overview

study break-- Tera and I walked outside for a minute right before it started pouring rain


driving in India would stress me out! they seriously do not have traffic laws



the Taj is pretty much amazing. we were so lucky that there was a slight breeze because I was sweating like crazy (and so was everyone else that crammed inside to look at the tomb... i know because i could smell them)



we have been doing a kids club for the past three days. we sing songs, tell stories, and do crafts. the people with whom we have working have amazing hearts, and their translating skills have been so helpful!



yesterday, Alicia, Tyler and I went to my favorite restaurant for lunch. Alicia lived here for two years and will be here for a month this summer. I am finally feeling better, and I was really encouraged being able to talk through what I have been learning and noticing during the trip.

namaste

we do something different everyday, so its really difficult to summarize the trip.
the food, heat and i have not been getting along so well, and i am constantly being challenged to be patient, loving, prayerful, faithful, and intentional. externally, everything is fantastic- our contacts, our living situation, the people, and our daily activities have been enjoyable. internally, whether it literal or figurative, everything is getting jumbled. my stomach and body ache regularly. at the same time, my thoughts and faith are being twisted frequently as well. i love it though. so much to learn. ty and i were able to go to a local coffee shop tonight and just talk through what we have been thinking about and noticing, which was so enjoyable. he also downloaded pictures today, so you can see just a couple of the things we have been doing.

tyler, zack and myself in the library (which is the main part of the first floor at our contact's home)



ally and me dancing to music with the kids at the orphanage we visited



the winning team from our photo scavenger hunt yesterday. we had to take pictures at certain places or doing certain things all over the city.

I love mangos. I hate delhi-belly.

We have been here a little less than a week, but it feels like way longer. I don’t mean that in a bad way; I think we just got settled pretty quickly and do so many things every day that I can’t believe it has only been 6 days. The team is doing so well. We have gone to markets, temples, coffee shops and an orphanage yesterday.

Naturally, I could write forever but I will just tell you about the temples. The first one was Hindu. Just as I had been warned, every one of my senses was over-stimulated. People were everywhere, bustling through the hot, humid, incense-filled air in the temple. We walked barefoot on the warm marble floor and watched as people desperately wrung bells to awaken their gods. They offered food and flowers to the idols and knelt or bowed in reverence. Ironic that the idols and people are clothed in bright colors and candles and flowers are scattered everywhere, but it was one of the darkest places I have ever been. The Sikh temple was crowded, loud, and had a certain aroma as well, but there is much less desperation and individual focus during their “worship.” I can’t really describe everything very well, and those experiences only account for about 3 hours of our trip. Just wanted to fill you in a little, though. Ty has been capturing the trip on his amazing camera. Check out his blog for more pics. www.tylerhoehne.blogspot.com.

"s"

quick post. we got here this afternoon, drove to the house where we are staying, walked around the market, and went to a local coffee shop. as i was walking through the market, i was thinking about how to describe everything. many people have tried to describe it to me, and while all of their descriptions are true, no words or pictures can actually encompass what it is like to be here. nonetheless, half of the words i thought of begin with the letter S.
Sweat. Smog. Smells. Sounds. Stares. and for the parentals, i'm safe and sound... and i love you.

iTunes

i am waiting for songs to download. iTunes is so convenient but slightly dangerous. i bought a bunch of songs yesterday to keep myself entertained during the approximate 24 hours of travel that are in my near future. sadly, my battery died in the process, though, so i came back to school this morning to download the rest.
Gavin Degraw was my first purchase, naturally, and i am going to have to agree with Mel. Its not exactly what i expected, but i have listened to it 3 or 4 times now, and its growing on me.
Also, some of my roommates made mixes for me last night while i baked cookies, so i am excited to listen to those.
All i have left is to do is laundry so that i do not have to do it when i return. I will probably talk to my mom again (for like the 5th time in the last 2 days) and go to dinner with the girls tonight before i leave.
I am a little nervous actually. Maybe not nervous-- just anxious to get the trip started already. I dont really want to think about it or plan for it anymore, i just want to be there.
Well, im going to go for a run for the last time for 3 weeks. Then take a long, comfortable shower, also probably for the last time for 3 weeks ;)

