Family Home Evening

Ryan and I made a stop motion video for Family Home Evening.

Day Six: Eyebrows and Disbelief

In the challenge I am still participating in ("Just because I'm losing, doesn't mean I'm lost" - Coldplay) the day six challenge was "Pet Peeves".

In college, there was a guy I had a HUGE crush on knew, who told me that Pet Peeves were kind of like telling people you enjoyed being annoyed and you couldn't let petty things go.

I liked that idea. I wanted to be a better person who let petty things go....which is exactly why I will be telling you about the trials that are my husband's eyebrows.


Homestar looks like a normal human being with the most prominent feature on his face being his manly beard.

His beard is very real, very spectacular, and very manly. What most people don't know that at home his most prominent features are his eyebrows. 

Those two hairy twins are so normal that when I say it, there are people who think. "He doesn't have a unibrow, and they aren't weird or gross, what's the issue?"

When he wants to convince me to do something, Homestar with say, "Want to do/go [something he finds extremely fun/cool/sweet/awesome]?" And adds this for emphasis:

The movement in his eyebrows isn't seen by most people and that's the pet peeve. Not that he can do it. That's actually impressive. 

But if I say he can wiggle his eyebrows, people look at me like: 

And I become so crazy and absolutely desperate for people to believe me that I try to demonstrate by pushing my own eyebrows up and down like a weirdo and then everyone looks at Homestar and he shrugs. Shrugs. Shrugs, like "I don't know what she's talking about?". 

And then everyone dismisses the claim as "Silly Emily." 

I feel hurt and confused like that poor rabbit from the Trix commercials who I have always wanted to get the cereal away from those mean children. 

So there it is. That's my Pet Peeve. Eyebrows. I feel better now. 

Day Four...about 5 months late: Parents

Yesterday for a gratitude challenge I decided to participate in  I posted a collage of my parents. Basically any picture I had of them on my phone and it sparked a remembrance that I had started this challenge and totally failed at blogging every day. So I decided to get back on the wagon and try to continue this more faithfully. 

Today's challenge was to write a post about my parents. My parents are...not very similar to me. 

It's something that I've grown to respect about myself and about my parents. 

They grew up in a very different environment than I did. They went to the same high school, and had a completely different experience than I did and yet I keep doing things very similar to them. 

I went to Utah State University, same as my parents. I also lived with my grandparents for a time like my mom.

I got married in the Logan Utah Temple, same as my parents. And at the same age as my mother. 

I am living in the same house in Hyrum, UT they lived in 20 years ago. 

No matter where I go I feel like I run into people who know my parents.

From the woman I visit teach, who knows my dad as the best veterinarian she got into contact with, to a professor on campus who remembered my dad. 

I used to get sick of this. I would sullenly respond to queries about my parents with, "Yes. I am their daughter." and try to change the subject quickly. I felt like I was burdened by the expectations people had of me based on my parents. 

It wasn't until I was talking to a friend about getting into law school and I mentioned that my parents family friend was part of the faculty and I could maybe get him an interview. Someone mentioned how many connections I had and I sort of brushed it off. But it started becoming apparent to me that my parents' awesomeness that I kept hearing so much about, gave me my connections to jobs, interviews and services otherwise expensive. 

As much as my personality is different from them, I am glad I have them in my life. 

Perspective or Lack thereof

Awhile ago I read a high school friend's blog about her experience in high school. It was a complete wake up call for me. To sum it up, she stated, "I guess, for people who are wondering, I went through everyday of high school feeling awkward, out of place and mocked".  

As I was reading this I was overcome with a complete shock; I couldn't believe she felt awkward, she was the coolest person I knew in high school.

She mentioned how her sophomore year people threw shoes at her and called her all sorts of names. I met this girl when I was a freshman and she was a sophomore and while we were not close I considered if not a friend at least an ally. She was my hero.

As much as this girl was dislike by others; I was always widely impressed with her. She seemed like the confident, sassy friend everybody wants. And as the awkward, Mormon high school girl, I felt naive and silly every day. She would save me, sometimes from myself and sometimes from others. Most of these things she probably doesn't even remember but I truly and honestly respected her and wish I had had the courage to tell her exactly how she assisted me during a transition period in my life.

