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

sorry i'm a bad blogger!!

so i told you things may slow down after school started back but i didn't even realize how much!! school hasn't actually been all the stressful yet, though i think i have read about 1000 pages this week in prep for next week! but the DNC was occupying lots of my time, and rightly so because it was awesome to see history in the making!!

so i guess i should reveal i am an Obama fan!! my closest firends and family know that but i feel like i should tell you that up front! i'm not a totally extremeist about it but it does irritate me when people tell stupid lies aobut him because they dont' want to vote for him. i mean if you don't want to vote for him becasue you think he's wrong about the country needed change, or because you disagree that he has enough experience or something else policy wise. but i HATE it when people make political decisions based on thier ill concieved notions that he somehow is goingto be bad at the job of president because he is bi-racial ( not 'black' or african american even- his father was from kenya, but he was raised by his very White midwestern single mom and grandparents!!- you can't get any whiter than Kansas!!) Anyway i think it is just as stupid as people believing that Hilary would be a bad political leader 'casue she has a uterus!!

ok sorry for the rant and raving about it, but it does iritate me, 'cause this is 2008 people. get with the fact that all people are created equal!!

so then i had a great weekend babysitting for two cute little girls!! and i am about to go there again and so it soon after i make dinner for me and hubby i get to go spend the night putting other people's kids to bed!!

-julia

middle of the week, ugg.

so today is wednesday. and that means that i have officially been to all my classes for the first day. So now i have to just attend them for the rest of the semester. So the outlook is positive, though i am sure that this semester will be must more difficult than the last two. i like all my professors, but they are all really good at their jobs which means my assignments will certainly stretch me beyond belief!!

I have Dr. Heitzenrater for Early Methodism, and he is like the man of Methodist studies. I was really excited about sitting in classes with a legend, and he is one of the main reasons that i came to duke, honestly! but wow he is kinda on the boring side. i mean he is great, but he could be a bit more perky up there lecturing.

Dr. Wacker is who i have for American Christianity. he is a really cute geeky man! he makes jokes and tells good example stories which is nice because he keeps me engaged in his lecture at 8:30 in the morning! really sweet man. the only bad part is that he is one of these, just keep up with the reading with no real plan for when to read what by when, professors. that really doesn't work for me so we'll see how much i actually read!

side note this is one of two classes that i have to attend not just lectures, but small group discussion classes -which is actually where i will ask questions and such. so last semester i had this preceptor- to remain nameless to protect his identity- but i had him for Church History last year and i got a C+ in the class. Then i had him AGAIN for New Testament AND Old Testament second semester and got two of the hardest worked for B's of my life!!! Anyway- when we register for classes it doesn't tell us who we have for precept for so we don't just take the same person over and over, but somehow i just gravitate towards his section for some reason. So i get to class yesterday and the preceptors are announced and introduced, and lo and behold there is this guy!!! he was SUPPOSED to graduate and leave me alone!!! so sure enough i looked online and there he is teaching my class!!! so great now he thinks i'm stalking him and i'll get a bad grade! - to put the positive spin on things, he isn't a jerk i actually like him a bit because i know him so well at this point, and he has really cute kids, but still!!

then i have Dr. Carter for Christian Theology, and he is awesome! he just got tenure but he is really young! He reminds me of a rapper for some reason, just his inflection and cadence to his words is really similar to someone who is used to reading poetry or something! he also has great timing, speeding up and slowing down for dramatic effect! really good!!

so all in all it will be great but still a bit stressful! also today is my big sister's birthday!!! she is an awesome person and great sister!! she turns 26 today and for the next two weeks will be three years older than me, but soon i'll be 24 and catch back up to her!! have a great day rebecca!! i love you a ton!!

-julia

first day down, many more to go!

