Just Julie

Lately

2009-11-28T16:54:00.003-07:00

So it seems like I am a slacker again with my posting. Things have been VERY busy, and while I am doing well balancing the important things, the less important things (blogging) have been pushed back. So, no here I am again, backdating my postings so they are on the date they actually happened pretending that I am a good little blogger hehe. So while the posts past this may look old, I am going through and posting them now. Take a look at what I have been up to!

Since Thanksgiving was two days ago, I will have to start with that. We had a small Thanksgiving this year, with just myself, Mom and Rod, and Tyler and Anne. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, just a usual Thanksgiving dinner with family. We did however play Phase 10 and Mom managed to only actually attack someone once (me, unfortunately) although she did come close to physical contact with Tyler hehe. Only my Mom can turn Phase 10 into a contact sport.

I have a lot to be Thankful for this year. I feel very blessed to be where I am in life right now and owe it to a lot of people. I would like to especially mention my friends Desi, Milan, and Sam. All three of them have helped me in ways they may never know, kept picking me back up when I was falling. Desiree is my all time BEST friend. This woman is amazing, of all the crap I have shared with her, she doesn't judge me one single bit. I have NEVER felt inadequate or inferior around her, she has truly helped me keep my sanity. I will be friends with this woman forever! I cannot count the late night talks we've had, the tears we have shared, or the stories we share with each other. She is my perfect confidant!

Milan is the goofball! No matter how miserable of a mood I am in, I cannot be around Milan for more than 10 minutes without laughing. He has helped my laugh through many hard days and realize that things are never as bad as they seem. I don't think I could ever keep a serious face around him. :) See? I smile just thinking about it hehe.

Sam is my talk it through guy! We have spent many nights up til 1 or 2 in the morning just talking about life and hashing stuff out. He has helped me put many things in perspective and has a lot of powerful insight that has helped me gain perspective in many different areas of my life. I know that whatever I have going on, I can talk to him about it, and he will have some amazing advice, or spiritual knowledge to help me improve the situation.

These three people have been my biggest influences and examples this last year. They have offered me so much, and I am truly a better person because they are in my life. Thank you guys for keeping me headed in the right direction! There have also been many others that have helped me in SO many ways, but I don't think I will start mentioning names so as not to forget anybody. I am just SO grateful for all the AWESOME people around me.

Me, Desi, Sam, and Milan :)

The Ladies

2009-11-28T15:14:00.003-07:00

I have to take a moment and tell you about 'The Ladies'. I am not sure how this came about, but the group of ladies consists of myself, and my friends Desi and Milan, yes Milan, in case you didn't catch on Milan is a BOY, but for all intensive purposes, he is a lady... Hmm... I know one day me and Desi were going on Ladies Night and we were talking to Milan, and I don't know if we invited him, or if he invited himself, but Milan came along on Ladies Night and ever since then, he has been a part of it. (Previously when the three of us hung out it was called 'Mormon Date' get it? 2 girls 1 guy? hehe) So, we call ourselves the Ladies when we are together, Ladies Nights, Ladies days, or just hanging out in general. It is FUN! So, here is my mini-tribute to 'The Ladies'... I love you both! Here are to many ladies nights yet to come, and those that have past! :)

Tylers Wedding

2009-11-13T17:55:00.003-07:00

Tyler got married on Friday the 13th hehe. His wife is Anne, and I just LOVE her! They make an awesome couple, and I am happy to have her as part of the family. Their wedding was wonderful, and it was fun to have all the family together. Jenna came up for the wedding and she stayed at my place before the wedding then with Mom after that until she went home. Anyway here are some pictures... There are SO many, I have a lot more posted on facebook, check 'em out there :).

Here come the bride

The Bride and Groom

The whole family, Jenna, Rod, Reilly, Tyler Anne, Mom and Moi :)

The siblings

I LOVE this picture! Reillys first snowstorm!

Withes Weekend

2009-10-17T17:19:00.002-06:00

I have been getting to know people up here in Midvale after moving, and trying to find my niche in my new ward. I have gotten to know a few people a bit, and was excited when a girl I had met in my ward, Ellie, texted me and asked me if I wanted to go to Withes Weekend at Gardner Village. Of course I said YES! (As anti-Halloween as I am, I thought it would be fun...) We all got together at Ellies apartment and got our witch costumes together and got ready to head out. The best part of the night was dressing up. :) We got to Gardner Village, and that place was PACKED! There were crowds and crowds of witches! It was definitely crazy! So, we were there probably less than an hour before we got sick of the crowd and decided to go get ice cream, (which is ALWAYS a fail safe plan). So, all dressed up, we took off to cold stone, got some tasty ice cream and headed back to Ellies where we watched a witch movie, whose name I cannot remember for the life of me... Oh well, maybe I will remember later... Anyway, it was a fun night, and a GREAT way for me to meet new people!

All the witches, aren't we adorable!

Ellie and Patty in the front seat of the van :)

The back seat, Me, Amber, a girl whose name I can' remember, and Katie :)

At Ellies apartment, all ready to go!

Yours truly!

Trip to Arizona

2009-10-06T17:41:00.004-06:00

I went to see Jenna for her birthday in Sierra Vista, Arizona. It was a lot of fun to see her and Reilly and spend the weekend with them. We had a LOT of fun. It was very reminiscent for me being back on an Army post again. We hung out with a bunch of her soldier friends, and I fit right in. It really felt like home and that I belonged there. I got home sick for the Army which I thought would NEVER happen, but hey, it is what it is. Anyway, we went to Tombstone and got old time pictures taken, and went shopping, and to dinner, and just had a blast hanging out. I am going back for Christmas and cannot wait to spend time with my sister again! We have gotten so close the past few years and I really love that we are finally developing that close relationship! I am going out there for Christmas too and cannot wait to see her again! :)

Me and my Seester!

Reilly giving me a kiss :)

Jenna teaching me how to do the 'Paris Hilton Pout' hehe

So, here I am!

2009-09-10T17:35:00.002-06:00

I am finally settled in in my new place in Midvale! I LOVE it! The only thing I wish that could be different is that all my friends are still in Orem! (Except for Sam, who lives not to far away, YAY!) Can I just say how much I LOVE it here! It takes me 15 minutes to drive to work instead of 50, and it is so close to everything! I really really REALLY just love how close I am to work, it saves me so much time in the morning and at night. It really just makes the whole hassle of moving worth while. YAY! My new apartment is great, even though it is on the third floor. Me and Tyler (my brother) had the HARDEST time getting my couches up the stairs and in the door, it was almost a disaster! WHEW! So anyway, I just had to get my excitement out about my new place... :)

Guess What? I'm Moving! AGAIN!

2009-08-30T19:59:00.002-06:00

Yup, that's right! I am moving! The timing is right, the getting is good, and I am outta here!!! "Where are you moving to?" you may ask... I am moving to a far away land known as Midvale, Utah. "But why?" you may wonder... Well for many reasons.... Lets tell a story!

When I moved here to Utah, a lot of factors led me to where I lived first, in Orem, not too far from where I live now. To make a long story short, it was right. Then the job I had lined up fell through and I ended up getting a position in Salt Lake City. The drive is almost an hour every day each way, but I did it, for almost a year now, because it was worth it. I love where I work, and I love where I live. Then I moved in with Desi to cut my rent down, and life is great. Pretty cheap rent, live with my best friend etc etc etc... Still making the LONG commute. I was set on moving closer to work sometime in the Summer/Fall 2010. (The long drive would only make sense for so long, gas costs SO much!)

Well, after a crazy series of events, I decided to move sooner (this was about a month ago). the stars aligned and I found this PERFECT place just off the I-215 in Midvale just 15 minutes from work! Then, BAM about two weeks after I decided to move, Desi gets engaged, and it turns out I would have been kicked out in November-ish anyway! (Just kidding, she wouldn't have kicked me out, but lets be real here....) Hehehe, I love it when stuff works out like this. So, to make a long story short, I am moving because it is the right thing for me to do right now!

I have a one bedroom one bath place that is very roomy! The rent is a very good price, and I will have plenty of storage space so I will not longer have to rent extra space! I am very excited to move, and cannot wait for the short commute and the adventure of living somewhere new and starting over... again... (Seems like I move a lot huh? The Army made it normal for me I think :))

However, I am sad to leave... I have an amazing ward with even more amazing people! My new ward has a lot to live up to! Plus, I am really going to miss mine and Desi's late night talks and seeing her every day! We have had some wonderful moments and grown extremely close since I moved in. But despite all that... it is time. It is only about 30 minutes from where I live now, so I will still be able to see all the people I love here as often as I want...

So, yes, let the crazy begin! I am moving Friday and Saturday and have only packed three boxes so far! I have LOTS of work to do!!! Have at it!

Work Party!

2009-08-30T16:36:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I went to a party/potluck with the people I work with. Once a year, Leonard (my team lead) has this end of summer bash at his house up in Mountain Green. I was excited to go because I have heard a lot of fun stories about this thing, and being my first year working at L-3 it was my first time. Everybody that works at the service desk (and a few others from the networking team) came up with their families and significant others. Since my relationship status is currently single, I brought Desi (my hott date) :). When we got there, I realized that everything that everyone had been saying about Leonard's property was true! He has thing HUGE cabin house, on a LOT of land with a pond (with SO MANY fish) and an out building and everything! It was so nice... Most the men had their fishing poles out on the pond trying to catch some fish, and the kids were in the canoe having a grand old time. It was so much fun to meet everybodys families!

After dinner we had a hard core volleyball tournament. IT was pretty intense! Ten of us played, and we all did pretty good. We kept kitting the ball down the hill, and usually we could holler down quick enough that someone could catch it before it went into the pond, but once it rolled right in, right before my serve hehe, it was fun! The game was crazy, we played three games, and my team won two of them. I brought my camera, but forgot to take pictures... no fun!

All in all it was a fun night. Desi and I both had a great time! I feel so lucky to be able to work with such wonderful people! We all generally get along, and laugh and joke about anything and everything. I have such an awesome job and a great team! I cannot wait until next years end of summer bash!

Sticky Legs

2009-08-22T22:06:00.003-06:00

Funny story! Today, I was mowing the lawn... and about a quarter of the grass is dead, and there are lots of dusty spots where the grass is almost no grass... So, I really must have slapped a lot of lotion on my legs this morning cause by the time I got done, this is what my legs looked like. Hehehe, I just had to take a picture, so funny! My favorite is where the flip flop lines are. :) Just a random thought...

OK, So...

2009-08-22T17:47:00.003-06:00

Once again, I have been one shameful blogger... I just looked at my blog and realized that is has been three months since my last post! The whole summer has gone by! My goodness. When I was married, I did so well keeping my blog up to date, two or three times a month at least. I don't know what it is about being single that makes me slack off so much... Anyway, here are a bunch of new posts, I am going to back date them, so it will seem like they are older posts, but yeah... have fun! I guess I should try to keep up now so I don't get stuck like this again :). I printed my blog off (for 2008) a bit ago like many of you have already, and I love it! I ordered a copy for my Mom, and it is so much fun to have that physical record too. The link to the site is http://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html if any of you want to do it too!

Now I'm done :) Off to mow the lawn!!!

Weddings and Engagements

2009-08-13T18:54:00.000-06:00

On the first of August, I had an amazing opprotunity to attend a reception for one of the missionaries that taught me when I was in Hawaii. There are moments in a persons life that shapes who they are and what they will be. Jace Crossley was a part of one of those moments for me, and it was such an honor to be able to see him and his new wife on his amazing day. Desi and I drove up to Idaho together, it was about a 3 hour drive or so, and when we walked into the reception and he recognized who I was, his face just lit up! We spent quite some time talking and catching up and it was so cool to me that he seemed as happy to see me as I was to see him. His new wife is just beautiful, and they make such a cute couple! Our visiting took me back to that time and place in Hawaii, and I had such a good feeling when I left. I was so happy, and it was so wonderful to have that opportunity! Here is a picture of Jace and I...

So, the other important-to-me missionary from Hawaii is getting married on the 2nd of September. I am so excited to go to his reception and see him again too! I really love those two men, and will always remember their persistence to me and my little family and their devotion to the Gospel.

Speaking of getting married...

Everybody seems to be getting married!!! My good friend Nate is engaged to an amazing woman, My roommate and VERY best friend Desi JUST got engaged, and my little brother (yes Tyler) is getting hitched too! My goodness, make it stop! hehe... Before too long I will be the only single one left! I called my friend Milan the other day and told him that he is not allowed to get married, or even think about it until I am at least engaged. I said that I WILL NOT be the last single friend in our inner circle. He just laughed at me, and said OK. Yeah right, like that's gunna stop him... There HAS to be something going around in the tap water, thank goodness I drink from bottles... :)

HAPPY DAY!

Golf

2009-07-26T18:50:00.000-06:00

So, after the work golf tournament, Anita and I have been talking about going golfing together. We finally did it! I bought my own set of clubs, and we have plans to go golfing on our Fridays off. It is fun, great exercise, and gets me out in the sun! I love the summertime!!! So here is a picture of me showing off my new golf clubs on our first golf trip! Fancy eh?

Lagoon!

