This summer has been one of the best summer’s I have ever lived. It has been a summer rich of family, inspiration, service, education, enjoyable moments, rest and hard choices which I know will only benefit me in the long run. I guess the beginning of my summer began by attending women’s conference in which I learned a greatly needed lesson.  Life is hard. As much as I want to avoid the hard things in life, they will always creep up and block my path. My problem is when those hard things finally block my path of progression; I quit and desperately try to find another path that does not really exist.  I learned that our pains and our struggles in life are really our opportunity for perspective which can lead to progression and happiness.   Bottom line… things are hard, but I have to overcome them.  As a response to this realization, I have decided that I can and will go into nursing. It will be hard, I will want to give up, I will probably cry several times a week because I just do not get it, but I am determined to move forward knowing that I will rise above in the end.

Another interesting part of my summer was in creating a goal for myself. Being the crafty girl I am I have TONS of unfinished projects. While cleaning my room, this discovery was made in which I found over 30 projects that had been started and needed finishing.

So I decided I would spend the entire summer working on all those projects. Here is what I have actually finished……

……..Fun goal anyway J

I have also been thinking a lot about families. Mine is crazy, loud, and sometimes unbearable but they are all the best and truest friends I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.  I had the opportunity of visiting family in Arizona, which I have not seen in many years.  I was at first a little timid being around people who do not know me, not really anyway, but quickly realized they were just like me and I like them.  I was able to meet new cousins and reconnect with the others on a whole new level, realizing how much I really love them and enjoy their company. Of the many activities that took place during the reunion, my most memorable was the opportunity I had to visit with my 96 year old great grandma and grandpa.

I never really took time to get to know them, not because I didn’t care but because, as bad as it might sound, they were too old to talk to.  I always thought they would not understand me or really know who I was. To my astonishment, they were so open and aware.  It made me come to an even sillier astonishment that they have really lived great lives. They know who they are and why they are here on earth. I was flipping through an autobiography my grandfather had written which really interested me.  Of the many interesting stories and comments he made, the one that impacted me the most was his testimony.  It was so simple, yet said so much about who he is was and will be.  It also made me extremely happy that he and the rest of my family made going to the church, temple and spending time with family such a crucial part of daily life. Because of them, I am here today, have been raised by my own “goodly parents” and blessed to live in the gospel.  His simple testimony increased my desire to be just like him. It made me long to be with him again, and to see other ancestors whom I have not even met yet.  I realized over a few small words how important temple marriage is, how important temple work is and how excited I will be to one day be reunited again with my dear great grandmother , great grandfather  and all my other family members and ancestors after this life is through.  I know families can be together forever and I am so blessed to be born into such a beautiful gospel.

 

These Make Me Happy

I have one major problem with starting any piece of writing; whether it is an essay, lab, speech, talk, lesson or blog….I really do not know how to write good topic sentence. So instead of trying to come up with some wonderfully written piece of work to introduce what I am going to be talking about I will just jump right into what I have been thinking. Anyway it is not like I will be graded or like anyone will really care, right??

THESE MAKE ME HAPPY

Coloring books

Might I just say whoever invented these wonders I love you!  And to the brilliant person who created its wonderful partner in life, the crayon, you are a genius! I have spent the past week or so, improving my skills in the art of coloring. It is not quite as easy as you may think. There is so much to consider when coloring, such as: determining which colors will complement the picture, judging whether or not the picture is refrigerator worthy, meticulously ripping the page out of the book without ripping part of the picture, and more importantly learning how I can avoid coloring outside of the lines when the tip of the crayon has become flat and no longer fits into the small spaces of the picture.

 

Milk advertisements

I am not much of a milk drinker, but some of these videos have made me wonder, why not? Plus, they sure do give me a good laugh

                              

Magazine quotes that are often unnoticed

“I think you missed the word under in underwear, because I can see…that sling-shot you’re wearing under your pants.”

Bubbles

Need I say more?

Spending time with my family

I truly feel sorry for those who think they do not need a relationship with their family or think it is unimportant. My family members are among the greatest friends I will ever have in this life time. I am so blessed to have them in my life!

 (Sorry Jeremy...it was the only pic I could find)
 

Finding new crafts to be made

There is something quite therapeutic in creating something new, useful and beautiful.

 

Flowers

Especially lilies, they last the longest and smell the sweetest.

Singing in the car

Have you ever been on the road, looked over at the car next to you and find a wannabe rock star who you laugh at for being so ridiculous? Yeah, that would be me. I find great pleasure in blasting my iTunes in my car and singing as loud as I can to them, regardless of the laughing onlookers.

Church

Knowing that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true not only makes living so much easier, it makes life worth living. I know there is a plan for me here on earth, as hard as it may seem sometimes. I know that I have a Father in Heaven who hears and loves me.  I know I would be a complete failure without this knowledge in my life.

These make me Happy.

They are not in any particular order of importance, but they are all what keeps my messy life a little more sane.

: )

Oh the Joys of Education

I have been spending the last few hours wondering why my supposedly easy semester has turned into the hardest semester yet, and have come up with a few reasons thanks to Webster’s Dictionary and what little brain matter exists.

Culinary arts: of or relating to the Kitchen or Cookery

            Well ya, ok that is pretty obvious, but did you know you have to have all the equipment that goes in the kitchen and personal equipment required to "be able" to cook?

10 pc knife set                                                            $125

Chef’s Coat:                                                                 $28

Digital Thermometer                                                   $14

Floppy chef’s hat                                                         $10

Side towels                                                                   $10

Black and white checked pant                                    $28

Leather shoes                                                              $40

Book                                                                          $140

Study Guide                                                                $60

Online Study Tool                                                     $50

Plus tuition                                                              $200

Total                                                                         $705

 

Apparently I missed the memo....Ka-ching! Or is it Flussshhhhh!

