Sound and Silence

Because because I do not scream
You do not know how bad I hurt

Because because I do not kiss
on public squares
You may not know how much I love

Because because I do not swear
again and again and again
You wouldn't know how deep I care

You keep saying
How somehow our world must live by signs
But see how much we give away
Doing time in pursuit of signs
deprived of all meaning
and of all purpose
We break our words in two. Then we
Split each half into sounds and silences

by Kofi Anyidoho
(the formatting didn't come out just right, sorry)

Just to be Prideful...

I know I shouldn't be, but I wanted to show off. In my brother Robert's blog he put a picture of his son (see below) that he said was so picturesque that someone should write a poem about it. Well, being an English major and all I took that as a challenge. So I wrote a poem. And since I am always looking for the spotlight :) I thought I would rip off Rob's picture and post the poem. Thanx for putting up with my Vanity.

Picture Poem

by Juli Gillis

Dedicated to Easton Aird

On my way,

This bright day,

To find adventure, fun, and play.

What to do,

Where to go,

Exploring worlds I do not know.

Down the hall,

Clad in gear,

To face the playground with no fear.

So much fun,

So little time,

This fleeting moment is all mine.

Short little note...

Hi again. This isn't going to be long, but I find it so funny that I just had to write it down before I forgot. You see, every night the campus sprinklers turn on, not unusual for a place this big. Well, by Aggie Village there is a sprinkler that has lost it's head and it looks like Old Faithful every night. I am talking at least 15 feet high (not exaggerating). So we were driving home tonight, and we saw that old faithful was going again, so Rob decides to drive under it and get a free car wash! We drove through the spray 4 times. And the crazy thing is that it actually worked. When we got out of the car and looked at it, the car was cleaner. Free car washes at Aggie Village!!!

So much happens in so little a time...

Hi again. It's been over a month since I last wrote (FYI). The reason I don't write regularly is because nothing really happens in our lives that is exciting enough to share with you. This last month was much the same. I wrote papers and worked, Rob worked and worked, we were together in the evening and read or watched something. Nothing big. Then, all of the sudden, we have a crazy weekend and stuff happened. This last Friday we went and saw The Scarlet Pimpernel with Rob's side of the family. It was way fun. The acting was good, the music was good, the settings were good. It was way fun. (I know I am repeating myself) I was so excited about it that I convinced my Dad to go to. He and Nancy and Grandma and (cousin) Kimmy went to the show right after the one we went to.

Also on Friday Dad invited us to go try out a boat he was considering buying. It's a cute little 18 footer. It goes really fast. I had so much fun. The boat has an open nose, so I got to sit up front while we were going fast. Since it was a windy day, the water was really wavy and that made for a bumpy, yet exciting, ride. And I forgot to wear sunblock. Oops. I got burned, literally. The really sad part about it is that my burn didn't turn into a tan, but faded away. :( Rob, on the other hand, got darker. Life isn't fair sometimes.

Another exciting thing that happened this weekend is that Rob and I bought a new camera. It's a really nice Nikon. It's kinda weird. The reason it feels weird is that this is really one of the first big/expensive items that Rob and I have bought together. It's not his that became mine too, or mine that became his too, but it is ours. I like the sound of it though.

School starts this next Monday. I'm excited that this is the last time for me that school starts.

Next random story. So while Rob and I were teasing each other the other day, I overextended my thumb. What happened is that Rob was trying to go to the other room to get dinner and I wouldn't let him. When he stood up to leave I grabbed the back of his shirt and he fell back down. The problem was that he fell on my thumb (that was pointing towards him in my grip) and he landed on it. I can tell you that overextending you thumb hurts, a lot. Rob felt really bad, but it wasn't his fault. Later that evening as we were getting ready for bed, I informed Rob that it's hard to brush your teeth without detachable thumbs. (I meant opposable, but I was really tired). That got Rob laughing for the rest of the evening, and the next morning.

I guess that is all that has happened in our lives recently. Hopefully next time we will have used the camera and will have pictures again. YAY!

