Spare Time

You can tell a lot about a person by what they choose to do with their spare time.  This week I have been pretty...well, yeah. Bored.  It seems everyone is off to school--facebook proves that with all of the dorm pictures and "first day of big girl school" Statuses--and I am like, "When is it going to be MY turn!?" 10 more days! Why does BYUidaho start so late? I have no idea.  Hopefully what I do in my spare time says something about me too...

In the mean time, I love being here with my family, but they are only really here in the evenings.  All of my siblings are off to school at about 7:30am so Mom and I just chill out. 
I have taken up running (or jogging and walking hahaha) 5ks, but you can only really do that before about 8am.  Although, even at 8 it is still over 80degrees! I try to go at about 6, but that has only happened a few times. It was supposed to help me get into better shape and hopeful shave off some lbs.  Instead I am getting a pretty cool tank top tan.  It is still just as hard to do a 5k as it was on the first time.  And my time is AWFUL! but that's okay I guess. As long as I am getting the exercise in. 

Monday night for Family Home Evening, we went to the Mesa Temple Grounds.  It was sunset and stormy and beautiful.  We walked around and made sure to touch the temple--because "when you touch the Temple, the Temple touches you"--and then went into the visitors' center and watched Joseph Smith the Prophet of the Restoration.  That movie is a tear jerker.  Mom was practically sobbing down the row. It was a wonderful experience to go to the temple with my family.

I have also gone school shopping and to lunch with Mom.  I love spending time with her.  I have missed that so much this summer, and I know I will be missing it a lot this next semester too. 
Dad took the two of us out to Yogurtopia last week too! That was super yummy, but nothing tops LuLu's.  I'll admit that I am a tad biased though ;) 

Also, lots of Pinterest...and the occssional  TLC...

Saturday, we had a BBQ at our house with some family friends we knew back when we lived in Tucson.  It's truly wonderful that true friendship never really dies.  Even after years of not seeing each other, we can still pick up right where we left off. This whole thought process gives me hope for my friends that I left behind in Colorado. Anyways, it was a blast swimmin' and playing spoons with the Parks and the Elletts. 

Dad set me up with some Doctor's Offices to do some volunteer work (required for the BYUi Nursing Program admission).  I haven't actually done anything yet, but I hope I will be able to this week. I already know what kind of nurse I want to be, but volunteering anywhere would give me hours, plus experience all over the field.  I REALLY hope I can get in some hours while I am here.  If not, then I definitely will when I am off-track.

Last Summer at the beginning of June, I started to read the Pearl of Great Price and the Old Testament.  I stand before you today--kind of--I write before you today--and am proud to say that 1 year and 2 months/1,226 pages/1,202 chapters later/COVER to COVER, I have finished the Old Testament and Pearl of Great Price. It took me a really long time, but it was worth it.  I am so glad that I read and studied the entire book, not just so that I can say it, but also because it is such a powerful book.  It is full of connections to the New Testament AND Book of Mormon.  I got to watch the Heavemly Father chasten, correct, and love his children, even though they were wicked at times.  It is sad that some of the people had to be destroyed because of their wickedness, but as the Book of Mormon says, "It is better for one man to perish, then a whole nation to dwindle in unbelief." Or something like that.  Many people ask how the atonement can be seen in the Old Testament and I would tell them, that it is everywhere.  (Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 6, Isaiah 8:14-17, Isaiah 53:3-5, Jeremiah 46:28, Zechariah 3:9 just to name a handful of verses).  I LOVED studying the Old Testament, and I encourage and challenge everyone to try an do it too.  It is rewarding and teaches so much.  Next items on the reading list, simultaneously, The Agony and Ecstasy: A Biography of Michelangelo, and the Book of Mormon.

Stay tuned as it gets closer to getting ready for college!!!:) These 10 days are going to go by speedy quick!
        



 

I Will See You Again

This past week has been especially hard for me emotionally.  I had to say "See you later" to Colorado; my Friends and ward and just the familiarity of where I have grown so much these passed three years.  I decided I wasn't going to say "Goodbye" because what does that mean?? It means that you wont come back. But I WILL be back, so "See you later" seemed more appropriate, and it calmed my emotions down a lot more. 

A few days before I left, Matt and I went to Paint the town with a couple friends of ours.  We sat across from each other and painted pictures for each other.  So in the end it would be a surprise.

Artists!

Surprise!!!

