Many A Life Decision

So Obama is our President. I've already blogged about this, I know it's kind of old news, but I have a point, I promise. It's fine. He is all about change, right? Answer=yes. So I am changing my mind left and right today. It's kind of annoying, but alas. We all have to have our add moments. Right? So anyways, I changed my mind. Instead of marrying a prince, I want to marry an Aussie. Or a Brit. On my flight to Salt Lake, I sat across from three highly attractive men. But wait, it gets better. After dazzling me with their looks, they whipped out their charm once more, and spoke some blessed unintelligible words. But those unintelligible words were in fact glorious. They had fantastic accents that did in fact make me swoon in my seat. I tried to discreetly lean as far as I could into the aisle, you know, and still practice my ninja-like stealth, just to hear them speak better. It was marvelous, and I made another highly important life decision. I must marry a foreigner. Preferably one from Australia or Great Britain. Although I could settle for a German, or an Irish man. I'm flexible. Oh, and he too has to be rugged and dress the part. Oh, and for the record, I apparently like facial hair on Aussies? I'll take it. They were glorious. Simply glorious. Amen. 

Another major life decision was made as I made the ever exciting decent from the escalator in terminal 1 into the baggage claim. Oh the thrill... No, but I decided two things. One: someday when I grow up, I want to fly somewhere, and be greeted with a bright yellow sign, greeting me home, and a huge bundle of balloons. That's really all I want. Is that too much to ask? Oh, and to marry an Aussie. Two: I decided that one time when I arrive in style, I want a man (an attractive one, preferable and Aussie who is in fact rugged...) ahem, a man dressed in a black suit to greet me with a sign that says my name, waiting to take me away somewhere grand in a black Mercedes or something. Too over the top? I didn't mention the part about the gospel choir in the background singing "Ode to Emmilie" It's a big hit; look it up. 

There were several other dreams and decisions that occurred today, but the vision of my very own rugged Aussie has clouded the rest from my mind. So for now, I will just think of my very own Hugh, and smile. A lot. Thank you, and goodnight. 

SkyHarbor International

Airports are curious places with curious people. They are filled with families, friends, colleagues, and lovers all being reunited. It is a place of love, and fond memories. "Remember that time that Aunt Ruth spilled the soda all over herself, and the newborn?" Timmy says to his brother Tommy. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that one!" Shouts Tommy in reply. And then Aunt Ruth walks through the terminal, and Timmy and Tommy are with her once again to make some more sweet memories. Airports are full of moments like that, and I love to watch them. I guess some could call it stalking; I call it love. There are always the awkward couples that you see, and mentally cringe because of the awkwardness of it all. However, I tend to embrace the awkward, because it just reminds me of myself, and gives me a glimpse of what my future is sure to look like. Hello, awkward. Then you have the family who is going home from vacation in exotic Mesa, Arizona, who now all need a vacation from each other. They are always fun to watch. So as I board Delta Flight 1606 scheduled for arrival into Salt Lake Airport at 3:45, I make a vow to always and forever go a people watching while inside an airport. Thank you, and goodnight. 

Christmas Wishes

So I am watching Iron Man with my family, and I just decided something. When I grow up, well, when I age a little bit more... (For I shall never grow up! Never!!) I decided that I want my own team of screenwriters to always be there to back me up. That way, when I am a damsel in distress, I can always say something charming and winning that is sure to make the handsome man fall in love with me. Or, when I am the belle of the ball, I can say something witty and then always be surrounded by charming people. Or, when in a high pressure situation where my life is tragically on the line, I can say something to ease the tension. Or when there is one hard core cocky man, and can dish out my fair share of sarcasm. With the help of my screenwriters, who coincidentally with all be dressed in matching jump-suits, I can always be quick on my feet. I think that it's a brilliant plan. That way, when I "grow up" I can be great like Pepper Pots, or the narrator from A Christmas Story, or any of Emma Thompson's characters, or Elizabeth Bennet, or you know, any greatly written character. Such is my dream. Thank you, and goodnight. 

And to All a Goodnight

Merry Christmas, dear readers. I hope that all of your holiday wishes came true. Indeed. I just have to tell you all how much I love and appreciate you. You all have made my life better, and I am grateful for your friendship. And I like you. Amen. 

This Christmas, I have been able to offer service to a family in need. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and I was so grateful for the joy I was able to bring into their lives. I was so grateful for this service.  I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life, and for the things and the lessons that it teaches me daily. I am grateful for my wonderful family, and for the good times we are able to share. I'm so grateful that I can laugh with them, and love them. I'm grateful for the memories, and the bonds that we share. 

So pass the eggnog around, pop in A Christmas Story, play with that new toy, jam to that new CD, fall in love with that new romantic comedy, and spend some time with the fam. Thank you, and goodnight. 

