Is he a DOCTOR yet???

A lot of our family has been asking about how much school Julius has left before he becomes a doctor, so here's a quick glance:

As of today (March 2015) he is still working on his undergrad or working towards his Bachelors degree at the University of Utah. He is majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. He is planning to graduate with his Bachelors in May 2016.

Julius starts applying for Medical School in June 2015. He is preparing to take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) in May 2015.

Part of the Medical School application requires an interview. If the schools/programs like Julius on paper, they request to meet and interview him in person. After the interview(s), we wait for acceptance letter(s).

After 4 years of Medical School (2020), he will Graduate with his MD (doctor of Medicine). He weill be a DoCToR.... But he will still need to complete 3 to 7 years of a residency program depending on what he wants to emphasize in. Residency is like on the job training for doctors. He'll work in a hospital and treat patients under the supervision of a doctor.

We still have a long ways to go, but somehow it's going by quick. The days are long but the months go by fast.
Julius is doing really well. He is REALLY BUSY!! but It's a good kind of busy.
AND.... That's a quick look at where we are right now.

SCHOLARSHIP... Pays for EVERYTHING!!!

This is long overdue, so it might be a little lengthy.
Julius has been really good at finding funding for school AND supporting our family. He applies, qualifies and receives countless scholarships. He has been very dedicated to his schooling (sometimes I feel he's a little too dedicated and neglects us, but I have to remind myself that he's doing it so our family will be blessed and our children will have what they need. I know he doesn't want to be away from us but it's something he can't control... okay, back to the real issue) In the spring semester of 2014, Julius was granted the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Scholarship. It is a full-ride scholarship... it pays for EVERYTHING!! It pays for tuition, books, food, and housing.... yup, even housing for our little growing family. So in June 2014, our little family moved up to the family student housing on the U mountain "we belong to the mountain". It has been such a huge blessing for our family. The timing couldn't have been better. We were lucky and blessed to move to the apartment we live in. We have awesome neighbors and an even more awesome ward (our awesome ward is a post on it's own). Our ward has many students who are in different stages of pre-med, medical school, and residency (some wards don't have any medical students). They have given Julius advice and help in his journey to becoming a doctor.
Every semester Julius receives money for books, notebooks, pencils, paper, etc. Housing is paid for in full. We live in a 3 bedroom apartment. We have central air, we are warm in the winter and stay cool in the summer. All the utilities are included in our rent that is PAID for. We really have been handed a place to stay in for free. Julius also gets a generous amount of money for food called "dining dollars". He can buy food, drinks, snacks, and treats anywhere on campus for free. I'm glad he can buy food while he is at school so he doesn't pass out. LoL. He needs to eat!! Sometimes he goes to school all day and even brings home yummy dinner for us.
We have some SWEET SWEET SWEET TENDER MERCIES!! With 4 little children and Julius gone all day, it is such a blessing to not have to worry about having a roof over our heads, food to eat, or clothes for our children. The scholarship has made our lives a little less stressful. Julius can focus on doing well in school without worrying about if we're warm and fed.
Thank you Miller Family!! We will forever remember your generosity and kindness.
Thank you Julius for being so smart and earning this sweet scholarship.
And especially we THANK our Father in Heaven for making ALL things possible. His timing is perfect, His blessings are numerous, and His Love is so very unconditional. We seriously recognize His hand in our family's lives.

Sob story

Warning: sob story, don't judge me. LoL
The semester seems soooo long already and it's only been one month. Julius is gone all day, most days. He even has a 4 hour class on Saturday mornings. Boo!
Our little family has been sick for the past two weeks. Julius had 2 midterms during those two weeks so it seemed like we never saw him.... and when he was home, he was either studying or sleeping. Really! It seemed like he wasn't even here when he WaS Here. I felt like I was taking care of our little sick children all by my sick-tired self.
Our children are doing well now. We've been able to go out to visit our family and play outside with friends. We're happy!
Julius is finally better too. I made him go to the doctor because I was tired of seeing him sick and tired. The doctor prescribed some antibiotics and a steroid nasal spray, so now he's all better. YaY!!
Hopefully we stay healthy and the sick bug stays away from our family for the rest of this nice warm winter.

Our "Situation"

The other day, Julius received an email with some "skip a heart beat" kind of news. He explained that the scholarship (which I still need to blog about) and financial aid office needed to meet with him to discuss our "situation". My heart dropped and I only thought of the worse things that could happen. We talked about the possibilities and were ready for whatever bad news we were going to get.
The next day, I made sure Julius called after his meeting to let me know what was going on. As soon as I picked up the phone, I asked if he cried... he calmly said no. I didn't know what to think. He came home and didn't look sad or happy, but just gave me a kiss and smiled. I still didn't know what to think. After all the "daddy's home" "hi daddy" hype, he told me about the meeting and I couldn't help but cry. He said that after looking at our situation, the scholarship people decided to pay for even more than what they already pay (and they really are paying for everything). Crazy, they're like giving us more money.

Definitely a SWEET TENDER MERCY!! The scholarship has been a huge blessing. We must be doing something right because we keep getting blessed even when we are not looking for blessings.

Our hearts are so full of gratitude to our Father in Heaven for blessing us beyond measure.
Seriously!! We cannot even try to measure the numerous blessings we receive. We have been soooooo blessed, it's crazy how much our Heavenly Father loves us and we know His hand is in our lives. We just need to continue to TRUST in the Lord! and stand worthy of our blessings!

I knew he was SMART... but not THIS SMART...

When Julius and I were in junior high, the only chance we had to see each other was in the halls in between classes. We would meet at someones locker and walk to class together. I remember walking him to his Gifted and Talented classes... he was a nerd even back in the day. LoL.

I knew he was smart, but not THIS SMART...

My NERD of a husband is so bright, smart, intelligent, wise, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera :)

Fall semester has come to an end. Overall, it was a successful semester. Julius carried a full load of 17 credits. He was very busy and seemed exhausted. Besides his classes that he received grades in, he was a TA (teacher assistant) for Organic Chemistry I, which means he attended extra class discussions to help answer other students' questions and graded exams, AND He was an SI (supplemental instructor) for Organic Chemistry II, which means he created lesson plans and taught the students in a different way than the teacher. He had to teach at least 3 times a week. Busy, busy, busy!

He had all A's with one C in "Behavioral Neuro Biology" (just the name sounds hard to me. lol). His only C... Booo! His transcripts look awesome with a bunch of A's and one silly C. He said Behavioral Neuro Biology was so hard to stay awake in. It must have been torture for him because he gets so interested in everything he learns and studies.

When Julius told me he got a C, I was kind of upset. I felt like we sacrificed our family time with him so he could study and do well... not, not be with us and get C's. I also felt like so many people are supporting us and cheering for his success that he CANNOT do bad and get C's. I also felt for him. He has so much pressure now, so much on his plate, and I know HE IS doing his BEST!

Julius made the University's DEAN'S LIST!! Hooray! Yup, even with that silly C, he still made the Dean's List. The Dean's List is like the honor roll, it's the university's list of students with HIGH SCHOLASTIC STANDING. He really did do good. We can't focus and get worked up on one "no A" grade but only learn and do better. We still have MORE to be grateful for, like the DEANS LIST!! YaY!

Good job to our smart Daddy for doing so well. One semester down and a lot more to go.

We Love You, Julius!