The Start of My Forever

BASICALLY UNAWARE OF HIS EXISTENCE

The date was January 4, 2014. I was at my friend Amy's reception and everything was kind of starting to wind down. Beyonce blared over the speakers and all the single ladies lined up for a chance to catch the bouquet. Amy threw the bouquet over her shoulder and I snatched it right before Sunny had the chance (she wasn't very happy with me). I joked around with everyone that it was now destiny that I get married even though inside I was still hurting over my latest letdown.

WHEN WE MET

The date is now January 5, 2014. Sunny had been begging me for a long time to double with her and Luis, and they had decided that Luis' roommate would be going with me. Luis and Daniel came over that night to visit for awhile just to talk and I immediately knew there was something different about this guy. I guess I should also say that I had technically met him before...but I was kind of not interested in dating anyone because of some other stuff going on. We've all heard that story a thousand times huh?

WHEN WE WERE DATING

For our first date Sunny, Luis, Daniel, and I went to Pizza Hut for dinner and then came back to my house to play Phase 10...which then erupted into a Nerf gun battle.

We went official on January 14. We went to institute and everyone had to answer a few questions about themselves including "Are you single?" Daniel had to go first and when he stood up to introduce himself I was wondering what exactly he was going to say because...well, we hadn't talked about it! When he came to that part he said, "I'm not single!...Well, I'm not married...but I'm also not really single...". We were definitely on the same page there :)

He told me he loved me on February 16th. We were watching a movie at his place and I don't remember what I did (I probably tickled him or something) and he said, "You know what?...Never mind." The 'You know what' part didn't surprise me, but the 'Never mind' part was new, so I asked him what was up and he got really quiet and then said, "...I love you." He caught me completely off-guard! I tactfully replied, "Really?! ...I love you too!"

Since the day we met I can count on one hand the number of days that we haven't seen each other :)

Dressed up as pirates at Grey's birthday party.

We had been dating almost 2 months at this point.

THAT ONE TIME WHEN HE POPPED THE QUESTION

Are you ready for the proposal story? It's a pretty cute one if I do say so myself!

We had been talking about getting married and actually...we already had the temple scheduled, but I was just waiting not exactly patiently for my ring. His parents had invited us over for Easter dinner and the words "funeral potatoes" had been used, so I knew there was no way I was missing out on that!

When we walked into the house I immediately saw yarn strung all over the family room and leading downstairs. Now that I look back, I could see that Daniel was acting a little squirrely and he immediately wanted to look for our Easter baskets, which I knew were hidden at the end of the yarn. I grabbed my yarn and started winding! I was bound and determined to beat Daniel, but he was always right behind me. He found his basket first and sat down on the couch to wait for me. My yarn led me to a door and when I opened it there was my basket! I saw a handmade booklet titled "My Book of Favorite Memories with Emma-Leigh" and I sat down next to Daniel to read it. He wrote about our first date, and when we went official and my birthday and Valentine's day and the time we went to Logan to watch a hockey game. It was all really detailed and I was really impressed by how much he had written about. When I turned to the last page I read, "All of these memories are very special to me, but my favorite memory was when I proposed and she said yes!" Then I started crying and Daniel pulled out the ring and got down on one knee and told me that he loved me and wanted to be with me forever and asked if I would marry him. Of course I said yes!!!

We took a walk down to the river near his house afterwards. 

And here is the ring! Let me tell you, it is SO sparkly :)

Daniel is seriously the best thing to ever happened to me. He never ceases to tell me why he loves me! He seriously treats me like a princess and I don't think I could be marrying into a better family! Daniel is everything I could have ever asked for and I love him so much!

SO WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!

August 9th.

12:30.

Idaho Falls.

Oh my gosh, is this real life???

Gratitude #26

I am grateful for pretty things.
Let's face it, my apartment is dull, so when anything pretty gets hung up it's all any of us can look at.

Here are my latest endeavors:

This so doesn't look as good with the flash, but it's blurry without it.

This is what I did while everyone else was at church on Sunday. 

I was feeling way too sick to be around people.

I strung some lights at the upper part of the window and then tied an ornament to the end of a string and strung some glitter covered styrofoam balls that I found at Sierra's on it.

After that I hung them from the window bar thing :)

I made this wreath over break. 

I used some foam pipe covering to make the circle and duct taped the ends together

After that I hot glued ornaments to it. It's not perfect and I honestly think I could use some more small ornaments to fill in gaps, but it looks pretty good from a distance ;)

Also, I love this area I live in.

When my team went to DC my sophomore year we all missed the mountains and cheered when we flew over them on our way home. 