So today was my first day of classes! i only had one classes today, but i still had quite a day. There was plenty of reading to do for the class so i spent the morning reading and prepping for class. Then audie went and dropped me off for class early so i could print the syllabus and stuff. tomorrow begins my first early day!

for those who are interested these are the classes i am taking. Gender and Race in Paul, American Christianity, Christian Theology and Early Methodism. So today was Gender and Race in Paul, for 2 and a half hours. And while in undergrad we had a soft first day where we just went over the syllabus and introduced ourselves and stuff and then went home. Not in Graduate school !! today we not only went over the syllabus but then went over the theoretical and theological basis for the class and what would be expected of us for each assignment.

This particular class is made up of not only second and third year students, but also has some Ph.D students in it. I think that is going to definitely raise the level or discussion and rigor for the class for sure. And the professor is AMAZING!! he definitely is awesomely scholarly and really hard, but in a down to earth way that makes him easy to listen to! he is from New Zealand and he is really relaxed and laid back!! he taught us today in cargo shorts, sandals and a button up short sleeve shirt, like a surfer for real!!

awesome discussion today about Genesis 3:28 ( that's the no slave nor free, no male or female, no greek nor jew text ) anyway so then we spent the rest of the time in small groups discussing the text and exegeting (determining the meaning and important nuances of the text) as much as possible from first glance. Apparently we will do this same text on the last day of class as well and using what we have learned in class will help us determine the answers to our initial questions about the text.

ahh!! i loved it, totally and completely every minute of it! this whole experience is totally the hardest thing i have ever done, but every time i leave a class i have such confirmation that this is where God wants me!! i love it!!! (but tomorrow at 7, when i have to get up for my early classes, which i have four days a week, let's see how much i love it!)

-julia

it's ovah!! or is it just beginning?

WOW what a ride! so after the massive shopping extravaganza the wedding stuff stepped it up a notch and amber, her mom and i went crazy getting stuff done. and now it is all over. when i get back to NC officially there will be pics and stuff but for now let's just say it was amazing!! Amber and Derek were amazingly beautiful and it was a ton of fun to see them get married. It was like a whirlwind though! i had the best time in the world hanging gout with old friends from college and seeing the most wonderful people in my life! My hubby also came down yesterday so of course i had to spend some time with him, after not seeing him for a full week and a half!

but the whirl wind of the wedding is over and now life gets back to normal! Audie and i left the reception and went straight to see my in-laws! so now things have calmed down considerably. Tomorrow the whole crew (audie's bro and sis and their spouse/significant other) will be at lunch after church and then it is back to ol' NC!! booo!!!

and monday.... the grind begins! i have my first class of my second year at Duke! so if the blogging slows down, that is why! i actually received an email from two separate professors telling us our reading assignments for the first class meetings this week!! ACH!!! so i will be prepared but just seeing those syllabi freak me out a bit! it will be fine just back to getting stuff done and work!

so i'm exhausted from all the wedding mayhem (amber it was awesome and i loved every minute of it) I really am pumped about some really great pics that were taken and ready to hear how amber thought it all went, but of course she is on the honeymoon, so i won't hear from her for a while.

anyway i'm rambling and pooped so i'll check back later!

-julia

CUTE shoes!

So yesterday we (amber, her mom and i) went shopping for different stuff needed for Amber's wedding and honeymoon.  Amber's mom needed shoes for the wedding and so the first stop we made was to DSW.  If you don't know that is the best shoe store in the world, i mean it's kind of like what heaven might be like.  

Well in DSW not only do they have really cute shoes, but also they have a back room with all their discontinued shoes, or shoes that are out of season, or on mega sale for whatever reason. they are all organized, which i love, there is nothing worse than unorganized chaos at a sale.  anyway they are organized by size, so you don't have to struggle to find the cute shoes in your size.   

So i found some great shoes in black that i really like, but were a bit small.   Which meant i wanted to find another size and so i looked like real hard to find some more just one half size more.  so around the area i went looking and looking- then i saw the same shoe in a half size larger, but it was in taupe- not bad looking, and they fit ten times better, but i thought that the color was a bit weirder and so wasn't sure that i would wear them as much.  