2009-07-18T18:27:00.003-06:00

Wednesday (the 15th) was the one year anniversary of a very bad event it Desi's life. So, me, being the amazing (and humble) friend that I am, decided to take the day off of work, and take her to Lagoon so she wouldn't be alone and sad all day. :) The sacrifices I make for my friends... :) Anyway, we got there right as the park opened. Now, we were set out to have an exciting, eventful, wonderful time, so what did we do? We went back to back on the craziest rides we could find. The first one was great, I think we did the white roller coaster, then we went on Colossus, then some crazy gravity defying ride that threw us all over the place. By the time that was over and we were on the Mouse Trap, we were DONE! Our tummies were so sick we could barely stand it! That pretty much set the mood for the whole day lol. We went to get some food and water and drugs (read: Tylenol) to see it that would calm us down a bit. We spent the rest of the time walking around the park, checking out Pioneer town and looking at the rest of the rides. We did end up riding the Ferris Wheel (harmless :)) twice, and taking the little tram thing that takes you above the park to the other side. Desi and Me on the Ferris Wheel

Desi sneaking up some stairs...

Me sneaking up the same stairs...

Me and Desi on the tram thingy...

Desi relaxing on a Wagon in Pioneer town.

Me having a blatant regard for the rules... as usual...

These are the dangerous wild animals the above sign was talking about... SCARY!

Me getting ready to plow some land in Pioneer town...

We left the park early afternoon and decided to go to the mall and a movie. We ended up finding these HOTT socks for a dollar each, and decided to wear them with our flip flops to the movie. The were great conversation starters, and kept our legs warm in the cold theater hehe. We ended up seeing The Proposal, it was such a cute movie!

So, all in all the day was good, and next time we go, we will definitely NOT make a mad dash for all the crazy rides first haha, lessons learned. My stomach is not as tough as it was when I was a kid....

Vegas Baby!

2009-06-16T18:04:00.004-06:00

So, when I lived in Hawaii, I had this amazing friend named Kelly. Kelly and I went through so much crap together. Our marriages were falling apart at the same time, and she got divorced not long after I moved back here to Utah. Out situations were very similar, and when I needed her she was there for me, and I for her. I remember taking late night drives to the beach with her, one of us always upset or torn over some crazy thing our husbands had done. We would park right by the ocean and just talk and cry for hours, trying to decide what to do about it. I am not sure what I would have done without her. Anyway, the point is, this woman is AMAZING!!! When she left Hawaii, she moved back home to Indiana. Needless to say, its kinda hard to drop by for a visit living so far apart.

Kelly had a friend that was getting married in Vegas and she and her sister came for the wedding. She invited me along, so Desi and I headed off to road trip to Vegas to see her. On the way down we stopped in St. George to see one of my best friends Melanie! We had fun swimming, and catching up. I am hoping to make a trip down to St. G just to see Melanie soon before the summer is over... Anyway, we had a blast in Vegas! Kelly was just as wonderful as ever, and it was great to meet her sister! Desi and I went to the temple there while they went to the wedding, and we just had a fun time hanging out on the strip and catching up. So... here are some pictures!!!

We stayed at the Luxor... Inside the Pyramid! It was fun! Kelly, Me, Desi and Kristin.

Me, Kelly, and Desi inside the elevator at the airport, killing time before picking up her sister Kristin.

Me and Kelly at the elevator, being silly, just like us! hehe

Me and Desi, pimping out the shades :)

Me and Desi at the LV temple. It was beautiful!

Baby Reilly

2009-06-01T17:53:00.000-06:00

My sister came to Visit in May, and I just HAVE to showcase my favorite cutest nephew! He is the most adorable kid in the world! Tyler and I decided it is not fair to us that this kid is so cute, there is no way either of us will ever make a kid so dang adorable!!! Anyway... Here is Reilly!

Finally Updating!

2009-05-17T15:52:00.002-06:00

OK guys, it has been a ridiculously long time since I have posted, and people keep harassing me to update. See, the reason I haven't update is because after too long, it gets to be a pile of information that needs to be posted. So after realizing that the mountain would keep growing, I have just sucked it up and done it. So, I broke it down into several smaller postings, read what you want, there are lots of pictures for those of you who would rather just look. :D I will make sure to keep up to date with it more often now. Enjoy!

~Jules

Golf Tournament

2009-05-17T15:41:00.004-06:00

Every year, my work has a 'Spring Fling' golf tournament. People can put together teams of four and we go to an 18 hole golf course and play. I cant remember the name of it, but it was in West Valley City... Anyway, Me, Anita, Derek, and Nate from work put a team together. It was my first time playing a real 18 hole game of golf, my only other experience besides mini-golf was the Wii, lol. We went to a driving range the week before just to teach me the ropes. Anyway, we had a lot of fun, I did pretty good and my team got 12 under par! Good deal! I cannot wait to go next year! w00t!

Derek, me, Anita, and Nate

Chillin on the golf cart, I got to drive! :)

Me and Anita...

Getting ready to tee off...

My team. We did great!!!

Mothers Day Weekend

2009-05-17T15:32:00.002-06:00

The Friday before Mothers Day, I went to a work banquet. My team won an award called The Spirit of Excellence Award, and there was a HUGE dinner at the Grand America Hotel. It was wonderful. I had a great time socializing, there was AMAZING food, great music, and I took a date with me. I RSVPd plus one. It was a great evening...

Me and Yance, my plus one. :D

For Mothers Day I went down to my Mommas house. It was the first Mothers Day I had been home since High School! It is so much fun to be able to go home for the Holidays, I sure to appreciate it now that I as gone for SO MANY! Mom and I went four wheelin on Moms Day and had a blast. I LOVE YOU MOM!!!

Mom found some wood for her yard :)

Me on this HUGE rock that got washed down and blocked the wash...

Just chillin' :D

April, Jenna's Visit

2009-05-17T15:24:00.004-06:00

I got to see my sister and her baby! They came up for a few days to visit, and I went to my Momma house to see them. My nephew is the cutest thing!!!! It was so much fun to spend time with them...

April, Moving Day!

2009-05-17T15:04:00.003-06:00

I decided to move in with my best friend Desi, it was better for a lot of reasons. I would save 500$ a month and always have good company. I live now in the basement of her Grandmas house, it is a basement apartment, so we have our own living space, kitchen, living room , laundry room etc... Her Grandma is wonderful!!! I love living here, but getting in was very eventful. About a week or so before I moved in, the basement flooded... The carpet in my room was completely ruined, and they had to tear it out, and get new carpet put in. They carpet guy was scheduled to come in the day before I was moving in...

Nate, Milan, and me tearing out carpet, inner circle picture :) Desi is taking the picture, so it counts haha...

This is me hanging up the T.V. mount on the wall for my T.V. This was a few days before move in, before carpet guy was supposed to come, and after everything was flooded....

So, carpet guy called and rescheduled, for the day I was supposed to move in... BLAH! He said he would be at the house at 8 a.m. and would do my room very first so that by the time that we got there with the furniture (people were meeting at my house at 9:00 a.m. to load) we would have somewhere to put things. Keep in mind, everything was flooded so everything in the basement was crammed into the living room, which happened to miss the flood.... So, turns out, carpet guy was WAY late, and didn't do my room first. So by the time we showed up to my NEW house with everything all ready to download, carpet guy hadn't even started laying the carpet, he was still doing the padding.... BLAH! So, we decided to take a lunch break. I took everyone that came to help out to Burgers Supreme, GREAT place to eat... By the time we were done eating and relaxing, we came back and carpet guy was about finished. We got everything unloaded and into the house, but it rained ALL day, we had no real furniture casualties except my mattress got dropped in the mud, lol, it is funny now that I think of it, but I had to take my carpet shampooer to it for a while to get it clean.... :) My friend Nate brought a HUGE truck to help move, and we got everything into it in one load, sweet!!!

Me and Desi, at my old house, pausing for a photo-op :D

Me and Amanda, my newest friend, walking buddy, and soon to be gym partner :D

The men, moving my fridge out, thank goodness for the muscles!

It was a CRAZY day, but I am so glad to be living here. I finally got everything finished and put together this weekend, Desi is coming back from vacation to see her family, and it is all done, its a surprise :D She will be so happy when she sees everything. I even put in a new kitchen sink faucet for her (she wanted one with a sprayer) and a cabinet thing up on the wall in the bathroom! I cant wait for her to get back and see it!!!!

April Last Ladies Night and Giving Foxy Away

2009-05-17T14:48:00.003-06:00

I decided to move in with my best friend Desiree, and I could not have Foxy with me at her place, so I needed to find her a new home. This guy I work with decided to take her, and she is doing very well up there (Ogden) at her new home with his family. There is another dog there for her to play with, and two kids too. I miss her but I am so glad she is doing well.... Here is Foxy on her trip up to Ogden with me....
Now, my friend Milan, (say it like My-lan not like Milan the city :)) decided to go to Alaska for the Summer to do tours up there. He goes every year, and loves it. Milan is my very best guy friend, and also a lady lol. Every since the start of ladies nights he has been included.... I am not sure exactly why, but no other man is allowed to come to ladies nights except Milan... lucky guy :D. So, since he was leaving, and ladies nights would not be the same until his return, we decided to have one last ladies night before he left, at our favorite restaurant in Trolley Square, Rodizios....

Milan, he is a very manly lady....

Me and Milan watching the trolleys race around the square... They got de-railed... it was a very sad night :(

The ladies, Milan, me and Desiree..

The ladies on Milans last day at church for the summer. I miss him already!!! COME BACK MILAN! :)

March

2009-05-17T14:46:00.004-06:00

I really cannot think of anything remarkable that happened in March, but here is a great picture of me and Foxy :D

February

2009-05-17T14:31:00.004-06:00

February was pretty uneventful... But here is a good place to introduce the 'inner circle' my group of closest friends. We went to Rodizios at Trolley Square for my Birthday. Here is Milan, Desi, me, and Nate.

These are quality people, my closest friends. These are the people I feel most comfortable around here in good ole Utah. I can just relax and be me around them. I am SO grateful to have such good people in my daily life....

This month I also had a great opportunity to attend the homecoming of the missionary that brought me back to the church in Hawaii. He came home and I was able to go with his family to the airport in SLC to pick him up. Then my best friend Desi and I drove up to Wyoming for his homecoming. It was a lot of fun. It was cool to reminisce about all the crazy things that happened in Hawaii and all the rough things that went on before I came back to the church. His homecoming was on my Birthday, and it was a wonderful birthday gift to see this amazing person again. I am so grateful for him and his persistence with my stubborn self.... Thanks Trevor!

January

2009-05-17T14:18:00.002-06:00

I have gotten really close to a few people here. I went on a stake tubing trip, and here are pictures of a few of those people. Below, left to right is Desi, Milan, Eric, and Moi....

Here is me and Desi, my BEST friend.... I love this girl so much, she has been through so much, and her strength gives me strength. I know I can count on her for ANYTHING, she is one of the rocks in my life....

I got the chance to go through the Draper Utah temple open house. It was amazing inside, and I felt so much at peace while there. Here is me, Desiree, Sam, and Milan.

January was just SO COLD! We are defiantly not in Hawaii anymore Toto. I live in Orem, and drive to Salt Lake every day for work, and a few days when it snowed a lot it took me 3 hours or more to get home! Crazy!!! People forget how to drive in the snow :) People ask me a lot if I am going to move to SLC to be closer to work, but I have no plans to do that any time soon. I really love where I live, and I love where I work, so for now this is the way it is going to be...

Gratitude

2008-12-26T22:05:00.003-07:00

I had a GREAT Christmas! It was so much fun to be home with my Mom, her new hubby, and Tyler! Christmas Eve I rode home with Brandon, it was great to catch up with him and we had a great time talking and catching up. Then, after I got home, my friends from Orem called and sang Christmas carols to me and my mom. It was great! It is so wonderful to know such great people. Tyler came over to Moms house for Christmas eve, and we stayed up and talked long after everyone had gone to bed. I really enjoy being so close to home, especially after being gone for so long. It really makes me appreciate the simple things like being home for Christmas, and late night chats with my brother (did you see that Tyler, I appreciate you :D).

Christmas day was great. We got on webcam and opened gifts with Jenna and Reilly, and then Rods daughter and her family came over. It was sweet, she gave us each the card game phase 10 and some peanuts, haha, me and Tyler played Phase 10, and even got Mom involved, and I bet you didn't know that card game was a contact sport :D, well, it is with my family haha. That night, I went to pick up Brandon, and we were going to stop by and see our friend Brooke who is on leave from the Army, but we didn't get ahold of her in time... So, we headed back, right into the snow storm. It was nuts, we had to pull over to the side of the road because we couldn't see. We drove about 10 mph all the way to Scipio, but were lucky enough to be able to drive 40 on the freeway all the way back to Orem. It snowed pretty bad the whole way. Luckily we took my car, thank goodness for AWD! :D Anyway, I am grateful for the chance to catch up with Brandon and Brooke! I know this is the billionth time, but it is SO nice to catch up with old friends!!! LOVE IT!

Today I took my final exams! I aced both of them, and will get As in each class. YAY! I did some post holiday shopping :D went on a date, and has movie night with a bunch of friends. It was a blast! I am SO grateful for my friends here. They are such good people, and I am so blessed to have them in my life. Thanks everyone for being AWESOME!

Last but not least, I am SO grateful for the Lord and his Atonement. Some of the conversations I have had with a few people in the past little bit has really opened my eyes, and helped my testimony grow. I am amazed at the power behind the Lords love for us, and I am so grateful for his hand in my life. I have had a rough few years, and certainly made huge mistakes, but now, as I straighten my life out, I can see the blessings pouring out, and my heart is so full of love for our Savior and his sacrifice for us. There have been some very hard times even in the last few months, but I know, that the Savior has felt how I feel and he understands, and that makes all the difference in the world. I know that the Atonement is real, and through it we can be forgiven of all our sins, and for that I am most grateful. I know that with his help I have made it through the rough times, and with Him I can make it through anything.