So, I'm Pretty Sure I Love Fictional Men

As you probably have gathered by now, I am not a huge fan of any kind of weather that is not sunny and warm. Indeed. However, there are some perks that can be found from such miserable and disgusting weather. I am a sucker for getting warm, drinking a cup of hot chocolate, and reading a good book. This little love of mine brings me to another confession. I know, I know, I'm full of those lately. I just have to get it all off my chest. I love fictional men. Sometimes more than real-live men. I belong to the group on Facebook called, "So I'm pretty sure I love fictional men." It's kind of a problem. Is that bad? You may laugh; you may mock; you may roll your eyes in my general direction, but just hear me out.

1. Pride and Prejudice. Hello? This is by far my favorite book of all time. Mr. Darcy?! Answer=YES!! I love him!! I love how much he cares for Elizabeth, and how he just longs to be with her! He is the greatest ever, and is perhaps my first love. I also will forever have a soft spot in my heart for Charles Bingly. Oh, yes.
2. Emma. This is a tough one. I can't decide who I love more. Mr. Knightly or Darcy. Why the moral dilemma? Well...Mr. Knightly is just plain good! He is a charming person that you can't help but love. But I loved Darcy first, and I must be true to my heart.
3. Sense and Sensibility. Yes, I love Colonel Brandon. He is so persistent. And delightful. And tender. And caring. And wonderful. Oh, how I love him.
4. Wuthering Heights. Okay, so I will be the first to admit that in real life, Heathcliff is not exactly the type of man I would bring home to meet my parents. It's fine. But I can still have a super secret spy crush on him. It's fine. The thing I love most about Heathcliff is how much he loved Catherine. He is terribly proud, but the passion, and the love that he has is incredible. It is an incredible part to read when she dies...oh, my heart almost wept. The language is beautiful. Read it!
5. Twilight. Team Edward. All the way. Really, what more can I say about a beautiful, charming, and gentleman-like vampire. I mean really, what more could you want??
6. Hamlet. I will forever and ever have a crush on Hamlet. He is terribly brilliant, and I love him.
7. Cyrano de Bergerac. Okay, so the nose is a bit big, but he is wonderful! I love him too.
8. And for some inexplicable reason, Edmond Dantes from the Count of Monte Cristo.

There you have it. The inner-workings of my soul. I hope you enjoy it. And next time it snows, or rains, or slushes, grab a book and fall in love again. Thank you, and goodnight.

Trove of Treasures/Crap

So today I started the always daunting task of unpacking. But this was an interesting experience. I packed these boxes over a year and a half ago. So it was a party and a half. I cranked up the tunes, and had a dance party...for one...sad. And I danced it out and unpacked. And Holy St. Francis. Let me tell you. I have so much crap. Had so much crap. Now I just have some crap and three huge garbage bags full of junk. Good thing my family moved that crap around with them. See what happened was this: I had to pack up all of my crap for college before I moved out. Pretty much everyone does. However, my family was at that point in the process of moving to Arizona, so all the rest of my crap had to be boxed up and they got to take it to Arizona with them. Aren't they so lucky!! So today I finally unpacked it all. And what a blast from the past it was. Holy crap.

I found my Thespian sweater, and do in fact refuse to take it off. It is pretty much the coolest thing...ever. I found my old high school dance pictures. They were really funny to look at, and remember how important all of it seemed at the time. Mostly it was a lot of awkwardness. But I still liked it. I found all of my theatre stuff, and random notes from friends. I forgot how big of a part Nate was in my high school experience. I missed him a lot today, and planned to write to him, but we'll see how that one goes... I found all of my books!!! That was a happy day!! I kept unpacking Disney stuff, and it just reaffirmed the fact that I was made to work in the happiest place on earth!! I found an old journal too. That was great. I read a little bit of it, and just laughed out loud. I wish I could go back to those problems! My life was great in High School!! Oh, nostalgia.

So it kind of hit me, that the next time I move all of this crap will probably be when I move into my own place, or get married or something. That was kind of weird. My husband is going to think I'm slightly nuts with all of the theatre crap that I have. Oh well... I think it's kind of funny.

But most importantly, I have learned that I was far more of a pack-rat in High School than I am now. Thank goodness. Now I just throw the junk away. Exhibit A: the three overflowing Extra-Duty garbage bags outside my door. Thank you, and goodnight.

Ode to Doom

Alright, so I have been meaning to write this for a while. It's my therapy. On October 12th, 2007, I wrote a little blog about the Testing Center of BYU-Idaho. It was aptly named The Testing Center...of Doom. That was in my young an impressionable days, when I only tested there. Now, the tides of fate have changed, and I find myself working there. What has become of the world? Oh, yeah, it's controlled by money. How foolish of me to forget. I would now like to expand upon that little thought... the doom one that is, and how the Testing Center is full of it.

