Namaste

on good friends, community, and contentment

2008-04-13T19:48:00.004-07:00

I got to see my friend Kira tonight. She was gone for the past 10 days at World Race training camp in Georgia. If you haven't heard of the World Race you have missed out. It's basically an 11 month mission trip around the world. Go to the website for more info. Kira is my discipler here at school and is such a great role model and friend. She is one of those people I could just talk to for hours. When I am around her I am reminded of the power of the gospel and how God wants to use someone like me.
I was talking to Rooms (Rebecca) the other day about how Kira is one of those people I could be around all the time and never get sick of because she truly is so caring.
So Kira leaves in July for the World Race. And I am so excited for her, honestly I am.
But I am also bummed.
Very bummed.
I don't want to say goodbye to such a great friend.
And our Discipleship times are sweet and I can't imagine not having that. Last year another great, godly girl discipled me and now she is on the mission field as well. Why do they all keep leaving me?
No, I really know that God is going to use Kira in some awesome ways and that maybe he'll even teach me a thing or to as I try to vicariously live my life through her for the next year.

I'm in a phase right now where it is very hard to see a lot of my friends "going". This time last year I was getting ready for India and was so excited (ok very nervous as well) about going there. And now I am depressed that it's not my turn now to "go". It's my turn to stay and to be poured into and to grow and to really enjoy time with family and friends. But it's hard.

I think back to last year on June 3 when I met my team and was wondering if I would ever click with any of those people. Now I can't help but cry when I think of how much I miss that odd group of 17 people. Sure we didn't all get along and there were days when I wanted to scream if I didn't even get 5 minutes of alone time. But community was goood. Real goooood. Community grew me and stretched me in ways I never knew before. I learned how to relate to others that came from completely different lifestyles. I was challenged to grow spiritually by them and I was able to hopefully encourage them as well.

Like the first time I got sick. I woke up on our first day of ministry very nauseous. I somehow made it downstairs and layed there on the floor during prayer. I thought I would be okay so I grabbed my backpack and got into the jeep. Bad idea. A nauseous stomach and Indian roads do not go very well together at all. Riding down a road in India is like a rollercoaster, you never know what is going to happen. So needless to say when we finally got home that night I was very happy to run upstairs to my bed and crash. I didn't get out of that bed till the next day. During that time my team really loved on me. Someone always made sure that I had a cool washcloth (which means pretty frequently because of the heat) and that the fan was blowing on me. Jennifer Nelson was like my mom trying to make me drink Gatorade or eat bread (sorry Jen but I wasn't too successful). And then the next day when I realized getting out of bed was not going to happen my leader Carly stayed home with me. I ended up sleeping the whole morning and felt so much better that I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich. We were going to the market that afternoon to get fabric for our punjabi's (Indian women's clothing) and I really though I was feeling better so off I went. Bad idea #2. The heat and sun were too much for me and I began to feel sick again. I have never felt so weak in my life. Jen helped me pick some fabric (which I actually love now) when making a decision was not an easy thing. Then as we walked around a little more I started to get woozy. (This was probably actually pretty funny to watch but it was not fun at the moment). Ted grabbed a chair from somewhere and made me sit and Laura stayed with me, singing some songs to me (she has a beautiful voice). Needless to say it wasn't my favorite day there but now it really speaks volumes of love.

I can see how my team was there for me and how in the midst of this strange, scary, odd place full of stinky people and cows I had people who were going to back me up. We had so many hard times, yes. But they are always overshadowed by the times where we couldn't stop laughing or worshiping our Saviour.

Right now I am praying that I will live by the motto "bloom where you're planted". For now, I am planted in Boone and then Raleigh in less than 6 months (it's crazy!). I find that in life I am always waiting for the next thing. Last year this time it was India. Then when I was over there it was home. And now I'm not always sure where it's for, which I think is the hardest yet. Friends often ask me if I will go back to India and my answer is always yes. If God shows me an opportunity to go I will jump on it. The thing is He hasn't shown me yet. So here I wait. Praying, thinking, and wondering when the time will come.

God has taught me that waiting shouldn't be full of doing nothing, that I should be living a full life HERE and that my ministry and reach is for NOW.

Until then, here are some pictures I am going to re-share.

my roomies and I enjoying a girls night complete with face masks

when you have no TV or normal forms of entertainment you come up with interesting ways to entertain yourself. apparently hanging a teammate's bear is a great idea.

5 girls, one Red fort, one silly picture
after which all these asian boys ran up and asked if they could take pictures with us
one of them even took a picture like he was proposing to Jen (far right) oh dear

pizza hut lunch! what an amazing and hilarious day.

swimming in a river in which the current was way too strong and we busted our legs multiple times. and we heard noises from behind a bush and ran. hahaha

happy april

2008-04-09T03:07:00.002-07:00

it's April. sun is shining. birds singing. warm air beating down on my pale skin. right?
NOT
spring may be here but Boone has not acknowledged that lately. it has been cold. and I have been unhappy about it

-went to Grandfather mountain last weekend with Megan, Dawn and our friend Shannon who came up to visit from State. Shannon, Megan, and myself all went to high school together. It was really cloudy and drizzling but it's only $1 so we went and had lots of fun anyways. My favorite part is always seeing the animals. this time the cougar was up in a tree on the highest branch. we questioned whether the sign that said he could jump up to 30 ft was accurate. ha.

me, dawn, megan, and shannon on the mile high swinging bridge

mr. cougar
very cool picture, courtesy of Shannon

the eagle has an injured wing because he was shot in the wild out west. so he came to north carolina to be safe

the otter is my favorite. he was such a ham, posing it all up for us. how cute!

climbing on the rocks

so we all filled out these books with information at the museum to become junior rangers. you had to put all this information you learned and then take it to the entrance gate to get your button. we decided to be kids and do it. I got an otter button. and they gave us posters. I think the park rangers got a good laugh out of us.

a tip

2008-03-26T19:56:00.001-07:00

"When you only have two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other."
- Chinese Proverb

*But if you forget to water your lily and take her home over spring break next time get a pet rock and put the other penny in savings.
- Julie's Proverb

4 things

2008-03-20T13:06:00.002-07:00

because lately all of the craziness in life takes away all my great blogging ideas, I'm stealing and re-doing this from lauren

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Babysitter

2. Summer Nanny (trust me it's diff from babysitting)

3. Elf/Santa's Helper (the latter is the real PC term)

4. Child Development Center Teacher Assistant

Four movies I have watched more than once:

1. A Walk to Remember

2. Serendipity

3. Minority Report

4. Failure to Launch

Four places I have lived:

1. Raleigh

2. Germany

3. Dorm at ASU

4. Turquoise Room/Apartment

Four TV shows I watch:

1. American Idol

2. The Office

3. Greys Anatomy

4. Jeopardy

Four places I have been:

1. Germany

2. Belize

3. Carribean

4. India

Four people who email me regularly:

1. Facebook

2. My Mom

3. People who want me to sub for them at work

4. Professors

Four of my favorite foods:

1. Coconut

2. Olives

3. Steak

4. Fettuchine Alfredo

Four places I would like to visit:

1. South Africa

2. New Zealand

3. Thailand

4. Europe

Four things I am looking forward to in the coming year:

1. Turning 21

2. Hopefully seeing India girls!

3. Spending a summer at home

4. Impact!

please please please read!

2008-03-13T20:43:00.003-07:00

more India lovin time.

maybe my blog bores you to death or tears. sorry about that.
but please please PLEASE go read the updates from the current india tea m

they will change your life. I am so serious.

a friend from my team, Laura is currently on this team and some of the blogs she has written are beautiful. she puts into words so many of the thoughts that I cannot.

also, there is a big post that was put up recently all about asha house and because I really want everyone to read it, I am copying it here:

Asha House

Posted in Administrative Stuff by Robin Cotton on 3/12/2008

As you've been learning about the team, and the ministries they're a part of in India, I'm sure you've heard of Asha House. In Hindi, Asha means HOPE - and that's exactly what you find when you walk in the door. This is one of the three orphanages our team ministers to in India, and the one we've partnered with financially. We hope to help them care for these beautiful children in practical ways - by helping them pay the bills each month so the orphans are clothed, fed, and taken care of. If Asha House stays open, then these 23 orphans will continue to stay in a place where they see the love of Jesus everyday!

The staff at Asha House helps our team out so much - from the women serving as translators in the leper colonies, to Victor helping with transportation, plans, and anything else the team needs (and all while they run an orphanage and take care of a "family" of 23 children and 7 adults!)

ASHA HOUSE

Our children come from poverty stricken slums, outcast leper colonies, and homes of prostitution. Many of them are orphaned or abandoned. They have not been cared for, provided for, and held no hope of an education. By God's power each of our children were brought to the doors of the Asha House.

Once admitted, the children are provided with clothing, soap, toothbrushes, and lots of love! They are assigned to a small family group which is cared for by a staff member. Our children range in age from two years to sixteen years; we are committed to caring for each of them until they can support themselves in the plans the Lord has for their future. The Asha House is not really an orphanage; we consider it a family. We love our children, care for our children and discipline our children in order to be an example of the family of God.

The Staff: Victor and Simini

Victor and Simini each received the Lord's calling to provide a home for the hopeless and forgotten children of India long before they were united in marriage.

Victor started his ministry as a worship leader to a music group that brought songs of praise into unreached villages. While he was a fulltime manager of Emmanuel Children's Home in Delhi, he was a student of Emmanuel Bible Institute.

At the age of sixteen, Simini attended Emmanuel Bible Institute and started her ministry work by living in a leper colony. She has worked in many leper colonies and slums, as well as ministered to prostitutes and street children. The Lord brought she and Victor together when he called her to work at Emmanuel Children's Home. Together they sought God's plan and direction to fulfill their calling. In January 2007, the Lord's timing had come for the Asha House to begin.

The Vision

Beyond being a children's home, Victor and Simini understand God's purpose to use the Asha House as a ministry to reach out to the unreached villages of Hariyana, India.

Already our temporary dwelling has reached its maximum capacity as home to twenty-three children and 7 staff members! We hope to be able to move the Asha House into the midst of unreached villages where more children of labor and exploitation can be reached. This area will also provide the opportunity to reach out to the mothers and fathers of the villages.

We have a dream of starting Asha Children's Village - home to an orphanage, school, Bible college, rescue house, and elderly home. We have great faith that the Lord will provide land for the new home of the Asha House in His own time and way.

The children and staff lift up this prayer request every day!

Testimonies from the children

"My name is Bharat. I am eight years old. I have one brother. I am from a Hindu family. My mother and father are divorced and now my mother works as a prostitute. I was brought to the House of Hope by one of the leaders from my mother's prostitution area. I am in the first grade at Ebenezer Missions School. At the Asha House I take love to help out with my little brothers and sisters. I just learned how to throw a frisbee and put together a puzzle; now I love to do them both!

My name is Flora. I am six years old. I am from a very poor Christian family. I have three sisters and one brother. We lived in a large, Delhi slum. My mother is a house servant and my father is a laborer, so they could not provide for our family.

They decided to send me and my little sister, Sweetie, to the House of Hope. I am very happy in my new home. I am in kindergarten at Ebenezer Missions School. I love to play with my new friends and take care of my baby sister.

My name is Nazma. I am five years old. I have one brother and two sisters. I am from a Muslim family. My father is a drunkard, who beat us and did not provide for our family. My mother could not care for us, so she brought me and my little brother, Shanawaz, to the House of Hope. I am very happy in my new home. I go to Ebenezer Missions School. I am a little quiet, but I love to smile and jump rope.

My name is Shanawaz "Shanu". I am four years old. I have three sisters. I am from a Muslim family. We lived in a large, Delhi slum. My father is a drunkard, who beat us and did not provide for our family. My mother could not care for us, so she brought me and my older sister, Nazma, to the House of Hope. I am very happy in my new home, and I have just been enrolled in Ebenezer Missions School. My older sister is very good at taking care of me. I was very malnourished when I came to the House of Hope, but now my belly is shrinking and my body is gaining weight. Praise the Lord!

My name is Shivam. I am five years old. I have two sisters. I am from a Hindu family living in a large, Delhi slum. My mother has health problems and my father is a laborer. They sent me and my sister, Suman, to the House of Hope because they could not provide for us. When I first came to my new home, I was afraid to do anything for myself. I would not go to the potty, get dressed, take a bath, or even ask for a second helping of food. Now, I am so comfortable in my new home, and I am a big help to my staff leader, Brother Brij.

