Airport Anarchy

I am praying that my flight experience back to Texas will be less insane than it was getting here. But I've already run into a few things that have been proving otherwise. Getting through security and onto the plane on Friday was fine, however soon after we boarded the captain came on the speaker and said that he had noticed one of the 'pins' holding the Co2 tank for one of the emergency slides had been pulled. He wanted to make sure it was still safe, and that the slide would not deploy spontaneously in flight so the passengers who were seating in the rows near the slides had to de-board the plane while it was being looked at. At first everyone was fine feeling assured that our captain had only our safety in mind. After about a half hour later he came back on to announce that we were waiting for the mechanics to come up with a diagnosis for what was going on. He said that at some point one of the catering staff probably tripped the pin while supplying the plane, and that if the slide deployed unintentionally it could seriously hurt passengers.

The flight was supposed to leave at 1:35pm, and by the time 3:00 rolled around and we were all still sitting there on the plane, people started getting anxious. Some said that they were already going to miss their connecting flight and were looking at their iphones and blackberries to see if any other flights were available. People were generally friendly with each other, but also frustrated with the situation. One boisterous woman began to joke that the airline should turn "lemons to lemonade by serving us free cocktails!" hahahah.

The captain kept saying that it was better to be safe than to end up in the air in a situation where we could be in serious trouble, and everyone could understand. They finally announced that they were going to have a whole new slide shipped from Atlanta for it to be replaced and the flight was delayed to leave at 8:30pm. I was scheduled to arrive in Charlotte at 8pm! If I would have stayed with that flight I wouldn't have arrived in Atlanta until 11pm and they were giving out hotel vouchers because there wouldn't be anymore flights to Charlotte until the morning. As it is I was only going to have barely 2 days to hang out with Amy J, and I wasn't ok with having to sleep in Atlanta and miss out on that time. It was ridiculous how they were helping people figure out alternatives. They had one, under-qualified woman helping a huge line of people and it took almost an hour to get to the front of the line when there were only about 7 people ahead of me. Even better was that once I got to the front she was no help at all. I had just missed a flight 10 minutes before that was going to Atlanta!

I prayed for patience and strength as I tried my hardest not to break down crying. I turned my

survival mode on and walked up and down the terminals, and asked one of the delta ladies at the terminal of the flight I barely missed and she told me about a flight that was also headed toward Atlanta. I met her a little while later at the other terminal and got a stand-by ticket, and noticed another guy from my original flight doing the same. We had no problem getting on, and there was a connecting flight right to Charlotte that same night! What was with that lady? She didn't even offer stand-by! Anyway...I ended up getting here around midnight and Amy

picked me up.

Oh, except...because I changed flights so last

minute, my bag was not able to be transfered to my plane. So guess where my bag was? Yep, on that original flight not scheduled to arrive in Charlotte until 10:30am the next morning. Luckily I was staying with a girlfriend is just about the same size as me hah. The weekend went very well, I explored the city while Amy was at work on Saturday and then we went out to a really yummy dinner.

She rented a car for the weekend so we could get around more easily, and she had a bunch of

things she really needed at the mall, so we spent

the whole day shopping! It was awesome :)

Plus we went and saw Alice in Wonderland

in 3D!

Last night we watched the Oscars and made cookies :) And had some fun with the self-timer on my camera :P

I've been praying since I woke up that my travels back to Texas today will be much more seamless. However, after I checked my bag and waited in the enormous security line, they stopped me and found my Klean Kanteen in my bag, which I forgot to empty. GAH! They made me go back out and empty it and come back through the scanners lol. A minor bump in the road really. Then I arrived at my terminal to find that my flight was on time and everything looks good. Right? Wrong. As soon as I sat down, this middle aged man walked up to me and told me that he was just about to leave on his flight, but noticed me when I walked by and wanted to tell me that he thought I was really beautiful. At first I was flattered and he seemed harmless so I smiled and said thanks. He asked a couple harmless questions about what I was doing in Charlotte, but when he found out I wasn't from here, he appeared disappointed and proceeded to tell me that he was hoping I was from around here so he could take me out to dinner. AHHHHHHH!!!!! LOL He left and I shook it off. Ew. Then about 10 minutes ago, as I was beginning to write this posting, I hear that the flight is delayed because of possible thunderstorms? So I went to the desk and got a backup flight that will get me into San Antonio only an hour or so behind schedule. Continental Airlines has already proved to me MUCH more helpful and customer service friendly than Delta.

