Missionary Gifts.

For Christmas my brother Jacob asked for only one thing: Music. And since I'm me, I didn't give it to him until I knew FOR SURE what he was allowed to listen to. (And because Jacob's the one sending me via email a list of what he can listen to, I haven't even come close to sending his package out. What a blessing it is to be next to a BYU-Bookstore (not to mention the DeseretBook store in town).

Today I sort of splurged on my big brother. I went a bought two CD's that I'm anxious to have him listen to, I'm on my way to town to pick up another CD, and I also bought him postcards -that I'll be sending to him, so that he can savor them and cherish them always. I bought him a "Return with Honor" bookmark with a plus of an attached scripture marker, and three wallet cards that will surely make him cry. -At least they made me cry ...almost.

In addition to this package that I will be sending him, I will of course, throw in his favorite no-bake cookies and maybe a few ties. I guess that leaves me with one question to ask. Since this is his belated "Christmas" present, my question then is: What should I get him for his birthday in April? My brain is dead and full of school. Please help.

Rexburgish Wonderland.

I dedicate this one to all of my family members who are stuck in some far away state without ANY snow. The below picture is just a small taste of what it's like up here in Rexburg. (Don't think this is the only picture of have, it's just the best one at showing what's it really like up here.) I hope you feel envious of it. I hope this makes you all jealous! ;)

Update.

School is going well. I think I have homework in every class. But that's alright, I don't mind. I also got to go do baptisms at the temple on Friday, and it was so much fun! I got to go sledding with my cousins last week, that too was a lot of fun! I got invited on a date for Saturday, but the guy "stood me up" (I guess that what you'd call it, he asked but never called back about it. Oh well, doesn't bother me. I don't mind any.) Hmm, what else... I went grocery shopping the other day so now I can make my all-time favorite dish for supper. Enchiladas here I come!

I've gotten to know my roommates very well now. I am convinced that they are ALL very cool. We stayed up the other night playing so many different card games. It was a lot of fun. I haven't gone to any social activities yet, though I was invited to several the other day. But no, I was lame and decided to catch a movie instead.(Next time, I promise to go and then I'll get to tell you all about it!) I guess that's it for now... I really should be getting ready for church. Until next time! Au revoir!

My Movie Reviews

FOUR CHRISTMASES - I got to watch this movie with my cousins in Colorado. It's directed by Seth Gordon, it stars Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, and it even has Tim McGraw in it! For rating purposes, between 1 and 5, I'd probably give this movie 1. It ended abruptly, I hated Vince Vaughn's character, and it really wasn't all that great in bringing a person closer to Christmas. Oh the brighter side of things, it had some funny parts, and I enjoyed watching my cousin laugh her head off at the spit-up scenes. All in all I it was not worth the 8 dollars that I spent on it.

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL - This film is a remake of the 1951 version and its directed by Scott Derrickson, starring Keanu Reeves, and Jennifer Connelly. Okay, I am by no means a fan of Keanu Reeves but because of the character he played in this movie his "acting" skills didn't shine as much as they did in his other movies. Rating wise I would have to give it a 3. I am a big fan of H. G. Wells and I couldn't help but be reminded of one of his Sci-Fi novels. The graphics were very cool and the scenes fit right in with the music. The ending was also rather sudden but I guess that's the way movies are these days. It was well worth the 3 dollars that I spent to go and see it.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON - This film is an adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story of the same title. It was directed by David Fincher and it starred Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. It tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards. So when hes a kid he looks hideously old and as he gets old his body looks very young. With rating I would give this movie a 1. It had more than it's share of "naughty" scenes and yet it was a touching story. In my opinion, there was definitely not enough good stuff to out way the bad. In other words, if you get a chance to see it, Don't. It really isn't worth it.

LOVE COMES SOFTLY - I was at the BYUI Bookstore the other day and I saw this and had to get it. I saw it for the first time years ago but I still love it. It's directed by Michael Landon Jr and it stars Katherine Heigl, Dale Midkiff, and the adorable Skye McCole Bartusiak. Based on the book by Janette Oak comes a story about a woman who undergoes a tragic loss and is thrown into unwelcoming circumstances. Out of 5 I would have to give this movie a full 5. I loved it and would recommend it to everyone.

