weeks recap!

Sorry guys, I realize that katie b. posts more in a day than i do in a month many times. But this week has been fairly busy- about as busy as summer time gets around here.

Sunday: not much happening around here, i think Audie and i just enjoyed the fact that we had nothing to do that afternoon.

Monday: Babysitting again. i watched my fav. girl again, picking her up from daycare and then putting her down for a nap that afternoon. more like a day of stuff to do. after babysitting i taught a friend to drive a stick shift, she did really great! she was my like second student ever, and she was driving in a neighborhood after only about two hours. Audie stayed home sick that day, and i think he passed it to me, because by that evening i was sneezing and stuff as well.

Tuesday: Orientation for Field Ed. So my supervisor and my reflection group leader were not present- which is the majority of what you do at orientation- meet and get to know them/ hear about what you'll do this summer during the internship. SO my day was basically pointless. a long day of doing nothing at the Div. school. I didn't really have to be there for most of the day so i skipped out on some things, but was present for the most important things.

Wednesday: again babysitting! another nice day with the girl! she was really funny, because her mom has been gone for the last week (she was in the hospital- she was fine, but still) the girl has been with dad, and has been totally missing mom. That afternoon when she woke up from her nap, and found me there instead of mom or dad she was pretty upset. after she calmed down we were playing, when she had to get in a bit of trouble for doing something dangerous- not a big deal i just told her no (a word she doesn't hear too often i'm sure- especially this last week, while dad has been in charge) But she got mad at me, and then pitched a bit of a fit- she threw herself on the floor, and then like screamed loudly. I told her to stop that or she would have to be in time out. And at that point she started 'crying' where she just made crying noises, but no tears were there at all. And when i told her that wasn't going to get her anywhere- she jsut made the noises some more and then would stop long enough to check if i was paying attention, and then when i looked at her, started 'crying' again. Kids are pretty funny, I told her to play something else and she pretty much did, in like 5 minutes i was her favorite again.

Thursday: not much going on here! i stayed home in my PJs all day- for the first time since school has been over!! reading and watching TV, and really resting with my cold. I still feel pretty crappy, but i think the cold is on it's way out, i'm totally living off sudaphed and robutussin, and the combo has made me pretty sluggish!

but this time next week i'll be in GA!! I'll give the low down later, but I'm pumped about $29 one way tickets that i got on tuesday, and i'm pumped to go home and see my mom, and then go dress shopping with the newly engaged Jessica, and when i get home, i'll be going on the road trip of GA with my two good seminary friends!

so see ya'll later, enjoy the longest post ever, and i hope you have had a great week too!

-Julia

summer is great!

AAhh, i love summer time! I have had the best few days! (i have had plenty of time to blog, but i have just been doing nothing and enjoying my time off)

Thursday: i babysat for one cute little girl Hannah, we went to the Life and science Museum in Durham, AWESOME i really recommend it! totally worth the ticket price. Anyway we went and so did like every school child in durham public school and their parents as chaparones. they were everywhere= too crowded and not too fun. Then we went back to her house for lunch and a nap! Then Audie and I just spent the night at home. (the girls and i were gonna do a sleep over that night, but finals wore us out too much)

Friday: we did get together for a poolside lay out day of reading, relaxing and chatting. But the sun did not cooperate, clouds and then rain ruined our day, so we went inside and watched Bride Wars- too cute! On the way home from sarah's i got an awesome call from one BFF Jessica about her getting approved for a new house. She bought a house!! that's crazy, but so exciting, she and her boyfriend are awesome good friends of ours, both were in our wedding (they walked down the aisle together!) and they had been looking for houses, waiting for a good deal/ good house. They found an awesome house- it was great news to hear! Friday evening a few friends and Audie and I went to the Durham Bulls game. Awesome seats for just $10. We were like five rows back from first base, right next to the Bulls dugout! we were really pumped and had a great time at the game- even though we lost 14-1. boo on the bulls! But the real drama of the night was that my car was broken. When my friend came over to go to the game he came in and told me that my brake lights were on, even though my car was NOT on!! really freakin wierd! anyway we took off one of the battery terminals so that the battery wouldn't run down.

Saturday: So far the day has been great. I got woken up to the news that Jessica- friend with the new house- and her boyfriend James GOT ENGAGED!!! too awesome timing James! they are such a great couple. They started dating about six months after Audie and I did, and i have been wanting them to get engaged probably worse than Jessica has! but they now are, and the rign si lovely! a beautiful antique- james' grandmother's! love it! sigh, love is in the air! ok well then since we were already up, from the 8:30 phone call from Jessica, we decided to go ahead and take the car to the shop. No news yet on wether little herbie ( that's my car's name) will be better soon or not, here's hoping 'cause i was supposed to teach a friend to drive stick this afternoon/ another friend on Monday. I kinda need my car for that!

Ok so anyway- summer is awesome i love having nothing to do! though it is a bit wierd having nothing to do, you know what i mean?

Ok well i'll update all of you when i know more about herbie's condition! love to all on a beautiful saturday!!

-Julia

Done!

20 minutes ago i submitted my last final! and a full ten minutes before the deadline! i was done at 9:30 but i had a friend proofread it with some fresh eyes- really good idea since the paper was for 50% of my grade! so i'm off to bed, then going to spend my first day off babysitting for the sweetest girl in the world!! then my two great friends meridith and sarah and i are all having a slumber party at sarah's- no husbands! then on friday will be the whole day spent by the pool, until we leave to shower and get changed and go to a Durham bulls game!! it's going to be a great summer, including some awesome reading, though Not one of you gave me any suggestions! it's ok we're still friends, but throw me a bone here- give me some suggestions for any good book you have read in your entire life that you think i should read!

ok bed is calling!

lots of love from officially a senior (third and final year) in Divinity school!

julia

halfway there!

Ok so i have completed two of my finals!! two papers down and a test and a huge paper left to go!

So i have completed two papers that equaled 17 pages and have done my portion of the study guide for my test on Monday. Tomorrow afternoon my study group is going to combine all our portions and discuss and study together, and i'll continue studying on my own Sunday evening and monday morning prior to the test at 1:30

After my test i'm going to start writing that massive ethics paper- 6000-8000 words (18-22 pgs) on an ethical issue. sigh- this is going to suck bad!! but Sunday shall be spent outlining paper and gathering sources, then after my test Monday- around 4:30 i will begin writing! hopefully it will all be done by Wednesday at dinner, though it isn't technically due until midnight. I will be writing until it is done though!!

And then Thursday is going to be spent in my PJS!!!! first day of summer break!!!! I'm going to read as much pleasure reading this summer as i can- And i'm taking suggestions- any book you think i should read leave in the comments! I already have several in mind, but any book will do! Also i plan on spending Friday poolside with my two best seminary friends - don't worry i'll have plenty of SPF. And in a few weeks we have planned a road trip of GA to show off my home state to the two of them!

Then i'll start my summer internship, go to AL with my whole extended family, finish the internship, have a few weeks off, and then school starts back- the last year here!!

ok so i went on a jaunt through my summer plans, but really i still have to write that paper, and study for this test!!!

but what am I doing for the evening?? Red Robin (awesome restaurant) for dinner- thick cut steak fries, an awesome burger- with onion straws, A1 and bleu cheese on it!!, and a strawberry lemonade -real strawberries!!! totally my fav. stress food- carbs, red meat and a pink drink! then a movie on the couch with popcorn with the hubby! loving it! i need a night off after all the study prep, and writing I have done this week to give me a surge of energy for the next half!!

love to all- sorry i have fallen off the face of the planet- finals are killer!!

PLEASE suggest books for my summer reading- hell suggest a million of them- i'm a fast reader and i'll have all summer!

-julia

AAAHHHH!!!!

so the last post with this title was a relaxed sigh of relief. This one is a scream of stress! So now i am totally into my finals! i have three papers due and one test to take. I have done nothing so far and i need some major encouragement!! it will all get done, but will my sanity last that long? that is the real question!

in other news: there is no other news, my life is school, everything else is on the back burner! my house is a mess, i have barely cooked dinner in the last few weeks, and laundry is piled up - clean laundry that needs to be hung up (that's my least favorite part)

so from the messy house- have fun for finals week- i know i won't!!

