One Day At A Time....

Note to students: MEET WITH YOUR ADVISER REGULARLY!!!! I met with mine this morning and she was able to look at classes I took when I was in college the first time and make them work toward courses I still needed for my degree! She saved me an entire semester (5 classes) worth of time, money and stress! Advisers can do amazing things, but only if you meet with them regularly. Make yourselves known to them as hardworking, determined and dedicated and they can do such magical things as working past GPA requirements*, make classes work toward your degree**, and even write scholarship-winning letters of recommendation***! Thank you Pat Beckett!!!! You are amazing! * and **: As many of you know, I have an associates degree in general liberal... bla bla bla. I am grateful to have finished that degree years ago (graduated in 2004), but I didn't do so well with my GPA. When a much more mature and determined me went back to school 6-7 years later, I didn't have quit...

I realize that it's been a few months since I've done a bit of blogging. The last 6 weeks have zoomed by so fast, it's caught me off guard! May 14, 2013 I GOT A FREAKIN' SCHOLARSHIP!!!!!!!!! "Dear Julie, I am pleased to inform you that the Judith Herb College of Education Scholarship Committee has selected you to receive the Celia Koontz Findlay Scholarship in Elementary Education for the 2013-2014 academic year. ...... This is an honor as the competition was formidable with 164 highly qualified students competing for 63 scholarships. The Scholarship committee commends you for your excellent academic record." I was more excited after reading this letter than I was about the fact that I also received 2 ginormous bags of peppered beef jerky in the mail as well! This scholarship is for nearly $3,000 dollars! May 24-26, 2013 Zion's Camp! I met this guy! In case you didnt know, this is Alex Boye! He is a singer with the Mormon Taberna...

We went to the West Side Market this weekend and got lots of good food.... My favorite was the Citron Creme crepe.... yummy! I had been looking forward to that ever since I decided to go. I didn't care much about anything else... as long as I got my crepe. Then we went to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History . My parents hadn't been there before and I think they really liked it... till we all started getting hungry. $12 Adults $10 Students (with ID) Free for teachers (with ID) So, It cost $22 for the 4 of us to get in.  (Mom had to pay full price, I got a discount and Michelle and dad were free.) T-Rex and Triceratops I got a kick out of this picture...  Michelle taking a picture of the dinosaurs behind my dad.  Dad taking pictures of the big fish fossil behind Michelle. This guy's artwork that was on display is AMAZING!   I love this shirt! I would have...

Week 1: Stop eating candy for a week      Results: I only accidently slipped up once when I put a jaw breaker I have been working on for a few months in my mouth. I quickly realized what I did and licked off the spit and put it away for a later day. I have found that I do not crave sugar as much at the end of the week as I did at the beginning of the week. Week 2: Using the Lose It app for iOS, track what I eat for a week.      Results: Not too bad. I am realizing that my portions are really wonky. By tracking what I eat, I am able to more easily realize what all I am putting in my body, and how much of it. While I did not track what I ate this weekend, I tried to make healthier choices, eating fish instead of a burger. I did still allow myself some splurges Saturday as Michelle, my parents and I went to Cleveland for the day. Crepes, Avocado Egg Rolls and Cheesecake, while not the best choices in healthy eating, I have deemed them as sometim...

I wanted to take some time to write about the moms whose actions in rearing their children have had a profound impact on my life. Although my sentiments are short here, don't let that show I limit their influence on my life. They mean more to me than you know! My mom, Janet Perry is the #1 best mom in the world. I know I am biased, and millions of pins, coffee mugs, T-shirts and greeting cards beg to differ, but they are wrong (and overpriced). My grandmothers, Roberta Perry, Laurel Hall, and Carole Perry. Each of these amazing ladies has touched my life. Roberta Perry raised 2 boys while her husband worked as a firefighter. Laurel Hall raised my mother, who was one of 7 kids in the family. Carole Perry married my Grandpa James Perry nearly 3 years ago and paraphrasing a sentiment from his recent obituary guest book "you made an old man very happy in his last few years of life". And indeed she did. I don't know if I have ever seen him act so much like a young man ...