There is certainly no greater beauty than God's creations, am I right?

Gratitude #25

You know those days when your pink eye comes back (boo) and then you go to Student Health and they give you eye drops that make everything better?

I'm grateful for that!

This is the chemical structure of my eye drops :)

I find this super interesting.

....Yeah, go ahead and say it. I'm a nerd.

Yay eye drops!

Gratitude #24

You know those days when you know the worst part of the flu is over because your appetite comes back in FULL FORCE?

Or those days when your pink eye decides to clear up so you can wear your contact lenses again?

How about those days when you quite possibly didn't get all the way through Othello (like not even close) and then your English class is cancelled?

Yeah, I'm grateful for those days :)

I just hope my English teacher didn't cancel class because she came down with like...tuberculosis or something like that.

Gratitude #23

Yeesh, I've got some serious catching up to do!

I am so grateful for the time I get to spend with my family.

It's crazy, I had never even met little Hyrum, but I had all this love for him saved up inside. When I finally got to hold him for the first time it all bubbled over and I was so happy this special little red-head was going to be in my family for eternity.

I just can't get enough of this little guy!

Or this one...

Or little Grey...

And then there's sweet little Phoebe...

And Gwen!

*Yikes, what was I talking about again? Oh yeah...*

It was especially nice that Logan and Rachelle and the little girls were there to help us decorate for Christmas this year (sorry, didn't have my camera with me). Most of our ornaments ended up at the bottom of the tree, but I was just happy that I didn't have to do it all myself.
*I spend way too much time trying to make the placement of the ornaments random, which, if you took McMurray's stats class, you know is impossible...it makes for a very tiring activity*

I also love just playing games with them :)
I even beat Logan a few times at Blokus until he figured out a good strategy which totally trumped mine.
*sigh* Such is life.

Gratitude #22

I am grateful for the teachers I had in high school.

I went back to the high school today and sat in on my little sister's seminary and calculus classes (yeah...nerds do that).
It made me realize how much I really miss my old teachers.

Brother Hegemann is super awesome! We had a great discussion about judgment and then finished the hour with a discussion on gratitude.
I sure love talking about gratitude :)
We truly are blessed to be living here aren't we?

Mr. McMurray was my favorite teacher in high school.
He has a really great method of teaching and I seriously miss his classes.
I took two math classes my senior year so I wouldn't miss anything haha
I sat in his class for twenty full minutes right in front of his face before he even realized I was there...
After he was done lecturing we sat around and talked about all the good times we had in his class.

There really is no better math teacher than McMurray and no better seminary teacher than Bro. H.

Gratitude #21

I am grateful for dreams, both conscious and... unconscious.

I was raised in a family who strongly believed in reaching for your dreams, and I'm grateful for it because it has made me a hard worker.
I believe that if you don't dream, your life is practically not worth living.
If you don't have something to reach for, you will never grow.

I am also grateful for the dreams you dream when you're asleep...I don't know why. Maybe because they're entertaining.
I dunno what I ate last night, but I had a seriously weird dream.
I was sitting in a high school type class and Michael Jordan walked into the room, but instead of freaking out because I just saw Michael Jordan, I ran around the room trying to elude him.
Apparently Michael Jordan had a bad gall bladder. He knew this because he was having referred pain in his right shoulder (oh the fun things you incorporate into dreams when you've been studying for A&P).
I was the only person in the entire world who was a compatible donor for him, so he was after me.
He and his minions almost caught me...but I was victorious!

My friends and I then devised a master plan just in case he tried to get me again.
The next day he showed up again and I shouted out UTES UTES UTES (which is weird because I couldn't care less about college sports). My friend held up a credit card swiper thing and I swiped a student ID card, which opened a door on the opposite side of the room.
I dove into a getaway car again and my driver drove us away.
Michael Jordan was also in a car, hot on our tails.
Unfortunately for him, he got in a turn lane and we lost him for good.
Me and my gall bladder were safe and sound.

Yeah...don't ask me where that came from.

Gratitude #20

I am grateful (one day I will stop trying to spell that greatful...oh bother) for poetry.

I have always been absolutely fascinated by poetry and have always had an urge deep inside me to write my thoughts...but I don't have a fabulous gift for it.

