The Little Things

Survived another week of school, talked to my parents and sister, did super well on my first round of quizzes, played mini golf, and my homework is pretty manageable, so I would call this week a success!

The main purpose of this post though is to show off my roommate and I's craftiness! We made WHOLE WHEAT BANANA BREAD :) Whoo!!

Our stash of ingredients bought at the local HEB!

Mmmm yummy, we had to mash the bananas with our hands, and none of the measuring spoons were labeled, so we had to use engineering methods to figure out the sizes ;)

Sephra loving on the banana bread! It was indeed delicious :)

Recipe as follows: 

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups sugar

4 medium bananas, mashed

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup applesauce

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9×5) loaf pans with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, bananas, oil, applesauce and vanilla.  Mix in the dry ingredients slowly until the batter is well combined. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for 55-65 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes, before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting.

Store the leftovers in an airtight container.  The extra loaf can be wrapped in plastic and slipped into a freezer bag – store in the freezer for 1 month.

Restart

Well, I am back at school again. Whoo. It has only been the first week, so I can't comment too much on how classes are going, but so far so good. It is a lot more reading than I had to do last semester, and I already had 2 homework assignments due the second week! Luckily we had a 3 day break for MLK day, so it gave me a nice day to relax and spread out the homework. The weather has been pretty nice here, lots of sun, few clouds, and only a light jacket needed, so it is pretty nice! Up to now I have:

• S'mores Social with ASME
• Kan Jam and Box (frisbee games)
• Taco Tuesday, yeah it's a thing
• Begun planning 3 events/competitions for Engineering Week
• Played Ultimate Frisbee
• Ate at Pluckers
• Played more Ultimate Frisbee
• Homework for 4 solid hours at Starbucks w/Leslie
• Cleaned the ASME office
• Watched the Patriots game
• Downton Abbey...poor Anna
• J2 and Kinsolving food (but not as much as normal)

Of course, it has only been a week, so there isn't much else to talk about! Just settling in once again and getting back on the "school grind". Yes Mom/dad, I will try to call yall soon, I am in ASME office hours right now for 3 hours, so I have time to blog but not really call. Unfortunately, Tuesday's are my worst days because I go from 9:30am to 8:00 at night, with an hour and a half for lunch and that's it. It is crazy! blah. Anyways, thanks for reading as always

-Katie

Christmas Break (and everything else)

Whew, I have made it through and I am home now! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, and I really don't have the time or patience to explain everything I have been up to! The basics: Thanksgiving, last week of classes, finals. The fillers: Volleyball games, football games, parents visiting, Amy's Ice Cream, hanging out with high school friends, all day study sessions, lots of Christmas Lights, eating out as much as possible, freezing cold, ridiculous 80 degree weather, tests, tests, projects, more tests, and surviving my first semester of college!

I am just going to put in some pictures, because I really don't know how to explain everything that has been up, nor do I remember everything I have done!

My friends and I began attending some of the volleyball games, my roommate Sephra and Eric are in the top photo, and my friends from the Visionaries are in the second photo. 

The Visionaries also had movie night in Calloway House, we are all throwing up the "V" sign in this picture!

It's been very cold and rainy, Sephra, Eric, Andrew, and I have been layering up and grabbing the umbrellas!

I FINALLY got to take a picture with Andrew at the Thanksgiving Football Game! My family came up for the game and we had a great time beating Texas Tech!

Over the break I got to catch up with my friends from high school. It was so great seeing everyone again, and I especially loved seeing my biffles once more :)

This is my MechE friend, Ashley! We went to one of the super packed TA sessions for chemistry, we actually had to sit on the stairs bc there were not enough seats!

^our attitude towards studying for finals. (Yes Twerk is written all over that page courtesy of me)

There weren't many photos of finals week, but basically all I did was study in my room all day. But when I got home I saw Marshall, Colton, and Alan (not pictured) at the high school Christmas concert!

I took James to see my sister's play at the high school, I am not sure if he knows I took this picture :)

This is me trying to be artsy, but really I just wanted to say the whole clan of Denninggtons, Brokkens, Smiths, and Rollings went to Santas Wonderland in College Station, enemy territory, and stood in line 4 HOURS to see lights!