-julia

AAHHH!!

That wonderful sound is the result of Easter Break! two days off, today and tomorrow! lovely! And all my assignments are in - except for one sermon and finals. This is a glorious time in the semester, my stress is over for at least this week. Then i have my lat class days next week and then reading week and finals week. By may i should be totally done!!

So this week/ weekend is totally free for me! lots of sleeping and watching TV, reading for classes of course, and enjoying my stress free life for the moment. Because reading week is basically me writing a ton!!

I have three classes that instead of a final test. So i have a week to write a 7 pg paper about my theology of preaching, a 10 page paper about the mission of the local church, and a 18 pg paper about an ethical issue of my choice (probably premarital sex and the ethical implications therein) BIG fun i know!! and then i get to turn them all in on top of taking a Methodist polity test!

so now is just the calm before the storm begins! but for now i can say AAHHH nothing due in the next few days, lovely!!

enjoy the weekend! go to church and celebrate the rising of the savior!

Julia

Back in NC!

So we're back after an awesome, and tiring weekend with our family, including new miss Madison! She is way too cute, a great baby so far and is really fun to hold!

We spent basically all Friday and Saturday cooing and awwing over her and her every move. I have some awesome pictures and will upload as soon as i can get them all to my computer.

Also Sat. night we left mom, dad and baby and had dinner with James and Jessica!! it was awesome to see my good friends that i haven't seen in so long. Boo on Amber for not making it! -we understand but still had sad faces for the evening 'cause she wasn't there to enjoy it!

so everything here is pretty great! i have 7 more days of classes left, counting today, and then finals and i'll be done for good. Then i just have one internship to complete this summer, and one more year of school. But this time next year we'll be working on moving back to GA!! so excited about that!!

ok that's all i got for now!

Julia

Here she is!!

so cute- she was born around 3pm, 7 lbs 12 oz. 21 1/2 inches long!! so beautiful!! everyone is happy and healthy! More info/pics will be available for real friends through facebook but i thought i would show off that lovely lady!!

update #2

Ok so Leah has an epidural, and is feeling great. the midwife said that his or her estimation was for a 7 pm ish birth. so excited!! basically all involved (including g-parents to be) are at the hospital and are just playing the waiting game. Waiting for more dialation, waiting for the next exam/check of how things are going.

Side Note: Audie asked his boss and wound up getting Friday off from work, so he and I will leave for GA when he gets home from work about 7 tomorrow night!!! a whole day earlier than expected. we're hoping to jsut hang out with all the family and hold that baby!! definitely doing all we can to pitch in and help- cooking, cleaning, anything!

in other news: i have 3 out of 15 pgs for now. i'm working through one of my classes, and hoping to get it done tonight!! so that i can pack/enjoy my thursday!

love to all

Julia

Ok we're back on!

leah texted us this morning at 6:45 they are back at the hospital and were at four centimeters, She got the epidural and is just at the hospital waiting for things to start happening.

I am at school all day- going to class, working on the paper, registering for next semester. I don't know how informed i will be through out the day, but i will def. post when i know something- if only just to take a small study break!

love to all-

Julia

Update 1

so about 6 tonight Leah left the hospital again- apparently a very, very real like false alarm! not fun for anyone!!

also the paper is coming along, but slowly, i will let you know how things go along.

Julia

We're in Labor!!

YAY!! after two and 1/2 weeks of "it could be any moment" from the doctors Leah is finally in labor with my precious niece, Madison!! So excited! i got a text about 2pm saying that the contractions were about 6-7 minutes apart and pretty consistent so they were headed to the hospital and would keep us informed!! so sad day that Audie and i will not be making it to see an actual birth- but that is good in many ways too, so i'm not stressed!! and we'll be able to head to GA this weekend and help out with the new baby at home, which is even better- no hospitals, and no waiting rooms, and no limit to the baby holding!!! love it! I'll keep posting today- because i'm too excited to not!!

Also i'm in labor of a different kind- a Methodist Doctrine paper!! uhh not exactly a bundle of jov, but a labor none the less! so as Leah is pushing out my niece i will be pushing out a 15-18 page paper that is due on Thursday! I have to get it done by the due date, though i guess Leah is hoping to have the baby before Wednesday is over (tomorrow is the actual due date for Madison) there isn't really a deadline going on. but hopefully by this weekend papers and homework will be all done and i can just enjoy that sweet baby!!!

we'll keep in touch, and i wil be writing a ton tonight in hopes to be done early- through we all know how good i am at procrastination!!

TTFN,

Julia

I'm IN!

So as i sat down the lady told me i had nothing to worry about, because the interview was basically a formality!! and then we chatted for 2 hours!!! how crazy- but really fun, we laughed and cried (really just me- i'm a crier) anyway really fun!! and it makes me want to do CPE like right now!! but i have to wait until Aug. to start!!

but this summer: i get to be in a church!! in DURHAM!!! last summer was amazing experience, but audie and i wound up shacked up in a cabin on a pond in the middle of nowhere NC for 10 weeks while i worked at a tiny church. it was awesome but living away from home sucked- no phone service, no internet, no TV, etc.

This summer i am going to be at a chruch about 20 min. from here, big improvment! i don't know all the details yet, and i'll update ya'll as i do, but pretty much i am pumped to just be able to sleep in my own bed all summer- unlike the twin day bed that i was in and audie slept on the floor on a mattress all summer last summer!

so thanks for all the prayers/ love sent my way today i felt every bit of it!!

now we celebrate!! i hope by going hibatchi tonight!

- julia

MIA

so sorry i have been MIA the last few weeks. I realized while texting Amber last night that because of my lack of blogging i have left many people out of the details of my life.

there are only three weeks of classes left!! and anyone who is in school knows that a wave of papers/ projects are due at this time so that they don't get too close to finals. so the wave hit this week. A 4-5 pg paper for Local chruch in Mission, a 8-10 pg paper for Christian Ethics (both due last wednesday), a 18-20 pg paper for Methodism due this coming thursday! in the midst of that i have gotten a stress (what stress?) induced cold/allergies have hit so i had to stay home tuesday becasue i felt like i had ben hit by a mack truck- but that allowed me to get both papers done by 10 at night rather than 1 or 2 am like usual so that kind of worked in my favor!

in the midst of all of that i preached for my class the monday after spring break (all went well- see previous post) and i had to have a 45 minute meeting with my actual prof. about it. Registration is next week so i had an advising meeting, and Field Ed. placements are made today!! so by five i should now where i will be this summer! also i have applied for Clinical Pastoral Education at Duke Med (2 reference letters, and 13 pages of single spaced answers to questions for the application) in the last two weeks and have my interview today at 3!

CPE is required for many people seeking ordination, but not for me. It's a program that is designed to help prepastors like myself get to know themselves in pastoral situations, through counseling and classroom time, reflective papers and verbatims that are analyzed by classmates and supervisors. it also helps me to learn how to react in pastoral situations. if i get in i will be serving as an intern chaplain for Duke Med. so i will be at the patients, dr. and nurses beck and call for any pastoral situation that they need- usually it is praying prior to surgeries, helping to give death notices to family members after a loved one has passed, or to lead group/individual counseling things- like a family struggling with wether to pull thier loved ones off life support. Overall it is an extremely involving process.

-maybe if Ted Kennedy comes back to Duke Med i can hang out with him!! i get a lab coat and id badge and everything!! i also get a few times where i am the ONLY chaplain present for 24 hours on the weekend- i get to sleep in the on call room and be there all night!!! aahhhh, how cool!!

i have applied to do it this fall and will get two course credits for doing it. so i will take two classes at the div. school like normal and then do CPE stuff for about 15-20 hours a week.

so wish me luck on my interview!! and ya'll have a good day!!!

TTFN- i'll post when i hear anything from them!
Julia

up early

Ok so i worked all day yesterday on my sermon for this afternoon. It was really frustrating because there was something missing and i couldn't figure it out. But i knew it wasn't as good as my last one. This sermon i have to have a conference with my professor about- 45 minutes of 'chatting' with him about my sermon and how it could be better. Stressful- yes!! Add in my feelings of inadequacies means that when Audie said that it was 'fine' i freaked!!! i was totally frustrated that i couldn't get it right and that i had to get up today and give a crappy sermon, when last time i had actually done well. (obviously a fluke). So i polished as much as possible, reworked some things, got specific feedback from Audie and decided it was ok and went to bed.

