You scream, I scream, we all scream FIRE!

A couple weeks ago Rich was working in Oklahoma and would be getting back late.  I thought it would be nice to have dinner ready when he got back. I spent my lunch hour rounding up meat and veggies at the grocer near my work, hurried home from work, sliced and diced, and seasoned to my heart's content, and skewered all of the above, creating colorful kabobs... I'll admit, they looked delicious.  I also bought corn on the cob, seasoned it, wrapped it in foil, and diced some sweet potatoes, seasoned those, wrapped them in foil, and voila, dinner was ready for the grill!
About that time, Rich walks in... He offered to do the grillin' (it must be a guy thing) so I could finish cleaning up the kitchen.
He put everything on the grill, and would periodically check and turn our dinner and come back inside and visit.... on his last outing to the grill I glance up and see BURLING smoke emerging from the grill and hear a select few swear words coming from outside... I laughed and went back to my dishes...
Rich came in and said, 'Uh.... I charred dinner.'  I didn't believe him, so he made me get my shoes, and sure enough.....

We salvaged a few of the potatoes and a couple bites of the corn, but the rest was beyond well done!  Of course Rich had to tidy up before he would take a picture!  We even ended up having to pressure wash the bricks, they too were charred from the burling smoke!
Rich is normally an amazing chef, so of course after much teasing, we had a great dinner out at a delicious (and one of my new fav places to dine) restaurant,  The Ranch at Las Colinas.... thanks for dinner Rich! ;)

Transforming ... more than meets the eye!

So Rich was gone for 9 days working in Canada, so I thought a little project to help keep me busy would be a good idea....
1 gallon of primer, 1 gallon of cream, 2 rolls of painter's tape, and 5 days later, I wasn't so sure my little project was such a great idea! 
BUT!  I LOVE the results, and the master bathroom looks SO MUCH BETTER!!
Goodbye nasty caribbean blue... I wish I could say you will be missed!

The before...
We had also ripped the gold ridiculous light fixture out before Rich left, hence the gaping hole...

 

And we did some paint sampling prior to taking pictures too...

 

Bath anyone?  So relaxing in caribbean blue...

 

FINALLY!  1 gallon of primer and still hints of blue.

 

All primed!  MUCH better already!  Like the only light I had to paint?

 

I owe all of this striping of tape to Frog Tape, patience, and a lazer level...

 

Rich thinks we should have just left the tape and called the bathroom done... I think not.

 

And the final product!!!

 

Now I would take a relaxing bath in that!!!

 

VIOLA!! Our new master bath!!  Worth every minute!  So happy with the results!

Punchin the Clock

This is where I hang out 40 hours a week.  University of Texas at Dallas (UTD).  There are 19 schools in the UT system in Texas, so once again, sticking to true Texas form, everything really is bigger in Texas!

Lets take a lil' virtual tour, shall we?

Howdy!  And welcome, to the University of Texas at Dallas!  Main entrance...

 

Visitor's Center, home of the school bookstore, but I like the circular atrium..

 

 

I guess UTD had a lady who donated all the money to landscape the campus, however, she also got to pick the landscaper of her choice, she chose a guy named Peter Walker, who's name is a swear word at UTD among the grounds crew, so don't mention it to any of them when you run in to them, thanks..... but parts of it I really like... like the mall, which runs right now the center of campus...

 

And the trellace, which is new, but all those vines are supposed to eventually grow and cover most of the white beams on the top.  And the big grey pillar on the right is set on a timer and creates a foggy mist, which is cool too.

 

 This is the Student Services building... I love the architecture, I haven't been inside yet...

This is by the theater and performing arts.... it's called the 'Love Jack'... I guess the artist's last name was love, which he put on every end of the jack.

This is my favorite building, it's hard to see, but almost the entire building, except this side, I guess is teal and purple!  It's so pretty! I thought it must be arts or something fun... nope, it's a whole center designated for research.  Boring.  But the building is pretty!

 

And on the 'north 40' of campus is the lowly Facilities Management building.  This, is where all the action happens, grounds, maintenance, shipping, moving, electrical, plumbing, etc etc etc.  And where I hang out 40 hours a week, scheduling all the above services for campus. 

 

UTD is just a little D3 school, but it's growin' like crazy!  They have so many plans to build in the next 5 years, it's crazy, everthing from parking garages to student housing, to a new visual arts building.  It's fun to see this little school transforming!

 

 

Saddle up, and welcome to UTD!

I'm on a boat!

Ok, so I realize this is a bit out of order.... but better late than never, right?
In March I convinced my friends Sunny and Rikki to vacation with me!  We hit up a Royal Caribbean cruise line, the Serenade of the Seas.... oh, what a much needed vacation and we had a blast! 

We flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, spent the night, got a tour, Rikki aquired a blistering sunburn (literally) and we boarded the Serenade to start our journey to the Southern Caribbean!  St. Kitts, St. Maartin, Barbados, Dominica, and Tortola!

Just a small recap via pictures:
Rikki's rockin sunburn, before we even got on the boat!

 

Chillin in San Juan...

 

We found the best tour guide, Marcos, who toured us around San Juan before taking us to the dock.  There are statues of all of the US Presidents who have visited San Juan... they even included Teddy's pup!

 

There are some forts with thick walls in San Juan...

 

Loved the forts!  There were people all over having picnics and flying kites

 

Senor Frogs - Puerto Rico style!

 

I loved this, it was kinda scary, and romantic all at the same time.  Marcos tried to explain the meaning to me, but I never really understood the choas goin' on here

 

Marcos took us to this awesome cemetary... it's right on the cliffs and all the graves are above ground.  They learned the hard way when their buried bodies all ended up on the south end of the island after a storm...

 

We're on a boat!  Look out Southern Caribbean, you're about to be had by 3 WY girls!

 

We went on a lil tour to the falls...

 

 

Sunny and I went to our first nude beach... Bayau Rouge in St. Maartin... we left our suits on, but that guy didn't...

The midnight buffet was cool. We had late dinner and were too stuffed to eat anything at the buffet, but it was cool to see all the culinary art!

 

 

 

Every night we'd try to catch the sunsets... the pictures dont do them justice, but they were beautiful, and I swear I saw the flash!

 

 

 

We may be bias, but we had the best waiters, they made dinner so much fun

Best of all, we met some awesome people and made some great friends!

 

Elaine and her hub Mike from FL and Mike's brother Dan... we met and danced the nights away and met in Barbados for some beach time, and chilled together on the last day at sea.

The McKays...
Clay and Marilyn and their daughters Lauren who brought her fiance, and Christy and her hub, who was 7 months preggers... Their dinner table was right next to ours and we saw them on the islands and ran in to them every night

 

 

And the Persaud family... they were having a family reunion and had a group of 16 people.  They were found anywhere on the boat where a band was jamming!  They were so fun!  A lot of them were our age, so we would see them dancing and hung out with them quite a bit

 

 

 

 

Which leads me to last, but not least....
Rich...

 
 We met while we were both trying to tell the DJ that his music was terrible.  We ended up chatting instead of dancing for hours, and every night.  He's asked for my number and has called me every day since... hence my move to TX, it just so happens to be where Rich resides, it's turning out to be the cute little story I wished for and I couldn't ask for a sweeter guy in my life...

More to come on the adventures of Julie and Rich in TX, but that sums up our cruise!  Such a great time with so many fun memories!

 

It's Official...

It's starting to sink in after almost 4 weeks, and most of those who read this already know, I have relocated to the "lovely" state of TX.   

Home of the: 

 

 



 

 

I currently reside in Dallas, well, what they call the 'Dallas Metroplex' because it consists of so many cities... the greater Dallas area is HUGE.

 

 

 

 

More specifically I live in Irving.  Home of the 'Irving Mustangs'.... not sure the significance... but they have a statue with fountains and it's near where I live, so more to come on that I suppose! 

 

 

 

See the red mess of lines and dots on the top right-ish part of this?  Yep.  That's where I live, right in the middle of it all.

 

A couple things I've learned about TX in 4 weeks:

1. I thought folks from WY were proud to be WY Cowboy fan, and proud to be from WY.... ya, Texans puts them to shame.  EVERYONE originally from TX is a Dallas Cowboys fan (if they're from TX) and EVERYONE is proud to be a resident of TX (I however, still claim WY as home and will shock myself if I ever consider TX as home)

2. Everything REALLY is 'bigger in TX'.  For example, on the 20 hour drive it took to move here, 8 of those hours were driven through Texas, and we didn't even make it 1/2 way through the state.  If Rich and I go out to eat, we can always split an entree... food portions are HUGE.

3. "The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of TX".... NOT true.  There's so many lights it's impossible to see the stars.  I was sitting out by the pool at night last week and only saw 7 stars...

4. There are no mountains in TX. A new friend here said we should camping, but explained there are only mountains 9 hours from Dallas.  Gently rolling hills if you're lucky, but this state is flat as a pancake. 

5. Texans love their tex-mex and their Texas BBQ. 

6. Texans pride that they don't have state taxes to pay.... but I think they forget sales tax in TX is 8.5%.

7. 'Southern hospitality' is a real!  I was on a mission to buy my first cowboy boots, and the girl (who was maybe a few years younger than me) would answer all my questions with a polite 'yes ma'am.'  The lady at work training me is in her 50's... everyone call her 'Mrs. Debbie'. 