So I was poor, and when that happens, people do desperate things. I applied at the Testing Center. It was terrifying. I seriously thought that the lady interviewing me was going to kill me. She told me how rough this job was. I figured that lots of other people work there, so I could do it to. No big deal. Then she pointed out how immodest I was in my modest clothing. She told me how tight my loose-fitting shirt was, and that my back fat poked out. Thank you, oh so much for that one. Way to welcome your new employees. Then I took a filing test, you know to see if I could work under pressure. Nothing like filing to cause stress and anxiety... Anyways I passed, and was offered an invitation to train. Not work mind you, train. After a week and a half of intense training, coupled with many emotional break-downs, I got the job.

I began to notice that my managers really were Nazis. And it frightened me. For Halloween this year all of the employees wanted to wear swastikas. And some did. They did the strangest things, and were way hard core about everything. One of the most frustrating things was their views on modesty. Now, for those of you who know me, and pretty much anyone who doesn't, you can tell that I am a modest dressing person. I don't even own immodest clothing. I am pretty good about not looking like a skank, thank you very much. However, without fail, once a week I would get busted for being immodest. That was great. The best one was when they told me I was immodest after just coming from the temple. That was a fun day. But yes, every week there was some reason that I would get in trouble. It started to become the joke among all of my fellow employees. I would wear a jacket, because guess what, it is freakin' cold in there, and Dallin would like to point out that, "Oh, guys, watch it, Emmilie had to cover up again. Pray for her." I was cold!!!!!! That was fun. Also fun was the day that they told me my floor length skirt was too immodest. That was great. Oh, and the day that they said that my black camisole was showing under my white shirt, and was therefore immodest. A lot of times I would get in trouble, and would not be able to see why. Those were days of pure awesomeness.

Luckily, I got to work with some cool peeps. Eric was my favorite to work with, because we would pretty much joke around the whole time. We even had a secret handshake. That was the coolest. Ever. Word. Proctoring was death, and it was always dangerous because I almost fell on someone every time! It was a big problem. It was so bloody boring, one is almost certain to die of boredom. However, I would play games. One of my favorite games was the Attractive Game. I would rate all the guys that came in on a scale of 1 to 10 based on how attractive they were. They would get points for their shoes, if I liked their hair, where they bought their clothes, if their clothes actually looked good, if they smelled good, what kind of test they were taking, and if they looked like they had a good sense of humor. You were disqualified if you had a wedding ring on. Those men are no use to me. And let me tell you, there were some real winners...holy crap. Amen. So pretty much what I am saying is that the Testing Center makes you resort to practically staking people. Oh the joys.

So now that I work there, I get to see the doom from the flip side. Oh, and I get to be a source of doom for people. Great, that was exactly what I was hoping to do. I just try to be really nice when I am handing people their fate in test form. But you better watch it... my managers have started this new thing called, "Let's Bust People For Being Too Happy." For real. And considering my modesty track record, I don't think I can afford to get busted for happiness. Thank you, and goodnight.

Weather or Not

Emmilie is in beautiful Arizona. The Arizona that has the reputation for always being sunny and happy. Bright and beautiful. Hot and dry. The temperature for tomorrow is going to be a warm 61 degrees, with light rain. Thursday is going to be a little cooler at 54 degrees, with AM showers. Friday, it's going to warm up as the sun comes out; it will be a lovely 61 degrees again with no chance of precipitation. Doesn't that sound perfect for mid-December weather? Oh, it is, but guess what?! That's for freakin' Phoenix!!! Guess where I am?? Freakin' Prescott!!! Where it snowed all day long!!! Awesome...so awesome. Let's take a little look-see at the forecast for Prescott, shall we? Tomorrow there is a 100% chance of snow, with a high of a whopping 35 degrees. Thursday will have a high of 34 with some snow showers in the morning. Then on Friday, things are going to be warming up to 40, so grab the Bermuda shorts folks, it's a heat wave.


Okay, so really after being in freezing Rexburg I should really have no room to complain. But let me admit you entrance into my mind for one little moment in time. The only thing that got me through that week and a half in Rexburg that was insanely cold (Yes, it was only a week. Eat it.) Was the knowledge that I was only a matter of days away from going to hot and dry Arizona. However, Arizona apparently missed the memo about the hot and dry part. What the St. Francis?! So instead of the warm, blissful Arizona I had been planning and hoping for, I am back to freezing. At least there is not that wretched Rexburg wind that likes to blow from all directions at the same time! I mean, as fun as that is...


However, it is really interesting watching native Arizonians reactions to this weather, especially after having just come from Iceburg, oh, I mean Rexburg. This morning, I drove Cooper to seminary...early. And the weather was rather craptastic. I won't lie. But nothing that couldn't be handled with caution. I mean freak, I drove in it. It couldn't have been that bad. But people were freaking out! They were driving so slow! It was kind of funny, actually. The schools had a minor panic attack too. They delayed the start of school two hours because of the snow. It wasn't even a raging blizzard. It was just some yucky snow. I guess I am slightly cynical because I grew up in Utah, and some in Minnesota, where they never cancel school for such a silly thing as snow. Then I decide to go to school in Idaho where the roads close, but the school doesn't. (Wrap your head around that one...) I just though it was a fun little culture thing... Bless the Arizonians. Aren't they cute. And for now, I guess I will just continue to freeze my nose hairs off with the rest of them.