Freshman year, when she first stepped in and saved me.  Every day we would wait for the bell to ring by listening (or not) to the announcements. During the 2nd week of school, a boy in our mutual french class asked about my bra size. Most girls would have brushed him off with a "Gross" or a roll of the eyes but I was mortified and found myself blushing and stammering something like, "Shut it." She turned around and told him she was a C and asked him if he was same. The boy never bothered me again.

Sophomore year, while practicing for a play (I never said I was cool) I was feeling jealous about being rejected because I was too tall and not good enough. I made the comment, "I wish I was more like that girl" (the girl who was better, prettier, shorter and not surprisingly meaner). And she said, "You will go way further in life than her."

Junior year, she was in the same Homecoming dance group as me and even though my date kept trying to convince me I didn't need a shawl (I need one for modesty) She stated that I looked really nice and the shawl was beautiful.

She is and always will be someone I respect and admire for her honesty, courage and ability to remain totally confident in herself. Something I have greatly tried to emulate.

I challenge all of you to find someone in your past who helped you and remind them of why they are awesome.

Day 3: Midnight counts right?

Day 3: First Love

Man, these posts are difficult to come up with while moving, but here goes!

Long before I met Homestar, I was in love with one thing and that was puppies. I found myself loving puppies almost more than life itself. I would dream about dogs and how I was going to have 10 when I was older and be a writer and have awesome hair like my Aunt Cami. 

This dream of mine never diminished and even when I see cute puppies now I squeal. Luckily, my begging and pleading paid off in the form of my cute puppy: Cookie. 

Like any proud mama, I take a bajillion pictures of this cute pup but unfortunately I have packed my camera so I don't have any to show you suffice it to say: she's the smartest, cutest pup around. 

I don't know how many times I begged to get a dog. Basically ever since I got married I have been pleading with Homestar to let me get a dog. Conversations would go as follows: 

Me: So Christmas is coming up....how about a dog? 

Homestar: No, we don't have room for a dog.

Me: So....Martin Luther King Day is coming up....how about a dog?

Homestar: No, we don't have time for a dog.

Me: So....National Doughnut Day is coming up....how about a dog?

Homestar: No. 

I need to thank my sister-in-law Jana for providing me the opportunity to get Cookie. She had a co-worker who was trying to find a good home for this cutie pie and Jana knew how much I desperately wanted a dog so she sent me a text and I told her I would ask Homestar. 

I texted him a picture of Cookie (then nameless cute pup) and then asked him if we could at least look at her. He agreed (which completely blew my mind) and then we went and saw her.

I was in love from the moment I held her cute little body in my arms. She was so soft and so cuddly and basically everything good and nice in the world. 

Homestar took a few licks on his hand and then he was as hooked as me. It was a good thing because if we had left without a puppy that night I would have cried. She's a cute one but she is so much bigger than the pictures I am posting (I stole these from facebook). 

She such a cute little baby and has completely destroyed the toy she has in the picture with her. Anyway, she's ours forever and always.

Day 2: Multiple Personalities or just plain old Crazy?

Day 2: Nicknames

Homestar is a fairly level headed guy, the kind of guy who likes dangerous stuff but only in safe ways. He's the one you would like belaying you as you rock climb:

(This picture is just to show you what kind of awesome belayer he is)

A nickname he received in high school was "Skit" because of the commonness of his first name and his last name. This is based off our last name and is something only his high school buddies call him today. "Skit" is more like this: 

A giggling teenage boy. Note the dyed tips of his hair (Skit did that) and the hunched laugh suggesting his laughter is inappropriate (It generally is). That is what my husband becomes when he is called Skit. Skit is not my husband, though I did receive numerous gifts to "Skit and Skit's Wife". 

I feel like nicknames call upon a personality we had/have when we are called by that name. I have about a billion nicknames and depending on the name is who I am. Let's just take a small sample:

1. Any variation of "Babe" (ie Baberrific, Babeasaurus Rex, Babraham Lincoln, Babecakes, etc): Homestar's wife and most amazing companion. I'm sweet and cool and totally down for huge party.

2. Emily/Em: I'm the Emily you know and love! Crazy. Loud. Awesome.

3. Emily (pronounced M-Lay): Sassy High Schooler with attitude. 

4. Emmy: 5 years old. (Only my aunts and uncles call me this)

5. Bretsen's Sister: Annoying younger sister.

So yeah, I really like nicknames. In fact the only time I call Homestar by his first name is when I am upset and want to make a point. Nicknames jazz up a situation and really give an idea to others how serious you are. 

