Dressage Video

Just wanted to share with y'all a little bit of what I've been working on with Aubrey. I never posted a video from the Dressage Show I did in October so here is my awarding winning test...which I will be doing again February 5th at the Eventing Show in Bellville.

"Dressage is a French term meaning 'training' and its purpose is to develop the horse’s natural athletic ability and willingness to work making him calm, supple and attentive to his rider" (USDF website).

I found this "Spectator's Guide" on the same website and thought it was interesting and little humorous.

Like any sport, watching dressage is more interesting the more you know about it. Dressage tests used at shows are divided by graduated levels, from the most basic walk/trot to the Grand Prix test that is the same test that is used in the Olympics. The tests are divided into separate movements, and the judge gives a score for each movement. The score sheets are then totaled to determine class results. It will help you understand what is going on if you can get a copy of the test you are watching, plus here are some additional thoughts:


1. Less is More
In dressage, the less you see the rider do, the better, because that means he is communicating with his horse quietly and his horse is attentive -- they are working as a team.

2. Good Figures
Circles are round and lines are straight, a precept true in geometry and dressage. A 20-meter circle should go from one side of the arena to the other, a 10-meter circle only half way across. A horse should not weave on a straight-line movement.

3. Tempo and Rhythm
Rhythm is the repetition of footfalls. A sound dressage horse has only three correct rhythms – a four-beat walk, two-beat trot, three-beat canter. Tempo is the speed of repetition of strides. Every horse should have a consistent tempo throughout the test that is controlled by the rider, a tempo so obvious you could sing a song to it.


4. Naughtiness
Horses, like people, have good days and bad days and days when they are just feeling a little too good. Naughtiness in horses can be exhibited in bucking, rearing, tossing of the head, or even jumping out of the dressage ring.


5. Tension
During a test, the horse needs to remain calm, attentive and supple. If the horse gets tense, he gets rigid through his neck and back, which can exhibit itself in stiff movement, ears that are pinned back and a tail that swishes constantly and doesn’t hang arched and quietly swinging.


6. Rider Seat and Position
The rider should sit upright quietly and not be depend on his whip, spurs or voice to have a nice test. Riders who use their voice have points deducted off their test score for that movement.


7. Whipped Cream Lips
When a horse is relaxed in his jaw and poll (the area just behind his ears), he releases saliva, you might see white foam around his lips and mouth. That is a good sign as it means he is attentively chewing on his bit and comfortable in his work. The amount of white foam varies from horse to horse.


8. Horses and Flight
Horses have two main mechanisms for protection from danger: they run and they kick. Remember to always allow plenty of room for the horses at a show and never approach any horse without first alerting the rider that you are doing so.


9. Scary Stuff
Horses have the strangest aversions: plastic grocery bags can remind them of Satan’s minions and an opened umbrella can cause bolting to three states over. Again, use caution at horse shows and think before you toss away noisy garbage, open an umbrella or put on and take off plastic rain ponchos or blankets in the stands.


10. SSSSHHHH!
Focus is important during any test, from Training Level to Grand Prix, so remember to be courteous and follow the rules by staying about 15 meters (45 feet) feet back from the competition ring and remaining as quiet as possible during rides. If you have any questions about where you may stand or sit, check with the ring steward.


Hopefully this helped to get some insight into what I've been talking about when I come home. Dressage has helped me become a better rider and horseperson. It's a very exhilarating sport and when I finished my 1st two tests, I was hooked. So the eventing show is a trial to see what I really want to concentrate on. I'm sure Mom would appreciate me just doing dressage since I wouldn't be crashing & burning at jumps anymore.

Have a great weekend!

Still Can't Fall Asleep...

Yes, I'm awake. Yes, it's a school night. Yes, I have to wake up with the sunrise to go volunteer at the hospital. And I can't believe I'm still awake because the Super Step class I took today almost kicked my butt! Yes, almost...I wanted to give up. I took an extra water break because my shoulder was really bothering me and then I got dizzy but I got back at it. Man, I sweated some serious toxins out! That instructor is intense! She's been teaching step since 2004! I really like her because she pushes you and wants you to have fun yet feel the burn.

I went to my Tuesday/Thursday classes today. I start at 9:35 with Athletic Injuries then Anatomy 2 and Chem 2. I'm retaking Anatomy & Chem to attempt to get A's to apply for PT school this summer. Athletic Injuries is going to be a fun yet devious class. He is a part-time trainer for the tennis teams and rehab center at the Bright Athletic Complex for A&M and part-time teacher. He shows a lot of YouTubes on people getting hurt. Such as...

Ouch. We watched it about 8x and laughed towards the end. He's a really interesting dude and hopefully I stay prepared for his class because we have 11 unannounced quizzes. Yes, 11. If we get that many in, he will drop our lowest...cha-ching!

Anatomy & Chem were almost deja-vu without me having the weird mind flashback and head shake. I have the same prof's so hopefully and diligently I can repeat them but with a more successful outcome.

Tomorrow I will begin another semester of shadowing a PT at The Med. I follow a wonderful lady named Peggy around the Rehab hallway assisting her and patients' needs. Then I'll take off to a meeting with a teacher who is looking for a couple TA's for her yoga classes since she had knee surgery and is unable to pose for her students. That would be a M/W ordeal for me if I get the role. Then I had to get an ink cartridge, change clothes (probably in my car), grab a Subway sandwich & head to my Exercise Physiology class at 4:10. After that, I'll probably print more dead trees out before I head to Yoga Beatz at the Rec @ 6:45.

