After a good 3 days of hard work, Blake has designed a website for us to share :) We have been wanting a place to post updates and include others in all of our wedding plans. The website is easy to remember. It's just:

http://blakeandjuli.com

I think I'm going to start posting my blogs on there for now on. Hope you like it!

Before I came over here, I packed a bag of clothes I hadn't worn in over a year and a couple pairs of shoes I had only worn once. I wasn't sure if I would come across another little girl who could fit them, but worst case scenario I would hand them off to the orphanage director and she would distribute them among the little girls. I had a few dresses and flowery skirts, and among the mix were a pair of metallic gold slippers. Surely, they would make someone's day.

Today I worked with the older kids, which had 2 girls within the class. One of the girls is twelve years old and shows signs of autism. She has a beautiful smile. I looked down at her feet and thought that just maybe she would fit my shoes. I brought the gold ones into the room and handed them over to her. Her face lit up, and I bent down to put them on. I couldn't believe how perfectly they fit her. It was like Cinderella. Ha. She was so cute because she wanted to take one picture after the other of her wearing her gold shoes. The shiny material was definitely something that kept her attention. For the next 10 minutes, she was sitting on the floor, tapping together her feet and saying (in her own language), "my new shoes... my new shoes..."

I wish I had gold slippers to give every single orphan just so I could see another smile like that.

The 30 hour trip was long, but smooth! We found an internet cafe down the street, so I'm sitting here now with a pot of tea and journal. I feel crammed with information and emotions, and not even sure where to start.

Today was our first day in the orphanage, and the children were so precious. I am so incredibly impressed by this orphanage and its directors. What amazing people! I have so much to say, but not really sure where to start. I'm feeling at some sort of a writer's block. So.... I'll write more later :)

Keep us in your prayers.

Blake and I drove down to Savannah earlier this week and had 2 days to find a place for us to live after getting married. And... we found it! I loved it from the first time I saw it :) Blake will move in in August for school, and then I'll move in after we get married. Notice the palm trees... we are 10 minutes from the beach. Crazy.

The reason this is so short-- well, I'm headed out the door right now to East Asia. Just wanted to write something real quick to let you all know. I'll be gone until July 11th, and I'd appreciate your prayers while I'm there! Ok... I'm literally about to run out the door...

Blake and I went shopping today for our apartment, and we made our first big purchase as a couple :)

We found a desk that we both really liked-- good height, long desk top, and sufficient drawer space. Yay! We're building a home!!

Oh! By the way, I think we decided on January 17th for our wedding day!

Blake and I just got back from spending 4 days in Detroit, Michigan, for the National LPA Conference this year. There were about 1,900 people in attendance, so it was a pretty good turn-out considering a large number of people opted out in order to save up for next year's conference in NYC. We had such a great time and were able to get to know some new people this year. When we walked into the hotel, there were about 3 people lined up to congratulate us on our engagement. Ha ha. We both felt so much joy and excitement from a multitude of people in LPA throughout the week. Some girls I didn't even know where grabbing my left hand to look at my ring :)

Originally, we weren't planning on even going, but then Blake was awarded a major scholarship and LPA offered to fly him out there for the conference. He received $5,000.... and I was surprised with a $2,000 scholarship that I didn't even know about until I got there! So that makes $7,000 total, which will be a major help for our first year of marriage!

I also tried out for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular Show (an off-broadway), and I felt AWESOME about my audition! We'll see where that leads, but... my goodness... what a help that would be too! Plus, it's something I've always wanted to do. Why not pick up acting for a semester? Blake loved it last year. I think it would be good for me to do it because it would keep me busy, so that Blake can get through his first semester of med school well, and then I'll start up my nursing program in the spring.

The last night was definitely my favorite. They had a live band playing for the dance, and they played lots of popular oldies and classics. I love to dance with Blake. He can spin and dip me like a champ :-)

LPA has such a special place in my heart, as cheesy as that might sound. I always come back feeling so grateful to know all of the people who are a part. I love meeting new people each year, and keeping in touch with the long-term friends. The kids are my favorite. I remember being so excited to meet other little people like me, and I see that same excitement in their own little faces. Blake and I both see LPA as such a blessing. This year we came back talking about the possibility of us joining the National Medical Advisory Board and what opportunities might be there. I just keeping smiling in amazement of God and the way He has perfectly matched us up as a team. I love Blake so much. Ah! And I'm actually going to marry him!!!

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera back at home, but I'll try to get a few from my friends and put them up.

If you wanted to see more photos from our engagement, here's an album I have online.

About a week and a half ago Blake and I went on a trip to Sweden. It was wonderful! Well, what started off as a trip to fun Sweden ended as a fairytale engagement story. That's right-- I'M ENGAGED!!!


I'm sorry it took so long to put these pictures up. Here are just a few of my favorite.


Here's the story...