8.  It's hot in Texas, comparable to the climate in St. George.  BUT.  It's humid in Texas... unlike anything I've ever experienced.

9.  Stay off the I-114 westbound... it's under construction, and a disaster.

10.  Thank goodness for TomTom's and GPS navigation.

11.  Texas needs Cafe Rio.  Badly.

Drum Roll Please!

This post is dedicated to 2 of my friends, Dustin and Amber.
Due to my timing issues, I started my Bachelor's program late, so in reality, I was in 2 different 'groups'. I finished 1 group and had to take 2 classes with the next group of students. Dustin was in group 1, and Amber was in group 2.
One day in group 1 Dustin and I were discussing work and he mentioned that he had a position opening in his department that he would really like me to apply for, so I did. I had an interview, which went great, but someone swooped in with 20 years experience, and I just can't beat that. I would have had to start work at age 8.
Amber works in the HR department of the same organization Dustin works for. She also sat in on my interview, and is also in group 2 of school with me.
See where this is goin?
So months go by. Group 1 is completed. Group 2 starts. I complete my 2 courses with group 2. I get a call from Dustin who says Amber was really impressed with me in my interview and my presentations in class, there's another position open and she wants me to apply and she'll look for my application coming through. So I applied. I took an assessment test. I interviewed, which I may be bias, but I thought it went great!
Weeks go by. I get an email that says 'Thanks for your patience, you're still being considered." Fair enough. More weeks go by. I get a call from Amber who says they're going to check my references. And 2 days ago..... I get offered a job, using my education, with none other than:



It was bittersweet and sad to tell my current employer, they have been my family for the past 5 years and I checked in everyday for years while life's events were happening... but it's time for change and forward progression in life, and I'm so excited!
It is a nice added perk that my last day is Dec 21, after which I get to head home for Christmas, and I don't have orientation until Jan 9.... I haven't had a break from a job that long in 12 years! I'm overdue, thrilled, and couldn't feel more blessed for the changes coming in my life!

Agree or disagree, but I'm a firm believer of, "it's not what you know, it's who," That line has gotten me my past 4 jobs, my apartment, and a sweet deal on a flat screen tv.

Nontraditional

This year, was a little nontraditional for me for Turkey Day. For effect lets just say, I spent it alone... "aaawww, poor Jules..."
Hold your tears.
Long story short, due to my job, I was unable to make it home for Thanksgiving. Jamaica was headed north, and Jen was spending the holiday with her in-laws, which leaves those of us without kids or spouses doin' the independent thing.
It was a sad reality at first, I felt a little sorry for myself in all honesty...
BUT, here's how the weekend panned out:
* I had a dear friend who flew into town and needed a place to crash, so we stayed up late, caught up on boys and girly issues, and I loved every minute of it!
* I have another friend who's working on her RN and had to work until 6AM Thanksgiving Day, and go back to work at 6PM for another 10 hour shift, so I invited her over for food.
* I spent the WHOLE day in my pj's.... yes, the ENTIRE day, it was awesome
* I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner, and only cooked the items I love about Thanksgiving, which excludes deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. For those of you in the family, I had an ENTIRE pan of Raspberry Snow to myself... you're getting jealous now aren't you? It went off without a hitch! I call it beginner's luck since my lil 9 lb turkey was in the over for almost 6 hours! BUT! Everything came out of the oven at the same time (which, lets be honest, NEVER happens with a crowd to feed), everything was warm, delicious, and the turkey was the most moist turkey I dare say I've ever had!
* I napped when I wanted to nap, I had leftovers about 4 times... on Thanksgiving Day, I watched movies, and relaxed until it was time to hit up Black Friday, which started at 10pm on Thanksgiving, but THAT is another post in itself.
* Confession: I don't know if I can go back to having a chaotic, big hoopla of a Thanksgiving dinner. I LOVED IT! Don't get me wrong, I love hangin with the fam, but sometimes it gets chaotic, the turkey ends up cold, and I end up having to make the deviled eggs. So this was AWESOME!
* And to top off the weekend I drove to Evanston and played volleyball ALL day with a group of really fun girls! Man, we played a lot of volleyball, and we were exhausted, but it was great!

I'm starting to realize that being single sometimes makes us 'exceptions to the rule' on a lot of levels. It somehow entitles us to some interesting situations. For example: If you have a spouse and kids and tell your entire family you want to cook your own Thanksgiving dinner entirely alone, they may say you're selfish or crazy! So see, being single has its perks!