You talkin' to me? Are you talkin' to me!?

Hello internet! This is Nick here. I sure have missed you during this long absence, but don't worry, I am back! So a lot sure has happened over the course of the past few months up here in Lubbock. Overall, Katie has done a great job of keeping you updated on my life! This past week has been my week of finals and I am very pleased to have my first semester of LCU done and under my belt. After four and a half months of hard work, studying, and reading until I went cross-eyed, I managed to get all A's! I tried to convince Katie to do something special for me to celebrate but she wouldn't have it.

While we're on the subject of school, I recently decided to pursue my Master's of Divinity after I finish my undergrad at LCU. I'm not sure where I want to go to get my Master's yet, but so far the most promising programs are at LCU, Abilene Christian University, Lipscomb University, and Freed Hardeman University. So basically I've narrowed it down to two places in Texas and two places in Tennessee. If any of you have any more ideas about where to go or what to look for, feel free to leave a comment with some suggestions or thoughts!

Well right now, Katie and I are watching one of our favorite TV shows, The Sing Off. I don't know about you, but I'm pulling for the group, "Committed." They're supposed to be singing and old Backstreet Boys song tonight so they already have my vote!

I can't wait to get back to Magnolia on Wednesday to see Katie's family and some old friends from back home. It's always nice to return home for a little while. On the 19th though, I'll be flying off to Nashville to see my mom and my sisters! Needless to say, I am CRAZY excited to get out there and spend Christmas with them. This will be the first time that I'll spend Christmas day with my mom and sisters since I was 11. Can you believe that?? 10 years! I can't wait! :) Also, when Katie and I get back, we will spending a lot of time on Friday meeting with different wedding photographers to see which one works out for us and what we are looking for. So please be praying that the whole process goes smoothly!

Well, that's pretty much all I can think to write about right now! Here's a little something to put you in the Christmas mood....

World's Largest Snowcone

So Lubbock has set a new world record...The World's Largest Snowcone! They started shaving ice for it a few days ago and the final snowcone weighed in at 25,000 pounds. The old world record was set at 17, 000 pounds, so Lubbock officially holds the new title. I heard about all of this on my way home from school the other day, so what did I do...well of course I had to go see it with my own eyes! I whipped my car around and drove straight to Bahama Bucks to see the snowcone. Here is a picture of the HUGE snowcone!

The snowcone was birthday cake flavored with icing flavored syrup on top. Yum! Bahama Bucks called the operation "Project SnoAngel." They sold 10 pound blocks of ice to shave for $10 each and all of the profits went to the childrens home in Lubbock. I think the total amount raised for the Children's Home ended up being somewhere around $12,000! So now if anyone asks what is so special about Lubbock, you can tell them about THE WORLD'S LARGEST SNOWCONE!

This week has been super crazy! It is finals week for Nick and I which has resulted in many hours of studying and several trips to Starbucks, as well. Nick officially finished his last final today, but I still have five more to go. Besides the woes of finals, Nick and I have been doing really well. Nick is currently looking into getting his Masters of Divinity to go into preaching after he graduates from LCU. This has always been on his heart, but after completing a preaching assingment in class a few weeks ago and recieving a lot of encouraging feedback, he has become more serious about it. He met with our pastor in Lubbock and had a good talk about how to work as a youth minister and get your Master's at the same time. He is looking at a bunch of different schools, so nothing has been decided yet, but please keep him in your prayers as he trys to sort everything out.

As the semester comes to an end for me, I have been thinking a lot about how God does place you where he wants you. His plan really is perfect! Although I miss all of my friends in College Station and my family in Magnolia, I can honestly say I am happier than I have ever been up here in Lubbock. I have really gotten to know my OT classmates over the semester and I absolutely LOVE my program. I am learning so much, yet I enjoy it at the same time! It is really nice to actually hang out my class when it does not pertain to school. My OT class formed an intramural volleyball team this semester. They called themselves the "OTeam" (I think this is so clever) and we made shirts. I opted out of playing, and those of you that have seen me play volleyball will know why. We also had a Christmas potluck together. Everyone came to the party, except one person so it turned out really well. We ate and played White Elephant. Here are a few pictures!