Blake and I had been biking on a small island off of Sweden, Gotland, for a couple of days. It was absolutely beautiful there, and there were wildflowers EVERYWHERE. It was right on the Baltic coast (which hit close to my heart since I spent a semester on the other side of the sea), and there were swans and white stone all along the shore. There were also wild ponies and bunnies on the island. On the day he proposed, we stopped at this small town to grab something to eat. We were both starved! All of the Swedes were really friendly, and they let us fill up our tea 2-3 times. In the town was a little trail that led down to the coast, so we went exploring. We came into this little forested area and when I walked in I said, "hey Blake, I think this is where fairies come from!" Haha. No joke, this place was like a fairytale. The ground was covered in white flowers, and there was a wooden bridge and brook. I could not get over how beautiful it was.Blake had been filming a lot of our trip, and so I did not think it was strange when he told me that we should set up the tripod and video us skipping through the flowers. We are both cheesy like that, so I didn't think twice :-) So we were just being cheesy, and I started to walk away because I thought that was all we were doing. Well, he kept pulling me back (and I kept walking away, ha.) Then he finally pulled me back and asked me to stay put for a second. He was telling me that he loved me and being all sweet, and then I started freaking out when he reached into his pocket. I could definitely tell something was up when I saw tears building up in his eyes. He got down on one knee, asked me to marry him... and there was lots of jumping and high-pitched squealing that followed ;-)


Blake and I went out to celebrate at a restaurant in the neighboring town. We ate lamb and this really delicious chicken salad. I was telling every Swede I came across. A few, I'm not sure if they understand, but they smile and look really happy. At the restaurant we told the waiter, and he told the whole kitchen and our cook came out to personally congratulate us :-)


I am over-joyed, and I cannot wait to begin a life with Blake! I had a chance to go for a run that same day, and I was singing and crying and dancing in praise of God. It hit me on my run that a year ago I was on the other side of the Baltic Sea also running and praying... and now I stood on the opposite side having had those prayers answered in such a humbling way. I feel so undeserving that God has heard my many, many, many prayers for a husband and he has answered those exact prayers (and more) by Blake. There are things about Blake that I couldn't have even prayed for because I never knew it was something I needed in a spouse, but God has so perfectly matched us together in a way I don't even have words to describe. He's everything I need in a man. I'm still trying to grasp the idea that we're actually going to get married... and that I'm going to live with my very best friend! It all seems surreal to me, and all very, very exciting.

Blake and I made it to Sweden. We flew up to Newark, and then had an 8 hour flight. We are running on only 3 hours of sleep, so we are exhausted. However, the weather is beautiful and hopefully after a nap in the park we can enjoy more of Sweden!

I couldn't be more proud of him.

Blake was accepted to Mercer Medical School for the fall, and hopefully in 7 (long) years he will be a doctor :-) I am excited for him beyond words. I think he will be a wonderful, wonderful doctor.

So here's the story:

Friday was a horrible day for me. I got out of class and saw that I had a voicemail. I listen, and it was a message from MCG (another nursing school I had applied to, as well as another med school Blake had applied to.) They offered me a spot to begin my program with them, and they told me-- "do you think you can give us an answer by Monday? Classes begin in 3 weeks."

Now for those of you who don't know, I have gone through a long process of waiting and waiting (and hoping) and waiting to hear back from Blake's schools. My top choice was to stay where I am now, GCSU, and for Blake to get into Mercer, which is 30 minutes away. I think we both recognized those schools to be the places we'd be happiest and most stimulated. GCSU has been wonderful for me!

So back to my phone call, I started to fall apart when I heard this message. All I could think was-- "how am I supposed to make a decision not knowing what's going to happen?? What if I turn down MCG, and then he ends up getting in? Then we're 3 hours apart!!" Ultimately, I was feeling frustration and anger in the way that all of this had been coming together. Why had Blake not heard anything yet? It's not supposed to be like this?

I immediately threw on my running shoes and went for a long, angry run. I hadn't run that hard in a long time; it was a literal wresting match with God. I was just pounding out all of my emotions into that asphalt, praying bare-hearted.

Blake was at work, and now back at my house, I knew I needed to talk to someone. I called his mom, and now I laugh thinking how she could barely understand my words. I was a mess. She just listened to me and reassured me that everything will be alright. Well, apparently once she got off the phone she called Blake at work at said, "look, you've got to tell her. She's falling apart."

Blake came home, dressed nicely, asked me how my day had been. Awful. He suggested that we go for a walk. We walked to the center of campus, where there's a huge fountain. Yet again, I cried. All the frustration poured back into me.

And as I was staring into blank space, Blake grabbed my hand and said, "stop crying. I got into Med School."

I went from having heavy eyes and a blank stare, to wide eyes and an uncontrollable smile. I didn't even say anything, just screamed. My first instinct was to jump into the water, so I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him in with me. Ha ha.... his phone doesn't work any more... but it's a good memory?

Blake said he was waiting to tell me in his own time (he's known for almost 3 weeks now), but he couldn't stand to see me like I was. He wanted me to know that everything really was going to be OK. Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!!! I can't stop smiling :-)

I feel like I am living my own dream. I still keep asking myself-- He really got in? I can stay here at GCSU and he won't be too far? Blake's really going to be a doctor?

I want to tell the whole world. I am so so so proud of him!

1 week.
7 days.
168 hours.
10,080 minutes.
604,800 seconds.