James and I also went to a Rockets game! Rockets vs Mavs, we unfortunately lost :/

Lots of Mexican train was played at my Aunt's house on Christmas Eve!

My parents, James, and I attended the Alamlo Bowl! Texas vs. Oregon, final score 30-7 Oregon. Hook'em!

That sums things up pretty well, I am on the road back from the game right now (New Years Eve), then I will leave for a Leadership Camp in the next week and back to school! 

-Katie

Christmas!

I know, I know, I have heard it from all my grandparents that I haven't posted in awhile, I was just busy with finishing off school and starting winter break! But all that info will be in another post sometime later...I hope.
But today is CHRISTMAS! It has finally come, all the anticipation, decoration, and preparation has all paid off. We began the festivities with my Grandma Laredo flying into Houston and going with us to my Tia's house on Christmas Eve. Both of my cousins, Ashley and Matthew, were able to be with us, so we had almost the whole family together! We played lots of mexican train, ate too many empanadas, opened presents and enjoyed each other's company. We didn't get home until close to midnight, at which point we had to partake in the Dennington Family Tradition of reading A Night Before Christmas. (More like Midnight please let me go to sleep Before Christmas). As always my dad read the story to my sister and I, while we sat in my bed. As exhausted as I was, I wouldn't not want to hear that story read aloud, and I am glad we continued the tradition once more.
This morning we, (AKA Jennifer), woke us all up at 7:30am to begin opening gifts! I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed all of their presents, I know I did! We ate a quick breakfast, then off at 9am for 10am mass, because of course you have to get to mass early...or so we thought. We arrived to the church and not a single light was on inside the building, but there were about 10 elderly people sitting there in the dark. The church didn't get too packed as 10'oclock approached, so we assume most people went to one of the three mass times on Christmas Eve. After mass, we went to my Grandma Cal's house and opened more presents, played frisbee (OH SHOOT, I left my frisbee there dang it), and ate homemade raviolis! It was a great christmas filled with lots of family and eating and I wouldn't trade it for the world!
-Katie

First FULL Weekend in Austin!

Schedule:

Friday-

1. Go to 8AM Calculus, Gus (professor) said "Ok" one hundred times. By the way, he is from Argentina! So cool!
2. Goof off in the campus computer store with Eric and Andrew waiting for class to start
3. 10AM Chemistry, bleh, but I did a lot better on the questions we were given in class!
4. Homework!
5. Noon- invite about 5 people to eat at J2, we ended up with 12 people at the table, a lot of fun but so crowded haha!
6. 2PM Hung out with Sephra, Eric, Andrew and Cathy in the guys dorm. We played some scary game on the computer (SCP?), then Eric did two crazy card tricks I still can't figure out, and Eric played a little guitar!
7. 3ishPM- Walked with Eric and Andrew to their friend's dorm to pick up something they left! I learned what Japanese Kendo is (Japanese Fencing)
8. 5PM- Engineering fall fest with free Jim Jim's Ice and a little bit of dancing! I ran into some Camp Texas friends I hadn't seen in awhile and made a few more friends!
9. 8:30ishPM- Leave to go to HOME SLICE Pizza on South Congress! There was an hour wait to get in, but the NY-Style pizza was SO worth it!
10. 10:30PM- Get on a super sketchy bus back to campus. Luckily I was with 4 guys, so I wasn't too worried, but 3 homeless people got on the bus
11. 11:00PM-Get back on campus and decide to rent out the pool table stuff and ping pong stuff!
12. As I was renting out the stuff, I left my key AND phone in the game room (on the basement floor) so I had to run back up to the front desk (first floor) and awk ask for a temporary ID, the RA just let me borrow his and I had to run it back up when I got into the game room. TOO MANY STAIRS end of story
13. Play pool and ping pong until well past 2AM
14. Sleep when you are dead is the motto, and by 3AM I was dead!

