I should have taken snow shoes...

Mike and I were planning on going running last night, but at about 8 he calls me, and asks me if we can run on the outdoor track. He's taking a jogging class or something, and that was part of the assignment. The first thing I said was, "you do know it's snowing right now?" And he said he was walking in it right then. I don't know why I agreed, but I said I'd meet him at the track across the street at 9, and asked him to let me borrow some running pants. So we get there, and I put on some warm ups that he brought for me (which I wanted to steal because they were so awesome), and we went to find the track. When we kind of decided where it should be, he made a starting line in the snow, and off we went. There was the hard icy snow, covered with a blanket of fresh powder. I have never run in snow before, or out in the cold for that matter. I just about died after three laps. We took a break after the first mile, but then we did another one. The second one wasn't so bad, because we'd already kind of beaten a path for ourselves. But after we were done, I wanted to die! I was so cold, and my legs were so tired. Running through that snow was like running on sand, accept like 10 times worse! He came back to my apartment to warm up a little and get some water, and ended up watching some Full House with me Jessica and Juliet. It was a fun night, but one I do not want to ever, EVER duplicate. ever.

Mile war=2.5+2= 4.5 But can I count it as more?

When mom called me last night, I was pretty excited to talk to her, because I thought she was calling me back from one of my earlier efforts to talk to them. But after the customary "how are you?"s, she told me she had a little bit of sad news. "President Hinkley passed away about an hour ago." At first I was in some shock, then I jumped out of my seat and went around the apartment trying to find a roommate. I just looked at Juliet, and she said she already head. When I sat back down, I saw Leesa walk past my door, and we looked at each other. She was on the phone too, and she had tears in her eyes. After mom and I got off the phone, I went and found Leesa who had gone to Lacey's apartment. We didn't talk much, but hugged a lot, and went to ward prayer. That was one of the most powerful ward prayers ever. The spirit was so strong. I didn't cry at first, because I was so happy for him to be up in Heaven. But the moment I thought of his reunion with his wonderful wife, my heart melted for them, and the tears wouldn't stop. All the boys at ward prayer were so sweet to all the girls who were crying. A member of the bishopric said the prayer, and he got pretty emotional. We sang Sweet Hour of Prayer, and We Thank Thee Oh God For a Prophet. I couldn't have sung more than a third of each hymn, because they were touching me strongly at that moment.
I'm going to miss President Hinkley, because he was such a great man. He was sweet and caring, and you could feel it every time he spoke. His humor was always welcome and enjoyed, and his council always wise. I am truly thankful for my prophet, and I am so glad to be a part of this gospel. It will be exciting to see what happens in the next conference.

I've been tagged!!!

Shyla tagged me in this game that I think sounds pretty fun! Here's how it goes down.

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 years ago: I was 9 years old, in 4th grade at McKinley Elementary learning how to count in Japanese
5 things on my to-do list today: 1) Work on my mountain of homework 2) Call an elementary school to get an ESL student 3) go to sign language class 4) Find my classmate on Facebook 5) and finally... eat something delicious!
5 Snacks I enjoy: 1) Sushi (does that count as a snack?) 2) mini crunch bars 3) cupcakes 4) Oreo cheese cake 5) frozen hot chocolate
What I would do if I were suddenly made a billionaire: I would pay off all the debts of everyone I know, travel the world giving away money every step of the way, then settle down someplace and save the rest for my future, and my children, and my children's children, and my children's children's children. Then set up some kind of awesome foundation for cleft lip children. I would also prolly eat a lot of stuff on the previous list.
3 of my bad habits: 1) I stay up too late too often 2) I try and lead accidentally in Social Dance 3) I make some of my roommates feel uncomfortable with my lack of apparel
5 places I have lived: 1) Redlands, CA 2) Provo, UT 3) Umm... never mind. That's it
5 jobs that I have had: 1) Cleaning the Bishops' house 2) babysitting 3) TCBY 4) SAS custodial
5 Things people don't know about me: 1) I haven't played good ping pong in exactly a month today 2) I modeled for Juliet in my bathing suit 3) I make a mean fried egg 4) Someday I'm going to run the LA marathon 5) I secretly wish my boyfriend would do something with me on my half birthday.

Now I'm going to tag Mommy, Holly, and Shelley. I would tag Roxy, but she hasn't blogged in forever. So hop to it guys!

