diff --git a/services/src/main/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/Node.java b/services/src/main/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/Node.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f9893f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/src/main/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/Node.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package edu.msudenver.tsp.services.parser;
+
+public class Node
+{
+    String statement;
+    Node left;
+    Node right;
+    Node center;
+    Node parent;
+    int depth;
+
+    public Node(final String s, final Node p)
+    {
+        statement = s + "\n";
+        left = null;
+        right = null;
+        center = null;
+        parent = p;
+        if(p != null) depth = p.depth + 1;
+        else depth = 0;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public String toString()
+    {
+        String returnVal = this.depth + ": " + this.statement;
+
+        if(this.left != null) returnVal += "... " + this.left.toString();
+        if(this.center != null) returnVal += "... " + this.center.toString();
+        if(this.right != null) returnVal += "... " + this.right.toString();
+
+        return returnVal;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/services/src/main/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/ParserService.java b/services/src/main/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/ParserService.java
index 747521d..ca24a9b 100644
--- a/services/src/main/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/ParserService.java
+++ b/services/src/main/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/ParserService.java
@@ -7,12 +7,15 @@ import edu.msudenver.tsp.persistence.controller.TheoremController;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+
 @Service
 class ParserService {
     private final DefinitionController definitionController;
     private final TheoremController theoremController;
     private final NotationController notationController;
     private final ProofController proofController;
+    Node root;
 
     @Autowired
     public ParserService(final DefinitionController definitionController, final TheoremController theoremController,
@@ -23,4 +26,109 @@ class ParserService {
         this.proofController = proofController;
     }
 
+    public void driveParsingProcess(final String userInput)
+    {
+        final Node tree;
+        ArrayList<String> statements = new ArrayList<>();
+
+        tree = parseRawInput(userInput);
+        statements = retrieveStatements(tree);
+        retrieveDefinitions(statements);
+    }
+
+    public Node parseRawInput(String input)
+    {
+        // convert to the same case for easier processing
+        input = input.toLowerCase();
+
+        root = new Node(input, null);
+
+        // special case: nothing is submitted
+        if(input.equals(""))
+        {
+            return root;
+        }
+
+        // eliminate periods at the end of the input
+        if(input.charAt(input.length()-1) == '.')
+        {
+            input = input.substring(0, input.length()-1);
+        }
+
+        recurse(root);
+
+        return root;
+    }
+
+    private void recurse(final Node current)
+    {
+        int iContain;
+
+        if(current.statement.contains("let"))
+        {
+            current.left = new Node("let",
+                    current);
+            iContain = (current.statement.contains("if") ? current.statement.indexOf("if") : current.statement.length());
+
+            current.left.center = new Node(current.statement.substring(current.statement.indexOf("let")+3,
+                    iContain),
+                    current.left);
+            recurse(current.left.center);
+        }
+
+
+        if(current.statement.contains("if"))
+        {
+            current.center = new Node("if",
+                    current);
+            iContain = (current.statement.contains("then") ? current.statement.indexOf("then") : current.statement.length());
+
+            current.center.center = new Node(current.statement.substring(current.statement.indexOf("if")+2,
+                    iContain),
+                    current.center);
+            recurse(current.center.center);
+        }
+
+
+        if(current.statement.contains("then"))
+        {
+            current.right = new Node("then",
+                    current);
+            current.right.center = new Node(current.statement.substring(current.statement.indexOf("then")+4),
+                    current.right);
+            recurse(current.right.center);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public ArrayList<String> retrieveStatements(final Node parsedTree)
+    {
+        ArrayList<String> statementList = new ArrayList<>();
+
+        statementList = traverse(parsedTree, statementList);
+
+        return statementList;
+    }
+
+    private ArrayList<String> traverse(final Node node, final ArrayList<String> statementList)
+    {
+        if(node == null) return statementList;
+
+        if(!(node.statement.contains("let") || node.statement.contains("if") || node.statement.contains("then")))
+        {
+            statementList.add(node.statement.trim());
+        }
+
+        traverse(node.left, statementList);
+
+        traverse(node.center, statementList);
+
+        traverse(node.right, statementList);
+
+        return statementList;
+    }
+
+    public void retrieveDefinitions(final ArrayList<String> list)
+    {
+        // stub
+    }
 }
diff --git a/services/src/test/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/ParserServiceTest.java b/services/src/test/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/ParserServiceTest.java
index 1ae6e5e..0d007c8 100644
--- a/services/src/test/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/ParserServiceTest.java
+++ b/services/src/test/java/edu/msudenver/tsp/services/parser/ParserServiceTest.java
@@ -1,17 +1,83 @@
 package edu.msudenver.tsp.services.parser;
 
+import edu.msudenver.tsp.persistence.controller.DefinitionController;
 import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
 import org.mockito.runners.MockitoJUnitRunner;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.mockito.Matchers.anyString;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 
 @RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
 public class ParserServiceTest {
 
+    @Mock
+    DefinitionController definitionControllerMock = mock(DefinitionController.class);
+
+    @Mock
+    ParserService mps = mock(ParserService.class);
+
+    ParserService ps = new ParserService(definitionControllerMock, null,
+            null,  null);
+
     @Test
-    public void test() {
-        assertEquals(3,3);
+    public void testEmptyStringEqualsEmptyString() {
+        assertEquals("0: \n", ps.parseRawInput("").toString());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testUselessStringEqualsUselessString() {
+        assertEquals("0: cat\n", ps.parseRawInput("cat").toString());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testSingleIfReturnsIfPlusEmptyString() {
+        assertEquals("0: if\n... 1: if\n... 2: \n\n", ps.parseRawInput("if").toString());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testBaseCaseIfXIsEvenThenXSquaredIsEven() {
+        final String expected = "0: if x is even then x^2 is even\n" +
+                "... 1: if\n" +
+                "... 2:  x is even \n" +
+                "... 1: then\n" +
+                "... 2:  x^2 is even\n\n";
+
+        final String testCase = "if x is even then x^2 is even";
+
+        assertEquals(expected, ps.parseRawInput(testCase).toString());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEmptyStringReturnsEmptyList() {
+        final ArrayList<String> expectedList = new ArrayList<>();
+        expectedList.add("");
+
+
+
+        when(mps.parseRawInput(anyString())).thenReturn(new Node("", null));
+
+        assertEquals(expectedList, ps.retrieveStatements(mps.parseRawInput("")));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testBaseCaseReturnsXIsEven() {
+        final ArrayList<String> expectation = new ArrayList<>();
+        expectation.add("x is even");
+        expectation.add("x^2 is even");
+
+        ps.root = new Node("if x is even then x^2 is even", null);
+        ps.root.center = new Node("if", ps.root);
+        ps.root.center.center = new Node(" x is even ", ps.root.center);
+        ps.root.right = new Node("then", ps.root);
+        ps.root.right.center = new Node(" x^2 is even", ps.root.right);
+        when(mps.parseRawInput(anyString())).thenReturn(ps.root);
+
+        assertEquals(expectation, ps.retrieveStatements(mps.parseRawInput("baseCase")));
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file