California Dreaming

Okay dear readers, I am now in California. San Jose California to be exact. And it is oh so nice. I am here visiting my dad and Julie. They are pretty cool. You know...as far as newlyweds go. JK! They are great. So yeah... my Dad moved to Cali when he married Julie. While here, he has discovered a grand thing called Jamba Juice. I'm glad he is now one of the cool kids. But I have been to Jamba Juice twice in the 20 hours that I have been here. It's pretty exciting. And for those of you who know me well, no I have not in fact been asking to go every time. My life really does not revolve around food!! ha ha. But alas, I have the feeling that Jamba Juice will be a popular destination for my trip here. You know it's a bad sign when they greet you by name. (Not me, dear friends...but my dad. I thought it was slightly awesome. That's all.) So definitely Jamba Juice is on the agenda for my stay here.

I am undertaking a very brave thing this Saturday...I am going to play a little game called golf on Saturday with the family. That will be rather entertaining because I do in fact suck. But you know, um...practice makes perfect...right? I sincerely hope so. Not that I am practicing or anything, but just in case this sparks my interest to be a professional golfer...this little practice will do me good. (Hey- I'm an optimist!!) There are also several plans to go and see San Fransisco. Of these plans I am more than encouraging. I full-heartedly support any plans to go and visit the city. I am going to see the Drowsy Chaperone next Wednesday for my birthday, and I am so excited!!! It will be amazing, and I can't wait. Indeed, The Drowsy Chaperone is one of my favorite musicals...ever. So that's good. Oh, and I am going to a 49ers Trainers Camp. Exciting?? I think so. It's kind of cool when you play with lawyers...they play hard core. That's all.

Dear friends, I will be sure to practice my photojournalist skills and take many pictures for you. I hope that you summers are as...thrilling as mine are. I promise not to attend any gay marriages, and not burn anything important. (I don't know where the burning came in...but it sounded right.) Anyways...thank you and goodnight.

Happy, Happy Birthday!!

Hello dear readers. Yesterday was my 20th birthday. It was a slightly odd occasion. I shant lie. I am now officially an adult. (Weird?!) And, as with all birthdays, the familiar question continued to come up. "How does it feel to be twenty??" The answer: Pretty much the same. I never feel as old as I am. (Not that I know how a twenty-year old should feel...) But alas...I don't feel grown up. This is most likely the case because I never in fact act my age. I just let it happen. That is my motto. "Just let it happen...just let it happen." Words to live by indeed.

It was a great birthday. My birthday's have a way of turning into marathons rather than a one day event. (Which is fine by me...) So Friday I played around Prescott, Saturday my mom and I went shopping in Phoenix, and Sunday is going to be my birthday dinner and cake. I'm excited. Not gonna lie. And the only perk about having a broken family is the fact that I do indeed get two birthdays. One with the Mom, and one with the Dad. And since I am going to visit my Dad in about a week, I fully intend on getting the most out of it that I can. (As far as my birthday is concerned. Well, wouldn't you??) So yeah... That is my birthday in a nutshell. I will say this: I am fully hooked up with all things Jane Austen. Thank you, and goodnight.

Emmilie+Summer=Love

Okay, so I'm no mathematician... but I figured out this equation pretty quickly!! (Are you so impressed KristEn??) I thought you would be. Anyways... I am back in Prescott as most of you know. It is a nice little place. Just not the place for me. But I have decided to make the best of it. And to try to stay sane. How you may ask? I go running and tanning everyday. It makes my heart happy, and allows me to make it through the day!! Hooray!! And my family is a huge help to me. We laugh a lot together and have a great time. I have had so much fun with the siblings so far!! It has been great, and I am excited for the rest of my trip. That's all. So I have decided to be a photojournalist during my vacation. And I will begin today. I like pictures, and I thought that you all would too. So... Enjoy!!

Me and Nate!!! He is so cute!! I like him a lot.

Me and McKenzie being fearsome.

Me and Nate doing our classic funny face pose. He is a pretty cool kid. Look at those bi-cuspids.

So my family is pretty much amazing. That's all. I like them a lot. And so dear readers, it is summer, and though it is not in fact my favorite season, it is indeed growing on me. The end. I love summer!!! Thank you, and goodnight.