"Temple of Learning"

I really shouldn't be posting... I really should be sleeping...

I got an on-campus job working with early morning custodial which starts at four in the morning and goes until seven. So three hours. I started this morning and it's not by any means a hard job, its just...exhausting, having to get up so stinkin early. And then my classes never go past twelve-thirty, so that's good.

I am most fortunate to have really cool roommates. Though being girls, we all brought tons of kitchen stuff. So there's like tons of pans, tons of mugs, and TONS of silverware. And the cool thing is, is that none of my roommates care if anyone uses their dishes. So everything (for the most part, when it comes to dishes and such) is fair game. And as for the food, all of our food cupboards and the whole fridge is STUFFED!

My roommates are all very nice, very talkative, and they're always wanting to go out together and do something fun. Hmm. What else... I'm in the eighteenth out of like ninety-two wards (which includes the married ones...). I started classes today. And two of my classes happen to be on the total opposite side of campus, which isn't fun at all, especially when you've really no idea where you're going. My classes here are HUMONGOUS compared to the size at the community college I attended last year. And of course, it's freezing up here. The second night I stayed here it was negative thirteen degrees outside! Oh and I can't wait to go to the temple! Hopefully I'll get to go this weekend, but who knows. I may be like dead tired this whole semester and never get around to it -but I am determined to never let that happen!

Speaking on the lines of the temple, classes were amazing! My science class was the first today and the Spirit was so strong! We pray before every class and in my Religion class we sing hymns and give short devotionals as well. It is so cool! Even to look out the window and to see the temple standing right there is just amazing. One of the things that also got to me was that my roommates are such good examples. They're always praying before they eat and I always see my room-roommate reading her scriptures and everything before bed. It's awesome! My Science professor today described BYU-Idaho as a Temple of Learning. I thought it was neat. Anyway, I've got a ton more to say, it's just, I really should be going to bed...

Oh So Positive.

I donated blood again yesterday. It wasn't as bad as my other times. I brought a friend with me. ;) Haha, my friend doesn't do needles, so needless to say she wasn't in the bed next to me. No, instead she stood beside me the whole time, of which I was very grateful. I watched her when the needle went in and she watched the needle... Now, if you've ever watched a person, who doesn't like watching needles, watch a needle, it's kind of funny.

Oh yeah! There's something else too. It was eight degrees when I went in to donate. I was freezing! It was strange, I wasn't so much cold on the outside, but my insides were shivering! It was so weird! Anyway, when the lady checked my hemoglobin she pricked my middle finger on my right hand. Its suppose to be anywhere between 12.5 and some other number. Anyway, the first time I was at like an 11.4... yeah, I think it was because I was freezing! The second time I was at a 14.2. So yeah, they put me in the chair and my friend was sitting at the goodie-table with all the treats (and do you think there's some unwritten rule that there are ALWAYS to be nutter-butters present at a blood drive??). Well anyway, I mouthed the words "They pricked me twice!" and showed her my bloody fingers. It wasn't until both hands were in the air with the fingers pointed to the ceiling that I realized what I was doing. I quickly put them back in my lap and asked for a few bandaids.

Anyway, then I donated and everything was...for the most part, fine. I felt light-headed, but that was a given. I think the workers are just like, aching to put those stupid rags on me. I didn't feel THAT bad... But anyway. My friend was kind enough to point out the fact that the needle was "huge!" and that it was shaped like a shovel, pretty much AS it was going into my arm. Bleh! What am I going to do with her?

Hmm, I can't think of anything else blog-worthy to say...I got a cool Community-Blood-Drive Calendar, and a not-so-cool shirt. And a sticker. Those are always fun... I guess that's it, then.

Crème glacée

I was thinking just now, that I wanted to blog. But, of course, I have nothing to blog about. My life is very boring. Well...okay, not boring persay, but surely nothing worth reading about.