Me, Matt, Morgan, and Jake

I painted this one for Matt to help him get through his senior year without me. haha :) 

And he painted this one for me. It is us at Prom.  I never knew he could paint! 

Saying "See you later" was the hardest when it came to Matt.  He has been one of my very best friends for the past three years and I don't know what I would have done with out him.  He has always been there and we had so much fun together.  From helping each other in Algebra 2 Sophomore Year to Painting and going to Manitou Springs, to Lulu's frozen Yogurt (our favorite place!), and Skype Dates, we have had a blast!

and will continue to make even more memories even though we are so far away. Our friendship has meant so much to me! I know it will be different, but we can still be happy :)

Bright and Early Saturday Morning--well, not bright...it was still black as night outside, Stacey and I set off on our 13 hour, approx. 800 mile road trip to Gilbert, Arizona, back home to my family. 

 That road trip was amazing!!! The first one I have ever REALLY driven and have taken without my family.  There were times we were so drained we didn't talk to each other, just listened to music, but then there were times when we were SO drained that we were extremely slap happy and laughed at just about everything! 

 We stopped in Trinidad for Hot Cocoa at Starbucks! Yum!!!

We made a quote book--"FRY BREAD!" and laughed so hard our abs hurt! I also choked on water, peed my pants a little, and almost threw up! Good times. Stacey is the fast driver and I am the slower one, but somehow she was always there one stuck on the back roads with low speed limits or stuck behind semis going 30 in a 65, and I was the one that got the flying freeways. 

We also stopped at the New Mexico border to take a picture! We tried to stop at the leaving Colorado border, but we missed it, and we weren't allowed to park at the Arizona border, so we only got one border picture.

We stopped at Chickfila for lunch in New Mexico. "Ah! The last chicken...disappointing..." -Me

Check it out! New Mexico Beef is greater than any other state's beef.

Cruise Control is the best!!!  "I hate legs! I wish I had none!"- Stacey

Arizona's "Mountains."  At that moment I was REALLY missing Colorado and it's gorgeous massive mountains.  "Emily, that's a plateau." -Stacey

Stacey was stuck behind this stupid white truck for like...ever!  She was getting pretty impatient.

LOOK at this guy!!!!! 1. His helmet has horns on it! 2. all of his stuff had fur on it. and 3.  His licence plate said "wolf." ...it would!

New Mexican stop lights are....that's right. SIDEWAYS!

We finally made it to Gilbert, Arizona! and Holy Smokes!!! It is so hot here!  I don't know how these people do it.  Seriously.  Stacey and I were like, "I'm sweating! I'm sweating! I'm sweating! From EVERY nick, cranny, crack and crevasse of my body!!!!!"  Behind our knees, and in our inbows! (the inner elbow. hahaha) Before we actually pulled in, we decided that we would tell my mom that we were still an hour away, even though we were about 15 minutes away, just to surprise them.  But because we lied, we ended up getting lost and it still took us about an hour to get there anyways. Karma.

The next day I had to say goodbye--see you later--to my dear, sweet, friend, Stacey, when she flew back to Colorado Springs.  I am going to miss her so much.  We have been through a whole heap together.  I had a wonderful time living with her for the whole summer.  We had our short little bickers and the "I get the last 'UGH!'s" but we had way more good times than bad. I mean, look at all of these blogs! It will be so fun though to read her blogs and not already know about everything in them.  We have taken so many adventures together and I hope she has an amazing Senior Year.  I love you Stacey!

Seeing my family has been a really good time.  I have unpacked, and gone shopping a little for some more school clothes, and Mom has shown me around town.  I can't decide if my family thinks that I live here now, or that I am just visiting.  At church on Sunday they said, "she is visiting us," but it doesn't feel like I am visiting.  It did the first day, but now that I am unpacked and everything I feel like I live here.  I love spending time with my mom, but it is really weird for everyone to be off at school all day, and me not be there too.  I have so much time on my hands...so I blog. haha :)

Megan is a tan, swimming machine, and Bryson is a handsome stud muffin getting so grown up by the minute.  Camilla is learning how to play the flute! That makes 3 in the family. Caleb is enjoying 1st Grade and rides his little bike to school.  CUTE.  and JESSIE!! Okay, the last time I saw her, she was so crazy.  The most hyper dog I have ever met.  But now she has definately grown up.  She is so mellow and I love her so much!

