Children :)

So I've gone back to work :) I love it so much, I never realized how much I loved these children until I waqs back with them. Honestly, they are the best. I love the feeling of walking in and knowing for a fact that I am loved and missed. The first day I came in and immediently one child came up with a big smile and gave me the biggest hug then asked if I could read a story to her. I cannot explain how good it feels to know that even when I show up with no make-up, and hair pulled back into a pony tail the children still think I'm beautiful :P actually that happened yesterday and the same child that was so excited to see me a couple days ago looked at me, stroked my hair, then said "I like your hair" it's those moments that make this job worth it.

I also have a funny story. So today I turned off my alarm at eight and thought "I'll just lay here for five more minutes"...well five turned into forty. I had work at nine and of course I live twenty minutes away so when I wake up five minutes after I'm suppose to leave it's never good. Well anyway I threw on some clothes, put on some eyeliner, brushed my teeth and ran out the door, it is now 8:45. I sped all the way to work, what usually takes twenty minutes took me ten. Luckily I was only a few mintues late and no one asked why :P Anyway I'm thinking I need to get more sleep so this doesn't happen again. At least the children are always happy to see me :P

Anyways life is good. And school being out for summer is always a plus :)

Yes Seriously...

So I've been meaning to do a post on this for a while now. One Sunday I came home to our fridge smelling unusally nasty. So being the smart person I am, I decided to clean out a couple bowls that had been on the shelf for a while....well lets just say fruit + yogurt + three weeks = nastiness. Here is what the bowl looked like AFTER washing it three or four times:

Yes those are permanent mold stains. They did eventaully wash off, but seriously??? This wasn't the only bowl either, there was a salad in the fridge too :S. My mom found it quite funny when half an hour after I leave their house I phone asking how to get rid of mold stains :P Anyways it was an experience and I now will make sure our fridge has been cleaned before I leave on weekends.

PS: Easter is this Sunday :) I can't wait to spend time with family.

Changes

As promised here are some pictures of new things Kim and I have been working on:



Flowers we put on the table

 



Antiques Kim found

 


Some glass jars we found to put some bathroom stuff in.





Flowers in the kitchen :)

 

Our table





A new coffee table.

  So there you have it, some of our house improvements. It looks so bright in here I love it, but as always we're not quite done yet so keep your eyes open, we have a few other projects on the go :). Also a sidenote, most of these were from the dollar store and second hand places. That coffee table you see above cost us thirty...amazing hey? Anyways today I was actually productive and cleaned the whole place so when Jill moves in tomorrow she'll see that we are actually clean :P (the last time she came over we still had our matresses in the living room, dishes in the sink...anyways it wasn't pretty).

This past week I went out to lunch with my friend Megan. It was so great to see her and be able to talk to her again. We really haven't talked in almost two years :( which was why it was so much fun to talk with her and update each other on our lives. Her baby is the sweetest, and he's almost eight months! Crazy!

Oh another update is Kim colored my hair and it looks great :) then yesterday I got a hair cut as well. It looks pretty fantstic if I do say so myself. I can't believe I let Kim color my hair with a box dye...anyways it turned out so it's all good, and it was only ten dollars! I love it.

 I love change every once in a while, it seems lately though I have been changing up quite a bit. Why the sudden urge to change up my room layout, my haircut, my hair color, my blog layout, my house, my nail polish color (not that nail polish matters), my dresses, my shoes, friends? I honestly don't know, perhaps it's because it's spring??? But I just have a feeling that things are about to change even more, like there's something coming, don't get me wrong right now I welcome change...I just would like to know exactly what is coming so I can prepare for it :P But I suppose we're always being prepared, whether we know it or not.

Take my mom for instance, she didn't know that she was being prepared for her current calling but I believe that she was. My mom always jokes that maybe had she not started attending the temple as often she wouldn't have been called to Stake Relief Society President. She would have anyway, but attending the temple deffinately helped :P. It's because of my mom that I am learning that you can't be invisible forever. Unfortunately. But I'm learning to embrace it...slowly. Anyways I love my parents and how much they have taught me. They're great!

To go with the random-ness of this post here's a video that applies somewhat...

New Layout

Since it's spring time I decided it was time for a change.So I decided to change up my layout, it looks very plain but I think I'll like it this way. I would rather people focus on what I have to say more then how cute my blog looks.I also changed up my blog decription "Sometimes the best things in life are not the once in a lifetime occurences; rather the everyday simplicities." And yes that deffinately came from my head :P pretty profound right? Well anyway I will expand on that a tiny bit.