i dont have internet

at the condo that i live in. i would complain but it is pretty much the best situation ever, so complaining is not a thought or an option. sometimes its kind of been a blessing actually. we did not have tv either for almost a month (and 3 of the 5 roommates were gone) so i got to have lots of quality time with the pretty girl with the sweet teal-ish sunglasses. that is my roommate Erika.
When i wasnt with her this past month, i was probably with the other beautiful brunette, carly. both of them are such great girls and i have had so much fun with them so far this summer. this is kind of a special shout out to them because im leaving tuesday for "South Asia" and im going to miss them tons.
Last weekend we went out to lunch then downtown to this old used bookstore. it was a really enjoyable saturday. luckily Erika always has her camera for photo sessions.



















also, i never post. i read posts. on sunday nights when i come to coffee depot with carly to use the free internet. i have had the urge to blog all week, so now i finally have my chance.
summer has been wonderful. it was blazing in riverside for about a week, then the next week it poured rain and there was a random tornado, and this week has been mild and lovely. i work two on-campus jobs, so i have a 5-10 minute commute to school and am so blessed to have people that will employ me basically full time despite my ridiculous schedule. i am not exactly sure what i do with my nights, other than wednesday nights, when i have small group. other than that, i get a great combination of alone time and friend time.
i leave tuesday night for my isp trip. i am so ready. i was packed a week ago (yeah, i over plan, but i surprisingly have not overpacked-- i have a carry-on size suitcase and a backpack-- for 3 weeks). its going to be hot and humid but i am so excited to experience a different people and culture. it should be humbling, challenging and thrilling.
i will be back in utah around july 7th, so i will get to tell many of you all about it in person. Horray!
anyway, that is pretty much it. i will try to post once when im gone, so for those loyal friends that still check this, check it again please :)

0:9:35

that was the average time of my mile when i ran 13.2. yes, i ran my first half marathon yesterday. i got to huntington beach at 7:00 am and it was about 45 degrees, raining and windy. basically miserable weather. but after the first mile, though i was drenched, i was warmed up and didnt even care that water was gushing between my toes.
i am well aware that my time was not very fast, but i honestly don't care. in the days leading up to the race, my biggest worries were honestly that i would a) not finish in under 2 hours and 10 minutes (10 minute miles) or b) would really have to go to the bathroom right in the middle of it, which is the worst time to stop. as i said, got the goal time and luckily, didnt have to go to the bathroom.
i just wanted to post a quick update, and i will post pictures when my friend emails them to me. for now, im going to write a paper about Kenya.

im it

so apparently, i got tagged by my lovely roommate courtney. i havent read her blog in a while, but today i checked it, and she listed 8 things that people dont know about her (i knew 6 of the 8). at the end, she tagged me and hillary kell. i will attempt to enlighten some of you, but no guarantees.
1. i dont like feet (not near me or on me or anything)
2. i have two fake teeth
3. i am not a fan of the really flowery, berry scents (ex: most of bath and body works)
4. i have never toured the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake
5. the bottom of pools scare me
6. i had headgear for a year. proud of it.
7. i didnt get my license until i was almost 17
8. i do not enjoy tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, or ham

i dont know who else to tag. ive never been great at this game, i was always too slow.

oatmeal banana chocolate chip cookies

my roommate lauren and i love them. ive eaten three today. i try to make myself feel better by telling myself that im getting fruit and fiber or something, but im sure if my new years resolution was to lose weight, the cookies would not be part of a road to success.
thankfully, that is not one of my resolutions, but blogging more frequently is one of them. im going to start small and just go for a short list to update those of you who still actually check this blog.
1. i got an A- in a class. they wont give you an A+ to give you a better GPA, but they will give an A- to kill it!
2. i had two friends from cali come to visit during the break, which was so fun and appreciated (as it made the break more entertaining)
3. i turn 21 on Monday
4. my mom tore her ACL skiing
5. i appreciate everything my mom does even more than i thought i did
6. i went snowboarding alone yesterday; the snow was amazing but im sore today
7. Dash Cain is the smartest two-year-old i know
8. next semester's classes are going to suck. bad.

