Just Say Julie

Saturday I decided to venture down south on my quest for the perfect shower curtain for my guest bathroom. As I made my way down MoPac heading towards Barton Creek Mall, I spotted a sight that made my spirits soar. Finally the bluebonnets are in full bloom here in Texas. Despite the crazy weather we have been having, it was at last a sign that spring was here. However, bluebonnets don't necessarily mean that the cold weather is behind us. This picture was taken last Easter when it snowed in Texas in April. I must say the bluebonnets covered in snow made for some lovely pictures. And no, I did not find the perfect shower curtain. However, I did find some other fun goodies for my house.

Maverick did pretty well staying home alone with free reign today. He greeted me at the door with his tail a-waggin'. That was a vast improvement over the pitiful bays he let out as I was leaving this morning. He is used to me leaving but not when he can watch me leave. I did, however, have to clean up a couple of accidents. That was surprising because he can easily make it through the day without an accident in the kitchen. I think once he gets used to being able to roam he will be better though. My baby is growing up!

So, I was walking back into the office this afternoon from my lunch break when I caught a glimpse of myself in the window of the building. Now the windows are tinted so they act like a mirror when you are walking by. At that exact moment, I began to wonder when I became such a yuppie. Here I am with my Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha latte in one hand, iPhone in the other hand, trendy wedge sandals, cute little shift dress, and Coach bag on my shoulder. Oh and let's not forget the monogrammed sweater draped over my arm in case it gets cold in the office. Now I have always been a bit of a girly-girl but yuppies had such a negative connotation when I was growing up. So, how on earth did I become one? On a side note, I am either crazy or brave. I gave Maverick free reign of the apartment today will I was at work. First time ever. Well, not completely free...the bedroom doors were shut and I tried to put everything up where he couldn't reach it. Let's hope I don't...

I am a little sad today. I got the news yesterday that a friend from college had succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 29. It is sad when anyone dies but even more so when a young life is cut short. Not only does it remind you how short life is, but it also reminds you to call your friends. Jessica and I were not close but we did hang out in college. She has been in Houston the past few years so I could have gone to visit at any time. This just reminds me to not let life pass me by but to live it to the fullest. Don't let anything stop you from doing what you want to do. To all my friends, know that I love you even though I don't stay in touch as much as I should. Thanks for being there for me when I have needed you. On a side note, today is also the 2 nd anniversary of the passing of my sweet Nanny. I had a dream about visiting her grave last night and telling her about everything she has missed in the last two years. I wonder if she would be proud of how I have...

Shortly after arriving at work this morning, I opened up my Google Reader to peruse the various blogs and feeds I have subscriptions to. This morning there were a couple of headlines that really caught my attention and I just felt the need to share them with you. 1. Council considers canine curbs from the Mobile Press Register Apparently the Mobile City Council wants to fine pet owners for incessant barking and not scooping poop. Being the owner of a very loud beagle, I am sure I would receive numerous fines. Maverick doesn't seem to understand the concept of "shut up." If the city council thinks they are better able to make my dog be quiet, more power to them. I would love to know their techniques so I could employ them myself. However, I doubt they would have much luck either. Thank goodness Mav and I don't live in Mobile! 2. NY Governor Says He Used Drugs from WKRG.com News Stream Coming on the heels of the prostitution scandal from the recently resigned New York G...

This morning I ventured down south to join Clay and his in-laws for Easter. First we headed to church and then to the Kelly Compound for an Easter egg hunt and lunch. Since I haven't found a church here in Austin, I was happy for the opportunity to visit a church in town and also not have to spend Easter alone. However, during the church service this morning, I witnessed one of those "Only in Texas" moments. The pastor was telling a story about deer hunting to illustrate a particular point. The story involved him purchasing a deer head from a taxidermist after having one he had actually shot stuffed. While the story probably would have been adequate to illustrate the point, the pastor decided he needed to really drive the point home. How he decided to do that was to carry both deer heads on to the pulpit with him. Rather than returning them to their hidden location after he completed the story, he left them on the pulpit for the rest of the sermon. So we sat thr...

Can I just say that I am thrilled that Rocker Chick (aka Amanda) is finally gone?!? I swear my ears bled every time she opened her mouth to sing. I never did understand why the judges liked her.

Shortly after we started dating, J made the comment that we needed to increase my gadget girl status. Being the he is an IT geek, that was not a surprise. Now that we are no longer dating I am working on increasing my gadget girl status. Prior to all this my newest and favorite gadget was my hot pink iPod nano purchased shortly before my trip to Hawaii. So I proceeded to purchase the accessories to accompany my iPod. That included a small set of travel speakers and a clock radio my iPod could be plugged into. Up until recently that was the extent of my gadgetness. However, as a reward for being patient through the process of trying to sell my house in Killeen, I decided to purchase a new cell phone. I went into the AT&T store planning to purchase a red Blackberry curve because I wanted to be able to check my work email from my phone. I also needed a new phone since Maverick had decided my old one was a chew toy and he had left his teeth marks all over the phone. Once I entered the ...