They forced me to do "Guns Up"...no worries I am still an Aggie at heart!

I am also thankful that God placed Nick and I up here together, and I do not believe this was by a stroke of luck. It has been so nice to have Nick here for support and simply just to have him close. We had been long distance for a quite some time, and to see that come to an end has been a blessing.

Not a lot has happened since I last posted. The only update I have is, Slink, the previously stray cat, is officially ours! I know you are thinking WHAT!? You already have two! I know, I know but I was weak and so was Nick this time. We just could not get rid of him, so he officially joined our clan of black cats.

He is super crazy and I have yet to really capture his true personality on film. He is the king of doing flips when he plays and he gets some SERIOUS air! I will have to try and get a video because it is hysterical. Until then this is the only one I have of him playing. Sorry for the low quality!

So Nick is basically famous!

So I have been trying to post the video of Nick's Best Friend's Sampler Performance for LCU's parent's weekend, BUT after an hour I got an error message. Sad I know! So I am just going to post the link. Just copy and paste it and hopefully it will take you to the right place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opT0-SbHkIY

DISCLAIMER: I accidently covered the microphone on the camera for the second song, so it sounds muffled. I promise it sounded WAY better than that in person! Hang in there though, because it only lasts for a minute or so.

Getting a family fix

Being in Lubbock away from my family has always been hard for me, but it becomes even harder when I have a rough week. Well that rough week happened last week. Between three tests and three assignments, my head was spinning by just Wednesday. After a phone call home, it was apparent that what I needed was my family. Thankfully, I have wonderful parents and a last minute trip to Abilene was planned! Nick and I met my parents in Abilene that Saturday. We had an eventful, fun filled weekend! We went to the Abilene zoo Saturday morning and then went back to the hotel and played ping pong, fusball, and pool. I had no idea that ping pong would get so intense! We quickly found out that Nick has an amazingly low serve that is almost unbeatable and that my mom is the queen of smashing the ball onto the table. After all of this we decided to try a local restaurant called Little Italy. It was definitely one of those cases where you do not want to judge a book by it's cover. The place was located in a shopping center and had an immense amount of neon signs advertising it's presence. The food was amazing, though!! The pasta was homeade and all of the sauces were rich and delicious! We were all stuffed! So if you are ever in Abilene and craving good Italian food...Little Italy is your place. After leaving on Sunday, I instantly felt rejuvinated. It is amazing what a little family time can do! It is amazing how the things your parents do seem to rub off on you. I realized as Nick and I were on our way home (and I was searching for an ice cream place to stop at), that Nick and I always stop for ice cream on roadtrips. Guess who else does this? My parents! Ever since I can remember, my family has always stopped for ice cream when we go on a long trip. The only difference between what Nick and I do is that we don't neccessarily need a "long trip." We really only need about an hour drive to classify our trip as an official road trip, thus making an ice cream stop neccessary.

This weekend, Nick's Dad and Lori will be in Lubbock for parent's weekend. Nick will be performing with his singing group, Best Friends. I have never seen an official performance, so I am really excited to watch them on Saturday! Oh, and because I am not sure Nick will announce this...he was chosen to sing the solo in one of the Reliant K songs that Best Friends will be singing! This is the solo he was wanting, so I am very proud of him. He has a wonderful voice, and it will be a blessing to hear the group perform this weekend.

Applebutter Bike Ride

So, a few weeks ago I signed Nick and I up for a 22 mile bikeride. It is a trip that is sponsered through Tech's Rec Center.Despite the fact that Nick and I have not rode our bikes in probably 5 years, I thought it sounded really fun! The ride began in Lubbock and ended in Idalou where an Applebutter Festival was taking place at an apple orchard. They had BBQ at the festival and were selling everything apple! Applebutter, apple turnovers, apple bread, etc. I can't say that Nick was as enthused, but we still had a great time. The BBQ was really good and Nick and I got home made apple turnovers with Blue Bell ice cream. It was amazing! We opted out of riding the 22 miles back from the festival and decided to take the van. Just to make sure we are all on the same page...I only rode the van back because Nick was tired. I could have gone 22 miles no problem! I think Nick and I both came to the conclusion that riding bikes is a fun activity when done at a leisure pace...in a neighborhood...for maybe 30 minutes. I always said I would try just about anything once, but this is just one of those things that probably will stay in that "only once" category. Thankfully I took all of the pictures at the beginning of the ride, so when Nick and I look back at them it will appear that we had the time of our lives!

