Wide awake but home and safe in bed...
May this new year bring joy and happiness to all. I look forward to how this year will turn out and can't wait to reflect on the new year as I have with 2010.
In 2010...
I found a wonderful church home at Sagebrush.
Met some awesome new school friends in the Elementary Education program.
Didn't get into any car accidents.
Celebrated single life until August/September.
Traveled to El Salvador for a mission trip.
Learned more Spanish and then lost some of what I learned...hoping to work on that.
Became adoptive auntie to four wonderful boys. Love you and your beautiful momma.
Met a wonderful Christian guy. Mike you are so great at making me smile.
I learned a lot about myself and who I want to be.
I became super excited about teaching general elementary school students.
Became a substitute.
Decided to get a TESOL endorsement.
So many other things happened in 2010...what will 2011 bring...
So far these are things I know...
I will graduate from UNM with a degree in elementary education.
I will enjoy life to the fullest.
I will continue to be involved at Sagebrush.
I have speculations and hopes of many other great things happening this year but time will reveal all.
May God bless you and your family in this new year.
Julie
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Updating before 2010 is over...
Well it's been a while...after the Mt. Taylor adventure school got a little crazy as I was attempting to finish all of my final projects before Thanksgiving. I mostly succeeded except for a few presentations and one group project. Thanksgiving was full of fun...Thanksgiving Day, Mike and I went to the Bloom's where we had a great feast and got a chance to hang out with friends. Black Friday, Suzzanne managed to get me to go shopping...we found some great deals, Christmas gifts and spent more money than we should have without getting up at 4am. We met at the mall at 8am and missed most of the craziest crowds but still hit most of the early sales. Saturday - Mike and I went to the first half of the UNM vs. TCU football game, mostly to see the marching band do the Ozzy Osbourne show but we left after half time...Lobos lost badly. This was a bad season for football...at least basketball seems to be going well. Saturday night was Thanksgiving with my family. Smoked turkey is always the best. A busy Thanksgiving weekend gave way to more chaos as I worked hard to finish the school semester. I got all of my assignments done the following week and just showed up for classes the last week. I didn't have anything to do during Finals week...a first. I got to substitute once and then prepare for a road trip!
NEBRASKA here we come! December 16-19th, Mike and I headed up to Potter, Nebraska to spend time with his Mom, step-dad, sister, brother, sister-in-law and nephew. The drive is about nine hours...a straight shot up I-25 and then a quick cut across Wyoming. We found ourselves in the snow around Glorieta pass, just barely getting through, about two hours before the highway was shut down. After Glorieta pass there was sunshine and great weather. We stopped quickly in Fort Collins, where Mike lived with his dad for part of his childhood. We ate at Good Times, a burger and ice cream place and wandered around some shops. I also go a new bike helmet at the store Mike got his bike frame at last summer. Then we headed to Cheyenne, Wyoming and cut across to Potter. We made a quick stop in Kimball to get ingredients for green chili smoked turkey enchiladas and then finally found ourselves at LuAnne and Carl's house. Dinner was pizza and filled with Mike and I sharing our story...how we met, what adventures we have been on and LuAnne asking questions about me and my family. It was a lot of fun...we stayed up too late but it was wonderful. Friday we spent the day at home...making lunch, meeting family members, playing with baby Sawyer and playing games. I learned a new card game, which I would like to play again but will need some help remembering the rules and we played Gestures and Catch Phrase for hours. It was a ton of fun. Saturday began late morning, LuAnne gave Mike and I our Christmas presents so we could make sure things fit...worked well because we did need to make some adjustments at Cabela's. About 11am we went to Sidney, Nebraska to pick up Mike's sister, Andrea, and head to Cabela's. We spent about two hours wandering the store then got lunch at a Chinese restaurant. It was a great way to spend the day. Saturday night, Tyson, Coralea and Sawyer came for dinner and we got to spend more time with them and give our Christmas gifts. Good times. Sunday came too quickly...we packed up the car at 10:30am with promises of coming to visit again in the summer. Stopped in Denver for lunch and shopping on the way home and got back to Albuquerque about 11pm on Sunday the 19th. It was a great trip, much too short but wonderful. I had a great time getting to know Mike's family and felt very much at home with all of them. It was a pleasure and I look forward to the next Nebraska road trip. Nine hours is nothing at all! :)
Soon after returning from Nebraska, my grades for the semester began to get posted. I got all A's and and A+ which gave me a 4.06 for the semester. Amazing how hard work pays off sometimes. I have never had a 4.0 so it was pretty exciting. Then I began thinking about the coming semester and realized I have to pay for all of it because my Lottery Scholarship has ended. Kinda sad to see so much money go at once for tuition and books but it's still so much cheaper than other universities that I really can't complain. I am just glad to be working the All-State Music Festival next week which will be some good pay before the semester gets going.