 Sometimes we wait around for the huge WOW factor, the things that make you go "well that was amazing!". But often in waiting around for those you miss the simple things, the tiny moments where you gain a glimpse of eternity. Look around you, there are so many spectacular things in this world, the opportunity to be alive is amazing in itself. I have realized that in the hussle and bussle of everyday life we forget to live. I am very guilty of this, often I just go on autopilot and forget to enjoy life, but I'm trying to gain a greater perspective. I can't believe how fast it's going, and how much even in the past year of school I've learned not only academically but spiritually and emotionally as well.

This semester I've just cruised along, probably missing out on many opportunities for friendships and growth. But honestly if I had to do things over, of course there would be things I would change, but I have realized that through experiences I have had new insight that might not have otherwise come is now mine to keep. I'm trying to keep the insight I have and continue to love life because to be quite honest I do love life. I do love where I am. I do like where I'm heading. I love who I have become. So from now on I'm going to keep things simple, so I can learn to see things in a differnt light.

Weekend

So Elder Scott was amazing :) My favorite quote of the evening was "Hanging out is idleness in flocks" can you tell what his main concern is? Yeah you guessed it, men not asking girls on dates. I think it's becoming a major concern for everyone higher up. Lets just say I'm glad I'm not male, they got quite the smackdown in Priesthood from what I hear :P.

After going to the fireside Kim, Kalina, Lindsey, and I went to this cute Greek place, we tried escargot, calamari, and other things that I don't know how to pronounce. It was quite the experience :). I have missed Lindsey and it was great to hang out with my roomates and I for the last time before fall. Oh and we had a great girls chat, where Lindey told us she's already been ring shopping and guess what?? the day after she got ENGAGED. It's cRaZy! So for all of you that are wondering that's eight engagements that I know of  in the past two weeks.

On Saturday morning we went and bought a new tv for our house. We found one for thirty dollars! AND we found a coffee table as well :) our house looks so homey.But Kalina left on Saturday as well :( It's so sad to walk in her room and see nothing, she's really gone :'(. I know it's only for a few months but still. It makes Kim and I sad. Our mattresses are still in the livng room by the way, we have been to lazy to move them :P

Anyways I have done nothing all day and it feels great! I love having no school :)

PS: I totally got a 72% on an exam I thought I did horrible on.

Finished!

I Julie Marie am finished my first year of college. How does it feel? It actually hasn't even hit me yet, but i'm sure in a week I'll be so happy to be finished :). I finished up my last two tests today and I think they went well, I totally knew the short answer question! I was so proud of myself for memorizing the parts of a hammer and saw, somehow I knew she would ask that and I was right :) Anyways tonight the girls and I are having a party :) after going to a fireside with Richard G Scott of course. It's going to be great :)

PS:Yes I'm aware I used ':)' tons but I am really just that happy :P

Lazy

That is how I feel. I don't want to do anything.

Facebook and Broken TV's

It seems that I always blog when I have the most to do. Here I have five tests test this week and I'm blogging...oh well everyone needs a study break I suppose. Well anyway this week I have been thinking alot about high school drama and facebook. When I was in high school I didn't participate in such things because I found it lame so I mostly kept to myself, never really taking sides. Well there has been some internet bullying going on with the children who are currently in high school right now. The thing about facebook is you say what you normally wouldn't say in person so usually the comments are pretty nasty because you don't have to actually say it, just type it. To be quite honest I feel like slugging the kids in the face, but alas I'm an adult and cannot participate in such behaviours. Lame. I'm not even sure what I can do, I just feel so helpless.

On a slightly happier note (well the story is funny...) our TV is now out of commission. Last night after FHE some of us decided to watch Aladdin so Kalina and I offered our place. Wellll Jill brought over a vhs player and after finally getting it plugged in we watched it. After the movie was done one of the people went to unplug the VCR  and the TV decided to topple over. Onto our plant. I always thought when TV's broke that there was sparks and the TV burting into flame...but I guess not. Anyways so we plugged the TV back in and it doesn't turn on. Sad. So now we're TV-less until we find a cheap one :P At least it was funny. And for the reccord the guy who knocked it over was going to buy us a brand new TV but we told him no (multiple times actually, he wasn't taking no for an answer) because we got this TV for free and we can get a cheap one fairly easy. Anyways I hope you enjoyed story time.

