Rings and Things

A lot has happened in the past month...smiles and tears, hot and cold weather, good and bad grades, and some other rollercoaster happenings. But let's focus on the good because the smiles always are more memorable...

Late October, I participated in my first Dressage Schooling Show. I know a lot of my readers (a.k.a. Family & Friends) don't know much about what I'm doing in the english saddle but I would like to inform you a tad bit on it. Dressage is a French term for training. Its purpose is to develop a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform. At a horse's peak, it should respond to minimal aids while the rider is in a relaxed state. I wish I could show you a video of my test but I haven't asked Aubrey for it. There are a lot of YouTube videos out there and the ones that will pop up are the most advanced level (FEI World Cup or Grand Prix).

I really enjoyed my dressage show and came home with 2 Blue Ribbons with decent scores for my first outing with Strutt, 21 y.o. Quarter Horse. I am going to wait until my first few eventing shows to decided what I really want to concentrate on. I like to jump but Mom and Dad would like my seat to be more safe in the saddle than up in the air over jumps!

Now the super exciting stuff...

Shelby Suzanne got her Aggie Ring this past Friday! Whoop!

I was the photographer so of course, I have wonderful photos to show you of Shelby's amazing milestone!

Deanna Bosse, Lindsey Marik, Shelby, Courtney Janak & Me

Of course, being the silly sister she is, she has to get in the fountain!

Thank the Lord there weren't any cops around!

Having a little fun with Courtney!

Yes, we're sisters. Yes, we make funny faces. Yes, we love each other.

2 Generations of Aggie Rings - '78, '12 & '13

...and hopefully another generation to come in the future!

...a ways down the road of course...

My beautiful brunettes!

And there was a little more excitement after Friday...

We dunked our rings after we BTHO kansas! We were ladies and did "chugger" size. I drank Michelob Ultra and Shelby drank Mike's Hard Lemonade. She's a beast and downed it fairly quickly. I, on the other hand, kept the ladylike persona and drank it slow and steady because I wasn't about to puke like some of the boys did!

Meadow Creek Girls - Me, Taylor Lange & Shannon

Here we go!

And of course, the boys were drinking right after the dunked but I can promise y'all, I will not have beer for a good while.

Gig 'em!

 



He calls me Howdy...

It was a mistake on my part for wearing my Howdy (front), Dammit (back) t-shirt to my 2nd Ralph Hill clinic two weekends ago. So during jump crew on Saturday, Ralph called me Howdy until I was riding in my group then he used my first name. I became one of the jokes of the clinic in the barn with the adults in which one nice lady in particular started calling me Dammit. It was quite amusing to Aubrey, Jenny and I until it was time to get down to business.

This clinic was based on improving our riding skills on our horses through gymnastics on Saturday and cross country on Sunday. I got to do my first (mini) cross country course and boy, was it a large one! I was in the Beginner Novice group which is suppose to jump the maximum of 2'3 jumps. Ralph knew the horses in our group had the talent to jump Training level jumps so we were jumping logs 3 foot high and possibly taller! I was really nervous but I just prayed and put my trust into Strutt (my 21 year-old Quarter horse mount) and my borrowed whip. I have some confidence issues going into bigger jumps, especially X-C jumps ever since Angie threw me off in June. So I wrote some inspiration on my left forearm for reassurance.

"Be strong and courageous!" -Joshua 1:9

...and let me tell you, I'm glad I was put my trust in the Lord and called for my Guardian angel because I got successfully over all of the big jumps then fell at a little 2 footer right before the "ditch." Oh well, the big scary jumps were conquered and my thigh and ankle got a little banged up but life goes on and Mom worries a little bit. Sorry Mom and Dad...it's a part of learning. Thank you so much for letting me be able to do these things that make me fall but I pick myself up, get back on and move right along the course. Hint: This applies to life also but without horses, I wouldn't be sane so I really appreciate my parents for supporting me to do the things that I love to do! I love y'all!

ground poles before small oxer

square oxer

(pretty picture too!)

 awesome 2 foot bounce gymnastic series

(yes, we did 3 in a row!)

hog's back

skinny chevron

...i was really nervous about this jump but we finally conquered it!...

Jenny on Tucker, Me on Strutt and Ralph Hill 

square oxer

wide tire jump 

big LOG jump

(I know you cannot see me because of the tree but i want you to know this is the jump i was getting anxious about...i just gave Strutt a lot of leg, a little whip, and a prayer to get his butt over it!) 

us on our tired ponies...they were so good so good for us!

I'm so ready for December to get her to do my first Eventing show!