After the bike ride we went and ate at a mexican resturant in town called Fuzzy's Taco. I know the name sounds scary, but it was so delicious! My only complaint wasthe wooden seats...I would have preferred some cushion after 22 miles on a bike! My butt was hurting!

School has officially gotten started, and Nick and I are busy! Nick is doing a great job of balancing his 18 hours and being in the singing group Best Friends. I have yet to see him sing because it seems like everytime they perform I am in class. His director said I could sit in on one of the rehersals, so hopefully that works out this week! Despite being so busy, I am really enjoying my semester so far. My classes are becoming more hands on and we get to go out into the community more this semester. Some of things I will be doing include a wheelchair simulation (where we get to experience what it feels like to be in a wheelchair with minimal independence) and going to a local mental health facility to observe the occupational therapist during therapy sessions.

I hesitate to even say anything, because I know everyone already considers me the "crazy cat lady," BUT Nick and I found a stray black kitten a few weeks ago. Nick named him Slink because he is so limp (just like a Slinky!). He is super sweet and has provided a lot of entertainment, but I am not sure that I will be able to keep him. Nick and I have talked to the Humane Society and we have a meeting with them tomorrow. Be praying that we find the right home for Slink! He is such a cutie and I would hate for him to not have a wonderful home. Also, if you or anyone you know would like a kitten let me know!

This is right after his first bath! He loves water!

I'm still alive!

Hello everybody!

This is Nick here, I know I know, it's been too long. Needless to say, the past 4 months have been some of the craziest so far. Where to begin...well first, I finished up my youth minister internship in Whitney at the beginning of August. And then, after only one week back home in Tomball to relax, I moved up here to my new home: Lubbock! I moved into my dorm here at Lubbock Christian University, and my roommate is my good friend from home, Jordan Meuse. We have a pretty sweet set-up if you ask me. We have two rooms, joined by one bathroom. In one room, we put the beds and desks and all of our study stuff. In the other room, we have a 48 inch plasma TV (thanks to Mara Bosch and her husband!), a fouton, surround sound, a microwave, a coffee pot, and many other wonderful items that every college student needs. So if you're ever bored and in the Lubbock area, come by our dorm for some entertainment!!!

Also, Katie and I have gone on an adventure since we have both been here. Seeing as she never took the time to come see me and my church family in Whitney, I dragged her down there last weekend!







So you might be wondering, "What do these pictures have to do with anything?" Well...while in Whitney, we visited my good friend Matt Bruce (big guy with glasses) who just so happens to have two donkeys! And on the way back from Whitney, Katie and I stopped in Dublin for some delicious Dublin Dr. Pepper!

Well that's about all there is too it! I'm sure if I missed any important details, Katie will be sure to point them out to you. :) As a quick sign off, I type in Greek, seeing as I am learning that in class: αγάπε. Cool isn't it!?

The countdown begins!

2 more weeks until my summer school ends! I am finally beginning to see the light, and I can not wait for my two week break in August. I have really enjoyed anatomy and all of my OT classes, but my brain needs a siesta! I was able to take a small break this weekend, though, because Nick surprised me and came to Lubbock! It was wonderful to have him here. He came Thursday evening and stayed until Saturday. We spent our weekend catching up on some movies we have not been able to see together due to our busy summers and going to the leisure pool at Tech. I am in LOVE with the leisure pool! I think every university should have a lazy river, pool, and water slide!










I mean, seriously, what college kid does not like the pool in the summer? Friday provided Nick and I with beautiful weather to be at the pool, and the sun was not being shy (Nick got burnt, but we are not going to talk about that because someone *cough* myself told him to put on sunscreen but he said he was fine and wasn't burning...) Because of these unmentionable event, Nick spent most of Saturday layering himself in Aloe Vera. We had fun, though, sunburn or no sunburn!