Christmas Week
The week began with little stress, some last minute gifts, wrapping of presents and spending time with family and friends. I spent that Tuesday with Jerusha and boys...shared gifts and made a relatively good gingerbread house. The boys are getting so big and it's so noticeable when I can't see them for over a week. Wednesday, Mike's dad came to town. Don went to Chaos (Middle school youth group) with us and then the three of us went to Village Inn. It was fun to see Don again and know he would be in town for more than a day. He bought us silly Christmas hats. Mike got an elf hat and mine is a snowman. Kinda fun. :) Thursday night was family dinner at home with Mark, Amy, Grandpa Mike, Grandma, Don and Mike. We had a peaceful dinner and just enjoyed time chatting around the table.
Then... Christmas Eve...well it started with Mike having extreme pain, which turned into food poisoning and his missing out on Christmas Eve and Day festivities. I felt so bad for him but there was nothing I could do. Don came to everything that was happening which allowed me to get to know him and for my family to get to know him as well. It was a lot of fun but we missed Mike and his smiling face. Christmas day began with crazy gift opening...not a fan...then brunch as usual at our house. I got some Fiesta Ware to start my dish collection, clothes, ornaments and other little things, many of which were on my wish list. Then Don and I went to visit Mike and take his Christmas gifts. I was so excited about the scrap book I made him that I almost couldn't take it anymore. He painted me a Stegosaurus, made an ornament and snow globe with pictures of us and got me a little digital camera key chain for our future adventures. It was fun to see him enjoying the crafty parts of his gift. Then we went to Grandma's for Christmas dinner. It was a full day of family and fun. In the midst of all of this I was house sitting on the west side of town which just added to the length of my days. It was nice to take care of the puppy but a lot of driving for the week.
Sunday- Colby spoke in big church. It was really fun to see him talk outside of Chaos and totally strange to see how empty church since it was the day after Christmas. Then Don, Mike and I went to lunch...Mike was still not feeling great which led to my taking him home and just spending the afternoon relaxing. Monday I decided to do some shopping and used some of my gift cards. I got Emma, Utopia, Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and other books with my Barnes and Noble gift card from Don, found a cute jacket at Kohl's for $3.84, got yarn for a baby blanket gift for some friends and wandered the mall but didn't get much. It was a crazy morning that led to a lazy afternoon. This week has gone by quickly and it's hard to think that New Year's is just a few days away.
Today I spent about nine hours cleaning my closet and organizing my bathroom. It's amazing how much stuff I have and how long it takes to get organized. I have at least one more full day of cleaning to get my room in order before the semester begins.
I am looking forward to the new year because there will be many exciting things happening. I have a year left of my undergraduate degree at UNM (I will finish in mid December 2011), I will be completing a certificate for teaching English as a second language (which means summer school), a friend of mine is having twins this summer, I have a new group of girlfriends in my elementary education courses and many other adventures will be added to those of school. I am excited to see where 2011 takes me and looking forward to all of the things that God has planned for my life. Well this is all for 2010. May your new year be blessed and full of joy with family and friends!