A year later (almost)

Hi Family!! And anyone else reading, but if you are reading this, then you are considered family! So we finally did it, we got our honeymoon pictures developed! Yes, it took us a little under a year. Sad, but true. So I figured, since I haven't really put any pictures on this blog since our wedding, I would regale you with pictures. I will do my best to explain them under each one (yeah we will see how well that works out). Just out of curiosity, have you already looked at the pictures, and now you are just starting to read this?





Well, here's Rob and I. This is on the ramp heading to the cruise ship. You see, we forgot to bring a camera. OOPS. So, right before we went to the pier, we hit a Wal-mart and bought two disposable cameras. So, that is why the first picture is of us on the ramp, not in the car or in Vegas, or even at Wicked. (though I do have some car pictures, I just thought you might want something a little more interesting...)

Here's Rob, I took most of the pictures. Again we are on the ramp. You can see the ship we sailed on right behind him. Sadly, I have forgotten the name of the vessel. Oh well. That wasn't what I was concentrating on remembering anyway.

Okay, so, on cruises they have to do a practice abandon ship thing, so this is me taking pictures of it. Rob was to my other side. Everyone on the ship had to grab their orange life perserver and head to the main stage area, there they (the crew) told us where each level and apartment had to go in case of a sinking ship or something. (they didn't want to repeat the Titanic).

Now, if it wasn't obvious before, I was the one taking the pictures. We do have a picture of me with the sun setting behind, like this beautiful one of Rob, but the wind was blowing fairly hard (we were on a moving ship) and my hair looks like Medusa was the stylist. So you get to see Rob with the ocean behind him. This picture was taken after many wanderings throughout the ship. I learned on that trip how much my husband is an explorer. He loves to wander and find out where things are and just be able to go everywhere. I am fairly certain we went everywhere you could on that ship, and maybe a few places you couldn't :)

This is what Carnival Cruises give you on the bed everyday. A towel dog. It was actually quite creative. So, I wanted to take a picture, and didn't take into account the flash, and it's washed out. Oh well. The ship was really fun, after I got over my sickness. They had all you can eat buffets, all the time (you can guess Rob's favorite place) They had shows every night, the best being the magician. They had miniture golf on the top deck, and a pool with a slide and hot tub just down the way. It was fun. But the best part was that I was with Rob...

The two places we docked were Catalina Island, just off the coast of California, and Ensenada (I think that is how you spell it) Mexico. This picture is Catalina Island. It was a beautiful place. Very sunny and fun. While we were there we were able to go to a museum that was built out of an OLD theater/movie theater, from the beginnings of the moving pictures type thing. This is me next to a palm tree just off the dock.

And here's Rob in the same place.

This is the city. It's very much a tourist town, but I thought it was fun. Just down the road there was a book store, yes we went in.

I don't actually know what the signficance of the buffalo is to this town, but they had this bronze stature, and we thought it was funny.

That round building in the distance is the museum/theater house we went to. It was really beautiful. Up the hill was a pretty gazebo and a bell that tolled the hour.

While on Catalina Island, we went on a boat ride. It was called the Glass Bottom Boat. It had these sections that were plexiglass that allowed you too see into the clear bule sea. It was fun. This nice couple next to us were kind enough to take a picture of both of us.

That's the 'glass'. And that is actually a good picture of what we saw. Unless the fish were really bright or really close, you pretty much just saw the silhouettes. There were a few 'nemo' fish, that's what the little kids next to us called them. They were bright orange.

The other activity we did was go for a paddle boat ride. Here's Rob, in deep concentration... :) It was sunny. It was a fun way to see the island and all the boats that people lived on.

There's me. I think I am smiling.

That's a picture of Catalina Island from the paddle boat.

Our next stop on the Cruise was Ensenada Mexico. I have to admit, I had more fun in Catalina. Mexico was for people who wanted to spend all their money on alcohol. We didn't. But we did get to go to this blow hole. It's a spot where the ocean meets the cliffs and the pressure of the water against the hard surface causes the water to blow up. Don't worry, we have pictures. The above is a picture of these random statues they have. The statues reminded me of the great and powerful oz, so I took a picture (from a bus).