To back track a little, last weekend after our anatomy test on Friday the girls and I planned a weekend full of fun! We all went to the leisure pool on Friday and floated for a good 2 hours and then played water volleyball for another two. Needless to say, I, once again, discovered and showed everyone at the pool that I am NOT even close to being skilled when it comes to volleyball...really any sport that involves a ball causes issues for me. At least I was able to provide a good laugh for everybody, and I had fun trying. On Saturday we all went to the drive in movies and saw "Despicable Me." We took Mandi's truck and put a futon mattress in the back. The movie was fantastic! I highly recommend seeing the movie. Here is a sneak peak (and my favorite scene).





Because our 4th of July celebration got rained out, Mandi still had smores supplies at her house. We have been wanting to make smores for a long time, so we all came to the conclusion that the drive in would be the perfect place...WRONG! We brought candles and the graham crackers, marshmellows, and Hershey's chocolate. The first clue that this was going to be a bad idea was obviously our lack of light to even see what we were doing. We lit our tea light candles and tried to roast the marshmellows but the wind was blowing too hard and the flame was a little small for roasting. The next problem was the temperature outside...it was pretty toasty outside which lead to our chocolate bars becoming chocolate syrup. We tried so hard but in the end we all ended up with warm marshmellows, runny chocolate, and graham cracker. It provided a good laugh and it still tasted good, so we were not too disappointed!








Also, here are a few pictures from Kelsi's birthday party. We made masks, dressed up, and went to eat. It was a blast!








Until next time, I hope everyone is having a great week! I will keep you posted on the countdown :)

And the cadeavor adventure continues...

So before I get into all of the wonderful things that are taking place in the cadeavor lab, I will start by updating you on what has been going on these last few weeks. Two weeks ago my mom came to visit, and we had a great time! She flew into Lubbock Thursday night and left on Sunday. I have officially decided that Lubbock has one of the tiniest airports EVER! I walked in the wrong dooor (on the complete opposite side of the airport) and it only took me about a minute to get to my correct desination which was on the other side of the airport. I usually get really nervous trying to navigate airports, but this one was a breeze! We had a great weekend! We went shopping, got ice cream, made a new recipes, and even studied just a bit. It was really nice to have her here!

My mom and I cooking!


Baked Spaghetti

My mom bought Stella a new toy, but Stella seemed more amused by the box itself

This past weekend I had another visitor: Nick! He drove up to Lubbock on Thursday after church camp and we got to celebrate the 4th of July together. Seeing that I am such a planner, I made eleaborate 4th of July plans for us. We were going to go over to one of my friend's houses, Mandi, and meet up with some of my OT girls. At her house we were going to cookout and then head to Big Springs lake to watch fireworks. Problem #1 with this plan: Lubbock had a downpour on Thursday, so the fireworks at the lake got canceled. Problem #2: It continued to rain on Saturday and Sunday and the roads flooded so bad that Nick and I could not navigate my little grandma car around town. Solution to all of this....Mandi had to come retrieve us from Walmart and drive us to her house where we still cooked out (under umbrellas) and played Uno. We were able to get one of the fireworks to work, but the rain pretty much soaked the rest. It was still fun though and I have officially come to the conclusion that Lubbock is not set up to get more than like an inch of rain! I wish I had pictures, but just to describe to you how bad it was, all of the parks were underwater and you could see the lamp posts sticking out. The parks all looked like lakes. I think the city of Lubbock should reconsider there drainage plan! Besides all of the water and craziness, we managed have a really great weekend. I even took Nick down to the cadeavor lab to show him what I have been working on in lab. He did really good! He did decide that he never wanted to be a doctor, though, and that he has no idea how I am able to dissect everyday...good thing he wants to be a youth minister!

Okay, now to the cadeavor adventures!!! Today we cut through the skull of our cadeavor with a bone saw and removed the brain!! I know! Its crazy! I felt like I was on Grey's Anatomy. I chose not to handle the bone saw, in fear that I may mess things up, but I did volunteer to remove the brain. It was a really neat experience!

I'm taking over!