Click, Click, BOOM!

That's exactly what my volleyball team did tonight. They rocked it and beat a local team in 4 games to get the W! It was probably the best game they've played all season. I'm hoping they keep going at it and keep up the momentum into next weekend when we go to Dallas to play in a Homeschool tourney. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. I love the girls and they've come a long way but I've heard that the teams that play there are pretty Bad-A. Win or lose, I love that I was able to have this opportunity and hopefully can have another year coaching with the association.

Let me just catch up y'all up with the rest of my life:

School - It's hard. I'm only taking 12 hours but they're tough. Chemistry 2 has a lot of work and the lab sucks. Psychology of Learning is eating my lunch because I have a different professor right now...long story...and my Motor Learning & Control class is interesting but is getting harder every day. I'm hoping to catch up a little bit this weekend.

Health - I've been battling a nasty sick bug for a week and a half. It was weird how I felt it coming on but it hit me hard! I got meds called in and took those but I was still feeling under the weather and coughing horribly. So the doc gave me a steroid shot and cough pearls. I'm on mucinex max strength and nyquil. It's working but my voice is still working on coming back. Hopefully it does since I'm singing at Daily Mass tomorrow.

Horses - My parents were very gracious to pay for the clinic I'm doing this weekend in Bryan. Ralph Hill will be coaching a few people at a time all day Saturday and Sunday in Eventing. My photo on the top of my blog page is actually from the clinic I participated in with Ralph in January. I can't wait to get going with this one. I've come a long way according to Aubrey, my trainer, and hopefully all of the dressage training we worked on this summer helps me out this weekend. Just pray for all our safety and that I have trust in my horse and he has trust in me and COURAGE! I need to grow some balls... haha

Birthday - Yes, I'm 22. It's a weird age but I'm learning to embrace it. Mom and Dad were in town for the football game so they stayed for my birthday on Sunday the 25th. We went to St. Mary's as a family and even though we had to sit upstairs because 10 am Mass is always packed, I still thank them for going with me to worship the Lord and have a new and good start to the week. We then went to brunch where Duane and Jeanne Arbuckle joined us and had a great time with good food. Meemaw gave me a lovely piece of crystal then we all laid down for a quick siesta. It was just what I wanted.

And there's a lot of other little things going on in my life and I'm happy as can be! Just a little stressed every now and then but faith has brought me to be happy, strong, courageous, and grateful for everything I've been doing lately.

Here's some photos from Ring Day! WHOOP!

Finally!

FRIDAY is THE DAY people!!! I am finally getting my Aggie Ring with the most awesome class year on it every - 12! Whoop! How lucky did I get to have the awesome meaning of 12 on my ring?! Of course, other important years in my Aggie family are '78 and '13!

So with all of the school work I must complete, along with the quiz Friday morning, I just cannot contain the excitement of this upcoming date at the Alumni Center! My ring time is at 2:15 and hopefully we get a lot of pictures because I need to frame some things finally. So I feel if I get Ring Day pics developed, I'll start framing other pictures from the past few eventful years. I'm terrible at thinking about picture taking and framing, which is probably part of the reason why I can't remember all of the fun things I do. I definitely won't forget this day though!

 A little history of the Aggie Ring...


1) Shield: The protection of the good reputation of the alma mater.

2) 13 stripes on the shield: Original 13 states



3) Five Stars: Phases of development of the student: mind, body, spiritual attainment, emotional poise, and integrity of character.

4) Eagle: Agility & power & the ability to reach great heights and ambitions

5) Olive wreath encircling the state seal: Achievement of and desire for peace and the strength to fight.

6) Ribbon: Marks the joining of the two traits to accomplish their ambition to serve

7) Cannon: Signifies that the men of Texas fought for their land and are determined to defend it

8) Saber: Stands for valor & confidence

9) Rifle & Cannon: Symbols of preparedness & defense

10) Flags of the US & Texas: Recognize the dual allegiance to nation & state

These things signify why I should be proud and humble to be an Aggie. I may never fight for my country but I know I would like to make a difference in some way with the things that I learned and am still learning here.
I won't be able to attend Midnight Yell this week because Laura is dunking her ring! But next week, I asked Mom if she would attend Yell with me for my birthday! I'm so excited for her! So if y'all are going to be in town for the Oklahoma State game...come into town Friday night and come to Yell Practice with us!!

Gig 'em!

I Love Mondays?!

