The Colorado Confessions

2011-02-20T15:01:00.002-07:00

Hi again. Sorry it has been so long. I admit, I am not the best blogger, oh well. The exciting thing that has happened in our family recently is that Rob was able to present a paper to a prestigious conference, the American Astronomical Society 34th Guidance and Control Conference. He was amazing. I was able to talk my way into going to Breckenridge Colorado, where the conference was held, and also I talked (more like just walked) into his session and so I got to see him present! He was sooooo good. The place was full of professional GNC (guidance, navigation, control) guys and PhD's. All were intensely listening to him and were interested in his ideas. It was fun to see him shine. So that you all can enjoy it too, I recorded it, te he he. His presentation is 20 minutes long, just so you know. But Rob explains everything he has been working on for the last six months, if not longer. So here he is...

(Blogger won't let me upload it, so if you want a copy email me...)

The next big thing to happen, is that Rob applied and was interviewed for a job with Emergent Space Technologies, Inc. They liked him so much that they are going to fly him out to Colorado sometime in March, to see if he fits the team and for another interview. If Rob get's the job, he would be working on the Orion Space Capsule (what NASA and the space community have planned to take over for the space shuttle). Rob is really excited. I am extremely proud of him.

Fifty Free Christmas Cards!!!

2010-11-13T11:38:00.004-07:00

Hi again! A couple of days ago, I was checking our blog (to see if anyone had commented or read the new post). I didn't really want to go to bed, yes it was late, so I was just blog surfing. I would click on the next blog up in the corner and just see who I would get. Well I landed on a family blog where the writer (the Mom) was advertising 50 free Christmas Cards from Shutterfly. I was like, "what?" so I read about it. I also decided to sign up. What is going on is that shutterfly is doing this promotional blog thing. If you sign up at this site http://bit.ly/sfly2010 you get all the info. What you have to do is send in your email, write up a blog post about how cool this is (by the way I think it is way cool! 50 free cards from Shutterfly?!?! and the cards are way cute). You also have to share some favorite links to Shutterfly. Here are mine: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery ; http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards ; and you can't forget new years (some of these are cute too) http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/new-years-cards . They also send you some links to stationary and other cool stuff. I was soo excited when I read her blog that I signed up right away. I have been spending all morning looking at Christmas cards. I hope you guys take advantage of this way cool offer!!! Well, I have to go clean now, but I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Goals

2010-11-07T17:53:00.007-07:00

Hi again. Sorry for the insane long delay in updates. You see, Rob and I live a very predictable life, and little happens that falls under the "wow, I should tell someone that" category. But since it's been so long since I wrote, I will try to update you on the new news of our little family.
Rob is finishing up (as in over half way done) his graduate degree. He plans on graduating in August of 2011. He recently submitted a paper to the American Astronomical Society for a conference they hold in Breckenridge, Colorado. This conference only accepts about 1 in 4 submissions, and they accepted Robs!!!!!!! I am so excited for him. What this means is in February Rob is going to Colorado to present his paper, which is a mini thesis, to a bunch of PhD's and professional Rocket Scientists. He's a little freaked, I am way proud!
Rob's work at the Space Dynamics lab is keeping him busy as well. Right now he is helping test a sensor for a UAV for the Air Force. He loves it. He told me that he was able to find a flaw in the design his team is working on, which, if not found could have cost them at least 2 weeks backtracking, and lots of money. Go Rob!
As for myself. I am still working at the USU Bookstore. It's...well let's just say it's a job. I have started a diet that seems to be working really well, it's called eat healthier and exercise. Amazing concept isn't? I have used a diet book, the Five Factor Diet, for recipe/meal ideas, but I (meaning Rob and I) are figuring it out that fat/calorie thing for me.
My best friend Susan convinced me to try this crazy self competition called NaNoWriMo. What it stands for is National Novel Writers Month. Basically you challenge yourself to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Susan is doing great, me... well I am trying.
Recently, as in the last couple of months, I have realized that I haven't really developed my self Intellectually, Physically, Emotionally, or Spiritually. Some of this comes from graduating school I think. I think I thought that I was done growing. I have come to realize that if you stop yourself from growing, you literally damn (as in a water damn) or stop yourself. It's not a fun place to be in. Rob is helping me grow physically, with the diet and exercise program we do together. I am trying this writing thing for the intellectual. (This is going to seem like a jump) My house is a mess, and emotionally it hurts to be ashamed to have my husband have to come home to it. Part of what I think keeps me from cleaning is the accessibility of easy entertainment, such as a Wii, a DVD player, a television hooked up to the internet or Netflix, or just the computer. SO, here is the goal. I am going to unplug the wii and have Rob hide the power cord. I am unplugging the tv and unhooking the cable. I have asked Rob to put a password on his computer and to hide the laptop. I know this sounds extreme and supposedly I should be able to just shut myself from all these distractions. But the last couple of months have proved to me that I have to try something drastic. Once I gain back my self control, then I will be able to ignore the distractions until appropriate. Rob told me he was proud of me, and that he thought that what I am doing is wise and courageous. I hope so. That is for the Emotional. As for Spiritual, I haven't figured out a goal as of yet, it's the next one after I find out if the cleaning goal works. One step at a time, right?
Well, that's about all that is new in our lives. LLAP