I got a flash of inspiration at 8 this morning when Audie got up. I was kind of in a sleepy daze thinking of the sermon when it HIT me!! Then i stormed downstairs to the computer to write my lovely conclusion!! (does this happen to everyone? I'm not sure but my last sermon began with a flash of inspiration- maybe it's just me) I feel much better about the whole thing now. I found that missing piece! love when God comes through like that!! God doesn't always show up when you want him to, but he's always right on time!!! love it!!

-hope you get that inspiration you've been waiting for!!

-Julia

spring break!

Ok so i am now back safe and sound in NC and so it is now time for the update of the whole week- keep reading guys this is good stuff.

1. so i visited my parents/sisters/ their sig. others/grandparents until Wed. - did a lot of fun eating/visiting, watched cable!!, and got some homework done.

2. Met hannah (younger sis) boyfriend. they met online and he came to visit/meet her this week. he was nice and not an ax murderer!- though we had our doubts at first we gave him a thumbs up.

3. my bro-in-law Johnny, who works in IT, burst my google analytics bubble. Apparently there are 'google bots' and 'yahoo bots' that regularly check websites to make sure they still exist, and he said that may be why i have random readers in random states just once. I really hope that its not true, but i am afraid it is, boo hoo.

4. Madison (in utero niece) is trying to make her appearance. Leah(sis-in-law) has been put on permanent bed rest until Madison comes because of her blood pressure being sky high- she has a blog too (on the side bar) if you want more info- and then Friday she had a false alarm, but the dr. said that it could be any time now. Audie and i are hoping for another week, because if she goes into labor on Friday we can get there for the weekend, but if not then we don't get to see the actual birth. BUT either way we're gonna go see that girl ASAP!!

5. my girlfriends and i had a slumber party Thursday, so much fun!! lots of junk food, chatting and laughing about everything!! but we went to bed at midnight so it was kind of an old lady sleepover!

6. Audie had off Friday so we hung out all day, including going to babysit a wonderful little girl that morning. We took her to the life and science museum in Durham- WAY fun!!! it was really a cool museum and had lots of fun stuff for kids of all ages, Audie and I had a blast too, we may make a trip of it ourselves next time anyone comes up to visit. I got a great report back from the mom afterward and apparently we're a hit because the little girl was just chatting all about Audie and I all day!!

7. had dinner/West Wing at a friends last night, she had friends from highschool come later on in the evening and we watched videos from highschool!!! so funny, apparently their group of friends just filmed like everything from school projects, parties and them just hanging out! so funny to have a blast from the past- our clothes were SO similar, and we all totally had those random funny moments. I kind of wish i had those things on tape now!!

8. Found out this morning that instead of preaching in class on Wed. i have to preach on Monday!!! AAAHHH kind of freaking out!! but i have a scripture ready to go and have some good ideas so far.

OK i know that was a ton- i tried to not ramble on and on about the random details like i normally do, maybe i succeeded and maybe i didn't. Enjoy and have a great week folks!!

-Julia

hey guys

So spring break is in full swing.

I'm in GA this week and hanging with my mom and sisters!! my g-parents and everyone is over for dinner, the only one who is missing is Audie!!

but he has to work so that stinks! love to all more updates when i get back to NC.

-Julia

AAHH!!

so i just checked Google Analytics and people in other places read my blog!!! i have 'readers' in NY, NJ, CT, AL, SC, MD!! and those can't be explained by me obbsesively checking my blog all day!! also i don't think all the Durham people 'reading' are me!! - high hopes

i just wanted to share that you should come clean if you are a real reader- COMMENT!!!! i want to know who you are!

also i did finish my paper in time, and yesterday got a few good grades, including a sermon, midterm and paper that i ROCKED!!

and spring break starts tomorrow at noon!!

TTFN,

-julia

new additions

ok so after i typed that title i realized it sounded like i was having a baby- but i'm not- my friend Lynds is though!! yay and congrats to her and her hubby!!

anyway this blog post is totally written just to buy me some time until oprah comes on and i have another thing to occupy my time and hep me procrastinate writing that little paper that is due- TOMORROW! ok i'm going to write it but not before sharing some new procrastination tools i picked up this week: This could be helpful to all those who have endless hours in the day to do nothing- HAHA.

New blogs: so i found these two really great blogs over the weekend and thought i would share:

http://pirkleschinaadoption2009.blogspot.com/- this is a blog of a couple who's parents go to Audie's church in Atl. They actually live in Nashville or something where they are both drs. Jimmy and Stephanie have had some infertility issues and so today they are in china hanging out with their new adopted little boy Maddox. they just picked him up today!!! they are also in the processes of trying to do a surrogate mother so be in prayers for them too. I think you have to 'join' the blog to read it, but they are really sweet so it's totally worth the extra hoop.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/- this is a blog where the woman posts really nasty/ugly professional cakes online! really funny. mostly the cakes have some sort of decoration that is weird, like dead elephants for a five year old's b-day or something misspelled- like 'God Luck, Don' instead of Good Luck. you'll get addicted i promise.

http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/- this is a blog of passive aggressive notes- mostly written by businesses, coworkers or roommates to help keep the peace. REALLY funny. The best are signs that are left and then written on by someone who doesn't appreciate being told what to do in an anonymous note, and then there is another response, etc.

http://icanhascheezburger.com/ - so this one i have looked at FOREVER!! it has funny pictures of cats with captions- it might not sound that funny, but you'll get hooked! it is definitely best to read them aloud in a babyish voice to get the full effect! also there are tabs at the top to link to pictures of dogs, celebs, all kinds of things, sometimes really inappropriate, but really funny at the same time.

http://www.overheardintheoffice.com/ - ok this is a new fav of mine. It is a whole blog of things that people overhear at their offices, duh! but there are links at the top to things overheard in NY, things overheard at the beach, celebrity quotes and things overheard everywhere. Most are just so outrageous that people are actually talking about these things- but then again all of them are completely out of context so maybe they did make sense at one point.

http://www.postcardsfromyomomma.com/ - another new one from this weekend. this blog is of all emails/conversations/ texts/ phone calls from people's moms that are just too funny. My fav is the ones that are like: "i called and you didn't answer so i hope you aren't dead or dying, call me back so that i know not to call the police" they wind up being pretty funny too!!


ok ladies and gents that's all for now, i hope i gave you something to last through the work day!

-Julia

It official

i just got an email from the dean of students of Duke university, the registrar of the div school and the president of Duke U. the first two were confirming that we were having a snow day and that all classes were canceled. Also there is officially less snow on the ground at my house than there was for the whole week in January. Audie went into work two hours later than normal- he had to wait until his door was unfrozen.

SO i am: reading for classes, possibly writing a paper for Wed. or at least starting it, staying in my pjs and eating chewy dips (these are those Chewy granola bars that are covered in Chocolate!!!)

yeah audie and i bought a box of 30 on Friday at Sam's, and i refuse to tell you how many are left in the house- but if anyone has seen a chocolate thief with a ton of chocolate granola bar wrappers let me know!

-julia

snow!

Ok so the snow that hit GA, SC etc. hit us last night. Now snow is more likely in NC, but this GA girl is still not used to waking up to snow. In January- actually on Inauguration day we got about 4 inches of snow. i had gotten an email about the severe weather policy at Duke, and Audie's boss made plans to call them to cancel work.

Audie got a snow day from work- there was more snow in Raleigh so yeah that was awesome. Duke did NOT cancel classes. May i mention that they are idiots!!! (OK i realize that in the rest of the world 4 inches isn't that big of a deal, but come ON) every other school system canceled school, most schools got 2 1/2 days off- including durham public schools. I had my hopes so high for a snow day it was ridiculous- but i was just severely disapointed, completely confused as to how to drive in the snow, so i decided to miss class and take my own snow day- we played in the snow, watched the swearing in, and had a bonus day at home with the hubby. The second day of snow Audie went to work with no problem, and i went to school and didn't have any problems in the snow. The snow actually stayed around for about a week.

