The Long Awaited Story... :)

I don't even know how to start this post quite honestly. So I guess I'll just say it. I met a man. And he's amazing. I tried to be vague in previous posts but since it's on facebook...I'll just come out and say it. I am engaged. Yes. Care to read that again? :P I Julie O'Brien am getting married. Does that look strange to you? Yeah me too. But I know it's right. We both do and you know what? Yes this will come as a huge shock to almost everybody but we both feel very strong feelings that this is what we're suppose to do. If you know you know right? So I guess you'll want to hear the story...

Well back in April I saw this guy sitting in church and thought "hmm, he seems like a nice guy" so natrally I asked a friend if he was single. Turned out he was but being Julie I didn't talk to him. Then as quickly as he was there, he was gone. So I gave it up for a while, there was no chance he would ever like me in that way I thought.

Well three weeks later guess who showed up in town? Arles Tippie. Again the butterflies started and I was told to ask him out, which I never do. Ever. Now this is the past that may send some people into confussion. I started dating someone else. But then at the YSA conference I found myself liking him more then my boyfriend, which really shouldn't happen. I hung out with him all weekend thinking that nothing could ever happen between us, how could it ever? I was with someone else. But never the less we talked and laughed together.

That next night I had a dream where I was dating Arles WHILE I was in a relationship with the other person. I knew I was with the wrong person, but I didn't feel like explaining that. Turns out my ex felt the same way, he broke it off a couple days after that. I wasn't sad. My ex and I had only dated a week so I felt no obligation to him.

Now here comes the part you might be familiar with :P I went to FHE and there I got soaking wet. Arles was one of those lovely men who was dumping water on me all night. We flirted and laughed. He tells me it was then he knew I liked him and turns out he liked me too. So after that I added him on facebook, we started talking until two in the morning about random stuff. No one can make me laugh like he can. Really.

He then proceeded to ask what fun things there were to do around here. I gave him some ideas then all I get is "how about all of the above?" I was a bit confused so I asked what he meant then he says "how about we start with a walk around Henderson tomorrow?" Oh my gosh he was serious, he had just asked me out.

Well at church we talked a bit and I honestly thought he had forgotten about our walk until he asked me when would be a good time to go on it. So we went. We walked and talked. We laughed tons. Then spontaneously we start listening to a concert playing for the dragon boat races. It starts to rain so we start to dance in it. We danced in the rain :) He came back to my place and we watched a movie. He kissed me.

Monday I slipped in the back at FHE. Or so I thought :P. He was put in the hot seat and they asked the normal questions "What do you look for in a girl?" "Sweet or salty?" but then they ask "when was the last date you were on?" He says "Yesterday" Well it didn't end there Stephanie Drew decided to ask "Who??" You know how I so thoughtfully slipped in the back? He saw me. And in front of everyone said "Oh she's sitting right in the back". I pretty much died. They never ask who! Anyways it was fun never the less. He went to play rugby and I played with Jill's neice...big surprise there :P. After FHE we talked and he came over to watch a movie with Kim, Jessie, and I.

The rest of the week we went on a few dates and hung out tons. I really liked this guy. And something happened between us that is hard to explain, ket's just say after much thought and prayer we both recieved an answer as clear as day. I knew. He knew. And now we had to decide what to do with that knowlege. It hadn't been very long. At all. Funny enough when asked previous what our relationship was, Arles said "let's just take it slow" later that night he told me he was falling in love with me. So mucd for slow hey? :P

But somehow it all just felt right, so I took him to meet my parents. My dad and him hit it off right away. It was like he was already part of the family. He took my brothers swimming and helped load the dishes after dinner. My family I think was hooked at that point, my parents knew something was coming. And fast. My dad then invites him for Sunday dinner, something I never expected him to do. I thought to myself "wow, my dad really likes him!". Eveything was falling into place.

The night after I was talking to Arles about how I am scared that this will end and he'll leave me heartbroken. Remember I had fallen quite a bit for this guy. He was exactly what I always wanted in someone and not only did he care deeply for me. He showed it. Well then he told me that he had asked Kim my ring size (at this point I think I muttered a couple "oh my gosh"s I was in shock). He asked me to be sealed to him for eternity. I said yes. The whole next day at church we wanted so bad to share the news but he wanted to talk to my dad to gain his permission first.