more to come, I promise

2010-06-07T13:31:00.002-06:00

"I'd like to append to them the fact--and this is a true gospel verity--that everyone in the church who is on the straight and narrow path, who is striving and struggling and desiring to do what is right, though is far from perfect in this life; if he passes out of this life while he's on the straight and narrow, he's going to go on to eternal reward in his Father's Kingdom.
"We don't need to get a complex or get a feeling that you have to be perfect to be saved. You don't. There's only been one perfect person, and that's the Lord Jesus, but in order to be saved in the Kingdom of God and in order to pass the test of mortality, what you have to do is get on the straight and narrow path--thus charting a course leading to eternal life--and then, being on that path, pass out of this life in full fellowship. I'm saying you don't have to be perfect to be saved. If you did, no one would be saved. The way it operates is this: you get on the path that's named the 'straight and narrow.' You do it by entering the gates of repentance and baptism. The straight and narrow path leads from the gates of repentance and baptism, a very great distance, to a reward that's called eternal life. If you're on that path and pressing forward, and you die, you'll never get off the path. There is no such thing as falling off the straight and narrow path in the life to come, and the reason is that this life is the time that is given to men to prepare for eternity. Now is the time and day of your salvation, so if you're working zealously in this life--though you haven't fully overcome the world and you haven't done all you hoped you might do--you're still going to be saved. You don't have to do what Jacob said 'Go beyond the mark/' You don't have to live a life that's truer that true. you don't have to have an excessive zeal that becomes fanatical and becomes unbalancing. What you have to do is stay in the mainstream of the Church and live as upright and decent people live in the church--keeping the commandments, paying your tithing, serving in organizations of the church, loving the Lord, staying on the straight and narrow path. If you're on that path when death comes--because this is the time and the day appointed, this the probationary estate--you'll never fall off from it, and, for all practical purposes, your calling and elections is made sure."
-Elder Bruce R McConkie, The Probationary Test of Mortality

Why ninja's don't carry cell phones...