and when i say update more, i mean like once a week. im sure amy boyd will leave mean comments as a form of accountability should i slack. the rest of you may feel free to do so as well.
ill leave you with a picture of me and sarah on Christmas morning. we opened stockings and presents then made snow angels in our back yard. i think we did the same thing when we were 7.

e-commerce

right now I am sitting in e-commerce. it is easily one of the more boring classes I have taken during my college career. unfortunately, I have to come because we do group projects every class session (thankfully I have a good group), and we have "pop" reading quizes every tuesday. I have never scored better than a C because I do not own the book.
normally I do other homework when im in this class or I read blogs etc. I rarely check my own blog, but I just noticed that one reader made a very "honest" comment. so im updating.
as usual, I am extremely busy with school, work, football, focus, and other stuff.
the only thing that is really new is that I have started swimming. I only do it like twice a week, but its a nice change from running in nasty riverside. I sport a sweet black speedo (yeah for the one-piece CBU rules), and I even bought goggles. Im pretty committed :)
My friend and I go and swim laps until my arms burn and I breath more water than air. I wont tell you how many laps that takes because it is pretty embarrassing at this point, but Im still enjoying it so far.
Other than that, I went to Pacifica this weekend, which is right outside of San Fransisco. I would consider moving there. Its beautiful. We had such a great time, but now im back to the reality of a paper about the telegraph and a research proposal dealing with the annual reports and financial ratios for Apple Computers. and my teacher keeps walking past me so im going to pay attention to his powerpoint now...

"the reason for the season"

at one point during the wedding preparation, a couple of the bridesmaids and I were admitting to the fact that Claire Michelle Cain is a pretty big deal and that she deserved all of the sweat and man hours we put into making goodies for the big day (thank you brett for actually keeping yours-- greatly appreciated). I declared that we should be honored to work with/ spend time with her, as she was the reason for the season.
I am aware that my comment was slightly blasphemous and that Claire was far from bridezilla, but I dont think all of the hours we spent together would have been nearly as enjoyable without everyones sarcastic additions.
truly, though, it was such an honor to be part of Claire and Matthew's wedding. they are such an amazing couple. they never fail to make me laugh or remind me that i should be continually pursuing Christ.
not only was it really enjoyable to spend time with the Cain and Teter families, but it was also fun to have so many of our friends in town for the wedding. it made me love utah more than I already do.

me, kelli, the bride, and mel at the Cain family party.













me and liz. second summer in a row that we have been bridesmaids together... sure hope it doesnt turn into some sick trend.


we were pretty impressive on the dance floor. the picture doesnt do us justice i promise.
















she is fantastic. thats all i have to say.

Sunday 2 Sunday

so the past week (the 15th-22nd) was the most eventful i have had all summer! i anticipate that the week of Claires wedding will be pretty packed as well, so im glad i got to have a little prep :)

Sunday: Celebrated my friendships with Kelli and Kimber by going to PF Changs for lunch and then shopping around in Gateway. my question-- why does the Banana Republic smell so weird there? my theory-- the waterpark right out the door.



this is a bit blurry cause we thought it was probably illegal to take pictures in Forever 21. but i had to have proof that they were trying to sell dresses from my moms youth. honestly, who is going to purchase those?

We also celebrated Mormon Day, as we went to Weber State to watch the fireworks. Some friends, phase ten, cookies, starbursts, everyone in Ogden, a symphony and fireworks makes for a pretty entertaining evening.



the sea of blankets. yes, you can put them out the morning of, and they will not get moved or stolen. its Ogden folks, not LA.

Monday: I worked and scheduled probably four calls incorrectly because i was so excited to go to California. what can i say, i was having trouble focusing...

