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!

All Caught Up and Ready For Fall!

My FAVORITE thing about Fall is the crisp air, sweaters, scarves, baking, and the LEAVES! I LOVE THE FALL COLORS!!!
BUT.
We Don't have any of that here in the desert. So... my favorite thing about October in St. George, is the SG MARATHON!
Jamaica is the Captain over Clothing Retrieval, so of course I volunteer on her team!
It's kind of insane if you think about it... we get up at 3:30AM and drive 45 minutes up the Hwy to sit in a U-Haul truck while 7,000 runners HURL their belongings at you in a bag! I may be nuts.... but something about it... I LOVE!
Very few people get to see the start line of the marathon that don't have to run 26.2 miles back into town... I'm one of those lucky people, and it's awesome! Here's the view in the AM...And the fire dept even lights fires since the race basically starts in the mountains and they start bussing athletes out to the start line at 4am, so they bring blankets and sleep next to the fires, this is prior to everyone showing up
Daniel brings his scouts out to pick up clothes on the way back into town...
All these bags were AIMED right at my face hours earlier, after which they are stacked in the Uhaul and zipped into town where they are organized by the athlete's number and picked up at the finish line...
Last year we made friends with the radio announcer.... Ed Rogers... love that man, he's awesome! And then we ran into him volunteering for the Ironman in May too! So you could say we're race buddies, and a radio announcer is a guy to be friends with, cause they give you a legit 'shout out'... listen carefully, at the very beginning.... we have been coined as 'The Frahmettes' with Ed, and he lets everyone know where to bring their clothes! He started it last year because he thought it was so cool that our trio of sisterhood tackled the 'morning clothes' together. Thanks Ed! See ya in May at Ironman!


Jamaica refuses to relinquish her role as Captain of Clothing, so she does what she has to... even if that means truckin her kids around at 4am... luckily, they love it and take it like champs!

Playing Catch Up- September pt 3

AND, to finish off September, we got together with the fam again..... for 2 BIG events!
Jen and Jimmy were able to be sealed in the SG temple. They've been working on this since they were married in 2009 and it was great to see them reach their goal
The lil Lindell FamAnd if you haven't learned this about our fam.. when we're together, we take pictures! But I decided to bring the props from me and Coll's photo booth... and have a fun family pic! I LOVE it!
I love this group of goofs! It's so fun to think all this started with the Fab Five.... and in 2012, our numbers will be a good, even, round 14! (Jen is expecting, if you hadn't heard...wahoo!)

And on Sunday the 25th, Daniel blessed Jaida... It was great to have mom and dad in town again and all be together celebrating all these milestones for our family! Love you guys