So much to do. So little time.

It is amazing how many doors God can open.

You know. I have never been so content in this life of living just for me and Dillon. Things changed a little bit (I mean, alotta bit) about... hmmm... roughly a year and a half ago. Now, I absolutely love and adore being just a single mom with everything that's inside of me. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing. But, I may just enjoy it more then the married life.

I still have my own business, which I do on the side. I work a few hours a week with that. The past 3 weeks have been a little different, but I'll get back on that soon after the brace comes off. =)

I work with some amazing people. I love being the director of marketing and design, plus we also do Metro Ministries. So we stay quite busy.

I have been volunteering at Texas Elementary School of the Arts, Tues-Fri, for the past 3 months, and Dillon has been accepted into the school for next year! So excited.

Were about to have our huge Camp for Metro in a couple of weeks. So excited. This will be my first year as a camp counselor. The only downer... I will not be allowed to go down water slides and such because of my condition. As long as someone throws a water balloon at me, I'll be alright. Haha.

Alright.... So prior to what I am writing right now. Yes, right at this very second, I had written last night. Meds kicked in and seriously was about to crash in seconds,... so I stopped and now I don't remember the rest of what I was going to write. lol So I am just going to submit this blog post right now.

=) Thanks for reading... my life. lol

Max Anders - 30 Days

The size of our solar system is beyond comprehension. To get some perspective, imagine you are in the middle of the Bonneville Salt Flats with nothing but tabletop flat ground around you for miles and miles. There you put down a beachball two feet in diameter, which you use to represent the sun. To get a feel for the immensity of the solar system, walk about a city block and put down a mustard seed for the first planet, Mercury. Go another block for Venus and put own and ordinary BB. Mark off yet another block and put down a green pea to represent Earth. A final block from there, put down a mustard seed to represent Mars. Then sprinkle some grass seed for an asteroid belt.

We have now walked about four blocks, and we have a beachball (sun), mustard seed (Mercury), BB (Venus), pea (Earth), mustard seed (Mars), and grass seed (asteroid belt). Now things begin to stretch out,

Continue for another quarter of a mile. Place an orange on the ground for Jupiter. Walk another third of a mile and put down a gold ball for Saturn.

Now lace up your tennis shoes and check their tread. Then step off another mile and, for Uranus, drop a marble. Go another mile and place a cherry there for Neptune. Finally, walk for another two miles and put down another marble for Pluto.

At last, go up in an airplane and look down. On a smooth surface almost 10 miles in diameter we have a beachball, a mustard seed, a BB, a pea, another mustard seed, some grass seed, an orage, a golf ball, a marble, a cherry and another marble.

To understand our replica of the solar system even better, use another beachball to represent Alpha Centauri, the next-nearest star to our sun. You would have to go another 6,720 miles and put is down in Japan!

Understanding the size and location of things and the relationships an distances between them gives us perspective. Just as this example gives us perspective about the solar system, a knowledge about geography can give perspective about the events of the bible. It is helpful to know the names, locations, and relative positions of important places. Otherwise we skim over important information without comprehension or visualization, and this makes the bible less interesting and less easily understood.

The one who is ignorant in geography cannot know history. The bible is largely history.So to begin out mastery of the history of the bible, we must start with the geography of the bible.


I read this book over and over. I love it. As much as I like to buy so many books. I almost like I am cheating on this one when I do. It gives so much information that when I read it again, I find more things that I don't remember reading before. Kind of like the way we read our bibles. We just discover new things each and every time. Even with the same passage. It just reads totally different during different parts of our lives.

Facebook: Click "Like"

Okay, I just saw something pretty funny. And why it made me laugh as hard as it did I don't know why. It almost made me cry I was laughing so hard. It almost made me pee my pants I was laughing so hard. Call me weird. ...'Cause really,... I am. lol And I like being that way. Because I am no you. So here it is. Become a fan. Scratch that... there aren't fan pages anymore, is there?

Click "Like"

"Look at the keyboard... U and I are together, look underneath it says JK"

GEEZ!!!

Even WITH a broken neck... Life is soooooooooo good!!!


