Hot Ladies of Austin Dinner Partaaaaaaaay!

A New Sorority has arisen! And the Charter Class of Alpha Delta Chi (Austin Dinner Club) is H-O-T-T... HOTT! Don't you wish you could join? Well... Tonight was our first meeting and a great success! It was funny how much it resembled a rush party without all the singing when we entered and exited. Plus, there was no re-application of make-up every 30 minutes. Everyone was adorable and so sweet. We all had some sort of relation to one another and had "heard so much about" everyone else. The food was delic and the fellowship, fab! The meeting was led by our newly appointed president, Lindsey Droms and the unofficial minutes are being related in this very blog. We discussed future meetings, socials, themes, and food. We all took on the role of Party Pics and have a ton of glamour shots as a result. Finally, the meeting was adjourned by the watching of the OC. Next week will be initiation. Below is one of our pledges (Rosanna), very nervous about what to expect during the rite of passage.

The Parallel Universe... aka The Mall

I feel obliged to share my experiences from work because the things I see at the mall amaze me. I wonder many times a day, "Is this really happening? Am I really seeing this?" Here are the "Top 10 Weirdest Things I Have Noticed at the Mall":

10. A ton of people don't know what size they wear.

9. It's surprising how many people come in looking for a gift for someone else and end up buying hundreds of dollars of clothes for themselves.

8. Women shop with their friends on the weekends and spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on clothes and jewelry and then return most if not all of it during the week.

7. There are some random characters that just hang out at the mall all the time and walk around stores. The other day we had a guy come in and spray every cologne a few times and then proceeded to rub his favorite fragrance all over his face and neck.

6. A lot of customers don't realize that they are always being watched by eager sales associates. The other day I watched a man feel our fake topiary (tree) to see if it was real and then lean in and sniff it for about 10 seconds to try to come to a conclusion.

5. I walk faster through the mall than the mall walkers do. Eeeee! Daniel Fells was right... I am a Speed Walker! PS I miss you, Daniel!

4. The other day we had 3 naked manikins posing on a platform at the entrance to our store and no one said anything about it being weird or acted shocked. Don't you think that if statues of naked people with correct body parts randomly presented to the general public (including small children) it would throw someone for a loop?

3. While "greeting" at the entrance to my store I noticed that some people just plain don't treat you like a human being when you say "Hi, how are you today?"or "Bye, have a wonderful afternoon!" and flat out ignore you as if you were some sort of rude solicitor calling their house during dinner. Some even tilt their head away from you and avoid eye contact. Anyways... WAY RUDE!

2. There are a lot of people who care a lot about buying the classiest clothes, but seem to care nothing about the fact that they have such extreme B.O. that the salesperson gags when they spray down the dressing room with Febreeze after their exit. BLUHHH! I think I threw up in my mouth 2 days ago.

1. Some people have no modesty in the dressing room area. I work back there a lot, and I am always surprised how comfortable people feel opening the door to me... uh... in between outfits. You know, only in the mall would this be semi-normal to the point that I wouldn't scream, "Whoa... you aren't wearing clothes, " or "Uh uh... your flies undone, sir." I mean really... its weird to talk to a total stranger who's half-dressed or just plain in their underwear. CRAZY!

Make New Friends But Keep the Old...

Tonight was fun. Five of us went to dinner at Hula Hut on Lake Austin and ate until we could eat no more... okay I did have enough room for a piece of chocolate pound cake later, but I mean come on... I hadn't had a cookie all day so my special reserve was empty! The restaurant was fun and festive. We laughed a lot and really enjoyed one another. The weather was just right with a breeze blowing through and a beautiful, clear, star-filled sky above. The night would have been close to ideal had the bugs not decided to dive-bomb me and had Joanna not spilled her entire water on both of our laps. Ha! Goodtimes.

The Music-Making Machine!

So I am thinking I might just start a band or try to find one to join! So don't be taken aback when you turn on VH1 and see "Behind the Music: The Julie Penuel Band" or flip to MTV and see "Driven: Julie Penuel." It all started last night when I got home from San Marcas and my dad had left a little "sus" (that's what my family calls a surprise) for me on my bed. It was a little plastic egg filled with seeds or something mysterious. And when you shake it, it produces a wonderful rain-like, rhythmical sound! This morning I grabbed the green egg on my way out the door for work. As I drove the 25 minutes to work, I shook and I shook and I shook that little egg to the radio. Then when I drove from work to Community group I practiced yet again. And by the time I was headed home, I was pretty much a professional. So now I am just waiting to be discovered. Here is the first photograph of me with my instrument! Just think... one day you will be able to say "I knew Julie when she was first embarking on her road to fame!"