Until we leave for Sweden!!! Can you tell I'm excited?

The other night Blake and I sorted out this big box of change that he had and rolled them to see how much he had. There was about $55 worth of change, so we're going to find something that we really like over there and buy a cool souvenir :)

I think we're going to get to see the new church that North Point has partnered with in Sweden, Filadelfiakyrkan. I just e-mail Gustav, one of the leaders, and hopefully we can meet up with them.

Is this really happening??

I love my life.

Sweden it is!

And we're leaving in... ummm... 10 days! Ha.

This is the time to do this kind of stuff. Pretty soon I will graduate, and then I'll get a job, and later down the road a family. College is a great time to just hop on a plane and go to some foreign country. You've got to take advantage of these opportunities. You can't rewind time to make more memories, so make them now.

Last Friday, my day began at the airport with a hot cup of earl grey tea (with just a hint of honey.) I sat down to journal, waiting for my flight to Chicago to begin boarding, and as I wrote the date it occurred to me that exactly a year ago I had also flown into the O’Hare Chicago airport—only I was coming from another country versus another state :-)

This past weekend was incredible. My roommate, Eprise, graduated from Taylor, so I flew up there to celebrate. Jessie, our other roommate lives in Chicago, so I flew there first to spend a day with her, as well as Jade. Jessie’s mom took us out to my favorite restaurant in DeKalb, Baker’s Square, which sells homemade pies and sweets. I split an omelet with Jessie’s mom, and to continue tradition we had to get a slice of pie also. Omelets and pie? It worked! Jessie, Jade, and I drove over to Taylor later that night. It had been over a year since just us girls had been together, and I cherished the time so much. On the way back to Chicago we passed through the Indiana Dunes, so we took some time to stop and enjoy the lakeside. Barely taking the time to think, Jessie and I ran straight into Lake Michigan, fully clothes… Jessie and I really haven’t changed too much ;-)

Aside from the weekend, God has been doing some amazing things in my life lately. Thursday, before I left for Chicago, I got a letter informing me that I had received a scholarship for $3,228! Later that night, I looked online to find out more about the scholarship and come to find out I wasn’t even eligible for it. The required GPA… is far from what I have. Somehow, God knocked down that barrier. I don’t know how to express my complete awe in the way God has provided for me so faithfully throughout college. I have always known that college, if I chose to pursue, was something I would have to pay for out of my own pocket. And somehow—even after attending a $30,000 per year school for two years—I haven’t had to take out any loans yet. Mathematically, it doesn’t make sense. But that’s the point. God has been providing.

It gets better.

The VERY next day Blake received an e-mail. This time, he was informed that he was considered for a $5,000 scholarship through LPA—the highest amount given. In addition, the board is anxious to meet Blake and has offered to fly him up to this year’s convention in Detroit. Still more. They want to include him in a future episode of TLC’s television series Little People Big World. They’ll interview him, talk about his life and future goals, and then show him going on stage to receive his award! He said to me, “that means you’ll be on there too, Juli, because I can’t talk about my life without talking about you.” J

What’s so awesome to me is that we are both able to experience the joy of God’s provision together. I’ve experienced it time and time again, and each time follows praise. And now, I have someone else to join with in praise. Together we received $8,228 within just 48 hours. I can’t stop praising Him!

in case you wanted to see more wedding photos, my aunt did a better job at capturing it all:

http://www.bjharvey.blogspot.com/

I need your help in deciding where to travel this summer.

Blake's aunt works for Continental airline, and she put him on her list for service just for the year. In other words, Blake is practically the status of her "spouse" and so he can fly anywhere for a VERY affordable price (taxes are the main cost.) In addition, he gets to bring one travel partner along-- ME! So we've been talking and thinking. People tell us we're crazy if we don't go somewhere this summer and take advantage of cheap travel. That's something that doesn't come everyday.

So here are some options:

1. Sweden (we could stay with Peter and Gunilla and meet their new baby)
2. Greece
   
3. Switzerland (spend some time at the Swiss L'Abri, where they house students and enjoy fellowship)
4. Japan (something completely different? I found this hostel there that reminded me of the Seinfield episode where Cramer puts his Asian visitors in drawers to sleep. I miss hostels... you can meet some really awesome people there.)
   

Any other ideas? Which country do you think we should visit?

I just wanted to say farewell to all my friends and family because for the nest 3 weeks I'm not going to have a life. Here was my day today...

9am-12pm: economics class, where we covered 3 chapters and were assigned to read 3 more before tomorrow.

12pm-1pm: lunch break (eat, buy my books, steal a conversation with Blake)

1pm-4pm: fine and applied arts class, where again I'm assigned tons of reading

4pm-5pm: meeting with the nursing department

5pm-8pm: work

and the rest of the night will consist of reading, reading, more reading, and maybe some sleeping...

Monday through Friday. Cramming 2 entire classes into 3 weeks, on top of having a job.... what was I thinking??

Jared and Eryn are finally married!!! It was a beautiful wedding-- here are just a few pictures. Oh.... and I caught the bouquet ;-)

2 down, 1 to gooooooo!!!!!!