♥ Chantal

Sleepless In San Marcos

Sometimes no matter how much I try to leave enough time for things, it just doesn't happen. I was planning on doing all my laundry earlier today and packing, so when I got back from Midnight Rodeo tonight I could hit the hey, and be all ready to leave in the morning. Somehow one thing lead to another and here I am at 4am, waiting for my laundry, with hardly anything packed...I'm getting picked up in about 5 hours...Oh dear. I guess the guys have been training me well, with the whole getting no sleep thing, cause I think I'm gonna make it through just fine. I will be very glad to take advantage of sleeping on the plane and during my layover in Atlanta. I will arrive in North Carolina around 8pm tomorrow, and will be taking a taxi to Amy's apartment. I am SO excited to see her! We're going to spend the weekend exploring the city and she's gonna show me around the children's theatre where she's working :) As soon as I fly back to texas, Heather, Juan, Abel, Michael, Joey, Bryson, Brent, Kathryn, Me, and I think two others will be heading to our beach condo in Port Aransas for the week! I am stoked. It's going to be the craziest, best spring break trip ever!...I hope :)

Even though I'm going to be exhausted from sleep deprivation tomorrow, I had a blast with my BA family tonight! A bunch of us went to a Julliard performance on campus, which was awesome! Then we headed over to Jones dining hall for some people to get a quick dinner. I had already eaten so it was apple slices for me. Then we headed to Austin for Midnight Rodeo! I hadn't been out country dancing since last time we went, which was my first time! I cant believe I waited that long! It's sooo much fun! We tried to get there before 11pm because ladies are free, but we hit a horrible accident on the highway, which set us back a little bit. We also took a couple wrong turns because of Michelle, my BA mom and her epic fail at giving directions! haha It was a good time though. Once we finally got there, it was past 11, so we had to pay $5 but still not bad :) I didn't realize that so many people from the CSC and BA were going to be there! I guess a lot of them go all the time! It was awesome, I danced almost the whole 3 hours, with all my family, and also some strangers but they're always so nice.

I didn't bring my camera, because it's so bulky! It's sorta out of date I guess. It still works great but its just too hard to carry around especially when I'm on the dance floor. I need something more pocket sized. I realized that during that 2 week gap in my blog I forgot to post about our "snow day" here! So here are some pictures from that experience. Basically, we all ditched class and watched movies, and it was amazing :) I was so excited that it was snowing I made Heather come outside and take pictures of me...but she wasn't the least bit excited that the snow had followed her here to Texas :P

Dunno if I'm going to have internet in Port A, so my next posting could be more than a week away, unless I feel so inclined while I'm at Amy's :)

♥

Chantal

Everlasting

Everlasting are the memories that I made this weekend.

Everlasting is my love for God and all he does for me.

Everlasting are the friendships I've made that will never die.

Everlasting is my appreciation for my entire Bobcat Awakening #30 family.

Everlasting is my faith in how much BA can impact lives.

Everlasting are the times I will look back and smile on this past weekend.

Everlasting is my new understanding and appreciation for fellowship.

Everlasting are the emotions I felt pour out from my heart.

Everlasting is my immense love for my BA parents and all their love and support.

Everlasting is my faithful relationship with the Lord.

Everlasting is my passion to always remind myself what I learned over the past 3 days.

Everlasting is love for praise and worship.

Everlasting are my thanks to those who helped push me to go to BA.

Everlasting is the indescribable presence of the holy spirit.

Everlasting is the impact that the BA Staff has had on so many lives.

Everlasting are the laughter and tears of joy that were shed this weekend.

Everlasting is my thankfulness that God led me to this amazing experience.

And most importantly,

Everlasting is God's undying love for every one of us.

This weekend just proves how amazing God is. His will and His love and His power in this world is incomprehensible. I've learned so much and grown so much closer to Him, and I am so grateful for BA for helping me do that. I will never ever forget this weekend and all the wonderful loving people that I've met and now call family.

On Friday afternoon Heather and Bryson dropped me off in the parking lot where we were meeting for Bobcat Awakening. One of the staffers ran up to the car as I got out, greeting me and insisting on taking my bags over to the sidewalk. They were all dressed in different crazy sport outfits and they were all so energetic! From that moment I knew it was going to be a good weekend. The staff was so welcoming and amazing, we were instantly family :) There are many things about an Awakening such as this that are supposed to be kept secret so that people will have the true genuine experience, as I did, completely unknowing to any events of the entire weekend until they were actually happening. All I can say is, this weekend was the first time that I really felt like I wanted to stay in Texas for the fall semester, because that would mean I could be a part of BA again, but next time as a staffer. If I did happen to choose to stay, BA would be one of the main reasons. I also felt for the second time since I've been here, truly homesick...missing my family and their hugs and company.

I have so much love in my heart from this weekend, it's overwhelming. I am so excited to uphold the promises that I made to Him this weekend, in how I am going to glorify Him in my life from now on. I have so many memories and moments and a loving support group to remind me of that and keep me on track. Even though I've been back for a few hours, and have shifted back to my life that includes my cell phone and computer, when I close my eyes I still feel like I am in that room with all those people. So much love, I can't even describe. I never want it to go away, and I know as long as I keep close to God and live my life in his image everyday I wont. Of course I will have bad days, and moments when I forget about His love and support, but that's what all these memories and notes and letters are for. To remind myself, and remember and always keep him close to me.

Some of the things that I learned this weekend are:

♥ Being a Christian is a daily choice. Every person and situation you encounter is an opportunity to share God's love in the way you live your life.