I want to thank everybody for their help, thoughts and prayers, and especially the Lord for blessing me with such great people.

And then some...

2008-12-24T15:45:00.009-07:00

What a month!!! Life has been so crazy, but so great! Where do I start? First of all, I LOVE my job. I work with GREAT people, and it is a GREAT company, and every day I don't go more than thirty minutes without laughing. I could not ask for more. Well, actually, I do drive 45 miles for work each way, and that is a little rough, but it is also great time to just think (which is dangerous sometimes, when I think that is haha). It did however take me two and a half hours to get home last Friday in that huge snowstorm... YUCK Anyway...

I LOVE where I live! I am in the GREATEST ward ever! There are some awesome people in my ward, and the ward here is an 'older' ward, which is great, I guess the average age is 25 :D. I am making a lot of new friends. I am so grateful to have such awesome people in my life. I would name names, but I don't want to leave anybody out, just know that I appreciate you! I do have a fun experience... One Sunday at ward prayer I met a guy who served his mission in Korea! We talked forever about anything and everything Korean, and all the fun stuff that we miss. It was totally awesome to be able to have a conversation about it with someone who actually knows what I am talking about. Just like with the Army, it is great to meet soldiers, I can speak about the Army without having to explain every other acronym. :D LOVE IT.

I HATE the COLD!!! People, it sucks, I know you know, and I know it is going to get colder, but that doesn't mean that it is not freezing now!!!! I just got so used to the year round warm in Hawaii my body doesn't know what to do in the cold. I came home from work one day, and this is what my lawn looked like....

The people that live below me shovel my sidewalk, LOVE THEM.

Foxy has to have a special patch of grass shoveled just for her to do her business, that dog is so spoiled...

OH, I have another friends story!!! On Sunday I met up with an old friend from high school! I love catching up with people, and he came over Sunday and we watched movies and played Wii with my other GREAT friend Desiree. It was so much fun to catch up, and tonight, we are going to drive back home together, to keep company and have someone else to push the Santa Fe if it gets stuck hahaha, jk. It is supposed to be really yucky weather and it will be so nice to have the company!

On that note... I am SO excited to be able to go home for Christmas! This will be the first Christmas I get to spend home with my family (minus Jenna) in five years! Jenna is stuck in Arizona, but it will be great to be around my mom and Tyler! I cant wait!

Speaking of Tyler, he is probably going to be moving in with me. I am going to start taking bets of how long it will take for one of us to kill the other hahaha. We have a great relationship as long as we live apart, it will defiantly be interesting, plus it will be great to have him around to do the man work haha. Brothers.....

Anyway, that's about it for now, nothing too exciting, but I need to do my homework (blech) and get packed to head home. I wish everybody Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!! To my battle buddies in Iraq, you will be home in one month! I love you and miss you! God speed!!!

Jules

Veterans Day

2008-11-11T18:50:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to give a shout out to all my soldier friends and family!!! Thanks for everything you do!!! I miss you all, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan right now, I miss the Army, and in some ways wish I was still in, and fighting with you. To all you I served with, God Bless you! You are my family, and I pray every day for your safe return home. God speed, and I hope one day we meet again. Here are some old military pics I dug up, enjoy the memories!

Saluting the troops as they fly off to Iraq

Dark Marco and Hernie :D BALLIN'

P-I-M-P

Combat Commo!

Catching up with Julie...

2008-11-08T10:37:00.003-07:00

So, I have lots of new stuff!!! I have been slacking on my blogging a bit, so here is a catch up...

Halloween.... So, Halloween is probably my LEAST favorite holiday... Not sure why, and I am not going to go into the many things that irritate me about it right now, but I did end up going to a party with my cousin Jenny, and I EVEN dressed up lol, I have no idea why I decided to even go but my costume turned out pretty cool... Remember those troll dolls? The ones with a jewel on the tummy, and if you rubbed it it was good luck? Well, I decided to be one of those. I got a nude color leotard from a dance store and put it together. I decided to be a beach troll since I didn't want to be a naked one hahahaha... so here is a picture :D

So, I got an AWESOME job!!! I start Monday the 17th. i will be doing technical support (computer stuff) for L-3 Communications-Communications Systems West. L-3 is the sixth largest defense contracting company in the country, and they have locations worldwide. I am SO excited, and lucky to have gotten this job. The job is in Salt Lake City, so, looks like I will be moving again lol. I don't mind, just have to find a place now... Anybody know of any good places to rent in Salt Lake county that will let me have my dog?

So, I got a new (used) car! I ended up getting a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. I LOVE it! It only has 14,000 miles on it, and it is AWD (great for the commute to SLC from Orem in the winter). I got a GREAT deal on it! I am glad I did my research on it first, I went in there with stacks of papers I had printed off about the car lol... It was great! I ended up getting it for $4,000 less than suggested retail. :D Anyway...

All in all life is getting much better. It is so much fun to be able to catch up with old friends, be within driving distance of family, and I defiantly can see the Lords hand in helping me get my life back together. As bad as things have been, they are getting better, and I am so grateful to have the gospel in my life. There are a few people I have been meaning to catch up with, and if you want to catch up with me, just let me know, I love to see people I haven't seen in years!!!

BTW, it is SO COLD!!! I am going to have a hard time in the winter... BRRRR

Ever have a day where you just feel like you got run over by a semi truck???

2008-10-28T11:53:00.002-06:00

Well, yesterday I actually did... A semi truck trailer plowed right over the top of my car, oh, and btw, I was in it... So, most of you know, I am accident prone, and long over due for a near death experience hahahaha... here is the latest adventure... :D

So, I was driving on my way to work, (good old Payless btw, I am long overdue for a 'catch up' blog, maybe in the next few days I will get around to it...) and I was in Payson, at an intersection getting ready to turn right. I was following a diesel truck, who was in the straight lane, so I got into the right turn lane, and started to turn, when the semi truck (pulling a flat bed trailer) started to turn too. He was STILL in the straight lane, and just turned! Not straddling the two lanes, no blinker, no brakes, just TURNED! RIGHT FROM THE STRAIGHT LANE!!! Now, I drive a little ford focus, not exactly a good match for a HUGE TRUCK, needless to say, I lost... The trailer smashed right into my car, and shoved it right up onto the curb.

All the time, I am in the car with a trailer headed straight for my head (drivers side...) and all I could think was 'How the heck am I going to get outta this mess!" Seriously folks, totally life-flash-before-your-eyes experience! My left arm is sticking straight out towards the drivers side door, like hey, if the trailer hits me, maybe I can stop it with my arm, lol, ever read Twilight? I was totally gunna have an Edward-saves-Bella moment... Seriously, luckily the truck stopped, one more foot, and I would have been stuck under the trailer...

So yeah, at this point I am totally freaking out, and all I can think is GET ME THE CRAP OUTTA THIS CAR! Too bad the drivers side door is under the truck... I had to climb out the passenger side door... I was shaking like nobodies business... Anyway, nobody got hurt, not even a scratch for me (LUCKY, AGAIN!)... but my car has definitely had better days... It is in the shop now, and I will find out tomorrow if it is totaled. For not, I have a SWEET rental car, all at the expense of the insurance company :D There are so many more details to this story, but I am sure as things happen, I will fill you all in. (Yes, there is going to be a battle :D) So, for now, I am still alive, and one more straw has been added to this camels back... Life sure is rough sometimes....

I will post pictures when I get them uploaded :D NIGHT!

Julie

House, Job, Car, and Everything in Between

2008-09-25T21:36:00.002-06:00

So, it has been a long time since I have posted. There has been so much stuff going on, I have barely been able to keep my head on straight. Here is a brief run down of what my last few weeks have looked like, and the new challenges that lie ahead....

So, my last post left off with me looking for a place to live. Well, I found one. It is a house in Orem near the University Mall, the story of how I got it is crazy... First of all, let me start with a story... The day before I found the place I was listening to the radio and they were talking about how 666 is a sign of the devil, and that 333 means God is trying to tell you something. I had never heard the 333 thing before, but found it interesting... anyway back to the story... I had been looking for a few days, and made a few trips up to Utah County from my Moms house in Elsinore to look at a few places, but the places I looked at really just weren't right... I was getting a little discouraged, and instead of driving all the way back to my Moms house, I stayed at my Grandparents house in Payson. My Grandma asked if I had looked in the local newspaper for places to live, and I hadn't, so I decided to give it a try, but didn't have very good luck until the last place. It sounded perfect for me, so I made the call. It was just about everything I was looking for, and I was excited to look at it, so I asked the lady when she was showing it, and then she gave me the address. Guess what the address is? 333 East blah blah blah. Wow, so, needless to say, I LOVED the house, and moved in a few days later, just thought it was funny how I never heard the whole 333 thing until that same day, anybody else ever heard of that?

So, I love where I live, it is a cozy little place, now I am just waiting for my furniture to get here :D I sleep on an air mattress, and that is pretty much it for furniture in the house. Fun. I live close to my Grandparents, and my cousins, and I am having a lot of fun hanging out with my cousin Jenny (she is actually my fourth cousin...). My mom and her mom were really close growing up, and it is fun to be able to be so close.

I picked up my car in Los Angeles on Monday, and that whole bit was an ADVENTURE! I will start from the beginning....

I got two plane tickets (one for me and Jenny) for 8:00 in the morning to fly from SLC to LA. We dropped off my rental car, and checked in for our flight. We didn't bring any checked baggage since we were not making a long trip, and just had our carry-ons. So, we got through security, and were looking for our gate, and couldn't find it. We were flying United airlines, and the only flights to LA were for Delta... weird... so, we went to the United ticket counter and asked the attendant where our gate was. She took one look at our tickets and said "This flight is for 8:00 PM." We were at the airport before 7 am, and they let us check in and everything, all the time for a flight that was more than 12 hours away! I was SO upset, they wouldn't refund our tickets cause we had already checked in, and I had to get on that early flight to LA. United had no other flights leaving and the VPC (place where I pick up my car) closes at 4pm. We were stuck!!! So, I went to the Delta ticket counter (inside the terminal) and asked if there was any way I could get two tickets to LA on the Delta flight that left in 45 minutes. Luckily for us, there were two seats left, right next to each other... :D I had to fork out 400$ but at least we got on an 8:00AM flight... nuts... I still have our United tickets that were never used.... haha, life....

So, we got to LA and everything went pretty smooth. I got my car, and we headed off to Vegas for the night. We had a lot of fun there, we stayed at Treasure Island Hotel, and saw Cirque De Soleil Mystere. It was AWESOME!!!! I have pictures, to post later.... We left Vegas the next day, after going shopping of course, and our next stop was in St. George to see my favorite friend Melanie. It was so much fun to see her and her little baby Trevor (Oh, and Everett too haha). I love it when I get to see Mel, and luckily, I live a lot closer, I may have to make monthly trips to St. G. :D

Oh, I forgot one very important detail.... When we were driving from LA to Vegas, I got a phone call, from Teleperformance, the company I was supposed to start working for in a few weeks. Well, it turns out that Dell is re-negotiating the contract it has with Teleperformance, or something like that, and they cancelled all new hires and training indefinitely. What does that mean for me? That means I do not have a job. It's funny really, I get everything settled in and start to get comfortable, and BAM, there you have it. So, Julies Job Hunt is on again... It's just now, I am limited to Utah County.... Yup... So there is my life in a nut shell, I will keep you posted....

Night!

I got a job!!!!!

2008-09-05T21:22:00.003-06:00

So let me tell you a good story....

As you all know (and thanks for the support btw) I have been looking for a job. I have let everyone I know know I am looking, checking out job websites and such, not really coming up with anything good. My Uncle works for a company that I talked with, but they didn't have any positions open beyond basic reception jobs. I was getting a little discouraged, but keep putting in resumes and stuff.

So, I have a cousin, (actually she is my 4th cousin or something, more like best friend...) her name is Jenny and I have known her my whole life, anyway.... ever since I found out that I was moving to Utah, I had the feeling that I should call her. It is such a coincidence that I had her number anyway, but that is another story... I kept telling myself that I would call her later, I was sure I was going to call her, but I just kept putting it off.... Well, I finally called her Tuesday. She manages two Payless stores in Utah county, and while she couldn't provide me with the job and income I needed she had JUST hired a guy part time that is the Human Resources manager for a company called Teleperformace. She had no idea what the company did, but she instantly thought of him. She told me that she would talk to him that night, find out what he did, and ask him if he was hiring....

Well, she talked to him, and the first thing he asked her is "Does she know anything about computers?" BINGO! So, he gave her his work number, and told her to tell me to call him the next day, which was Wednesday. I called Wednesday, and he told me that the were hiring Dell Technical Support Technicians. Sweet. I have five years of experience working DIRECTLY with Dell products (thanks Army). So, he asked if I could interview the next day, of course I jumped at the chance, so I went up there Thursday (oh, to Lindon btw, North Orem/Pleasant Grove for those that don't know) and had two interviews, I really impressed the guy that interviewed me last, and the offered me the position!!! It was SO AMAZING!!!

Everything just fell together so nicely I just know that I am supposed to be doing this. I look at all the things that happened and it is just awesome. I start working at the end of October, which works out nicely too. I have to pick up my car in LA at the end of this month, then the Army has to deliver my household goods by mid October, it is great cause I have time to find a place and get settled in and not have to rush anything. I can focus my time on finding an apartment out near Lindon/Orem/PG and get my stuff moved in, and visit old friends that I haven't seen in forever.