Inspire Me a Little

Hello dear readers. Today is the day that my stay in Arizona technically begins. Yesterday was just nonsense because I was so exhausted. But now I am more rested, and am ready to take on any challenge that may come my way while I am staying here in Prescott. Okay, so it really is weird to be back here. Mostly because there is very little happiness associated with Arizona. The only silver-lining that I can think of is my family. And I can't even tell you how amazing it is to see them again!! It is weird how you don't realize that you missed something so much until you have it back in your life again. Like talking to my mom. I have done it over the phone a ton these past few months, but it was great to do it for real. I missed my family so much, and I am so grateful to spend these next two weeks with them.

Right now...I have no car. This is slightly concerning to me...I really hope that the van gets fixed soon!! I can't stay in Dewey for too long, or I may go slightly crazy. This was a side track. Thank you.

So the point of this blog today is to supply Emmilie with ideas for a story. I really want to write something, and I have more than enough time on my hands these next two weeks. But I am suffering from severe writers block. It is kind of a problem. Not gonna lie. If you have any ideas, please pass them on ASAP!!

I promise to keep all of you seven peeps that read this up to date! I will take pictures, and actually remember to post them. I promise! Have a happy summer! Thank you, and goodnight.

My Brain Hurts From Lack of Sleep

The title does in fact say it all. Amen.

Okay, so I’m sitting in the Salt Lake Airport, slightly delirious due to the fact that I have not really slept in over 24 hours. I had about an hour long nap on the shuttle…but other than that…I’ve been awake!!! How fun! I have now hit the point where I just start to get bizarre. So I apologize here and now for any odd, or awkward comments that I may make. Don’t judge me too harshly. Anyways- Why have I been up for so ridiculously long you may ask??? Well dear friends, I am going back to Arizona today. I’m really excited to see my family, but am really not excited to be back in Prescott. It is slightly the bane of my existence. I hate it there. That’s all. And to be perfectly honest, I was so sad to leave Rexburg!!! (What has this world come to??) But for real!!! I have made some awesome friends, and I won’t see them for a month! What if they all become way lame and get girlfriends? That would be retarded, and I would have to mock them. That’s all. Seriously though, it was really hard to leave. But I know that this is the right thing to do, and I know that the Lord is not going to punish me for doing what is right. I know that it will all work out. I just hope that my peeps don’t forget all about me. That would be the saddest thing ever.

So I am slightly dreading going back to Arizona…and rightly so. But I have decided to be happy no matter what. And it is one of those things that to be happy I have to work a little bit on it, and get some help. (Okay, not like medical help…I’m not crazy…awkward.) Anyways… I have decided that I will do three things to maintain sanity and optimism. 1. I will in fact go running everyday. (Except for Sunday, because that is the day of rest.) 2. I will eat healthy. 3. I will always try to make sure that I look cute and presentable. All of these things are excellent. And, on the plus side, since I know that I will not even have to worry about making friends, I can just foucs on feeling better about myself. Hooray!! So it will be good. I really hope I made the right decision to come home for two weeks. It seems like it is going to be forever. After I go back to Prescott for two weeks, I am going to San Jose for two weeks to visit my dad and Julie. It will be good, and I’m excited. Oh, and exciting- I’m going to a 49ers Trainers Camp!! Okay, so kind of random, but yet still exciting. And so dear readers, I will be sure to keep you up to date on what’s happening in my life over the next month!! Stay tuned!! Thank you, and goodnight.

If You're Happy and You Know It...

Hello dear readers. Today is Sunday. Sunday is a happy day. Why? Church, sacrament, quiet times, moments of reflection, no homework day, and blogging/whatever I want. Yes friends, Sunday is a happy day. It is on this glorious Sunday that I feel like blogging. What about you may ask? I have no idea. But that will make it more interesting. I just really wanted to write!!