2010-04-20T16:13:00.006-06:00

Today is a beautiful day. It is in the eighties here, and has a slight breeze to help you stay cool. A perfect day for a picnic. A perfect day to surprise your husband with a picnic. :) I called Rob to find out what time he was coming home from studying, so I could get the food ready, pick him up, and "kidnap" him on that perfect picnic I had in my mind. Little did I know when I called him that he was already on his way home. Kink in the plans. I didn't have time to get the food and surprise him. I asked him if he thought a picnic was a good idea, he did. I then asked him where he was on his walk home, trying to estimate how long he would be before he arrived. He informed me that he was just off. Well, the mischievous imp that wanted to surprise my husband was still upon me so I decided to walk out and meet him half way. I figured a walk would be nice in this weather, and Rob didn't know I was coming. I grabbed my keys and my cell phone, in case I missed him, and started off. I could see in my mind's eye his surprised face when he saw me walking towards him. I started to play it out in my mind. Should I run to him? Should I walk and act surprised to see him? Or should I try to sneak up on him? I had these questions in the back of my mind as I walked through the cemetery that separates Aggie Village from the main campus. I knew that I would have to stay sharp in order to find Rob in the cemetery. I started walking the route I thought he would take. In a few minutes time, I saw Rob walking on a perpendicular path about a hundred yards in front of me. Throwing yet another kink into my plans, Rob didn't turn when I thought he would. Decision made, I would sneak up on him. An impish smile shown through as I started to cut across to get behind him. I did really well too. I stayed in the shadows, kept quiet, and moved as quickly as I could. It's hard to be quiet while you run, but the birds in the trees were noisy enough to cover my footfalls. I started running a little faster, and when I got about fifteen feet from him, my cell phone fell out of my pocket and crashed to the ground. I froze in place, Rob turned. I screamed in frustration, "ARRRRRRR!!!" and Rob smiled. We kissed and continued the walk home together.
It's not the phone ringing that gets you, it's gravity. This every child and ninja knows.

2 posts with in one month's time... please don't die of shock

2010-04-15T18:07:00.008-06:00

Hi again. I know, I am writing again relatively soon for me. It's a miracle. :) Anyway, there actually has been a couple of things that have happened with in the last month that I wanted to share. I have found a new hobby. I love to cook! I have always known that I liked cooking, but the task always seemed somewhat daunting to me. Well, lately I have been doing better and have found that I love it more than I thought I would. This epiphany came to me a week or so ago when I had no idea what to cook for dinner. I hadn't been feeling well, so Rob and I had gotten fast food for the past couple of nights. I felt guilty and wanted to cook him a good homemade meal. Now, I have always envied my mother's ability to look into a fridge and see a meal. I look into a fridge and see eggs, milk, cheese, ranch dressing, etc... Well this night I looked into the fridge and actually saw a meal. I threw some chopped chicken, tomatoes, carrots, onions, broccoli, and seasonings into a frying pan and voila, I had this...
Looks good doesn't it? I enjoyed it, and so did Rob. That was a good night.
Recently I bought a crock pot cookbook. As students, Rob and I don't have a lot of time, and I thought a couple of crock pot meals could help out. Well I have decided that I am going to cook my way through this book. (yes I have seen Julie Julia, but I had this idea before I saw the movie, and I am not using Julia Child's cook book) Well the first recipe from this book that I cooked was a pot roast. It was sooo good. It called for brisket, but I had to use a different meat (I think I landed on a London broil) The recipe was way spicy too. I like spicy but this was almost burn my mouth, Rob LOVED it. It was really fun to do. I had to fry in a crock pot, didn't know you could do that, but I did. The next meal we had was barbecue baby back ribs. YUM! again, didn't know you could do ribs in a crock pot. So far I am loving doing this. I'll keep you updated on the good meals. :P Well that's everything for now. I hope you are not too hungry after this post :)

And We're Back...

2010-03-22T18:31:00.033-06:00

Hello again. I am sorry that I haven't kept this blog up to date. For those who still check to see if their faith in me is worth it, this blog will reward their never ending hope. Lots of pictures. Pictures are fun, at least I think they are fun. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, I am really going to have my say this post....

Well, here's Dad and Nancy. This picture was taken at General Conference last year. I don't think that their engagement was generally known. The reason I love this picture is because my Dad has a genuine smile on his face. He has grinned occasionally in the past years, but they were few and far between. This picture shows how happy he is now. I would have loved Nancy for just that smile, but she is AWESOME! to boot. This picture shows how truly loving and kind Nancy is (it's in the eyes and smile).

This picture was taken at Thanksgiving. We went to a dinner that was hosted by Rob's mother's family. Taylor is just chilling with Grandma.

I really like this picture (I guess I really like all of them) but this picture is special. To me it looks like Laura's angel status is showing through to the camera.