So, my house/apartment hunt starts next week, if anybody that lives in that area knows of any good places for rent that will let me keep my small dog, got ahead and leave a comment. Anybody that wants to catch up with me, also comment, I have some time to travel around a bit.

I need to work on my Arabic accent. LOL I figure I have lots of bad karma coming my way, I used to give Dell Techies such a hard time lol. I don't believe I have EVER talked to an American Dell Tech Support person... I didn't even knew they had them lol. I LOVE it!!!

Home in Utah

2008-09-01T21:31:00.005-06:00

I left Hawaii Saturday night. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Even Alan leaving for Iraq was easier than this, I knew he would come back to me. Now, I will probably never see him again. I know it is for the best, but it sucks still... Foxy was great all through check in and security, but she threw a fit in the airport. I was having a hard time waiting for the plane, and just cried. Once on the plane Foxy calmed down, and was fine throughout the whole flight. We got through baggage claim, rental car and everything and Foxy was so well behaved, it was nice.

We drove all the way from SLC to Elsinore where my mom lives. We stopped in Payson to see my Grandparents, and Foxy did well with them. She just sat on my lap and slept through the whole car ride. We got to my moms house around 12:30 in the afternoon, and have settled in rather nicely. My Moms dog is not a fan of Foxy, and sometimes we have to interfere in their getting to know each other, but other than that things are going well. I have sent out a few more resumes, and this week I am just going to get settled, and start my school work before setting out on the road next week to follow up on my job applications and resumes. The hardest part for me is not knowing what I am going to be doing, or where I will be. I feel like I am not secure, life is an open book right now....

BTW, it is COLD! It was like 5 degrees today, my goodness I was freezing! I do not know if I will survive a winter in Salt Lake County, or where ever I will be, I may have to look further south, like Saint George or Vegas... I might never unthaw... :D and it was only 65! wow.

Anyway, I will keep everyone posted on my status, also my blog will be undergoing a serious makeover, for obvious reasons... I will have to take that on later...

Until next time...

Julie

Aloha Oe'- Farewell to you Hawaii

2008-09-01T20:54:00.005-06:00

On Friday the movers cam to my house to pack up all my furniture to send to Utah. It should be there before October 15th, so that gives me plenty of time to find a job and a house :D. The movers were there from 8 am to 4pm. It was a LONG day! I lived on the second floor and so the movers put really thick cardboard down the stairs so they could just sorta slide stuff down it. It looked fun, and the little 5 year old boy, Markus, that lives below me asked me if we could ask the movers to leave it there when they left. So.... I asked, and they left it. Here are some pictures of the moving day fun :D...

Me and Markus

Markus doing tricks :D The dog at the bottom is foxy's puppies daddy...

A few days before moving day, all the puppies left. It was sad to see them go, especially Lola, the girl, she was my favorite. I think the puppies look like beagles, especially the brown and white one. Here are some picture of the day they left.

All the puppies lying together, Lola is the one on the right.

Me and the puppies.

So, the night before I left, Friday, the same day the movers came, me and my neighbors we to my favorite Mexican restaurant on the North Shore. There is this sign that I always wanted a picture with, but never took one, so we stopped so I could take a picture. :D I look frumpy from moving all day, but I HAD to get this picture lol.

So, that is my last times in Hawaii. I want to say thank you to everyone there that helped me out. Specifically Dani, my favorite German, my neighbor, she is the reason I still have my sanity. Rusty and Lala Rueckert, such good examples to me, you helped me to stay on the right path. The only LDS friends I have in Hawaii, Thank you! Kelly Dodge, she got me my first job after getting out of the Army, we are good friends now, and I am so grateful to you for being my friend and knowing that I can help you helps me, hang in there girl, life can get better. Thanks to my Waialua ward Ohana, my family away from family. Everyone else that helped in Hawaii, I cant name everybody, but thank you so much for helping me get out safe and sound. God Bless you!

Update

2008-08-24T01:56:00.004-06:00

So, here it is. I will be home on the 31st! I am fortunate enough to have the Army to take care of me. Many of you know that I just got out of the service in May. When Soldiers leave the Army it pays for all their household items and vehicle to get back to their home of record, and pays for their plane ticket. While I obviously didn't use mine when I got out, I am within the six month window the Army allotted to use my benefits. So, I take my car to the docks on Thursday, they pack up my house on Friday, and Saturday I am on a plane straight to SLC to arrive Sunday morning, all on the Army's expense. Fabulous. They didn't pay for Foxy (obviously) but the lady booked a flight for me straight from Honolulu to SLC, no layovers, so it would be easier on her. Fabulous again. I am taking her in the cabin with me as a carry on since it is only a six hour flight. (Yes ONLY six, it sure beats the twelve hour flight from Korea!).

So, Sunday morning (the 31st) I fly into SLC and will rent a car at the airport and drive to my mamas home where I will stay for a few days so Foxy is comfortable before I embark on my journey. Then I am going to job hunt, not sure where I will start, probably Utah or Salt Lake County... In about a month my car will be in Los Angeles, so I will have to drop off my rental car at the SLC airport and fly to LA and road trip to Utah. :) I am excited for that, the farthest road trip you can take here is two hours and you will lap the island. :D

All in all things are good. Alan and I are being civil, friends even, and while nobody ever wants to get divorced, I know in my heart that this is right. I have no regrets, and I know that now I am a better person than I was two and a half years ago. I see Alan and I keeping a friendship. It's hard, but I have been through some tough stuff, gotta have the bad times to enjoy the good...

So, here are some random thoughts that didn't seem to fit anywhere in the above post...

In my separation orders, they Army didn't specify my home of record. The guy at the travel office told me that I could have my stuff sent and fly anywhere I wanted. :D I was thinking of taking it down under and going to Australia haha. Wouldn't that be an adventure. :D

Aside from divorce being the reason, I am excited to be able to live in Utah. For the past five years, I have missed 99% of all Thanksgivings, Christmases, Birthdays, Fourth of July's, Weddings, Babies being born, Bridal showers, baby showers, reunions, you name it, I was gone. Well now I can be there for EVERYTHING!!! Just in time to get settled in my house and a job before Thanksgiving! Perfect!

I spent $350 at the Aloha Swap Meet today getting all the stuff I told my self i would get before I left Hawaii, including a Ukulele. Oh yes, I even have a book to learn how to play it. haha. I am a dork I know, but I want to learn! :D

I got my I got my letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs today! (This may not make sense to a lot of you, but bear with me, I don't want to bore you with the details) When I got out of the Army, I filed for compensation from the VA (Dept of Veteran Affairs) for the injuries I sustained while in service. The VA will compensate Veterans monthly for the rest of their lives based on blah blah blah boring.... so, I got my letter, and the VA found me 50% disabled. Sweet. This gives me $799 per month til I die. (I have to go to yearly physicals...) So, I really didn't expect that, but there were several things that each got 10% ratings, and combined, I am half broken. Nice. Kudos to the Army. It's weird though, I don't feel 50% disabled... (yeah yeah insert your smart alec comments here)... Just by looking at me you wouldn't think anything was wrong. That's one of the perks though I guess. The Army has been good to me...

So, that's about it for my ramblings. I hope to see most of you soon, and I am still catching up on email responses. Bear with me. Thanks!!!

Julie

Grateful

2008-08-20T23:27:00.003-06:00

So, I just wanted to thank everyone who has emailed me in response to my last post. I am SO grateful to you all, and I am going to sit down and take the time to reply to everyone, but it may be a few days. I just want you to know how much I appreciate it. It is so much easier to deal with the hard times when there are good people around to turn to. Thanks for being my friends!!!

Julie

Help...

2008-08-19T00:07:00.002-06:00

So, I had this posted earlier, but somehow it got deleted... hmm... Anyway, this is my story. I really am not one to post too much personal information online, especially rough stuff, but I felt that I should post this email that I sent out to my family. To sum it all up times are rough right now, and I need a little assistance to get back on my feet. I know that through faith and with the Lords help that I will be alright. I know I have some wonderful friends and an awesome family and I thank everyone for your support already.

"So, I have a problem, and I really need some help....

So, to make a long story short, my husband is tired of being a Mormon and wants to be single again and live up the single life. We are getting a divorce. This is especially hard for me because I am across the ocean in Hawaii and cant exactly pack up a U-haul or whatever. So, the Army will ship my vehicle and furniture to Utah and I have enough money saved up to last me a few months, but after that I am in trouble, and I was hoping to pull the family card for help.

I need an apartment that will let me keep my little 8 lb mix breed dog. She is fully house broken, and pretty quiet. I also need a job. My expertise is computer science/computer user support. As you all know, I just got out of the Army after almost five years of service, so I am pretty universal. I have 60 credit hours of college that do not fit into a degree along with various military schools and training. I am currently enrolled in school pursing a Bachelors in Information Technology Management. I realize that I am pretty limited with my lack of education, but I am a quick learner, determined, and adapt very easily. I really just need a job that can give me about $25,000 a year or more. I also need to find a job before I find an apartment for obvious reasons.

I am not picky about where in Utah I live or what the job is, I just want to be in Utah, and be able to keep my dog. My Mom is going to keep Foxy (my dog) at her place while I roam the state trying to get settled, but I may need some places to stay during my travels so I do not have to fork out money on hotels.

I am not sure when I will be flying in, hopefully within the next two weeks or so. I just need to get out of here as quickly as possible. Please, if any of you can help me in anyway I really need it right now.

You can email me back at this address julieb03 [at] yahoo [dot] com Thanks!"

Julie

Where's my personal jet pack?

2008-08-11T19:59:00.003-06:00

So, I get bored at work, after I have checked my email a million times and looked at every bodies blogs another million times, I get to thinking (scary I know) and here is what I came up with today...

I am sick and tired of waiting for the personal jet packs we were promised when we were kids! All those black and white films I saw in school of what the future would be like included personal jet packs! It’s years later and even our cars still require that we steer them!!! (also a lie from those films about the future).

The only “big” invention of the future we’ve gotten so far is the segway. It’s just a stupid scooter! They had scooters in the 60’s! “Ooh! You can stand on it!” they say. You can stand on a regular scooter too duh!!! "Yeah, but, it won’t fall over no matter what!” A scooter is only three inches from the ground! Falling over was never my primary concern. I am sick and tired of sitting in traffic four hours! Twenty years after the promise of a personal jet pack that would fly you anywhere in a minute, I am still sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. But, I thought, just hang in there, SOON, they will have personal jet packs, FOR SURE by the year 2005. Now here it is 2008! It’s the twenty first century dude!

To the inventor of the Segway, and Bill Gates who I'm SURE had something to do with it, you should be ashamed of yourselves for trying to create a big stir about the segway before it came out by saying stuff like: It will change the way we live. THAT led me to believe: PERSONAL JET PACK!!!! Never, never, never claim that a scooter will change ANYTHING!!!! When we can fly to work, THAT will change the way I live. When we can eat candy and drink soda and still lose weight, THAT will change the way we live. When I can get a human being on the telephone at the DMV/Cable Company/Bank THAT will change the way I live. -- NOT a scooter! And stop trying to make it seem cool to have a Segway. IT’S NOT.

Dick Tracy (written in the 1930’s) had a flying Jet pack, not a scooter, it FLEW!!! In 1930!!!That’s before we had microwave ovens and penicillin, and organ transplants. 78 years ago! I want my personal jet pack! Where is my personal jet pack??? Everyone, if you email congress and tell them to quit throwing away money on science and funnel it to flying jet pack research, We can make this happen!!!

PERSONAL JET PACK!

Breaking Dawn Disappointment...

2008-08-08T12:20:00.003-06:00

So, I finished reading Breaking Dawn yesterday. Overall I was a little disappointed with it. **SPOILER** It seems like after Bella became a vampire she lost her whole Bella "essence", I mean sure some things were obviously going to change (vampire DUH) but it seems like it was a whole new much less interesting character. I don't like the fact that Jacob imprinted on Nessie (weird...), I was very shocked when Bella got pregnant (very weird...) I mean, it seems like Stephenie Meyer was trying too hard to get everything in there and in the right order, get married, then have babies, then live happily every after, it really didn't work so much for me (the girl is only 18...).

So yeah, it was a young adult book, with lots of young readers but it felt like that fact was restricting the story from developing. I was also disappointed with how everything ended up so happily ever after. Everybody got what they wanted, no exceptions. There was no battle at the end, no final stand down, everybody made it out alive (except the snitch, but she was such a fleeting character it was not a big deal). I am just saying a little sacrifice, hard work and suffering would have made it better, THEN the happily ever after. Have the main characters give one final fight to be together, then be happy because they have each other after surviving everything else despite their losses. That is what we have come to expect with the series, and the final book was a let down for me. I do however still LOVE Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. Wish Breaking Dawn could have kept up.

Anyway, any other readers feel free to share your thoughts, I am interested to know your take on it.

Breaking Dawn Release....

2008-08-01T15:46:00.003-06:00

So, I am anxiously counting down the milliseconds until Breaking Dawn is released at 12:01 a.m. tonight so that I can rush to the Waikele Borders and buy it as quickly as possible (I have it reserved in two locations :D). In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up buying the book at midnight and then staying up reading it cover-to-cover before Alan wakes up at 6:55 a.m.

Admit it! I know a lot of you are doing the same thing!!! You're out there, I know it, I read your blogs :D. (Side note: Can you imagine how insane Borders and Barnes & Noble will be in some parts of the country [read: Utah/Arizona] when Breaking Dawn is released? My conservative estimate is that 143 Borders Associates will be killed and another 815 injured.) If you know any Borders/Barnes & Noble employees, you may want to advise them to increase their short-term disability and their life insurance policies ASAP. It's going to be a blood bath...