Oh God. My Jesus. Thank you. I love what all things you have done in this life of mine. I love how you have played out this story of this girl named Julie. How all the trials, pains and so so very many tears which has shed down her face, still. STILL... I smile. Because absolutely nothing. NOTHING compares to your love. Nothing... compares to you.

Absolutely nothing.

www.playtri.com/race_free.php

address above I discovered while gathering information to do a triathlon or a marathon type race for Metro Ministries. So watch out for this Ministy and it's future races!!! In the mean time... go enjoy and earn credits for tri camp, marathon training, performance testing or club while your singing up for your race now anyways! =) Register then apply.

Good luck on any near future races you have coming and I promise... I'll be back soon to race with you!


<3 always,

Julie Highland

176 hours of sleep. In 10 days.

So, I go in on June 3rd to get another x-ray done. I'm believing that my the broken bones in my neck have healed together, and properly. I have been taking extreme caution of everything I do. Kinda have to. The meds only get me about 30 minutes of awareness before I fall back asleep again. Last night I tossed and turned a bit. But I was brought an ice pack for the back of my head at 4am this morning, which was the next time scheduled to take my pain meds. I felt better instantly.

I must have hit the back of my head really hard because it has been numb since the day of the accident, and I've always been hard headed to where I can handle m hair being pulled hard for french braids or extentions, but now I can barely handle brushing my hair. I attempted to do my hair alone yesterday, and it was straining. But I know in time, that it will get easier.

Lauren has been helping me in the shower. God bless her. I have to keep the brace on at all times. So when I get out of the shower, the sponge-like pads on my neck brace holds so much water. So not only is it heavy, but it makes it almost impossible to dry off because those things keep dripping water all over. Then they change the braces pads out. So one person holds my head as the other replaces.

Yesterday I got to go to church. I really don't know what Id do without Christ Church. They have been there with me through everything. We're all so very close. Me and L sat down and Stephi saw us. She came over sat next to me and started crying. I held her hand and I kept it together. I love her so much. 1st service then came to an end and people started coming into 2nd service, which is the one I usually attend. I saw Kristal and she just started sobbing. I couldn't hold it any longer. I am so thankful for all my friends so care so much. I could have lost my life instantly. I couldn't imagine losing any of them. We hugged each other crying.

I couldn't imagine a better family. I truly could not imagine a better place to be then right here.

I feel like I have some more time before I fall back asleep, so I am going to start working on some personal Thank You cards.


PS, my hopes are high, and signed up for the Jailbreak yesterday. I know I'm going to be all good by September! No doubt.

Bedrest...

...sucks!

Graveyard

I didn't get a chance to go to the grave site is, but my friend, the driver went to take pictures while Im in the hospital.

Just writing this so I'll remember one day. #book

After the accident, I had a strong feeling to call up to the station to see how he was doing. I got through, but he denied my phone call. I guess it's just not in my blood to refuse and turn away from people, so I just don't understand why he is this way, and how he feels comfortable doing that. I know he may feel bad, or guilty and may just want to put the "situation" out of his mind. But I don't "wash my hands" of people. I love. And I love until I can love no longer. Even with what happened, I will always pray for him. I wish it could be to where he could just say hello or something. In no way would I want of anything to get back together, but he is the only person of everyone that I've known in my entire life that is just not there, and under such very uncomfortable circumstances. All I can say is... I tried. (once again)

Anyways, it's mothers day. A year later after he last time reached out to me, which was "happy mothers day" soon after my son was taken into custody. BUT today, I should be released from the hospital at 4PM.

#thankful

1st Girls Night Out

Tonight is my last night here at the hospital. I am very thankful and blessed for this life, that I nearly lost.

My friend Jen and I have been planning a night out on the town for 2 weeks now. To get all decked out and go to a fancy restaurant to eat at. She has a house nearby and we left 5 minutes prior to the accident.

