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!