I thought exercising was supposed to make you feel better. The endorphin high after a workout? I don't think I get it. I felt great after getting my butt kicked on Saturday, but after biking almos 6 miles tonight, I just have a sense of frustration or anxiety about something. Did I mention I'm eliminating candy for a few... days, weeks, however long I manage to make it without busting out some sort of hidden candy stash. Why you ask? Well, yesterday, after weighing myself and seeing that I havnt lost any weight in the last few months, I decided that if I am exercising, eating as much candy as I have been is completely negating the calories burnt. So, logic would have it that if I eliminate the calorie laden candy, and exercise more regularly, that I would be able to see a difference at the scales, and in the fit of my clothes.

This little face says "good morning everyone!"

Grateful for your prayers and the sense of peace I've felt today. Funeral plans: Viewing on Tuesday. Funeral on Wednesday.

James F. Perry March 11, 1936 - April 26, 2013 I love you Grandpa! Dad & I arrived near Belleview, IN @ 9. Time to sleep

I have been reminded today that I can't and shouldn't compare myself to others. When I did my 5k today, I came in last out of my group (Brad and my mom/Toby both smoked me.) But I did better than last year, and that is how I choose to look at it. As a wise man/TV character once said: "Listen, it's too big a world to be in competition with everyone. The only person who I have to be better than is myself."~Col. Potter      I am a unique individual who has been blessed with gifts, talents and trials specifically designed to help me grow as an individual daughter of God as well as help others. I know He has a plan for me, knows and loves me perfectly and knows how best to help mould me into the person He wants me to become. While our paths may cross and sometimes even run parallel with another persons for a time, we are all here to help one another become the best version of ourselves. I have met several people in the past, especially members of my branch, who...

     So, what seems like 3 months ago, my friend Brad and I were talking about running. He was getting prepping to run a 5k back home in Pennsylvania. I was trying to get into running, but just couldn't force myself to get out and do it. I decided to sign up for a 5k thinking that would really force me to get out. Brad emailed me around the beginning of April about a 5k on the BGSU campus that would be happening about a week after my birthday and we both signed up (and my parents as well. There was a dog walk that my dad was happy to join.)      Well the last few weeks have given me plenty of excuses for not getting out and running. Between weather being completely moody, my work schedule with a school schedule and church activities squished together, I just didn't feel like running. I have had family and friends sick or not feeling well for weeks. Boy, I wish I had trained more....today was kinda rough.    ...

Yup.. that's me... and 1/2 my dad...and my mom (not pictured) on the roof. (and yes, I realize the picture is sideways... dont know how to change that....) We had a bit of rain last week and noticed a leak in my livingroom. So after we went out for my birthday dinner, we patched up an 8" crack in the tar around the chimmney, which required us to get up on the roof.

Happy Valentines Day! Happy Singleness Awareness Day! (as if I needed a day set aside for this.... People need a day to moan and complain about being single? If that's the case, what has the last year been for me? Singleness Awareness Year?) How am I spending my February 14th? Working, class, maybe a run, and definitely some piano playing this evening. After a day of Facebook friends bragging about the love in their lives, I'm going to have some stress to relieve this evening.... Things I'm grateful for today: Hot cups of herbal tea... makes my morning that much more comforting Nutella... Yummy stuff!

I went out for Chinese with my coworker and her daughter today for lunch. Sitting next to us was a table of 3 women in their 60's or 70's or possibly older. They must have all had ADD or something. Here is a small glimpse into the topics of their conversation for the 35-40 minutes we were there.... "I wont touch frog legs" "I don't buy bagged lettuce because it always goes bad before I can use it up" "Yea, I was part of the Wednesday bowling league, but it was just too busy, so I switched to Thursday" "I was at Walmart and saw this fuzzy Nativity blanket. It was labeled $7.99. But when I got home and looked at my receipt, it said $1.99. So I went back and bought 3 more to donate to the animal shelter" "My mom's dog bed cost $40! That dog has a better bed than I do!" "We have cats that sleep on our kitchen chairs so much that we had to get fabric to recover the chairs in" "There's going ...