Oh, and just so you know, the high for Orlando tomorrow is going to be 83. Thank you, and goodnight.

Fa la la la la la la la la

Can I just say that Christmas music fills my heart with joy? Can I just say it? Because it does! Especially when our dear friends Harry, Frank and Michael sing it. They are all I want for Christmas. Okay, so that could come off as slightly awkward... but alas. It just fills my heart with a particular happiness and... whatnot. And if you are ever in need of them, go to Pandora.com, my other love, and make a station called Swingy Christmas. Then sit back and be happy.

I think that Christmas music is highly important in places like Arizona. The state has this thing called, no snow for Christmas. Which most of the time, the whole no snow things is awesome, but for Christmas, you need snow! So just curl up, listen to Michael Buble sing about letting it snow, and just smile with me. Thank you, and goodnight.

Shuttle of Death

Confessions of Emmilie Buchanan take 122,853,938,271,639,307,182…ish:

So nothing in this known world scares me more than bad weather. Tornadoes? Check. Earthquakes? Check. Floods? Check. Fires? Check. Thunderstorms? CHECK CHECK CHECK!!!!! I hate bad weather!!! Just had to get that off my chest… It just really stresses me out, and may or may not make me think that the world is coming to an end right at that very moment, and my life is just minutes away from ending. It’s not a good scene. No bueno. And guess what? Blizzards fall into the category of bad weather. And guess what else? I live in Rexburg. Oh, and also guess what… It’s WINTER TIME!!!! That equals lots of blizzards in the Burg of Rex. That’s fine. The farmers need the moisture and all the rest of that crap, but I would really appreciate it if it could happen after I vacate the premises… Well… in true Emmilie fashion, no such luck.

On Saturday night, around…late… it started to snow. And there was much rejoicing had by all who are not me. However, that little bit of snow progressed into an intense storm. That was fun. But my heart was at ease. Classes were done, and all of my crap was inside the storage unit where it belonged. Thank goodness. But, the snow did this thing called “keep snowing.” It snowed all night long, naturally resolving in a few inches that greeted me in the morning. Oh, and it had also turned into a raging blizzard by 8:00 when I got up to finish my white glove. Oh, and the power was out. That was a nice little panic attack- especially because I had a date at noon that I had to look smokin’ hot for… so power was slightly necessary. I suppose it was also necessary because I had to vaccum my floor in order to pass clean checks… But you know, priorities. It’s fine. So after a slight moment of no breathing and panic, I stopped looking out at the swirling white abyss outside of my window, and called my mom. That’s my rule. When things are going to crap, you call mom. Without fail. So I told her the concerns of my heart. These concerns included getting stuck in a snowstorm on the way to the airport and dying. You know me, always putting people at ease. She went over the necessary precautions that I should take, but I was still freaking out. I was so worried that I would not make it to the airport on time. I did in fact switch my shuttle from 6:30 to 5:00…AM!!! My flight doesn’t leave until 2:45…so that was slightly early…but whatev. I really needed to not have to worry about missing the plane. That would have been blog worthy indeed. So upon realizing that I had to be at the Hart Building at 4:45 in the morning, my heart began to panic again. I had not really slept the night before, so I was dead tired, and panic gripped my worry prone heart. I was so afraid that I was going to sleep through my alarm, and then miss the dreaded shuttle. It was what you would call an internal conflict. More or less… So my amazing roommate Marie, who agreed to drive me at the ungodly hour decided with me to pull and all nnighter!!! In retrospect… that was kind of dumb. Because as of right now at 12:49 PM, I have not slept in over 28 hours. Cool huh? But that’s besides the point. Just some fun trivia for you, dear readers.

4:45 came after 5 movies, and the personal vow to never watch Dumb and Dumber ever again in my life; so help me, so help me. Marie and I carried my 100 pounds of crap to her truck. For those of you who have never been in Rexburg in December at 4:45 in the morning… I don’t reccommed it. It’s a little nippy. Okay, so more like a lot; and it’s especially fun when you get to scrape snow out of the bed of a truck. That’s always pure awesomeness. But hey, it was 8 million times better than walking to the opposite side of campus. So I count my blessings. As should you. Just as our bodies started to feel the heat of her truck, the shuttle came. “Oh good,” I thought. “It will be nice and warm in there!” Yet in true Emmilie fasion, no such luck...

I got on the shuttle, and noticed the intense…chill. It was freezing. The kind of cold where you can’t move, and can barely even breathe. OH MY WHAT FUN!!! There was no heat on that shuttle for three hours. It was so cold I was seriously almost in tears. I couldn’t do anything. It was too cold to even sleep. Note to self: Don’t ever repeat that. It was so cold that there was ice on the INSIDES of the windows. I thought I was going to die. Luckily, after a few prayers, I was able to sleep a little bit, and woke up to a little more heat. That was the biggest blessing ever! Needless to say, when the passengers got off the shuttle, we were all still a little frozen. It took about an hour to warm back up from that fateful little ride. Oh dear. How I hate Rexburg weather with all my heart, soul, and spleen.