But I do have some exciting news!!! I only have one week of this semester left. So naturally, that means it's almost next semester...and I'm way excited. There are so many wonderful and exciting things happening!!! First of all, my very best friend Mary is going to come and room with me!!! That is by far the best part. We shall have a great time, as long as she does not kill me. That would be a slight downer. Seriously though. I'm also way excited for my classes. I am taking fun classes next semester. And by fun I mean English, and Film, and Communications. (Okay, so I think they are fun!!! But I'm weird like that...) It will be so nice to never have to take Math or Science again after this semester!!! I could do my Footloose dance I'm so excited. Indeed. Another exciting thing is that I am going to be an I-Team leader!!!! I'm way excited to get to work and interact with so many different people! That is so much fun, and I can't wait. I'm also pretty excited to work with the incoming Freshmen. (And I am happy that I no longer am a little Freshman.) So that will be fun. AND... I am going to be on the improv team next semester!!!! I am SOOOO excited about that one! I haven't done improv in so long, and it will be so awesome to be able to get back into it. Hooray!!! Things are going so well, and I can't wait.

So this last weekend I went with my peep Courtney to go and visit our other peep, Angie. It was so much fun! So...I really like Boise. Weird?? Anyways- it was way fun! We went boating, and I learned how to water ski! We went hiking, and played all around downtown! It was so much fun.

Me and Angie outside of the Boise Train Station!

Me and Courtney boating. Yes, I know that I do in fact look like a bug. Thank you.

Hahaha...Okay, so this picture really makes me laugh. That is me learning how to water ski. That was where I was trying to get control of my skis, and ended up almost doing a back flip in the water. It was really funny.

Nature!

Me and Courtney being excited for Fireworks. Can you tell?

So...yeah. Much fun was had by all. It was so great!! We played this game on the ride home that was pretty much amazing. We rolled down our windows and took pictures of random cars. It was so funny!!! Their reactions were pretty great too. Not gonna lie. So dear readers, I must go on to bigger and better things this fine Sunday. Like reading my visiting teaching lesson... Farewell... Thank you, and goodnight.

Take Two

Okay, so here is the second date. Not as amusing, but still entertaining nonetheless. And sorry it's kind of long. It was a long night...