Every now and then I will get lucky and get my thoughts just right, but it doesn't come without some help.
My little sister and I have been emailing back and forth some poems we are working on and in this way we give each other comments and suggestions.
Thank goodness for email....Maci and I are both very strong willed and we think we're right the first time, every time, so it can be difficult for either of us to give the other constructive criticism right to their face. Email is the perfect media to have some distance between us when we tear each other apart haha

I think one reason I love poetry so much is because it's a very musical form of writing.
In honor of this Thanksgiving season, here is one of my favorites:

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost
Count your many blessings, name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done


Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly
And you will be singing as the day goes by


When you look at others with their lands and gold
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high


So amid the conflict whether great or small
Do not be discouraged God is over all
Count your many blessings, angels will attend
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end

Gratitude #19

Today I am grateful for the environment I grew up in.

Sometimes us kids HATED each other.
But even through the bitter words and fights, we ended up as best friends.

I will always remember the scripture we had hanging on the wall under our school pictures:
"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it."
Proverbs....22? 19? (somewhere in there)

Christ was always a part of our home, and I thoroughly believe that is why I am who I am today.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Gratitude #18

Today I walked out of Organic Chemistry and realized I don't have to go back to school for a week XD
I'm grateful for Thanksgiving break.

Yay!!!

I don't think this boy could smile any bigger than he is!

Have a safe Thanksgiving break everyone!

Gratitude #17

I know I have said this a hundred thousand BAJILLION times before, but I am so grateful for GEO and the experience I gained while working there. The kids and employees there are absolutely amazing.

Today I walked into my meeting at Seasons of Hope and I saw my old boss and her two sons.
I was almost in tears I was so happy to see them, after all I worked very closely with them for at least a year.
I ran to help my coworker who was watching them and I was so impressed by how much they have grown, yet they haven't changed in so many ways.
They still have the same habits and catch phrases, yet there were some new ones as well.
The best gift came when I asked the boy I worked with the most what my name was.

He looked me in the eyes, pointed at my chest, and said, "Miss Emmeria." (He never could quite say my name)

AHHH how I have missed that!

Gratitude #16

I am grateful for the Organic Chemistry Student Solutions Manual at the library.

I am also grateful that the library is open until midnight so I have time to get there every now and then.

The only thing that would make it better is if the people would talk in whispers or something...

Gratitude #15

I am grateful for my lazy Tuesday :)

I have every other week off of A&P lab, and I never work on Tuesdays, so I get a lazy/study day.

I'm thinking about tidying up the apartment a bit before I take a nap...or maybe it's nap then clean.
Who cares! I have the whole rest of the day!

Then after that it's off to the library for some quality time with this guy...

Gratitude #14

I am so beyond grateful for my nieces and nephews.

They have taught me how to love someone more than I love myself.
Gwen is a little spit-fire, but she is a great older sister. I love the way she argues with me over who loves who more :)

Phoebe is a tender-hearted sweetie. She is pretty soft spoken a lot of the time and totally devoted to her little animal toys.

Little Greysen was born the day before my birthday, and therefore holds a special place in my heart. He was my first nephew as well. He has a smile that melts my heart and he is just so stinking cute!

Isaac has another one of those smiles...he uses his whole face! He definitely looks like an Owen, which makes him absolutely adorable ;) He turned six months old today! How absolutely crazy is that??

And finally there's little baby Hyrum. It's still hard for me to believe that Nate is a dad! I am so excited to meet Hyrum for the first time! It's crazy how much I love him when the closest I've gotten to seeing him are the pictures my family sends me. He's already a month old! Time flies...

Gwen, Phoebe, Greysen, Isaac, and Hyrum...your Auntie Em loves you more than words can express :)

This picture is a little outdated, but yeah.

Gwen, Greysen, Isaac, and Phoebe

Here's the proud Daddy with little Hyrum :)

Gratitude #13

I know it's past midnight, so technically I'm a little late posting this, but it's been a crazy super busy Sunday (like most days of rest, you know what I mean?)

I have been thinking a lot lately about science and religion.
I have been told that the two cannot coexist and that science has no room for a God.
I disagree completely.

The further I get into science the more I realize how much there is a need for a higher being.
No one will ever be able to convince me that the human body just happened to form the way it did.
NO WAY!
I just learned in A&P that there is one specific neurotransmitter that causes constriction in one part of the muscle and relaxation in another even though the two muscle types are the exact same and even in the same organ.
It's all because of the kind of receptor the neurotransmitter binds to.
Did that happen by chance?
NO WAY!

All of the things that I've been learning in OChem have opened my eyes as well.
The world we live in is so complex!
Medications can have a completely difference effect if two bonds in a molecule are switched, different types of bonds show up at different places in an IR spectrum because of how far they bend and wiggle, different substances are either healthy or unhealthy depending on what kinds of bonds form and orbital overlap...
So yeah, you're right, this is all a matter of chance. *Sarcasm!*

I am grateful for the knowledge I have.
I am grateful that I know there is a God and that He is a master of science.
We could all learn a lot from Him.

