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!