vi·gnette
n.

1. A short, usually descriptive literary sketch.

I thought I'd start out this long-awaited blog entry with a definition, because I've never done that before. I also did it to prepare you for what is to follow: a series of vignettes describing some of the various happenings of my summer...

My Girl
You probably all know by now, but I have been dating Jaime Patterson since May 9th. And every day since, I have thanked God for bringing me a girl more beautiful, more fun, and more amazing than I ever expected.

Fun In The Sun
Right after spring finals, I flew home to join my family on a trip to the sunny beaches of Charleston, SC. In tribute to the valiant people of Rohan, we built not a sand castle, but a sand Helm's Deep. The clear skies led to a few sunburns (poor Ben), but also made for some spectacular star-gazing.

Summer School
I am actually surprised how little I complained about taking 12 hours of class this summer. It got a little repetitive with each class 5 days a week, but my roommates were in the same boat...so it's all good. (You get a point if you know that last reference.)

4th of July
To celebrate our day of independence, me and the gang journeyed to Austin where we did some tubular tubing, ate some snowy snow-cones, and watched the fiery fireworks!

Pinball
I want to get this out in the open: I, Nicholas Patrick Cochran, am addicted to the Addam's Family pinball machine. That terrible game is at the same time infinitely frustrating and supremely satisfying. Satisfying only because I now hold 3rd place on the all-time leaderboard (you're going down Trejo).

My Great Day
Everyone has a good day from time to time, but Wednesday, August 18, 2004 was absolutely phenomenal (high-five, Lee) for this young man. I finished my summer classes, scored 100 on my management final, won every game of Halo, received a free meal, and won $40 playing poker! Oh, and the Astros won that night, as well!

Spongebob and The Cowboy
Our apartment is overflowing with instruments! As of my latest tally, we possess 3 acoustic guitars, an electric guitar, a mandolin, two trumpets, a keyboard, and an african drum. John has also recently purchased some recording equipment, so...

9 Instruments + Recording Equipment + Marginal Talent = All-night jam sessions!

My brother, John, and I have a couple great songs in the works, which we will debut at a later date.