Christmas party #1

I am in a small group with several other freshmen on Tuesday nights. We meet in the home of one of the couples on staff. It is one of the highlights of my week. This week we had a Christmas party complete with decorating Christmas cookies and making a gingerbread house. "White Christmas" was playing in the background and there was plenty of hot chocolate and a variety of other cookies Missy had made. It was a fun time just goofing around together.



It has been a loooong time since I made sugar cookies.



Ben and Missy (our small group leaders) have three young children who had a blast cutting out the cookies as fast as we could roll out the dough.









We attacked the cookies with the frosting after the kids went to bed.



These were definitely the most colorful Christmas cookies I have ever made.



Most of our group. Missy is behind the camera and there are three more guys absent.



Yes, they really are that tall. (And yes, I really am that short.) I get plenty of brotherly ribbing from the guys in my small group. Thankfully, my own brothers (and a certain Peter M.) have conditioned me well when it comes to teasing.

"And now for the evening weather."

The low for tonight is supposed to be 29*, but tomorrow's high should be a balmy 29*.

Can you say "nippy?"

Winter wonderland

Dorothy and I were blissfully working on our homework project when Lindsey called my attention to the window....



This is the view from my bedroom window. See our nice hospital across the way? There is even a helicopter pad. :)



The view from Lindsey's room. See! There's my car down there!



There are not any windows in the common room in our dorm, so Dorothy and I opted to move our homework down to the student center where we could enjoy the snow. I like our back yard.



And yes, there were several brave souls who ate lunch outside today for Eat Outside Monday. I was all bundled up and ready to join them when I was reminded that I had dish crew for lunch. Oops! Maybe next week.







This is definitely a first for my little car. Now all I need to do is learn how to DRIVE in it....



Beautiful!



And here is a sampling of the "homework" that Dorothy and I were working on. Our class is building Solomon's temple in Old Testament HIStory. Dorothy and I are responsible for making the utensils and such that would have been used/stored in the storage unit. The priests also lived there, so we'll be making mats and other appropriate things. It feels more like playing that homework. We are using modeling clay for the bowls, plates, lamps, and shovels you see here.

There's no place like home

As I drove back to school after spending Thanksgiving with Uncle Jan's in Indiana, I found myself thinking about NTBI as being "home." Hmmm... No, not really. I was not looking forward to diving back into the books after a nice long weekend away, but I have only three more weeks of study before I can REALLY go home for Christmas. Hurrah!

Following is a picture tour of my Thanksgiving weekend. It was wonderful! I am thankful that Uncle Jan and Aunt Karen live within a relatively easy driving distance from the school. I'm looking forward to going down again next Thanksgiving. Or maybe if I can get away for a Purdue football game with Uncle Jan next fall....



Aunt Karen said James was bouncing off the walls all day Wednesday waiting for me to get there. (I believe it!) It was fun having a little brother to hug and tease again.



Yesterday afternoon James gave me the grand tour of their place. It doesn't look too cold, but my fingers and cheeks were almost numb by the time we were finished.



This is looking out back behind their house.



As you can see, James took his role as tour guide very seriously.







How cool to have your very own creek!







The family.



That crazy dog would curl up on Aunt Karen's lap and then lay his head on her shoulder just like a child. It was so funny.



This is what a philosophy professor's office looks like.



Twins! Sort of.



He might look like a wild mountain man, but don't let that fool you. With a degree in biochemistry/biophysics and a doctorate in philosophy, he's a genius, but he's also the most down-to-earth guy you'll ever meet.

Sentimental fool

*sniff!*

Good grief. If I'm getting choked up over saying good-bye for Thanksgiving weekend, what in the world am I going to be like at Christmas?? Or next SUMMER???

I'm off to Indiana for four days. Hurrah!

Christmas is in the air

The school is transforming before our very eyes. The hallways are filled with the sound of Christmas music being played over the speaker system and staff and students are hard at work putting up decorations. Such fun!

But seriously…. How is one supposed to concentrate on something as blasé as homework with such festivities going on?





Note the somewhat scruffy beard. Some of the guys on staff are also participating in "No Shave November."



Front lobby.



Reception desk also in front lobby.



We have nice wide hallways. And yes, I have already seen students tossing things (keys) through the wreaths as they walk past.



The front of the auditorium. This is where we have chapel.





Mailboxes!





Good o' you, Scott!

I'll be sure to post pictures of the finished project. Maybe we'll even have some snow to compete the mood. We'll see!


And now I pull myself away to my books. Charge!!

An autumn romp

We did not have normal classes today because of Day of Prayer, so yesterday afternoon Lindsey, Rochelle, Hanna, Chloe (R & H's friend from Guinea) and I took advantage of, shall we say, the lack of urgency to do homework and went to the old cemetery in town. It was a beautiful afternoon. I wish my camera could have captured the colors better.





The colors were amazing!



I would like to know exactly what that building is/was used for. The grill-like roof look suspiciously charred...



The gravestones in the older part of the cemetery were very spread out and sparce.



Dear friend Lindsey.



I loved walking through the piles of leaves and listening to the crunching sound.



Rochelle is another "little sister" I will love for life. I'm so thankful we are both freshmen together.







Can you say "imposing?" This is definitely the largest grave marker I have ever seen. And the strange thing is, it was out in the middle of the woods all by itself with the exception of a few other gravestones.



To put things a bit more in perspective, Lindsey is 6' 2". Yes, this thing was definitely a monster.



Note the random grave stones.











hee, hee! Don't tell Rochelle I posted this one. She'd be mortified.



The End(s).