So I decided last night that I will probably be the only one able to post on the blog this summer...so I am taking over! Notice the new layout and picture! I think it is wonderful, but I am sure when Nick realizes that "our" blog has been "bedazzled" he will be surprised to say the least. Oh well it will be fun while it lasts! Enjoy the pretty, girly backgrounds everyone!

Brain Break

I had my first anatomy test last week and it went well! I feel like I have a full time job studying for anatomy, but thankfully I only have 7 more weeks (yes I am counting down). I did come to the conclusion last week, during a study break, that life would be much easier as a cat. I looked up from my books to see them lounging and living a carefree life. The pictures below will explain exactly why this seems so appealing...

This weekend my mom is coming into town! I am really excited to see her because this going a whole month without seeing family is not working for me. I will also have Nick here for the 4th of July weekend. We will be celebrating by having a cookout and watching fireworks on the lake with some of my friends from OT school. I had no idea that Lubbock had any lakes, but we will see what they call a lake here...I am thinking it will be more like a pond, either way hanging out with everyone should be a blast!

And just because I need to vent for a second...somehow I have managed to end up with rapper, gangster, drinking type neighbors AGAIN! I am convinced that I have the worst luck! My freshmen year of college I had the same issue and when I called the courtesy cop for a noise complaint, the guy ended up getting arrested because he had a warrant for something worse than noise. Needless to say I think I will have issues with this my whole life (sigh). I mean the reason I moved into my apartment complex now because is because it is a complex where a lot of young families and older people live. Apparently I just thought I could break the curse...boy was I wrong! It seems the only young, partying individual in this place resides in the apartment right next to me. This has presented a few issues because I need a quiet atmosphere to study and sleep (like most normal people do), so I have had to call the courtesy cop twice. The office told me next time I call, he will be evicted so he is hanging by his last thread! I have never considered myself to be a hard person to live next too, but I have a small fuse for noise. We will see how it goes, though. I haven't heard a sound from him in the last week, so things may be looking up!

On the other hand, I feel it neccessary to announce that Nick is still alive and doing great in Whitney! I would elaborate more, but, well I don't know anything else! He is extremely busy, so hopefully I can get a play by play of what happened this summer in August when his internship ends. I do know that he is at church camp right now as a counselor. This week is the junior high kids camp and next week is high school age kids. Nick has to stay for both sessions so I am sure he will be exhausted when he arrives in Lubbock for the 4th of July. The boy will need some sleep for sure! I did get the opportunity to have dinner with his Aunt Donna and Emily this Tuesday, though, and we had a great time! Emily is coming to Texas Tech this Fall, and I have already planned for us to have dinner at my apartment at least a few times a month (I will have to let her know of these plans, of course). I am excited for her to be here and I know Nick is even more excited! Well that seems to be all for now. I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Don't forget to take a deep breath

So life has been absolutely crazy since the last post! Two weeks ago I moved to Lubbock and Nick went on his merry way to Whitney, TX. He is doing a great job as an intern there and is having a great time with all of the kids! He recently designed a t-shirt for the youth group, so I will try and hassle him to put a picture up of the design.

Since I moved to Lubbock a week early, I was a worried about what I was going to do to occupy myself, but thankfully my wonderful friends came to the rescue! Jen and Becca drove up to Lubbock and stayed for about 5 days. It was so much fun to have them here! We explored Lubbock and even went to New Mexico to see Roswell.

They left the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, but I was not alone for long. Nick and I met in Abilene Sunday night and spent some time together. It was really nice to see him and we treasured every moment because I may not see him agian until August. We basically found everything to do in Abilene that was free. We went to the mall, to the park, and even on a self directed tour of ACU. Unfortunately, on the way back my 2 and a half hour drive to Lubbock turned into a 4 and a half hours because I missed my exit...another reason I should probably get a GPS.

