wow what a week!

so you can all punish me for being a bad blogger by commenting on how much you missed the random updates on my life, just kidding i know ya'll probably didn't miss me all that much. i really wish that i could say that i didn't blog this week becasue i was really super busy, or that we went on a surprise Vacation, or somthing. but that would be a lie, and as the 10 commandments tell us, that is BAD! so i'll just chalk it up to laziness!

i really did very little this past week, including school work. i had a few reading assignments to do, but this past week was really the calm before the storm of midterms, which are in two weeks, but after that i have 'fall break'. i put that in quotes 'cause it's not actually called fall break, it's actually called fall reading period- and they mean that 'cause i will probably spend the five days off reading/ writing my big Methodism paper! but on the weekends that is a different story!

the first weekend audie and i are going camping! (go ahead and giggle at the prospect of me being in the woods) but our sunday school class at church is going to a state park in the area and doing the campground thing. I told audie that i felt like i wanted to go, so we're going. it's only going to be like four couples for two nights but i think it will be fun! hopefully there wont' be any real animals or anything, and i know we'll have some good food, can you say smores!!

then the second weekend i'm really considering going to LC's homecoming. the alumni functions are always so cheesy, but i have the weekend free, so why not go down and spend some time with the BFFs although Jessica is being a dork and saying she is busy, i don't really believe her, so amber and i might kidnap her and force her to go to our slumber party!

well lots of love to all of you out there, i hope you're still reading!

-julia

the weekend- so hectic!

sorry i haven't posted this weekend. It was crazy! so it all starts Thursday night when i was wrong AGAIN and did not go to a communion service, but a vespers service at duke chapel. man i was mad!! not that the service wasn't good, but it irritated me that i wasted like three hours of my time waiting around for a service that didn't fulfill the need i had.

well then on Friday my good friend had a personal crisis. and i am a very empathetic person and got really stressed for her. not to mention that her situation with her boyfriend really reminds me of a guy that i dated, and how we broke up. so we went for a bit of retail therapy! which was awesome 'cause i had birthday money to spend and i needed some dress khakis (how/why do you spell that word that way?) so i got some dress pants that are brown and some khakis. so that was stressdul, not the shopping part, but the being with a friend in her pain and confusion part.

then on saturday we left NC at 6 am and got to GA around 12:30. ah, what a trip- i had a BAD headache the whole time and got really sick feeling- i NEVER get car sick, but i was reading, so i think that was it. we had to stop along the way for some Dramamine- which we could NOT find in any gas stations! ( i don't know why not 'cause that is when you need it! we had to find a walgreen's) but that made it all better!

that night we celbrated Audie's dad's- bob- birthday. he turns 70 today! i personally can't believe it! he totally doesn't act like he is 70! it's actually kind of amazing, 'cause he battled colon cancer a few years ago, and he's about as healthy as you can get now. Audie's mom and he are the happiest couple ever! and they are really fun to be around, i'm really lucky to have such great in-laws. we got to see Audie's three brothers, and his sister! Leah is pregnant and so we got to hear the rundown on what is going on with the baby! (i'm so excited to be an aunt!) then we got to hold/ feed/ changediapers/ get spit up on, by Audie's great-nephew. that's right audie has a niece that has a child. actually he has a niece that has a seven kids, and one that just had her first. Audie has two brothers who are in their forties, and one of them is a grandpa! really cute baby, daniel, are really precious! i didn't even mind (too much) that he spit up on my shoulder while i was holding him!

so then on sunday we went to church with his parents, and got to sit in the balcony with his mom ( she is the lady who makes the powerpoint stuff move) and her best friend, Cathy, who's grandchild, sarah kate, was there! sarah is the daughter of Audie's best friend, pete and his wife Kristin. So beautiful. and she was such a lady, she DID NOT spit up on me! i appreciated that because i was in my church clothes.

then we had lunch and then made the LONG trip back to NC! we got here last night at around 8:30. whoo what a weekend!! Exactly! well now on to THIS week, more classes and work! love to all.

ttfn,

Julia

OK I was wrong, part 2

so the presidential debate isn't until the 26th, next friday! that means all my dreams can come true. i can watch survivor, grey's and McCain Vs. Obama. my div school friends are all getting together for a pizza/debate party that night- really pumped about that! Sarah is the host next week, but maybe i can host one one of these days!

also in the news this week: i got my first paper of the year back!! not too shabby if i do say so. i got an 84, which is pretty good for a first paper. you don't really know what to expect, or what the grader wants from you so it's good to get the first one under your belt so that next time you have a good idea of what to do.

also today in my american christianity precept today we did a group worksheet. you know divide into groups and discuss these questions, and then report back. it was fun becasue usually we just come in and discuss stuff. it was like being in 4th grade again doing group work, i like wanted to make a tri-board afterward.

ok so i have/had two hours to kill on campus, i'm going to go to a communion service at Duke chapel at 5:30.

ttfn,
-julia

Ok so i was wrong!