Tuesday- Sunday: Went on a plane. ate. hung out with friends. ate. went to a really cool park. ate. went to a bachelorette party. ate. went to a shooting range (so fun!). ate. went to a wedding. ate and danced. said goodbye and got back on a plane.



the future roommates :)















i shot the gun 50 times and i only hit him right in the center 1 time. embarrassing.




robin, kinsley, amy and me at kimmys wedding. we clean up pretty nicely, if i do say so myself.

the alphabet

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyandz.
i love and miss you amy boyd.

living up to my blogger title as "therambler"

one of the main reasons i dont post is because i dont really take pictures when i am home. i love posts with pictures. however, i was reading back on some of my old posts from when i first became a member of the blogging world, and i have been reading other people's blogs, and i miss it. blogging is a skill, and an important one at that. i feel like it makes you better at thinking, writing, expressing yourself, and all in all, i think it improves your ability to notice and appreciate little details in life that are important to remember and share. consequently, blogging not only improves your relationship with your mind and surroundings, but it also helps you get to know more about your friends.

so i will share some of my basically routine life with you, though i warn you, its pretty boring.
i get up at 5:45, am at work by 7:00 and off by 4:00 or 5:00. i typically eat at my desk, as i am a workaholic, and dont really see a point in leaving for 45 minutes when i could get paid instead. i talk to someone from california almost every day. i run or walk alot because utah is beautiful. and i try to go to bed early because sleep is beautiful as well.

as for my pen-pal, he is alive, he was just at camp (though he did not mention that ever in any letters, so i was worried there for about a week).
many of my friends from school have been in different countries serving, and i miss them and pray for them alot.
we are no longer having Bible Study on tuesday nights, so my social life has become even less social, which is saddening.
my friend Claire is beautiful and is getting married this summer, and so i really enjoy the times i get to spend with her and the girls getting everything ready.
i had a visitor, which was sooo fun and i got to take a day off of work!

other than that, my life is basically uneventful. but i think that is healthy for me, as eight months out of my year are highly eventful, expensive and exhausting!

google

so i read an article for my Business Law class about trademarks etc. google is currently dealing with trademark issues because the word is commonly used as a verb, meaning "to research." if someone tells you to "google" something, he/she means look it up on the internet, but that person is more than likely completely indifferent to the actual search engine you use, whether it be google, or msn or yahoo. when words like zipper or xerox are used so commonly that they no longer classify a specific brand, then they can lose their right to a legal trademark. google is one of those words. i understand that is is kind of boring and almost completely unrelated to what i am going to say, but i thought about it as i was starting to post this blog.
here is why.
not only did i google my own name out of boredom (pathetic, i know), but when i did, the first link that came up with the name "JULIE WOUDENBERG" highlighted, was not for me. i was positive that i was the only julie woudenberg in the U.S. so positive, that i would have made a bet that it could be trademarked. however, my name is apparently not as unique as i thought. i was almost offended (even more pathetic) that my name could be on the verge of being as generic as John Smith! o my heavens.
well that is all folks. and dont judge me. i know my pasttimes are lame and that my emotions on this matter are extreme. im ok with that, cause it makes me unique.

readers digest: part 1

so in the last three weeks, i have technically only gone to classes six days. we had spring break for a week. i came back for three days. i went to new york. i came back for three days. then, i went on Easter break. its been amazing. however, i still had enough homework for three weeks, and thanks to time management and a lack of sleep, i was able to get everything turned in early/ on time and enjoy traveling all over the country.
im going to just give the readers digest version of the last three weeks, though, one week at a time.