So I got to the airport 4 ½ hours early… so I’m just hanging out. But it’s cool, because I find the airport to be a fascinating place. All is well…except for the sudden burst of air conditioning. That’s always fun. Orlando, Orlando, Orlando, Orlando, Orlando…. Thank you, and goodnight.

DISCLAIMER: Um…sorry if this blog is kind of…shall we say, spastic? Remember the whole sleep thing, and how I have been operating without it for 29 hours now? Don’t judge harshly. Amen.

One Day When I'm Older

Today I realized that I can make all the decisions about what I want to be when I grow up from the people in the airport. They offer a ton of perspective and clarity. And considering that I am now in fact sitting in the Salt Lake Airport sipping Hot Chocolate from Starbucks, and nibbling a blueberry muffin full of delicious calories, I can decide what it is exactly that I want to do with my life.

A big-time businesswoman
An eccentric Starbucks cashier
NOT a man with a mustache
A newly-wed
A college student going home for Christmas…wait…
A grandma with a red Santa sweatshirt
A frazzled mom with almost 18 kids
A skier- a hard core skier
Careless like a five-and-a-half-year-old
A fashionable chick
A cowboy?
A mac user
A home brother
An author
The woman that pushes people in a wheelchair and gets sweet smiles from old people
NOT a janitor
A retired couple taking a much needed vacation
Cool enough to wear a Bluetooth
Brave enough to wear pinstripes or leopard print
Awesome enough to carry a walkie talkie and use and ear piece.
Young enough to color still
Smart enough to read a 2000 page novel
Green enough to recycle
Gangsta enough to get up in yo’ grill
Virtuous enough to be recognized as a Member

Indeed, I have been inspired today. And I’m pretty sure that I could achieve most of this. Some of this I may or may not avoid dearly, but alas. It is all attainable. This little exercise is good and healthy for people who don’t know what to do with their lives. Just take a stroll around the terminal, and see how you too can become the mom with 18 kids, or the man with the Bluetooth. Or hey, even the hard core skier from New Jersey. Anything’s possible.

White Glove of Death

Alright, so I slightly hate white glove. I heart the clean, but the process of getting to said immaculate state is highly stressful. And it's a job that no one really wants to do. So what does management do? They make us their little cleaning slaves. Maybe it's their plug for getting us to be domestic. Thank you, BYU-Idaho. Anyways, the cleaning is divided up for six lucky girls. I got the lovely task of cleaning the oven and the microwave, which is better than the wretched fridge or something... It really wasn't bad at all. However, in the process of cleaning the stove, I discovered the location of the potent smell that had taken over our apartment. It was underneath the stove. It was a strong array of fish grease, pasta roni, and inexplicably, peaches. It was disgustingly awesome...hold the awesome. Thirty minutes after scrubbing, the crap was still all over the stove. Yummy!!! After a prayer, a new sponge, some disinfectant and some more elbow grease, it all came off. But I'm pretty sure I wanted to die in the process. Yet, the foul aroma that was there is now gone, hooray.

Then it was time to clean the room. I scrubbed those blinds, and was feeling pretty good about them. All was well, and all was clean. Then the RA's came around, and checked us out. However comma, in the process their Nazi sides came out. The stove had dust on it, and was therefore still dirty.... Oh, and the drawers underneath our beds were apparently not clean enough. So wipe them out again we did, and sprisingly...not...you could tell no difference. But I'm sure it made them feel better on the inside. Right on, Nazi's; right on. But it is nice to live in a clean apartment again. We may or may not have gotten slightly lazy/messy/what of it, foo?

So all of my roommies but one have left but one. Her name is Marie, and she is lots of fun. What did we do today? Hung out, slept, watched What Not to Wear, slept, and watched some more movies. It was pretty sweet. We are in the process of pulling an all-nighter. She is taking me to the shuttle tomorrow morning at 4:30...AM. That's right. Be jealous. So in order to not actually miss it, we are watching the comic genius of Steve Carell, and drinking lots of caffeine. It's freakin' awesome. So for now, I will go back to Get Smart, and pumping Pepsi into my system. Thank you, and goodnight.

Achy Breaky Heart

You can tell the world you never was my roommie

You can burn my pictures when I'm gone

Or you can tell your friends just what a fool I've been

And laugh and joke about me on the phone

But don't break my heart, my achy breaky heart

I just don't think it'd understand

And if you break my heart, my achy breaky heart

He might blow up and kill this man

Ooo

Okay, so maybe a little drastic, especially in that first verse... but alas. Such is the state of my soul this Thursday night. Why this melancholy mood, you may ask dear readers... I shall elucidate. In a few days' time, I shall be traveling back to the land of Arizona. There I shall remain for a short while, to celebrate the Christmas Holidays. From there I shall continue onward to my homebodies in Utah. There we shall be reunited and commence in much merriment. For shizzle. From that great Salty place, I shall pack up all of my crap and move across the country to the land of oranges, sometimes referred to as Florida. It shall be grand, and my heart swells with excitement. However, now at this point of time in my life, my heart is swelling with sorrow. I am moving away from my amazing roommates, and I can hardly bear it. I am so sad, and did in fact have a real-live cry part today.