So needless to say when i heard the forecast to snow, and got the email from Duke about the severe weather policy, etc. I was not amused. granted last time i had classes at 8:30 and today i have them at 2:30, so i figured a 2 hour delay- the most i was hoping for- wouldn't even effect me.

So when Audie got up to go to work and said that it was white outside i said "well that's great, but i'm sure that i have classes, nothing to write home about." BUT then audie comes running upstairs- DUKE canceled classes!!! so i'm at home enjoying a real snow day- not just one that i made up for my own enjoyment!!! love it guys- enjoy all our snow because it is supposed to be 70 on Friday (again- it was 70 here on Friday too).

-Julia

2 AM -Really??

So i love Survivor- i'm obsessed (see previous post about other obsessions) so i watch it every week- while wearing my authentic buff (headband/bandanna thing) that the actual contestants wear - Audie got it for me for Christmas!! I mean i really love it. Many of you know this already, but i'm trying to build suspense for those of you who didn't already know that. Survivor airs on Thursdays at 8 pm, followed by Grey's and Private Practice to make Thursday a TV day for me. I don't work on homework on Thursdays, at all. I don't have class this semester on Friday- but even if i did i wouldn't crack a book.

I HATE basketball. I decided this pretty recently, but i'm sick and tired of living in Basketball country. If you don't know there are four division one teams in a two hour radius of Durham (Wake Forest, NC State, UNC, and Duke) so people here take their basketball really seriously. I do not- i couldn't care less. I don't know when people play or when exciting things happen. (you would think ii would care because i attend one of those schools but i think this hatred runs very deep)

side note: it all started in late elementary/early middle school when my Whole class (of like 16 people- small private school) signed up for basketball camp. I begged and pleaded with my mom to spend the money on sending me to it. It entailed about 6-8 weeks of early Saturday drills for four hours and then at the end we would have a game/tournament to show of our skills to our parents who had just paid an arm and a leg for our 'free t-shirts'. I spent the first two weeks learning how to dribble and not say 'sorry' when i take the ball from the other team. I sucked it up and it was humiliating. hence the hatred of basketball.

so what do you think these two things have in common?? well the ACC basketball championship started last night, on CBS at Eight- and since people in this area are CRAZY for basketball, the local channel showed the basketball game instead of Survivor. I. Was. PISSED!!!! what made it worse is that before the game started there was a short announcement that said something like:
Survivor will be aired at 2:07 AM instead of its normal time because basketball is awesome.

WHAT??!!!?? excuse me???? 2 AM really??? yeah i checked the local listings, and it was true. So who set an alarm for 2 am and watched it? ME and who is really tired today? ME but who didn't have class so it's ok? ME.

happy Friday everyone!!!

-julia

you like me, you really like me.

So google analytics is my new obsession!

do other people have this happen- probably not i am kind of an obsessive person in general- ok whatever that means i'm not sure- back to the subject.

SO i checked my google analytics like a few (like 50) times yesterday. I also check my blog pretty frequently. -Don't beat me to the punch line.

so i'm pretty ecstatic that like 23 people saw my blog in the last two days- but like 11 of them were from Durham/Chapel Hill. - then i realized that those could just be ME checking my blog 85 times a day- is that true- does Google Analytics count me as a visitor?? i can't figure it out but i had my "you like me, you really like me" moment yesterday only to get it shot down with the humbleness of my own obsession with my own blog.

(by the way i have ALWAYS thought that the reference acceptance speech was really dumb and so i can't even begin to tell you how stupid i feel for making even a reference to it, much less saying the words out loud myself)

so the moral of the story is- are there really 11 other people in Durham/chapel Hill that read my blog yesterday? if so please speak up (i.e. COMMENT!!) so that i know you are there- we could be friends in real life! I'm fun, you'd like me, you'd really like me! - haha.


also i took a personal day today and tomorrow i don't have class so basically i have finagled a four day weekend!!

ttfn

Julia

Google Analytics

Thanks to Danielle for being humble enough to ask about google analytics and helping me get my answers too!!!

I FINALLY got it to work!!! (i see you Douglasville and Chapel Hill, whoever you are!!) and i love all of you!!

YAY!!!

also can i say that it is really interesting to see how large alaska is on the map- because it is actually to size and not segregated out in a small box in the corner. really funny, check it out 'cause it is HUGE!!

also i'm in class right now- don't tell the professor!


-julia

Update

So i decided to take up recycling for Lent.

I usually talk a good talk about being green, and recently i have been faced with the fact that i haven't been backing it up with my actions.

So i have a labeled bin all ready to go, and it already has a few things in it! I will be recycling as much as possible for the next 40 days, and i hope that it will be a part of my daily life after Lent is over. Also today i researched where the closest recycling facilities are, and made sure i knew what they would take.

Ok lent, I'm ready!! bring it on!!

Lent

So lent is upon us, really surprising this year for some reason. I think it just snuck up on me.

SO i'm not sure what to give up.

Facebook, desert, the bus, alot of things are floating through my mind.
- but really i hope to spend the 40 days reflecting on the fact that Jesus came down, took my sin and died so that i may have eternal life.

pretty humbling, and i hope that my life on this earth does justice for what God has done for me and that i can live in such a way to show others what God has done for me, God did for them too!!

Easter is coming, but before we get to have the glorious risen Lord, we need to fully understand the depths of the cross and the tomb, and what Jesus did while dead for three days.

i know that is kind of a downer, but it is balanced by the joy and happiness we can have when Jesus is risen!!

love to all,

julia

i know

i know it has been a LONG time since i posted last, but i'm not sure that anyone who reads this has actually missed my posting!

Not that ya'll don't love me, but i'm sure most of you are:
A. someone who keeps up with me in real life so you know what i've been up to.
B. someone who doesn't keep up with me in real life, but my blog is not a huge part of your day anyway.
C. Someone who doesn't know me at all, and so you're not allowed to be upset because i haven't let you look at my life on the internet! - actually i would be quite surprised if someone read this who didn't know me in real life.

SO what have i been up to? Everything and nothing all at once.
some highlights of what you have missed:

1. my 3 dollar coffee maker was missing essential parts- after MANY emails and two phone calls to customer service i got the parts out of the blue in the mail!!

2. i have turned in my first papers, preached a sermon in preaching class, and taken a midterm.

3. my friend James from college moved to Raleigh. I know this is random, but like the week after my last post he came up and interviewed for a job, got the job the next week and then moved up here the week after that. - really fun to have a good friend up here with us!!

Ok i think that is all exciting that has happened.

Now this weekend's plans:

1. driving to and from ATL.

2. Going to the GA aquarium with my college roomie and her hubby, then out to dinner with my other two roomies and their fiance/boyfriend.

3. Baby shower for Leah, Audie's sister who is due with the first grandbaby in the family in about six weeks!

4. Monday- going to do my middler evaluation meeting, one more grad requirement that will be done!!


ok sorry for the quick nature for all that AND for going forever without posting. Hey and if you missed it, let me know!!

-Julia

long post WARNING!!!

Hi out there is cyber land!

i had a great week, long because it is when i started school back. i haven't really been to all of them yet, one starts tomorrow, but i am well in the swing of things. One thing i am excited about is that i have no classes on fridays this semester and I am hoping to use them to do readings. i hope that when Friday is over i can be totally read up for the next week. I accomplished that last week, and hopefully that will occur again!

So several things are exciting me:

1. I am going to see my friends this weekend! as a last minute gift to myself i am going to GA for MLK weekend. I am going to leave Audie behind because he has to work both friday and monday. but i don't have school either day! so i am going to spend the weekend with Amber!! and Friday night we'll go see my other best friend Jessica in ATL for the evening! god bless them, i called them out of the blue and invited myself to their houses to spend time with them- and they said OK! that is a friend!