Sisterhood of the Moonlight Drive

Want to join?Tonight I felt a lot like Bridget in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (which by the way was one of my favorite reads this summer). Many of you might be thinking, "Oh Julie... You WOULD love that book and the movie to boot!" And well... you know what, I DO! I have come to find that one of my very favorite words in the entire English language is pants. I think it is a wonderful word and it makes me giggle at its every utterance, especially when it is spoken with a British accent. This summer I laughed out loud during FOB as I voraciously read through the intro to this tale of sorority. Here is an inspiring excerpt from that very segment...

They were noble pants, but unassuming. you could glance over them and just

think, "Okay, pants," or you could stop and really look at the beautiful

complexity of colors and seams. They don't force you to admire them. They are

happy just doing their basic job of covering your butt without making it

look fatter than it actually is.

Now if that doesn't light your fire, then your wood must be wet! Well, anyways now that I have gone off on how much I loved the cheesiest book on earth, back to my original point... Tonight I felt a lot like Bridget! She was the one with the rebellious free spirit who went to soccer camp in Mexico. She could not be kept indoors, escaping her cabin every night to sleep on the beach under the starry sky.

As I drove home tonight with my sunroof (or should I call it my moon roof) open, the light of the beautiful full moon flooded my car and lit the open country road so that one could possibly drive without headlights. The moon rays tickled my cheeks as I sang at the top of my lungs to the blaring country music. It was a true experience of wonder as Austin Sailsbury would explain it. The music and the light made me drunk with wonder, soaking up every last bit. Yet, as much as I was enjoying myself, I began to dread pulling into the driveway and having to go inside. I wanted to spend the night on the hood of my car basking in the magical glow. But here I am inside, sitting in front of the humming, mechanical computer about to sleep in my own bed. I crave to live the life of adventure that Bridget did. And one day I will!

I LOVE 7-YEAR OLDS!

So for four years I had 11-year old campers pretty much exclusively. I thought having the 7-year olds would be a nightmare. My friends even played a joke on me last year and told me that instead of Real Deal, Jill and I had Barn 1. I almost cried. This year, Katie Newman wanted to challenge me and see how I'd do with the youngest division. However, she didn't tell me this and I was shocked when I found out that I had been given the opposite of my pref sheet. I spent the last month of camp playing with 7-year olds and having my favorite term ever at camp. I LOVE THE LITTLE ONES. And I am so sad that I missed them all these years. Below are some pictures of the cutest little girls on earth. I just feel so blessed that God entrusted them to me and their counselors this summer.

Certified to Save Lives

As many of you know, I became a Certified Life Guard in May of 2005. It's a job and a title I take very seriously. This summer it allowed me to spend every single day patrolling both the slew and the pool almost every class period. You might be thinking "Julie, wasn't that distracting for the kuks for you to always be in a swimsuit???" And the answer is yes... yes it was, but kids' lives were at stake and that's what mattered. But don't worry, I made sure to cover up at co-ed freeswim and parties with my very attractive plastic shorts (which Katherine Ambrose admires so much) and/or my Israel track top. I always topped off the ensemble with the very stylish and practical Life Guard hat and floating device... both essential accessories. And don't forget the protective eyewear. I normally wore a mom-sized pair of sunglasses from the lost & found or if none could be found, I would just slip on a pair of tinted swimming goggles. Goodtimes. I was pretty much a major stumbling block to any kuks near the pool deck. Those poor guys!

WALK PLEASE!!!
Below are some pictures taken of me during a model/life guard/pool CO photo shoot during third term.

Above, I am pulling in the blob to test the pressure before the kiddos "blobbed on!"

I was always serious when wearing the hat. I wasn't about to break character for the camera... plus I am naturally photogenic in most candid situations.

Here I am recording the blog pressure with the accurate surrounding information.

Below I am putting the shallow-end rope out and taking down a closed sign. This job included many tedious and pertinent responsibilities!