Mary is leaving me forever. Okay, so not. But she is transferring to BYU to change the world. I am so excited for her, and I know that she will be amazing! But this was our last chance to live together. And it was great! And I laughed. A lot. But no more. So I shall sing the sad song: "Sadness. Sad Song. S-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-d S-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ng..." (Imagine some riffing in there, and it makes the whole thing better....)

Kinsey is leaving tomorrow, and I think I shall die. It is heartbreaking. And before I die, I shall probably weep. But alas, I will be her pen pal from Florida, and I may be able to go on. Indeed. We will have Love Shack Dance Parties conference calls. Or something...

Jennifer is leaving sometime that is still being determined. And there shall be tears shed then too. Who am I going to have Angry Dance Nights with? Who shall make my heart happy like only she can? Yeah, the achy breaky one...

Laura is leaving Saturday, and that is sadness as well. Who is going to give me those hugs when things go to crap? Whatever shall I do?

Marie is hopefully staying this weekend. She can party like a rock star with me Saturday night. I will miss her humor and her fish. Okay, so maybe not so much the fish. But I still think she is the bomb.com.

Yes dear readers, on Sunday Morning, I am taking the shuttle of death to the Salt Lake Airport, where I shall board a flight that is to take me away from my darling roommates. And my soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. (Someone read their scriptures today...) I don't know what I will do. Weep, I suppose. Sorry for this sad, sad day. But as a sad, sad day, I felt that it needed to be treated as such. And don't fret dear readers. I shall return to my happy, and oh so slightly sarcastic self in no time. But for now, I need some time to mend my heart, my achy breaky heart. Thank you, and goodnight.

Finals

Let me paint you a picture:

Monday:

• Mission Prep
• COMM 150 Interview
• COMM 111 Final Presentation
• PSYCH 341
• Gym

Tuesday:

• Workin' For the Weekend
• Buy Horton Hears a Who
• Pack Pack Pack
• Gym
• Facebook
• Blog

Wednesday:

• LAST Mission Prep Class
• Work
• Ice Cream at Hogi Yogi
• PSYCH 341 Presentation

Thursday:

• COMM 100 at 7 A-freakin'-M
• Work
• Cleaning
• Gym
• Office Party

Friday:

• Cleaning
• Weeping
• Saying Lots of Goodbyes
• Moving
• Gym

Needless to say, I have the sweetest Finals week...pretty sure...ever. Yep, ever. All I really had to do this week of a final nature was two presentations. Both of them I came up with minutes before class started. It was freak n' awesome. And now, it's 3:25 on Wednesday. I have one more class left of the whole semester. Jealous? Indeed. I kind of hate telling people this... this one girls eyes almost filled with jealous tears, and my guilt level rose about 18 points. But secretly I love it! Mostly because I was done with this semester three weeks ago... So now I'm just trying to not think about having to say goodbye to my amazing roommates. My heart will ache for weeks. And weeks. But for now, I will focus on the freedom that is in fact mine. Thank you, and goodnight.

I Heart SLC

Once Upon a Time, I flew into Salt Lake City in much need of some Tyler Banks time. Tyler Banks is a dear friend of mine from High School. He is pretty much my one of my best Theatre peeps...pretty much ever. I love him ever so much. And when he sings, you will want to marry him, so be warned. Amen. So Tyler and I decided to go have a night on the town in Salt Lake. It was fantastic! Because almost as much as I needed to have some Tyler Banks time, I needed some city time as well. It was so refreshing!!! And I love Salt Lake! I want to live there some day. Indeed. So Tyler and I rode tracks, and convinced some people that we were a really bizarre couple. We got to temple square, and started taking tons of pictures. It was amazing! We walked around the square, and Tyler kept looking for artistic ways to take pictures. I just point and shoot, and try to not have my fingers in the picture. It's awesome.

While gallivanting around, we saw a sign for free hot chocolate at Desert Book. The only problem was that we still had to find it... After a slight adventure involving a cross walk and a violin player, we discovered that Desert Book was right across the street. Tyler did hitch kicks of joy, and I laughed in appreciation. Then we ran to Desert Book and stood in line for some yummy hot chocolate. It was exciting. While standing in line we saw some random people from that one time at Riverton High. That was fun, but kind of weird. Then I spilled hot chocolate all over me, and bought a CTR ring so that I can choose the right again...