My name is Suman. I am four years old. I have one brother and one sister. I am from a Hindu family living in a large, Delhi slum. My mother has health problems and my father is a laborer. They sent me and my brother, Shivam, to the House of Hope because they could not provide for us. I go to nursery school at Ebenezer Missions School. I am so happy at the House of Hope. I love to eat and play with my new friend Sweetie.

Support and Contact Information:
* The Asha house is funded by financial gifts and gifts of provision (i.e. rice, meat, fruits, clothing, soap). * We greatly appreciate volunteers of service and time to our children. * This orphanage does NOT do adoptions. We can't help you adopt orphans. * The Asha House is located in Hariyana, India, 45 minutes from Dwarka and 45 minutes from Gurguon.
* For questions please contact: Wilson Bunn
wjbunn@gmail.com U.S. mobile: 828-320-0268 India (Delhi mobile): 9911724476 To dial India from U.S.: 011-91-number To dial U.S. from India: 001-number

To GIVE to Asha House online, click here:
http://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=orphans
and choose "India Orphanage" from the drop down list.

for your viewing pleasure

2008-03-13T20:27:00.003-07:00

I have been a bit (understatement of the century) India sick lately and just have been thinking lots about it. I was browsing around on good ol' Google and found these pictures and thought I would share. Most of them are of Dwarka - the sub section of Delhi that we lived in.

very blurry but this is the dwarka "skyline" it's hard to describe what it looks like to people so I thought a picture might do some better justice

a better picture that also shows the metro which was wonderful and air-conditioned :)

costa coffe (also an ac haven) where we had regular breaks and where my d-group would go lots

the inside of pizza hut in Dwarka

random, i know but I needed to get some thoughts out in a productive way

it's spring break!

2008-03-08T06:56:00.003-08:00

spring break has oficially begun!

- I am at home and my friend Angel came with me b/c she is doing the same TF internship this week (we're trying to be semi-excited)

-My new room is wonderful! I came home not having a clue what it was gonna look like and I mus say I was a bit nervous but mom did a great job! The walls are a cool green that I love and the bedspread goes nicely with it all. I'll post pictures sometime when I find my camera amongst all my stuff.

-we're going to see a movie today - I think Enchanted and I am so excited!

a bit of perspective

2008-03-03T20:32:00.002-08:00

phew, what a day!

it started off like any old monday. i was exhausted as usual since I normally mess up my sleep schedule on the weekends by staying up late. Went to my first class where we were supposed to editing our videos based on children's books. We upload our footage then UH-OH, realize that we had completely taped over the first scene with the second scene. Somehow during our filming on friday, I accidentally rewound the tape to the beginning and we taped over the first filming session.
yeah that was a bummer. So we had to go BACK to the Laundromat and shoot all over again.

finally the class day goes on and is as boring as ever. get to math and eat my chicken tortilla wrap from the library cafe - yum! we go through math class and then have our break before reading. reading is 2 hours long and comes at just the point in the day where you are about to fall asleep at the drop of a hat. today was no exception.

at about 20 minutes till the end of class my friend Nathan got a text from the new safety update text messaging system that we now have after VT and NIU. he goes to check his e-mail to get more details and comes in and whispers to our table that there was a masked gunman at app south apartments and that he was now possibly on campus. talk about a distraction! nathan raised his hand to tell our professor and did and our prof basically didn't give it much attention.

yeah no one could focus for that last 20 minutes. I mean really now, we had no clue what was really going on. so we finally get out and I start to wonder if I should go home or not. the area of campus they were telling us to stay away from is exactly where the bus goes to take me home.

I found my friends angel and heather in the ed building and we discuss what we know. heather is supposed to be getting in a van at 5 to go to a class thing and is trying to talk to her professor about if they are still doing it or not. angel had class at 6 but was going to wait in the ed building until she knew what was going on. So angel and I stayed in the mac lab and waited. it was so confusing because they were telling us to be safe and stay away from that area of campus but we weren't under an official "lockdown". so we waited.

finally at 5:10 we went into official lockdown mode. the girl working in the media lab had me go ask downstairs in the c&i office about what we should do. a lady found me in the stairwell and said that they were locking all of the outside doors and that we should stay in the computer lab and lock that door as well. the man in charge of that media lab came by and said to stay there and to not let anyone in.

so for almost 2 hours we sat in there. really it was a pretty good place to be stuck because there were plenty of computers and we were watching the news on TV. the only bad thing was that my phone was dead and i couldn't get service out on angel's cell. we think that all of the towers were busy.

I did realize that I should probably try to let my parents and people know that I was ok so I remembered the power of facebook. I messaged my friend Laura and had her call the parents to pass on the message which was a big help! And then I was able to message and/or IM my roommate and other people to make sure that friends were ok and in safe places.

Overall nothing awful happened which is a blessing. No one was hurt or injured and really it was just a guy trying to rob some places and make money. The thing was he did have a gun so we may never know what he was planning on doing to get said money or whatever.

When I finally made it home I was hungry and exhausted. But after thinking about it I realized how much I tend to dwell on the small things and lose sight of what matters most: God, family, and friends. I started to talk to my heavenly Father about this, praising Him that everyone was ok. I realized that worrying about our project earlier and stressing over some other school stuff really doesn't matter in the end. It was a bit of a scary/nerve-wracking couple of hours and God really reminded me tonight that I need to constantly look to Him for safety and security and trust that He has a plan.

Happy Belated Valentines Day!

2008-02-19T19:07:00.003-08:00

Valentines day is over I know, but I wanted to share the love.
On V-day I had class as usual. But, I had some good fun and felt the love.
I got tons of Valentines from the kids at work - I really did good this year since I work in 3 classrooms. My favorite Valentine wasn't even a written one. It was out on the playground in the afternoon when one of the girls comes running up to me. "Miss Julie HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!" followed by a hug. How precious!

All the cards that I got! Along with a rose from Rebecca!!

Becca got me this awesome dancing Napoleon Dynamite card along with a mug full of Ferro Rocher's (my favorite candy ever!), the rose, and the movie Failure to Launch. It was so sweeeet of her!! I love my rooms!!

Grandddpa sent me this card with a special collective inside! It's always nice to get mail and a Valentine was extra special!

mug from rooms!!

After I got off work I picked up Amanda and Rachel and we went to Panera for some yummy dinner and then back to my apartment to watch Becoming Jane. A good chick flick with some great girls - yay!

Then Rachel and I went to Crusade which really was the best. After all, Jesus is the best Valentine a girl could ask for.

Amazing Video

2008-02-18T18:41:00.001-08:00

Tonight at Bible Study we watched the "How Great is our God" talk by Louie Giglio. It was so incredible and completely blew me away. This was one of my favorite parts.

I cannot wait to hear him speak this weekend at Passion!

welcome little one!!!

2008-02-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

Kristin & Quinton had their baby boy last Friday!!! Colton Thomas Kocher made his appearance at 3:26 am on Friday the 2nd. He weights 7lbs 4 ox ad is 21 inches long.

For those of you who aren't getting the connnection here Kristin used to be my bible study leader in 9th grade and I then worked with her at church during my internship senior year. She was the youth secretary at the time so I got to see her a lot. She was such an influence on my life, showing me how a young woman could please the Lord with her life.

I am so excited for them!!!! yay!!!

boo hoo being sick

2008-02-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

warning: this post may contain excessive amounts of complaining and whining.

Well, happy ice day to everyone out there in blog land? oh wait, you don't have ice where you live? well we do. As a child I loved waking up on a snow day to find out that school was canceled and that I could play and have fun in the wintry wonderland.

This morning I woke up at about 3am to hear the snow plows out scraping the roads. And by scraping I mean loud noise. And since I am sick and was unhappy to be awakened from my sleepful state in which I was not aware of my sore throat and runny nose. Thankfully I somehow fell back asleep.

When I woke up at about 8am I looked outside and saw ICE and lots of it. Checked the internet and classes were cancelled for the ENTIRE DAY. Now, let this be known. Appalachian NEVER cancels class for weather unless it is bad. In my 3 years here at school I have only experienced 2 days where class was delayed. This was the first day of complete canceled classes since I have been here. So for that to happen it meant the weather was BAD.

I was planning on coming home today. I was going to go to the 20/20 conference at Southeastern Seminary and stay with LB. I was so excited!! Until I saw the ice. I knew I wouldn't be able to leave as early as I wanted and then I calculated in the sickness that wont ever seem to go away. It was rediculous. So I decided to stay here and be miserable here instead of driving 6 hours this weekend. Needless to say I am bummed. I was really excited about worship with the Shelly Moore Band and Daniel Renstrom and hearing CJ Maheny speak and a seminar on Hinduism.

So I'm stuck here. I did have one brightspot in my day. Rooms and I have enacted a snow day tradition. Whenever class is cancelled or delayed we walk over to Panera and have breakfast. It was so yummy. We are so blessed to live so close to the mall as it provides us with somewhere to walk to in inclement weather. We ended up walking around the mall for a bit after breakfast, thoroughly enjoying spending time in the bookstore.

Well that's all for now. Back to sneezyland for me.

This is Hilarious

2008-01-30T07:14:00.001-08:00

Got this e-mail in my inbox today. It's really funny, especially because it aims to be so serious. So enjoy and be safe sledding kids!!

*_Risky Winter Fun Leads to Rough Sledding and Thin Ice_*

Mother Nature has provided us with some beautiful winter scenes this
year. However, the chance to have fun in the snow sometimes overpowers
our reasoning. Recently, when sledding down ASU’s slippery slopes, some
students have experienced pain, injury and unwanted Emergency Room
visits. Sledding is fun, but it’s even more fun when it doesn’t result
in hypothermia, getting hurt, or possibly hurting someone else.

So, before getting carried away on the snowy slopes and the thrill of
the hill, remember these few Safety Tips:

1. Sled only in clear, unobstructed areas that provide you with a safe
finish. Deep snow and drifts can hide hazards such as rocks and walls,
that if hit can ruin your whole day. Don’t sled near buildings and
roadways. Brick wall finish lines just don’t make good sense. The
results could be deadly!

2. Make sure your run is clear of all sleds and people before pushing
off. If you are returning uphill for another run, don’t become a target.
Get out of the way of other sledders. Walk up the borders of the sled run.

3. Be sure the device you are using is manufactured to be used as a
sled. Using a make-shift or home made sled can result in recuperating at
home or in the hospital from injuries.

4. Don’t overload your sled. Increased weight on the sled increases the
sled’s momentum and the results can be bone-crushing.

5. Remember to dress warm and in layers. Choose warm clothing of wool,
polypropylene, polarguard, hollofil or similar material. Cotton absorbs
water easily, losing all its insulation properties.

There have also been reports that some risk-taking, thrill-seeking
individuals are attempting to trek across the frozen regions of our Duck
Pond. Now we’re really walking on thin ice. Making a breakthrough can
lead straight to hypothermia. According to mayoclinic.com, /“Water
doesn't have to be extremely cold to cause hypothermia. Any water that's
colder than body temperature causes heat loss. Water that's colder than
70 F can quickly begin to cause hypothermia.” /Oh yeah, add the effects
of wind chill on your cold, wet body and you may end up with
hypothermia! Frostbite, loss of limbs and possibly coma are just a few
added medical conditions that could result from falling through the ice.
Keep in mind, there is always the risk of drowning. Simply put, please
do NOT attempt to walk on the Duck Pond. ASU’s snow and ice are
beautiful and fun, but both demand and deserve your utmost respect.
Following these and other common sense practices will help you have a
safe and fun experience in the snow at ASU.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-01-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

Today is my Mom's Birthday! She's a ripe 50 years old and might hurt me or deny me money after seeing that I posted that on the internet. haha. But no really she looks pretty darn good so I think she can knock some years off in her "real age".

So I dedicate this post to my wonderful mom who has been there with me through thick and thin and loves me no matter what. My mom is also an amazing woman whose love for the Lord is evident in all that she does. When I was little I always knew that my mom was praying for me daily and I know that she continues to pray for Keith and I now. I am so blessed to have such a godly example of what it means to be a biblical woman.

I love you Mom and Happy Birthday!!