Challenge: Get a new nickname and love it!

Day One: Do I really have to find a camera?

Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts


The problem with finding a recent picture of yourself is that I would need to take recent photos of myself to have some. I searched facebook and came up with some doozies and the most recent photo is this one:

 

In case you were wondering,  there were more people in this photo but I cropped them out so you could figure out which one is me. Also (and more importantly) I don't have their permission to re-post their photographs on my blog and I would hate for them to be uncomfortable (or sue me).

15 Less Well Known Facts About Me (MLE)

1. I became a vegetarian for a week as a protest to my parents for forcing me to help cook chicken. (No, I'm serious. This really happened.)

2. My first concert ever was The Click Five.

3. When I am reading, an earthquake could happen and I wouldn't notice. This is something that makes people not happy with me.

4. I like Marshmallow Mateys because the ratio of marshmallows to mateys is much better than Lucky Charms.

5. The picture I had on my desk at work of Homestar was 10 years old, and I couldn't find a better one I liked besides that one.

6. I have all of the siblings, you know an older brother, an older sister, a younger brother and a younger sister. So yes, I can relate and I wouldn't change it for the world.

7. I try not to think too far in the future, it scares to think where I'll be and what I'll be doing. Even if I would like it, I like the here and now.

8. I am proud to say I know all the names of my 40+ cousins (both sides and cousin-in-laws), my family is close and I'm extremely grateful of that.

9. I am working on being better at playing the piano but I still can't sightread worth a hill of beans. 

10. I love chapstick, but I'm picky about the variety. It has to be Burt's Bees original (peppermint) not the honey and pomegranate ones. I started liking this chapstick when I was in band in high school.

11. When I was in first grade, my teacher said very quiet and kind of non-social (shy). This was shocking to my parents because I was very loud at home. After that I don't think my parents were ever told that again.

12. My most embarrassing moment is when I yelled at a deaf woman because I forgot she was deaf. This was also the Girls Camp where I made the infamous "Face" that will haunt me forever.

13. I love listening to people dedicate songs to their loves on the radio. I wish there was another person like Delilah so I could listen to that.

14. I'm neither a democrat or a republican, I'm an economist. 

15. One movie I can watch over and over again is "She's the Man". I don't know why but I love that movie.



Well hopefully you enjoyed that insight into the crazy. Tomorrow's all about nicknames!!!

Challenge Accepted.

I have decided something great and wonderful today. I am going to blog more often and I figured there was no better way to do it than with a challenge. For 30 days, I will complete one of these posts to bring to you a new side of me which you have not seen and also because many people might have forgotten that I still blog infrequently as it is. 

Here are the challenges:

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts.
Day 2: Nicknames.
Day 3: Your first love.
Day 4: Your parents.
Day 5: What song inspires you.
Day 6: Pet peeves.
Day 7: What makes you happy.
Day 8: A place you’ve traveled to and where else you want to travel.
Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend.
Day 10: Something you’re afraid of.
Day 11: A quote you love.
Day 12: Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 13: Goals.
Day 14: A picture of you last year – how have you changed?
Day 15: Death row meal.
Day 16: Your opinion about your body and how comfortable you are with it.
Day 17: Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs.
Day 18: Something you miss.
Day 19: Things you want to say to an ex.
Day 20: Something you wonder “What if…?” about.
Day 21: Something you’re proud of.
Day 22: What do you want your future to be like?
Day 23: Favorite Movies and TV Show.
Day 24: Something you’ve learned.
Day 25: Something you are looking forward to.
Day 26: Your Dream Wedding.
Day 27: Photo of your city .
Day 28: What stresses you out?
Day 29: Who is you hero?
Day 30: A picture of yourself this day and 5 good things that happened since you started the challenge.

Hairy Up and Let's Grow!

Homestar and I disagree. A lot. On pretty much every tiny issue that is extremely insignificant.

Oh sure we agree and stuff like money, children and how we want our lives to turn out in 30 years but what we should make for dinner, not so much.

Our disagreements are over extremely stupid stuff like whether he will put the roll of toilet paper on the roll after he's used up the last thing and whether I have to put my ice feet on his legs in the bed.

These things are insignificant in the future scheme of things but for some reason we both feel we have to cling to our stubborn selves in order to protect our pride.