2. i bought a coffee maker! ok so i am a slight coffee drinker! I really only drink coffee when someone else makes it, it just tastes better when you don't have to clean up all that crap afterward!! so over christmas i had an oppurtunity to try a single cup maker- it was a Kurig, and it used these little canister things and it brewed your coffee in like two seconds, right into your cup!! and they have hot chocolate, tea, and cappichino, etc!!! So i was obbsessed for a bit, and i decided that i wanted one, i researched it for a bit and decided i wanted a Senseo. it was the cheapest (65$- still alot) which was really the best thing about it, and it used 'coffee pods' which are like little teabags of coffee! Well i didn't get one for Christmas, and Audie and i decided to save our pennies to get one. THEN on Saturday i went to the local thrift store- a Habitat for Humanity store! they had one for GET THIS!!! 3$ AH!!! i was so excited. I am so pumped to use it! Totally go to thrift stores for anything! sometimes you have to stalk the store and look weekly 'cause they get new things all the time. Books are a great way to save money here too- usually paperbacks are 50 cents and hardbacks are 1$ - i have gotten bestsellers for 50cents!!

3. I found several blogs through A Belle and her Beau, and one of them Kelly's Korner is one of my new favs!! I actually wanted to read her blog because she is pregnant and was due yesterday (not sure when the baby is coming- everyone is still waiting as far as i know). I also liked her hair and she is really cute pregnant and funny! Anyway this weekend i went and read her archives ( ok i know that may be wierd- but i like to know all the back stories to these people's lives) ( i did the same thing to Poop and Boogies). So as i read her story i was enthralled!! she and her hubby had been trying to get pregnant for about 1 and 1/2 years. she was so real and honest about her struggles with wanting to be pregnant for so long and not being able to do it. She was still amazingly supportive and sweet to all her friend who were getting pregnant around her, giving the cutest babyshowers and being so joyous for them. She is an amazing Christian and all through this struggle she was praising God for all that she did have! Well she and her husband did like all these fertility drugs and they didn't wind up working. so they decided to take a break from all the drugs, go on vacation and contemplate what God wanted them to do, to continue the drugs, do in vitro, or adopt. And three days before their trip she found out that she was pregnant!!! all naturally, a God given child all thier own!! so beautiful a story!!
SO why i loved this story so much was that as i sat here reading about how hurt she was every month when she realized that she wasn't pregnant, again, i was in so much pain for her, i cried when she talked about not being able to go to church one day because she knew that she couldn't take it that day! in the back of my mind was, just wait Kelly- you are about to get pregnant, only six more months, four more months, two more, etc. ! I knew that she would be finding out as i read about other things that she would let us know, i could wait to figure out when she told the blogging world, her parents, etc. I loved knowing the end of the story while i was reading the back ground! ( and by the way that is how God is for us!! God is just sitting back and watching me be frustrated, sad, exasperated, etc because my life isn't going the way that i want it to, but then God just says, just wait Julia, just wait, you'll get that soon, i have something great in mind for you! - i can't wait for you to see what i will do for you later) AH it was beautiful!!!! an epiphany if i ever had one.

So i know this post is really long, but enjoy because things are getting busy around here! and remember when you are waiting that God has great things in store for you down the road, and while it may not feel like it now, it's coming sometime!!

love ya'll
Julia

Oh i just remembered!

Um, two more things that will be happening this year:

I will be turning 25, and Audie will turn 30! AAHH!! I know that's not that old to everyone else out there. But for me they are BIG milestones. I am no longer in my 'early twenties' that's a scary age for me I guess. Maybe it's because i'm still in school and wish i weren't, but i can't do much about that. And my hubby being 30 i know freaks him out a bit. Luckily we have about a whole year to 'look forward' to these days, because my b-day isn't until September. And Audie just turned 29 last week, so he has like a whole year to go!

Ok so that is my update for now. I'm also awaiting the arrival of Leah, the sis-in-law and her hubby Raymon. Also she is about six months pregnant, so i'm also awaiting little baby Madison, in utero!! I got THE cutest baby gift for them at Target/Ross. i love both those stores, but Ross is my new Fave. I got a cute little dress and bloomers for Madison for only like $10. It was originally $30. What a great deal!! I also had a friend who has an Embroidery setting on her sewing machine to Monogram Madison's name on the bootie of the bloomers, and four little flowers. TOO cute. i saw i tiny baby on a recent blog, i'm not sure which, with a little diaper cover on with just thier name on the bootie, SO CUTE!! anyway, so that's where the idea came from.

Now i'm obsessed with getting a sewing machine that does embroidery! i know the machines are expensive, but seriously getting things monogramed is expensive too, so you would like eventually save yourself money- also you could do gifts for Bridesmaids, friends, moms, towels for newly marrieds and grads! totally worth the investment!!! love it!! so anyone who is out there who has one they want to sell, hook me up!!

ok that's enough, i need to go wash sheets, etc. for my family visits!!

love to all,

Julia

My Predictions for 2009

Ok So this is the last day of 2008, and as such, this is the day when you normally make new year's resolutions, etc. but i don't really make resolutions for the new year so i thought i would try my hand at predicting the future!! ( i know that's a wierd train of thought, but bear with me!)

So in 2009 the following things will happen:

1. I will survive, if just barely, two more semesters of school, and a summer internship! - at this point next year i will be working on getting a job in South GA, and then working on getting ordained by the church, etc.

2. At least one of the people i know will: Get married! (rachel?) get engaged! (Jessica?) Have a baby! (Leah?) get pregnant! (rebecca?- you better not, because you better wait until at least Oct. because then i will be in the state for the birth!!!)

3. We'll get a new President! this i'm pretty pumped about! I hope that Obama's Presidency is everything that his supporters have hoped for. But i think that it remains to be seen, because it takes more than just one person to change things! (Side note: we totally have friends that live in DC and they invited us to come stay with them for the inagaration, and Audie said NO!!! i was like WHAT!! this is history, even if we just go and watch on TV in their living room, rather than ours, at least we could say that we were there!!)

4. Our family and friends will come a visit us in NC. Really this year is basically your last chance, so get your buts up here!!! You are always welcome, and we're never too busy to see the people we love!

Ok so maybe that isn't what you expected and maybe i'm being a little safe in my predictions, BUT i do hope all those things happen, and that they all thrive and are all we hope they should be!!

Love and enjoy your new year!

Julia

Tasty Tuesday!

Ok guys and gals!

i know i have been out of reach for a few days, but i figured I would do something productive today. I certainly am not cleaning (even though Audie's sister and bro-in-law- and their in utero cutie Madison are coming up this weekend) or taking back Christmas gifts (even though i got two of Jon and Kate plus 8's book- i LOVED it, read it in about 3 hours, cried like a baby, and love them even more now) or unpacking (from the quick trip down to ATL for Christmas, got there friday at 9, then left there at around 2 to come back) or taking down the Christmas tree (even though i have a BIG rule about always getting it down before new year's!) or school work (even though i already have a field ed aplication due at the end of the month, and about 13 pages to write for my second year evaluation due this month) so instead of doing all that, i'm giving you an AWESOME, EASY recipe!!

This is the recipe that my mom in law uses to make fudge! It really belongs to her best friend. It is SO easy you will like slap yourself for not making it more. I swear i ate like 25 pieces at Christmas this past weekend, and i ate ALL the fudge that we brought back with us today while i was being lazy!!!

Ok so without further ado!!!

Microwave Fudge

1 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 box confectioners sugar (3 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup chopped pecans

- Mix the Butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cocoa in a plastic bowl.
- Microwave on High for 2 minutes.
-Stir in nuts. and pour in a greased 8x8 inch square pan.
-Refigerate until it is all solid and completely cool.
-Cut into small squares and enjoy!!


ok so there you go, but don't overload like i did, but do eat some ( you might even have all the ingredients in your cabinets! When i figured out that i did i decided to make more fudge for the family who is visiting this weekend!)

love to all and i hope ya'll have a great holiday!

Julia

Since It's Christmas

I thought i should post. Well i thought i should post like last week sometime because now i have all this time on my hands. BUT i haven't done anything interesting/funny to share with you! I literally have read about 6 books, none of them for school, but all of them good! and slept an average of about 11 hours a night! it's amazing to do that, because starting the 7th of January it all begins again!!

so the Christmas plans are: We are celebrating alone here today and tomorrow. Santa has everything to put in our stockings (fruit, nuts, candy) and then several gifts that are wrapped under the tree (audie and i figured we would make it easy on the old guy) and i have two great gifts under the tree for the hubby! lots of fun!! this is our second married Christmas, but i'm pumped because we get to spend it alone together for the first time in our apartment. Audie doesn't have any time off from work except for Christmas Day. (Though his boss is sending them home at noon today, and maybe something similar will happen the day after?)