This guy was a dancing Mexican. I always like these guys. They remind me of Nephites or Lamanites. It was kinda fun to watch him dance.

Here's the blow hole, apparently one of the largest in the world. You can see how the water is shooting up into the air. We were atleast a hundred feet up, if not more.

That's just the bow hole, without me. We wanted to see if we could catch it in progress with a disposable. We can. :)

Here's us. And now we come to the end of our pictures. Needless to say, we had a good time, all the more because we were together.

It's been an interesting year for the two of us. I would say mostly normal for a newlywed couple. I am very happy that I married Rob. And that is what truly matters.

Running in the Rain

Hi again. Sorry it's been such a long time for the update on the fabulous Gillis family in Logan. As most the readers know, Juli (that's me) went into the hospital twice last month for an inflamed appendix and an infection. Well, all is well on that front. My body is still recovering, but I am doing great, thanx for asking. Now, the fun story...
Rob and I were unsure as to what to do together this evening. We got the movie Psycho from the library, so that was an idea. We thought about going for a hike, but I didn't really have enough energy for that. We considered playing a game, but I could tell that Rob really wanted to go outside (he likes to walk and hike). *Sidenote* for my birthday last year, a friend of mine, Amy (she works at the bookstore with me) gave me a token for a free scoop of Aggie Icecream. Well I hadn't used it, so I suggested to Rob that we walk to Aggie Icecream (it's only about four blocks away) and redeem the token. He was for that idea, so that is what we did. Well, if any of you watched Utah weather this night, you will know that it rained up here. It was threatening when we left home, but it was a beautiful evening. We were not worried. We went, got a scoop of strawberry icecream, discussed the etymology of the word strawberry, made shapes in the clouds, and enjoyed eachother's company. Soon enough, Rob said we should leave because he felt a rain drop. I reluctantly agreed (I was having fun). So we started to walk home. About halfway home, the heavens opened up, and the rains came pouring down. We had to run the rest of the way. Naturally, we got soaked. It was soooo much fun. I love getting stuck in the rain (pina coloda's, not so much).
Well, that's the story, and I'm sticking with it. Now I am going to enjoy the sound of the rain, and have a wonderful evening. I hope you do too.

New Harry Potter Trailer...

So, I'm obsessed, yes I know, but this one is cool. Just scroll down to the bottom, turn off the music and enjoy the new Harry Potter Trailer... July 17 can't come soon enough... te he he

This is what Rob does at work

Go to this website. It's an article from Popular Science that they did on the project that Rob is building/programming/working on/designing. I am so proud!!!!!
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4313331.html (you have to copy and paste.)

This is a really cool poem that I read for class...

Parts of Speech

Some stories don't want to be told.
They walk away, carrying their suitcases
held together with grey string.
Look at their disappearing curved spines.
Hunch-backs. Harmed ones. Hold-alls.

Some stories refuse to be danced or mimed,
drop their scuffed canes
and clattering tap-shoes,
erase their traces in nursery rhymes
or ancient games like blind man's buff.

And at this stained place words
are scraped from resinous tongues,
wrung like washing, hung on the lines
of courtroom and confessional,
transposed into the dialect of record.

Why still believe stories can rise
with wings, on currents, as silver flares,
levitate unweighted by stones,
begin in pain and move towards grace,
aerating history with recovered breath?

Why still imagine whole words, whole worlds:
the flame splutter of consonants,
deep sea-anemone vowels,
birth-cable syntax, rhymes that start in the heart,
and verbs, verbs that move mountains?

-Ingrid De Kok

Testimony

Hi again. Today was Fast and Testimony meeting for our ward, because General Conference is next week. I didn't get up and bear my testimony, :(
I know, I should. Anyway, I was thinking that Rob really hasn't 'heard' me bear my testimony before, and the General Authorities are always telling us that your testimony gets stronger the more you bear it. So, I thought I should write my testimony and share it with my family and those I love... Here I go...