♥ It's easy to get caught up in the demands of daily life, and keeping to schedules and deadlines, but in the end what really matters is being on God's watch and going by his time. No matter how busy and stressful life gets, always make time for the Lord.

♥ The only love that will never die is God's love. When relationships fail and love dies, you can always rely on God's love to carry you through.

♥ Getting stressed and anxious about things in life that ultimately we cannot control draws us further from God. We must fully submit ourselves to Him and trust that He knows what's right for us.

♥ No matter how far you stray from the Lord, you can always know and trust that God will be at your door knocking, waiting for you to answer and invite him in.

♥ I know if I do my best, God will always do the rest.

♥ Heaven is not a hotel for saints, it's a hospital for sinners.

♥ Love comes in many forms. But agape is the greatest of all love because it is selfless and requires/expects nothing in return. This is the love that God has for all of us.

This is my BA Family. The Enchanted Roses :)

LOVE YA'LL!!!

♥ Chantal

Monday Mania

I had a fabulous weekend, and probably didn't get as much sleep as I should have. Mondays are my longest day of the week. I have class from 9am till 2pm, and then again at 5. During that 3 hour break I get lunch and go to the rec. I had a test this morning, and I think I did pretty good...but I was pretty tired in class, and actually caught myself nodding off in between test questions hah...oops!

This weekend was amazing. On friday night a bunch of people went to Midnight Rodeo in Austin, which is like a country bar/dance hall/concert venue, and we saw Aaron Watson play! He's a 'texas country' singer. He was awesome! We got a picture with him and I bought a shirt too. His fiddler player was SOOO CUTE too. Dang he was eating it up though...smiling at alll the ladies for the camera hah. We took so many pictures of him lol. That definitely wasn't the best part though. Two-steppin' is my new favorite thing!!! And one-steppin' for that matter, which i didn't even know existed. Basically I got to dance a ton with a bunch of random cowboys and it was SOOO FUNN! They were all so nice and I picked it up pretty quickly so I did tons of turn combos and it was a blast! I can't wait to go back again, and Friday night is ladies night, meaning we get in FREEE!!! Next place I gotta check out is Cowboys in San Antonio! From what I hear it is HUUGE, like 10 times the size of Midnight Rodeo, and just as much fun!

Then on Saturday Gospel Expressions had an all day gospel fest at Baylor University in Waco. I don't know if I even have words to describe this experience. It was 5 or 6 College Gospel Choirs all coming together to perform for each other and together and just to praise God through music all day. And that's exactly what we did. We had a four hour Gospel Fest Concert at the end of the day, where we worshiped and praised the Lord together and shared it with each other and anyone who attended. There were so many tears and hugs, and fantastic music. There was no doubt in anyones that the holy spirit was present. Wow.

Yesterday, Valentine's day was pretty chill. I've had a Valentine for the past 3 years straight, so I wasn't sure how I would do. But actually, I had a good day. I've never really understood the whole "boo hoo it's valentines day and I'm single thing." You can celebrate any kind of love on Valentine's Day! Family, friends, anyone can be your valentine :) I just relaxed, did some laundry and watched the Notebook with friends. It was nice.

Today was super busy, but Monday is almost over and the week always flies by. Can't wait to figure out what we're doing this weekend! :) Besides my choir concert on Saturday afternoon.

♥Chantal

Sleet

Today we had sleet. I had heard of it before but never really knew what it was exactly. Now I know!

As it was falling, I called it "baby snow" and "wannabe snow." The thought of it snowing exciting me so I tried to convince myself that it was hahaha. Officially sleet is defined as "precipitation in the form of ice pellets created by the freezing of rain as it falls." So hail right? When it hit my jacket and I looked closely, it looked like tiny hail! And you are probably wondering what the difference is between sleet and hail as I know I was. Sleet occurs usually during winter when the air in the clouds is warmer than the air below, and as rain falls into the colder air it freezes into small ice pellets. Hail however occurs usually during summer storms. It starts as rain too, but goes through a series of "updrafts" through the cloud, moving from the warmer lower part to the upper colder part and freezing, and then coming down. As hail falls, it collects moisture and goes through the same process in another cloud so the more updrafts the larger the hail.

I know that was random...and honestly I don't really have anything else to write about right now. Hmmmm...

Oh! So this Saturday is the Gospel Fest at Baylor University in Waco, TX. GEA (Gospel Expressions Association) is going and I am so excited! It's a whole day of gospel music and worship. I just know it's gonna be one of those days here in Texas that I'll never forget. :)

So that's my exciting news for the week. It is also one of me and heather's friends birthday this weekend, and they are going to Midnight Rodeo in Austin friday night. We're trying to decide if it's going to be worth getting practically no sleep for, basically on the same day as our gospel choir trip. I will probably blog this weekend to let ya'll know how it goes!

ps. Heather and I both thought Lent started today hahaha so we've been talking about what we're giving up and had our "last milkshake" last night, and we even showed up at the Catholic Student Center today for Ash Wednesday service. Whoops! LOL But shhhh! No one is supposed to know. We totally knew it wasn't till next wednesday :/ Yea...haha

♥

Chantal