As far as my life goes at the moment...oh wait I don't have one! I started classes at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center on Tuesday, and I haven't been able to breath since. I am taking three classes, two focused on Occupational Therapy and an anatomy class where we dissect cadeavers. I was a little bit concerned about dissecting a human, but so far I have been fine in the lab (no passing out, feeling faint, or even needing to sit down). My lab group is all boys, which makes for an interesting lab session everyday, but they have turned out to be a great group! We will be dissecting all summer, and we have lecture every day for 2 and a half hours. It is definitely exhausting! I have met a lot of girls in the MOT program, but I have become really close with about five of them. We have formed a study group, which I was a little weary about because I have never felt like I benefited from group study, but I am warming up to the idea. It is amazing what a motivated group of girls can get done...nothing like undergraduate groups which usually consist of a little study and a lot of chatting. We met today and studied for 3 hours together, making charts and talking through all of the muscle functions. This is going to be a tough summer, but thankfully I am not working so I can devote every bit of free time I have to school. I may not be posting very much thoughout the summer because of how busy I am, but I will make sure Nick updates everyone on how things are going!

Wow, what a month!

Well hello strangers! This is Nick here. I have been planning to post something in our blog for quite some time now, but then finals happened, and I ceased to exist for a week. But that's all over as of yesterday!! Well, for those of you who don't know, I went to Whitney about 2 weeks ago to interview for a youth intership position. Oh, you want to know if I got the position? Ok ok, don't be so nosey about it. Yes! I got the job! It was an incredible weekend with the church in Whitney, and I felt like I was right at home there, even though it's a pretty small little country town and I'm somewhat of a city boy. I'm sure they'll straighten me out though. :) The one downside to all of this though is that Katie will be six hours away in Lubbock, carving up a cadaver for her anatomy class like it was the Thanksgiving turkey. Yuck.

In other news! Katie turned 21 on May 6th and she drank until she couldn't see straight...just kidding. She had some fancy wine drink at Cheddars that she couldn't even finish. The night after her birthday, her and I celebrated by going out to the Houston Aquarium for an evening of food, fishies, and fun amusement park rides. She got a fancy daquiri drink at the restaraunt that tasted just like banana bread! And being the loving fiance that she is, she bought me a big stuffed sea turtle from the gift shop. I named him Tito. If I wasn't writing this blog at work, I could post all of our pictures that we took, but I guess you will all just have to check the Facebook if you want to see them.

And finally! I am officially done with my time at Lonestar College- Tomball!!! After two long years of servitude, Lonestar has finally released me. Come the 24th of May, I will be moving into my new church home at Whitney, preparing an awesome summer for the youth group there. I do have to ask for a little help though from all of you lovely readers on the internet. What are some fun activities and event that I could do for the kids this summer? Please, any and all ideas will be considered, nothing is too crazy!! So leave comments of your ideas, so that I may be inspired. :) Well that's all I have for today. Thanks for reading, and as usual, feed the fish on your way out.

Nick

Please be praying...

Nick is going to Whitney Church of Christ this weekend to meet with their elders and lead Sunday morning youth class. If everything goes well, he could possibly be their intern for the summer. It would be such a great opportunity for him, and I know he would love to spend his summer loving on some kiddos! Please pray for Nick as he drives up there and meets with the church, and also for the whole process in general. We are hoping that it all works out, but if not, I am sure God has great plans for him this summer. Thanks guys!

Change of Plans

So since Nick decided to take over the blog as his own personal diary, I thought I would get on here and tell you all about what is going on with US! Nick went up to Lubbock this past weekend to register for his classes at LCU. Unlike how we had planned, he is not going to be able to take summer school. His advisor worked long and hard to try and find him classes to take, but because of their change in curriculum, it just isn't going to work. As you can imagine, this is pretty upsetting because now we have to be long distance for yet another 3 months (and by long distance...I mean 9 hours of driving long distance!). I am not looking forward to being in Lubbock by myself this summer, but I guess this will be an opportunity for me to really get involved with my OT class and make some new friends.

Because Nick will not be taking summer school, he is now trying to figure out his summer plans. Ideally, he would really like to have an internship somewhere in Texas. I know it is a little late in the game, but he has e-mailed two youth ministers about possible internships, so please keep this in your prayers. Also, if you know of any church that is looking for an intern, let us know! It can be anywhere in Texas, he isn't picky.