Anyway, as soon as Audie gets off on Friday we are fighting the traffic until we arrive at Audie's parents house. At T-giving he got off at 6 like normal, we left our house at 7:00 and we arrived around 12:30. Hopefully we can get there a bit sooner (like that his boss will randomly tell them to go home early) But my job is to have the car packed tomorrow night, and be ready to go with about 45 minutes notce so that when he pulls up, i load the last few things into the car, and then he changes out of his work clothes and then we leave!

When we finally get to GA we will spend all of Saturday with his family, eating dinner and opening presents with them! tons of fun! We'll all go to Chruch on Sunday and then out to lunch. and then Audie and I will drive back! oh what fun!! i love driving 12 hours for about 36 hours with family! that's a good ratio!

Ok well i hope ya'll have a great Christmas, enjoying the reason for the season! love to all.

Julia

another update

So the semester is finally over. Actually it has been officially over since i took my last final Thursday morning. But today grades came out and were posted online. I was definitely holding my breath on a few of them, but they turned out pretty good. All B's. two regular B's and two B +'s. that's not too bad. I worked hard for all of them and now the fruits of my labor have paid off. My GPA even rose a few hundreds of a point. Not bad if I say so myself.

SO besides waiting patiently for grades things have been groovy, nothing stressful happening, mostly sleeping and shopping for Christmas. I am almost officially done with that as well. A small gift to mail to my dad and stepmom is the last thing on my list. Audie's family is drawing names this year, and so is mine, so we wound up having to buy for only four people, plus each other. Not too bad. I got some great things for Audie and i hope to get some awesome things as well.

Not that we need anything really this year, but it's nice to express how much these people mean to me by getting them a nice gift and then wrapping it all up nicely! Did i mention that i actually like wrapping gifts? I do! When i was little (like 12 or so) i started wrapping all the Christmas gifts for my grandma, and the last several years i did all my mom's wrapping as well. I love every minute of it. I love measuring out the paper, making the pattern fit so you can't see the seams, making the tape disappear, putting a nice ribbon and tag on it, etc. I read an article in a magazine once about a lady who did that for a living, wrapped people's gifts for them. i could do it in a heartbeat!

I guess I'll put that on the list of careers i could have had (if God hadn't called me to this ministry thing) Present Wrapper, Wedding Planner, Construction General Contractor, Nanny, Personal Chef - the list is pretty long. Anyway. these are the kind of things you get to think about when you have nothing else to do (no schoolwork) and I have plenty of time on my hands!

Happy Holy-days everyone!

Julia

No i'm not dead

Just severely deranged! I have been studying/writing papers for the last two weeks. I took plenty of time off for Thanksgiving turkey and Dressing in AL with my family. I also went to my hometown for a DCOM meeting, and i was passed with flying colors. They basically just ask a few questions and then determine if you are should still be in the running to be ordained. So i passed.

other than that my life is pretty boring, i've really been doing homework almost constantly. So i'm also watching Sex and the City on DVD while doing it.

I put up my Christmas tree too. i bought a new prelit one at Wally world on the day after thanksgiving (at 5 am) for 25 dollars! i know right awesome, and then i got it home and it looks kind of like i paid 25 bucks for it. -which i did so it's fine, and when i got all my cute ornaments on it didn't look to bad.

the big thing about this weekend is that i am dog sitting. My friend Danny and his Fiance were going out of town for wedding planning stuff, and they forgot to contact the boarders who normally take Pixie. SO audie and i volunteered! it's been really fun! which is surprising 'cause i'm not a dog person AT ALL. I like looking at cute dogs as much as the next person, but i'm not good at the taking care of them part. Anyway Pixie is a lahsa apso. It's kind of like a golden shitz zu. really cute and precious. he's been great!

Ok so that is the update so that you all don't think i died or something!

love to all and Merry Christmas.

-Julia

happy Friday everyone!

YAY! it's finally here: FRIDAY!! I'm really sorry that i have been conspicously absent this week. I blame it on the fact that yesterday i turned in a 20 page paper! Aahh, a sign of relief! You know that when i hear people tell me how lucky i am that i am still in school, or that they would go back in a heartbeat, etc. I want to tell them, ok go ahead and do my next huge research paper and we'll see how you feel. I know it's just the 'grass is greener' thing going on, but still everyone's life is really stressful in different ways.

really i love being in school, i definitely like the flexible schedule, where i get to sleep in some mornings and get afternoon naps, but that is counterbalanced by the allnighters, finals that make me have nervous breakdowns, etc.

So yeah, the paper i turned in was all about john wesley (the founder of Methodism- for you non-methodists) and his theology of financial stewardship. He was a crazy man about this issue. people now discribe him as a socialist, and he really wanted to bring about a different society of people who helped one another with thier financial issues. he literally lived off of only 20 % of his income and gave the rest to others in need around him. what a high standard!! it really humbled me to think of how intense and passionate about living out the gospel he was! inspirational!

So now it is on to the second largest paper of the semester, 12 page exegesis (a theolgical explanation) on a passage of scripture of my choice. It's for my gender and race in Paul, so i guess not 'any' one that i want, it has to be from Paul's letters in the New Testament and it has to have to do with gender or race. So i choose to do it about Ephesians 5: 21-33. It is a household code, where Paul talks about wives and husbands being submissive to one another, like the church is to Christ. I haven't formed an opinion about it yet, the research just started, but I think it will be at least interesting to talk about. And after i turn in the paper i have to write a 20 minute sermon on the same passage, using what i have learned from all my research and exegesis.

so that's my life for now! really interesting to me, but probably boring to anyone else. i'm definitly stretching my brain these past few, and next few weeks! Hope you are also a learning alot in your life! Here's to being a lifetime learner, even when you aren't in school!

ttfn,

Julia

two posts in a row!!

ok i know ya'll are proud!! but i went to one of my fav blogs and she was having a give away! so this post is dedicated to Lauren at www.gigglepotomas.wordpress.com IF the link doesn't work then just go to my blog reel on the side of the page to get there!

i first found her blog through her hubby at Poop and Boogies. His blog is totally the funniest i've ever read, and her's is great. It's nice to see both spouses' views on the things that are happening. they have two cute little boys and one new little boy on the way, i know i'm excited!

Her blog is great becasue it gives out little tips and recipes all the time. She's a great seamstress, and she regularly posts the great things she makes herself. Also she has links to her esty shop so you can go buy some of her things too. great stuff for kids, and some REALLY cute purses for moms.

ok, so go there! i'm telling you that you have to!! GO NOW!

ok love and ttfn, and also- Thanks God it's Friday!

Julia

Taco Soup

Ok so it's been a week since my last post. I'm not sure if i even have any readers!! but here is a tasty thursday recipe:

Taco Soup


1 lb Groud Beef, Stew Beef or Chicken
½ cup chopped Onion
1 large can tomatoes, diced including juice ( or fresh tomato and I can of tomato sauce)
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can white corn
1 can yellow corn
1 can Rotel (mild, medium or hot)
1 package Taco seasoning
1 package of Ranch dressing mix
Optional toppings- Grated cheese, sour cream, crackers, etc.

• Brown meat in large pot then drain.
• Add onions and cook until they are tender
• Add remaining ingredients (including liquids from all cans).
• Simmer for at least 15 minutes
• Serve in bowls with toppings as wanted.


This is really a fail proof recipe, EASY, basically just dump a bunch of cans in a pot and let it cook! It is alot like a really watery chili. and you can basically leave out anything you don't like, i.e. a veggie version would be really easy, or in my case i take out a small pot-full before i add all the beans for Audie. or you can leave out the onions, etc.

So as for my life, not much is up, i'm bogged down in the end of semester goop. I have several large papers, and tests due in the next few weeks. but we foun out yesterday that we'll be able to be with my family in Alabama (9 hr drive) for thanksgiving, and Audie's for Christmas, but we will be here by ourselves for Christmas Day, which might be nice. Anyway i hope you enjoy the recipe, it's great for rainy, cool nights like this!!