I got a letter from Kirk today, and it was pretty hard to read, because it was very beautiful cursive. It was so fun, though, and I can't wait to hear from him again. Unfortunately, I also got back the letters I sent to Charlie and Talmage. I guess there are special things I have to do for pouch letters, and I didn't do them. What a waste of my stamps!
Here is a little funny story from my dance class. For the boys, it is proper form to put their hand right under the girls arm pit and covering the shoulder blade. Well, yesterday I wore my shirt with the little hood on it, and there was a boy who felt the need to go under the hood. But as he was burrowing under it, he kept ramming his hand into my bra strap. I don't know if he noticed, but it sure made me feel weird.

horray for film class!

I went with Jaren to see a movie for his film class again this morning. This one was a silent film called Sunrise, and I really enjoyed it. Jaren and I had fun whispering jokes to each other the whole time. It's not like there was any dialogue we were missing. It was a veeeery dramatic film, but it had a happy ending. Well, maybe not as dramatic as mellow dramatic, but it was still good. When Jaren and I walked into the auditorium, it was raging hot, and I thought it felt so good, but I guess I was the only one. When we sat down, there was a couple sitting behind us, and all of a sudden the guy says, "Jaren?" The they talk about how they didn't know they were in the same class, and how it was pretty awesome. Then he asked a question, and it took me a few seconds to process that it was in Tagalog. Then Jaren answers back in Tagalog, and my name was the last word. So I turned around and said hi. Kind of funny.

I got my first response back from the round of missionary letters I sent out. It was from Kirk Hepburn, and it was just a little blip from a mass email that he sends to his dad, and his dad sends to us. When I wrote his letter, I guess I was feeling a little silly, so I dear Johned him. Then I told him that people thought he and I were dating during the summer, and it was just too funny! Here is what he said:

Julie, I understand that things change, especially feelings. Just be sure that he's worthy of you. [snicker] Thanks for you letter!

He's such a nice boy, and I can't wait to write him again.

Also, my PE teacher was gone today, so we had to join the basketball class. Worst two hours ever. But the beautifully crystallizing snow is kinda fun!

I AM NOT AN ANIMAL!

I am in a very analytical mood right now. I went with Jaren to see the Elephant Man for his film class. It was so sad, and so happy, and so good! We went to lunch afterward and discussed the various themes of the movie, because he has to write a paper on it. I could feel my AP lit skills kicking in, because it was a little tough at first thinking of what a theme even was, but once I got rolling, gems of analytical delight were coming out all over the place. Now all I want to do is write a paper on All Quiet on the Western Front or something. Also, I would like to go hot tubbing, but that has nothing to do with it.

Mile War: 2 miles

So, I think I have a boyfriend, but I'm not sure. Last night after the fun adventures at Holly and Caleb's house, he walked me to my apartment, but came in and finished a movie with the thousands of people that were there instead of going home and preparing his lesson for today. After the movie was over, I walked him home, and we stood on his poarch for a while talking. After a while he asked some off-hand question about some plants that are taking over his house. Then he said, "I just thought I'd ask, because that's what boyfriends and girlfriends do." Then we just looked at each other and smiled a lot, then started talking about something else. So I guess we're finally official... I guess. It's pretty exciting. And he had a very good Sunday school lesson today.

Some odd adventures

Here are some random things that have happened in the last few days that I think are pretty funny:
We were at Superstar video, and we were just browsing, when I hear a little gasp from Mom. She holds up the movie to me that she was looking at, and I say a little sigh/gasp. Then I take the movie and show it to Carlie, who lets out a little ooohh... and then to Kellie who says a little gasp too. What was the commotion all about? There were three people on the cover, and one of them happened to be Hugh Jackman. I don't remember what the movie was, but I liked all of our reactions.
We all went to David's Bridal, and I was engaged to Jaren for about an hour. We made an appointment to come back on Friday so I could try on some gowns, and my two brides maids could try on some dresses. The lady asked me for my phone number, and without even thinking, the number 792-7631 jumped out. Afterwards, I was a little baffled, and it was funny... believe me...
Carlie and Kellie and I were playing Nintendo last night, and I can't remember how we got on this subject, but Carlie started telling me this story of how I've scarred her for life. Apparently when we were little, we walked to school past Betty's house, and I told her that if she stepped on those huge cracks, that alligators would come out and eat her. Then when we got to school, she told her whole kindergarten class, and none of them would step on cracks. To this very day, Carlie will not step on a crack, and it's not for the sake of her mother's back. So after Carlie was done telling me this, Kellie jumps in and starts arguing that I had told her that it was alligator eggs, not alligators, and that she remembers thinking it was really funny that I told her that. Like Carlie would believe it, and not Kellie. I don't remember any of this, but it sure made me laugh last night.

Mile War: 2008

2.5 miles. Done.