We has just crossed the Henderson bridge, when I even remember her saying "looky there, we have made all green lights", then she simply pointed ahead. When we were at the intersection of Henderson and Weatherford (right where the Taco Bell is, she yelled "They're not stopping!!!" and laid on the horn as they were going way over the speed limit, and t-boned the passenger side. Which was where I was at. Our car flipped 3 times as it landed upside down. I couldn't move, but I remember everything after that point. Or at least I think I do. I remember Jen was able to get out, and she was yelling and screaming my name. I was laying on the ceiling of the car, I couldn't move. The firefighters had to pry the door open to get to me. When they did, more glass shattered and fell on top of me. They gently put a neck brace on me and turned me over on stretcher.

At the hospital, my cat scan, MRI and Xray are complete by 4:00 AM. Jen gets released from the hospital. She had a concussion and bruising of the brain, but did not suffer and internal bleeding. Thank God.

As my boss sat by my side, and cleaned up my puke a few times, the doctor comes in to give us the results, I'm patiently waiting for the news... thinking okay, I'm going to get out of here soon. Just as Jen did.

The doctor comes my room after viewing my pictures and says to me "Well, the good news is that your spine is fine and you have no internal bleeding of the brain. The bad news is,... your neck is broken." I just started bawling.

I could have very well lost my life. I could have easily completely snapped my neck, but it looks like I broke it just in the right place for it to be able to heal without surgery, or a halo. I am so thankful. But I do have to wear my neck brace for 8 weeks.

Well, the meds are kicking in again and I am about to fall asleep. Tomorrow is mothers day, and I should be released. Me and Jen are getting back together again, and going to enjoy Simply fondue with the boys, Nate and Dillon.

Here is some pictures of the accident.

JAILBREAK - WOOHOO!

http://www.runthejailbreak.com/

Remember this?

Dillon's hand print on the arm?

(To peeps who don't know what I am talking about... this is not a picture of anyone I know. I just saw it on google images)

My first Test Drive

As much as I adore this one... I have to be smart about my decision. So I am going to sleep on it. I do know that I am going in the right direction though. My first 4 door, perfect for Dillon and both our sports gear,... plus Sadie will fit perfectly in the back! Think it out for a wee-bit longer. And I'd say most likely... within the next 2-3 months, I'll have a new car. And as much of it paid off as I can get!

I believe

https://vr.shapeservices.com/play.php?hash=dbe48abf055c0e5e8b225271b15932a65023f06cff699f1fa

woke up and this song was just STUCK in this ol' brain of mine. what a wonderful way to wake up =)

May Fest 2010

We went with our amazing family. Church family... but I consider them true family, to the May Fest. I have never been and it was kind of neat how centered it was for kids. First time I had Kettle Corn. It totally rocked! And with as hot as it was, I'm sure we burnt the calories off in half an hour. lol


From Left to Right: Baylea (Nate & Lauren Calzada's Daughter), Gabby then Graci (Buddy and Ruth's Calzada's daughter and son), Dillon (my lil'chief), Reese (Tracy A's son)



Here is Dillon building a plane out of wood. We both have been building a garden in the back yard, so he has gotten pretty good at hitting the nail right on target! Maybe too good. He went through his project... and nailed his plane into the working board. lol


And his thumb print her turned into a piece of artwork. =)

Musty

11 years you have been with me. You have been through hail with me and so much more. I have memories that range from high school days, late nights in downtown with my best friend, boyfriends and ex husband, through the best of times and through the toughest of storms. You are fading away before my eyes. I've always given you the best of the best. You were always a QT. I have given you 39 oil changes over the past eleven years, and it has been a pleasure of being your only owner. Within you I have danced, and only crazy danced for you. I have sang at the top of my lungs just for you. I have protected you from smoke. But I do want to apologize for those few bumps and scratches. That was my fault for not paying as much of attention.
You may be transformed one day into something. Maybe a hot rod. I have high hopes for you. But for now, for a girl that can't turn you into something someone else is trained to do... I'm going to have to put you to rest.

Dear Mustang,.. you've been great. Now it's time for my search of an new car. Very excited!!! You'll always be in my heart. lol

Sweet. Spunky. Spoiled. Sadie.

Can't wait till the next one!!! I might just head to Cali to do it.