At dinner everything went well, we talked more, he got to know my family a bit more. But I could tell we were both on edge. What if my dad said no? Of course we would respect his wishes but we both KNEW.It took Arles until 10:00 to finally spit it out. I think it was so perfect in that my dad stood up, shook his hand, and said "I would love you to marry my daughter". We were on cloud nine and finally we could make things offical. So we did. After we phoned his parents of course :P.

It hasn't been easy and people are continuously telling us what a mistake we are making. But the more I am with Arles the moreI know it will be ok. I love him so much and know that this is real. The fact we have had so many spiritual experiences tells me that this is what we are meant to do. The wedding plans are all falling into place, and we are just happy. The date has been set and whether people think we're crazy or not is irrevelant (there are quite a few people who have expressed their concerns either to our face or behind our backs). We know, and the Lord knows. That is all that matters. Plus I finally have an apointment to take out my endowments! You have no idea how excited I am :). Everything that has happened to me in the past year makes sense now and I can't wait to begin my life.

September 17th I'll marry this man here.

Anways there's the story. Sorry about the length but I love this story. And I wanted to share it with the internet world. Keep your eyes open for more plans and wedding stuff as they come up. We are so exctied to be doing this. Together. :)

Se La Ve

I, Julie O'Brien brought another person to the blogging world. It's pretty sweet :) I love blogging and I especially love gaining insight into other people's thoughts. In a way blogging is like a journal...one where the whole world can see it. I love it but sometimes I hold back just a tiny bit, just to keep the suspense :P.

With that said I would like to say how truly happy I have been this week, I can't believe how things are working out for me, quite honestly it's weird. I'm just waiting for the rug to be pulled out from beneath me like it has been all the times before. It hasn't yet. And somehow I feel like it won't be this time. Weird right? Actually no it's not that weird I'm just silly and ignore signs. I must be prepared and ready or else Heavenly Father would not have thrown new people and experiences into my life. Each has prepared and led me up to where I am currently standing. I really wasn't expecting this, not yet anyway. But like I said I have to believe I'm ready for what is to come next. You know how I said at the begining of the year that I felt like something huge was about to happen? Yeah I am still getting that vibe, however it's begining to make more sense and it's only half way through the year!

The thing is though I am not all that scared for what seems to be coming, of course I am a bit scared, that's a given with any change. But there is no such thing as coincidences and I don't believe in the fate mumbo-jumbo stuff. There is only Heavenly Father and his plan. Sure we stray off the path a few times but we can always get back on track eventually. I've had some interesting experiences this week and they have brought me closer to some of my goals. I know what I want. And although life keeps throwing me upside down and every which way, I'm keeping focused on Heavenly Father and trying to turn to him for guidance, because frankly I can't do it alone. No one can.

***

Yesterday was Canada Day :) Although this year I did not attend the parade I went home and had a good chat my mom while the boys were swimming. Our deep conversations often end in tears and yesterday was no acception. I love my mom to death and am thankful that she and I can have conversations like we do. I have great respect for my dad as well. He's always been there for me and never have I seen him raise his voice in full fledged anger. He's a hard worker and always looks out for his family. He has been there for me through everything. As I get older the relationship with my parents change, and although I know it will change even more as I get older, they will always be my parents.

Anyways after the boys got home from swimming we all ate dinner and talked for a while. It still makes me smile how much my dad talked to my special friend last night. And how much he liked talking to my family members, we were there for almost six hours! I have to say though, it was neat to see :).I can't wait for more visits like the one we had last night.

I ended my Canada Day with the fireworks at Henderson. I love this country and the freedoms I have. Life is good.

From Notes to Water

Well already it's been a great week :) It started on Sunday where for the first time in a long time I took notes at church. I always think of doing this but I never really do. On Sunday however I did, and it's amazing how much more you get out of the lessons when you do so. I didn't even have a piece of paper so I ended up taking notes on my phone, I'm sure people thought I was texting the whole time but really I wasn't, I was just getting so much out the lesson that I couldn't stop clicking away :P

 In Sunday school we talked about the sacrement and as I relfected on what I truly think about durring the sacrement I realized that I sometimes don't give it my full attention. I have a special place for the Atonement and I really should be thinking about it more. A point that was brought out that stood out to me is that once you've repented, you're forgiven so move on. It's like that sin is gone. I need to remember that sometimes because I am pretty hard on myself, I need to let the past be the past and live in the here and now.

