Lessons Learned

So I was in one of those moods where everything seems just...blah.
Nothing was going wrong or anything, I just didn't feel super happy. In fact, I was feeling almost a little bitter. Ugh, I hate that word.
It's not a feeling that I really like a whole lot.

Then one day I was sitting around my apartment and it seemed like every time I opened my mouth I was complaining about something/someone.
Then it hit me!
This funk I was in might possibly go away if I just accept life as it comes instead of thinking about how things could be better!

I have come to know that when you judge others unrighteously or complain about your situation you become bitter...very much like the person you never wanted to become.

Let me tell you folks, it's been so much better around here since I opened my mind. :)

Surprises!

On October 12 I took a trip to Aberdeen to see Maci play volleyball.
She didn't know I was going to be there.
I may have gotten lost trying to find the school...shut up.

When I got there Maci hugged me and cried and said she didn't think I was going to get to see her play this year. I felt bad that I haven't been there for her more, but I'm certainly glad I got to see her that night.
I love her.

Aww! Look at my cute little sis!

She's number 1! She's number 1!

Waiting for hitting lines to start (she's the libero)

Look at that form!

Hey Aberdeen, you're doing it WRONG! Last time I checked your colors were Orange and black.

NOT Red and black. (Their senior rock was also painted Red. They must not have gotten the memo)

She's a pretty darn good server too!

Adding to the list of surprises is little "itty bitty" baby Hyrum. 

I say "itty bitty" because he was almost 10 pounds! What a chunk!

I am still finding it difficult to believe that Nate is a dad...time sure flies.

Cute little Maci and Cute little Hyrum :)

And winding up the surprises for this post is this:

Guess who fit into her size 7's??

This girl did XD

My Week of Miracles

This week has been such an eye opener to me.
On Monday in Institute we were talking about all the miracles that Jesus performed and how most people in our day and time write off our everyday miracles as coincidences.
I guess God just wanted to illustrate to me that we are surrounded by miracles every day, so He filled my week with TONS of miracles.

Last week: My OChem teacher announced that instead of having our test on Thursday, it would be on Friday instead. That opened up a whole bunch of problems. I had to work on Friday because...well, I always work on Friday. I made arrangements to take my test from 8-12 in the morning on Friday because that was the only possible time for me to do so.

Monday: I opened up my work schedule and noticed right off the bat that I was scheduled to work during my test review session. GREAT right? I would see to that later.
While at work my client's mother informed me that they would be going out of town on Friday and Saturday.
My first thought was about how over half of my hours for the week were scheduled that client on Friday and Saturday. There is NO way I would have been able to get by with that few hours.
After taking a couple of seconds to process what was going on I realized something else: This is my off week for A&P lab, which means I could work on Tuesday (Miracle!)
Together we were able to figure out a schedule that cut only 1.5 hours instead of the 8 or so that it was originally. (Miracle!)
Also, this meant that I could take my test at the regularly scheduled time instead of at 8 in the morning. (Miracle!)

Tuesday: My OChem lab instructor extended my lab an hour, so it started at 8 instead of 9. He lectured on NMR for an hour and when my lab group was supposed to leave to do a Spartan lab experiment (my lab is split into three lab groups. Every week there are 3 labs going on, so this was my week for the Spartan computer experiment), he gave us the option of staying and doing the computer experiment on our own time so he could help us with NMR interpretation. (Miracle!)

Wednesday: My client was supposed to go to see a specialist for an hour, but my client's grandma was in town for Grandparent's Night and was going to take him to dinner. That hour was cancelled, and I got to pick it up! (Miracle!)
I talked to the Front Office and Seasons of Hope and they were able to find two people to cover a couple of hours with my client so I could go to the class that I was originally scheduled to work during. Their schedule had changed just enough to accommodate my hours. (Miracle!)

Thursday: Commence freaking out...OChem test on NMR tomorrow.
After I got out of my 8 o'clock Institute class I went to do my Spartan experiment. My instructor asked me how my test went, so I told him it wasn't until tomorrow. He looked at me and told me to go home and study and do the Spartan on Monday. (Miracle!)

Friday: Hasn't happened yet, but hopefully another miracle will happen and I will magically get an A on my NMR interpretation :)


I know that most of these things might seem like coincidences, but I am a big believer that God is behind every coincidence. I've had FAR too many of them happen to me in my life (and especially just in this week) to believe that it just happened to turn out that way.

"...this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.” 
~Paulo Coelho

There is DEFINITELY someone out there who loves me and wants me to succeed in my endeavors.

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!