In other news I had to be a bit of a mom myself today at work. I was in the fours room and one of the boys had his head down on the table. When I asked him what was wrong he said that his tummy hurt. I had him go to the bathroom but that didn't help so I told him to lay down on this small bed we have in the classroom that has stuffed animals and such. Two minutes later I look over and he is puking. Poor thing. I ran over and rubbed his back (my mom always did that) as I grabbed the trash can but it was too late, it was all over the bed. So I spent the next 20 minutes cleaning and majorly disinfecting. Lysol, Clorox and steaming water everywhere along with lysoling the ENTIRE classroom. Our director gave me kudos for being the one to clean it all up. It wasn't fun but phew I survived. (if anyone wants to give me a sticker for it I would love to give you my address haha)

Musical Mention

2008-01-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

One of the latest CDs that I purchases is the latest release from Caedmons Call, Overdressed. I have always been a fan of Caedmons Call as they have visited Providence multiple times and I have heard them in concert as well. They are also part of the reason why I went to India. So when I heard that they were coming out with a new CD I was ecstatic!

Overdressed actually feature's Derek Webb rejoining them for the first song "Trouble". Derek originally led the group but left some years back to pursue the solo field. Cliff and Danielle Young now lead the group and I love love love their voices! But it was really cool to see Derek back in this one song.

The music in this album is incredible! As always Caedmons delivers a sound that is uniqely theirs - worshipful yet folksy with a global feel. I love the variations in the music as Derek sings the first song, and then "Sacred" is mainly sung by Danielle. There are also many songs with the whole group.

One of my favorite songs is called "Two Weeks in Africa". As I mentioned earlier I originally became interested in India because of their "Share the Well" CD. When I listened to that CD for the first time I began to form a passion for India and now when I listen to it that passion just wells up in me. So "Two Weeks in Africa", well it may be foreshadowing something. Or at least I hope so. I am praying about that a lot lately.

Johannesburg to Capetown,
the plane had barely touched down.
She was taking photos for the friends back home.
This was always where she felt her heart belonged.
She was finally here,
the sky was bright and clear.

(Two weeks....)
And we all can feel the calling,
(Two weeks....)
to make the world a little smaller.
And so a girl got on a plane,
for two weeks in Africa.

The song seems fun and nice but really it is a challenge to Christians to go. I love the "we all can feel a calling". Really two weeks is not that long of a time. It flies by so quick and is only a speck in the length of our lives and even more so eternity. If we all really planned and prayed about it we could give two weeks to go and share the gospel to those overseas. It's so funny because I have noticed this generational difference with missions lately. Adults say that they often don't feel the "calling" from God to serve overseas where as my generation lives with more of a "plan on going till God stops you" attitude. We talked a lot about that in India and just how we want to plan on being used by God in missions unless He closes doors and stops us.

I must be careful about what I say here because I think that it is easy to forget about the people who don't go but are very diligent in sending others. These are the people who we sometimes judge for not going. But really, they are the backbone of missions because they are making it possible for crazy, adventurous young people to go.

Just some thoughts that have been running through my mind lately.
but I really would like to spend Two Weeks in Africa.

oh the cold

2008-01-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

there's nothing like cuddling up on a couch with lots of blankets on a cold, wintry day.
that is until you have to go outside.
after watching a movie and playing a game at friends tonight I was not too happy to walk out into the cold to go home
my teeth chattered
my whole body shook
and I began to think "and I chose to take Skiing as my PE this semester!??"
oh the cold
makes you think irrational things
like "I bet I could ride that appalcart from one stop to the next just to get out of the cold"
or "how many hand warmers can I put in various pockets all over myself"
or even "I wonder how many days my long johns can go without being washed."

It's even more fun when the cold weather is a surprise, leaving countless individuals who didn't read the fine print of the weather report shivering
like that day last year when I went to class and it was nice and sunny
and I came out to a gray sky and lots of snow!
no heavy jacket on, no gloves or mittens, and certainly no earmuffs

by the way,
there is a secret here on campus as to how to tell the freshmen from the upperclassmen,
it's quite simple actually,
you just look at what they wear in the winter,
the students who look all cute and stylish are the freshmen
the rest of us who are bundled up in anything and everything including earmuffs and a hat or hood,
yea we're the upperclassmen

now I wonder where I left my snow boots.............

dear Lurkers, lets be friends

2008-01-11T21:17:00.001-08:00

to all the people out there who read and do not comment,

please please reveal yourself! feedback is greatly valued and I would love hear what you have to say, even if you disagree.

I don't care if I even know you in any way shape or form. I stalk other random people's blogs all the time.

I just wish that you would comment so that we could be blog friends.

please? pretty please?

- julie

4 Calling Birds

2008-01-11T06:12:00.000-08:00

1. Saw the movie "P.S. I Love You" last night with Sybil. It was good but it was not as great as I was expecting it to be. I did cry though so I felt that I got my money's worth.

2. I have a very sore jaw. My jaw has been hurting lately and I since I left my nightguard at school I haven't really been able to do anything about it. Then on Wednesday I went to get a cavity filled and had to hold my mouth open for about 30 minutes. It was poppin and crackin like crazy and needless to say my jaw is now extremely sore and it hurts to chew normal food. :( I never did like the dentist.

3. Got a cute pink bag from Charlotte's yesterday. I had this gift certificate to there that I found in my room and hadn't used (I believe it was from graduation) and was excited to find it (because they have really cute stuff) and even more excited when they said they would still let me use it. So I found this big hot pink kind of earthy/indian looking bag that will be perfect for lugging around teaching materials at school.

4. Going back to Boone tomorrow. So so so excited! It has been a great break, actually one of the best ever, but I am ready to go back. I really miss my turquoise room (isn't that funny?) and my little bathroom. Oh yeah I found this ultra cute shower curtain at target the other day:

right now I just have a plain ol white one because I never found anything that I liked and that would match my bright pink towels. I had been thinking lately how I really wanted a world map because I love looking at it seeing where I have gone and where I want to go so this was a perfect fit! Can't wait to use it!

Also in more decorating news, mom and I are in the process of beginning to redecorate my room here. We're trying to make it look a little bit nicer so that someday when I am gone she'll have a cute guest room (but not until then). We both fell in love with this comforter set from Target:

and this is a pillow that goes with it.
we also found a nice paint color which was pretty difficult since I had this image in my head of what I wanted the room to look like and I couldn't seem to find the right paint swatch to match the green I was thinking of. And alas, it was found at the Benjamin Moore Paint Store.
it's called "pear green". I can't seem to find a link for it online.

congrats

2008-01-08T08:27:00.000-08:00

also my friend Lauren Jenkins got engaged last night! she and her fiance James are totally awesome. Lauren and I have been friends for a looooonng time (I think since elementary school) and she is precious!

Congrats Lauren!

Check out Lauren's blog for more info.

Happy New Year

2008-01-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a while, huh? Yeah break went by so fast. I had a blast, best Christmas break yet.

-Chattanooga was amazing. Loved watching the mountaineers win again, for the 3rd time. Rushed the field and everything. Rode with 7 other people in a Suburban. Fun times.

-Christmas crept up on me. It was good, lots of time with the fam. Christmas Eve Service at church is as always my favorite part. Mom and I went ice skating a couple of days before Christmas. I am awful at it now. I used to be ok but now it's just not so fun anymore. Mom however, still rocks at it - not bad for an almost 50 year old! (love you mom!)

-Santa brought me some cool stuff - lots of books, mainly childrens books for my collection, an i-trip to play my ipod on in my car, a subscription to Relevant Magazine and some money with which I bought a new vera purse and wallet. Love both of them, especially the purse because it hangs over my shoulders which will be great for wearing around campus with my backpack.

-Christmas dinner at the Robinsons, lots of good times. Had a very delicious meal and us kids (of which I am the youngest) played Phase 10 the whole night which I had never done before. It was so much fun!! I bought it yesterday so that I can play it with friends at school!

-Babysat for some friends from Church for 3 days straight after Christmas which was fun.

-the most exciting thing is I WENT TO FLORIDA AND DISNEY. LaBranda and I went to Florida from Thursday-Monday and we had a blast. We got to get into Disney for FREE because her friend works there so we got guest passes. We stayed with my Aunt and Uncle which was so nice and relaxing.

-we went to all 4 parks in two days which was rediculous but we wanted to pack in as much as possible. I went on my very first upside down rollercoaster and loved it - more on that later, i did NOT want to do it at first.

-got to see Carly, one of my friends from my India team for a day and it was soooo great. We went to downtown Orlando and hung out for the day while LaBranda had lunch with her aunt. It was great to see Carly and catch up on life. That makes 4 India team friends that I have seen since we got back in August - yay!

-celebrated Shem's Birthday yesterday with some dinner at PF Changs - very yummy and the company was great. We had our own private table that is actually behind the main seating section and is open to the kitchen so you can see them cooking all the time which LaBranda loved.

-going back to Boone on Saturday which is bittersweet. I am sad to leave friends here cause it's been fun just hanging out but I really miss everyone from Boone so much and can't wait to do things. also can't wait to go buy a new National Championship T-shirt.

-I got some new CDs with Christmas money that I love: Sara Groves, Caedmons Call and Brooke Fraser - Brooke is actually a New Zealander that I heard of through Carly and Laura (India Team). Carly was in NZ a couple summers ago and got her CDs and Laura's sister is actually friends with her and Laura wrote the lyrics for one of her songs "Deciphering Me". She is such a great singer and musician and I highly reccomend her - the CDs aren't available here in the US but you can get it on i-tunes.

More Pictures to come soon when I get them all organized and all that jazz.

Go for 3!!!

2007-12-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Classes are over so you might be thinking that now it's a good time to go home and relax, right?
NOT
Chattanooga is only two days away and I couldn't be more excited!!! I keep telling my friends that I have never been so excited about football before. One of those reasons is that a couple games ago a guy friend of mine explained everything football to me - so now I can watch and actually enjoy it. It's way better!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Print Christmas Coloring Pages.

Chattanooga

2007-12-08T07:15:00.000-08:00

I'M GOING TO CHATTANOOGA!!!!
Appalachian beat Richmond 55-35 last night at Kidd Brewer Stadium and I was there! We left the game at the beginning of the 4th quarter to get tickets and we got em! A bunch of us girls are gonna go along with two guys and Megan and I's good friend Laura from highschool is going to come with her boyfriend (they go to school in Tennessee). I am so excited! More to come later with some pictures.

stuck in my head

2007-12-04T13:16:00.001-08:00

the other night I Kept waking up and all I remember was that I had this song in my head
how random

randoms

2007-11-21T12:30:00.000-08:00

-home for thanksgiving break! yay!!!

-last week I had two papers due, one of which was a large history research paper. I spent about every spare minute of my week in the library. it was thrilling - or not. I basically have found a table in the library that is now "my table" that I love to sit at with a laptop and just get things done

-I went to Borders today and got to enjoy actually looking at books for FUN!!! I went to pick out some books for my Christmas List and of course ended up staying for while. tried the "mambo" tea from Tazo, it was good (thanks for the change dad!). I have definitely become quite the tea connoisseur. I drink at least one cup a day, always taking some in the morning to class to wake me up (even though I drink herbal that doesn't have caffeine) and usually more throughout the day. the great thing is I can go to any coffee shop on campus and get free hot water and just re-use my tea bag!!!