Oh and another thing, we found someone who is not engaged to move in for the summer. I probably have mentioned this already but we've had some difficulties with finding someone to move in. First about two months ago we had found someone. Then she got engaged and decided to not move in. So after some scrambling we found someone else. Guess what? She's now engaged and moving in with her soon-to-be inlaws. SoOo with Kalina moving out this weekend * :'( *we were pretty stressed. Luckily our visiting teacher Jill said on Sunday if the one who just got engaged didn't work out she would be glad to move in. Well now she's moving in next weekend. Honestly people can't you hold off on the engagments? Just kidding. But not really :P. Oh well we now have someone who is not in a commited relationship and will be staying all summer :)

Anways that's all for now. Happy Tuesday!

My newest music obession...Tyler Ward. He's pretty much amazing :P

Just a Little Break

SoOo I was doing homework with Kim tonight (this morning??) and thought I was doing good, I was awake and buzzing though my homework fairly easily and then my brain stopped working so I took a break, ate some food, got ready for bed then went back to it. Then I did more, all the while chatting with Kim about random stuff (what else do you talk about at two in the morning? :P). Then Kim busted out with this quote; she looks at her pillow then says "this could be a sleeping bag for babies!" just out of the blue. It was pretty hilarious :P Funny enough it could fit a baby, perhaps I should bring it up with my instructors and see what they think. I think they would LOVE the idea.

Anyways after a few jokes like that we went back to it, she finished one play area and ten activites!! How that is even possible I don't even know but somehow she did it, but the downside (well upside for her I suppose) is that she is now in bed and I'm not. I did get two play area evaluations done and one activity but I needed another break so I decided to blog. So here I am. At 4:30am. Blogging away. This probably doesn't even make sense. But at this point I don't even care. It's probably entertaining to read though. But I'm guessing my mom is sitting at the computer shaking her head and laughing at me. I promise that in a week I'll get some sleep mom :). But for now I need to get back to it... but I would like to thank you readers for reading my incoherent thoughts. I hope you had a good laugh. Good night/morning.

Just one more week

Conference and Other Random Thoughts

"I love to see the temple, I'll go inside someday."

Yesterday and today was General Conference. I loved it. Although I only saw bits and pieces of yesterday morning's session due to the internet cutting out quite a bit, I still got tons out of this weekend. It's amazing to me how the leaders of our church know exactly what needs to be said, it may be uncomfortable to talk about but you can tell they are so passionate about what they are saying. I know that what they say comes from Heavenly Father and everything they say is for my benefit.

 I cried (actually bawled is more like it) this morning durring President Monson's talk about temples, it's something I feel strongly about and something that I wish those who have the opportunity to do temple work would take advantage of. It's one of those things that is so important to me and I hate seeing people being so casual about it. If nothing else works out for me in this life I would be perfectly happy if I had that little piece of paper in my pocket. It's everything to me and I want it so bad. I just laughed at myself through the tears, here's a snippet of what just went through my head; what twenty year old wants to attend the temple this bad? Honestly Julie, pull yourself together...you're twenty!! But when I do have that piece of paper I'll appreiciate it so much more.

My mom and I had an interesting conversation this afternoon. We were talking about how angels are all around us and most times we don't even recognize it. I don't always realize it but there is a connection with one in particular that I do recognize, and she is here tons. Although I don't remember her much I know that she is here more then we realize. This angel is my Grandma Wood. There are times that I feel her very close. My mom always said that I had a special connection with her and I do believe I do, I was her drooly Julie :P. There are times (quite a few times actually) that I wish she were here and that I could talk face to face with her. Sometimes I just want a hug. I think she does give me some and lately I have afraid that I have disapointed her, but she has been close and in her way giving me a hug as if to say that no, I haven't. I don't think I could ever do anything to make her think less of me.

I think I've said this before but I have no memories of her when she was here on the earth, however, I have some blurrs of after she left. I used to talk to her before I went to bed, it's silly but I laid in bed telling her about my day. I don't know for sure but I would like to think that she listened as often as she could. It's not just me she's around though, I think that she loves her family and visits all of us as often as she can. I can't wait for the day when I can ask her :). I'm grateful for the knowlege that I will be able to see her again, I don't know where I would be without this church.

In other news my roommates and I are redecorating again :P (pictures to come later). I love my life :) Anyways I should start packing for my school trip...yay for having to be at the school at seven am!!