Dating Journal 2

The second date I went on this semester was one of the most awkward experiences of my life. Let me give you a little background. There was this missionary that was serving in the area I was living during winter semester. He was a nice boy; but also an extremely awkward one. Bless his heart. He was clearly very admiring even while on his mission. Unfortunately though, I was never able to return his interest. I felt bad, but alas. The phrase “She’s just not that in to you…” rang through my mind several times. So Elder Forsgren found out that I go to BYU-Idaho. He was very excited, because he is actually from Rexburg! Isn’t that great news? Not really. So he quickly wanted to know when I would be going back up there. I told him I would be returning to Rexburg in April to attend the Summer Semester. To this he responded, “Well, I’m getting released in March…so you know… We’ll do something.” It was a very awkward situation. I didn’t want to reject him a date while he was on his mission. Isn’t this the reason why missionaries are not supposed to talk to girls?? But alas. Elder Forsgren asked me on a date while he was on his mission. I just nodded my head slightly in what I hoped was a very noncommittal way.
April came, and I moved back up to Idaho. I did not call Elder Forsgren, who had so conviently given me his business card with all of his information on it. I was slightly worried about running into him up here. It’s not that big of a town, and I knew that it was bound to happen at some time or another. I did get a rather interesting phone call from my Step-Father. He informed me that Elder Forsgren had called his former companion in Arizona (who is still on his mission!!) to ask my parents for my phone number. Luckily, they kindly refused. So that was kind of a close call, but it didn’t stop the inevitable. I saw Elder Forsgren at stadium singing, and he was pretty excited to see me. I was not so thrilled to see him. But I knew that I date was going to happen no matter what, so I decided to just let it happen. I tried to think positive. If nothing else, Elder Forsgren could be a good friend. However, he had a little bit more than friendship on his mind.
So I went on a date with Elder Forsgren. (Whose name is actually Brandon, but it was too weird to actually call him that. So he was Elder Forsgren) It was so awkward. Luckily it was set up to be a double date, so I begged my roommate to come with me. She took pity on me and came. However it turned out to be just as awkward for her, because her date was two hours late. That was fantastic. So Elder Forsgren has planned it all out: we went to a campsite to roast hot dogs and make smores. Sadly, he forgot the buns. So we got to wait for two hours and make awkward small talk, while my poor roommate Jessica sat there. It was quite bad. The interesting thing was, with most people your conversation is only “small talk” for a while until you become more comfortable with one another. Sadly it was all awkward small talk with Elder Forsgren. His friend finally came, and we ate cold hot dogs. Why were they cold you may ask? Because he wanted to roast them when we first got there. So that sat and got cold in the two hours that we were waiting. I had completely burned my hot dog, and to make sure I didn’t make that foolish mistake again, he made me a smore. Which was, granted, a very sweet gesture, but it took the fun out of it all… But oh well. It was a refreshing act of kindness. I normally just date jerks, so his care and concern was very touching. And if it had been anyone else I may have been attracted to him because of it. However I was not. During our awkward small talk we decided to go see a movie. That was all my idea, because it took up about two hours of not having to talk to each other. I thought it was a very smooth move.
The drive to the theatre was one of the most comical experiences of my life. He kept telling me all of the things we were going to do together. I mostly stayed silent for those moments in the conversation. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that this was a onetime thing at that moment in our date. It was kind of annoying because he kept trying to show off for me. I find that terribly obnoxious when any man does that, but it was exceptionally bad with him. He would accelerate really fast and look over at me to see if I was watching. I would look the opposite way out of the window so he could not actually see me smiling at the hilariousness of the moment. Then he decided to impress me with his sound system. This too was terribly unsuccessful. The bass in his truck was up so loud that the vibrations from it began to hurt my back. Then he decided to roll the windows down so that everyone could see how cool he was. I was so embarrassed. I just kept thinking that if anyone saw me in this ridiculous situation my life would end. If not, I would have some humorous explaining to do. Luckily the drive was short and we went in to the movie.
Once again the awkwardness of the date brought a smile to my face. Every time my hand would move in any way, Elder Forsgren got really excited, like I wanted him to make a move or something. So I sat with my arms folded tightly across my chest for the entirety of the show. About half way through the show I realized that I was pushed up against the opposite side of my seat, allowing for the most space physically possible to be in between me and my date. That too made me laugh. At the end of the movie we had about 45 minutes until curfew, but I had had enough. I pulled the “I’m just really tired” card, which gratefully worked. However the three minute car ride became the most awkward part of the date. Elder Forsgren had obviously thought that the night had gone extremely well, because he was practically planning out our future together. He asked me what I was doing for the Fourth. Luckily I had already made plans to go to Boise. (That was a blessing and a half) He was so terribly sad by this news that I almost felt bad. Almost. But then he told me how he wanted me to come to Sunday dinner the next night, and that he wanted me to meet his parents, and the rest of his family, and all of his friends. I was somewhat frightened. He then wanted to know my plans for next weekend. I told him that I didn’t know what my plans were, I would have to check. He then wanted to know if I was going to stadium singing, and if he could give me a ride. I assured him that it was nice, but completely unnecessary. Luckily, by this point, we had reached my doorstep, and all that was left was the awkward scene that always follows. He gave me a hug, but held on for a little too long. Just long enough to further confirm all of my fears. He then told me that he was sorry that I had been so stressed with school. But to not ever worry about it again. “If you ever get stressed out, just call me! That’s what I’m here for!” Oh dear. He thinks we are dating. This thought terrified me. But alas, it was real life. I finally manage to get into my apartment; I start laughing about everything that had happened that night. When too my utter horror, I see Elder Forsgren, bending down to peak into my window!!! That just about sealed the deal. Not only was that incredibly creepy, but he also say we smiling, giving him the false hope that I had had a fabulous time on the date. I was genuinely concerned. However, this story has a happy ending. He called me on Sunday night about stadium singing, but I was on the other line, and “forgot” to call him back. (Probably not the best way to handle this on my part…) He didn’t call the rest of the week until Friday night. I was at work and happily missed his call. He has not called back since, so I do believe that he has gotten the message. All is well. I will give credit to him, because I am normally not used to being treated well on dates, so his kindness was a nice change. Too bad he had to be awkward and creepy. And thus ends the story of Elder Forsgren. And thus ends the tale of my awkward/horrible dates of summer semester. Once again, I was grateful that the most I got out of this date was a few extra points in my Dating and Courtship class.

Thank you, and good night