Astronomy: the study of objects and matter outside the earth's atmosphere and of their physical and chemical properties

OH, WoW! This is amazing….

Look at all these beautiful colors!

Planets,

 and comets,

and black holes,

                                                               OH MY!

                                               IT’s SOOO Fluffy, I could DIE!!

Wait a sec…what’s velocity and force? Oh ya... I know Kepler, he is the guy who sits across the room, right?  And what do the moon’s phases have to do with the price of the rice in china? Pshhhh! The color spectrum, what are we in 6^th grade again…actually this is not so elementary…

repeat the entire lecture please…

Haha, nice joke…you mean there is more to astronomy than just looking at the stars??

Ok, I am completely lost!

Molecular Biology: a branch of biology dealing with the ultimate physicochemical organization of living matter and especially with the molecular basis of inheritance and protein synthesis

When I understand what this means in English I will translate…..

Honestly, I really don’t know what I was thinking.  I mean, who really cares how many atoms are in a particle of air? Or is it a molecule of air ?.....

Oh...and since when does a creepy eye-less mole have anything to do with atoms and nuetrons and multipling the mass by the something or other? Or are they talking about a face mole? o.O

Extra Vocabulary

Flummoxed:  The result of Emily when tremendous amounts of complicated information are forced into her already jumbled brain.

Belaboring: What Emily is doing with all her time from sunrise to sunset



I have also realized that my negative attitude about school will only make this semester drag on FOREVER! So, I spent a few minutes one day listening to a motivating audio CD entitled, I Can Do Hard Things (the one with a picture of a guy standing on a very tall rock that is twice his height with very little foot room, which actually makes me feel a bit intimidated because he is obviously sooo much cooler than me by climbing the ridiculous looking rock...but that is besides the point)

Part of the tape talked about turning your trials into your blessings. There is always someone who will have it worse than you, so do not get discouraged thinking your life is so tough. Feeling like my life is the hardest; I have created a list of people who have it worse than me.

Some girl in my Astronomy class and coincidentally in my culinary class too – she will have to pay for the culinary supplies and take a hard astronomy class

            -I am dropping the culinary class and will have more time to study for astronomy

Bio class lab group – did not understand the sunscreen vs. ultraviolet light lab

            - I took bio 100 last semester and happened to have the same exact lab and as a result             understand the lab and was able to get out of class 1 ½ hours earlier than usual, which   makes me feel a little less dumb

Girl in my culinary class - thinks she will get into the culinary business by walking around in scanty clothing and flirting with every walking male

            -At least I have my priorities in check enough to know that taking the class is a waste             of time and money

While these things may seem small and a bit silly, it has actually helped relieve unnecessary stress. So as I continue on this awesome experience I like to call MY EDUCATION, I will keep in mind that although my trials are tough there will always be someone out there with infinitely worse trials, and I will take comfort in knowing that mine are not so bad. :)

Chocolate Bowls

I realize that blogging is an online journal, and therefore should be easier to use since I belong to the generation of technology, but I have to admit it is not that easy to get on and update very frequently. So, after nearly six months…I am here again…finallyJ.  I do not have a ton to report on as the last few months have consisted of studying and pretending to care about my teachers opinions on life in order to receive a fair grade.  The most that has happened was my decision to change majors. I had been planning on going into the Speech Pathology program this upcoming semester but recently decided it was not the right career for me. SO… now that school is starting up again and I have no idea what I really want to do, I have decided to take elective courses that could go into any major and learn more about myself, what I like and what I would like to learn. 

This break from school has been particularly helpful in this “quest” of mine. I have had time to actually read books. I have always loved to read but have never had time with my crazy schedules of work, church and school. Within the last two weeks I have been able to read 5 books, which was quite fun! I started by reading the Uglies series which was pretty good and then started on the Hunger Games and have just began the third of the three. I have to admit that the Hunger games are a little disturbing but they sure draw the reader in, which makes for a good book.

I have also had a desire to learn how to cook. I have never really been a great cook, but always admired those with the skills. So, I have enrolled in a cooking class at school and have already begun to find new recipes and try them out. One of my latest creations was a chocolate bowl filled with Gelato Ice Cream and topped with peppermint and blackberries. 

Before I go on, I must admit that I am one of those kinds of people who draws inspiration from movies or Television when making a craft, or in this case food.  This particular dessert I found on a You Tube post and decided that as a full pledged chocolate addict, I HAD to learn how to make it.

The guy in the video used some hi-tech and probably really expensive machine to melt his chocolate and keep it at just the right temperature, but seeing as how I am pretty cheap and wanted something a little simpler, I decided to use the next best method. I always thought melting chocolate in the microwave was the way to go, but I found melting the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot partly filled with boiling water results in smoother and more consistent chocolate.

I wish I would have taken a picture of this counter before I cleaned it.  I was too impatient to wait for the chocolate to cool down and stuck my balloon into the still warm chocolate which resulted in the balloon exploding and sending globs of chocolate all over me, the counter and halfway across the kitchen floor….smart right? :) So, my only advice would be to wait at least 10 minutes (stirring occasionally) for the chocolate to cool before dipping the balloons.

You can use the chocolate bowls for really anything like nuts, candy, chocolate mousse, but I prefer to use Vanilla Gelato ice cream (which I get from Safeway), and top it with a few black berries and a little peppermint for garnish.

And yes, it was fabulously delicious!