and I created a "List of Things to Do Before We Graduate" and on that list was "Finally make the drive to Austin." We had been saying since freshmen year that we would make the 1 1/2 drive to Austin to visit some of our Longhorn (hissss) friends, but had never actually done it. So during the summer, we picked a weekend and made the drive. We had some awesome mix CD's for the drive and definitely got some strange looks from people in other vehicles as we danced and drove our way to Austin. We spent some time with some of Megan's friends from high school and then some time with my lovely friend Alley. Alley showed me the ropes on 6th street, which was quite the ummm...experience? That place is definitely crazy and far from my comfort zone but it was fun with Alley and Buddy showing me the way. We ended up running into Tiffany and her boyfriend, Chris, which was just crazy and so we also got to spend time with them! All-in-all it was a great trip and as usual it was nice to get out of College Station for a little while and get the taste of different air, so to speak. I think my absolute favorite thing about Austin was the food. We went to lots of "hole in the wall" places and they were all delicious!





1) Uganda!!! May 2010
The absolute best experience of my year was my trip to Uganda, Africa. I had never been out of the country, besides a vacation to the Bahamas, which I don't count because we were at a very "Americanized" resort. It was my first time to fly by myself. It was my first mission trip. It was wonderful. You can read all about my adventures on this blog, which actually was started because of that trip. I could go on and on and on about Uganda, but if you're interested just go back a few blog posts. The trip opened my eyes to many things, but mostly things about myself. I fell in love with the people of Uganda and even now my heart yearns to go back. Sometimes when I look back at pictures I still feel like I'm there, sleeping under the mosquito net as Jen complains about how "dodgy" hers is. :] I met fantastic and strong followers of Christ on the trip, who each shaped me into the woman I am today. I can only thank God for the blessings this trip provided. My heart will never be the same, and because of that neither will my life.