On a happier note, I got my registration packet for Tech and I have slowly been completing all of the requirements. I had no idea there would be a long list of procedures to go through and trainings to complete, but at least none of it is hard...just time consuming! It said in my packet that I will be needing a white lab coat, goggles, and a dissecting kit. Cadaver anatomy here I come! We might want to praying for that too...it should be an experience. I will have my orientation on June 1st and then starting class the very next day on June 2nd. I am very excited to meet my new OT class! I also received an e-mail from the apartment complex in Lubbock with my official apartment number. Things are coming together, and before you know it, I will be on my way to Lubbock!

Here is the front...don't mind the car!

Here is the side...free chair anyone?

Okay just kidding! Those were some of the rougher ones we looked at! As you can see, trying to be cheap can also be a tad scary! Thank goodness I ended up in something a little nicer.

This is my new home!

I hope everyone is having a great Thursday!

This is Nick again! Today I went up to my old high school to visit with my old theatre teachers Mr. Cottom and Mr. Ballew. For those who don't know, the theatre hall at Tomball High School was where I spent the majority of my high school life! Lots of good memories there. I managed to get a copy of a show I was in my senior year (probably my favorite show I was ever in) called "Noises Off!"



There was a movie made back in the 80's with Christopher Reeve, Michael Caine, John Ritter, Carol Burnett, and many other great actors and actresses. Well, I was blessed enough to play Christopher Reeve's character who, as you can see, got to run around with his pants down! It was all great fun. Just wanted to share the good news! One of these days I'll get Katie to actually post in this blog again, I'm sure you're all tired of hearing from me so much. :P

Zoo Day!

Finally! It's the end of the week and I finally get my three day weekend. So, as promised, I am going to post some pictures from Katie and I's Waco extravaganza. Are you still wondering what exactly we did this past weekend? Well, I decided to surprise Katie by taking her out to the Cameron Park Zoo which is actually a pretty legit zoo for a smaller town. Ok, here are the pictures! Enjoy!

Welcome to the zoo!

So that's pretty much it! I hope you enjoyed joining us in our trip to the Cameron Park Zoo!

Oh and I saw my friend Ryan!

The End

Stay Tuned!

Hey there people of the internet world! This is Nick here, and I just wanted to keep everyone on their toes! Katie and I went on quite a marvelous excursion this past Friday to Waco. What we did there I will have to leave to your imagination until I post pictures and details later this week! All I can say is that it involved a meercat, snake charming, and a wonderfully delious snow-cone. I would have posted this wonderful story earlier, but both Katie and I have been swamped since we came back from Spring Break. I've had papers out the wazoo and Katie has had her fair share of reading and tests and what not.

Some exciting news though! Yesterday I got my copy of Legacy's new CD, "Reliant," in the mail. I pre-ordered this CD about 2 months ago and I finally got it! For those of you reading who don't know Legacy, they are an accapella Christian band of 5 extremely wonderful Christian men. Their website is www.legacymusic.net, and you can listen to some of their songs, buy their CD's, and see when and if they are coming to your town anytime soon! I know, I know, its a shameless plug for a band, but these guys are great!!!

Well, that's all I have time for today! Thanks fore reading and stay tuned for the complete story of Katie and I's Waco adventure, complete with pictures!

Food Rules

Hello everyone!

As I was sitting here, waiting for Nick and I's homemade macaroni and cheese to finish cooking I began to feel inspired. Spring Break has officially started! Our plans have been uneventful so far, but beginning Monday I will be headed home to see my parents and Nick will be on his way to Dallas. Early Thursday morning, my family and I will be taking a road trip to Lubbock to look for an apartment for the summer. There is a lot of pressure to find the right one, because we will have to sign a lease by Saturday. Talk about rushed!! We are both very excited for the opportunity to spend time with our families though.

This semester I have been taking environmental health and my teacher read an excerpt from Michael Pollan's "Food Rules" the other day. The book consists of a list of various guidelines to follow when trying to eat healthy. They are very enlightening! For example, "Rule #7: Avoid food products containing ingredients a third-grader cannot pronounce." For all of you that know me, these types of books are right up my alley! With all of that said, Lauren and I decided to watch Oprah on Friday and guess what the show was about!? Food 101! One of the featured guests was Michael Pollan himself and I was thrilled as expected. I decided after so many encounters with the book, I should probably buy it for myself. I purchased the book today and I cannot get enough of it.