The things I know to be true:
I know Heavenly Father loves me and you and all His children.
I know He watches out for us, and protects us.
I know He sent His Son to live and to die for us.
I know that through the Atonement of Christ we can all be saved and return to live with Christ and our Heavenly Father again.
I know that after a time of darkness, Heavenly Father sent His gospel back to the earth, and that Joseph Smith was the one chosen to start the work.
I know that I was sent to the best family in the world.
I know that families are forever when sealed in the temple of our Lord and that we will live with each other forever
I know that all of this is a gift given to us by our Father in Heaven
I know that the book of Mormon was given to us as a map to show us where to go and how to get there.
I am so very grateful for all my blessings, and for all of you who read this. All of you mean so much to me. Thank you for your love.

Good News

Hi again. I was given some excellent news yesterday that I want to share with everyone. I went to the new english advisor that USU has. The purpose behind this was to plan out my remaining year at school. I wanted to know what classes I had to take in order to graduate in the spring. Now, I must confess something. I had been convincing myself that it was going to be an uphill battle to have enough credits in time. I thought that I had a good 18 credits or more to have to take each semseter. Well (now to the good news) I was wrong. I talked to the advisor and she informed me that all I had left was 12 credits and that I was going to graduate THIS December! I couldn't believe it. I was SOOOOO excited yesterday! Rob and I celebrated with Cafe Rio and a movie. It was great! I can't believe that I am actually going to graduate from college. I just wanted to share the good news! WAHOO!!!!

Stress, sick, and a 2 am wal-mart run

Hello again. The sickness bug has hit our home this last week. But, as in all good stories, I must start before it came. You see, last week I (Juli) had three papers to write and one test to study for. To say it was stressful is an undrestatement. Well, I tried my hardest to get everything done. At first I thought I only had two papers. I had a paper due in my post-colonial class, and a paper for my film class, plus a test for my film class. OH, I ALSO had a presentation due for the post-colonial class. Yeah, loads of fun. So the presentation was due on Wednesday, so I concentrated on that. Then the paper for the film class was due on Thursday (that was a long night). And then the test was ALSO on Thursday, the thinking being that the paper would help us study for the test. It didn't. Then, I had my paper due in my post-colonial class due on Monday. Now, I know you are going to say that I had the weekend to write it. I didn't, I got sick instead. YAY. So, I wrote the paper on Sunday, pretending that I felt better. Then, what happened, Rob starts feeling under the weather. So we go to bed early and I can't sleep. (This is monday night.) I get to sleep around 10 pm and I wake up at 1:30 am. I couldn't sleep and didn't know why. So, I go out to do some homework that got thrown to the sidelines. Well, I look through one syllabus and discover I have a paper due in my religion english class. yay for me. So I start to write that and Rob wakes up feeling cold, but way hot to the touch. We didn't have a lot of medication in the house, so I take a 2:30 am Wal-Mart trip. Don't worry, it get's better. I get off the hill (campus is on a hill, wal-mart is in the valley) and the mist is so heavy, I can't see beyond 30 yards or so in front of me. By the time I get to Wal-Mart, I am certain some guy is going to jump out and get me, and I won't even see it coming. You know, there is no one around at 2:30 in the morning. I think it is the calmest I had ever seen wal-mart. So, I buy some nyquil and throat drops and tylenol and get back to Rob. He takes the Nyquil and falls back asleep. I stay awake and finish my paper. The next day, I call Steve, the family doctor, and ask him if Rob has just a fever or not, and how long it is going to last. He tells me that Rob has the flu and he should be feeling better come Thursday and Friday. Well, it's Thursday, and Rob feels better. He is not up to 100%, but he is a whole lot better than he used to be. As for me, I am starting to feel a little ill. Let's hope for the best. That has been our crazy week or so (oh yeah, throw in a wedding reception on Saturday, and Missionaries at Dad's on Sunday). At least life isn't dull.