Survivor doesn't start until NEXT Thursday. Which present a Real problem, because that is the same night of the first presidential debate. now i am politically active, by the way my 'palin name' is Geese Whalebone Palin, but i think i will choose survivor over the debates.

Well don't think less of me, i just already have decided- as you can probably figure out from previous posts who i will vote for. but just a word i do think it is ridiculous when people start talking about the politicians personal lives and bring up crap about other stuff that really shouldn't matter.

AND i fully think that you get to vote for who you want to and i get to vote for who i want to, and it will be ok if we don't agree. also i think that this last president has proved that even if all hell breaks loose and we have a (in my opinion) crappy president, things still stay at least decent 'cause we still are alive, and have at least our basic liberties and rights. - not to say that everything is hunky-dory and we need more of the same, we don't. But i do think that at the end of the day we still have to be a united state, one country under the president who will be the president no matter what.

So whoever you chose to vote for, you might just have to deal with the fact that the other people win, and i think that we should all start working together for the good of the Ole USA instead of throwing stones, or pulling out useless (and untrue) stories about each candidate.

Making the other guy/girl look like an idiot doesn't actually help anything, it just makes everyone angry and make the endless cycle start all over again. That is one thing about this political race that hasn't changed since the last one is that the mud is still flying both ways, and at the end of the day, both parties get dirty!!

-julia

busy weekend

So i had a great weekend! Wedding dress shopping was SO fun, but i had forgotten how exhausting it is! as far as i know she still doesn't have a dress but i will keep you updated! She tried on like a zillion, and all of them looked great, many of them were perfect, and i think there is a front-runner, it's just not bought yet.

I had a paper due at noon today so i spent most of Sunday writing. i mean i did take some time to procrastinate a bit and read Harry Potter, or play video games, etc. but i got finished last night around midnight, which isn't an incredibly late night for me. then this morning i was able to wake up a bit earlier and edit and print it. and then start reading for my class this afternoon. I think i will be pretty behind on my reading this week, but that's ok. it's not impossible to catch up, i'll just have to prioritize on what is most important.

Speaking of reading i need to get back to it, but i thought i would utilize one of my last opportunities to blog for a few days.

by the way Survivor- my most all time favorite show begins this week!!! so excited about survivor Ghana, i will be blogging about it for sure!

so we are not in GA

So because of everyone raising the price of gas right now, and people freaking out and buying it all up we are not coming to GA today, obviously, but we will be there next weekend no matter what. That's actually working a ton better 'cause i have two papers due this week and trying to do the family thing and write doesn't usually work.

So last night we went to my friend Danny's for dinner with him, his fiance and her BFF. SO much fun, such good food, then we played Phase 10, my most favorite (card) game ever, but it is the monopoly fo card games if you play with more than like three people, so we didn't leave there until almost 12:30- I'm getting to old for this!!

BUT Amber (the fiance) asked me to go wedding dress shopping with her and BFF today!!! AAAHH!! i love weddings, anything and everything to do with them! so of course i said yes!! so we shall see how AWESOME this day turns out to be!!

-julia

AAH!! My life is crazy!

SO hi everyone, remember me?? probably not because i never Blog!! i know i know i stink and this, but hopefully you all know me and love me anyway! so sorry i haven't blogged since monday, but things are busy 'round here.

so yesterday was my b-day, and it was totally the best one yet!! i got great gifts from Audie right after i woke up!! and then that night i had great dinner at cheesecake factory with my bestest friends from seminary!! so i was a bit busy 'kay.