We then decided to dance, (literally) to The Gateway. That was fun, and attracted some interesting looks that I shall hold forever in my heart. We had fun talking about all the crazy/awkward/lame sauce/ridiculous moments from our past lives in theatre. It was great fun. We walked around a whole bunch of different stores, and slid down the railings like Mary Poppins. We caught Trax back to Sandy, met a highly obnoxious Jazz fan who kept jumping in out pictures, laughed at him, listened and singed along to Jason Mraz, and had to say farewell. I love Tyler Banks, and if he ever sings for me, I just may have to marry him.

This is my favorite picture of Temple Square, and notice no fingers!! Thank you very much!

I love the temple!!

Pondering the universe in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. (yeah...sorry it's upside down...)

Tyler being seductive on Temple Square.

The real us... on trax. Happy day.

I heart Salt Lake; I heart Temple Square; and I heart Tyler Banks. Thank you, and goodnight.

Say What?

So today a boy told me that he loved me. Um... thank you? Really, how do you respond to that? I haven't really seen this guy all semester. We just have our random facebook chats, that end in...nothing really. Just a promise of a repeat of the same conversation the next time we log in and waste our lives away. I just really don't get it. But then it got me thinking about the concept of love. I have never been in love. Infatuation? Yes. Deep like? Sure. Love? Freak no. I just have never had the opportunity. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not anti-love. I promise. I just am not feelin' it yet... So this declaration is kind of like...I don't even know. Something without a name, that I will probably label as awkward when passing this story on. So for now, dear men, please keep your hormones to yourself, and refrain from cheesy lines leading up to an expression of your love and affection. Thank you, and goodnight.

2 Inches of Death

Yep. It's that time of year again. The time where inexplicably, your jeans are wet up to your mid-thigh. It's that lovely time of year where your face is attacked by wretched gusts as you walk up to the Ricks, on that little path that always seems to have a wind-speed 15 miles faster than everywhere else. It's that time of the year where your joints ache, and your heart gets sad because you haven't seen the blasted sun is forever. It's that time of year where Broulim's runs out of Hot Chocolate, and Emmilie gains 17 pounds from drinking so much of it. It's that time of year where you walk out of your door and are blinded by something terribly bright, and your heart leaps, yet comes crashing down to find out that it is just a bunch of white crap, and the sun is still hiding. It's the time of year where soup and casseroles start to sound good because you associate them with getting warmed up. It's winter time. And my heart weeps, because guess what? I live in Rexburg. woot.

Yet this winter is an interesting story that is indeed worth blogging: Once upon a time, BYU-Idaho was building a new auditorium. President Clark asked the faculty to pray that the weather would stay nice so that the nice men who build things can get to the point that they needed to for the winter. I think it had something to do with walls... as a contractor. Indeed, they prayed, and indeed the weather was beautiful for Rexburg in early December. As in no snow. Even though those weather men have been persistent in forecasting snow, there was none to be had. Until last night.

I was sitting in my bed, reading on how to communicate with people, when all of the sudden there was a large, and surprisingly cold gust of wind, followed by my shiver and slight groan, then an exstatic, and slightly hysterical voice screaming, "It's snowing!!!!!" My heart stopped just a little, and trying to convince myself that it stopped out of incomprehensible joy, I peak out of my blinds. Indeed, my fanatical roommate had spoken the truth. It was starting to snow. And my life got a little more depressing. But I decided to try and make it a happy thing, and be almost as excited as all of the other crazy, screaming people in my complex. But I decided to start tomorrow. After a hot shower, I went to bed trying to ignore the swishing sound of the wind outside my window.

The morning came, and so did the mourning. I peaked out of my blinds, and to my immense horror, everything was a blanket of white. Crap. A two-inch-thick blanket. Crap. My heart broke a little this morning, and the only thing that was going thorough my mind was that I had to walk to class in it. Crap. With this realization came the memories of previous snowstorms flooding through my mind. They were not pleasant things. Yet I still had to go to Mission Prep. Crap. So I bundled up, and braved the ice box that is the Burg of Rex. It really wasn't so bad, except for the fact that my pants are wet up to my thighs, and my nose is still defrosting. And my heart aches for sunlight. Other than that...

I think I hate snow. As terribly sad as I am about leaving my amazing roommates, I have no reservations whatsoever about leaving this freezing cold tundra for Orlando. Florida in all of it's sun shining glory. And guess what, I only have a few days left until I'm back in Arizona!! I can totally make it...um...maybe. As for now, I'm stuck in the two inches of death outside of my door. Pray. Hard. Thank you, and goodnight.