So instead I won't blog about myself or what I did yesterday or even the week before. No, instead I'm just going to blog about ice cream. Yes, ice cream.

I love ice cream. It is one of my favorite desserts! I love the cool, cold feeling as the ice cream slides down my throat... And that sweet taste as I shove a spoonful in my mouth... Mmmmm... Yumm. Even just saying the words "ice-cream" makes my mouth water. Ice-cream. Ice-cream. -better stop before I droll all over my keyboard. :) I think I've been wanting it more lately because it soothes the inflammation of my stupid cartilage in my stupid costosternal joint. Grr.

Anyway, my cousins like ice cream too, hence the reason why they buy it. Well I came home from work the other day and I had this really strong urge to just eat some ice cream. So I did. ...Within about three nights the large tub (not those small little boxes -a tub!) of ice cream was nothing more than sticky plastic. Yes. I ate the whole thing. And on my own nonetheless! Needless to say, the next time my cousins bought ice cream it had nuts. I can't do nuts. Not with braces.

Ice cream at my folks house is never ice-cream. It is always I. C. E. C. R. E. A. M. Got it? It is called such because I have younger siblings. And if you have younger siblings this won't be of any surprise. What else would you call it? You can't very well say the words aloud without secretly coding it in some way so that they won't understand. Duh. Once the word is said aloud with little ears to hear it, the world is done for! After that all you hear are the pleas and wines as the children cling to your leg and soak your pants with their tears. ...Not the sort of thing you'd like to go through each night.

Moving right along, I use to work at Dairy Queen. It wasn't the best, they were WAY overstaffed and hours were hard to come by, but my first week of training was really fun. I learned a ton about how to assort the ice cream and make that curly-q trademark that DQ has. It was fun. Well, except for the part when I'd make something so mouthwateringly beautiful and I'd have to see some kid shove there face into it. Ugh. I hated that part. Assorting the ice cream and having to watch it leave your hands. (Word of advice: If you work at a restaurant, never go to work hungry. Trust me. You'll end up with a doubled hip size!)

Well, I guess that's it. I love ice cream. It's as simple as that!

OKIE-dokie

Some of you may have been experiencing some technical difficulties with accessing my blog. Sorry about that. Little miss me couldn't make up my mind.

For personal reasons I will be putting my blog behind closed doors. If you'd like a key, send me your email address. I wouldn't want anyone locked out!

Guess What!

I. Just bought. A laptop.

Yeah. Me. A laptop.

Now I know what you're thinking: what's the big deal? It's only a laptop. -Well, just step back for a second and remember... this is Julia we're talking about. The one who can't do spur of the moment. And who would never play lets-drain-the-entire-account-in-five-seconds (which I did NOT do! ...exactly. ...completely. ...in quite so many words).

To be honest, I'd given this a lot of thought. I would need a laptop for school and getting one a month before hand was just something I wanted. Besides, I was afraid if I didn't get it now then I would back out later. Needless to say, I really didn't want to back out.

It's a Compaq Presario laptop. No idea really what that means, but the price wasn't half bad. At least, my dad, -THE computer geek [no offense dad, but it's true] -thought it was good. Every laptop looks the same to me. But I like it. Cheap and more than enough for my college-student needs.

I am excited. ...No. That word isn't enough ...I am THRILLED! -Like a child on Christmas morning! I bought the thing a few days ago, but didn't open it until today. I wanted to be sure I got the right one. And the tension nearly killed me! But I'm good now. I feel good about my buy. I'm sure it will be just fine.

I loved that it came with Idiot-Easy Instructions. -A long red page that said "Begin Here" and a fold out with big bold letters and steps that tell you how to turn the thing on. (Step One. Unpack the box) And there are even helpful pictures and arrows of how to set it up. I thought it was great. Just what I needed!

So yeah, if anyone has any helpful hints on laptops (things such as let the battery die before charging it again and scan for viruses every so often) it would be very helpful. ...When it comes to Julia and computers (along with a number of other things) I am a complete blond!