Chapter One-Hundred-and-Twenty-One: Endure Forever

Remember my New Year’s Resolution post? I listed some resolutions I had for the new year, and one of those included writing more in my blog. Hahaha, oops. Well, before I knew it, a whole MONTH had gone by. This is me starting off this chapter with a “My bad!” Let’s just say that life got a little busy and hectic, but I will do my best to keep you updated on my life from here on out. Besides, how else am I going to relieve stress? Writing is kinda my thing!

Let’s start from the beginning of March. The first weekend of the month was dedicated to my local teacher’s organization. I don’t think I’ve delved much into TSTA-SP at Texas Tech, but I’ll just start by saying that it was not a flourishing organization when I joined two years ago. The meetings mainly consisted of the officers and two other members who decided it was worth their time. The student organization was NOT in a good place. Fast forward to a year later when a couple of friends and I decided to adopt the organization, taking on roles such as treasurer, vice president, and public relations manager and just running with it. We didn’t know what we were doing, but we all had a common goal of wanting to bring TSTA-SP at Texas Tech back to life. So, during the first weekend of March, we got to see some of our hard work in action when five officers and three members attended the annual TSTA-SP conference in Austin, TX. 

It was a packed weekend full of professional development, talks from past teachers and current speakers, and a nice dinner banquet on Saturday night. Texas Tech was lucky to bring people to the convention after years of absence, but then we were also awarded three (THREE!) awards. We won 2^nd place in the T-shirt competition, had our vice president recognized as the “local outstanding officer” and one of our members who attended also awarded for being the “local outstanding underclassmen”, overall in the state of Texas. You can only imagine how exceptionally proud we were of all of our hard work. 

Next year we will have a lot of the same officers as well as some new ones – I am excited to work with them as PRESIDENT to help move TSTA-SP at Texas Tech University towards a better future.

Once Spring Break hit in the middle of March, I was ready for a break. I worked occasionally at Red Lobster and also made some “me” time. On Saturday I spent four hours in the salon with an old friend to get my hair dyed. I changed from my typical brunette to a shocking red! I was so surprised at my change at first, but it grew on me quickly. Update: I still love my hair!

Next on the agenda was serving as a staff head for Raider Awakening #56. Leading up to Raider Awakening I worked with someone else on leadership (Camille) to arrange weekly meetings for my 50+ staffers. Then, at the retreat, it was time for them to shine. I stepped back and helped when asked, but most of the work was done by my staff – all who have hearts of gold and a true love for serving.

Raider Awakening is always a great jumpstart on my spiritual life – it is always there to remind me what is important. Raider Awakening #56 was not the exception – if anything, it helped me so much more. Organizations like Raider Awakening or Catholic Student Association that are focused on Christ building fellowship off of that self-sacrificing love is what builds strong, faithful adults. I leave Raider Awakening sad that it’s over but always refreshed and reminded of who loves me – especially that Jesus is always there to be my friend. My best friends have been made and strengthened through Raider Awakening; I will never stop praying for RA!

After Raider Awakening, there were plenty more opportunities to hang out with my friends. On some nights, when there are discounts involved, we might go bowling. I may not have my parents’ talent for bowling, but I can definitely try! Besides, it’s always more fun with friends.

If we’re not bowling, then we might be supporting a friend as they play their first gig at a local coffee shop. Of course when inviting people, you have to be careful, because they might fill up the entire coffee shop. That’s definitely a good problem to have, and we wouldn’t trade the crowded space for the world – supporting others is so important! Andrew and Blake did a great job at Sugar Browns Coffee – we even made signs!

If we're not sipping coffee at 8 pm, then we're celebrating birthdays for our friends! Specifically, Maggie and Allison! Since their birthdays were close together, there was a nice celebration at a friends' house that we all attended. This was, of course, accompanied by many pictures. 

And then this past weekend, Easter weekend, was exceptionally fun. I haven’t been home for Easter in about two years, and after recent events decided that spending some time with Mom and Dad would be best. Boy was I right! Saturday night was spent with the entire local family, including the precious niece, nephew, and little cousin. Auntie Sarah got to help the Easter Rabbit decorate the backyard with colorful eggs for the little ones to find.

                The little ones had a blast running and finding eggs, and then later seeing what surprises lie inside. I also picked up some Disney-inspired pillows for the three kiddos, so that was fun for all of us.

Later that night, my two best friends came over to hang for a short while. Kimberly told us of her adventures in Japan, and we updated each other on any major life changes since the last time we had seen each other. I spent the night at Kimberly’s house to attend Easter Sunday mass the next morning with her and her family (my Godparents!). 

This Easter marks my 5 year anniversary of becoming Catholic. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes…I am so thankful for every year - and every moment - God has blessed me with. I’ve never stopped learning or growing, and I don’t plan to anytime soon. I got to spend Easter Sunday sitting on either side of my two best friends, celebrating our risen Lord. I even got to have lunch with Kimberly’s whole family. A big family always makes for a fun time. And, looking at my two friends, I know that God really blessed me when he gave us our friendship. I truly believe we are all soulmates – destined to be friends for the rest of our lives.

I ended Easter weekend by having a home-cooked meal with my own family. While it was only a weekend that we saw each other, I cannot explain how thankful I am to have gotten the chance to slow down and hug on my parents for a while. They truly are my rocks – they keep me rooted in this crazy, changing world. While my life may not stay consistent, I have many aspects of life that will always be consistent: family, friends, my guinea pigs, and the love of God.

“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” 

(1 Peter 1:24-25)

Thank you for being patient with me – and thank you for reading! I’ll write you soon.