I am finished with class for the day! Isn't that odd? Well I only have one class on Mondays & Fridays so I'm going to love it. I do have volleyball practice at 12:30 so I took my time this morning. Of course, I left right on time since my class isn't far away from where I park but boy, it was crazy on the road this morning! It's always the first week rush to class to be early that I do not like but what made it worse is that today was also the first day to pull tickets for the football game verses SMU this weekend. So I sat in traffic after hitting the trashcan at the end of the driveway thinking and praying that I am going to make this a great day no matter what! I walked quickly to class and saw there was a free seat next to a girl I met last fall. The prof was a tad late and he did lecture a little but we were out 15 minutes earl. Lucky day, I'm thinking?! I walked around with Hillary finding our classes for later before heading to the computer lab to print out some papers for my yoga class tomorrow.

My Tuesdays & Thursdays are going to be very trying. I have four classes in a row from 9:35 to 3:35 - Chemistry 2, Yoga, Resist/Flex, and Psychology of Learning. Hopefully, I enjoy my P.E. classes because I've heard Resist/Flex can be hard but I've also heard it's worth it. I have great professors for my Chem & Psyc classes and hopefully I can just get my studying done and keep up. It is football season and I'm going to have to NOT be lazy and give the library some love on the weekends. I have a plan in mind how I am going to keep up with school with my busy volleyball, football, and volunteering schedule. My social life is going to have to take a big cut because I need to make good grades from now on to apply for PT school.

RING DAY is September 16th!!! WH12P!!! I cannot wait! I really wish and hope that I could get my grandparents to come up but please just keep them in your prayers because Papaw is having some issues and I'm sure testing Meemaw's patience.

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." -2 Peter 1:5-8

Trying to Fit Summer into this Nutshell of a Blog

I've gotten tired of the 30 days of pictures...I'll finish it one day. I would love to catch you all up on my life instead! So here goes my summer to current events:

1. I started shadowing a Physical Therapist at the Physician's Center here in B/CS. I have completed roughly 70 hours of volunteer work since May! I also volunteered once a week at another PT place right around the around and will complete my minimum of 40 hours of shadowing this Monday. I'm planning on continuing my volunteer work at the Physician's Center as soon as the volleyball season is over but until then I am volunteering at The Med on Rock Prairie on Monday evenings (5-9 pm). I'm just helping nurse's out since PT only takes place during normal business hours and my schedule was swamped when I found out I got a position there because they have a long wait list of applicants.
2. I joined the morning summer choir at St. Mary's. It was one of the best decisions I've made during my college career. I wish I would've stuck with it my freshman year but things just weren't right back then and now, it was amazing! I sang in 2 morning masses every other Sunday and oh my gosh, it was wonderful to be back on the microphone! I even brought my guitar and started getting the courage to play in public. I played in my 1st mass a few weeks ago and am singing and playing again tomorrow!
3. Middle of the spring semester, I interviewed for a volunteer volleyball coach position with a local home school association. I got it! For those who know me, I have a passion for coaching and after being rejected by different activities with school, I was so blessed to get this position with 2 other girls coaching 14-18 year olds. We have been practicing since late June and started games 2 weeks ago. I have a talented Varsity team that I adore and love! My JV is super rookie but they learn something new every day. We just got back from a tournament in Bellville and didn't do so hot. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. But the most amazing thing is that this association is a Christian group of home schoolers. It has opened my eyes to a whole new world!  These kids are so amazing because they not only come to practice with smiles and the willingness to learn but they teach me so much about the love that Jesus has to offer each of us. That's just what they do. Love me and I love them back!
4. With #2 & 3 combined, it has helped me deepened and strengthen my faith a little more every week this summer. Music is just so powerful. It's a cure for a lot of different things in my life. It's spiritual and emotional for me. Coaching these girls helps me watch what I say, do, think, etc. and I feel different things are changing. I think about praying more and just praising the Lord for different things I never thought about before. I give a lot of kudos to Coach Lynsi Bain too. She's so in love with Jesus, it's crazy but true love. I wish I could be that in love with the Lord but I'm taking baby steps.
5. A few of my girlfriends took a short weekend trip to the Riverwalk in San Antonio to relax and catch up towards the end of July. We had a lot of fun with lots of food and talking! We had hot pink cactus margaritas at a roach infested restaurant and went to Coyote Ugly and had some fun dancing! We did a little bit of shopping and dressing up each other. I love our little group and can't wait for next year's annual trip!
6. I took a 10-week Anatomy 2 course at A&M. It was tough but I made it through with a B!
7. Unfortunately, I might be retaking it...I went to a PT Open House in Galveston @ UTMB last week and learned a lot about applying for PT school. I am applying next summer so I need to get some grades up. I'm terribly scared that it's going difficult for me to get in with a lower than average GPA. I just gotta keep my head on straight and strive for A's from now on and study, study, study and shadow!
8. Our summer family vacation was to L'auberge du Lac in Louisiana. It was my first time to gamble!!! I ended up winning about $1300!!! I played a little bit of blackjack, a lot of slots, and learned 3 card poker (not my favorite). We ate a super nice restaurant with awesome food, got treated to a spa day, floated the lazy river, and just relaxed.
9. I'd like this # to be for those who are needing prayer in my life. Please pray for Mrs. Gail Palone and her family - Her dad passed away last night and he was an amazing man. Please pray for Jace Arbuckle and his family and fiance - he is going in for tests at MD Anderson this coming week for a chronic condition that may need treatment. Please pray for my Pawpaw & Meemaw - He is back in the hospital for pneumonia. I know there are a lot of other prayers that are needed to be said out there but I've gone blank. I'm sure they'll come to me tonight whilst I'm saying my nightly prayers. I appreciate all of yours!
10. I GET MY AGGIE RING IN 27 DAYS!!! WH12P!!! I'm super stoked and can't wait! Shelby & I will be dunking in November, when she gets hers!

