Ok I've got 2 more videos of South Caicos that are absolutely amazing and make me want to go back this very minute! One of my friends and peers put together a montage video of our time there-- a lot of underwater footage if you are into that-- that also has video of our group (I am on the very left edge of some of the candid shots. Look for the denim skirt;).

The second one was posted by an SFS alum who just went back to the center to do shark research for a week and they have some INCREDIBLE footage of them catching a nurse shark. This is exactly what we did except for the part where Aaron pulls the shark on board and out of the net---which we failed at. Clearly they have gotten better at cast-netting! (A heads up, there are also scenes of my serious UK professors playing chubby bunny. Clearly this is what happens when students aren't around;).

     Thursday morning I pulled myself out of bed at 6:30 to unconsciously put on my glasses and automatically eat a bowl of cereal. As I headed back to my room to get dressed, I glanced at my phone and saw the most unexpected but glorious message there could be: school was CANCELLED! It had been a cold week with rumors of weekend snow, but I doubted the news was anything besides Oregon craziness (yes I used to be from Minnesota...this is NOTHING). After triple-checking that I didn't need to go to class, I jumped back under my warm covers for another couple hours of Zzzs!!
     Around 11, I got up to a buzzing phone and checked out the window for the first time that day.... and was shocked to see a sea of white. Snow drifts covered cars, the road, our front steps, and big flakes were still coming down heavily. Glad to be inside and excited for the first snow day I'd had in a while, I settled in for a day of (brief) homework, group texting my hilarious family, and some much-needed and fun personal time. By 5 school was cancelled for Friday as well so I decided to risk the drive home and get out of Corvallis before anything else happened. By then we had a good 6-9 inches of snow and my little Civic had a bit of a rough go navigating the darkening streets. Once my heater kicked in, it was a cozy but nerve-wracking drive home on streets and freeways so coated that numerous cars were in the ditch. The usual 75 minute drive ended up being close to 2 hours because I could only go 40 mph most of the route.
     It was a girls house at home since the parentals were still gone for the winter conference, so we had a fun evening with some of Kendra's friends over. Clearly none of us got up today before noon and then got to repeat the joys of having a snow day (and we get Saturday tomorrow even!! I did get some productive essay-writing done and then Kyla and I suited up to go for a walk through the sparkling, powery snow around the neighborhood. Then we really got in the creative mood and decided to blast the Frozen soundtrack (appropriate right?) while we made nutella crepes and granola (the crepes for right then and the granola for my new yogurt parfait obsession as a breakfast food). Love our cooking parties. Snow has still been coming down heavy and our outside lights are making it twinkle against the fir trees in an unexpected wonderland. My only response is to snuggle into my sweatshirt a little more and say 'I'm blessed!' with a big smile.