September 10, 1998

Well...it's been a long summer. Seems weird to say those words because summer never feels long, but it's appropriate. So much happened, so many rollercoaster ups and downs. I went home at the beginning of the summer, for two weeks. Not much to say about that, except that it was a welcome break. I returned to Austin in order to celebrate my 21st birthday with my friends...but it was not to be!! The morning of my birthday, June 3rd, I woke up with severe stomach cramps. I thought I had food poisening, but after 5 hours of agony Erin convinced me to drive myself to the student health center where I found out I had appendicitis! So I had my appendix removed on my 21st birthday. What are the odds? Nah, actually it wasn't that bad. All of my friends here came to visit me in the hospital, plus some family, including my mom who flew up just to be with me. :) The doctors and nurses were great...my anesthesiologist said, "I'll be your bartender this evening," and the guy who wheeled me down to surgery told me that this was an elaborate scheme and that he was actually my stripper. Ha!! I recovered very quickly and was able to go on my summer vacation to GUAM! My dad was getting transferred there and my sis Kara and I went with him and my stepmom to get them set up. We stopped in Washington State and Hawaii on the way, and spent a week and a half on the tiny island of Guam in the Pacific. Guam is beautiful and weird. It feels like what Hawaii might have felt like before it was developed and commercialized. There is a huge amount of Japanese and Korean tourism, though, which made it a little hard to get a grasp on the culture. After returning from Guam, I started up with second session summer school...a really light load...actually just Psychology. I lazed around, went to movies and Barton Springs, just enjoying things. And then the unthinkable happened. My grandfather was hospitalized, and it turned out that he had had a major heart attack. All his systems began to fail. My mom and sisters once again returned to Austin, and we spent three days and two nights in the hospital. Poppy wasn't supposed to make it more than a few minutes but he lasted that long. It was wrenching...I couldn't believe that I was witnessing him dying. To never hear his soft rumbling voice again, to never hear his stories from WWII, to never see his blue eyes...how could it be possible? Then on a Friday morning he died with all of us around him. I have never had anyone so close to me die. To this day it doesn't seem real. Anyway...other things happened this summer but there importance seems to be dwarfed right now...I'll go now. Goodnight. Nic

March 7, 1998

Life is crazy at the moment. Absolute chaos. This week two of my grandparents' friends, who were like second grandmothers to me, died. I spent a good portion of the week at my grandparents' house here in Austin. It has been a very sad time. Then last night my roommate was in a car accident and got severe whiplash. Thank God that was all. On a happier note, Gretchen's 21st b-day is tomorrow (observed) and we're planning a big bash for her, should be fun. This week I've got, count 'em, three freakin tests and my film journal and a paper proposition due. My mind is no longer here, guys. Hopefully things'll calm down a bit. A week from yesterday I'm road tripping down to Florida for Spring Break! Whoo hoo! I've been needing a little sun...Nic

January 15th, 1998

That was some quick break. We priviledged UT students got about a month off. I started off by driving home from Austin (13 hours, not so bad). On the 20th of Dec, my family and I flew to Reno to see my stepdad's family. The plane was delayed an hour from our humble Fort Walton Beach airport, so we missed every one of our connections and the trip lasted more than 12 hours. Kara and I went to the Delta desk to ask for food coupons (ALWAYS do this, and be gracious about any flight problems, and they'll try to help you out). We ended up getting $40 of free food. Anyways, we finally arrived in Reno. The week of Christmas was lots of fun, especially since we had little kids in the house. Also, there was snow for a couple of days! We went skiing (this was the main present from my parents), hung out with our coffee house-hopping cousin Dane, went light-looking (Kara, Alea, and I got a kick out of the overdone houses. It looked like the X-mas light fairy had thrown up in their yards), and had a blast in general. After coming back home, Kara and I had a day to do laundry (yeah right) before taking off to Alberquerque to see our Dad. While waiting for connections in Atlanta, we ate brunch with Joe, who we met on the plane. By the end of the meal , the three of us had inside jokes, it was great. The vacation in New Mexico was so wonderful. I would have been content just to visit Dad and Mom, but they had other plans. We went skiing (or sliding down the ice on our butts, take your pick :), climbed lava flows to see petraglyphs, scaled the actual volcano and stood on top of the world, then climbed down into the crater and had a snowball fight, shopped Santa Fe, and rang in the new year as is tradition. I can't imagine a better vacation. Yes, I'm being peppy but it was really fun and I don't want to take it for granted. Since the fifth, I've just been hanging out. I went to see Kara in Tallahassee last weekend and we went to a party, saw *Good Will Hunting*, etc. I'm celebrating Christmas with my friends tomorrow. The only thing I regret is that my friends and I couldn't make the annual camping trip. We usually pick this time of year so we can freeze and have weird stories to talk over later (i.e. the time the pipes froze and we had to drive to the bathroom when we wanted to use it). Oh, well, can't do everything. What a vacation!! And now I get to go back to the grind. You know I'm looking forward to it...;) --Nic

November 20th, 1997

Hey again. Well, I've had a pretty good week! School's going well, but I have so much due in the next week and in the last week of school. The past two weeks have been relaxing, but crack-down time is already here. I have so much research to do it's almost unfathomable. Other than school, life's just been truckin' along. Last night I went with my friend Cathy to the Madrigal Dinner, which is sort of a Medieval-themed dinner the UT Student Union puts on. It was so much fun...jugglers and magicians and a play, etc. Definately worth $10. My roommate Courtney got tickets for Phantom!!! It's coming in January, and though we have the cheap-o seats, I'm sure it'll be great. Ummm...not much else going on...I'm reading a book called *Till We Have Faces* by C.S. Lewis, and I highly recommend it...So that's all for now. Hope everyone is healthy and happy and stays warm. --Nic P.S. I'm coming home for Thanksgiving!! (Though I leave at 6:10 am Thanksgiving morning, and knowing my luck with flight will get to Florida sometime Friday afternoon). I'm looking forward to it, so whoever's home, give me a call.

November 11th, 1997

Hi you guys. I'm really freaking tired. It's almost 2 am. My stupid English prospectus is due tomorrow and it's absolute and total crap. Just thought I'd let you know. So anyways...not much happening in Nicoleland. Lessee...I'm just pulling out of the depths of the murky test and paper bog. After tomorrow, it's smooth sailing for a little bit. :) My apartment is awesome!! My roommates and I are all pretty much getting along...a few clashes here and there but nothing serious. :) The last party I went to was last Friday night. Let's just say it was extremely cold sitting out there with Gretchen while she smoked, and Freaky Man kept hitting on me. Get away from me, Freaky Man! On Sat. I visited my grandparents to watch UT lose yet another football game. This has become a tradition (visiting my grandparents for the games, not UT losing. Well, actually...) Then that brings us up to date! Take care and see ya later! --Nic