But this last month, I scored a victory for Team Wife.

Homestar has a beard. 

This is a big victory too because Homestar has fought me for each and every scruffy hair.

I tried hiding his razors. He bought more.

I tried telling him he didn't need to. He said he had job interviews.

I told him it would keep his face warm. He said he was too hot.

I told him I loved it. He said he didn't.

So discouraged I said fine and walked away. Fast-forward two weeks and I started to notice the beginnings of a beard.

So how did I convince him? Truth be told I'm not entirely sure I did. The thing with Homestar is if he didn't want to do it, he wouldn't so maybe he is a really big fan of the hair.

I am clear in my critique. I am a GIANT fan.

This is something that separates me from basically every other woman I know. I am extremely fond of the facial hair but the beards are the best (full ones not wimpy soul patches or pencil thin mustaches).

Here is an example of a good beard.

This stately man is greatly improved with his "icing" beard.

As is my hubs.

I'm so happy!

Lessons from Brat Fest

I have being feeling just a little down and out of sorts because I got my wisdom teeth out last week but unfortunately got a nerve exposed so that every time I eat it feels like death.

[Sidebar: This diet has been the most effective. I plan to market it as "The Nervy Diet: Don't eat; it will hurt too much"]

And Homestar is out of town which means that I am myself at home. This means that every noise, or silence is taken as sounds/silences of murders coming into my house. 

I was doing my usual activities after work of eating dinner, and watching the news [read: hulu tv show premiers], when I happened to spot this lovely picture:

This is me and Homestar on Labor Day at a BBQ entitled: Utah's Largest Brat Fest. [Notice my lovely Wisconsin Brat Fest T-shirt].  

You might wonder why I have that thing around my face. It is because after removing my wisdom teeth it hurt after I ate so I would put two ice packs in that wrap and strap it to my head. 

[Sidebar: Best invention ever. It had a little velcro strap so I didn't have to hold anything! How awesome is that?]

I equally love and hate this picture. I basically hate all the parts with me (I look with I wrapped toilet paper around my head) but the reason I'm showing you this picture is this:

Yeah that's my love. And what is he doing when his wife looks like a cross between a Top Gun and loony bin resident?

He's pulling her closer to him.

As if she looks lovely and the fact that he did this for photographic evidence makes my heart melt. I like that part of the picture so much I changed this to my facebook profile picture. I like being reminded of love every time I look at it. 

I have always been a big believer in love. True love. The big heart swelling romantic love because it does exist out there and it definitely exists in my life. It doesn't just mean gifts, it means gestures and the one Homestar demonstrated above is a huge one to me. 

I had some guys I dated who were embarrassed to be seen with me. True, I can be a bit....different (psycho) so I understand some hesitation but the true friends/family will laugh and take a picture. 

I have found a man who for love puts up with his wife's silliness and sometimes downright dramatic behavior. He sees the best in me and even wants to be there when I'm not my best (at least not looking my best).

I have been especially loving towards him because of how well he took care of me after my wisdom teeth incident. 

I have never had surgery of any kind and so this was my first experience with anesthesia. 

I thought I would be sleepy afterwards, instead I was just overly confident. 

I distinctly remember telling him to take me back to work after I "wash the blood off my teeth."

Homestar had to pull out his best dad voice and say, "Lie down on the bed now."

And so I meekly got into bed until his back was turned then tried again to get up. 

True love means you take care of them when they are sick and love them when they are crazy. Homestar passes on both accounts.

Caption EIEIEIOOO!

So Homestar and I went to California (and Disneyland!) and I am here to show you all the awesome pictures we took of our fun time there!











Oh you silly reader you know me to well, oh course we didn't take pictures!  Homestar and I have two very nice cameras that tend to not make their way to our fun destinations and so memories are never captured. Luckily, Youtube has provided an opportunity for everyone to enjoy some classic Disney magic.

The morning of our day at Disney started off with running around to all the good rides before the lines got ridiculously long. Because it was overcast and a little chilly we actually made it to most of them before the lines were really bad.

Noon came and the sun started to peak out which meant that Disneyland got more and more crowded. We decided to get out of the sun and experience something I have not done at Disney.....

Captain EO: A Tribute

I have included both part 1 and part 2 so you can experience the whole story

I'm sure all of one of you is feeling full of questions so we'll do a little Q&A. 

Q: What is this?