Then i noticed the sticker.  well the taupe ones were on sale for 70% off, but the black ones were only 40% off- well that must be a mistake.  well then i got concerned because if they are only 17$ i would have possibly bought both, but if they are both 40$ i'm not sure that i would pay that much for either of them.  

so off i went to the front of the store to ask, because this is imperative information to make my shopping decision.  so i asked the lady behind the counter and she confirmed that they were both marked correctly and so that the black ones would be 40$ but the taupe would be 17$.  so then i was like well ok, if they were bothe 17 i would have bought both, but ince they aren't i'm not sure if i should buy any.  (because i think i would wear the black ones more, but the taupe ones were the ones on sale- just my luck) well as i say this then the manager, who is right behind the counter as well says that we can work something out. 

Promptly they gave me both pairs for 70% off and my total was only 38$ which is amazing!  look at the picture below so see the awesomeness!! YAY!!

T- minus 4 days

Ok so there are four days left until Amber and Derek's wedding.  I am in charge of the programs and generally helping out while i am here.  So i have been rubber cementing paper together, punching holes, cutting paper and threading ribbon all week.  They are really cute, but are kind of tedious to do.  i feel like i haven't done anything else in a while but stare at paper, but i promised to update you all on my life so this is it. 

Also it has now been a week since i have seen my husband!  i miss him so much.  i think it's really funny because while we were dating we lived like two hours apart and we saw each other like every two weeks and spoke on the phone for hours each night before we went to sleep.  Since we have been married this is the longest we have ever spent apart.  And each night while we speak before bed we definitely don't talk for hours, more like 15-20 minutes.  maybe it just because nothing really has been going on but my glueing paper together, and his looking for jobs, and so there just isn't much to say.  

but i do miss those long convos in the dark of my dorm room, i guess that's what happens when you get married, but you get to trade it out for better stuff like spending a whole week together, 24 hours a day seven full days in a row. (we totally did that this summer several times) so i guess i shouldn't complain!  

but i do miss my sweetie!  i really just miss being around him, having him near me to help/ answer question or discuss things with.  i just love him a ton and i'm totally glad that we got married, and haven't EVER regretted it!  

ok enough mushy stuff, 

byee- julia

What a weekend!!

Ok so i sort of posted on Saturday, but Sunday was an awesome day, but i was WAY too tired to do any posting last night.  

so yesterday morning Amber, Derek and I all went to church.  SO great to see friend i haven't seen in a long time!  i loved seeing all the church people i haven't seen since i graduated a year ago.  we'll forget that Alvin forgot my name has changed!  ( actually it's not a huge deal i barely noticed, but then i was like, wait that's not my name)  It's funny how long it takes to recognize your new last name but then when someone calls you the 'wrong' name it registers quickly.  but most of the time it's not a huge deal.  

That reminds me of a story and i'll tell it to you 'cause that is what this blog is about anyway-  So on Audie's and my honeymoon we decide to save the much needed money by shopping for sandwich stuff, chips and soda to keep in our hotel room and to make lunch everyday and just eat out at dinner each night.  So the first afternoon we were there (married less than 24 hours) we go to a super Target to buy the groceries.  Well we are walking up and down the aisles and he gets slightly ahead of me down an aisle with a stock boy on it.  So i am talking to him, saying i wonder where the such and such is or whatever.   And the stock boy turns to me and is like "excuse me ma'am were you talking to me?"   and i just as naturally as can be said, " no i'm talking to my husband, thanks though" -  ACK so natural like we had been married for like 20 years and were just shopping at the supermarket for the weeks groceries!  so funny how quickly i switched over, but then i still slip up and call him my 'boyfriend' sometimes now!  haha 

ok so that was a side note, yesterday afternoon Jessica and I threw Amber a lingerie shower.  SO MUCH FUN!!  we played games we talked about sex, we talked about fun girly stuff and had some good food and really good cocktails.  and Amber got the cutest lingerie, and some things that she really will wear which is nice too.  

THEN amber and derek and i went to the movies to see Stepbrothers,  it was extremely funny - i laughed like the whole time even though it was mostly inappropriate humor!  really fun!!  