I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!

Sticking up for Utah

2008-08-01T15:32:00.002-06:00

So.... I was browsing through blogs one day, and found one that a guy had written putting up the defense for Utah. I could not resist writing my own "I'm from Utah SO WHAT?!?!"/"Leave Utah Alone Blog" Being Active Duty Army, I have lived a lot of places and met many different kinds of people from just as many places. More often than not when the "Where are you from?" question is asked, my answer if Utah sparks another round of questions, "Are you Mormon?" usually being the first... Some of my favorites are:

-How many wives does your Dad have?

-Do you double the population of Utah when you go on leave?

-Where are your horns?

-Do you use electricity in your house? (for some reason some people associate us with the Amish...)

During my years living outside of Utah, I have endured endless torture :D and have been on the wrong side of several jokes and humor. It is really very frustrating at times, and I can never seen to come up with a good come back at the right moment. So, you all those who have decided to make jokes at my/Utah/Mormons expense, here is your comeback!
I realize that most of you reading my blog are born and raised Utahns, but for those few that aren't let me start with a few points.....

-Most people recognize that Utahans are regular, normal, good people who generally live the gospel, though you will always have a few who do not in a sample size that large.

-Many people have no ill will toward Utah or Utahans, they would simply prefer to live somewhere else.

-A small number of people have very negative perceptions of Utahans and went as far as calling them judgmental, hypocritical, and vain. (Ouch!)

-Several of those people have noted that the people who have labeled Utahans as "judgmental" and "hypocritical" are coming across as...well...pretty judgmental and hypocritical. (It is hard to call somebody judgmental without sounding judgmental. Did that make me sound judgmental? If you said, "yes", please stop being so judgmental.)

I have never really understood why there are some people who lived in Utah and had so many negative experiences with church members. I do not doubt that these experiences were real for the people who lived them. The majority of people who tend to disparage "Utah Mormons", as they see it, are not born-and-bred Utahans. Most of them lived in the state for a few years during college or a for a short job stint and then left for other, more exciting places. You know, like Missouri or Wyoming. While some anti-Utahan comments left me with a bad taste in my mouth, the discussions helped me realize why a small number of people disliked living among the Saints in Utah. It all comes down to one word: Expectations.

Several of the people who were critical of Utah used phrases like, "...and I expected great things...", "...my expectation (of Utahans) would be extremely high...", and "...I was disappointed in people who should have known better." If nothing else, I have learned that non-Utahans have pretty high expectations of Utah church members. While I understand why the expectations are high, my experiences with the Saints in Utah have been generally positive, as have my experiences in Korea, Hawaii, Arizona, Missouri, and Georgia. The Utah ward that I grew up in was comprised of just 900 people and nearly every family was active and sealed in the temple. If I had to guess, I would estimate that the level of active families probably approached 95%. The vast majority of my male high school friends worthily served missions and are married in the temple. Maybe I am naive, but I truly believe that the majority of Utah Saints are great people who do their best to live the gospel. This holds true for members of the church in every other place where I have lived. Are they perfect? Of course not. Those of you who are so critical of Utah, please let me know when you find a religion or a state where everybody does everything right all of the time. It is probably a wonderful place, like Disneyland. But this is just my subjective opinion.

I did a little research to see if there is any objective data to shed some light on Utah, and here is what I found:

-According to WebMd.com, Utah has the lowest reported use of marijuana, tobacco, alcohol consumption, and underage drinking (i.e. they tend to live the Word of Wisdom).

-According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Utah has the lowest rate of unwed mothers, lowest teen birth rate, and highest percentage of married-couple households (i.e. they tend to live the Law of Chastity). Utah also has the highest birth rate and lowest percentage of working mothers in the country.

-According to Forbes.com, Utah is the most generous state in the nation (i.e. people pay their tithes and offerings.)

-According to Adherence.com, Utah is the most Christian state in the nation. (I cannot vouch for the quality of this website, but I thought it might be relevant to include.)

-Regarding member missionary work, I have heard repeatedly that Utah missions baptize more converts than any other missions in the United States but could not find any recent, credible stats to back this up. The most legitimate statement I could find was from Elder Thomas S. Monson in 1977 when he said, "It is not insignificant that the Utah Salt Lake City Mission leads all English-speaking missions in effectiveness and in total convert baptisms." (i.e. Utahans have ample opportunity to share the gospel and appear to do it effectively.)

-According to ESPN.com, BYU's football team has the nation's longest winning streak at 10 games and may have a chance to go undefeated this year and earn a BCS bid. (So what does this have to do with the topic? Nothing. Just thought I would throw that out there.):D

In other words, there may be more people in Utah who live traditional Christian values of morality, temperance, charity, proclaiming the gospel, and sweet college football than any other place in the country! Take that, New Jersey! You too, California! This is obviously debatable, but there is a lot of evidence to support the argument. But still, the key is expectations. Many of you may have read that and said, "Of course Utah ranks high in those areas, it is supposed to!" If you had that thought, there is nothing that can be said that will convince you that Utahans are by and large faithful, good people. Again, are they perfect? Of course not, but who is?

Now, the objective downside of Utah:

-According to Forbes.com, Salt Lake is "America's Vainest City" as measured by the number of cosmetic surgeons per capita. However, the author is quick to note that the number may be high due to the U of U's School of Medicine, which offers residencies in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Just another example of how the U of U is tarnishing Utah's good name! (Kidding. Kidding. Only a joke. Don't send the hate mail.)

-According to the Deseret News, Utah normally ranks among the highest amount of bankruptcies per capita. The article does point out that this may be a function of larger families and lower incomes as mothers stay at home to raise children instead of entering the workforce. (i.e. it's not like most Utahans are declaring bankruptcy because they cannot afford the payments on their Porsche and winter home in Hawaii. :D) As individuals, we are all imperfect whether we are Utahans, North Carolinians, Brazilians or Connecticutters (I made that up, but it sounds good). Because of our universal imperfection, we should be very careful in our judgments of others, whether they be individuals or collective groups of people. We will make our experiences in life, as wonderful and positive or as miserable and mundane as we want them to be regardless of where we live.

So, this concludes my ramblings... I may have gone off on a tangent or two, but hey, I am from Utah, and dang proud!!!

Puppy Update

2008-08-01T14:48:00.005-06:00

I know I know, I have been telling everyone for the past week I am going to post puppy pics here, well, I am finally doing it! I put together a slide show...

So, story time. We came up with temporary names for the puppies so we knew which was which. 'The Girl' is the first one born and the only girl. (Update: The Girl has been claimed by a friend who has named her Lola...) 'The Fat One' was the biggest one at birth and came out second. 'The Runt' was the tiniest and came out third, and 'The Fourth One' well, he came out fourth. The Big One and The Fourth One look similar so The Fourth Ones nails are painted red to distinguish the two :D.

So, now it gets confusing. The Big One is now the second smallest, The Runt is the fattest, weighs the most and has white spots. The Fourth One is the second largest and cries a lot, and The Girl is still a girl :D, and now the smallest.... Yup...

It has been so much fun watching them grow. They opened their eyes about a week ago, and can hear now too. They are 'walking' and starting to growl and play with each other.They can climb out of the little kiddie pool I have them in, and this weekend we are going to have to find a more permanent arrangement...

So yup, that's the update. They all have homes now except The Fourth One... We are keeping The Runt, and The Big (small) One, and The Girl have been claimed. Any takers? Rusty and Lala? I KNOW you want one.....

Alone, again...

2008-07-14T22:54:00.006-06:00

Being alone is part of Army life, and alas, I find myself alone again. Alan was sent to the mainland for training for three weeks. While I do not think that being apart from my husband is something that I will ever get used to, it is definitely something that I have learned to deal with. I learn to keep as busy as I can, and to surround myself with good people. I can finally get to that project that I have been putting off, or visit that person I have not seen in a while. Moreover, I think that being apart makes the time we are together more valuable. Although I hate Alan being gone at all, especially during those fifteen month deployments, it is the life we have chosen and I would not change it for anything in the world. You may have your Prince Charming, but mine wears combat boots!

Finally puppies!!!!

2008-07-09T18:39:00.007-06:00

What an eventful night we had last night!!! This post will be especially long as I won't spare any details!!!

I worked all day yesterday, and at the last minute, I was asked if I could stay and manage the computer lab that would turn my 8 hour day into a 13 hour day. I agreed, as I always love to have more hours, and was prepared to have a long night. Not long after Alan brought my dinner to me, the guy I was filling in for showed up and told me I could stay or leave, and I decided to go so I could spend the evening with Alan. Well, I am glad I made that choice because soon after I got home, foxy went into labor.

I had only been home for about an hour. It was a little after 7pm and Alan had just walked across the street to check on his work schedule. I was reading my book, and looking out for foxy (she had been in her whelping box all day, and was panting, and wouldn't eat). I saw her stomach tighten up real tight, and I knew that it was a contraction. I called Alan to tell him we were going to have puppies soon, and got my neighbor up here quick.

Foxy started pushing at 7:21pm and when we didn't see a puppy come for 10 minutes, me being the worry wart I am called the emergency vet. I explained what happened, that she had been pushing off and on for 10 minutes, and nothing was coming out, and the vet told me to wait for an hour to an hour and a half then if she still wasn't pushing out puppies to bring her in. So, not two seconds after I had gotten off the phone a puppy started to appear, FEET FIRST! You know me, I called the vet again. :D The vet said to watch her and if she hadn't pushed it out after a while to bring her in. I felt silly calling the vet so much, but hey, better safe than sorry right?

So, It was about 7:50 and by this time, the first puppy had two feet and his tail out of Foxy. Me and my neighbor were worried and decided to try to pull it out. (Alan still hadn't gotten home by this time.) So, as foxy pushed, we pulled, and together, we got our first girl puppy.

While we were waiting for the next one, Foxy's motherly instinct took right over, and she started bathing her new pup and letting it eat. It was pretty cute. When foxy started to contract again, we knew it was time for another, and got ready for number two. Well, guess what? He was backwards too!!! We first saw his paw, and knew we were going to have a problem. The first one was hard to pull out, but this next one had MUCH LARGER PAWS! We were worried...

Foxy just kept pushing, and when we saw two paws and a tail, and she was trying to push out the rest of this big puppy, we had to get to pulling again. This time I was scared. This puppy was much bigger, and I kept pulling and he wouldn't come out, I was so scared that I was going to crush this baby puppy that Alan had to take over, and wouldn't you know it, we finally pulled the big one out! (Thanks to Alan!) This one was a boy, and came about two hours after the first.

Me and Dani (my neighbor) figured we had a good break before the next one so we decided to clean ourselves up. While we were washing our hands, the men shouted, "Oh my GOSH!" Me and Dani rushed into the living room to see what was wrong, and there on the towel was number three!!! Number three was a boy, and the runt of the litter, I guess that after pushing out the big one, the littlest one just slipped right out, about five minutes later!

We took some time to clean each one after they were born to make sure they were breathing and didn't have any fluid in their noses or mouths.

The vet told us to expect three, but foxy still had a little lump in her tummy. It wasn't moving, and foxy didn't contract or push for about 45 minutes, so we got up and cleaned the little swimming pool we used as foxys whelping box, and got all clean linens, washed up foxy, and got everything clean and situated.

Well, right after we had finished cleaning foxy and getting clean towels in foxys box, more fluid ran out of her, and she started contracting! What a surprise for us! NUMBER FOUR!!! He cam out head first, and foxy was SO tired, Dani had to push on her stomach when she contracted to help the last one out! Another boy!

We were so surprised that Foxy had four puppy's! She is SO skinny, and I am a little worried about that, but she seems to be eating a lot, and we have a vet appointment tomorrow, so I will have to bring it up. So, all four puppies are alive and well, we have three boys and a girl! It is fun to watch them move around, and foxy is being such a good mother! We are so lucky to not have had any problems!

All four puppies and mommy sleeping after a long night!

Alans promotion

2008-07-09T15:08:00.003-06:00

Alan finally got promoted today! He would have gotten promoted last week, but there were some problems with his promotion orders (shocking I know...) Anyway, Luckily I had work off and was able to promote him and stick on his new rank. It was awesome, and Alan really deserves this new path. I am very proud of you Alan!

After putting his new rank on, I got to punch him in the chest over the rank (It's customary :D)Together after the ceremony, Sergeant and Mrs. Burns
The first soldier Alan made do push ups as an NCO :D

Fourth of July Fun!

2008-07-05T13:06:00.002-06:00

The fourth of July was fun, Alan had to work (of course) but I took off with some friends and headed over to Schofield Barracks for the celebration. Billy Ray Cyrus preformed for about two hours, it was awesome, I was too late to get close to the stage, but they had this screen set up so those of us without binoculars could watch the show :D It was definitely fun... free concerts, one perk for putting up with the Army... :D

After the concert, they had this really neat ceremony (I guess they do it often at military posts for the 4th, but I had never seen it...). The brought out 50 soldiers, each one carrying a state flag, in the order of when they became a state, then went through each state, and fired a canon after the state was announced. It was TOTALLY awesome! 50 cannons, 50 states, and each time a state was called, people from that state cheered, so, naturally, when Utah was called, I let out the biggest scream and 'woot woot' I could, and in a field full of a few thousand people, I was probably the only one :D but don't worry, you could definitely hear me :D

My neighbors came after the concert to watch the fireworks, and it was fun to watch with them. They have a 5 year old son, and he was rocking out those glow stick things... yeah so, here are some pictures...