A: This is 1984 3D movie that combines the dancing talent of Michael Jackson, the universe of George Lucas and some of the worst 3D effects I have ever seen. I really hate 3D, so I don't think my opinion counts and luckily this version on Youtube is sans 3D so I don't feel like tossing my cookies every time I look at the screen.

Q: So who is Captain EO?

A: Michael Jackson and yes it is just as bad as you think it is. I have included both parts of the Youtube video though sadly, it is missing the full cinema value without the laser show and smoke and Disney employee singing the closing song loudly and proudly. 

Q: Why is it a tribute?

A: Seriously? Do I really need to explain that Michael Jackson is dead and this is pre-bleached, post nose job Michael Jackson? So it's value is doubled because he actually is not that bad looking?

I know that this seems very far-fetched and awful but it was awesome. 

As we were waiting for the movie to start they played a little "making of" Captain EO and three things stood out to me:

1. Michael Jackson is an amazing dancer.

2. George Lucas really likes weird alien looking creatures

3. Leg warmers really don't flatter anyone.

So as we are standing there watching the making of video, one of my younger cousins says to me, "What are we going to watch?" in a very confused voice.

I have to admit at that point all I could think was, "Something about dancing. and aliens. and rocks." 

So I said, "Something good." 

Unfortunately, this cousin is too old (11 years old!) to believe me anymore and proceeded to give me the most teenage angsty look I have seen. 

Sidebar: It was a little disconcerting to seem him give me the "tortured" soul bit, but a lot of me was proud at his ability to act disinterested and in pain at the same time. 

So we go into the theater, put on our 3D glasses and sit back to watch.

Which is something that I recommend you do as well. And fully enjoy a story that uses Michael Jackson's skillls to the fullest and also creates a world where a man literally dances away ugliness along with his magic music lightening hands. 

I love Disney. 

Comfort vs. Dignity: Ultimate SHOWDOWN!

Occasionally [read every night] at around 9-10 pm, I take my pants off for the rest of the night. This is not a practice I do when we have other people over or if we visit someone else's house but at home just me and Homestar, I just whip those bad boys off and prance around our apartment pant-less. 

Every time I do this Homestar asks me what I am going to do if someone walks in right now, and I tell him, "No one is going to come over, people don't just come over."

He looks at me and shakes his head then goes back to programming or looking at ESPN.com. I then bask in my glorious freedom, pant-less and watch a Criminal Minds or write a little or read. Just being at home.



                          .....Foreshadowing.....


Tonight was my youngest brother's birthday and he turned 10 which is the perfect age in my mind, because he's old enough to hang but young enough to think me and Homestar are cool. Which is perfect.

Anyway, so we went out to dinner with the family and then everyone came over to our house for cake, one of which I made that looked like somebody ate a cake and then got sick and threw back up a cake and then reformed it to be somewhat cake shape. My sister took one look at it and said, "What...?" with the implied, "have you done to some perfectly good sugar?"

So I cut huge pieces of cake for everyone and then shoveled it down's Homestar's throat so I wouldn't have to look at it any longer.

[Sidebar: I am going to have a post in the near future about how I love to cook but I complete stink at baking and how those two things are very, very different]

And after we decided to play a game and then everyone went home....(or so I thought).  It was about 9 pm and I thought, "It's time," and began to take off THE PANTS. So I did my usual fling on the couch and kicked my legs and then threw THE PANTS on Homestar (this is also a tradition). As I was going to sit down to blog a little (ie read some blogs) and then there was a knock at the door. So using my brilliant adrenaline rush I panicked and ran into the kitchen because everyone knows that you keep your pants there.


And in walked my mother, I heard her ask Homestar for her keys and as I sat in the kitchen hoping she didn't want to come into the kitchen, I decided to open the fridge doors to hide my bare legs and instead whacked myself a good one in the shins. 


My mother heard and peeked her head around the corner, according to Homestar if her eyes rolled back any further into her head they would have stuck there.  


He hasn't yet said, I told you so but he's still giggling about it which is just as bad. 

Secrets, Secrets are no Fun

At some point in my life I knew I was going to have to face certain undeniable truths. It's been a hard road but I am finally ready to admit it to the world.

I miss my coworkers at the IT Service Desk.

This was made apparent when I went to a friend's bridal shower and ran into someone I used to work with. I found myself almost giddy with excitement as I asked about everything and everyone. It was fun to relate the usual stories and laugh about stuff.