***

Yesterday however was totally different. For FHE we combined with a few other wards for a huge bar-b-q. Kim and I had decided before hand that we were going to leave before the sceduled water fight happened but instead we were having to much fun watching everyone else get soaked that we decided to stay for a bit. You can see where this is going...you're never safe at a water fight.

There I was laughing with Kim at people running around getting water thrown at them. When I see my friend look at me from across the field, he was carrying a cooler of water...then Kim says to me "he just mouthed you're name to his friends" so I ran. And Screamed. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough and one guy grabbed me and my friend pours the whole thing on me. I was in shock :P I didn't even know what to do so I stood there for a bit, then I decided to join in. We're talking Julie here, do you think I can aim? No, not at all. So instead of getting them wet I missed and they got me a few more times. So I gave up for a while.

Well Kim and I decided to head home so I could put on some warm clothes. So I go around to where the boys are standing filling up their water bottles and such and tell them we're leaving (Kim is still dry at this point). Well it probably was not the smartest idea to go right where they were getting water. They dumped water on Kim, splashed me and after a cup of water being poured down my shirt *glaring at the screen here* we took off our shoes and joined in full force. Again this is Julie we're talking about, I can't aim so for every half a cup of water I dumped, at least three or four were thrown at me. Anyways needless to say I was completly soaked after an hour of this.

I mean it was totally worth it and I had a blast, but I was soOo cold and I'm pretty sure Kim and I were the worst soaked girls in the entire place. That's what you get for hanging out with guys I suppose. And to think we almost got away dry...oh well, it was tons of fun :)

Well I hope you enjoyed story time readers :) Moral of the story? Never laugh at the people getting soaked, you may just end up getting more wet then all of them.

Weekend Updates :)

First I would like to apolagize. I didn't take any pictures of my weekend. It was the YSA conference this weekend so I thought I would document it. Well that didn't happen :P. Sorry! It was a great conference never the less, there were tons of great classes and activities and I gained some new knowlege when it comes to goals :). I'm the type of person who has them but doesn't write them down but I learned I need to in order to succeed. Without goals you would have no direction or something to work towards. So I've started to write them down in hopes that my goals will become a reality. It was a great over all weekend. To top it off it was lovely weather. No more rain for us (I hope).

My talk on Sunday went well. I learned tons about Spencer W Kimball and can't believe all he went through. Not only was he extremely humble but he was a great prophet :) I was so grateful to have the opportunity to learn about him. He's one person I would like to learn more about. Did you know that as a child he used to sing hymns and memorize scriptures as he milked the cows? What child wants to do that? Times really have changed. He also had both parents die by the age of twenty two. I can't even imagine what it would be like to lose both parents at such a young age. I love mine dearly and I love learning about the prophets and what brought them to the point they were at when they became prophet. They are amazing men :).

Oh and I'm about half way through that book I bought a month ago. I love it and am learning so much. I'm glad that I finally have time to catch up on my reading after months of only text books. I am actually reading a book about temples and it's so refreshing. I don;t understand everything that goes on in there. Nor will I for a while but this book does help me understand some things. I'll tell you how the rest of it goes.

Also yesterday I Julie Marie went bridge jumping...mind you I only jumped once and it was freezing cold but I did it and you know what? I actually liked it (besides being freezing cold) and to be quite honest I will probably do it again this summer. In warmer weather of course :)

Enhanced Vocabulary

So recently I have enhanced my vocabulary...gamers vocabulary to be more specific :P. Who knew in order to understand gamer talk you needed to learn a whole new language? Apparently you do. Almost every night for the past week I've watched the boys upstairs play Call of Duty, and with the help of Jessie and Andrew I have defined a few words:

Camping hard: When someone hides out in the spot you reapear at after you are killed. It's the cheap way of getting kills.

Noob: Not exactly sure what it means but I know it's said tons. Usually it's said  in frustration, "Ahhhh! Noob..."

Nuke town: A nuclear town, there's tons of bombs and such going off. It's a good time.

(A personal fav) Winning: "While trying to stick someone with a grenade you are killed, but you kill them as well." This is different then 'win'

Win: When you get 75(?) kills and move on to the next round.

(Also a favorite) Failing: "To be stabbed in the gut". Such a lovely description.

