The first big event was the Academic Decathlon state competition, where I got straight 10s from 1 judge in the speech portion and somehow managed the highest math score on the team. Several teammates got stellar scores in some events, including Jack and Audrey's near-perfect speech scores. Of course the best part was realizing how close we'd grown as a team. Through 1000s of pages of semi-useless information, countless study sessions, lots of pretending to study when Mrs. Jay caught us not studying, and the best lunch table ever, my AcDec teammates became my best friends.
In March I walked into a little bike shop that had just been built, searching for a helmet, and met Philip. From there, my triathlon life was changed as I began to ride every Saturday morning and basically got a cycling makeover from the king of style so that I'd no longer be an embarrassment. That chance turned into friendship and a job.
Spring break at the "bay house" aka stormy adventure with my favorite people was super fun. ProGrad style show was another great night. My group looked so good! After one of the practices, however, my car attacked by a crazy man who leapt into the road. I called the police, but I don't know what ever came of the situation...I just know I'm terrified of driving at night now.
Then there were the college visits. Tromping around Texas with various family members in tow, I set out to find my collegiate true love. I had been accepted to UT Plan II honors, Trinity, Rice, and Southwestern. Southwestern asked me back for an interview for a full ride, the culmination of my two years of slave labor to qualify. My interview went super well, and I had my hopes up very high...A week later they were crushed, a blow that almost made me act like a huge baby and turn down SU. In the end, after months of agony, I decided 5 days short of the deadline to go to SU, in large part due to my desire to run for Coach Smith and because the school felt more right than all of the others. My dad was not at all pleased, and a lot of people asked incredulously, "You turned down Rice?????!?" Yes, I did. And I'm so glad!
In the spring, I received several honors...words can't describe how grateful I am. Scholarships from Memorial Hermann, The Optimist Club, AcDec, and English Honor Society were huge blessings. At school I received English student of the year, Most Driven, Most Likely to Succeed, and Miss Elkins HS. The last 3, and in particular the last one, were big surprises that I will treasure forever.
Prom, of course! Getting my dress was an agonizing experience. My mom dislocated her finger in the store due to poor design and lighting, thus prompting us to buy a dress far too quickly that did not fit properly (i.e. allow me to breathe) and months of litigation. The big day involved my best friends, my date being one of them. When the stretch Hummer limo arrived, I was a bit astounded, but I decided to be a trooper and not freak out. Dinner at Churrascos was divine, and the dance was made perfect by Erin and Arthur, who I am SO GLAD I actually did a successful matchmaking job with. There was one little detail I'd rather forget about dancing with the valedictorian and mortifying the principals, but it's worth mentioning...The beach house after party was also a blast. 3 am marshmallows on the beach I will never forget. :)
Graduation was a surreal experience. To walk out 7th in my class of 500 into the Toyota Center was overwhelming. (So was standing for an hour while the other 493 filed in.) I'm pretty sure my principal cried when she handed me my diploma and gave me this ridiculously big hug. After the ceremony, we were unceremoniously herded out to the parking lot in the looming storm clouds. In that moment, I felt like I had been kicked into the "real world."
Immediately after graduating I flew to DC for T4T, which ended up being a lot more about my urban education than learning how to be a sprog trainer. "Dammnnn, them veggie eaters is HOT!"
All summer I nannied two 1 year olds, an autistic 5 year old, and at times a newborn. I also was a swim coach and swim lessons teacher. Mike's visit to Texas was a huge bright spot of the summer. And getting our puppy, Stella! In July I drove out to Louisiana (no AC, worst car ride ever) for a week in the woods with my favorite life changing people. Being a trainer was hard work, and I almost lost all my limbs to mosquitoes, but everything is worth it for sprog! Simulation day was the bomb as Gupta. After a beautiful week of floating down rivers, teaching the most important knowledge I hold, and sharing everything with amazing people, I went with the trainers to New Orleans. I hadn't been there since the hurricane, and it was still such a mess. So sad...I also learned when I was on Bourbon St that my favorite swim lessons family had been in a near-fatal car accident. Some miracle kept them all alive, though very injured.
Leaving for college was a dramatic experience. I think I spent so much of the summer freaking out that I wasn't even that homesick once it happened...Pirate training was a good time occupier to avoid angst. About two weeks in, though, the summer camp feeling wore off. I held up significantly better than expected, however. My roommate situation was less than optimal due to polar opposite lifestyles, but I learned to sleep through noise.
Going to college, I quit team swimming, a part of me for 12 years, and became a runner. Cross country was the definite focal point of my 1st semester. Only my 2nd season of xc, it went remarkably well. I held the #5 spot despite losing my training partner to an injury. I'm not sure what I would have done without xc as my sanity. The highlight of the season was a PR at conference by over a minute, on home turf. I didn't do as well at freezing cold regionals in VA, but the trip was still a really good experience.
A poorly timed 2 month relationship also occurred in there somewhere. Definitely a huge learning and growing experience.
First classes survived (comparative politics, intro to hinduism, intro to anthropology, fys, orchestra/violin, enviro history), as well as first exams. Grades were almost better than high school. That still surprises me, even though people said it would happen.
My trip to Power Shift in Maryland with SEAK on a whim was another one of those growing type experiences. I learned to have faith and to be resourceful, and saw how deep my friendship is. Plus I got to do this super stellar panel with the DC rep and was in the presence of the great Nancy Pelosi, along with 6000 incredibly inspiring activists.
December brought some changes and sad news. First, I got a new roommate and am very happy with that situation. You also learn who your friends are when moving your stuff in the rain to the 3rd floor of another building. As far as sad...after a year of searching for an answer, we learned that my sister has rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 16, and on Christmas Eve learned that her heart has syncope. She's on a lot of medicine now and is doing better, but it is still a precarious situation. Being home with my family for a month has been a huge blessing, though.
2007 was full of big changes and big discoveries. I started the year a kid and wound up somewhere in limbo between childhood and adulthood. Here's to a 2008 full of new experiences and tons of fun!
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