Story time: Rob and I have a street lamp right outside our bedroom window. For the few couple of months our bedroom was REALLY lit up at night because of this lamppost. So, we devised a way to hang curtains to cinder block. The cloth we choose (we made the curtains ourselves) was a thick denim. We thought that the denim would not only keep out the light but also provide some insulation during the winters. The curtains do keep out the light, but they exceeded out expectations in regards to insulation. The following picture is of our bedroom window. Rob looked out it one winter morning to see what the weather looked like, and this is what he saw...

the crystalline structure you see is about a half inch of ice on the inside of our window. Yes, you read that right, the inside. The curtains worked well.... :)

This last winter I graduated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's play Where's Juli...

The following pictures are from Spring break, just this last week. Rob and I both had to work, and Rob had a lot of homework, so we decided to do things around northern Utah, and on the weekends instead of during the week. The first Saturday we went down to Ogden/Roy area and went to the Hill air force museum. We met Dad and Nancy, Dave and Becki with Mags and Josh, and Nancy's Dave and family. It was a lot of fun. Rob informed me that he had never been there before, so it was something new and interesting. It was also fun to go with Dad who knows so much about planes. Rob enjoyed it a lot.

This picture is of Mags and Josh (with Dave and Rob being headless in the background). It was a cold rainy day, but we were able to look at the outside planes before it started to rain.

Dave and Rob.

Rob was getting annoyed that I was taking all the pictures and was therefore not in one. This was my attempt at appeasing him. Silly me...

I really appreciated how big the planes really were. Rob and I and Dave and Becks were constantly picking up Mags and Josh to help them see inside.

The wing is a good four feet off the ground. So helping the kids up was a interesting exercise. And then both of them wanted to look in the windows. It was fun.

I like this picture as it shows the size of the airplane in comparison to my favorite person. He's short.... :)

Latter that day my Dad asked Rob if he would help seat a toilet. We of course said that we would help. Dad and Nancy had put in new linoleum (it looks really good). Well, we got to the house and found out that there were a few things that had to be done before the toilet could be put it. One was painting over old stained grout near the toilet (I got that job, it wasn't bad) and the new baseboard had to be painted (Rob got that one) As we didn't know that we would be painting, we didn't bring grubby clothes, so Dad let Rob borrow a one piece jumper. I loved it, and couldn't stop laughing...

I know, it's not that bad, but it still is funny to me.

The following Friday we went down to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point. Rob's siblings and Mother were able to join us. It was a ton of fun.

There's the boys of the group.

The museum also had a learning hands-on room that you could go in and play. This first picture is of that room. The tube had air running from the bottom to the top. A piece of paper or a scrap of something could be slipped in and would shoot up to the top. That's why everyone is looking up.

The dinosaur museum had a cave like structure at the beginning that the younger of our group could play in. I think it took a while to get them out.

Rob LOVES his dinosaurs. We took a different car down not because there wasn't room, but so that Rob and I could stay longer and take more time at each exhibit. Rob has this amazing memory for all things dinosaur. I think Rob had more fun than anyone else.

I was a close second... :)

Taylor takes third.

We all seemed to love that Protoceratops (of the same family of the triceratops)

I just loved this picture for the size comparison. When we were walking past the T-Rex's I said that they looked small to me. Rob thought I was weird. I was comparing them to the T-Rex in Jurassic Park (probably not the best source of correct information) but I was looking at them from a higher point. Once we walked down by them, I conceded that they were big. They also had a skeleton of a baby T-Rex. It was interesting.

Well, that's all of the pictures. I hope you enjoyed this post. I know I liked making it, but that is not a promise that I will keep it up in a timely manner. I am still getting the hang of being married. Thanx for your patience. Love you all!

Sound and Silence

2009-10-28T17:01:00.003-06:00

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...

2009-09-05T21:58:00.007-06:00

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...

2009-08-30T22:14:00.002-06:00

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...

2009-08-18T19:38:00.003-06:00

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)

2009-07-02T20:40:00.013-06:00

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

2009-06-02T20:07:00.002-06:00

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...

2009-04-19T09:14:00.002-06:00

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

2009-04-14T18:14:00.004-06:00

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...