Audie's job is awesome! he loves it, he is in the midst of being trained so he has a girl that helps him handle all of his calls still. it can be monotonous, but i think he'll like it. AND he gets paid soon which is awesome!

we're going to be in ATL this weekend!! because audie's car has to be inspected before he can get a new tag, but that does mean that we get to celebrate new jobs and birthdays with his family.

also today i got an amazing birthday present for myself. I will introduce you to two fo my new loves!! number one is craigslist.com. ok so it is kindof like a classifields website, you can find jobs, you can list things you are selling/ giving away, and you can post personal ads. I'm not terribly interested in most of it, but there are some cool things there so check it out. anyway, i have been looking casually for a cheap but cute/ good dining room table and chairs. and the other day i found a great one on craigslist for $175. you can't bet that. My friends and i went and got it today!! it looks A-mazing!! all it really needed was a good scrubbing, which brings me to fav. number 2

the mr. clean magic eraser! i am in LOVE! i'm not a total neat freak, but my table and chairs have white painted legs and chair backs, and natural colored wood table top and chair seats, so they have a few smuges on them. i got a (target brand) magic eraser and they just wiped off!! awesome! i'm going to have to sam's club them and add them to my cleaning supply bucket! (that rarely gets used- especially when i am in school)

so i know this was a scatter brained post, but my life is kind of upside down right now. Good, but busy.

-julia

give me a J... Give me an O... Give me a B!!

That's right everyone, Audie got the call today, and he got the job!!

so they called today to offer it to him and he accepted- obviously!! but let me tell you about it. He will be the customer service rep for an art supply company in Raleigh. It is a really good company, all family owned and operated for 40 years. they sell all their art supplies wholesale so they are discounted much more than in the stores. and most of their business is done through phone or mail ordering. so when you call to place an order Audie will answer the phone (not someone in India or somewhere) and plug it into the computer.

so tomorrow he's going to start training! the best part is that it is full time. so he'll work from 8:30-5 Monday through Friday, with the possibility for overtime. It is hourly pay, but 10.00 an hour to start, meaning he could possibly get a raise after some time if he does well!

we really want to tell you all how much we appreciate all your prayers and support. we are so excited and ready for this new part of lives!

- julia

We survived a Huricane!

So we survived Hanna 2008! So NC has like blown this whole thing out of proportion. because really this was only a category one, but Raleigh was declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm, 2 days ago. So then Hanna hit! and basically all the waterways rose about 20 feet, but nothing really got damaged. It just rained like heck and the wind blew a lot, but we were fine, and mostly everyone else was too!

also my aunt, uncle and four cousins live in Baton Rouge, LA and they are without power still from Gustav. so while we are ok after Hanna, they still have about 2-3 weeks of chaos because of schools having to start back, groceries being hard to get air and power being difficult, etc.

so i know that you are all wondering how the interview went. I REALLY don't want to jinx it or whatever, so i'm not sure if i should tell you all. but it did go well, and Audie should find out on Monday. So i'm not going to gush about the job or anything, not yet anyway, but keep praying!!

well we didn't really do much this weekend, because of the hurricane. But we are heading to church tomorrow so i have to go to bed early! love to all.

YAY!

so today was a good day! i went to class and had my first precept meeting. ( for all you non-div schoolers that is basically a small group that meets for all those large classes i'm in so we can actually discuss things.) it was good, i actually siad some things that other people agreed with and got some clarification about our first assignment, which is due in a week and a half.

Usually (and by that i mean the last two semesters) we had a few kind of 'soft' assignments at first, you know a summary of the reading, a question or insight we had from the reading due every class period, so we got feedback from the preceptors without it being in the form of a graded assignment. This semester we don't get that, we just jump right into a graded assignment as the very first thing we turn in. so that will be interesting to see how i do on that paper. It's on my understanding of the doctrine of God. Basically we had to read a chapter where three different authors present thier understanding of the doctrine of God and then i get to 'evaluate' thier opinions while at the same time sort of voicing my own. - should be interesting.

also today i babysat for a little girl that i will babysit every wednesday afternoon for this semester at least, and hopefully into next semester. it was great she is about 19 months old, and took a nap for about an hour today and so i got to do some so important reading about the history of clergy- to be discussed tomorrow.

i got to talk to my mom, which was nice. i love my mom a lot and always like hearing from her, and today was great 'cause i didn't have anything else i needed to do so i was actually able to talk to her.

AND (drumrole please).... Audie got an interview for a job!! he goes on Friday to interview for a job in Raleigh. SO excited, but don't want to put too much pressure on it, so cross your fingers, or say a prayer, whichever you are more comfortable with. of course we are doing fine financially for the moment, but audie being out of work for three months has taken it's toll, and i'll be really glad when he is working again!!

well i guess that's all for now, on to more homework i have about 90 pages to read befoe class tomorrow, so it's on!!

-julia