Needless to say, Nick is not excited about my new endeavor to eat healthy and eat more veggies. In fact, trying to explain to Nick that not every meal has to involve a huge slab of meat has been a chore! We had a minor outburst in the bookstore where Nick exclaimed that "He loves meat and he feels fine eating it for every single meal!" I am sure with more exposure to the idea of eating healthy and cutting fats, he will begin to warm up. We will see...I am expecting more tantrums. I am wasting no time though! We started following some of the rules tonight by having a meatless dinner of mac n' cheese and peas. It was delightful! My goal is for us to become what the book calls "flexatarians." This means that we would only eat small portions of meat two to three times a week. I am sure Nick will fight it every step of the way, but come on! What did he expect when he asked a health major to marry him?

Ok, I am sure all of you are wanting wedding details so hear it is.....we still do not have an official date. We should be figuring this out soon, so hang in there! We are going to get married someday, promise! We were supposed to take our engagement pictures this week, but because College Station has experienced snow, sun, and rain all within the past few weeks the grass is still brown and nothing has bloomed, so we are going to wait a few weeks until the landscape more attractive. I am going tomorrow to find a sun dress or nice shirt for the pictures, so wish me luck and pray that Nick will have patience while we shop!

Just another day in paradise!

Hey there world! This is Nick. I know it's been awhile since Katie and I have updated you on our daily lives and what not, but come on, we are busy students trying to make a living! Geez... :)

Anyways, things have actually been great all around. This is our last week of school before Spring Break! Katie and I won't be seeing much of each other for most of it though, but its for a good cause. She will be traveling up to Lubbock again with her family to find an apartment, hopefully one that isn't too ghetto, and I will be going up to Dallas to spend a much needed week with my wonderful family. This weekend though, Katie and I are going to go see Alice in Wonderland in 3d! I doubt it will be as amazing as Avatar, but I have high hopes none the less. As for my life happenings, I recently injured my Achilles tendon in a freak football accident and I have been somewhat gimp, but I still managed to play in a racquetball tournament last Wednesday and somehow ended up winning second place! So, now that my tendon is slowly starting to heal, I was thinking I would try and mess it up again by playing in another Racquetball tournament being held at A&M on the 20th and 21st of this month. If anyone wants to come out and show some love and support then you are more than welcome!

Well that's about all I have for now. I'm actually posting this at work, procrastinating, and waiting to go to class. So, it would probably be best for me to actually do some real work this morning before my boss walks through! Oh and when you are done reading this, please feed our fish. They're getting hungry. Thanks!

Snowday!

So last Sunday Jennifer, my roommates, and I went to our Hospitality Class. For those who do not know, this is a class provided by some very sweet ladies at our church. Each week we rotate houses and make the menu item for that night and then we all eat together. It is wonderful and it has been a great opportunity to get to know many of the ladies from our church. With all this said, we ate outside! Yes enjoying dinner outside on Sunday and playing in the snow on Tuesday....that is Texas for you! It started to snow around 2pm on Tuesday, right when I was about to leave work. I decided to practice my driving skills and go grocery shopping with all of the other inexperienced drivers. Don't worry the whole operation was a success! Later that day I met up with Jen and Alyssa for some good ole' snow play. We went to the Bonfire Memorial because there are actually hills out there and a very large field, perfect for building snowmen. We also went sledding. Jennifer had the amazing idea of using her car visor and it worked great. One of the girls out there had an adorable puppy that you will see in the video. It kept trying to bite our sled, it was precious! I wanted to stay out there forever. It is amazing how 32 degree weather suddenly feels bearable when snow is falling. Here are some pictures and a video from our adventure.

Playing in the snow!

Snow Angel (all fun and games until your pants get soaked!)

This is Becky, our snowoman!


Alyssa, Jennifer, and me

This weekend Lauren and Riley (roommate and boyfriend) will be coming to my house to ride horses and attend a crawfish boil. I am praying that the weather stays nice! Oh and since this a blog about Katie AND Nick, I guess I should throw something in about him :) Nick had a little bit of snow in Tomball, but nothing compared to College Station. We are really looking forward to enjoying the snow together in Lubbock.