2009-04-06T13:51:00.001-06:00

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

2009-03-29T14:25:00.003-06:00

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

2009-03-21T07:38:00.002-06:00

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

2009-02-26T15:38:00.003-07:00

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

2009-02-11T12:36:00.004-07:00

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!

2009-01-01T18:25:00.004-07:00

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

One Last Blog for the day

2008-12-14T18:48:00.003-07:00

I just had to give a BIG shout out to my brother Dave and my best friend Susan.

Dave helped me to edit and finish my final project for my Multi-cultural American Lit class. A friend and I amde a video of interviews we did around campus involving questions mainly do to with minorities. The Thanksgiving day weekend, Dave helped me to edit and finish it. Well, he did most of the work. I helped a little. I can't tell him how much I am grateful for his help. I recieved a B in the class (which is REALLY good for this professor) and I know that a ton of the recognition should go to him. Thanx Dave! You're the best oldest big brother a little sister could have. (there I covered my bases with the other brothers :) )

The other person I need to really thank is Susan. She edited and looked over two of my final papers. It really helped me out when I was starting to lose my mind with writing and just didn't care what I wrote as long as I hit the 8 page mark. So Thank you to her as well.

Last of all, I want to thank my husband for his support and sustaining faith in me. I got REALLY stressed out this semester during finals. I freaked out a little, and me freaking out is not a thing anyone likes to see. Rob helped me to get through my tests and papers like no one had before. He is so good like that. I am truly lucky and grateful to have him in my life.

It is to these three people I owe my sanity and grades to. THANK YOU!

More Wedding Pictures

2008-12-14T18:29:00.011-07:00

Here are the pictures I wanted to get on at first:

I thought this was a great picture of Daniel and Nathan. It shows their inquisitive and exploring natures extremely well. Just like Rob (I have come to find out)

This is Cindy/Mom, Andrea, and Kendra. (I named them oldest to youngest, sorry Cindy) oh yeah, and Keith/Dad

This picture looked so much like a posterboard for an ice cream company that I just had to put it in.

So does the grand-parent learn from the child, or the child from the grand-parent?

I really liked this picture 'cuz it shows the back of my dress, by far my favorite part of the dress.

This has become one of my favorite positions. You would think that a collar bone would be uncomfortable and hard. But Rob's collar bone area is just the right fit for me.

The statue on the table is what we had on our wedding cake. It's a WillowTree called "Promise". I thought it was a really pretty picture.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed them.

What's in a title?

2008-12-13T14:03:00.010-07:00

*sigh* (that was of relief) Finals are FINALLY OVER!!!!! YAY!! This is the cause of the no blogs. After Thanksgiving I was planning on writing a blog about the fun time we had (and about a secret love of Rob's I found) but, the week came and I found that I had a ton of homework and work to do. So, the result is that I had absolutely no time to write. Well, I had a ton of time to write, but I was writing an 8 page paper for my British Authors class, I had a project to do for my Multi-cultural American Literature class (which my brother Dave graciously and magnamiously helped me to do), a 5 page research paper to do for my Linguistics class, not to mention (but I am going to anyway) two finals to study for. Needless to say, I was way busy and way stressed. And then there was Rob's school. He was just as busy as I. I am sure that you don't want to read about the stress we went through. But we made it!!! again YAY!!!

So Rob's secret (I know you want to know). He made me promise NEVER to reveal it. But I can give some details. I coerced him into watching a girly movie. We had to stop it halfway, I don't remember the why, but he was the one to initate the contiuation of the story. He actually liked it. I teased him endlessly that day. I, too, have discovered something that I am ashamed to admit. To understand my shame better, you must come to understand my complete and utter loathing of running laps in junior high. Susan can attest to this. We would make up stories as we ran (or more usually waked) the mile or so. We did this so as to forget where we were and what we were doing. SO, Rob has tried to get me to run with him since we moved to Logan. For a while I ran with him through the cemetary (which is just across the street from us) but I soon started to dread that. Plus, the ground was hard on my knees (I know, I know, I am young). So we started lopping... (see previous blog for definition of lopping) I have to admit, it was fun at first. I would take a book I would need to read for school. It was hard to mark, but it was doing two things at once so I felt good about it. Then, I had a brainstorm. I didn't want to read one time, and I had noticed other people with ipods. Well, I don't have an ipod, but I do have a cd player and the music to "Wicked". Before, I could run for about 10 to 14 minutes. Now, with "Wicked" I ran for 25 minutes and went almost 3 miles (a personal best). The best part was that I didn't get annoyed with running, it was fun to me. It IS fun for me. sad I know.

