Thanksgiving and Holiday Beginnings

I spent Thanksgiving with my family in Houston. It was wonderful to be with family and old friends. My hometown on Tomball really is wonderful, and I always love going back. I have three precious cousins who I captured a couple of pictures of this weekend. Here is Mason playing at one of my favorite parks in the area:

Playing at the park with Mason, Wyatt, Hudson, Shane, Dana, Aunt Shirley, my brother and parents was a highlight of the trip. Other memorable moments were game nights, movies, and making Thanksgiving dinner. I will be heading to Florida for Christmas is three short weeks!!!

Back here is Norman there is no shortage of holiday preparation. Sally, my roommate, and I put up our real 7 foot Christmas tree tonight. Wednesday some RUF students are coming over to decorate the tree and enjoy some holiday treats. Here is a picture of the painting in our living room (who we call Keith) all decorated for Christmas:

RUF is having a barn dance this Friday, which means I got my first pair of real bona fide cowboy boots!!! Stay tuned for pictures next week!

A Picture Blog

I am driving to Houston tomorrow for Thanksgiving with my family. I can't believe I have been in Norman for four solid months and am approaching the end of my first semester. God has been very good. He has provided generously. I am looking forward to a time of rest, as are the students. I can't wait to see this little guy: (Wallace)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Chi-Chis

Last week was a whirlwind here in Norman with OURUF. The awesome freshmen in our Bible Study went on a scavenger hunt. The hunt included things from all over Norman, but some of the most memorable moments were: freshmen finding rose bushes and thorns to make themselves bleed, OU students dressing up as "authentic" Texas fans, and standing in water that was waaaay deeper than expected. Here are some of our favorite pictures:

The freshmen scavenger hunt was followed later in the week by "Double Not-A-Date." To my Florida friends, this is the equivalent to D4 or RUF Harmony. Each team did a dance video, and it was quite fantastic. My team danced to "Taylor, the Latte Boy." Here is the link to youtube. So far it has been viewed 20 times. Help us make it an internet sensation (just kidding!!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbWKBvtAC0s

All in all, it was a wonderfully exhausting week. One more week until Thanksgiving. I can't wait to see my dog Wallace!!!

Two weeks into November...

Two weeks into November, and the semester keeps on moving by. Here are some thoughts:

- My computer crashed last week. It became obvious that it was time to invest in a new laptop. I do so much work on my laptop that it was stressful to think about not having one. After doing ample research at the Mac Store and applying the RUF discount, I have a brand new MacBook Pro!!!

- We had a wonderful sleepover for some RUF girls. 13 girls came and we had a blast!!! Crafts, snacks, games, chatting, and movies were all involved! I am having such a good time getting to know the wonderful girls in OU RUF. The picture below is Becky painting a Christmas tree ornament.

- This Friday we are having a Double "Not-A-Date." Girls and guys are matched randomly in groups of four and are given an assignment to complete. I cannot wait to share some of the results during next weeks post!

- The Freshmen Scavenger Hunt is tomorrow. Woohoo!!!

- Last night we did a Prayer Walk on campus. This is probably one of my favorite things that we have done so far. We split into groups and covered different areas of campus. It was great to pray for different things: the College of Business, the Union, the Admissions Office and the students they are admitting for next year, Campus Corner where so much social interaction occurs. While these are the places that I work, they are also the places where these students live. They are forming their world views here, and we pray that they are Christ-centered.

- Texas A&M is coming to town this weekend to take on the mighty Sooners. As many of you know, both of my parents went to A&M. This will be my first time to get to see them play. I am particularly excited to see the Corps of Cadets (of which my dad was a member of) and the Marching Band.

- We have had 10 students sign-up to go on a ski trip to Colorado in January. This is going to be a great time of fellowship! Yeehaw!

Halloween, Tailgates, etc.

I am sorry to my many faithful blog readers who were disappointed when I did not post last week. I was at RUF Intern training in Atlanta, and became a little preoccupied. Needless to say, training was wonderful. It was great to reconnect with interns who are serving around the country!

RUF here in Norman is super busy! This weekend we enjoyed a Halloween Cornhole Party Extravaganza, a Homecoming Tailgate, and a cookout. It was all wonderful! The picture above is myself with Mary Katherine. We were partners for the cornhole tournament and dressed as two peas in a pod!

This week we are doing a scavenger hunt for the freshmen. This promises many fun moments!! The picture below is of three students (Tristen, Jena, and Josh) at the tailgate. I am not sure what they are so excited about- but they look like they are having a great time!!!

Deposits for the ski trip are due this week. We are taking a group of students to Breckenridge at the beginning of January. Skiing, cozy fires, the cute town of Breckenridge- yeehaw!! If you are an undecided student reading this- you need to come!!!

Well, this draws an end to my earliest posted blog ever. Life is busy here in Norman, and very enjoyable. Thanksgiving is a mere three and a half weeks away, and I will be making my way down to Houston to see my family!!!