bleak.... maybe?

okay, update.... maybe? .... :)
lets see, news since the polar plunge.... got baptized... that was awesome... that's about it till this weekend.
alright, great news.... something thats going to make me change my major to marketing if i'm going to be this good at it. as many of my peeps know... i'm all about some DECA, i'm like... wooo hooo for DECA, i mean, i even capitalize it.... thats how great it is.... :) so starting about the 3 weeks before competition i guess.... i started preparing people for state competition. i mean, i've spent endless days at school until about 6 or 7 just copying and stapling tests, and making sure that they were relevent to the catagories in which my "crew" of people that i was in charge of helping to prepare.... my crew consisted of 12 people in food Marketing Associate level, and myself and 1 other person in Quick serve Restaurant Management. so trying to get people prepped for a competition they have never been to was pretty difficult for them to take it seriously. so for three weeks, i pour my blood and sweat into other people for them to do good. .... finally sunday before competition, i finally have a few hours to practice a test.... basically i look over half of it.... read a few competencies, and laugh over lemon wedges at panera. :) . then its back to helping others until thursday. I dress and show up to school at 9 oclock. we head over to the sheraton and try not to have a nervous breakdown as i tell mrs. chapman that i should have stayed home because i'm not prepared. so thursday night is when all competetors... the 5,000 that were there, all take the test in one of the 12 or so categories at state competition. i come back to my room crying because i took all the time to take my test... feeling as though i've failed. so mrs. chapman tells me to suck it up. we go to an awards ceremony for DECA lifetime achievments, and then head to the DECA dance, only, me and laela ditch it and go get sushi instead.... it was yummy. then we head to the 45 mins of the dance that was left... i never knew how white i was, until i went to dance, and figured out i can't shake my butt as good as the other girls :) so i go to my room, chat for awhile, then go to sleep. i wake up at 8, take a cold shower due to the thousands of kids trying to get ready at the same time as myself. so needless to say, i didn't shave. i go to my role plays, to find that i'm the only one tearing my papers, (something that we are taught to do.... give the judge something tangible, business cards, coupons, etc.) the kid across from me looks up and says, "you're gonna win aren't you" i laughed, then got told not to talk. :) so i do my role play, and beast it.... i rocked the socks out of it... or so i thought at the time. then i have to do another one, about product service management.... and come to expect, my role play concerned my work of business. ... freshness..... only it was about sandwiches. so of course.... i use my coldstone "stuff" and stay my alloted time of 10 mins... they kicked me out. i dont think that's ever happened, until now.... so i leave, feeling ehhh about myself... i was thinking, i can't believe she put me in this category. i go on my merry lil way... vote for the state officers, and then head over to the mall to make mrs. chapman a build a bear for her birthday... we have a party and what not.... we get back for an awards ceremony honoring the top award winners for every category..... needless to say, when they got to my category, i was skeptical. I waited for my name.... i was called 15th, i was so nervous... so i knew that i was in the top 20 out of the 500 in my category for my test. i was so happy.... i ran up to stage of course , to be the last up there.... its okay though... then they preceed into the top awards for each one of the role plays. they call my name just as i'm sitting down.... so SW goes wild again cheering for me, and i run up again to be the last one up again. then Niraj Shah was the only other one to get awards that night.... we felt bad, yet extatic. it was awesome. then saturday.... 99% of SW received proficiency in the state... meaning they got at least 225 points out of 298. so that was good. then we packed our stuff, and headed for the STATE awards ceremony.... they come to my category once again.... they only call the top ten... then depending on the category, range from 3-4th place winners. mine had 4 trophies. the announce that they're starting the QSRM category.... i duck down.... embarrased for not getting an award..... yet eagerly waiting for them to call my name.... they call me 6th.... i'm at least in the top 10. WOW . i get up there last. once again.... theme of the weekend. i get up there, get the medalian.... they start the countdown, 4th, 3rd, 2nd.... the only place left is first. .... the president of DECA for the state is standing behind me.... he leans over my shoulder and wispers.... "good luck in dallas" which is where INTERNATIONAL competition is..... i say international because people from all over the world are there obviously..... then, they call my name.... i FREAK out.... i start almost crying.... i won 1st.... FIRST place.... wow.... how awesome..... then for Retail Merchandising management level is announced... we had 2 people in that category as well, both people had the chance to go to international last year.... laela made 4th place, and niraj made 1st.... so mrs. chapman was extatic, she had 3 people advance to the next level, and can now finally go to competition with us, its so awesome... i can't wait..... so that was my weekend. i hate to brag, and maybe that's why i didn't say anything on sunday.... but it just hit me that I won..... ME, girl who helped others..... maybe thats what God wanted, me to use my strength to help others. because let me say, most days, when people would show up late, or not at all, while that whole afternoon, or weekend, i had spent trying to prepare stuff to prepare them paid off. whatever it was.... it worked. and i'm too excited. never felt this good..... i have a HUGE trophy, and plenty of medals. :) boasting over.