I'm trying to take a minimum of 4 ReXercise classes a week to get in shape and look more fit/healthy for our Spring Break/Wedding trip to Costa Rica. I have no excuses since I bought the $60 Unlimited class pass today ($10 discounted for this week only) and have already put the classes I'm going to attended regularly on my Google calendar. Yes, I bought an Android smart phone just so the Google account I have will automatically sync to my phone and/or computer!

Until the next time...

And here's a picture from my 1st Duck Hunt with the Boys (Bryce Skow & Adam Shimek) in Matagorda back in December...No, they are not midgets. I was standing on a...old pier leg made of gravel? I have no clue what it really was but I dominated it...

Night Owl

I told myself this break I would be getting my rest, working out, and catching up with my family and friends. Well I have a week left and I have been averaging about 6-7 hours of sleep a night, working at Miss Sallie's instead of working out, and mostly being lazy when I'm at home consuming my time with Pinterest and television = watching House or football and thinking about the things I could make from Pinterest. I've really enjoyed this Christmas break because...

I've gotten closer to my friend Cassey Janak (no relation to Courtney) who is the athletic trainer at the high school and 2 school grades my elder.

I went on my 1st duck hunt with my guy friends in Matagorda. Thank the Lord for safety and their gun knowledge since my gun got jammed but we were REALLY successful!

A week later, I went on my 1st dove hunt with my dad and his buddies. I shot down 5 and had a swell time hanging out and talking with a bunch of "wise" men.

Had an amazing Christmas with both sides of the family. Santa was even kind enough to keep my subtle hints in mind and brought me a 20 gauge shotgun! Later, Big Steve traded it for a 12 gauge and got $100 back. Scott Arbuckle said I should've become the rightful owner of the Benjamin but I'll ask for it later for the horse show I'm going to do in February.

I was able to stay at my Aunt Lori & Uncle John's for a night and take Sydney (almost 15) to the El Maton dance and get the horses their shots the following day. I CANNOT BELIEVE that Santa brought me Rocket 10 YEARS AGO!!! I really miss that horse but I just don't have enough time. Hopefully I can keep him long enough for him to become my kid's horse.

I helped Mom & Dad organize a little New Year's Eve party. It turned out really great. I hope everyone had a splendid time and is having a Happy & Healthy New Year! I skipped out on the champagne toast and sang at 11 pm Mass that night.

I spoke to 8th graders at the middle school's College Day this Tuesday. I had a good time with the group I was with and got my "Growth Points" paper signed to turn in in March for when I start planning my December graduation.

I attended a beautiful rosary of an amazing lady who passed away on the 30th. Please keep Mrs. Nancy Krenek and her family in your prayers. She touched a lot of people's hearts and is continuing to as she is smiling down on us from Heaven.

And on Wednesday, I helped out St. Philip's, where Mrs. Krenek was an aide, so the faculty could attend the funeral. I got to substitute a 1st grade class. They were so cute & full of EVERYTHING! Before we went in from recess, I let them race me. I was nice and gave them a 3 second head start. I beat them. Oops.

Thursday, I helped Miss Sallie out before heading to Houston for a defensive driving class from 4-10 pm. I got a ticket in October so better late than ever to get it done before school starts the 17th and I have no time to do extra things. It was supposed to be funny but the instructor made his jokes into death jokes and it wasn't really funny. So the SIX of us caught on and started making fun of his jokes and the time went by faster. Supposedly if he would've let us out earlier than the required 6 hours, we could be fined $30,000 and his fine would be double or triple that amount!!!

Hope all is well in your neighborhood!
Gig 'em & God Bless!

Sorry I don't have pictures! I need to sync my phone...especially so y'all can see Dad's dog Harley!

Destressing at Home

It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. I don't understand why people stress out about Christmas because it get blown over proportion and becomes materialistic instead of spiritual.

"Jesus is the reason for the season."

I know this sounds like the same old story everyone says now-a-days but I would like to destress while I am not in school for 4+ weeks. I do work at The Crossing and I truly enjoy helping out Miss Sallie but then I come home and want to relax, workout, do some crafty things and/or bake and I feel like there's something else for me to do with Dad, Mom or whoever. I'm okay with that...sometimes. Truthfully, I would love to chill out, not talk or text for a couple hours, play my guitar/piano, do some pinning on Pinterest, wrap some presents, and maybe sit by myself in my room (or go to church) and talk to the Lord. And I think that everyone needs at least 30 minutes of that kind of medicine a day. Some of us do it by watching t.v. or reading a book or maybe even...I don't know. I drew a blank. I don't mind helping out around the house. I know figured out why we were given chores when we were little.

You gotta learn to do it on your own some day so might as well start young!

Now, while I am not trying to sit here in my bed and complain because I've been told twice to clean my room from the tornado I brought back to EC with me, I really just want to say that I do listen. I can clean up after myself. I love coming home. I love hanging out with my parents and family and friends. I want to have a better relationship with everyone.

And how do you think I can accomplish all of the wants and loves? The Big Man Upstairs, of course!

Just a little praying and bible verse reading here and there plus some singing = strengthening my faith.

I hope that we all can strengthen our faith in Him, ourselves, families, friends, etc. I wish you all a very joyous and blessed Christmas season and you will be getting cards with cute photoshopped pictures soon! I just ask that you pray for my family members who are sick. If you ever need a prayer, shoot me a text and I would be happy to be mindful of your wish.

Gig 'em & God Bless!

P.S. An amazing Christmas CD to listen to is Peace on Earth by Casting Crowns. My favorite song on there is I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Very beautiful and moving song.

P.S.S I went on my 1st Duck Hunt with 3 of my close guy friends in Matagorda. I bagged 5 redheads and one of the boys got a Canvas Back. Made me really want to ask for a Benelli shotgun from Santa! But Santa brought me neoprene waders instead...hehe



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.