I'm sure I'm missing quite a few words but I'm somewhat understanding what's going on now. But I don't think I'll ever really get into playing it, it's to entertaining to watch the person playing. Apparently it's intense. It's alright though, as long as it doesn't become a huge addiction it's all good. Although the "ha ha I just stuck a knife in your face!" talk concerns me a little :P.

***

On a side note yesterday the Elders came over and taught a lesson to Jessie's best friend. I have never sat in on a lesson to a non-member before and it was great. Seeing someone get a light in their eyes and knowing that there is something there that wasn't there before is by far the most amazing thing I've seen in a long time. I love this gopel so much and being able to watch someone learn and actually take the challange to find out for themself is mind blowing. The lesson went well and by the end he had commited to read the Book of Mormon and come to church on Sunday (which I'm giving a talk at, I thought I could stay invisible forever...apparently such is not the case).

I really am just amazed at how one person can effect another. Jessie got baptized a month ago and already is spreading the gospel, something I have never been good at. His testimony is so strong, so powerful, and pure that you can't deny that he knows it. He's brought me close to tears on a couple of occasions with his testimony. I wish every member had that fire.

Anyways we all had a good chat and I can't wait to see how this all pans out. I love this gospel. So much. There is so much I want to say but can't find the words to express it. I am so spiritually filled today and so happy for the gospel in my life. Without it I wouldn't be the person I am today :) Well anyway there will be more posts to follow. There is tons going on this weekend and I plan on taking as many pictures as possible. Keep an eye out :)

PS: This is my hundredth post!! Crazy hey??

Friends.

Friends: the people who love you even when you're at your most unlovable. The ones who say it like it is. Are there for you when you are making the worst decisions in life and have sympathy. Cry with you when life is being...well life.Laugh with you at two in the morning over something silly. Are there no matter what.

I have the best friends and the older I get the more I realize who my true friends are. Some friends come and go and that's fine I totally understand, over time people drift apart. But then there are the ones who stick it out with you, who even on your worst days they feel the need to talk to you. Those are the friends I want. In high school I didn't really have that many close friends, sure everyone liked me but very few actually liked to hang out with me outside the school setting. There was a time where I felt very alone, but now some of these high school friends I have actually grown closer to. I admit it in high school I was the quiet good girl, I never got in trouble and had a great relationship with my parents. I didn't need extra support really because I had my parents (and still do).

I love my high school friends dearly and know that without them high school would have been very lonely. I wish I was better at keeping in touch but I hope they know how much they mean to me.

 Julianna was especially helpful, her and I became insta-friends and she's had my back through the years. We don't get to hang out as often as I like but we are still close. She is sweet and funny and we have had some good times together. She's been with me through the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'm surprised she doesn't tire of me. But she's still there whenever I need to talk. She and I understand each other and one of the first people I call when I need someone.

Becky was another high school friend, she is spunky and has a thrill for life that I wish I had. She is sweet and outgoing. I love her and how she took me into her group all those years ago. She's great! I also hardly ever see her but when I do it's always a good time.

Megan is such a strong person, I wish I had her courage and her ablility to see the good in most situations. Since moving out we have grown a little bit closer, I don't see her near enough but when I do I am so thankful she is in my life right now. She is so wonderful and through the last few years of high school she was a good friend to me. She has my back and still does. I am grateful that we are starting to get in contact again. I love her to pieces.

Since moving out however I have found that the friendships I'm making now are so much closer then previous years. Especially with my roomates Kim, Kalina, and now Jill. It was a spur of the moment decision to move out and I believe Kim, Kalina, and I were meant to live together this year. Also after all the roomates we had to go through in order to still live here over the summer I'm glad that Jill decided to move in.

Kalina and I didn't know each other at all at the begining of the year and quite honestly she has become one of my best friends. We had many late night talks in her room where we would stay up until early hours of the morning talking about random stuff. I miss those nights sometimes but I'm glad that come september we'll be re-united again. She is one of the sweetest girls I know and always has some country song to relate to life...it's cool though country is pretty good :P. I love her dearly and can't imagine how this school year would have been without her.

Kim and I met last year and little did I know that we would soon be living together. She is the funniest person I know and has kept me smiling all year long. I swear when life had me down she brought a smile to my face. She and I have grown really close this past semester and she is one of the few people I could talk to all night and still not get tired of her. She has seen me cry more then anyone (excluding my parents) but I know that I can lay on the couch with her and she can comfort me without saying a word. She has helped me in ways I cannot even begin to explain. I love her so much and can't wait to have summer adventures with her.