Saturday-

1. Wake up at 10am and begin Chemistry homework
2. Once Sephra woke up, we had a 3 hour dance party/clean our room session
3. During that, we ate ribs and OJ that her mom had given us! SOO yummy!
4. 1:00PM watch a little bit of the UT vs Penn State (#1) volleyball game. Our girls WON! Heck yes!
5. MORE HOMEWORK, Almost done with Chem, I am getting tutored by my FIG tutor in math on Sunday, and I am 10 pages away from finishing my Voice/Speech Class reading. I still need to look over my Mechanical Engineer powerpoint..
6. 4:30PM realize I have been in my room all day, so Sephra and I took another sketchy bus up to Amy's Ice Cream!!! SOOOOOO GOOOODDDDDD. I got Italian Creme Cake with strawberries, it tasted exactly like this homemade cake my dad's office manager makes for my family at Christmas. So basically DELICIOUS Amy's Ice Cream was also on our bucket list, so we scratched that off this weekends 
   
7. Get back to campus and meet up with Eric, Andrew, Ashley and some other friends and I learned how to play Ultimate Frisbee!!! That is an awesome game and I kinda want to keep playing it for, forever. (Sarah if you are reading it, I now understand why Baptists are obsessed with this game)

1. 8:30PM Go with that crew plus Eric Mayhew to Q'Doba, a burrito place on the drag! More yummy food was eaten and I started watching pieces of the depressing football game.. Oh Texas, I still love you, but come on.
2. 10:00ishPM Rent out ping pong and pool stuff again and play until 2:00am... because why not! It keeps up out of crazy stuff and it is free!

Sunday-

1. Wake up at 10am! Yaaayyyy for waking up late!

2. Do random homework and almost finish my Chemisty homework and my reading for speech class! I have found waking up early is good because then everyone is asleep and I don't feel about about not hanging out!

3. Around noon, go to a Turkish pita sandwich restaraunt! Soooooooo goood!

4. Until about 5pm, finish my Chemistry FINALLY, goof off, and watch Battlestar Gallactica with Eric and Andrew!

5. Talk to my mom and Marshall! :)

6. Catch up with my homie, Mauricio and eat oh so delicious Pluckers!

7. RUN to Kinsolving to get math tutoring

8. Presently doing laundry! Gotta have clean sheets!

Everyone constantly asks me what I am doing, and I always explain that I am doing way too much to remember. So I wrote it all out this weekend, but don't think this will happen every weekend! Anyways thanks for reading my long posts as always!

-Katie

PS: this is my beautiful roomie Sephra :)

Visits upon Visits!

It's just what the title sounds like! I had a visit from my little sister, Jennifer last weekend! It was awesome!!! I picked her up from the bus and off we went! We did so much so here is just a quick list!

Jen's Visit

1. Boba Tea (tapioca asian drink)
2. Big Bites Sandwiches
3. Ultimate Frisbee
4. Hang out with the guys until 2am
5. SLEEP
6. ASME tailgating fun!
7. Football game against Kansas State (we won!)
8. Quick tour around UT
9. Jen slept from 7:30PM-8:00AM
10. Mass at the Univ. Catholic Center
11. Meet up with mom in Giddings!

Future longhorn? ;)

The following week I had a calculus test, a chemistry test, and RIVALS WEEK. Let me explain. Rivals week is when the Engineers team up against the Business school and compete in a variety of events. Sunday was field day/kick-off(Engr. won), Monday was a Whose Line is it Anyway (Comedy) competition (Bus. won), Tuesday was Capture the Flag at the Capitol (Engr. won), Wed/Thurs I studied/took my chem test, and Friday was dodgeball and closing ceremony. The Engineers totally destroyed the business students when it came to participation, we generally had 50-100 students show up, and they had 20-40. At Capture the Flag, we weren't even able to split Eng/Bus. because they didn't have enough people to compete! During dodgeball, there was one gym of 20 engr. vs 20 business, and one gym filled with 60 engineers playing against each other! It was awesome! Ultimately, the Engineers stole back the title from the business school and were crowned CHAMPS this year! I loved being active and meeting new people, it makes going to school so much more fun! 

In the midst of all this, my BIFFLE SAR-BEAR (Sarah) came in town! She was only here for 2 days, but we also crammed as much in possible so here is the list!

Sarah's Visit

1. Dodgeball (Sarah was the last one on the Mech E vs everyone else game, pretty funny)
2. Sneak into Calloway House (Private dorm) and play pool!
3. Eat some delicious Pluckers (2nd time that week)
4. Play frisbee until 1 am! (Side Note: 8 random people joined us throughout the evening and it was really strange)
5. Sleepppppp
6. Eat legit thai food from thai spice (Sarah got something that wasn't the Chinese version of a chicken nugget, I was so proud)
7. Go to Mt. Bonnell!