Minor Details

For the life of me, I cannot decide on my major. Not even gonna lie, I pretty much change it every week. For real life. My problem is that I want to do everything!! Which is good, yet terribly confusing and frustrating at the same time!! I just can't decide, and it is so aggravating!!! Amen. I love my major, and know for sure that I want to go into Journalism, so that is a blessing and a half, but this whole minor thing is going to be the death of me. And I am to the point where I really have to choose, because I have to start on it so I can graduate on time!!! Stress!!! So let's review the different Minor's of Emmilie Buchanan:

1. English Education
2. Theatre Arts
3. Marriage and Family Studies
4. English
5. Psychology
6. Political Science
7. Culinary Arts
8. Cluster in Literature and a Cluster in Theatre Arts

So yeah... I don't know. This week I want to do a cluster in Literature, and a cluster in Theatre Arts. What brought all this on you may ask? Well, I am reading The Great Gatsby for a class, and forgot how brilliant the writing was. Pretty sure there have been moments where I just stop, and almost cry because the writing is so phenomenal. Don't laugh. And, I saw a play this week, and I forgot how much I miss it and completely love it. Indeed. So I don't know what to do. All I know is that I cannot study Psychology any more. I may in fact shoot myself. So dear readers, if you have any suggestions, that would in fact be stupendous. If not, I will probably move on to something radical next week... like, oh, I don't know, Botany, or Geology, or Horticulture. Translation? SAVE ME!!! I clearly need some help. Thank you, and goodnight.

Drum Roll...

So I love Kinsey. She told me to say that.

The point of today, is to share some really exciting news! Drum roll please. I had to write a Representative Profile for my COMM 111 class. It was a really good project, but it was really hard, and slightly extremely stressful. I wrote about a family from Rexburg who has two children with Autism. It is an amazing family, and the spirit in their home was so strong. So I spent time making observations of the family for about an hour every week, and did a bunch of interviews. It was so cool!

Then came the daunting task of actually writing it and putting it all together. I was really nervous, but I just kept praying, and occasionally taking a swig of caffeine... that seemed to work out pretty well. So 13 pages later, I turned it in. It was a relief and a half. Then came the day where we get our papers back... that was scary. At the beginning of class my professor kept talking about how there are good writers and bad writers in our class. I started freaking out, and figuring out all the ways that I added up to a bad writer. Then he handed my paper back. With trembling hands, and a slightly accelerated heart-rate, I flip to the back page, praying that it was a decent grade. My eyes bulge a little as I read 400/400. My heart stops a little, and a huge grin spreads across my face. It was a good moment in time. Then I quickly scan across the comments, my eyes lingering on one line: "This should be published." I'm pretty sure I had the strong desire to turn the atrium of the Spori Building into a stage, because I was about to burst into song and dance. It was freaking amazing!!! I was basically ecstatic. Amen.

So, I'm going to see if I can pull a string or two, and see if I can get published!! How sweet would that be?! To be published as an undergrad?!?!?! Freakin' sweet! So that was the good news of my week. Thank you, and goodnight.

I'm Not Going to Blog Today

I won't do it. I'm not blogging today. I'm not going to waste my time today. I'm not going to lose that much time when I have so many other things to do. I'm not going to pretend that I have two books to read, two book reports to write, another blog to write (for school...), a text book to read, two final presentations to come up with, and three other assignments for Interpersonal to do all by the end of this week. I'm not going to pretend that I have actually started any of them... oops. I'm not going to pretend that I have all of this time. I'm just not going to do it. So dear readers, you're just not going to get anything clever, witty, or awkward today, seeing as I am full of all of those...endearing things.

However, comma, I will take a rain check. I have many-a- story that one day in my new life that will start next week, I will be glad to write. And by new life I mean a life where I pretty much have nothing to do. Beautiful, sweet, lovely nothing. And by nothing I mean no homework. But I'm not talking about that now, because let's face it, I'm just not blogging today!! Thank you, and goodnight.

Kinsey

Kinsey is my roommate. She is nice. Except to me. Ok, Jk. She is nice to me too. We just like to play this game called be really mean to each other, and then laugh really hard. But don't worry. I like her. We have dance parties to Love Shack a lot, and it brings joy to my heart. We love to eat Pasta Roni together. We love to guzzle down peanut butter as fast as we can together too. It is another moment of happiness. We like to play with our bangs, and make them attractive. We like to make awkward moments with attractive men. Well, I like to make those moments, and Kinseth just likes to laugh at them. In a nut shell, she is one of my favorite people of all time. And I will love her until forever. Amen. Thank you, and goodnight.

Happiness in Letter Form

Dear Emmilie,

Congratulations! You have been selected to participate as a Full-Service Food & Beverage Cast Member on the Disney College Program in the Spring 2009 Season. This is a great opportunity for all students, and we are proud to offer this opportunity to you! This program will allow you to gain academically oriented work experience - the kind that professionals in every field agree provides participants with the tools they need to compete effectively in today's job market.

As a Full-Service Food & Beverage Cast Member, your hourly rate will be $7.21 and your responsibilities may include: greeting and seating Guests in restaurants; managing a seating chart and resolving Guest situations; utilizing a computerised reservation/seating system; cash handling - both manual and using computerized registers; rolling silverware, folding napkins, and keeping areas stocked; light cleaning; multi-tasking; standing for extended periods; and working outdoors.

We are excited to have you on our team! We look forward to the magic you will bring to the Walt Disney World Resort and are thrilled about the opportunity we have to include you in our Disney family! we are sure it is a journey that will change you!

Walt Disney World College Recruiter