So best day for sure!  after the movie amber and i wound up falling asleep at like 11  like old ladies or something- but we had a long day so it was ok 

so see you later- Julia 

Today's events

hi all!  I'm staying in Lagrange this week with Amber for the wedding!! We went bachloretting last night.  We wound up just going out to dinner, and it was amazing.  We laughed and laughed and talked seriously and loved spending time together. 

But before it all started i realized that i had brought everything i needed, but my dressy clothes.  So i had to work something out so i would have my dress clothes for church, and the shower for tomorrow, the rehearsal dinner and of course for the wedding.  But thankfully my mom worked it out, and i went to Thomaston to get my clothes.  then i spent the rest of the day running errands getting things ready for the awesome shower that Jessica and i are throwing for Amber tomorrow afternoon.  But really not a huge day, but things are sweet 'cause i get to live with my roomie again!!  

Early Morning Post!

Wow, so those of you who know me are aware that i am like the worst morning person in the world and are surprise that i am awake at 8 am, much less doing something productive. But i am still at my parent's house for the week and so I am waking up earlier each day because they are up making noise, the light in my high school bedroom isn't like the light in my room in Durham, I'm in the bed alone instead of being with the husband, etc.

Today though i am headed to LaGrange! I loved being in college there and one of my two best friends ever is getting married. The three of us are all bachloretting tonight in Atlanta and i am looking forward to being dressed up, good food, good laughs and LOTS of fun!! Then i'll be in LaGrange the rest of the week being the wedding elf for Amber.

She's been a really great friend to me form the start of college on, and i love that we met so randomly and that we think and act the same so much, but are also so different! She's marrying the wonderful Derek, who is actually perfect for her. Now that she is with Derek i feel like i know the real Amber better, just by seeing her interact with someone who really is perfect for her. She is quirky and funny and loving to everyone and everything( in theory, in reality she can be a bit snippy without realizing it, but we are working on it) and was my first real friend at college.

Jessica is equally an amazing friend and is the person who reigns Amber and i back in. I think Amber and i are sometimes too loud, impulsive and kooky, but Jessica is none of those things. She is the voice of reason, the responsible one who knows how much is in her bank account down to the cent! I value her opinion and thoughts about matters so much, because she approaches life in such a different way than me that i know she has the answers to the questions i haven't thought of yet. She also has an amazing man in her life who is perfect for her, and stretches her- because i think he is more impulsive and feeling oriented and she is more analytical and facts oriented (and both are great). They make a good team. She also is beautiful, graceful, and a good dancer, and let me know that it was ok to think outside the box on issues.

I'm not really sure why this is what i posted about, but i am so excited to see and hang out with these girls. They are some of my most favorite people in the world! You know who sometimes people (or games or something) ask you who you would most like to have dinner with living or dead. Well i know the answer is supposed to be Jesus or someone equally famous, but i'm going to have dinner with my answer tonight!

Hannah's Dorm

So we went and took Hannah to school today (side note- sad day that my baby sister is old enough to go to college). It went remarkably well as move in days go.

However her roomate is a no show. Well she hasn't shown up yet, but maybe that means hannah can kind of pick her own roomate. Or maybe she won't come at all and she can have the room. So yeah tons of toating boxes, but not really because the cheerleaders and football players were there to help everyone carry stuff. Sad day that it was raining cats and dogs most of the time!

Basically i'm pretty tired and just wanted to say something to the greater wrld about the fact that my baby sis is growing up (hopefully she'll turn out ok). We all learn/learn so much about responsibility at school and we all need those lessons. Hopefully they will stick and the partying all night not going to class ones won't.

But right or wrong everyone must live with the choices they make, i just hope that she knows to surround herself with people that are better than her and that will motivate her to acheive more than she has already (though she is a great person already!!). I just mean that i know that my est friends were always motivating me to do things better than i would have done them on my own, not worse and i hope the same for her.

Anyway, so i hope hannah sleeps well in the otherwise empy dorms and has a good few weeks before the onslaught of school begins for her! Meanwhile-back with ME!

I'm going to go to the District office of the UMC in my hometown to get paperwork signed and have lunch with my dad and stepmom! hope all goes according to plan but don't have other plans.

love to all

-Julia