Gratitude #12

Today I am grateful (once again, I tried to spell that greatful) for cross stitching.

I know a lot of people who don't understand why I cross stitch, and I have given the question a lot of thought.
I can hardly put words to it...I just love it!
I love that my mom and siblings all taught me how to cross stitch.
I love that it's a totally artsy thing and I'm not artsy at all.
I love that you can create a lot of detail with basically just X's.
I love that I  can create something breathtaking out of nothing.

And also, cross stitching is very therapeutic for me.
I stitch to remember...and I stitch to forget.

I remember all the good times I've had while cross stitching.
I remember conference talks I heard while cross stitching.
And specifically for the cross stitch I'm working on, I remember Christ and all he has done for me.
I know that he is looking over me at this very moment and he is proud.

As I stitch I forget about the negative things people have said.
"It's so tedious...and you don't have much of a result."
They become less and less meaningful to me as I realize how wrong those words are.
It becomes okay that people don't understand because I don't understand their hobbies either.

I really lose myself in my work:

I'm trying to go back and fill in all the blank spots in His robe before I move on to the rest of His robe.

I know we're taught not to be prideful...but I have a hard time not being proud of this.

Gratitude #11

Today I am grateful for all of life's little everyday miracles.

This morning I totally forgot that I had to work, so I was late.
As I ran out the door to my car I noticed a bunch of cars had frost on the windshield and I was upset that I was going to have to scrape my windshield and be even more late.

I turned the corner to my car and saw that my car not only had no frost on the windshield, it was the only car in the entire row with no frost.
And it was sitting in the shade.
As far as I'm concerned, that's a miracle.

Also, today I am very grateful for the men and women who have fought to give me the freedoms I enjoy today. My life would be completely different and miserable without them.

Gratitude #10

I guess I should do a Halloween post :)

I am grateful for all my friends and co-workers and clients that made this Halloween unforgettable!

I went to the Institute Dance as Celia from Monster's Inc.

Only Ryan was able to guess correctly who I was.

I got a lot of this:

"Pippy Longstocking?"

"Do I look like freaking Pippy Longstocking?!"

I mean come on, this costume is SPOT ON!

At least the people who guessed Medusa were close.

I went to a couple Halloween parties and Trick-or-treating with my client, so I went as a hippie.

It was a LOT faster and easier than Celia.

I got a lot of compliments about this costume and I really liked it a lot.

(The costume, not the compliments, though those were nice too.)

My roommate wore an authentic kimono.

There is a reason I wasn't born Japanese...that was super difficult to put on correctly.

Gratitude #8

Today, I am grateful for the Deseret Industries :)

Lately I have literally been bursting out of my jeans...I have had holes form in the corner of the back pocket and also half way down my inner thigh...I have no idea how that happened haha

I really hate shopping for jeans. It takes a lot of time and patience and they all look really similar but fit completely differently.
And they cost a butt ton of money.
Anyway, usually I have to spend at least 20 dollars on a pair of jeans, which kinda drains my budget of any and everything for the rest of the month :P
Today, however, I went to the DI and found a pair of jeans that I didn't hate and was also able to buy a couple of books :)

One pair of jeans: $6.00

One of my favorite books: $3.00

(For those of you who didn't know, I'm kinda a cross stitch nerd.)

4 Cross stitch books with AWESOME patterns: $0.25 each

I like Nicholas Sparks, so what the heck?

$.75

I spent a fraction of what I normally would have for one pair of jeans and I got a lot more!

Thank you DI!

Gratitude #7

I am very grateful for a good book...

I swear, there is nothing greater than a good book.

I used to read all the time because it let me have a little bit of an escape from reality.

I remember wishing with all my might that I would get a letter from Hogwarts or have dolls that came to life or get taken on a grand adventure by a Big Friendly Giant.

I have been trying to read new things lately, so I picked up this because I thought it looked interesting:

And I couldn't get enough! The second I finished it I was on eBay looking for the next one because I CAN'T wait for it to get turned back in to the library. It's fantastic, I seriously recommend it.

I had someone tell me today that they didn't like it much and I was flabbergasted...
I guess I'm just into alien-y supernatural books.

Pros:
I really enjoyed the story line
There was a beagle in it :)
The bully at school gets taught a lesson!
Quick, easy read
Lots of action
And a cute little romance that's not absolutely disgusting to read

Cons:
It ended...
...And I guess there was a little bit of language, but not nearly as much as in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.