-realized today at Borders as I drank my tea and read Real Simple magazine that society now seems to prefer the cardboard cup for coffee and hot beverages. whatever happened to mugs??? on a college campus it is the cool thing to be carrying around a cardboard cup of coffee or whatever (people actually dont know what the contents of your cup are!) as you walk to class. but mugs, mugs are glorious. I love large mugs that can hold a lot of liqud. those small 8 oz ones just don't do it. Costa Coffee, this great little coffee shop that we frequented in Delhi (India) has these awesome large mugs. in fact, Costa has the idea behind a coffee shop down pat. first you order your drink at the counter and pay and then you sit down. then when your drink is ready they bring it out on a tray with your drink in a mug and extra napkins. and if you order food it is displayed on a plate and is most of the time heated and comes with real silverware (not plastic). and their mugs are so large and great. one of my team members brought one home. wish I would have thought of that!

carly enjoying a drink at Costa

-why are there not more free wifi places in raleigh? I know that panera, bear rock, and a couple other places have it but none of the large bookstores do - it's rediculous! in Boone I can go anywhere on campus and connect and I can also go to Panera, McDonalds, Hardees, and Bear Rock (our only bookstore). I haven't tried McDonalds or Hardees because something about grease and my laptop just don't seem to go together. hmmmmm

-2 weekends ago LaBranda and I led 8th grade girls for Meta. they wore us out completely but it was a blast! we were at the Gardners which was great and I even drove the Suburban (and all of the girls are still alive!)

making a pyramid

driving the suburban!!

labranda and I got into this whipped cream/chocolate syrup fight thing - it was a mess but also a blast!

me and Elizabeth, everyone thought we looked like sisters

-this past weekend my friend Kira and I went to the Black Mountain YMCA retreat center to do childcare for a Crusade Staff Retreat. we had some cute little kiddos but it was tiring and one of those little tacos (or all of them) gave me a cold! we did go into asheville on saturday afternoon and saw the Asheville Holiday Parade! I was so excited! and we went to this great little coffee shop in downtown that had a very ecletic, world traveler feel with lots of small rooms with plenty of seating. if I lived in Asheville I think it would become a favorite of mine!!!

-one of my favorite Raleigh radio stations Sunny 93.9 is now Kiss 93.9. and instead of saying "Merry Christmas" they say "Merry Kissmass" ugggh that's annoying

-amazon.com just introduced this thing called the "Kindle". it's a small handheld device that you can read books, magazines and newspapers on. you can buy books directly on the device, which connects using signal like cell phones do. the screen is designed so that it does not feel like reading a computer screen but like a real book. sounds pretty cool to me, would have been great for traveling because you don't want to pack a bunch of bulky books! anyone want to buy me one for christmas? they are only $400???

well that's all for now. I am going to see "This Christmas" tonight with Sybil. I shall review it later!

goldfish diversity

2007-11-05T08:42:00.001-08:00

I just ate some goldfish with my lunch. The original kind because they are my favorite. Bored as I was I read the packaging. This is what it says on the back:
"Think Differently!
Seeing things in different ways can be helpful when trying to solve problems.
There is more than one way to look at something.
Be Open Minded."
Bet you didn't realize that children these days are getting a moral education from Pepperidge Farm. Not exactly the way I think it should be done.

rain rain go away

2007-10-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

- it's been raining ALL WEEK LONG. now normally I don't mind a day or two of rain because it's nice to be able to cuddle up and read (at this point in my life it would not be a fun book though but instead a selection of educational philosophy - bleck!) but a WHOLE WEEK OF RAIN is just too much. my energy levels (and every other college student's on campus) have been much lower. sunshine come back!
- on tuesday at work one of my three year olds told me she loved me. precious.
- When I was riding the appalcart today it went and stopped at the little appalcart homeplace where all of the appalcarts sleep at night and they switched drivers. The new driver gets on and puts his stuff away and says something that ended with “let’s go to vegas!” Oh it made me smile.
- went to a meeting about Block I yesterday. Block is the way we group elementary classes here at App. You take all of the same classes two days a week with 19 other elementary majors and have a practicum component too. I'm excited to be out in schools some but nervous about all of the work.
-as you all know there is this big drought all across the state. we talked about in NC Geography yesterday. my roommate yelled at me today because i really like to take baths. I know, not good with the drought but they are amazing. so I did limit the amount this week. i guess that's one thing the rain is good for!
-parentals were here last weekend. it was fun. they tailgated with me and the friends and everyone enjoyed mom's bean salad and wonderfully AMAZING mocha cake. way to go mom!
-saturday night I went to a halloween party and won second place for my costume - a dalmation! I literally put it together in about 20 minutes - just some black construction paper circles taped all over a white hoodie and a dog face drawn on with eyeliner.]
-my right eye won't stop watering lately. I think it's allergies or the changing seasons or something. It's very annoying.

recent pictures from india visitors, homecoming and more

2007-10-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

8 reasons why it's always better to ride an elephant over a camel

2007-10-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

well, I am not really going to write 8 reasons why it's always better to ride an elephant over a camel. But Lauren got on me for not blogging more often so here goes it.
1. Elephants are better to ride, or at least I think so because I am biased sine I rode an elephant in India. But if you call my voicemail you can leave your own opinion, or at least until I change the question.
2. As some of you know I don't have an "n" key on my keyboard. It was uh broken off a little more than a year ago. I can still type the letter n (obviously or this post wouldn't be possible) but there is no pad there so it's a bit akward. So today I did the HP online support chat thing and talked to some lady who told me it would cost me $110 and that I would have to replace the whole keyboard. Um no thanks. So if you ever use my computer and complain about the lack of the "n" either give me $110 dollars or just push a little harder like I am used to.
3. On Saturday night I went to an Indian festival in Cary. It was so much fun! There were thousands of Indian people there and I was so happy. LaBranda and I had some food, complete with naan (this awesome bread!) and Limca, a lemon lime soda that I drank quite frequently in India. It was a great evening. We watched this very popular Indian boy band perform and well they were quite fun. I actually recognized one of their songs from the Indian radio we listened to all summer.
4. celebrated LaBranda's birthday last week. even played some playstation 2. my parents tried to play, that was funny.
5. i almost put the splenda in the freezer yesterday

lately

2007-09-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

- I have done lots and lots of school. Which is mostly reading ridiculous amounts of articles and writing papers.
- I taught a kindergarten drama lesson in class today. It was fun.
- have decided that my oven is out to get me. It gets REALLY hot and burns just about everything even if you turn the temp down. And then the smoke alarms go off. this is where the insanity starts!
- loving the fall weather in Boone. it's wonderful. I spend my inbetween class time sitting outside usually reading my Bible or a book and just watching the leaves change colors
-spending time with friends and realizing the importance of relationships and community
- most importantly I have been missing India like crazy. I never thought that it would get under my skin like this, that it would never leave my mind. but it doesn't. It's odd because sometimes I barely believe that I went where as other times I can't imagine not having gone. I miss the people and the culture incredibly. I especially miss the lepers. I can't even begin to explain how they taught me what true love is. those people are amazing. I want to go back. When I have no clue. Not anytime in the near future, to my dismay.
-along with missing India God has been teaching me a lot. in fact he's been using my longings for India and my memories to remind me of His goodness and continually teaching me new things about himself. I don't know if many people think about this but September 11 was last week. It amazed me how unnoticed it went by. It seemed like people don't really remember or if they do they are just pushing it aside. I was upset by the lack of remembering and realized that it had less to do with remembering the tragedy and more to do with remembering God's goodness and what he has done. I mean, how often do we just look back on our lives and the lives of others and just admire God's plan of redemption. just something I have been pondering lately.
-been talking on the phone a lot to my teammates. thank goodness for free minutes after 9. unfortunately one of the girls lives in Washington (the state not the district) so I have to wait till midnight to call her so that it is free for her. but i've logged many minutes talking to teammates. i didn't really think i would keep in touch so much with people but it has been incredible to even talk to about 4 people every now and then. I praise God for the friendships he has given me through these girls and look forward to being friends for a looooonnnnnnnnnnng time.
-loving my apartment. especially the walk in closet that i can actually walk into. someone could live in it it's so big. i am spoiled i know. also loving my turquoise room. it is very serene and calm which is usually what i need after long days of class,work, meetings, and studying
-reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. it's a great book about Christianity and honesty and well life. i reccomend it.
-realizing that my college time is going by way too fast. in a year i will be getting ready to student teach! this also means that i am realizing that soon i will be in the real world and i'm not so sure how i feel about that.
-going to some app football! yeah love the games and love tailgating and just the whole experience.
-went home 2 weeks ago for a Bethany Dillon concert, probably one of the best moments of my life i was so excited and happy! she is so talented and down to earth. i even met her after the concert and talked about india with her - two of my favorite things: india and bethany together, what could be better? no really she is super sweet and kind and signed my cd case and we got a picture
yeah that's it. sleep calls. class does not but unfortunately i still have to go anyways.

Pray for my Kids

2007-09-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

I got an e-mail earlier this week from the pastor that we worked with in India. Asha, the orphanage that was our main ministry just got bunk beds thanks to some of you and your generous support. This is a big deal because the kids had been sleeping on the floor and monsoon season is here and bugs and rats and snakes will come in the house sometimes because of the rain. So now the kiddos have bunk beds and I have pictures to share.

Also, a prayer request. Somehow little Sweetie fell and broke her leg. You'll see pictures of her in the cast and she just looks so pitiful. She's only 3 years old and is the sweetest child I have ever made. Many of my hot, long afternoons were made better my Sweetie walking up to me with her arms spread open saying "Auntie, Auntie" as she gestured to be picked up. So please pray for Sweetie that she will heal properly and quickly so that she can get back to making some amazing pretend chai.

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5 Pounds of Possum In My Headlights Tonight

2007-09-05T05:19:00.001-07:00

Last Friday night Amity, Angel, and I went to Todd to hear some good ol fashioned bluegrass. Luckily for us we got to hear "5 Pounds of Possum in my Headlights Tonight". It's a personal favorite of my Dad's.

Appalachian Upsets Michigan

2007-09-04T19:35:00.001-07:00

So as you all know we whooped Michigan on Saturday. I was on campus watching it and saw all of the madness. This YOUTUBE video shows students carrying a goalpost all around campus. If you go to 3:20 you will see me and my friend Amity both wearing black shirts with gold letters raising our hands up in the air. I am proud.

2007-08-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

My babies Sweetie and Suman sharing some yummy pretend Chai.
Goodness I miss them.

India Pictures!!!

2007-08-09T19:16:00.001-07:00

............

2007-05-28T06:44:00.001-07:00

less than one week till I leave...wow! so much to be done!

whirlwind

2007-05-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

phew...i feel as if i have been around the world and back...oh wait that's not happened yet :)
as most of you know I will be leaving in a couple of weeks for India for the entire summer. This month of may, or mayhem as I like to say has been crazy.
-I got home, was super excited for Joy Prom! As usual I did Registration and of course danced!It was so much fun and so many guests (531 to be exact) showed up-talk about a lot of people! LaBranda was there for the evening as well and it was super duper to see her.
-The following week I went to the beach with my newest roommate Rebecca for some fun and sunshine. Her grandparents have a condo there and it was so nice to relax and do nothing. We got into a little wreck on friday that kind of killed the fun but in the end we were both ok and still had a blast. :)
-This week has been filled with sleep, family, and making the never ending packing list. Who knew of all the things you need to go halfway around the world. Including toilet paper. Oh boy, we have to pack our own toilet paper. There is an Indian custom of wiping with the left hand and we are not allowed to take up that custom so we have to pack our own because buying it there is super expensive. I e-mailed my team leader to ask her how much to bring and she replied "A LOT...as much as you can fit!". That should be fun.
well i'm off to see some friends but more shall come...

picture fun

2007-05-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

I had a little photoshop fun with pictures this evening. Here they are:

laura and myself at a lovely panera lunch

swinging...what joy it brings me

i was wearing this skirt and felt the urge to twirl and watch it rise....it was fun

i have fallen in love with eating with chopsticks

this was one of my favorite days this year....reading and relaxing on fall retreat

i love these girls!

i love sunny days and water

sunshine

2007-04-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Lots of sunshine lately (except today) has caused me to me outdoors a lot! Last Friday I locked myself in the library for the day to do work. Megan and I decided to have a small adventure so we hopped in her car and drove to Valley Crucis, home of the original Mast General Store. We grabbed some root beers and sat outside on the back porch that has rocking chairs and a my favorite a porch swing. And just our luck, there was a local bluegrass group playing. It was wonderful. Sunshine. Root Beer. And good ol' mountain music.

Then on Sunday I arranged for my Monday Night Bible Study to go to Grandfather since it's Dollar Days in April. App Students and Local Residents get in for just $1. It ended up being just me and the boys which was really hilarious. But I was a trooper and did all the adventurous things anyways. We parked, hiked up about a half a mile, walked across the bridge and then went to go see the animals! The weather was gorgeous!

me with the gorgeous background!

the boys

incredible!

I could have sat there all day long!

a bear!

hello Mr. Eagle

the boys said that they would have to keep an eye on me since I supposedly fall under the children category

tyler and brodie before we crossed the bridge...notice that everyone and their brother was there that day

drew on the bridge. this is the part where drew goes "oh man I forgot that i'm afraid of heights"

view of the bridge from the other side

yeah i love where I go to school. sorry but Raleigh could come nowhere near this

Love it!