For only coming up Friday afternoon and leaving Saturday afternoon, I consider it quite the success how much we were able to pull off!

I am so glad that Sarah and Jen were able to experience my college life and meet some of my new friends! Oh last thing, Sunday evening, since I had my car parked nearby, we drove to Chuy's and I was able to show Sephra, Eric, and Jimmy the wonders that is Chuy's! Such an austin-y place! Anyways, this week is pretty chill, I hope to get my work done before my parents come in town this weekend for the game, whoo! That's all for now!

-Katie

PS my Halloween was pretty crazy, ASME competed in a Chariot Race, and I rode in the cart! Long story short, some army ROTC guys were jerks and I ended up taking one of the guys pulling our chariot to the ER to get stitches on his foot.

It's been awhile...

Wow, it has been awhile since I have posted anything! I have just been busy as usual, class, homework, tests, friends, TV, going home, Texas Football, and food!

First thing is first, Texas BEAT OU, thus proving that OU sucks. During OU weekend, I played 4 hours of frisbee, woke up early enough to watch the game, then did homework. I went to Wendy's with Jimmy and Alex after the ridiculous amount of frisbee, here is a pic of them!

After that long long weekend, I had awesome school. Well not that awesome, I don't really remember doing anything special... OH WELL.

The following weekend I went home for my Dad's birthday and homecoming! I was so happy to wish my dad a happy birthday on his actual birthday, and give him his awesome new UT burnt orange fishing fancy shirt! I also was able to help Jennifer get all dolled up for homecoming. It only took over an hour to get her hair all curled, but it was worth getting to see her off and be hands on a part of her life!

I also got to see my beautiful best friends! The biffles: Marissa, Sarah, and Abbi reunited in Magnolia at the football game and had a great sleepover and then waffles at Marissa's with even more friends! I missed everyone so much and it was great finally getting to see them all in person! Only a few more weeks until Thanksgiving, when I will see them all again!

I had to get back to campus pretty early on Sunday, because ASME is building a chariot to race in the Red Bull Chariot Race Competition, and I will be the one in the chariot! We are building a killer bunny, pictures to come :)

This past week of school has been pretty chill, it feels like every other day I have to do a lot of homework, but Thursday and today (Friday) I don't have much! Next week will be more hectic, I have an Mech E sketch quiz on Tuesday and Math test on Friday! Woohoo!

 This weekend has already started off on a great note! I watched Slumdog Millionaire on Thursday evening, and today after classes, Eric Andrew and I decided to go on an adventure! We began with Geocaching on campus! We found this super relaxed nice place near the alumni center, but unfortunately we could not find the geocache. Our adventure continued by catching a bus down to Sixth Street! We were looking for a cool mural, but once again could not find it! So we walked from W 6th St. (Dirty 6th) past South Congress to E 6th St. for some delicious Amy's Ice Cream! I was lucky enough to witness an awesome event. The worker at Amy's took a young boy outside, gave him a bowl, the guy walked to the other side of the street, and flung the ice cream to perfectly land in the bowl! It was AMAZING!

Side note, I just got a new camera lens and SD card for my mom's old camera, so I have a tonnn of photos. But the adventure was not over. Andrew was thirsty for a geocache and decided to search for another. We found this little park next to a small creek and began the hunt. Eric and I gave up pretty quick and decided to climb a tree instead. No worries Mom or Dad, I was only 4 feet off the ground haha! After about an hour at this small park, Andrew finally figured out where the geocache was! 48/51 people had logged online that they found the geocache, so we were glad to add to the success rate. After finding that one, of course Andrew had to go and find another! 

BUT, the adventure isn't over yet! We were no where near a bus, so we just had to start walking, and we decided to not use out phone GPS to get back to campus. Eventually we ended up seeing the Capitol and heading towards that! But we couldn't just walk by the capitol, so OF COURSE we went inside! Andrew has never even been inside the capitol, so it was quite an event! We found some janky ice scoopers in the basement, cartwheeled (unsuccessfully) everywhere, and generally goofed off!

 Formatting is super janky on here, sorry for the weird picture layout! Anyways, I am going to head out for some non cafeteria food dinner, then frisbee! Fun!

-Katie