This one is for my brother ROB

So, I was talking to Rob, my brother, the other day. I was somewhat chastised for my bad blogging skills during that conversation. He reminded me that not only is he far away from the family and this is an extremely useful mode of keeping his family knowledge up, but I, too, am somewhat far away from the hub of the family. (I realize that Logan is not as far away as Ireland, but it is quite a distance) Therefore, I am going to apologize to all who read this blog as a way to stay in the know with what is happening with the Gillis family in Logan. (no Rob did not put me up to this, and he really didn't chastise me all that bad :D )

Anyway, our life for the past month...hmmmm. What to say. Well, Rob (now husband) and I have discovered how much we are alike in some things. Let me explain. A couple of weeks ago, Rob and I were trying to go to sleep and I realized that the front door was not locked. Well, both of us were warm and neither of us wanted to move. So I proposed a paper/rock/scissors competition, best out of three, loser has to get up and lock the door. I believe it took us 5 tries to NOT have the same choice. If I chose to do paper, so did Rob. It was weird and funny. In the end, Rob lost, and he went and locked the door. Yay for me.

Ler's see, in generalities, we are doing well. Rob really loves his job. He is still working at SDL (the Space Dynamics Lab), he has two classes that he enjoys studying for. The one I hear the most about is a class where they are designing (and building, I think) an aerospike nozzle. He loves it. And I am soo glad that he is doing something he loves. Well, I guess I will have to have Rob write about his classes to get you more information.
As for me, I am in four english classes, three of which are upper division. On Mondays and Wednesdays I go to my Studies in Literary and Cultural Theory. Now, depending on which professor teaches, you study something different (that is true for all my classes) My professor for this class is the Post-Colonial specialist. So we are studying literature from post slavery/independance Caribbean, the apartied in South Africa, and the partitioning of India. We are discussing how each area has a cultural trauma that it went through and we are diving into it and trying to see what it means just like true english majors. (The following classes are all on Tuesdays and Thurdays. Yay for me, I have no Friday classes.) Another class is very similar in name, completely different in presentation and subject material. It is Studies in Literary and Cultural Difference. For this class we are studying the English Reformation and the writings that came out of that. We studying this literature to discover if the literature is accurate of the feelings of the day or not. Those are my two heavy hitters. The other upper level class, is kind of not really upper level. It is Studies in Drama and Film. I heard that last semester the professor who taught this class was the medieval specialist and that the class studied medieval drama. Sounds like fun *Sarcastic* Well, this semester it is studies in genre film. So we are watching movies like westerns, or romantic comedies, stuff like that. I already love the class. I still have to write essays and such, but watching a movie is really nice as homework. The last class that I am in is a literary theory class. It focuses on, you guessed it, literary theory (like marxist theory). It's fun.

Lastly, for Christmas we were given season tickets to Hale Center Theatre in West Jordan. We went and saw our first play there this last weekend. It's called Cash on Delievery. I thought it was hilarious. It was about this guy who had been frauding the SS department in London. Well, the play begins with him trying to get out of it without going to jail. He tries with killing off his made up tenets. But the government wants to give the tenets family money for funeral expenses. This is exactly what Harry, the main character, doesn't want more of. Well from there the situation just gets worse and worse. From a representative from the SS department showing up for a different fictional tenent, to Harry forcing his real tenet, Norman, to dress up in drag. (It's so that Harry can say that Norman Harry's wife). I thought the whole show was hilarious. The writing was really good. Everytime I thought that the situation couldn't get worse and allow the play to remain understandable, it did. And I still was able to follow who was who and what was going on. Okay, most of the time I was able to follow what was going on. I liked it

Well, I think that is all for now. I hope this catches everyone up, and I will try to get out a post more than just once a month. We'll see if that really happens.

Happy New Year!

It's 2009! can you believe it? I know I can't. This year has passed by so quickly. Last night (the last night of 2008) I was reminiscing with Rob about the same time last year. We were not even dating at that time (18 days to the year mark of our first date). How life has changed in the last year: Rob and Katie have moved to IRELAND of all places, Steve and Amy have moved back to Utah, Jeff visited Ghana, I got married, we all grew in wonderful enlightening ways, I could go on and on... (have you ever noticed that people say that, but what it really means is that they have hit an end to the big things that they can think of off hand.) This last year was a wonderful year, I hate to see it go. But I will bid it a fond farewell and welcome in the new year with great expectations (especially to not see it end as that book does). So to end this post...
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~Benjamin Franklin