Now, I know I haven't posted any pictures. There are reasons for this: A. I don't know exactly how; B. I had no time to figure it out; C. I don't really have a C, I just wanted to write it. So, I am going to see if I can put some put some on, if you can stand somemore wedding pictures, it's all I have.

Here's the best set of in-laws a girl could ask for.

This was the only picture that would work, so I am going to do a new post to show the others. So there blogspot!

Tired Family

2008-11-10T17:24:00.005-07:00

How's it going? I've never liked just starting an email or a post with just the idea, so if you read a lot of questions, it's because I don't like just starting, and I do want the answer. Anyway, Rob's and mine life (or is it lives?) has been a little crazy the past week. It hasn't been anything big, just a ton of little things. I think I have been fighting off a cold. Also, I have had 3 or 4 books due in the last week, as in read and analyzed. With all of this, I have had no energy, and little sleep. Rob and I see each other only in the evenings, and after dinner (which is usually silent, both of us get really hungry) and homework, we have 10 minutes to just be with each other. Well, you know that doesn't work so well for newly weds, we still LIKE being together, so we stay up too late, and homework gets put off every now and then. (Rob is better at doing homework than I am, but it's like a treat to him, he loves it. Strange) This has made us both tired. PLUS, Rob now has us working out at the gym on campus. We go up there on Tuesdays and Thursdays to lift weights and Run (I call it Lopping, 'cuz the machine we use is the kind that glides or whatever. I had this Chiropractor tell me that I should lop, not jog. I didn't know what lopping was, so when I saw this machine, I knick-named it the Lopping Machine.) So, that has made me tired, but I strangely like doing it and look forward to working out with Rob, maybe it's the company.
Rob started his new job on Monday. He seems really excited about it. He is developing a remote controlled sniper rifle. His job right now is to design a controller for the rifle. He calls what he is doing 'designing a user interface'. The really cool part is that is other projects like this, the man in Rob's job has been the one to do the live test. Yes, that means Rob might get the chance to shoot a remote controlled rifle.
That's our family in a nutshell right now. Thanks for reading.

2008-11-04T17:39:00.002-07:00

So, I was just playing around, trying to see if I could upload a video, and I figured it out. YAY! This is a video that I made during Conference Weekend. So, those on the Aird sidem who were at Dad's saw this, but I thought it would be fun to have out for all to see. I will get more pictures soon. I hope it has the sound. -Juli

My Husband, The Genius

2008-11-01T18:43:00.003-06:00

So, I haven't ever been a good blogger, but several things have happened in the past few days that I believe have merit and should be recorded somewhere, so that other's may know and rejoice with us.
The good news is that Rob took the GRE test for graduate school. Well, I guess that isn't good news, but his scores are. On the quantitative section, Rob recieved 780 out of 800, on the verbal section he recievied 660. We do not know about the written section yet, but I will let you know when we do. I am really excited for him, so are others.
Also, Rob has recieved an offer for a new job. It is at the Space Dynamics Lab. (So it will look really good on a resume seeing as that is the type of work Rob wants to do.) He will be starting that job Nov. 10.
As for me, nothing new really has happened. I am really swamped in School with reading. I did take a really hard midterm about a week ago, I thought I did somewhat bad, a b or b+ grade. Well, I got the midterm back, and I recieved an A, I was really excited.
In 6 days Rob and I will have been married 3 months. It seems so strange. It seems shorter than that, and at the same time it feels like we have been married for ever. I guess that we were destined for each other.
I guess that's everything for now. 'Till next, Be Well.