It's been a few months since I've posted.  And a LOT has happened.  I'm a married man now!  I absolutely love it.  Laura and I are so happy.  We were married on May 28th, 2005.  Our honeymoon was great, and the following week we moved into our apartment in Stillwater.  Since then, Laura and I have been taking classes at OSU for the summer.  I'm also working at the FRC, which is actually a lot of fun. 

God has blessed us immensely over the past few months, thank you to all of you who have had us in your prayers. 

Today is the last day of summer classes (and work!).  Tomorrow, Laura and I are going to Hilton Head, SC for two weeks to spend some time at the beach and with my sister's family (they are going with us).  It's gonna be great.  We are both really excited. 

The fall semester is fast approaching, which is strange because this summer has felt eerily like a normal semester, since we both have had classes.  A word of advice to those who want to take multiple summer classes - try to get classes that do not overlap, so that you will not be overwhelmed by two fast-paced courses. 

In summation:  life is beautiful.  I get to live with my best friend.  If I haven't talked to you in a while (sorry, things have been hectic), email me or xanga me.  You probably wont get a response for two weeks, but when I return I'd love to hear from you.  God bless.

-Steve

p.s.  The book shown below is absolutely wonderful.  Ravi talks about the only things that matter in this life - God, truth, existence, etc.  It can get a bit heavy with in depth philosophical arguments, but it is a great testament to God's existence and Jesus' true identity.  Read it - I absolutely loved it.  (I'm currently reading another book by Ravi called Is Your Church Ready?  Also a good read.  Enjoy!

Currently Reading Can Man Live Without God By Ravi Zacharias see related

Wow, it's been a while since I've updated.  Sorry guys.  My semester's been really busy, filled with a LOT of tests and now I'm getting to the point when I have to work on papers that are due in April (yuck).  Laura and I are in the middle of wedding plans (that's pretty much what we did for the entire spring break) and trying to stay afloat with our schoolwork (so far, so good, but prayers are always helpful).  I'm currently looking for a summer job, so if anyone knows a place in stillwater that is hiring, please feel free to let me know.  Laura and I are both taking summer courses, which I am actually excited about because this way I will not have a lab next semester.  It's gonna be a busy summer with classes and work though, so I hope I find a job with pretty flexible hours.  Aside from schoolwork and wedding plans, nothing extraordinary has happened.  Laura and I have been looking for an apartment, and God has blessed us with some options that we can afford. 

This semester I am in a class at Countryside called Biblical Financing.  It's amazing.  God is amazing in his timing, because this is exactly what I needed before getting married.  JB (the pastor) teaches the course, and he has imparted much wisdom over the course of the semester.  I'm so grateful! 

Also, a few weeks ago, Laura and I were elected officers in National Society of Collegiate Scholars.  Our first meeting we ever attended, and we walked out officers for the next year!  How cool is that.  It was an answer to prayer, because I knew the leadership experience is something we were both lacking on our resumes.  God has really blessed both of us individually and as a couple this semester.  Our friends and family are doing almost every part of the wedding, saving us a lot of money.  Well I gotta go.  Class calls.  Talk to everyone later!  Email me for more details.  Later.

About two weeks ago, while driving back from Tulsa, I was pulled over (for the first time) and given a speeding ticket for going 10 miles over the speed limit.  It was at night, on the Kilpatrick turnpike just before the exit to get on I-35.  The cop was sitting on the grass, waiting for speeders.  I was going about 10 over (not sure exactly but that's what my cruise control was set to) and it was in a non-residential (in fact, it was outside city limits) area, and traffic was pretty light.  This was my first run-in with the law, and it left me with a sour taste in my mouth.  However, it was not until tonight that this occasion really upset me.

Today, my parents house was robbed.  Apparently it was an all day affair (both my parents were at work), because the robbers had the audacity to drink orange juice and eat chocolate (my mom found wrappers everywhere around the house).  They took basically everything of value in our house (aside from furniture).  This included the computers, all my dad's camera equipment (this is his main hobby so he had some really nice cameras, printers, etc).  What frustrates me most about this is not the material possessions lost, but the attitude and response of the "police".  My mom called 911 (supposedly an emergency response) at 4:30, and the cop rolled up cooly at 7:30.  7:30!  My mom had not gone into the house when she called so the lady said not to go in because the robbers might still be in there.  Well, geez, if I were the police I would think that a quick response might give a chance of catching the robbers instead of taking all evening and letting them make off with everything, with time to even search through pages of baseball cards and dumped drawers.  After an hour and a half of waiting, my mom finally went into the house, to see it ransacked and stuff thrown everywhere.  What the people did not take they attempted to destroy, whether it be by pouring water all over our wood flooring which my dad and brother and I installed, or by breaking my parents bed frame.  Seeing all this, the cop starts writing what is missing (or the things my parents can think of at that moment), and when asked if she could get a fingerprint off the wrapper of candy or the box of juice they drank from, or the door they opened after ripping the window frame off our house to gain entry, she simply responded, "they do that on tv, we dont do that." 

They dont do that.  What they DO do is fill out a sheet of paper affirming that, in fact, you were robbed.  You then get a copy of this "extremely important" document that with, you write down everything you can think of that was stolen.  How much time would it take to dust something for prints?  MAYBE 5?  MAYBE 10?  But no, that would be real police work, and we cant expect these "police officers" to do anything except harass us by being traffic cops and meter maids.  When do they "serve and protect?"  When has anyone ever felt safer after visiting with a police officer?  When has they served justice to those who break the laws? 

Oh that's right.  They do that when they catch you speeding on their highways or city streets.  But when it comes to real crime, they fill out a sheet of paper for you, and say good luck. 

I'm sorry to anyone who is related to a cop, I'm sure that their relative isnt this lackadaisical about their work.  I'm sure that they care about the people they are called to "serve and protect."  I'm sorry for my rudeness, but cops suck.  How are criminals deterred when cops do not investigate crime?  I just dont undestand. 

Wow, it's been a really busy couple weeks.  So here's an update for those of you who have been out of the loop (which is pretty much everyone except for Laura).

Laura and I went on a ski trip with her family.  We had an absolutely fantastic time.  I've always wanted to go skiing, and although I didnt get to because I had a cast on my left leg, I had a wonderful time.  I went tubing with Laura (which was really cool), and we all went snowmobiling on Christmas day.  It was sweeeet.  They were really fast!  Laura's family is really great.  I proposed to her on the next day, and she said yes (duh).  I'm so excited to become a part of her family and she a part of mine. 

We got back from the ski trip, and Laura, Jim and I went back up to Stillwater.  Laura and I looked for apartments and found some pretty nice ones.  Hopefully God will make one available when we need it this summer.  We are currently working on our wedding plans.  

On a final note, what's with OSU sports right now?  That was a pathetic effort at the Alamo bowl.  Oh well, what can you do, except to say:  Next year!  lol.  that kinda sucks.  Well I hope everyone had a great Christmas!  May God bless you all!