TTFN

Julia

thoughts

So my candidate won, actually several of them did across the state/ the current state i live in. And overall i think that the country has been really wonderful about the results. I know that a little less than half of the people in this country are disappointed in how it turned out.

I want to be supportive of you in that disappointment. Just because you aren't the majority doesn't mean that you don't get to have a voice, that is what our country is built on. The fact that we ALL get to voice our opinions, vote for who we want to and change things when we disagree with how things are going.

Some of you have really passionate feelings about one issue or more things that you really wanted to occur. I want to encourage you to take those feelings to those who we have just elected! that's the point!! though your candidate didn't win, doesn't mean that you aren't represented. write/call your congressperson and tell them how you feel about those issues, and encourage them to vote with their people in mind! our political process begins, not ends, with elections!

That being said I have been really saddened and hurt by how some people have reacted. Just because your candidate won doesn't mean that you get to do a 'see i told you so' dance, or push it in other people's faces, or take out your feelings on those who voted other than you. Also just because your candidate didn't win doesn't mean that you get to be mean to those who voted for the winner. Or really get angry and take that out on others.

I want to share a story that hit close to home. My sister in law posted on Facebook in her status that "(insert her name) is disappointed." That is all, nothing more nothing less, and she apparently had people jump down her throat for voting the 'wrong' way! I think that that is stupid. i think that you need to go into the booth to vote knowing that it could go either way, and that if your person loses the election that the world is not going to be over.

I really think that we have turned a corner as a country, where political action has replaced political apathy, and that people have realized that anyone can do anything, and that we can change our country, by banding together and working for the good of everyone!

ok so i hope that wasn't too scattered and that you can at least understand where i'm coming from.

ttfn.

Julia

GO VOTE!!!

i think everyone who reads this blog has already, or will, but tell your friends, grandmas and neighbors to get out there and exercise their right!!

so for tasty Tuesday i have an EASY recipe!!!


Cheesy Chicken


4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3-4 slices of cheese (any kind)
1 can cream of chicken soup
Seasoned breadcrumbs (optional)

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lay chicken in bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.
• Arrange cheese slices on top.
• Spread soup over chicken and sprinkle breadcrumbs over is desired.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Serve over rice or pasta, pouring sauce over.

SO EASY- actually audie and i may have this, totally one of our favs.

so cook this easy dinner with your family and then sit around and watch our president get elected!! And let's all pray that America gets the president we need and not the one we want.

AND don't forget to serve THE king and THE kingdom- while both are eternal, both are also in this world right now, and can make a difference! That is where my salvation comes from, not the politician that i voted for!

love and Ta Ta For Now.

Julia

Tasty Tuesday!

Ok so i like the blogs that have a theme day every week, so i'm jumping on the bandwagon! Sorry i'm a follower, not a leader. But since so many of you who read this have no time to cook/ i don't either i thought i would share a recipe a week.

now caution: i will probably not stick with tuesdays, i actually wanted to do munchie mondays, but then that sounded like only a snack food thing (any day/name suggestions are welcome). also i'll try to work some veggie ones in for blair and the lingenfelters, and others who do the vegetarian thing, but i'm not promising health food here. i'm really not going to stick with just stuff that's 'easy' because you and i need to step it up a notch every once in a while. Give me some feedback or ideas of how you made the recipe your own, i love new ideas too.

so without further delay: the recipe:

Baked Chicken and Rice


2 cups milk
2 cups uncooked rice
2 cans cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom, brocoli, asparagus, whatever!)
Chicken (either 2 cans, 3 chicken breasts, or tenders- uncooked and cut up)
Seasoning- salt, pepper, poultry seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar Cheese- optional


• Mix milk, rice, and soup in a 9x 13 Pyrex dish, mix well.
• Lay chicken on top, and cover in aluminum foil
• Bake at 350 for 90 minutes, stirring every 30 minutes, removing foil for last 15 minutes (adding cheese if desired.)

ok so this recipe was given to me by my friend sarah, and i know that 1 1/2 hours is a long time, but it takes about 10 minutes to put it all together, and then you forget about it for an hour or so. it works with my schedule, or it's good for sunday/saturday nights when you want to stay in, but don't want to be stuck in the kitchen forever! it makes a great casserole to give to someone else too, because you can make it ahead of time, and they can just heat it up for a few minutes.

so give some feedback and enjoy the recipe! (for the record audie and i are having pancakes for dinner, because i don't have the time to make this tonight/inclination to go to the grocery store, so if you thought this was me bragging about my cooking skills you're wrong!)

TTFN-

Julia

wow what a week!

this week has really flown by! i'm not really sure why but i'm really surprised that friday came around so soon.

two afternoons this week i went to the gym on campus! so scary! well i guess what i mean by that is that i was/am very comfortable on Lagrange's campus, i didn't feel really awkward about going anywhere, except maybe the frat houses. but on Duke's campus, it's just so Large!! i mean the campus of lagrange could fit on one little academic quad on duke's campus. so i really don't venture to far out of my comfort zone around campus. i know how to get to student health, the div school, the chapel, the byran center(bookstore/fast food/offices commonly used by students) and the 'great hall' which is really like a food court of a mall. also can we talk about that i went for lunch with some friends and we went to the armadillo grill, which is kinda like moe's only it's on campus. i realized for the first time that it is a BAR! i mean in between classes you can go for a beer and after class go for shots/margaritas!! SO NOT lagrange!

so i digress, any way i ventured to the gym, not really knowing where i was going/what i would do when i got there. it was HUGE and lots of stuff going on, like thirty eliptical machines(whihc i like) and treadmills. a whole room of weight stuff, and a pool, diving area and lane swimming. a full basketball court, and roakclimbing wall, a juice bar, arobics rooms, raquet ball courts, spinclass room, and arobics/kickboxing/yoga room. by the way this is only one of two gyms on campus!!! such a different world!!

so yeah for the last two days i worked out! be proud, i am. i really enjoyed it too, it was fun to do something that doesn't really require a brain, to just run/jog for 30 minutes and just chill out with the Ipod. good stress relief,a nd lord do i need that! three friends and i have committed to meet on wednesday afternoons to go every week.

ok but my legs hurt like BAD, really sore muscles. I'm not realy sure what to do about that. is there like a magically remedy for sore muscles, if not you need to invent that 'cause i would pay a good amount of money not to have to deal with this.

so not much else going on!

ttfn
Julia

today!

was a bit tiring. i was up 'til 1 getting my midterm done, i know i know mom, no nagging! but then had a full day, and since the water heater wasn't worked on yesterday they came today. i could go into all the craziness of the day but i won't. one important thing did register and unrest me for the day.

someone took my seat in class today!! ok so audie thinks this is me being unreasonable and maybe it is, so if you agree with him feel free to say so in a comment. so i sit in the same sit, third row from the back, second seat in on the left side of the middle section of the big lecture hall. to my right is meredith, my left is sarah and her left is Danny. these are my cohorts, accomplises, and friends at the div school. we are pretty much inseperable within the walls of the school. we sit in these seats EVERY day! i have sat there since my beginning at the div school, and meredith, sarah and danny have all moved to be in my row( not because i insisted, but because they saw the merit in my seat, i am sure) well occasionally someone doesn't the the memo that these are our seats and infringes on our territory!! NOT COOL. it throws off my groove, it messes up my shakras, makes me feel guilty for surfing the web in class, etc. that happened today, and it bothers me yes, but i realize it is not very Christlike, nor socially acceptible to yell at someone who is in your seat, or ask them to move because 'it's not like your name is on it'.

what really got my goat this morning is that these particular people has infringed on my territory before. one is a guy, i will call him the sniffer. he is outspoken, morally superior, an uber democrat, a LOUD typer and a sniffer. i mean really bad. and he drinks this green tea CRAP out of a metal straining straw, every day! all of which really gets on MY NERVES.

the other is an eavesdropping and then butting into your conversation, superior because she is more involved on campus than me AND has children (so why don't i step up my game), and when (politely) asked to scoot over a seat so that we could all sit together- a few weeks ago- got all passive aggressive, but complied. when she realized what she had done today she offered to move, we said it's not a huge deal and she said 'of course, well i wouldn't want to break ya'll up' and moved over-in a VERY passive aggresive tone!

now i realize this is not the end of the world, nor is it a big deal at all to others, but why do people feel the need to move around the room, messing up my shakras!!! please if you are one of these people please explain.