2007-04-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

lately

2007-04-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

lately:
- i had a firthday. a fake birthday. since mine is in the summer and oh yeah there's this thing called leaving for another country on that day. it was a great firthday. i got fun cards, ate chinese, enjoyed an ode from the girls and even ate coconut cupcakes
- i have been stressing because of school ending. i have also realized that i am a chronic procrastinator. i should work on that. maybe tomorrow
- got to hang out with old Belize friends last weekend. we ate fat daddy's (oh the memories) and played games. it was spectacular.
- played with LaBranda for about all of Easter. it was wonderful.
- went to the airport to greet the incoming Belize team. as i was there i realized that in less than two months i will be there leaving. wow.
-listening to my new Bethany Dillon CD - i absolutely love it. i highly reccomend it. so sincere and honest and inspiring.
-realzing that i am a morning person. yep, i am announcing it. i told this to my roommate and she goes "uh i already knew that. you wake up talking". for any of you who know my mother you will understand the importance behind that
-coloring in my new coloring book. yes i know it fits fell with my major. actually, coloring books are developmentally inappropriate for young children because it stiffles their creativity and is too standardized. open-ended art is much better. wow - way too many child dev courses. anyways i got a coloring book for my firthday and decided to put it in my backpack. it makes for great in between class fun. and people give you funny looks. oh well.
-dyed Easter eggs with my suiteys in the bathroom. they acidentally spilled pink dye and we had a rush to clean it all up. angel's towel is now tye-dyed. sort of on purpose and sort of not. but the eggs turned out great.
-loving life with my twos. one of the little girls yesterday was being completely silly yet adorable. though they all seem to have a problem getting over that pinching, hitting, kitting, biting problem.
- got shots. OWW! ok well the actual shots didn't hurt so much but now my shoulder's are completely sore. i got hep a/b and tetnaus and still have yet to get typhoid and polio. i am going to wait and let the arms recover first. the same little girl yesterday at work was talking to me about shots because she recently got her three year old shots. i asked if she cried and she said no and then asked me and i said no. then she goes "yeah cause big girls don't cry. they're brave"
-suprised a friend at midnight for her birthday with a card, balloons, and those fun little poppers and an off key rendition of Happy Birthday. her roommate was asleep. she might not like us so much right now.
and now i must be off...more of that exciting life...haha...my weekend has begun and i can't wait!

i love D.C.!

2007-03-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to D.C. with all of the sophomore Teaching Fellows! It was so much fun! I love D.C. and want to live there. Ok not for long but I do love it!

the Cannon House Office Building where we met our tour person and also where we saw war protestors dressed all in pink

the Capitol Building

me and the Supreme Court Building

me and the Captitol Building

the old Supreme Court room in the Capitol

the dome ceiling in the Capitol

fresco art in the dome

fish in the Baltimore aquarium

a puffin!!!

my roomie Ashley on the phone

Ashley downtown

at Starbucks

the White House!!!!

us four girls ate at the Cheesecake Factory in Baltimore...the boys didn't want to eat there but they had no problem scarfing down our leftovers!

sting ray!

anemone!

a picture of a scary fish

the Lincoln Memorial!!!

an engraving of India at the Korean War Memorial

excited about India!!

the booth where Lincoln was shot at Ford's theatre

a coconut popsicle!!!! yum!

me and Tay on the bus on the way to a school

roomie love!

Lincoln Memorial

Favorite Secret

2007-03-05T07:59:00.000-08:00

There is a website that I found through a friend called Post Secret. People mail in all kinds of secrets and then the best ones are chosen to be put on the website every Sunday night. Most of them are depressing but every now and then there are some ones that make me smile or laugh.

This one made me laugh. Sadly I am not addicted to Diet Coke these days for financial and convenience reasons. I may have one out to eat or rarely in the Cafeteria but since it's not caffeine free it's just not the same. I know. I am weird. I love Caffeine Free Diet Coke. Too bad they won't have that in India.........

Exciting Updates

2007-02-22T12:30:00.001-08:00

I have some exciting news..... I AM GOING TO INDIA THIS SUMMER!
I just found out this afternoon and am super stoked! Check out the Trip Information to find out some more.
Please be praying as this is the beginning of a long journey. But I am SO EXCITED!

I should have worn ski goggles

2007-01-09T20:08:00.000-08:00

I should have worn ski goggles to class today. After a drought of snow, it CAME DOWN today. I had heard rumors of flurries today but didn't think much of it. So I did my usual go to class - wore my pink pea coat cause it was like 50 degrees this morning. On the way to Geology I noticed a couple flakes but they were small. Geology is in a class that has no windows. When we all came out of class into the stairwell we looked outside and were shocked - it was completely white EVERYWHERE! And it was coming down! Pouring down snow! Needless to say I was VERY unprepared - I froze walking to class and had to look down the whole down as the snow was coming at me in little bullets.
Ashley and I went out and played for a little bit tonight. Super fun! We discovered that if we went in the courtyard we could find people's rooms that we know and throw snowballs at them. It was hilarious! Then we made snow angels and had a bit of a snowball fight. It is thick snow and is still coming down. I love snow! Maybe I"ll get to play in it more tomorrow with the kids at work!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

Aaah Christmas Eve. This day is one of my favorite days of the year. I think I even prefer it over Christmas day. I love Christmastime, even though it seems that as I get older it is easier to get caught up in other things. Last week I was babysitting an adorable 2 year old. As I was getting him dressed for the day I asked him what was happening next week (this is a Christian family, keep in mind). His face lit up and he threw his hands in the air and exclaimed "it's Jesus's Birthday!". What a sweet reminder that was to me that the real joy for the season is Christ. Caught in the eyes of a precious little one was the true meaning of Christmas.

Who Are These People?

2006-12-20T18:26:00.000-08:00

So there they are, my celeberity look alikes. I haven't heard of most of them. Shows how culturally inept I am. Oh well it was kind of fun to do.

Pictoral Posting

2006-12-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

Roommates at our Mocktail party!

Family at Thanksgiving plus Keith's friend Ian

Amy & LB at Game night

Shem & a banana at Game night

we love the game of Life!

they gave away Appalachian cokes at Homecoming!

my friend Jerry went to Ireland over thanksgiving. I told him to take a picture with a sheep. Being the jokey that he is he took a picture of a sheep and said that it was me.

some of the girls at Metamorphosis...our church's youth retreat

enjoying some beautiful weather at meta!

Natalie, Me and LB at Providence's College Fall Retreat

My life in living blogness

2006-12-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

Let's see:
- I am home. I got home Wednesday evening.
- Getting home was no easy feat. As I drove home on highway 421, in the middle of nowhere, my car decided to make a horrible squeaky, shrilling, loud, ratchety noise. I was 2 miles away from the closest exit. I prayed my entire way to that exit and was greeted by NOTHING. No gas station, no fast food, no businesses, just some houses and a bunch of grass. I pulled over on a little strip of grass across from a house and got out to have a look. No visible damage, the tire was fine. So here I am in the middle of the Boonedocks, blonde and quite unsure what is wrong with my car. I finally got a hold of my dad who was in Pennsylvania on business. He told me to check my temperature gauge when it was running - the temp was normal, not overheating. So I was told to drive cautiously home. I drove 60mph the entire way. Any slowing, stopping, turning, speeding up or sudden moves made horrible noises. And there was a weird ratchety noise the entire drive home so there was no music, just horrible ratchety noise. The car went to the shop first thing on Thursday and it is now better. It was a pulley on the belt. A pulley on the belt? What the heck? I really need to learn car language.
- I have been quite lazy since being home. Lots of sleep, reading, and spending time with the parents. And going to the gym when it's open.
-I am doing some babysitting this week - I get to see my favorite 2 year old ever! Yay!

2006-12-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while since I have posted. It's been busy busy busy for me.
My dorm has a problem. Someone likes to light bulletin boards on fire in the middle of the night. It started last year during the spring semester. We had a total of 3 fires last year. Then this year, it has started again. Each time it is late, we're talking 10pm or later, and we all have to evacuate the building. Then the fire department has to come. It takes forever.
The second time it happened this semester it was 2am the night before I had a major Chemistry test! Not fun at all! Our alarm is so loud and noisy and scares me when I am asleep. Ashley and joke that all we say when it goes off is "shoes and coat, shoes and coat". These are the only items we worry about getting before we leave.
Well Saturday night one of Ashley's friends came over and we all watched some TV together before Emily left at about 10:30. Ashley and I were just sitting around being lazy when we heard it - the dreaded fire alarm. It's sad that when we hear it we respond with such urgency because we know that it is most likely a real fire, not just a drill. So we grabbed our shoes and coats (i had some trouble locating my shoes) and then ran outside. Sure enough we smelled smoke on the second floor.
Luckily our building has two parts - the academic wing and the residential wing (sounds fancy huh? it is a castle!). The two are not attached to eachother so when we have a fire (or on the rare chance that it's actually just a drill) we can go sit in the Great Hall, a large room in the academic wing. That keeps us from freezing in the cold Boone Weather.
So on Saturday night went over to the Great Hall and literally sat there for 3 hours! The firemen had to come and they had to inspect every single room. For some reason they think that whoever is doing this is lighting the bulletin board on fire and then hiding in a room. Apparently they also wrote a bunch of citations for illegal things in people's room. Ashley and I realized that our coffepot was still sitting out and started to worry. We asked one of the RAs what people were getting citations for and she says "well dont worry as long as your beer and wine bottles are hidden away under something you'll be fine" and we told her that no, that's not what we were worried about, we have a coffeepot out and some extension cords. She laughed and said that we were "cute".
To make a long store short, we sat in there FOREVER and finally got to go back in at about 2am. I was exhausted. They told us all that we have to take everything off our doors - no more cute letters and pictures! Our dorm looks so completely bare now. And today I just saw some maintenance people taking all of the bulletin boards down. This is very very sad.
This is a picture of the bulletin board that was torched on Saturday night. Not cool people, not cool.

2006-10-28T08:59:00.001-07:00

Boone is cold. Really cold. It is supposed to be in the 30's today with a wind chill in the 20's. Burr. But it's the Furman game! Black Saturday - a tradition where you are supposed to wear all black to the game to support App. Problem is, it's too cold for anything you actually wear to be seen underneath many layers and coats. So it doesn't matter what shirt I wear. Though I still am wearing my grey and Appalachian pink ASU shirt. Gotta represent somehow.
Life has been good but hectic. Here's a typical day in the life.

Monday/Wedesday
7:30 am - Wake up and hit snooze many times. Finally get up and get dressed.
8:00 am - Chemistry :( but much better than physics
9:00 am - How Children Move - worst class ever, all about teaching pe in elementary school even though I will not be a pe specialist
BREAK- back to the room, breakfast, or Crusade meeting in the Student Union
11:30-1:30 - Work at the ASU Child Development Center with my favorite little four year olds - I love my job so much, I think it's probably the best job ever to have as a student. The kids are adorable and so precious and the teacher that I work with and the director are so amazingly sweet. My teacher is so cute, she told me that when it starts to snow heavily in the winter that I had better call her and she'll come pick me up - even though I live less than 1/4 mile away.
BREAK - back to the room to check e-mail, do a little homework
2:30-5 Riding over to Blowing Rock School for 5th Dimension. This is my practicum/lab for my introductory teaching class. Each college student has a elementary school mentee. We play board games, computer games, make crafts and play outside. It's fun but loooong
BREAK - back to the room to do homework
Mondays - my bible study with friends at some apartments - don't get back till about 9:30/10:00
Wednesdays - the bible study that Ashley and I lead in our room with freshmen girls.

As you can see those days are busy busy busy. So are tuesday/thursdays. Also on thursday I have chemistry lab. Since physics was a half semester class we just started chem about two weeks ago. Our first lab was last thursday. Our instructor was talking to us about the lab room we are using and how there is a balance room connecting two labs that we will share with a higher-level chemistry class. She told us to not use their side of the balance room as they were going to be using highly dangerous some sort of acid chemical. We asked what we were going to be using and the answer was SALT. Hahaha. Lauren looked at me and told me that she now knows what it's like to be a special needs student. We are the slow class. But hey I am perfectly okay with that.