For Spring break, Amy, Lauren and I decided to road trip up to Nor Cal for the week. They are amazing girls, so we had a great time listening to music, talking, and laughing. One thing that I really appreciate about both of them is that they are pretty low maintenance and brilliant. perfect for a road trip, if you ask me. not only was i always challenged and entertained by my interaction with them (both through conversation and observation), but i love that we could just relax, sleep on the floor, not get ready for the day, or just not talk and be completely content. we stayed at Erica's house in Walnut Creek for the first two nights and in Pacifica with Tim for the last two nights. Both towns are beautiful and reflect many of the positive aspects of Northern California, which should just be a seperate state all together.
a pic of the girls on the first night that we got to Walnut Creek. We sat at the Bucks for a while to journal and do homework. Good way to end the day of driving.


we relaxed in Walnut Creek on Tuesday and Wednesday we drove to Pacifica to meet up with the boys. We proceeded to take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), also known as "the" BART by southern californians, who put the article "the" in front of everything. thanks to our tour guide, tim, who is also in extremely good shape, we walked thousands of blocks through San Fran to get to the GGP (Golden Gate Park). It was worth the walk... this flower conservatory place was beautiful!



after a little time at the GGP, we went to Fishermans Warf for lunch, Ghirardelli Square for ice cream, then the wrong bus, then the right bus to Union Square for shopping. All in all, we ate, shopped, and walked a ton, but it was beautiful weather, and I was with a bunch of friends. it was a great way to experience San Fran for the first time...



Thursday, we had a lazy day in Pacifica. Amy and I went running on the beach, in shorts and tee shirts no less! tim lives less than a mile from the beach, so everyone met us there and we all walked around and enjoyed the sun for a bit. That night, we played a pick up game of basketball after dinner, and you could see the sun setting over the ocean from tims backyard. AMAZING!
Friday, we drove back home, and im pretty sure we didnt talk for the first three hours of the ride because we were just enjoying the sensational scenery. Northern California is SO green, and much less crowded in comparison to So Cal. on the drive we made a couple of stops in Central California. we took a break near Viselia for a little shopping at the outlets with my roommate Courtney. we then drove to Bakersfield, Amy's home town, and went out to Dowrs for ice cream sundays. yes, that is marshmellow cream drizzled over the top of the glass!



once we got back to school, we just hung out for two more days, and i did lots of homework in preparation to leave for "the" NYC.

more to come...

quote of the day

quick, quick, pictureless update:

i am officially a mouth breather. i cant inhale through either nostril at the moment due to a cold. today i got out of breath trying to eat lunch.

i went to San Fransisco last week and it was sooo much fun. ill post pictures soon.

im leaving for New York tomorrow night. im soooo excited!

i watched the Holiday today with my roommates. it was raining outside and it was romantic. and i love my roommates.

speaking of roommates, my immediate roommate, courtney, is amazing. she is really dynamic and we have such a great time together. we have roommate dress up days, roommate ditch days, we leave notes on the mirror for each other and we always have a quote of the day that we right on the top left of the mirror. Well courney was on a roll today... i told her that her quotes were so good that I would blog at least one of them. this wont make sense to any of you. and im sorry, but im doing it for her.

"i always leave my shoes on"

sneak a peak

so last week i got the flu, and while it was extremely inconvenient and uncomfortable, i was so lucky to have friends that pamper me, a weekend to recover and do nothing but watch movies and sleep, and a roommate that got sick with me (while i apologized to courtney, i was in much less misery having her home the entire time).
part of the misery was the fact that i had lots of homework last week, which included a painful Accounting test. i was feverish and sweaty almost the entire hour that i had to sit in the room and peck away at my calculator, but i somehow pulled an A on the test! seriously unexpected! i was thrilled when i found out this morning, to say the least.
brief and random update, i know, but the real reason i wanted to blog was to tell all of you Utah friends to check out my friend Trevor's blog. he has some engagement pics of Tom and Shannon up. adorable if you ask me. sneak a little peak if you have a minute... http://treverhoehne.blogspot.com/

Annie Gabriel

im in the AG Library in an uncomfortable, wooden chair at a boxy, wooden desk. and i hate doing research.

photo shoot

on thursday nights i have to leave my apartment becasue FCA meets there, so this week i went to my friend Jeremy's. i had no desire to do homework so i decided to take pictures on his camera. Ryan and Jeremy were trying to assess their options for the photo shoot and i caught the moment.
ironically, i ended up liking this picture alot. i understand that to the naked eye, it looks like they are a couple, but really they are just planning to flip off the camera in the next picture. and that is what they did.