Love
Julie
NEBRASKA here we come! December 16-19th, Mike and I headed up to Potter, Nebraska to spend time with his Mom, step-dad, sister, brother, sister-in-law and nephew. The drive is about nine hours...a straight shot up I-25 and then a quick cut across Wyoming. We found ourselves in the snow around Glorieta pass, just barely getting through, about two hours before the highway was shut down. After Glorieta pass there was sunshine and great weather. We stopped quickly in Fort Collins, where Mike lived with his dad for part of his childhood. We ate at Good Times, a burger and ice cream place and wandered around some shops. I also go a new bike helmet at the store Mike got his bike frame at last summer. Then we headed to Cheyenne, Wyoming and cut across to Potter. We made a quick stop in Kimball to get ingredients for green chili smoked turkey enchiladas and then finally found ourselves at LuAnne and Carl's house. Dinner was pizza and filled with Mike and I sharing our story...how we met, what adventures we have been on and LuAnne asking questions about me and my family. It was a lot of fun...we stayed up too late but it was wonderful. Friday we spent the day at home...making lunch, meeting family members, playing with baby Sawyer and playing games. I learned a new card game, which I would like to play again but will need some help remembering the rules and we played Gestures and Catch Phrase for hours. It was a ton of fun. Saturday began late morning, LuAnne gave Mike and I our Christmas presents so we could make sure things fit...worked well because we did need to make some adjustments at Cabela's. About 11am we went to Sidney, Nebraska to pick up Mike's sister, Andrea, and head to Cabela's. We spent about two hours wandering the store then got lunch at a Chinese restaurant. It was a great way to spend the day. Saturday night, Tyson, Coralea and Sawyer came for dinner and we got to spend more time with them and give our Christmas gifts. Good times. Sunday came too quickly...we packed up the car at 10:30am with promises of coming to visit again in the summer. Stopped in Denver for lunch and shopping on the way home and got back to Albuquerque about 11pm on Sunday the 19th. It was a great trip, much too short but wonderful. I had a great time getting to know Mike's family and felt very much at home with all of them. It was a pleasure and I look forward to the next Nebraska road trip. Nine hours is nothing at all! :)
Soon after returning from Nebraska, my grades for the semester began to get posted. I got all A's and and A+ which gave me a 4.06 for the semester. Amazing how hard work pays off sometimes. I have never had a 4.0 so it was pretty exciting. Then I began thinking about the coming semester and realized I have to pay for all of it because my Lottery Scholarship has ended. Kinda sad to see so much money go at once for tuition and books but it's still so much cheaper than other universities that I really can't complain. I am just glad to be working the All-State Music Festival next week which will be some good pay before the semester gets going.
Christmas Week
The week began with little stress, some last minute gifts, wrapping of presents and spending time with family and friends. I spent that Tuesday with Jerusha and boys...shared gifts and made a relatively good gingerbread house. The boys are getting so big and it's so noticeable when I can't see them for over a week. Wednesday, Mike's dad came to town. Don went to Chaos (Middle school youth group) with us and then the three of us went to Village Inn. It was fun to see Don again and know he would be in town for more than a day. He bought us silly Christmas hats. Mike got an elf hat and mine is a snowman. Kinda fun. :) Thursday night was family dinner at home with Mark, Amy, Grandpa Mike, Grandma, Don and Mike. We had a peaceful dinner and just enjoyed time chatting around the table.
Then... Christmas Eve...well it started with Mike having extreme pain, which turned into food poisoning and his missing out on Christmas Eve and Day festivities. I felt so bad for him but there was nothing I could do. Don came to everything that was happening which allowed me to get to know him and for my family to get to know him as well. It was a lot of fun but we missed Mike and his smiling face. Christmas day began with crazy gift opening...not a fan...then brunch as usual at our house. I got some Fiesta Ware to start my dish collection, clothes, ornaments and other little things, many of which were on my wish list. Then Don and I went to visit Mike and take his Christmas gifts. I was so excited about the scrap book I made him that I almost couldn't take it anymore. He painted me a Stegosaurus, made an ornament and snow globe with pictures of us and got me a little digital camera key chain for our future adventures. It was fun to see him enjoying the crafty parts of his gift. Then we went to Grandma's for Christmas dinner. It was a full day of family and fun. In the midst of all of this I was house sitting on the west side of town which just added to the length of my days. It was nice to take care of the puppy but a lot of driving for the week.
Sunday- Colby spoke in big church. It was really fun to see him talk outside of Chaos and totally strange to see how empty church since it was the day after Christmas. Then Don, Mike and I went to lunch...Mike was still not feeling great which led to my taking him home and just spending the afternoon relaxing. Monday I decided to do some shopping and used some of my gift cards. I got Emma, Utopia, Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and other books with my Barnes and Noble gift card from Don, found a cute jacket at Kohl's for $3.84, got yarn for a baby blanket gift for some friends and wandered the mall but didn't get much. It was a crazy morning that led to a lazy afternoon. This week has gone by quickly and it's hard to think that New Year's is just a few days away.
Today I spent about nine hours cleaning my closet and organizing my bathroom. It's amazing how much stuff I have and how long it takes to get organized. I have at least one more full day of cleaning to get my room in order before the semester begins.
I am looking forward to the new year because there will be many exciting things happening. I have a year left of my undergraduate degree at UNM (I will finish in mid December 2011), I will be completing a certificate for teaching English as a second language (which means summer school), a friend of mine is having twins this summer, I have a new group of girlfriends in my elementary education courses and many other adventures will be added to those of school. I am excited to see where 2011 takes me and looking forward to all of the things that God has planned for my life. Well this is all for 2010. May your new year be blessed and full of joy with family and friends!
Love
Julie
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