So if you are a seat mover: please explain why you do this, is it just to annoy the rest of us?
and if you aren't: please tell me i'm not the only one who is bothered when others do this!

so sorry to verbally abuse my neighbors and collegues in classes online, but i have to vent somewhere- and this is as good a place as any!

love to all,

Julia

post 31

ok so that's not a huge accomplishment, but that's like a whole month of posts. well, they are spread out over two months or so, but whatev! i like having a milestone even it if is a small one. so i'm sitting in the refectory at school(that's like a cafeteria) and i'm supposed to be working on my midterm that is due tomorrow. i have class at 2:30 today.

so why am i up and at school when i could be still in my pajamas? well we got a note on saturday that said that the maintenience people were going to install a water meter on our hot water tank and to 'remove all personal items from the hot water heater closet' or pay $25. well audie and i had a decision to make- to move the washer and dryer or not?

so the pros/con to moving them:
pros:
possibly not paying $25. - we were a little unsure if the washer and dryer, which do belong to us are considered 'personal items' or if they just meant our iron and dustbuster that also live in the hot water heater closet.
cons-
those things are HEAVY!! and awkward. i mean it took audie, my mom and stepdad and me like an hour to figure out that they don't both fit! and then we wound up fitting them in later and then the dryer didn't work (loong story) and then we pulled it back out, bought a new(used from goodwill) dryer and moved it in (another long time of sweat, tears, a few drops of blood- and almost a divorce) and then hooked it up. then we had to move the old dryer to the dumpster which meant finding a friend with a truck!

the pros/cons of leaving them in:
pros- someone else will have to be the one to move them, and put them back!!
cons- we loose $25- but only if they have to be moved out.

needless to say audie and i decided to pay the 25 dollars rather than risk a divorce over moving the damn things back out and then back in!

so i'm hear while the people work- love to all!

julia

loving Saturday

yay! i love being at home with little to do on saturdays! sure i have a take-home midterm to finish, but i'm not so worried about it. My hubby and i get to spend the whole day together! his new work schedule(which he loves) means that he doesn't get home 'til 7 and with this new art project he's working on he is putting his nose to the grind when he gets home and then we don't really see each other until bed!

so it's nice that we get to spend the ay together. and we're going to a movie and dinner date on sunday! we were going to go last night, but he had to work on the drawings for the illustration cirriculum thing. so i went for a tipsy game night with my friends, SO fun! lots of apples to apples, Last Word(totally fun) and Scategories. and lots of Mike's Hards, a daqauri, and a few shots!! ach i know i flashed back to my college days, only not really 'cause i never did that in college, but apparrently seminary is my time to party!! haha, not really by anyone else's standards. others probably look at my 'parting' and thing i'm a goody two shoes or soemthing.

but it was fun. we had a great time and audie came and picked me up and took care of me when i got home.

ttfn- off to enjoy my saturday with the hubby!!

julia

i love Fall Break

Oh how i love thee!! I love sleeping in, i love not showering and staying in my PJs all day! i love procrastinating all the work i have to do!! oh i love it!!

well a few updates- Audie has a new schedule at work. his boss asked if anyone would be willing to switch to a 9:30-6:00 shift instead of his regular 8:30-5. and audie said yes, he called me at lunch yesterday to ask what i thought about it first, but i told him it was his job and he could do what he wanted. and he was like, well there are other people around here who have kids/parents to take care of and can't switch, and if i can then i will 'cause i would rather do it than them have to. that's the kind of guy that he is, he volunteers to do it just because he knows it would be harder for others to do it. well and it would make his commute easier! so he started his new schedule today, which meant an extra hour this morning with him, but he'll won't be home 'til 6:45 or so, boo hoo.

definitely on a better note, he met with a friend of his from SCAD last night. this guy is now a full time evangelist for some Pentacostal denomination- he didn't say and i didn't ask. but this guy wrote a cirriculum for thier organization to use for Sunday School material a few years back and Audie did the illustrations. (he got paid for the initial artwork, and now the pentacostal denomination is printing it internationally(ok well in Canada) and all over the US to use in their Sunday Schools, how cool is that?) anyway, the friend has a new project and Audie is doing the artwork for it as well. apparently it is a bible study for kids, called Kids Reaching Kids. It invovles a story that is told, one part each week for like 8 weeks, along with a poster size illustration (done by audie) and then after the story installment is read, they do a bible study on the major themes in the story. and this friend of Audie's is doing all the writing and then will hold the copyrights to it and everything. They are meeting again on Saturday to work out more details, and to determine pricing. pretty cool huh? well audie's excited!

since he's being doing the customer service thing at work, he hasn't had time to do much art, so he is definitely pumped to do something he is great at! also it gives him a ton of experience to add to the old resume! so maybe when we get back to GA he can do this sort of thing more full time!

well i'll catch ya'll later, i have to go do more lounging around and reading books that aren't for school!

julia

hi again

so i survived!! i survived my midterm, which consisted of two questions, both of which i rocked-hopefully. i also survived camping!!

so i got plenty of bug bites, and a few sore muscles from hiking on Saturday, and some really smelly smokey clothes. but our sunday school class had a great time. it was really nice to get away from it all for a few days, have a weekend outside our normal life together, and get to know these friends of ours more.

so then i got home, was thrown into reality, and had to finish a paper. it got done at 9:30 this morning, just in time to turn it in. and now i'm loving having a whole week to slowly but surely work on a large project that is due in Nov.

ok i guess that is the update on my life. not too interesting, but true.

ttfn,

Julia

midterms

they start tomorrow! ACH! ok so first some business:

forgive me blogging friends, for i have sinned, it has been (um i don't remember how long ) since i have last blogged!

ok now i will do my penance.

so i wish i could say that because i have midterms this week and next(during fall break!) that this is why i haven't blogged in forever, but that's not really true, so that would just keep the lies coming.

basically for the last two weeks i have gotten really stressed about school, and my reaction to that was to not really do anything at all, i.e. sit around the house reading harry potter instead of reading for class.

a few updates in my life:

so then this past weekend i got sick- i feel terrible, bad head cold and sore throat. but i am taking sudafed and advil every 4 hours and it makes me feel better, for about 3 and 1/2 hours. i have been taking the stuff since Sat. morning, still no better or worse.

audie and i cleaned out our closets and gave away 6 bags of clothes to a goodwill type organization- i challenge all of you to go through all those clothes in your closets and get rid of those things that you don't wear anymore, you know that skirt/dress you wore once to a wedding three years ago and is like 3 sizes too small, and you wouldn't even wear it if it fit (true story). Pass the love onto those in need! I wound up giving our to a great organization that takes ANYTHING! and they repurpose it and give it to other organizations or sell it themselves. they even take in dirty nasty rags and turn them into redyed potholders, rugs and wallhangings that get sold for charity- that is one AWESOME organization!

I can't come to Lagrange for homecoming, i was so looking foward to it, but the ride i was going to hitch isn't comign back to durham until tuesday, and i have midterm due that day, which means i have to work on it next weekend.

everything is all set to go camping this weekend!! i'm actually getting excited! i hope it's not too wet, cold, dirty, gross and or all of the above! but it will be a nice relaxing time before the rush of fall break begins.

Why do i say it like that? we that becasue i have a midterm due the tuesday we get back, a paper due on the monday after the camping trip, and a HUGE(like 20 pages) paper due at the first of November, all of which have to be started/completed while i am on Fall break. Officially it is called Fall Reading Period, and that is why. but i will be realaxing some of it, probably not showering, except for the afternoon that i go for a haircut - nothing drastic just a trim, and i'm phasing out my bangs, 'cause i have decided they don't look good on me!

so i feel really bad for leaving you all in the dust (or maybe no one cares that i have been gone for 1 and 1/2 weeks) but i still felt ok about myself 'casue amber hadn't blogged either, and now she beat me to it! so i'm the sucky one.

ok so that's a ton for now, i guess i had to get it all out because i hadn't blogged in a while.

-julia

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