OK...so I know this title doesn't have the same ring as that of the movie I love so much and, no, I am not calling into a radio talk show to talk about losing the love of my life. (Probably because that hasn't happened to me yet) However, I have had many sleepless nights recently. OK...not necessarily sleepless but I have been having a hard time falling asleep and an even harder time wanting to wake up and go to work. So here I am on yet another evening where sleep is evading me trolling the internet and sipping a glass of wine with the hopes that the latter will work its magic and I will reach dream land (not the BBQ restaurant in Alabama but sleepy time) soon. So, what pray tell is causing these issues I am having? I am not totally sure. I can list several factors that I think are contributing to the problem that all added together are creating one giant problem. First there was the breakup...I know...I know. I shouldn't get so worked up over a boy (or man in th...

Yesterday was quite an amazing day. I got to witness one of those moments in life that everyone hopes and dreams for (at least every woman). My office mate, Alisha, became Mrs. Baker in a very sweet ceremony at the most beautiful location I have ever seen for a wedding. I have been blessed to get to know Alisha and Dustin over the last few months and to be able to call them my friends. It is truly great to see one of those couples that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt will make it forever and grow old together. I echo the sentiments of Dustin's best man and cousin, Casey, when he said that it is great to see something that is so right in the world. Congratulations you two! I wish you all the best. On another note, two of my best friends in this world became moms to 2 year olds yesterday. It is hard to believe that it has been two years since Scout and Austin both made their presence know to this earth. I am glad that I have gotten to spend time with these two adorable kiddos ...

So the last couple of weeks at the office have been extremely busy. Trying to prepare for 2 upcoming audits, complete monthly invoicing, and write cost proposals for new contracts has been my life recently. Not to mention all the extra special projects that I have been assigned to do. I don't mind being busy but there is a fine line between busy and too busy and I have been tiptoeing it for the last 2 weeks. To make matters worse, my boss and co-worker both decided to take vacation this week leaving me to run the accounting department on my own. I told them it would be my turn when they got back to run screaming from the building for a few days. Needless to say the last thing I needed this week was to be sick. So when I woke up at 3:30 Wednesday morning to worship the porcelain god all I could think about was the fact that I had to be at the office that day. After struggling to go back to sleep and dealing with a sick puppy on top of everything else, I finally broke down an...

So I have basically picked out all the new furniture I want for my new house. I decided that new house = new furniture since this house represents a fresh start for me. So I am in the process of selling the majority of my furniture to replace it with new, more modern furniture that I am picking out all on my own. I have one issue that I can't resolve though and that is where you as my faithful readers will come in. There are two beds at Ikea that I like that match the rest of the furniture I have picked for my bedroom. One is wood and one is metal. The metal bed is $100 cheaper than the wooden bed. So here are pictures of the two bed options: Here is the rest of the furniture that will be in the room as well as the comforter that will be on the bed: So please faithful readers, vote on the option you think I should choose. I will take all your opinions into consideration and let you know what my final decision is. So far my boss, co-worker, and Mom are voting for the metal ...

As I mentioned before, I recently sold my house in Killeen. That required me to make a couple of trips to the house to remove some of the items I had left in the garage when I moved out. On the way home from my last trip before closing, I popped in the Rent soundtrack (movie not musical) and proceeded to sing along. With an hour of travel time on my hands, my brain began to wander and I started to think about what they were saying in Seasons of Love . This allowed me to think back to the events of the previous year of my life. I realized that it was about this time last year that I first considered leaving Shawn. No one even knew the thoughts that were going through my mind. For someone who has no problem sharing her feelings, the fact that I was miserable in my marriage and wanted out wasn't something I could discuss with anyone. On the surface, Shawn and I appeared to be the perfect couple but underneath I don't think either one of us was truly happy. However, I cont...

OK...so I know I have been away for awhile. I had someone keeping me busy at first and then I just couldn't bring myself to write anything. I am going to try to run through a quick update of the last two months without going into too much detail and then I am going to submit a post on some of the deep thoughts I have had recently (I can feel the excitement now!) Shortly after my last post, J and I ventured to Mobile for the 2008 La Luna Ball where a drunken good time was had by all as I pranced around dressed like Marilyn Monroe and J looked smashing in his tails. (The theme was A Red Carpet Affair by the way.) January passed pretty much without fanfare. Maverick returned home from Doggy Rehab (or Boot Camp which ever you prefer) and I received an offer on my house in Killeen all in the course of two days at the end of the month. The Giants won the Super Bowl. Go Baby Brother Eli! Mardi Gras Day came and went without notice in Texas. I discovered I have high cholesterol...

Welcome to my new blog home. I decided that a long with a new house it was time to move the blog as well. Bear with me as I transition.