I haven't known Jill for that long but already I love her, she's like the sweet sister I never had. I can talk to her for hours about anything and she'll offer up some sort of great advice :). She and I have similar goals in life and I love having someone to talk about deep church stuff with. She and I have become great friends this past semester and already she is forcing me out of my shell. She's the best and I know I can count her her for anything.

I have many more friends who have helped me over the years but these are my gals. I love them each so much and would not be where I am today had they not been in my life. I know that someday I may not be friends with some of these ladies but they will always be a part of me <3

Lovin' It

So it's been lovely weather here in Southren Alberta :) and so Kim and I felt the need to clean up the yard. Well thirteen bags later we only finished the front yard and the alley...it's going to take longer then we thought. But hey at least we got something done. Another plus of having nice weather is that we can play outside with the children more, they love it out there and I'm sure if we let them they would be out there all day. Hopefully someday soon I'll be able to start on a tan :P

Last weekend Jill had her cousin's children stay over at our houseand it was so much fun! It's nice to hang out with children without the pressures of ECE philosophy. I can use all the praise I want and no one is there telling me to use encouragement instead :P. They also pretty much loved me. It was great. They also inspired me to clean my room. You know things are bad when a child asks you why your room is so messy...ooops.

So now that it's summer I'm finally getting out more :) Kim, Jill, and I have been going out almost every night this week. We went to a park near our house on Monday and Tuesday then Wednesday we went to a bonfire, it feels so good to not be stuck in our house all the time! Kim and I may be known as the quiet girls (I know right, us quiet??? neverrr) but people are starting to reconize us and slowly I'm talking more :P Yes I know I should be the outgoing girl but that's who I am and quite honestly I'm okay with that. Anyways lets hope this weather continues, because I looove it :)

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...

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.

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!

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!!

Just Relaxing :)

I am alive! After staying up until five and getting up and six forty five the morning after my last post I had no idea how I was going to function, like really who can function on just under two hours of sleep? Apparently I can, I didn't take a nap all day without the use of energy drinks or coke/pepsi. The next night I'm sad to report I went to bed late as well, but that was my own doing :P.

This week however has been filled with family, sleep, reading, texting, and overall a lazy time. I love it. But with the middle of the week coming quickly I need to get started on homework...lame. But for tonight I'm going to sit back, eat my mini wheats, and watch High School Musical :)

I also found this quote and liked it "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense"

 There isn't much I can add to it, just that each day is a new day and we should treat it as such. Dwelling on yesterday doesn't do much for today, we must always move forward and not be bothered with yesterday or you might end up with empty tomorrows.

2010 Overview

Can you believe that it's already 2011? Neither can I, it seems that years are begining to fly by. What once felt like ages now feels like a small moment. When your a child all you want to be is a grown up so that you can do things how you want and when you want. But when you do become that adult you always wanted to be you realize that things were so much simpler in the lunch box days (name that song! :P), you had food in the house without having to pay for them and somehow the laundry was always done. I'm not saying that I totally miss those days because that chapter in my life is closed and I have to continue to move forward, I have so much more to learn and yearning for the past doesn't do anything. My life is great and I love it. And alhtough I no longer live at home I still have the love and support of my family, no matter how old I am they are sill my family :)

 Ok enough ramblings about life :P Today in between my napping periods I've been thinking about all the things I acomplished in the past year:

-I bought my first car; then sold it :P then bought another car, all with my dad's help of course.
-I applied for school, with the feeling that I have finally figured out what I want to do.
-I saw my Denver (and now Portland as well) cousins.
-After realizing that I need to venture out on my own I found a place and moved out of my parents house.
-I finished one semester of college without being complete roadkill :P and I maintained a B average.
-I have made new friends and grown apart from others.
-I learned how to cook from scratch on a regular basis.
-Learned to go with the flow because things never work out the way you think they will.