Billy Ray CyrusMe and Dani, rocking the glow sticks... :D

I love the fireworks with the palm trees in the background :D
I love this picture, with the palm tree shadows and the fireworks...

More and more pregnant every day...

2008-07-01T21:44:00.004-06:00

So, no puppies yet. Foxy is getting huge though! Her belly gets bigger
and bigger every day. Last night and this morning, I could see the puppies kicking her belly! It was so cute!!! I just sat there for a LONG time with my hand over her belly just feeling the puppies kick, It was the most amazing thing ever! I get such a kick out of it! She will hopefully go into labor soon, the way she is growing she may not be able to push the puppies out if she gets any bigger... Poor foxy, I almost feel bad for her, she is just so tired and lethargic, she cant even jump up on the bed or the couch anymore, and she waddles everywhere she goes, it is adorable! Anyway, we are just waiting to have puppies, I will keep you updated!

Julie

Twilight Saga

2008-07-01T21:31:00.005-06:00

I am in LOVE! I had heard about this book, or series rather, just browsing through peoples blogs, and had seen them in book stores, but I didn't really have any interest until my friend Melanie told me I HAD to read them. Melanie HATES to read, and I knew if she liked the books enough to read the whole series, there had to be something about it. So, I bought the first one, 'Twilight', in the airport on the way home from Utah, but hadn't taken the time to sit back and get into it until a few days ago. Once I got started I could not put it down. I have since ordered the 2nd and 3rd and have the 4th on pre-order (it gets released on August 2nd :D). There are four books total in the series, and ladies, it is TOTALLY the most AWESOMEST, AMAZING novel EVER! I cant wait to start the second one.

So, add that to my list of obsessions, I am never going to get anything done until I have read all these books :D

~~Jules

http://www.twilightnovel.com/

Tagged... again, but different!

2008-06-25T12:48:00.006-06:00

I got tagged again, but this time it is something different. Thanks Stephanie!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was 13, hmm I was living in Utah, so probabley riding horses and being an obnoxious new teenager :D

2. Five things on your to do list today:-
-Make it through work
-Do a couple loads of laundry
-Watch the TV shows I recorded on DVR while I was on the mainland
-Study for Network+ and...
-Cook dinner? sounds good...

3. Snacks I enjoy:-
Otter pops, pop corn, pop tarts, lol... and crackers :D

4. What would I do if suddenly I were a billionaire?-
You know how in movies, you will see people in a room full of money just throwing it all around up in the air and money is flying everywhere? Yeah, I would have to do that.

5. 3 bad habits:-
Drinking Red Bull, cursing (I AM getting better though :D), and being a couch potato.

6. 5 places I've lived:-
Hawaii, Korea, Georgia, Missouri, Arizona

7. 5 jobs I've had:-
-Burger King (whopper flopper)
-KMart (checkout/cashier)
-Denny's (waitress)
-U.S. Army (Computer Geek)
-Education Center (A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a little computer work).

8. 5 things people don't know about me:-
Wow... again? hmm...
-I only eat the purple, green, and pink otter pops, (our freezer is full of orange red a blue ones :D)
-My hair is naturally blonde and my eyebrows are naturally dark (IT'S TRUE dangit people still think I dye my hair...)
-I got married in Seoul Korea
-When I was in the Army my combats boots were size 5 extra wide (flinstone feet haha)
-I beat the game Jewel Quest and all the bonus levels TWICE :D

I tag:
Kelly Dodge
Jenna
Nancy
Kaylee
and Lala

Sergeant Burns

2008-06-23T15:51:00.006-06:00

MY HUBBY MADE POINTS!!!

Military Promotions 101:

In the Army, all promotions to Sergeant and above you have to earn, all others before then are automatic. I will not bore you with the details, but essentially soldiers have to go to a promotion board, where they earn their 'promotable' status. Then they have to meet a certain number of points which vary by MOS (job) and month. Soldiers earn points by doing various things such at pt, weapons qualifications, college, military schools etc..., and when the number drops below how many points you have, you get promoted. Promotion points are published near the end of the month, and soldiers who make points get promoted on the 1st of the coming month. *breathe*

So, last month my hubby missed the cut off by only 6 points! It sucks when that happens, and he got really discouraged. He has been promotable for quite some time, but the points for his job have always been high. He has worked hard to earn more and more points, and this month he finally made cut off!!!

He was sleeping this morning as I was getting ready for work, and I checked to see if July's points had been posted. I got excited as I saw they had and checked to see if Alan made it. The points for MPs were posted at 575 and Alan had 591! He made it by a long shot!!! I was SO excited and started screaming ALAN!!! YOU MADE POINTS!!! ALAN WAKE UP, YOU MADE IT!!! Imagine the wake up that Alan got :D It was fun to see his reaction since he has been waiting a long time for this!

So, I am SO proud of Alan and he definitely deserves this long awaited promotion! He gets promoted on the first, and don't worry my blogger fans, I will definitely be posting pictures of the ceremony! CONGRATULATIONS BABY!!!

Julie

Vet appointment, irony at its best!!!

2008-06-22T00:50:00.005-06:00

So, before I left for the mainland, I scheduled an appointment for pre-surgery to get our dog Foxy Spayed. She came out of heat weeks ago, and we were tired of dealing with the mess during that period of time. Now, there is a dachshund that lives in the apartments below us, and him and foxy are good friends. They play together, poop together, walk together, and such. Clifford's (the dachshunds) owner always talked about the two dogs making babies, but I was never really a big fan of the idea.

When I was in Utah, Alan told me that he thought foxy was pregnant. I asked him why and he said that she was getting a big belly, and her nipples were growing. I didn't want to believe it and attributed the signs to her getting older and coming out of puppy-hood. Well, when I got home one look at her and I believed him. So, ironically enough, foxys neuter appointment turned into a pregnancy appointment. Come to find out that foxy will have babies in two to three weeks. The vet thinks there is three in there, but we will know for sure on the 2nd when they give her an ultra sound.

The picture on the left is her normal size, and on the right is what I cam home too. So, looks like we are going to be Grandparents! I am excited about it!

My trip to the mainland

2008-06-21T23:40:00.010-06:00

Aloha!

I am back on this little island and had quite the adventure on the mainland, this will be a long blog, with lots of pictures, you are warned!!!

First I flew into Tuscon, AZ to make a 12 hour road trip to Utah with Jenna and baby Reilly. I LOVE little Reilly, and he is SO dang CUTE!!! Here is my first picture with him at a gas station in Tuscon... He was tired, hence hiding his face :D

So, we headed towards Utah, and put good use to my GPS,
even though I had driven the route many times when I lived in Phoenix several years ago, it was fun to use. I got to drive all the way from Phoenix to home, and it took 12 hours between food/gas/feeding baby breaks which is not so bad at all. During the trip, me and Jenna had lots of fun, I told her how CUTE Reilly was every five minutes, all the way from Tuscon to Phoenix :D. We talked a lot and got to catch up on lots of things, we listened to music we had from High School, and even changed the words to several songs. It was great, I would have never imagined me and my sister confined in a small space for so long would turn out so good!

The night before the wedding, we all went to the park where the ceremony would be, and then dinner. Here is a picture of me and my brother and sister. We got along so well, my brother and I played rock band a few nights, and we kicked butt! We played with his girl friend, and roommate, but me and Tyler were the only ones rockin' it on expert! WOOT WOOT! I like Tyler's girlfriend Melissa, and told him that if he messed things up with her, we would get rid of him and keep her :D It was fun.

The day of the wedding was amazing. My mom had a small ceremony at the park, and I got to see most of my moms side of the family that I had not seen in years. I also got to catch up with a distant cousin I had not seen in forever! Her name is Jenny, and we are only a few months apart in age. It was awesome to see her too! My cousins had all grown, and it was SO much fun to see everybody again. Before the wedding, they blessed Reilly, my Grandfather gave the blessing, and it was a wonderful moment. Anyway, here are some pictures of the wedding and blessing...

The day after the wedding my brother, his girlfriend, roommate, and my sister went paint balling. We had fun! My sister and I didn't bring any shoes that we wanted to get dirty paint balling so we went and bought cheap keds from wal-mart, here is a picture of us in our not so camouflage shoes :D

As soon as I got cleaned up from paint balling, I took off to St. George to see Melanie, who is by far, my best, truest, most constant awesomest friend. I love Melly the most because it doesn't ever matter how long it has been since we have seen each other we always pick up right where we left off. When I last saw Melly, she was newly engaged. Now, she is married AND has a new baby name Trevor! When I visited he was 11 days old. It was fun to meet him, and here is a picture of me with Melanie's new addition. I always forget to get pictures with her though :( Maybe next time!!! While I was in St. George, I got to visit an old friend and his new wife. Kelly grew up just down the street from me, and I have lots of memories with him, most of which consist of scooping poop from horse corrals. :D It was AWESOME to see him again, we visited for several hours and time sure did fly! It was fun to get to meet his new wife as well, and it was funny because they lived only one mile away from Melanie! I also forgot to get a picture with the two of them... I suck at this game :D

It was sad to leave, like always, and it will be almost a year before I will be home again. This time with Alan. I spent the night in SLC with my Aunt and Uncle and their kids, who grew up WAY too fast, I remember when the oldest was born, and now he is 14! WOW, so there were three boys and two girls, and the boys all kicked my butt in air hockey, AND in a racing game on PlayStation. It was a blast! I miss those guys!!! Well, that is about it for my short trip to the mainland, and here are some more pictures of my new nephew Reilly, and just in case I forgot to mention it, HE IS SO CUTE!!!!!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

2008-06-11T00:45:00.004-06:00

So, here I am, procrastinating, again. I am going to the mainland for a week to see my sister and her baby, and my mom get married, and Melanie's new son. I am very excited, and I really need to pack. I work all day tomorrow, and have to leave pretty soon after work to get my red-eye flight, and in case I didn't mention it, I SHOULD be packing instead of being lazy on the computer. I haven't posted in a bit and decided I would just jot some random thoughts that really don't make much sense, so here it goes.

1. Gas prices, I SWEAR it is a conspiracy!

2. My car got in a fight with a parking structure and lost.

3. I LOVE my hubby, foxy, and otter pops.

4. I HATE snotty people, lines at the store on payday, and traffic hour.

5. Mormons rock, and Hawaiian Mormons are even better.

6. I miss Italy Italy in Korea.

7. Army Wives is back on! (LOVED the premiere, cried my butt off...)

8. I miss my family and friends.

9. There is not enough time to do everything I want.

10. I forgot to buy nail polish.

11. My phone was dying a slow painful death, so I got a new impressive high tech phone.

12. Wii would like to play, and WII are going to play!

13... I NEED TO PACK!

So, I guess I need to get off my butt.... I will post pictures and tell lots of stories when I get back!

<3

I got tagged...

2008-06-03T20:40:00.003-06:00

I've been tagged by Nancy!! Here's how to play the game of tag. Post these rules on your blog: list 3 Joys, 3 Fears, 3 Goals, 3 Current Obsessions/Collections, 3 Random Surprising Fact About Me and then tag 5 others at the end of your blog by leaving their names.

3 Joys:
1. Alan, I love getting to spend time with my hubby.
2. Foxy, my little dog to keep my feet warm at night.
3. Chatting with my wifey neighbors outside, I love you Dani, Nina, and Sheela!

3 Fears:
1. My mom dying.
2. Creepy crawly things.
3. Feet, yes, yes I know, it is truly sad...

3 Goals:
1. Get my Bachelors Degree in Computer Science/Information Technology
2. Get married in the temple.
3. Get CCNA, N+ and Security certifications.

3 Current Obsessions/Collections:
1. Watching Army Wives, (starts THIS Sunday!!!)
2. Shoes, shoes shoes, I LOVE shoes!
3. Dr. Phil, I don't know why, but lately I have been watching his show like crazy...

3 Random Surprising Fact About Me:
1. I know how tell a taxi driver how to get anywhere using only the Korean language.
2. I eat ramen noodles with chopsticks.
3. I once had a dog named Harry Potter.

I tag Jenna, lALA, Kaylee, Clarissa, and Katie.

:D

MP Ball

2008-05-24T20:47:00.006-06:00

On Thursday the 22nd we went to the Military Police Ball. It's a formal event they hold yearly for the MP regiment... More military 'fun'. It was held at Turtle Bay Resort, you know the place where they hold the PGA tour each year... at least I think it is the PGA tour, some golf thing anyway... The soldiers dress up in their dress uniforms, and the spouses wear gowns, it's a lot like prom attire :D They have a nice dinner, and some entertainment, and a guest speaker. It was my last time ever wearing the Army uniform since my last day in the Army was today. We had fun, it was a memorable moment, AND we got pictures of Alan and I in our Class A (dress) uniforms together since we do not have any. (Bonus: pictures of me outranking Alan :D). So, here are some pictures.

Before we left the house By the beach
With Jennifer

At the dinner table

Leaving Turtle Bay

I took the center piece home :D Plus we got to keep the champagne classes, don't worry Lala, we had Martinelli's sparkling cider :D

Katie

2008-05-17T00:29:00.005-06:00

I got to see an old friend today! Katie is spending the summer in Hawaii, and she is from my hometown in Utah. Her sister and I were on the Drill Team and were in the same graduating class, and Katie and my brother are friends. She is staying in La'ie where the temple is, and will be here until August. I picked her up yesterday, and we went to dinner and a movie with my husband, and she stayed in my guest room last night, and I dropped her back off today. It takes about 40 minutes to get from my house to where she is staying, so she is pretty close, and I hope to get to spend more time with her. It is so nice to be able to see people from home. Here is a picture I took of us this morning.