I know I am going to miss Colorado and all of the people that made it such a wonderful experience for me, but I am excited for what is to come here in a new place, and it is never goodbye, unless you want it to be.  So See you later Colorado.   





The Last Few Weeks in CoLOrAdO

It has been weird trying to pack in all of the things that I want and need to do before I go home to Arizona, but I am trying to make the most of it.  I decided that being stressed is extremelly exhausting and so I am done with that for now. 

 "Give your stress wings and let it fly away." ~Terri Guillemets

What a great quote :)

Anyways,  Here is what has been going on since I got home from California.

I worked for two weeks on Pikes Peak and made the best of it. I actually quit a week early so that I could have a little bit more down time before Stacey and I take our roadtrip to AZ.  I am so glad that I never have to go back up to that mountain ever ever again! I was so so very sick of it.  But it was a job and I am very thankful for the opportunity to work there and make some mula for school.  That was pretty nice.  But let me tell you, I will never work in a restaraunt again!! Unless it is a subway or something else super healthy.  Working with all of the grease and yuckies was super nasty.  AND! I will never commute an hour and a half to work again.  That is such a dumb idea.  hahaha anyways,  it's done! and I am glad, but very grateful for the experience.

 Last week I took Matt to Manitou Springs.  We went to the Penny Arcade and found out that the name is very deceiving.  It's not a "penny" arcade! It should be named "The Dollars, Quarters, Dimes, Nickles, and Pennies Arcade."   We still played some games though.  I beat him at the duck shooting game! Who'da thunk?  We also wanted to do the Photo Booth!....but..the machine only took quarters and it was 3 dollars.  We didnt have the change, so we just took them ourselves in the Photo Booth and I made them look like the real thing.

 Riding bikes...

Peek-a-boo!!

We match the birdies:)

My Pikes Peak Sweatshirt!!! I love this color! Also, Funny Story, We were walking down the street and a jeep pulled over and the guys asked me if I knew the way to the top of Pikes Peak, guess what I said?  I said I couldnt remember!!! I stopped working on monday, and this was thursday! It was as if all of that time working up there was preparing me for that one question, and I failed. hahaha After they left though I remembered, after some deep thought.  Embarrassing!  



Manitou Springs was so fun!  I am so glad we got to go. 

On Saturday Stacey, Matt, and I were in the Black Forest Days Parade with the Lamoreaux Family for their Dental Practice.  I was the ToothFairy! I will always rememeber that day because it was a BLAST!!!!!!! Check it!



It was a lot of fun to watch grown men fight over frisbees that Matt and Stacey threw out to the crowds, and to watch little girls oooo and awwww about the "actual toothfairy."  We even got our picture taken by the Black Forest News! Too bad I dont get the paper. haha Oh well, still fun to think about! 

Sunday was my last Sunday in my Ward.  It was bittersweet.  Brother Dahlin, my sunday school teacher, was the best sunday school teacher I ever had.  He was so awesome and brought snacks! haha that is not the only reasons I loved him.  He always told the best stories and he always taught us real life lessons and we had Q and A days and I just learned so much from him and I admire and look up to him a lot.  I decided I want to marry someone like my Dad, and like Brother Dahlin. haha Also, I am going to miss young womens.  It hit me Sunday that I am no longer in YWs, because I am leaving, and also because the Relief Society came in and gave us "Welcome to Relief Society" Gift Bags with a pack of tissues and the relief society manual and "Daughters of His Kingdom" or something like that, and lip gloss, and a pad of paper and a pen.  It was cute of the Relief Society Presidency, but it kind of scraed me a little.  It hit me that I am done. I am done with that phase!  I am going to miss Sister Vasas and Sister Gardner a whole lot too.  They were so influential to me and always happened to have lessons that I needed to hear exactly at that moment in the week. It was incredible. 

Today is Monday and last night Stacey and I invited like 30 people to a picnic in the park for today and so we went and and only 3 people showed up! haha it was still cool though.  literally! It was like in the 60s today (  :P for my mom hahaha, who is stuck in the over 100's in AZ.) I also got the highest heels i have ever owned for only $8! It was a steal! I love sales :)

I am excited to live up the next three days here in Colorado and spend as much time as I can with friends. At the same time, I am so excited for our roadtrip to Arizona and to see my family again!! and go more college shopping!! AHHHHH!!! College!!! I am gonna go crazy, I am so excited!!!!