This Is Me

I am probably one of the most headstrong, stubborn people out there. I will openly admit this. Usually, it’s my way or the highway. Sometimes it’s a good thing, but more times than not it gets me in trouble.  Growing up, my brother and I were always bestfriends. At just two years apart, we did everything together. Played Barbies, shot hoops, rode bikes, played dressup—everything. Because we were so close, almost every activity ended in a competition. Who could finish their dinner fastest. Who got better grades. Who was better at sports. We were always eachother’s biggest competitor.   Needless to say, this did not lessen as we got older. Even though he is 6'2" and 10 times stronger than me, I still feel like I can beat him at anything---which usually ends bad for me.  For those of you that know me, you have probably made fun of me once or twice for how much time I spend in the gym. Six days a week I’m just your local gym rat. But what most of you don’t know i...

Last night I was sitting in my living room watching, “We Are Marshall,” which is probably one of my favorite sports movies of all time—right up there with “Remember the Titans” and “Coach Carter.” There is just something about watching a team overcome adversity, something about them defying all the odds, something about a comeback . We hear about comeback stories all the time—especially in sports. Adrian Peterson, whose torn ACL and MCL would lead anyone to believe his career was over, yet just 10 months after his injury he ended the 2012 season as the NFL Rushing Leader and took his team to the playoffs. Or the Boston Red Sox, who in the 2004 ALCS game against the New York Yankees, won a seven-game series after trailing 3-0 ---pushing them on to the World Series. And I know we all can’t wait to see the greatly anticipated Derrick Rose comeback this 2014 season! Ha The greatest part of comeback stories? It makes us believe anything is possible. Whether you realiz...

Have you ever found yourself worrying about anything and everything you can think of? Your life could be going great, but yet you still find something to stress over. I hate to admit it, but I am guilty of this way too many times. For instance, the first day of class when all your teachers give you your syllabuses, I’m that girl that writes down every quiz and exam in her planner. If I notice three months from now I’m going to have four exams in one day, I’ll already start freaking out about how I’m going to be able to manage it all. THREE MONTHS in advance! Yes. I know. It’s ridiculous. Recently I’ve found myself back on the worry train. I have been so blessed to have been able to spend four months at home this summer with my family and create so many new relationships. Yet, the one thing on my mind is everything that could go wrong. Last night insomnia set in and I couldn’t sleep. I worried about how I was going to say goodbye to my family at the end of this month. Worried abo...

It’s a Friday night in Aggieland. I can bet the majority of this town is headed to Northgate to kick off the weekend and here I am, in bed, randomly revisiting my blog almost a year after my last visit (fail blogger of the year award). I don’t know what it is about tonight, but I can’t think of anything I would rather do than share a new post. This past year, God has taken over my life. I have spent so much more time with Him and he has shown Himself in more ways than I ever thought He could.  Recently, I have been struggling with figuring out His plan for my life career-wise. Since the beginning of my freshman year of college, I knew I wanted a job in Exercise Science. I  wasn't  sure what field I would end up in, but I knew I had a passion for helping people realize their full potential and being the one to help them get there. Before I knew it, my junior year had arrived and the days were counting down ‘til I had to start looking for internships. Only problem wa...

As time goes on, I am starting to realize I fail as a blogger. I think the initial excitement of putting my voice out there was what got me through those first posts. Now, I just can’t find the discipline to sit down and write what I’m thinking. Summer has been such a blur. It feels like just yesterday I pulled into the driveway of my parent’s house—so excited to finally be home. Now, two months later, I’m starting to pack up my things again and prepare for my junior year of college (whoop). Anyone that knows me well knows that I am a homebody. I would rather hangout with my family than friends when I am home for breaks. This might be from being separated for months at a time, or just because that’s who I am… regardless, my family means everything to me. Last fall, my parents adopted a little boy from the Philippines—Lawrence Taghap Mintzlaff. At just five years old, this little boy has already undergone and overcame some of the biggest trials a little boy should never have to ...

On June 8, 2011 my dad retired from the United States Air Force after 31 years of service to his country. I decided to post the speech I gave at his retirement ceremony so everyone knows how proud I am.  “Standing here at my dad’s retirement, it is crazy to think that my 20 years as a military child are coming to a close. While moving every 2-3 years and leaving friends has been no easy task, my dad has always been there reminding me that God never gives us more than we can handle. Today, I stand up here not to ask for you to put money into my bank account, or to borrow your credit card, today I’m here to thank you for showing me how to live a life that is not only respected and selfless, but that emulates God’s glory in everything you do. Because of your courage and strength in our family, I was able to experience places others can only imagine. I was able to see the world. But most importantly, I have grown into a young lady who is not afraid of change. Through you, I have ...

After spending countless (well I can probably count them) hours studying and working to get through my classes, I have finally finished my sophomore year of college. I figured I would start off my first day of summer with a new blog post. For this post I want you to think of it as Part 2 of "Boy Meets Girl." On my first post I left you waiting for that special someone and trusting in God's timing...but what I didn't mention was what you are supposed to be doing in that time.  Psalm 37:4 states: "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." So God. If I sit here reading my devotional everyday in my favorite chair, just waiting like you told me, You will give me the man of my dreams? Wrong. God clearly states in this verse "delight yourself in the Lord." That doesn't mean simply waiting around.  Think about who you want to marry. I know we all have a list of qualifications. Cute, funny, smart, comes from ...