This picture also debutes my new haircut. I got it cut last week, but havent taken a pic of it since. It was pretty long, and I cut about 12 inches off. I guess I cut it to celebrate my release from the Army. :D I am no longer a soldier, and would never have gotten away with my hair cut like this while I was active duty Army. So yeah, here is to catching up with old friends, and the new do, what do you think?

I start my new job at the Education Center Monday, I will keep the blog updated as I start this new part of my life....

~Julie

Scary Gecko....

2008-05-14T18:00:00.004-06:00

So, in Hawaii there are all sorts of animals running around... There are wild chickens running all over the road, I see wild boar/pig things on the access road coming to the base I live on, and various other things that run all over Hawaii, or maybe just in the country part... Anyway, there are these gecko/lizard things that climb all over the house. I see them on my windows, they play on my lanai, and have a good old time running around outside the house. Occasionally one will get inside the house, and I will have to take appropriate measures such as screaming, running around the house in fear, calling for Alan, you know, typical girl-scared-of-the-crawly-thing stuff... Well, when Alan was in Iraq, I would get the neighbors to come get rid of them for me, and since he has been back, there has only been one instance of these scary lizards in our house which Alan took care of immediately. I have always been fortunate enough to not have to deal with them alone, until today.

My gecko encounter came at the worst possible moment. Alan was at work, it was almost two o'clock in the morning, and I was getting ready to shower and go to bed. I had the shower water turned on, and I had just gotten in the shower when I turned around and there, right level with my face, climbing on the clear plastic shower curtain, was the freakish lizard. I SCREAMED, jumped out of the shower, and tried to figure out what to do. I was wet and not dressed, and it was 2 AM. Alan was gone, the neighbors were asleep, and I needed to shower. I tried to come up with an idea to NOT have to catch him, but I had no other choice. So, I got a cup that had a lid, went into the bathroom and was prepared for war. He was still clinging to the shower curtain, so I shook him off of it, and he fell into the bathtub. I hurried and stuck the cup over his body, and pulled him up the side to put the lid on top. I actually managed to transport the scary gecko from the bathroom to the lanai where I set him free, all the while holding the cup as far away from my body as I could.

The whole experience was very traumatic for me, I am actually surprised I made it out alive... I did manage to take a picture of this big scary beast before I set him free, isn't it terrifying??? BLECH, times like this really make me appreciate the men in my life... :D

**Note, I referred to the gecko as he throughout the story. Seeing as I have NO idea how to identify female freaky geckos from male freaky geckos, I assumed that this one was a boy. It would be sad if I was afraid of a girl gecko... :D

Wiamea Falls

2008-05-10T22:27:00.005-06:00

So, We actually got to go on our hike today. Alan works the mid shift 10pm-6am, and instead of sleep all day, he got up early so we could go on our hike!!! It was fun, I had been there before, but Alan hadn't and I have to admit, when we got to the top, the waterfall was VERY small, it hasn't been raining a lot lately, and I guess that's why... When I had gone last year, it was huge! Oh well... we will just have to go back in the 'winter time' when it rains a lot... The hike itself was nice though. The weather was perfect, there were a lot of different plants and animals, and it was beautiful! We also got to see lots of peacocks! Here are some pictures...

One of the peacocks
Us at the tiny waterfall...

Mama ckicken with her baby chicks

Hiding in the trees :D

Pictures of my new Nephew!

2008-05-10T15:11:00.014-06:00

Jenna finally sent me pictures of little Reilly! He was 6 pounds and 14 ounces and 21 inches long. He is such a cutie!!! I LOVE his dark hair! I am going to go home for a week in June to carpool from Arizona to Utah with Jenna and Reilly for my Moms wedding and Reilly's baby blessing, so I will have lots of time to see him! I am SO excited!!! I will also get to see my very best friend Melanie and her newborn baby which is a nice bonus!!! I always LOVE to be back in Utah, and can't wait to get there!

~Julie

FRUSTRATION!!!

2008-05-09T01:12:00.009-06:00

Once again the Army has pissed me off. Surprise! So, let me vent... Our two year anniversary is this coming Sunday, the 11th. Last year for our anniversary, he was in Iraq, and we never had a honey-moon, or wedding for that matter to begin with.

So, last month I was planning something big for this year. Alan got his leave request ready, and I was looking into booking flights and hotels to go to Maui or Vegas for a week or so, to just get away for a bit and celebrate us. The next week, Alans company told him he was going to WLC, and when he asked about his leave, he found out that the paperwork had gotten tossed at the bottom of a pile of papers and forgotten. So much for that idea.

Then I got to thinking that most companies usually give four-day passes to soldiers after WLC, so maybe we could just go spend the weekend in Honolulu, which is the same island, but at least still away from home. Alan asked about a four-day pass and was told that his company 'usually only give three-day passes', but they said they will see what they can do. I guess that got forgotten too, because when Alan came back from WLC, sure enough he works mid-shift Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th. So, our anniversary plans were SQUASHED before they had even begun in the first place. So, I decided, no problem, we could just do something smaller together since they were going to give him Thursday and Friday off.

Yesterday we went to dinner and a movie, and tomorrow we WERE going to hike this trail on the North Shore called Wiamea Valley that leads to a gorgeous waterfall. Once again, our plans were SQUASHED! The Army is ridiculous about little details, and Alans company wants to make sure that he meets the height and weight standards, and not overweight, no big deal right? This process only takes 30 minutes MAX! Well, with the Army, nothing is painless. They will not give him a specific time they want to weigh him, and told him to 'stand by' which, in army speak, means wait around all day for nothing to happen until they decide to call him. We cannot even go for a stupid hike without the Army messing it up!

So, recap... Our anniversary plans went from:

A week in Maui/Vegas
to
A four day weekend in Honolulu
to
Dinner/movie, and a nice day hike
to
Dinner/movie/sitting around and waiting for the Army to call...

Thank goodness we got dinner and a movie in early enough! You know what else? I bet that no one is going to call him tomorrow to weigh him. This has happened several times before, he gets told to standby for nothing, NOTHING to happen, and our whole day is lost...

Next year on our anniversary, we are planning to get sealed in the temple, so hopefully, the Army will be able to understand and give him some time... AWOL anyone?

Julie

Alan is home!

2008-05-06T16:59:00.004-06:00

Alan graduated from WLC today! I am so glad to have him home again!!! Here are a few pictures, I didn't get any good ones of him on stage accepting his diploma, but there are some good shots of him sitting down, and singing the Army Song...

Later!

Jenna had her baby!!!

2008-05-05T21:13:00.001-06:00

On Monday the 5th, my Sister had her baby! She named him Reilly Julian McMichael, his middle name is after me!!! I am so excited, and can't wait to see pictures! Don't worry, for you avid readers, I will post pictures here. I am an Aunt! Well, technically I became an Aunt the day I got married since Alan's older brother has a daughter, and has since had a son, but this is the first on my side of the family, so it almost feels like I am a new Aunt. I wish I was in Arizona with Jenna, but luckily my mom got to Jenna's house just in time to take her to the hospital! It is hard having family spread out so far, I cannot wait until Alan gets out of the Army, (I am done on the 24th) and we can retire to Utah, or some central location between families since his in in Texas...

Until next time...
Julie

Closet Remodeling

2008-05-02T23:33:00.002-06:00

Since Alan has been gone, I have taken on several projects. I find that I get more done when he is gone so I have taken advantage of the opportunity, plus it takes my mind off his absence. We have an outside storage closet attached to our house coming off the balcony. We have never kept anything in it, but my neighbors redid theirs to make it a place where they could store the husbands TA-50 (Army gear). I decided it was a great idea, since Alan's was sitting in boxes in our laundry room. This way Alan could find his gear more easily, and I could have some space in the laundry room. :D So I got started. I laid down carpet, painted, put carpet on the shelves, hung up two poles to hang his tops and bottoms on, and hung hooks in the walls to hang his helmets and hats. Alan has a lot of his gear with him at the school he is attending, and when he gets home, there will be a better place for it. It took three days to get it all done, but it was worth it. It looks nice, and hopefully it will stay that way. Here are some pics of before, during, and after. It was hard to get pictures since the closet is small, but this should give a pretty good idea.

Julie

Hometown Favorites

2008-04-29T21:59:00.007-06:00

So, there is this blog called Tuesday Tell All, and I like it because it gives topics once a week to write about that you may not think to normally write about, I saw it on a friends blog (thanks Tatum) and decided to participate. This weeks topic is Hometown favorites, and while Wahiawa is not my hometown, (I am a small town Utah girl!) I will write about it here. Wahiawa is not very interesting, so my post will be about all of Oahu.

Favorite Places to...

Grab Lunch
Cholo's, it's a really good Mexican Restaurant near the North Shore

Go for Date night
Dinner at Assagio's (Italian) and a movie in Mililani

Get wet
Surfing: at White Sands beach, it's the South Shore, waves are not as big (I'm a beginner :D)

Body Surfing: Totally the North Shore, in the Winter time!

Swimming: Wiamea Bay

Come on, it's Hawaii you are going to get wet while you are here!

Get a treat
The Cookie Corner

Get some fresh air
Waiamea Valley, it is a nice little hike in the mountains by Wiamea Bay and at the top is a nice waterfall.

Shop for Fun The Swap Meet at the Aloha Stadium!!!

Splurge
Ala Moana Shopping Center, it's where all the rich folks go!

Drive for a weekend away
Lol, you can drive around the WHOLE ISLAND in two hours! Maybe Waikiki, but it is always SO crowded... Maybe just camp on the beach, but I would rather just fly to the mainland if I had enough money!

CLEP, WLC, ACAP, ED Center, Clearing, CTC and CSU...

2008-04-22T20:41:00.034-06:00

The Army is full of acronyms, and unless you have served, you probably have no idea what I said in my subject line, and trust me, having the acronyms spelled out into words doesn't make it any better, however, that is what my life has consisted of for the past while, so I will explain... (not necessarily in chronological order) :D

First, CLEP... stands for..... hmmm..... College Level Exam something, something... I will have to look that one up... So basically, CLEP is taking a standardized test in a subject area to receive college credit without having to take the class. Anyone can take the CLEP exams, the only difference between anyone and military personnel is we don't have to pay for it, (one of the perks of enlisting) so, since my time in service is drawing to an end, I decided to take advantage of this and CLEP two courses that I need to complete my degree. I started CLEPing last Friday, and now I think it is safe to say I am an addict haha. I have CLEPed College Algebra, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, and Information Systems/Computer Applications. It doesn't end there, I am preparing to take four more next week, and every week until I get out of the Army. Nice... and the tests I take now will apply to my Bachelors degree, or satisfy a general requirement. I am such a nerd.... but it does give me something to do while Alan is gone, which brings me to my next subject, WLC, but before I get into that, look what I found! CLEP stands for College Level Exam Program, I LOVE Google!

WLC... Warrior Leadership Course. Before you become an NCO, (Non-Commissioned Officer) there you go, another acronym... an NCO is a leader of soldiers, promotions of Sergeant and higher. The Army sends soldiers to this course to teach basic leadership skills and responsibilities to make them better leaders and mentors. So, usually the class is four weeks long, and that is where Alan is now, except he went to the same course that is only two weeks long. This means that he will be gone for two weeks (DUH) as in he is not coming home, its kinda like basic training... So yeah, I have two weeks all alone, and all I can say is that sounds much nicer than a 15 MONTH deployment, so while it is sad to have him gone, I can keep busy doing things that I need to get done, like CLEP hahaha, and Spring cleaning, and college work...
ACAP. Army Career and Alumni Program. The Army is really good at helping soldiers transition out. They teach all kinds of workshops to assist soldiers as they leave service. I have taken resume classes, salary negotiation classes, interview classes, veterans benefits, everything you can think of, they have classes for. These services cost a lot of money in the civilian world (at least that's what they say) and they are very beneficial. That is one of the things that has kept me busy. Trust me folks, after serving in the military, there is so much to think about when entering the civilian job market. The Army helps a lot, and because of them, I have a great job lined up at the ED Center, being a government contractor. I start the minute I get out.

ED Center, education center, easy enough, there is an education center on most military posts, they offer classes through military friendly colleges and make obtaining higher education a smoother process for military personnel being that we move around a lot. They also provide lots of information about many colleges and offer many resources to soldiers and their family members. Coincidentally (or not) the ED center is where I have been spending my time taking my CLEP exams and is the same place I will be working when I get out. It is actually a really neat story how CLEP, ACAP, and the ed center all worked together for me to be provided this opportunity, on that note I think is it story time... Once upon a time in Hawaii... As I was getting ready to take my CLEP exams, I found myself in the education center to figure out what exams would complete my degree, and other education information dealing with my ETS (end time of service). I walked into the leaning resource center to pick up some CLEP study guides, and the receptionist there and I started talking, and it came up that I was soon leaving the Army. She asked me if I have a job lined up, and I said that I had applied to a few places, and sent my resume out, but hadn't gotten any good leads. She said that I should work there, and asked what I did in the Army. When I said that I was a Computer Specialist, she said 'OH! We JUST lost out computer guy!" She gave me lots of information on the company, and contact names, and described a little bit about the job. She said I should bring in my resume. I was excited about the job, and worked with my ACAP counselor to get my resume ready to apply. The next time I went to the ED Center, she told me that she had talked to her manager, and the manager wanted me to bring in my resume ASAP because she was excited about my computer skills. So, I brought in my resume the next day, and thirty minutes later I had a job offer! I will be working in the computer lab, and will be the IT Specialist for the contracting company (Evolver) that runs the Army education system. It pays nice, and will give me more experience in the field as I continue my education! I am very excited to start working there.