Last night I went to an awesome halloween party. It was at Lauren, Taylor and Katie's apartment. There was a lot of people there and we had a blast eating yummy food, dancing to the monster mash song haha, playing twister, and checking out everyone's cool costumes. I went as a bubblegum machine. It was hilarious.
Taylor was Miss America, Katie was a flapper, there's me, and Lauren was a cowgirl.

After the party I went to some other friend's apartment to join their party - I know I'm such a party hopper haha. They were watching The Omen, a scary movie about satan being a five year old child. Now anyone who knows me knows that I don't do scary. It wasn't horrifying but there were a couple scenes in which I was screaming. I had to drive back to my room down a dark, scary, windy backroad so I called LaBranda and talked to her the whole way. Thankfully Ashley was awake when I got back so we chatted and she distracted me from the previous scariness.

Oh fall break was last weekend and it was amazing. I was home from Wed-Fri and then I went on the Providence College Fall Retreat. It was so much fun and awesome. I met some amazingly cool people and got to see some old friends like Natalie, LaBranda and Shem.

Well I'm off to tailgate with some friends and go to the game. Uncle Phil and Aunt Carolyn are coming up with their church from Greenville so I get to see them as well. Yay!

2006-10-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Fall Break starts TOMORROW!!!
okay so I have my educational practicum tll 5...but then I will be going HOME!
can you tell that I am EXCITED?!!!

Fall Pictures

2006-10-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Fall Retreat - Me with Hannah & Becky, two Staffers

At the homecoming lipsync with some of the Bible Study Girls

Amanda, Rachel, Mandi, Me at Fall Retreat - We call this our Family Portrait

the fearless navigator

the ride to Fall Retreat in Ashley's Minivan- sweet

Rachel teaching me how to knit

Taylor and I rocking the recorder in music class.

the girls on Taylor's Birthday

Amanda is my teaching fellows mentee and in our Bible Study....she's so sweet!

0ut to eat for Taylor's Birthday

we like to party

marble slab creamery cake

me and la

pretending to be an elephant for a skit in music

before CRU

football fanfare

before CRU and after Lauren cut my hair

yay for 308-310 girls!

Boone Blackouts & Sickly Scholars

2006-10-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

I am sick. I have a lovely viral sore throat thing. I woke up many times during the night last night in pain, desperately desiring calming cough drops. But I didn't have any. This morning I had my physics final...that's right...PHYSICS IS OVER!! I don't really remember what I thought about the test. I don't really care either. It's over. That's all that matters to me. After Physics I had to do what is called Peer Teaching for my How Children Move class. I basically had to teach a 8 minute lesson to my class, pretending that my peers were kindergarteners. Needless to say I was nervous. The fact that I was feeling ill and didn't have a voice wasn't of much help. So I did that and did suprisingly well. Yet again, rushing relief. I love it when things like that are over with. What I don't love is wanting to celebrate but you can't because you are sick.
So I go and get my car to detour to Walmart to get some cough drops and tissues with lotion. While my mother would never buy this expensive kind, I agree with Puffs that "a nose in need deserves Puffs indeed". If my nose is going to be runny and I'm going to have to blow it every 5 seconds, I want the lotion tissue. On my way to Walmart I stop at Blockbuster to return a movie and then get another one for a class project. Then as I am driving, I see that the main stoplight (you know you live in a small town when there is a main light) is out. I think to myself "aah it's probably just one light that's out and there's a police officer directing traffic". No no no. Boone lost power. Boone had a blackout. For some unexplained reason all of the stoplights, businesses, restauraunts and stores all lost power. So of course Walmart was black. I called Lauren and Taylor to see if their apartment (which is over Walmart) had power - they didn't. So I drove up there to hang out with them for a little bit since getting cough drops wasn't an option.
Once I arrived we were all talking about the interesting blackout and what the heck was going on. My throat is killing me at this point so I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and a popsicle (very soothing.) We sat in their living room for a while before we saw some lights go on near Walmart and such. Still dying without cough drops I decided to venture out in search of some soothing suckers. As I walked to my car I saw one of the Landlords for their apartment complex. I asked him what was up with the power and he said "well the power was out for about 10 minutes". Hmm, interesting. I get in my car, drive to Walmart and then Taylor calls me. The power had been back in their apartment for about 20 minutes while I was there. They just didn't have a light on before. So we had no clue. We sat there in the dark, whining about it when really and truly there was power. And then I realized that when I got a glass of water that the clock was flashing on the stove. THE POWER HAD BEEN ON! Needless to say we laughed pretty hard about that. And I managed to get cough drops before work.

2006-10-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a while so I feel like updating. Here is my sometimes news worthy life:

- Recorder. Well we split into advanced and beginner groups the other day. I wasn't feeling very confident in my recorder playing abilities so I stayed with the beginners. The fingering stuff is getting harder. Today it was all Taylor and I could do to keep from laughing as we put down the wrong fingers and made a sound that obviously did not match the rest of the class. Oh well, I can't be spectacular at everything.

-This past weekend was Homecoming! It was so much fun! Friday night was LipSync where all the clubs and greeks on campus prepare a song that they dance and lipsync to. There was also a big bonfire and fireworks. I went with some of the girls from my bible study and we had a blast. Saturday was really the big day of festivities. Crusade had a float for the parade and I was on it! It was so much! It was a float that looked like part of the football stadium with a lot of tissue paper. We got to throw candy at little kids and just wave. Afterwards we saw Chancellor and Mrs. Peacock, said Hi to them and touched the National Championship trophy.

-This upcoming weekend is a very special person's birthday: LaBranda! I'm going to Charlotte on Saturday to celebrate with her and her parents. Should be a fun time. :)

Well I'm off to practice my peer teaching lesson for How Children Move. I have to pretend that my classmates are first graders and teach a lesson. I'm kind of nervous. More later. :)

Cream Soda

2006-09-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

I just got back from having dinner with my lovely roommate at the cafeteria. Afterwards I went into the Market (0ur on campus grocery store) to get a couple things. And what did I see? JONES CREAM SODA!! No joke, folks. I was just thinking about this particular beverage today. I developed a small obsession with them over the summer. LaBranda had one and I tried it and fell in love with it. The smell alone is amazing. Some of my favorite days during the summer included a Jones Cream Soda and being at church. Ahh the good old days.
Well I'm off to reminisce and prepare for Bible Study!

Recorders

2006-09-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Recorders: You either hate them or love them. Today I dealt with two very different types of recorders.

I have this interview and paper due tomorrow. Being the procrastinator that I am I didn't do my interview until tonight. I had to do it over the phone. So last week I went to the ITC place and checked out the phone tap recorder. I even had to get special permission from my professor to use it because if not it is a FCC violation. So then today I go to use this lovely machine and I could not figure it out to save my life. Too many cords and plugs and options. Two different people from my class tried to help me figure it out without success. I mean the thing looks like it was made in the 80's. I finally gave up, drove to Walmart, bought a regular tape recorder and then came back. When I did my interview I put my cell phone on speaker phone and put it near the recorder. It worked just fine. Funny how all this technology is supposed to be helpful but in the end it's the simple machine that does it. I am going to take the phone tap machine back to ITC tomorrow and I am going to complain. They need to give people instructions to go along with these things. When I checked it out I asked, ok so how the heck do I do this? The smart, technology savvy ITC guys looked at me like I was a complete blonde (which I am) and then tried to explain it. I somewhat got it but was I really going to remember that later? Of course not. So I will complain. They need to write out blonde proof instructions. Julie, the confused. Changing the world one ITC department at a time.

The other type of recorder I absolutely love. My roommate cringes at the mention of it but I love it! It's the musical recorder. I have to learn how to play it for my Creative Musicianship class. This is a class for elementary majors and it is so much fun. We learn all of these great songs, act out stories with sound effects and play the recorder. I played the recorder in 4th grader. And now I get to play it again. Last week was when we really started playing. We learned a couple songs and our homework is to practice for one minute a day. That is the best homework I have gotten in a while. And there is going to be a beginnner recorder group and an advanced recorder group. My goal is to be in the advanced group. I'm not joking. Ashley says that she can't concentrate when I practice. It must be because it's such a beautiful sound, right?

Birthdays

2006-09-12T20:12:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special day for some very awesome people. Today is my Grandddpa's birthday and today is also Taylor's birthday. In honor of the special day, I wrote Taylor a poem:

Ode To Taylor

On The Occasion Of Her 19^th Birthday: September 12, 2006

Oh Taylor

It is your birthday

It is not your firthday

Let us think back to the days of old,

Before a great bear was hung,

Before you broke the mold,

Before the sound of the recorder rung.

You were Taylor,

The girl with the curly hair,

Who lived through the bathroom.

I came to find that you are rare,

And that you made my life bloom.

Now my life will never be the same,

You are beautiful, lovely, and so sweet.

I would never classify you as lame,

How happy I am that you I did meet.

I love the way you get so excited about everything,

and how you don’t care what people think.

I love that you love to be silly and sing,

and even when you tell me that there are boogers in the sink.

Every day with you is so special and fun,

never boring, dull, or mundane.

From farts to calling shotgun,

you always keep me sane.

If I had a lot of money,

I would buy you lots of peanut chocolate chip muffins, I Love Lucy, and many designer bags.

But since I am poor I will just have to be funny,

and say that I love you like a beggar loves rags.

Don’t ever stop with your Taylorisms,

they make me smile and they are so you.

What the heck rhymes with isms?

oh well I guess that will have to do.

So it is your birthday,

Today is YOUR day!

Let’s have a ball, let’s shock them all.

Put on your dancing shoes,

Any obligations you should lose.

Cause it’s time to celebrate!

I love Amazon!

2006-09-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I am in love with Amazon. After paying $1 less than the new price for a USED book at the bookstore I gave up and decided that it was time to try Amazon out. I LOVE IT! I think I've ordered about 3 books recently and they have all come rather quickly. Today I just got a book that my Monday night bible study is using: Developing a Servants Heart by Charles Stanley. It was only $3.74. I went out on a limb, wondering if a book that cheap could be good but hey it was. It came first class priority mail, sealed with plastic, cardboard, AND tissue paper. I love it!

2006-09-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

I went to Charlotte this past weekend to see my lovely LaBranda. We had lots of fun just being lazy. And we got some good shopping in. I loved going to the mall - oh modern conveniences.
I also got to enjoy reading a book - something that I don't have a lot of time for up here.

Max has a family now. He was adopted last Friday by a sweet family with a little boy and a big back yard. We are very happy for him. But we still miss him!

I have lots and lots of school stuff to do. Oh classes. Except I do really love music. Tomorrow we start playing the recorder. Which is really fun - I already know how to play Mary Had A Little Lamb. I'm beasting Taylor at it. Haha. Well I'm off to do work!

Adopt Max!

2006-08-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

I have a new love in my life. His name is Max and he's an adorable lab mix 3month old puppy. Taylor, Lauren, Katie (and me) saved him from death on Saturday. They were having a pet adoption at Lowes on Saturday and one of Taylor's professors was running it. They started talking and the lady said that they needed people to "foster parent" the dogs for a week or so and then bring them back and hopefully find them a good home. So of course we couldn't resist the cute little puppies! Now Max temporarily lives with the girls at their apartment. He is so adorable! He loves to run around and chew on his bone and he's a big cuddler. He fell asleep in my lap the other day while I was doing homework and stretched his paws out all over my papers. Anyways Max needs a good home. He needs a yard to run around in, owners that love him, and people that can afford him. If you know of anyone who wants a dog, please let me know! Help Save Max!

schoool

2006-08-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

So Boone. Oh how I love it. Here are some updates on what's been going on in the past week:

- Moving in the Teaching Fellows freshmen was exhausting but fun. They are a good bunch and I'm excited to get to know them all better.

- Ashley and I went on the Crusade Bible Study Leaders retreat and we loved it! It was at Cherokee Cove, this really gorgeous retreat center about 45 minutes from Boone nestled in the middle of an amazing view of mountains! We had fun hanging out with the other leaders and the Staff and we learned A LOT more information about leading a Bible Study. We have agreed to lead one for the girls in our dorm. Be praying that God would show us who to reach out to and invite and that girls would come and want to get involved and grow. The food at this retreat was also amazing - it was really gourmet and not your average camp food. Unfortunately we had already eaten pizza with the freshie tfs before we left so when we got there and they had dinner we had no room for the delicous roast, green beans, shrimp, bread and much more that was set before us. I did however manage to have room for the Bananas Foster. Yum Yum!

