Master Chef

As my roommates very quickly found out, I love to experiment with food.
This conversation has happened more than once around here:
"Emma, what are you making?"
".........I don't know."

Basically I get some sort of idea in my head and go to town with what I have or what I think will taste good. Here is a taquito recipe I came up with the other day:

I should warn you, I rarely use measurements...I just add stuff until it looks right.

Cream cheese

Canned Chicken

Corn

Lime Juice

Garlic Pepper

Sharp Cheddar

Red Taco Sauce (I recommend using something with some actual spice and/or flavor to it)

Cumin

Cheyenne pepper (don't know how to spell that)

Soften up the cream cheese in the microwave first so it's easy to stir, then just add everything in to taste!

I used corn tortillas, but my mom says that flour would have done fine.

Warm up the corn tortillas in the microwave until they bend without breaking.

Add a little of the mixture and roll it up!

Put them on a pan and into a 350 degree oven and let them bake for....oh, say 10 minutes.

My tortillas ended up cracking quite a bit, so you might want to spray the tortillas with water or something...but I'm no expert.

Crazy Life!

Is it just me or has life spun COMPLETELY out of control lately?

I was sitting in Organic Chemistry the other day interpreting IR and NMR spectra and I realized just how NUTS it was that I understood what was going on...or that I am even in that class. I remember when Nate was telling me how hard OChem was, and now I'm actually living it.

Another one of these moments came on Tuesday when I was holding onto the edge of a table trying to keep my composure as my A&P Lab TA poked and prodded a cadaver. It was definitely in the top 10 nastiest things I've ever experienced, but I thought I did very well. I fought a headache and a constant gag reflex, but I actually TOUCHED a cadaver. *hold for applause*

I'm constantly reminded of how much life changes every time I go to work. I started working at Seasons of Hope in January, where I there were 21 DT's. I was the newest and youngest there. Now I'm one of the oldies in the company...like seriously I'm 4 or 5 in seniority haha.

Oh, and Greysen is getting so BIG!:

Is everyone else aware that Rebecca is due in less than a week??:

This is a hat that my mom made for Hyrum.

She also made a pumpkin and a BSU hat.

Oh, and I'm a sophomore in COLLEGE. I guess I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one. College is such an old word...and I'm clearly not, as all of my friends are quick to point out.

Sorry mom, I'll try to take more time out of my nutso schedule to update my blog so you know what I'm up to :)

The Most Exciting News of My Whole Entire Lifetime!

Okay....maybe I over-exaggerated that just a smidge, but I got some SERIOUSLY good news today.

Yesterday I took my first Organic Chemistry test and I left feeling pretty confident.
[I may have been just a little nervous too]

Today I got my test back {HOORAY for speedy test graders!} and I got...

AN A!!!!


XD I can't even express how happy happy happy HAPPY I am at this moment XD

Now if only my brain would magically start understanding Physics my life would be set!

Home Heals the Heart

I went home on Saturday :)
I love how every time I go I come back with a heart that is completely healed.
It can be heartache, heartbreak, or just plain frustration...but home makes it all disappear.
I love that.
Also, I got to see my nieces and one of my nephews. That always helps :)

You know that age where babies smile with their whole face? Little I is there:

 Cute Little I and me:

Oh my gosh he's so stinkin' cute!:

Phoebe's response to "Don't play in the dirt.":

 Cute Little Gwennie all dressed up for church:

I don't care what you guys say, my nieces and nephews are the cutest!

Dear Friend

Dear Friend,
 Thank you for listening...I know that I am not always the easiest person to get along with and that sometimes I probably use your shoulder a little too much, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciate it.
 I know that we have had our tough times and that our friendship almost didn't last, but I am saying right here and right now that I will be forever grateful that it did.
 Thanks for always knowing what to say and when to say it, even if it's hard to hear and I really don't want to listen. You are helping to make me stronger.
 Thanks for not giving up on me when I was out of line. I know I've been there a time or two, but you never stay mad at me for long. I am trying to learn from your example.
 You are very special to me, and even though sometimes you annoy me to no end, I can't imagine my life without you.
 Thank you!

Love,
Emma-Leigh

You Feeling Lucky Punk?

Zach, Ryan, and I just spent the last hour shooting each other with my Nerf gun...
One would shoot, one would dodge, the other would spectate.
Then the dodger became the shooter, the shooter became the spectator, and the spectator became the victim.

Zach taking a moment to reload 

I really don't think Ryan was playing around...

And it turned out that Ryan was a REALLY good shot

Scroll down for more evidence of this fact.

I was just a little dumbfounded.

All That I Can

The other day at work I had the line "I'm gonna do all that I can" pop into my head and I couldn't get it out for several days.
I decided that the only way I could get it out of my head was to get it on paper, so I wrote a draft of a poem and emailed it to Maci.
Over the course of the next couple of days she critiqued and I rewrote it until we were both happy with it.

I'm having some mixed feelings about posting it because it feels so personal, but I don't want to keep it to myself. I don't think that's what poetry is for...so here goes.

All That I Can

Little boy, arms 'round my neck
He's suffering pains that won't relent
Stuck in a world that's all his own
Left behind as others have grown

I don't understand the pain you feel
But what I'm seeing is, oh, so real
Little boy, I swear it's my plan
So I'm gonna do all that I can

Mother, with tears welling in your eyes
Sometimes your boy is hard to recognize
No day's the same, but still you push on
'Cause each day leads to a brighter dawn

I don't understand the pain you feel
But what I'm seeing is, oh, so real
Mother, I swear this is my plan:
I'm gonna do all that I can

Savior, Ruler of earth and sky
You know my pain, I see it in your eyes
I'm reaching out to find your hand
'Cause, Lord, I've done all that I can

~Emma-Leigh Owen (with lots of help from Maci Owen)