"It's Been Wondrous!" is the life story of Julia Welles Hawkins. The story begins with a boat trip downriver from Chicago to Louisiana as the Welles family relocated to Ponchatoula. It is a love story that spans seven decades, beginning on Julia's first day at LSU when she met Murray "Buddy" Hawkins and lasting through their 70th wedding anniversary. It is a tale of struggles during the war while her brother was in a German concentration camp and her fiancé at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed. It tells of a tragic fire, teaching in Honduras, and marriage by telephone. It is a family story of four children raised in a counter-culture environment that included scads of pets, outdoor adventures, reading aloud, family games and a focus on creativity. It is the story of a woman who has inspired hundreds with her cycling and running accomplishments. She has been cited in Sports Illustrated three times and, at age 101, set a world record in the 100-meter. It is the story of a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend who has spent over 30 years writing this memoir. Over 200 color photographs help tell the story of this amazing centenarian.