But coming into the new year I have no idea what's in store, like really no idea. I know that my life this semester will be even more school centered and I know that I am guaranteed a summer job at the daycare. Other then that I have no idea, it scares me sometimes but I have learned that going with the flow is the best way to go, life is going to happen and continue to move forward no matter what, so I might as well live in the moment. So I guess we'll all have fun seeing how things play out in the next year :)

20 Years Young

So I had my birthday a week ago Saturday and it was pretty good (besides doing homework for half the day...). I can't believe that I;m already 20 cRaZy!! Anyways here are my gifts :) (my internet is being slow so no pictures are available so here's the list:
-Some chocolate, ice cream cake, and other stuff from Kim, Kalina and Lindsey
-My mom phoned me at 8 and told me to come to my door, she dropped off some apple cider and a blueberry treat for breakfast
-A printer from my parents :D I was so excited :P
-Letters to Juliet (a really cute show :D)

I loved my birthday, it still amazes me how old I am getting. I know I'm in my prime of my life but right now I just feel like skipping all this and moving to when I'm done school as well as done with the YSA scene. As fun as the YSA scene is...I'm done :P But I will try to be more positive and go to dances and things, no guarentees that it will last long but I'll try!! haha

OCD

I am so OCD, seriously: P when it takes an hour to cut out 5 calendar pictures there is something wrong. For one of my assignments I have to make a picture file with at least thirty pictures and so far I have twelve cut out, none cropped onto a piece of construction paper, and defiantly none laminated…I might be working on this for a while yet haha. It would’ve taken less time had I been ok with a slight diagonal in my cutting skills ( no one would probably notice), but nOo I have to get it completely straight and spend about ten minutes on each one. Too bad I’m not that OCD about my room…


At least I got one thing accomplished tonight. I studied for about an hour for my psychology test coming up on Thursday. Hopefully I do well because like my instructors tell me if I don’t do well in psychology then I’m hooped :S I think I’ll do alright though, I memorized Freud’s, Erikson’s, and the Newman’s theories of development (it’s the center of everything that I’ll learn this semester and next).

In other news both of my brothers turned a year older in the past couple weeks :) I can’t believe that Eric is 16 and Chris is 14. Where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday that we were making mud pies in the backyard and now Eric can date, Chris can go to stake dances and I am almost half done my first semester of College. That’s scary.

Speaking of birthdays I will be twenty on Saturday! Weird hey? I will no longer be a teenager and enter into true adulthood. Not that I haven’t already but being nineteen makes me feel young still :P. Another advantage of being twenty is that I can be a paid councillor at EFY, hopefully this year they won’t reject my application like last year haha.

Anyways it’s time to get back to work...lame :P

Moved In :)

So I survived the past week! I moved all my stuff in and finished my first few days of post seccondary education :) Anyways here's a tour of my house!!

This is my sleeping area (bedspread and rug found in Denver!)

My tiny closet

My bathroom :)

My kitchen.

My shoe rack

There will be more to come in the next few weeks but right now I have homework to do and instead I`m on here...I better go :P But I`ll try to do better at posting things on my blog. Night everyone!!!

One year ago I didn't know what I wanted.
I thought that I would be going to BYU-I for who knows what degree.
I wasn't happy with where I was in life.
Also working at the store wasn't doing much for my overal mood.

 It's amazing what can happen in one year, I'm heading to school in a week for my Early Childhood Education Certificate. I am happy with my decision to stay here and am excited to start college life!  I've had a great time working with all the kids at daycare and am actually pretty sad to leave them. But who knows in another two years I could be working with them again, I guess what I've learned this year is that you can't plan to much ahead because nothing seems to go the way you want it to. I'm not saying that I'm glad my life is ending up this way I am actually quite happy it did, it's just not what I expected :P I just had to learn to put my faith in the Lord and believe that he will lead me to where I'm meant to go.

So what ever is in store for me in the next year, what ever life throws at me, I have to trust that I'll be ready.

More Positive :)

I have decided to be more positive with my life, yes my car is being dumb but my dad figured out the problem and hopefully it'll be fixed again by this weekend, yes I work ALL the time but hey at least I'm saving up for college, and yes I feel like a hermit and when I am invited to things I tend to use excuses like I'm to tired...ect. But I do have a great life and I am making great friends at the YSA ward, and I got into College so in the fall I'll be starting my two year program so I can teach pre-school and possibly work in a daycare.

Yesterday I decided that I couldn't avoid social interaction anymore, so after the CES broadcast I headed over to Ashley's house for the weekly games night. I usually don't go because like I said by the time Sunday rolls around I am so tired that I just want to chill at home. But since I'm trying to be more positive I went and it actually was fun :) I didn't know most of the people but I played spoons anyway and I have found that it is a great icebreaker game...let's just say I got a little intense and ended up in someones lap...but no worries we both laughed at the awkwardness of the situation.