So, my last days in the Army are spent clearing everything. Basically I just go to all the places that apply to anyone and get them to sign off on a paper to make sure that I have everything, or don't have what I am not supposed to, or whatever. There are lots of things to do, everything from post car registration to the library to the housing office to the PX (post exchange, think Wal-Mart except not quite as good...) and everything in between. Pretty much, I am just letting everyone and everything know that on a certain date, I will no longer be in the Army. Paperwork.... Then next week, I say my final good-byes to the Army, and start my life as a civilian, and military wife. Nice....

CTC, Central Texas College; CSU, Columbia Southern University. The college I am in, and the college I am transferring to, respectively. CTC was good to me, I wish I could stay there to get my Bachelors, but they are a two-year school. I have heard great things about CSU, and can't wait to continue in my school. CSU has nice tuition rates, and I will be able to complete my degree pretty quickly, as well as get my full GI Bill. Any soldiers reading this, USE YOUR TUITION ASSISTANCE! The Army give you FREE money to go to school while you are in, and you do not have to use your GI Bill, take advantage of it, you will regret it if you don't, in order to be competitive in the civilian world, you need at least some education, take advantage of it while you are still Active Duty!!! That is my advice, now I can get off my soap box...

So, that is what I have been up to. Things are going well, and thanks everybody for your support and help. (Oh, and thanks Rusty for helping me study for the College Algrebra test, I TOLD you I would blog about it!) Now I need to get started on my school work!

Julie

Army Wives

2008-04-18T16:50:00.005-06:00

So, I just found out that my other show, Army Wives, starts Season 2 on June 8th! With Desperate Housewives and Army Wives back on, and the writers strike over, my life can now be complete!

It's a baby shower!!!

2008-04-17T21:30:00.018-06:00

Hello Everyone!

So, in case you didn't know, my sister, Jenna (the cuter, more wonderful, and much nicer sister) is pregnant!!! She is expecting her baby boy to be born on May 1, 2008, yes people she is just two weeks away!

Pregnant Jenna

So, She is currently living in Arizona, on Ft. Huachuca where she does not know anybody. No one has thrown her a baby shower, and nobody plans to. This upsets me, so I decided that I would throw her an online baby shower. She made a baby registry at Wal-Mart.com and now everybody that knows her, no matter where you are, can attend her online baby shower. You can find it at http://www.walmart.com/giftregistry. Just put Jenna McMichael in the name boxes and you are good to go. Jenna is having a hard time finding friends and support out there so I thought this would be a wonderful idea to let her know that there are lots of people who love her, so please help her out!!!

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

Julie

OH, and feel free to comment this post, I will tell her to read it!!! :D

<----------- Jenna (pre-baby)

It's a SMALL world...

2008-04-13T21:43:00.005-06:00

Having been in the Army for over four years, I have been a lot of places, and seen many different things. I have been exposed to things that I would have never been exposed to otherwise, and for the most part, everything has been new and unfamiliar. Utah is not a big military state, as far as military posts, people joining the active duty Army etc... don't get me wrong, I am not saying it is bad, there is a lot of military pride there, and the support for the troops is overwhelming, I just haven't met many people from Utah in my military experiences (outside of Utah of course). So, in the rare moments I meet people from Utah I like to find out what town they are from, and hopefully relate to them on some level. Having constantly been so far away from there, it is nice to go back, even if just in a conversation, so I would like to tell two specific stories about such experiences that not only made my day by finding a fellow 'Utahan' but gave me further testimony that our Heavenly Father truly watches over us and that this really is such a small world. The first story happened today...

I went to church today alone. Alan had to work, and it was my first time going without him so it was weird for me because every other time since I had started going back to church he has been with me. I had contemplated not going at all, but finally decided it was what I needed because I have been having a hard time with a few things in my life. I planned on sitting with a great couple that we usually sit with, and was sad when I saw that they were not there today. I ended up sitting next to the missionaries, and church went well. I knew I had made the right choice in going, and I felt at peace. During the final hour of church, there were a few visitors that introduced themselves. I was excited when one of the women said the lived in Richfield, Utah which is where my mother lives now, and since I grew up a short distance away, I felt like I should talk to her after church was over.

I soon learned that she was visiting her son, who was inactive in the church, to help him settle into his new home. When I told her my Mother lives in Richfield, she said "OH! You HAVE to meet my Husband, he knows EVERYBODY!" I didn't doubt that since Richfield is not a big place, and thought it would be awesome if he knew my Mom. I followed her around the church until we finally found her husband. He asked me who my Mom is, I told him, and he just gave me the largest hug and said, "you are HER daughter?" It turns out that he used to be the Bishop serving in the ward that my mom lives in. He knows her, and I could tell by the sincere way he spoke that he loved and cared for her as we should all love and care for each other. He even knew where she lives, and the vague references he made to specific circumstances that has happened in my family life made me feel so at ease and comfortable around this man that I had met five minutes before. I could feel the warmth radiating from his spirit, and I knew that God brought them there today to comfort my soul, when I had felt so alone and restless.

This man now works in the Manti Temple, which is the Temple in which me and Alan will be sealed in next year for time and all eternity. He told me the days of the week that he works in the Temple and I told him the day that me and Alan would like to be sealed. He pulled out a pocket calender he had, and we looked it up. It turns out that they do not do that temple work on the day I wanted, but the day after that is very possible, and guess what? He works there that day of the week. There just seems to be a wonderful story unfolding here, and I am so grateful for the church in my life.

Next experience... When I was stationed in Korea, and was not active in the church, but occasionally went to Sunday services I met a man and his wife, who were (you guessed it) from Utah. I found out that he grew up in the town where my Grandparents live now, and upon further discussion, that he knew my family well, and was on the high school football team with two of my Uncles. When I mentioned his name to my Grandfather and Uncles, they recalled him very clearly, and were excited to hear he was doing well. This man was a positive influence in my life, and I spoke with him frequently. I know that he was in Korea for me, to give me a little nudge in the right direction, and for this I will forever be grateful. (*note to self, write e-mail joe on the Do it NOW list...) He provided the first contact with the missionaries for me and Alan together, and really opened the door for me to pursue further involvement within the church.

It took me a while to get to where I am now, and I am far from where I need to be, but constantly moving forward. Alan's conversion story is as much my re-conversion story and we are continuing to grow together, as a family. To feel such a close connection to home while so far away, and to be able to feel such warmth from those people brought into my life is one of the many blessings God has given me, and for that I am so grateful...

Julie

Desperate Housewives!

2008-04-11T01:56:00.003-06:00

I am SO happy that Desperate Housewives is coming back on starting this Sunday. I already have my DVR set to record ALL the episodes :D Now I just have to wait for Army Wives to come back on in June and I will be all set!

Just thought I would share!

~Julie~

Things I Need To Do!!!

2008-04-10T04:07:00.004-06:00

So, someone once said, if you write down your goals, you are 75% more likely to achieve them. I am not sure who said it, but it makes sense, so, I figured I should start making lists, and now I have a list for just about everything...

The "Do It NOW" List resides in our kitchen on a white board with a list for myself and Alan, things that have to be done, soon... I have a list of things that need to be done before I leave the Army, a list of jobs I need to follow up on for AFTER I get out of the Army, a list of classes I need do get done to earn my degree, a list of things I need to call maintenance about (note to self, write 'call maintenance' on the "Do It NOW List), blah blah blah...

So I was going over my "Do it NOW List" and I started thinking about how much of my time is spent doing things that NEED to get done, how much time is spent doing things I WANT to do, and how much of me is just lazy. So, I decided I don't really take enough time to do things I want to do, so I am going to make my "Things I WANT To Do Before I Leave Hawaii List" Right now...

Get certified to scuba dive
Get my skydiving A license
"Swim with the sharks"
Go on a cruise
Surf a BIG wave (10+ feet)
Go inside the La'ie Temple
Go on a Helicopter island tour
Get Security+, MCSE, and Network+ Certifications
Get a KING size bed
Visit Maui
Whale Watching
Para sailing

Good start... So people, keep watching my blog, cause now I wrote them down, I am 75% more likely to do it :D I will post pictures soon! Oh, and BTW, when I said 'I' I meant 'WE' as in me AND Alan, you don't think I will go shark diving alone.... DUH

Much LOVE!!!

Julie

Keeping Up

2008-04-08T06:38:00.003-06:00

Catching Up!!!

Well, when I started this blog in December, I was hoping to do better with it than this. Looks like I have some catching up to do! These events will probably not be in order, so bear with me, and don't worry it doesn't matter if it doesn't make sense...

I went skydiving for my Birthday in February, that was an AWESOME experience! If it wasn't so expensive I would go all the time, Alan and I are thinking about paying to get our licenses so we can jump anytime anywhere for cheap, but that costs a bunch too, we will have to see I guess... here is a picture of me free falling! (I was free falling for about 90 seconds before he pulled the chute!)

Alan was baptised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (better known as Mormons) on March 15th. It was a wonderful experience, he was baptized in the ocean in front of the La'ie Temple on Oahu. It was such a beautiful peaceful day. The church has brought so many wonderful blessings into our marriage, and I am so grateful that Alan has accepted the gospel. We will be married in the temple next year, and in making that covenant with God our family will be together for all eternity. It took a lot of work for us (yes me too) to get to this point. We both quit drinking at the end of last year, and we both quit smoking as well. It has been since February 18th since we have had a cigarette. Here is pictures from his baptism...

After the Baptism with the Missionaries, and our friend Rusty, who baptised Alan

Me and Alan after the baptism... All smiles!

My Mom was able to come to Hawaii for Alan's baptism, it was SO good to have her here, even though it was only for a short time. We went to a Luau, Pearl Harbor, and of course the beach!

Me and Mom at the Luau
Our sand covered feet!

On March 1st I got promoted in the Army to the rank of Sergeant (Yes, that is Sergeant Burns!!!). I finally made the NCO corps, just in time to get out. I am getting medically separated from the Army. I suffered injuries during a training exercise that cause significant injuries to my back, injuries that will not allow me to deploy to Iraq, or train, or do any other 'soldier' things. The unit I was in last year, is in Tikrit, Iraq right now. They left a little more than a month after Alan got back from Baghdad. Part of me is sad that I am not with them. While I don't think that anyone 'wants' to go to Iraq, my military family is there, and I feel like I should be with them, just as many of us feel when we are separated from our biological families. God bless them, they are truly heroes.

Now that I am leaving the Army, a whole other world is opened up to me. Well, two worlds I guess, one being that of the military wife (which I already know some, since DUH I am one) and I am so grateful to have been a soldier so that I know the Army and what Alan will be going through. The other world, is the 'civilian' world. I am job hunting right now, and between resume writing, searching jobs, keeping up with my college classes, and trying to transition out of the Army, I am overwhelmed! Job hunting is hard! I am worried that I will not be able to find work right after I separate, and our household taking that large pay cut will be disastrous! The Army is giving me a severance check, and that will hold us over for a while, but I am still worried. I have a few potential jobs right now, and a few prospects are looking good. The Army helps a lot too providing transition services, so that's a plus...

So... it is almost 3 a.m. here, I couldn't sleep but now my eyelids are feeling heavy... Please excuse whatever typo's may appear above, I will have to read through this tomorrow... I will try to keep up on the blogging!

Good night!

Christmas Time

2007-12-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

This year we are going into my fourth, Alan's fifth Christmas away from family at home and into the first real Christmas with our new family, each other. Last year Alan was in Iraq for our 'first Christmas.' I bought a little four foot pre-lit tree and put it up on a little blue bin along with a few ornaments from my childhood and left it at that. It was hard to get in the Christmas mood knowing that Alan was in Iraq, it was our first Christmas being married, we were half a world apart, and my family was across the ocean. Christmas day was spent in tears on the phone with Alan for a while, and my family wishing he was home safe. I hated seeing couples around shopping or doing other 'couple things', it made me feel more alone than ever. My friend that lives downstairs from me was alone with her two children as well, but we hadn't gotten close enough by that time to do more then exchange a half hearted 'Merry Christmas' with each other. Most important, I believe, is that during this and every holiday season, we remember those who's spouses are deployed and those soldiers who are down range fighting for our freedom who don't get to be with their spouses and family this year.

Alan and I put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving. We pulled out my little four foot pre-lit sorry excuse for a tree and he said, 'Are you serious?' Five minutes later we were in the car headed to Wal-Mart to get a tree and all the hooplah that goes with it. We walked out of there with our arms full of stuff and a seven and a half foot tree that almost touches the ceiling in our little apartment on post. This year I am so happy to be spending the Holiday's with my husband. I think we appreciate it more than most, because we know all too well what spending them apart is like.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in all the hustle and bustle of the season, with all the shopping, decorations, and trying to get that someone the 'perfect gift.' We tend to forget about what Christmas is really about, celebrating Jesus Christ and remembering his sacrifices for us. I am trying to just enjoy the time off from work, and the company of my husband. I think I will whip out the Maneheim Steamroller music, sit on the lanai drinking ice water with Alan (hey, its HOT here in Hawaii) and enjoy our time together this Christmas trying not to think that next Christmas he will be in Iraq again...