- I've spent lots of time at Lauren, Taylor and Katie's apartment. It is tre cute and very welcoming. We've played my fav game Balderdash twice and had some freshmen girls over one night. I've enjoyed getting to see my girls again!

-I had a little incident yesterday. Okay so it wasn't so little. I was on my way to pick up Lauren & Taylor before church and was driving up the very large hill to their apartment. I reached for my phone in my purse to call them and tell them that I was almost there and of course my car veered to the right cause I wasn't looking and I hit the cute little landscaped brick wall. I somehow (Godthing) made it to the top of the hill and into a parking spot where I then saw that my front right tire was completely blown out and torn up. hehehe. So the rest of the day after church was spent calling AAA and getting that taken care of. And then today after work I went and spent my precious money on a new tire - I would much rather have bought a purse, clothes or something else. Anything else but a tire. Oh well.

- I love my new job - more on that later. But it is so much fun and the kids are adorable!

- Tommorrow is the first day of classes so I need to go organize stuff and get ready for that Have a great evening!

Boone!!!

2006-08-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm here......I am really and truly in Boone, sitting in my room with the lovely Ashley. Our room is adorable. Really it is. And it's so comfy and welcoming with our couch and super neat entertainment center. Everyone else is going to be uber jealous. I got to see Lauren and Taylor today - we had dinner at McDonalds and then we went to Walmart. It was just like old times again, us being loud and talking and saying funny stuff. I love them! I missed them so much!
Ashley and I finished unpacking tonight and now we're just chilling and relaxing. Actually I'm quite tired and we have to get up early tomorrow so I think we're going to get some shut eye soon.
More to come.....when I have time......which could be never.
Freshmen move in tomorrow - yay!

2006-08-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight is my last night at home. Tommorrow morning, bright and early at 7am I will be leaving Raleigh for a while. Not sure when I will be back home. I'm sad to leave Raleigh and a lot of people but I'm overall VERY EXCITED to go back to Boone. Even though I hate packing. Side Note: I have way too much stuff. My entire car (Nissan Altima) is packed down with stuff and then we are borrowing a truck from family friends for my futon, fridge, and even more boxes and stuff. I'm a pack rat. But this year when I packed I could at least picture where everything is going to go in the room. The beauty of not being a freshmen (cause I'm so far removed ha!). My roommate, Ashley, and I keep calling eachother every so often saying how many hours till we get to be roomies! We are going to have a spectacular year - I can feel it! Well I'm off to get some sleep before the early morning. More once I am there tomorrow!

Beachy Keen!

2006-08-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Just got back today from the BEACH!! Every year my family and two other families we have known for a long time get together and go to Holden Beach, a nice quiet beach about an hour north of Myrtle. We rent two houses, have plenty of beach time, eat great seafood, I read good books, watch movies, and have a blast! Sybil had been coming with my family for the past 2 years and we were even lucky to have LaBranda come for the first part of the week - it was so much fun to have my girls (missing amy!) all together before we all head back to school!

2006-08-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

don't you love the bay watch run?

2006-08-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

at our house.........Paradise Isle

2006-08-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

chilling on the double rocker

2006-08-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

no of course I wasn't looking away from the road.....hehe

2006-08-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

The lovely Sybil in the car on the way down

Vision Check

2006-08-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

Aaah today was my last day of babysitting. So relieving and satisfying - this family is a godly family that made me feel very appreciated and whose kids I loved! I spent the whole morning as a jungle gym because for some odd reason 2 year old Grady saw me as a climbing post. I was sitting on the couch and he would come and put all sorts of pillows on me and then climb and jump on me. I might have a couple of bruises but overall it was hilarious and I have to say, he's my favorite so I didn't mind too much.

Then it was on to more errand running. I have never been so sick of shopping before. Yes, I shopping lover, said it - I am sick of shopping. I feel like I have been in every single Ross that exists in Raleigh and every Target & Walmart. And don't even ask me about bathroom rugs and mats and finding them in corresponding colors and sizes. My room looks like a tornado hit as I try to bring some order to it with packing for the beach and then this thing called repacking for college. Aaaack - I hate packing!

This afternoon I had my yearly eye doctor appointment. I really didn't want to go because I had to reschedule it about 3 times and my eyes seem fine to me. Well I sucked up that bad attitude and went through it anyways. I did all the stupid little tests - side note: when I was younger I was deathly afraid of one of these machines. It's the one that gives a poof of air to your eye. Well many years ago my oh-so-nice big brother Keith told me that when the poof comes a needles comes and pokes your eye. So of course the ever trusting little Julie believed him and when it came time to go to the eye doctor and do that test, I became a ball of nerves. They had to get the receptionist to come in and HOLD ME DOWN while they did the test. No I'm not bitter, I've forgiven him of that. haha. Ok so then Dr. Moser gets to the "what's the smallest line you can read" and "better at one or two, two or three, etc". I mean really, how the heck am I supposed to know which one is better - half the time I think I just end up guessing and hope that my answer will stop the endless questions. Oh well, my vision is as sharp as ever, though my right eye is becoming a little bit nearsighted. Which is supposed to happen, because I used to wear glasses and contacts but about a year ago I stopped wearing them and they said my vision had improved and was perfect (it's from all those carrots I eat).

I was driving around later, thinking about my afternoon at the eye doctor and how even though I didn't think I needed to be there, I needed my vision checked. I think that's how we as Christians tend to act. We think that everything in life is ok, but most times we need our vision checked - our spiritual vision. If we don't see things the way that God does, we need a check-up. For instance, the whole point of our middle school girls summer bible study is to see yourself the way God sees you - as a beautiful person inside and out. The problem is not that we are ugly people. The problem is that we look at ourselves through the world's eyes and the eyes of our friends, the media, the opposite sex, etc. To really have a changed life we have to change our outlook and the way we see - we have to see through God's eyes.

I also was thinking about how so many times God reveals things to me in the little moments that I would not see if I was thinking with my selfish, julie-centered mindsight. Or how many times I realize these things after something occured and saw that I missed out on something special. For instance, with all of my errand running today I probably saw about 5-6 cashiers and receptionists. I would ask them how they were doing, pay for my items, and leave. As I was leaving the eye doctor I chatted for a couple minutes with the receptionists about babysitting and Appalachian. As I left my heart had a light, easy feeling. It was then that I realized that reaching out to those around me isn't as hard as I make it. It can be as simple as small talk, a smile, a simple "have a nice day", or a helping hand such as holding the door open for a mom with a stroller. While I may miss many of these moments because I can only think about myself, I am thankful that sometimes God throws a day like today in my path to wake me up and show me how much He is at work (haha world changers theme) in the world and in my neck of the woods in particular.

The Pink Spoons: Coming to a stage near you soon!

2006-08-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

So, the fun of working with middle school girls. At some point in this lovely summer a couple of the girls where talking with Sybil and I and we decided to form a band called The Pink Spoons. The Pinks Spoons because Sybil and I are part of a very secret underground spoons (the card game) league that started in 10th grade. And Pink because it's our favorite color.
Whenever we get bored at Bible Study or wherever we plan out songs and such for the band. Oh let's also note that I am not in the band, I am the manager. According to certain lead singers and also my best friend, I am tone deaf. But I'm okay with that. As long as I get 60% of the income. Haha.
Monday night was our very last summer bible study. We had a little suprise for the girls but first we did our study as usual. That is after we stopped talking about the Pink Spoons. Somehow the topic came up and boy did they run with it. We have a lead singer, a drummer, a guitar player, a manager, and a ton of Groupies (the sporks).

Some song titles:
Leave room (for Jesus)
Whatcha Name
Sketch
Happiness in a Can (the caffeine free diet coke song)

And they we started to come up with some lyrics for Whatcha Name. The music video involves a boy and girl walking down the halls of the 3rd floor at church. It's really stupid but hilarious.
We told them that we'll have auditions for more band members in a couple of weeks. They got all excited and into it and we had to stop and remind them that this is just a joke, that there will never be a real band, that this is just for fun. Darn. :(

But if we did have a band called the Pink Spoons:

- our t-shirts would be black with hot pink sparkly spoons on them that are like stick people (or should I call them stick spoons?)

- we could sell those little spoon rings, except they would be hot pink of course

Oh the life of dreaming. On another note, while at World Changers, Joel introduced us to some very fun music. The album is called Too Much Free Time and it's by Ross King & Chris Tomlin. Here are some samplings:

Foot in My Mouth
I was braggin' to a friend of mine
how I ran over this cat,
I said "His name was fluffy, cause I read the tag..."
"right after I squashed him flat"

She said "Fluffy? My cat's name is Fluffy! He was my best friend."
I said "No, I didn't say his name was Fluffy!"
"I said his name was... Twinkles"
here I go again...

(chorus)
I got my foot in my mouth,
guess I should watch what I say,
I got my foot in my mouth,
it's prob'ly better that way

There's more, but I can't find the lyrics. You'll have to hear this sometime. Very hilarious!

Quotes

2006-07-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

So recently I have been reading Shadow of the Almighty, the Life and Testament of missionary Jim Elliot as documented and gathered by his wife Elizabeth Elliot. It's so inspiring. Here are some quotes from it and from a couple of other books that I've been perusing through:

“There is a within a hunger after God, given of God, filled by God. I can be happy when I am conscious that He is doing what He wills to do within. What makes me tremble is that I might allow something else to take the place my God should have….I tremble lest in any way I offend my Eternal Lover.”

- Jim Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty, pg 68

My soul is night, my heart is steel,

I cannot see, I cannot feel.

For Light, for Life, I must appeal

In simple faith to Jesus.

“’Every hour I need Thee.’ My love is faint, my warmth practically nil. Thoughts of His coming flicker and me tremble. Oh, that I were not so empty-handed. Joy and peace can only come in believing, and that is all I can say to Him tonight. Lord, I believe. I don’t love, I don’t feel, I don’t understand, I can only believe. Bring Thou faith to fruition, Great Harvest Lord. Produce in me, I pray.”

- Jim Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty, pg 70

Life requires countless “little” deaths – occasions when we are given the chance to say no to self and yes to God.

- Elisabeth Elliot, Passion & Purity, pg 72

“Even when I’m feeling most alone – on that moonlit night, in the middle of the candlelit supper, when the phone call and the letter don’t come – can I be ‘full of joy, here and now’? Yes. That is what the Bible says. That means it must be not only true, but possible, and possible for me.”

- Elisabeth Elliot, Passion & Purity pg 81

“I protest. Women expect too much of me. I can hear the howls of protest from the women. ‘Men want to play around. They lead us on, try to get what they can out of us, deceive us,’ and so on. True enough. Which is exactly why I beg women to wait. Wait on God. Keep your mouth shut. Don’t expect anything until the declaration is clear and forthright.”

- Elisabeth Elliot, Passion & Purity, pg 100

“All I want in life is a camera with endless black and white film, a paint set with hundreds of blank canvasses, a piano to write my own music, and a plane ticket. It sounds like a lot, but how much is it compared to everything most people have. I was never a princess. Growing up, I wanted many things but never received them. Desire is not selfish. I desire many things, but I don’t get them. Desiring is part of dreaming.”

- Rachel Joy Scott, from an undated journal entry

And of course I have to add this comical one from a good friend of mine at Appalachian:

Cinderella is proof that a pair of shoes can change your life.

- Laura McFall

2006-07-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

I need a new title for my blog. Julie@ASU was too boring and hmm.... is just temporary. Any suggestions?

summer pictures

2006-07-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

Impact: One of my girls Natalie and I

on the lake with Sarah & her dad

some of my precious Palm Tree Princesses!

don't you love her 70s hair?

suprise birthday get together at burger king for syb.......we had all these cute disney princess party stuff

Fireworks at the fairgrounds
So, LaBranda, Sybil and I went to the NC Arboretum & Gardens on Sat and yes took fun pictures together as we all wore jeans and white shirts......corny yes, but fun and incredibly hilarious, OH YES!

Anna's Briday Shower @ mi casa

Cute little gazebo picture

sybil can never stop laughing sometimes

Summertime!