Hope everyone is doing well! I miss and love you all!
Coach Alexis Cooper '12

 This is from today - Autumn, Meghan, Coach & Halle (with medals = All Tourney!)

 Scott & I at a Wedding - My shoes were so beautiful, they were blinding everyone haha so I had to toss them!

 Cassey Janak & I at her Sister's Wedding

 Taylor & I at the Merta Wedding

Yes the rumors were true. We Were dating...we had to test out our feelings but I ended up being wrong. And we're still best friends...Thank You Lord!

 Kindergarten Best Friends Forever!

Stacey, Erik & I at Dustin & Lianne Janak's Wedding

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.

Yes, I am one of those people. I LOVE THE TWILIGHT SAGA!!! I reread Breaking Dawn this summer because the first part of it is coming out on Shelby's Ring Day, November 18th. I can not wait but I've been told that I am not allowed to buy midnight tickets. Since the 18th will be our Ring Dunk, Stacey tells me I will be at Northgate that night. We'll see about that ;) Aubrey and I have a movie date already set to go see it together. I love imaginative books. The movies just give me better and have handsome characters to put in my mind to imagine whilst reading. Her religious background also inspired her to write about the character's waiting until marriage to have sex. Kudos to Stephanie Meyer! I'll probably become very depressed just like all of the Harry Potter fans when this saga is finished on the big screen. :( Oh well! That's what DVDs are for!

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.

I'm a pretty talented young lady. I've accomplished many things and am still adding on to that list. Of course, we all wish we would've done something or more of something when we were younger. My wish would be that...

I could play the piano better. I took about 10 +/- years of lessons but I shouldn't have stopped in high school. I joined the summer choir at St. Mary's in College Station and have been really enjoying it. But last weekend, I almost had to play with my horrible chords and anxious fingers because the music director was not able to be there for the Sunday morning masses. Thank goodness an awesome guy named Lucas came into practice and sat down and could play pretty amazing to help us out and entice our church congregation's ears. There were only 3 singers, a pianist and a guitarist last weekend because the rest of the kids were on Aggie Awakening. No worries, we did an awesome job!

My worries though are that I am not fulfilling my God-given talents by not being able to play the piano as well or helping out in other ways. I've come to the conclusion that no matter what, I am singing for the Lord, through the Lord, and for His people. He made me and gave me amazing talents to share with others. Singing and music makes me happy. Hopefully I will continue singing at St. Mary's this Fall and so on. It's amazing how much a song can reach out to people and put a twinkle in their eye or smile on their face. So by-golly, "how can I keep from singing" if that's what I can help produce every weekend.

I challenge you to challenge yourselves to make a difference with the talents that God gave you!
I'm challenging myself to playing the guitar in church in two Sunday's and get past my stage fright.

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

This is from my freshman year at A&M. I did some stupid things. This is about the time we got the CS house. I decided to have a friend's birthday party here. It got pretty wild but no harm done. I just dislike this night because I drank a little, ate a lot of cupcakes, have lowlights in my hair and is when I topped off my freshman 23 pounds. I know I should laugh now but it's hard to look at these pictures. It's kinda like "what was I thinking?!"...but it's almost a good thing because I grew up and became who I am today. I'm pretty conscious of who I am and what I like and dislike. So it makes me live in the here and now, not in the past.