2006-07-08T11:25:00.001-07:00

Wow! I can't believe that it's already July! Aaah! It seems like I just got out of school yesterday - okay not really. But it has flown by! So many things have been happening:

*Had my teaching fellows discovery trip where I went all over North Carolina touring public schools with other NC Teaching Fellows. While this trip was exhausting (we stayed at 5 universities for a total of 6 nights) it was a great experience. I got to know a friend that I met through Lauren a lot better (we were bus buddies) and really enjoyed getting into some elementary schools. Some of the schools were excellent and inspiring and others needed some improvement. All of the schools welcomed us in so well with food (which we quickly gobbled up), presents (that had their county school system logo all over it of course), and hospitatlity. At one of my favorite schools we even had a 2nd grader as our tour guide - he was precious!
* Working at church is going great - I absolutely love it! I am there most of the time and especially was before Impact. Impact, our youth camp, went well. I had a group of 11 rising 7th grade girls and they are so much fun and a blessing. It amazed me how much they looked up to Sara (my co-counselor) and I. One of the girls wanted my advice on so many things - it really flattered me even though I sure don't have all of the answers. We saw our girls grow together as a group, make new friends, and really experience some great times of worship and take in some awesome teaching from Brian Frost & Leon Tucker. I really enjoyed having them as speakers - everything was so practical yet wise and very biblical. Needless to say it was a super week and I was completely exhausted when I got home.
*My babysitting jobs are going good - I work about 2-3 days a week from 9-1 for different families. Its kind of chaotic not having a "steady" job but it's been a good lesson in trusting Christ to provide. Right when I think that I'm about to go near broke and spend all of my money He brings another job or opportunity into my life. How amazing His provision is!
*My favorite part of the summer has been hanging out with friends. God has given me some amazingly loyal friends! 3 of my girlfriends and I are particularly close. Amy, LaBranda, and Sybil are girls that I hang out with a lot. We were all great friends in high school and then went our separate ways for school this past year. When we came back it was amazing how quickly we went back to being the best of friends. I love it so much!

Summertime!

2006-07-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

2006-05-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm home!!! Got back yesterday afternoon, unloaded some stuff and then it was off to a meeting at church. I feel so special because I have a cute little desk at church that's all mine - I decorated it with pictures, cards and special verses. Already I have a lot going on with church as far as events and things to do. I am so excited about it all!
On Saturday I'm going back to boone for Keith's graduation and then I'm going to a Lake in Georgia with Lauren for the rest of the week. That should be very relaxing and fun.
Well I need to do some laundry and more unpacking . Bye all!

2006-04-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

The end of my first year is quickly approaching. Just 3 more days and I'm done! I can hardly believe it. This year has been great and I don't want it to be over. :(
Summer Schedule:
- May 3: come home
- May 6: back to boone for brother's graduation
- May 8-12: Lake in Georgia with the wonderful roomie!
-May 12-13: back to raleigh with the roommate
-May 14-20: Teaching Fellows Discovery Trip
Finally home for good!
Summer: Middle School Intern at Providence Baptist Church, lots of babysitting
June 26-July 1: IMPACT (youth camp that I am a counselor for with church)
July 15-22: Holden Beach with the fam
Lots of other crazy stuff that I can't remember.

2006-04-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well I realize it has been a while. I tried to put some pictures up the other day and hit submit but I guess it didn't like me cause they didn't show up. Oh well. Things are pretty much winding down from me. Tomorrow is my last day of classes. I have an English final tomorrow, my math exam on monday, and my child dev presentation next wednesday and then I will be home for good. This Thursday I am coming home in preparation for Joy Prom which I can't wait for. Joy Prom is my most absolute favorite day of the year. It's even better than Christmas or my birthday. I love it that much!!! I'm going to be at church most of Friday and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Then on Saturday I am helping LB and her family move to their new place closer to church! Yay yay! My other family is going to be closer to me! Now I can go over all the time and see them! Except for the stupid dogs - taco bell dogs are lame.
I really can't wait for the summer! I have some babysitting lined up and I'm excited to get to know the kids. And then I'm going to be at church doing middle school stuff! Yay! Yay! Yay! I love middle schoolers and I am pretty much in love with Student Ministries so I am incredbily excited about the summer.
Just tonight I was thinking about Impact and how much I love it. It's like my favorite week ever.
Oh so today was an extremely klutzy crazy day for me. I killed my ankle at the gym because I had this blister on the back and was wearing short socks with my tennis shoes. Well the blister got worse and then it bled all over my sock and the back of my shoe. Gross I know. Then later I was leaving to go to dinner with Lauren and we had been teasing eachother about leaving someone behind. She was locking the door so I walked down the hall and said "I'm leaving you" and stuck my hands out so that they were touching the walls and blocking the hallway. She came up and was being all kung fu at me and was just going to kick my butt but then I turned around and she accidentally kicked my hand. It hurt but I made it.
After dinner we were leaving and walked up the 3 little stairs and of course I tripped on them. It was pretty hilarious as I almost fell to the floor but did a run and catch myself. It was great. Kind of like last week when I was late to Sociology and I was running up the stairs in a skirt and my flip flops. Completely tripped and skinned my knee on the no slip grip stuff on the stairs. I had to go into the little office and Taylor asked the grad student for a band-aid. He went "aww does someone have a boo-boo"and I had to say that it was me. Good times good times.
Currently my lovely roommate is asleep. She was upset about something so I gave her Mr. Bear because he is the perfect comfort in just about any circumstance. He's soft, cuddly, huggable and doesn't talk back.

Pictures

2006-04-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

Ashley and I at the TF Masquerade Ball
Gorgeous view after hiking

Beautiful!

Painting Pottery in Canton

Great Overlook

Rock

Roommate sleeping when she was supposed to be studying :)

I'm stil alive I promise

2006-04-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I have been pretty busy.
The year is almost over. I'm just trying to finish up classes as best as I can. The weather is also beginning to warm up which is so nice. Yesterday it was in the 70s so my friend Ashley (and future roommate) and I went up to the Parkway to hike. It was so gorgeous! We hiked up this trail that is pretty much rocks the whole way up and it was fun. :) Once we got to the top you could see sooooo far out. The mountains are so beautiful! We sat up there for a while just talking and enjoying the beautiful weather. I definetely want to do that again sometime soon.
This morning I arose very early to go help at Open House with Teaching Fellows. I stood by the teaching fellows booth and answered questions that prospective students and their parents had. I felt all special being a wise little teaching fellow, talking about all that we do. It was actually kind of fun. Except for the early morning thing. :(
Then a couple of girls who are going to be teaching fellows next year came back to the dorm with us to get a little tour. Since my room is clean I showed it to them and we walked them around the dorm. It was funny to be on the other side of all of this. I remember being the nervous little about to be freshman. Glad those days are over with. :)
Well it's cloudy and I'm going back to my nap. :)

Life As I See It

2006-02-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

Well........here I am on a Monday night trying to figure out what to write about.
Let's see.
Went home this past weekend and went on the Snowfest tubing trip with the middle schoolers from Providence. It was a lot of fun even though it made me pretty darn exhausted. I was thinking, I don't remember what it was like to be a 6th grade girl. Maybe I am blocking it out. Haha they are just so cute and talk about the wildest things.
I got a new phone on Friday. It's very nice. I can actually use it without fear of it suddenly turning off.
Ahhh this summer I am going to be home, as a middle school intern at Providence. Woop woop. I'm pretty excited. Actually I can't wait for it to be summer.
The cold weather is officially boring me. And the snow. I mean if it's gonna snow it should all out snow so that we can go nowhere, including class. I don't like this snow and then you still have to trudge out in it to go to class. I mean I want to go play in it. Not walk by it. Unfortunately University faculty or whoever makes the class decision does not agree with me.
Well I"m off to clean up some around the room. It's not horrible but my top desk drawer is really getting to me cause I can never find anything. hehehe.

Room Stuff

2006-02-08T16:05:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Housing Lottery for the LLC - my dorm. It was pretty hectic because you have to go and pull a number and fight for a spot. Most people got in but a couple people did not get spots. My future roommate Ashley and I were a bit worried about getting back in. But we knew that if God wanted us to live here it would work out. Well I picked the VERY FIRST number for Teaching Fellows meaning that we got to pick our room first. So we got the EXACT room that we wanted......It's very exciting! Now we are starting to talk about how we want to design our room and decorate it. :)
p.s. - Does anybody have a small couch that they want to donate?

Skiing!!!!!!!!!

2006-01-31T12:31:00.000-08:00

So I went skiing last night! It was the first time that I had been in two years! Luckily I got back in the swing of things pretty quickly. Taylor and Katie have a class so Lauren and I went to ski with them once their class was done. It was Lauren's first time and I was supposed to teach her but I wasn't so great at that. She had a rough time and almost gave up but towards the end she worked on the basics and will do great next time.
Taylor and I did the blues together. She is doing awesomely well for only her 2nd time skiing. We had a lot of fun being "ski bunnies" together. It was raining off and on so that was kind of miserable but I was having such a great time it didn't bother me too much.
And yes I did fall once. I was trying to be a hot shot and do sharper turns but i wiped out. It was funny. Didn't hurt, got right back up. I also realized that I am a better skiier without poles. When I saw Tay and Katie without them I was reminded of when I was little and learned how to ski and how we couldn't have poles. So last night after a bit I decided to abandon the poles and go solo. It really helped my balance a lot!
If I only had more money to go more often! Oh well that's all for now!

Updatez

2006-01-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had dinner with the Chancellor. Okay so it wasn't just me and Dr. Peacock but I did have dinner at his house and met and talked with him. Each year the teaching fellows get to go up there and have a nice dinner with him. I went with some friends and within 5 minutes of stepping into the gorgeous house we were greeted by Dr. Peacock himself. He's a really nice guy, easy to carry conversation with. We had a fun time checking out the downstairs of the house and eating some good food.

Happy

2006-01-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

Just received an e-mail with happy news from the State Board of Education. If you received at least an 1100 on your SAT you do not have to take the Praxis I. For those of you who dont' know the Praxis is a test that is usually required to be admitted to any state school's college of ed and is pretty expensive. This means that I do not have to study for this stupid test cause I don't have to take it! Yay!

New Semester

2006-01-15T10:46:00.000-08:00

The girls at Bible Study: Me, Ashlee, Megan & Lauren (notice her new darkly colored hair)

Me & Chelsey enjoying a beautiful day in between classes

taking a picture of rivers street as I walked across it on my way to math

My new bulletin board on my wall. Isn't it so cute? It matches our room perfectly!

The first week of classes has come and gone very quickly. My classes are pretty good. Here's the schedule:

MW 11:00-11:50 Aerobics (super fun cause my roommate and I are taking this together)
MW 1:00-1:50 - Child Dev of the 3-5 year old
MW 4:00-5:15 English Literature (ewww i don't like Brit Lit)
TR 11:00-12:15 - Marriage & Family Dev
TR 12:30-1:45 World Civ II
TR 2:00-3:15 Math

Yes that is right I do not have Friday classes! And I am loving it! It works out very nicely since Crusade meets on Thursday nights. That way I feel like I can actually enjoy CRU without worrying about homework.

Back in Boone

2006-01-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

Today I arrived back in Boone after a nice Christmas break. I rode back with Ashlee and we had a fun time jamming to some music. Got my books and everything today. Went to dinner with Ashlee and Megan and Rebecca (not from Mt. Vernon). Then we went to Lowes and got the floor insulations stuff to make my new bulletin board which looks fabulously cute. I love it! Anyways I thought that I would put up some pictures from last semester. Sort of a
1st Semester in Review.Me, Taylor, Lauren and Katie after our Makeover Night

Beauuutiful Campus

Me & Rebecca at CRU Fall Retreat

Where houses used to be in Gulfport, Mississippi

Gosh my school is gorgeous!

The whole New Orleans Group

Lindsay and I at CRU

Katie & Taylor at our Suiteys Christmas Dinner

Lauren & I at Dinner
Taylor, Me, and Lauren at the CRU Black & White Formal

A New Way To Update!

2006-01-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

So as I have said I will now be using this site as a way to update everyone back home about my fun filled life at ASU. Making a newsletter was just too hard to format and put together all of the time. I'm not sure what all I will put up here. I guess occasional updates about stuff and probably pictures as well. Well that's all for now!