The statute of limitation on work stories has not yet passed (I think one more year should do it) so I am unable to delve into some of the funnier stories but this is a serious issue that can not be taken lightly and today was the kind of day that made me wish some one understood why I need to see cute pictures of baby animals and squeal a little bit.

Sometimes, I image my clients as baby animals and it helps but today I just needed to see a video of some kittens in booties (I did and it was awesome)

Those are the coworkers I used to have. They didn't necessarily like it but they did understand my need for puppies and baby bunnies.

The ones who understood all the stupid stuff we looked at the internet and send me links to stuff like casting for Catching Fire which is the second in the Hunger Games series.

We would have long drawn out conversations on topics such as what we ate for lunch, the internet video some posted on a social media site, or to help someone finish a game about top candies in the US or to discuss which Harry Potter character was best interpreted.

It was the best of times even with our crazy clients and that little piece of crazy stuck with me when I moved positions.

Do not take this to mean that I do not like my current coworkers, they are awesome in completely different ways.

It is just sometimes I feel a little pang for the days of us just trying to keep entertained because no one goes to the IT Service Desk on a USU basketball night, or when I stumble upon an email a coworker wrote me about his worst dating experience ever and I laugh a little as I think about it.

So here is a shout out to all of my old coworkers at the IT Service Desk for their opinions, their goofiness, their ability to find awesome things on the internet, and quite frankly their basic knowledge of computer, because without you, I would never have found my true calling in the world...saying Awwww to cute things.s

Giddiness is next to Hyperness

Whenever I sit down to start writing a blogpost, Homestar and I have the same conversation, it generally goes like this:

SCENE

Homestar is dutifully doing his calculus homework, Emily is sitting on the couch "reading up on her Mia Maid lesson" ie watching America's Next Top Model on TV. Emily turns off the TV and starts typing rapidly with a serious expression on face (read: constipated)


Homestar not looking up from his homework: What are you doing?

Emily constipated expression more fierce grunts: Writing a blogpost.

Homestar incredulous: You have a blog?

Emily looking up from her computer: Babe, please don't say that like I admitted that I'm a Las Vegas showgirl and considering stripping to get more exposure. Yes, I have a blog.

Emily goes back to typing rapidly and muttering like a crazy person. Homestar stares at her.


Homestar: When did you start this? Last week?

Emily gives him the you're kidding me face: Are you for reals? I've had this blog longer than we've been dating.

Homestar disdainfully: That's weird.

END SCENE 

Homestar surprises me with the things he forgets, but this is something that I should be used to but it still amazes me sometimes. 

Back when I was madly in love with Homestar and he thought I was just a cool bud (I don't know if he knew I was girl) he and I went and saw Iron Man 2 together. THE NEXT DAY he asked me if I had seen the movie and I had to remind him that we had gone TOGETHER.

Basically that's when I wrote something in my journal to the effect of "and that's one way to tell that he definitely doesn't think about you romantically or even as a friend."

Sometimes, even I am amazed that we ended up together. 

Well folks, I now present to you the pictures of.....THE APARTMENT but only the areas that I feel that anyone would see in my house. No one needs to see pictures of our bedroom with it's piles of laundry and random clothes flung at random and a messy bed...bleh.

First we start off in probably the best room. The kitchen. It's small and allows me to butt bounce with Homestar which I am sure he will attest is his favorite part of our kitchen. 

Next is our living room which is a great spot to relax. Notice my laptop in ready blogging position. That's where I am sitting now writing this blog.   

Here's another view of our living room including our front entry way and stairs to the upstairs which is not going to be shown see beginning of blog for explanation. I hate the blue color of the walls. It looks super weird with the stuff we have. 

The couches and most of the end table and lamp are all from Homestar's aunt and uncle who decided to get rid of all their stuff which means we have nice couches and I am now starting to decorate. I haven't done a ton, because a) I don't really have money b) I don't really have a ton of time and c) nothing matches so it's hard to know where to start.

My first goal is to get some paint and get rid of the yucky blue wall. I don't like the color and I feel like I live in a baby's room. 

Now for the exciting second part of this adventure: HOMESTAR'S EASTER SURPRISE!! 

My giddy nature allows me to be get super excited over stupid holidays, like Christmas, and Easter and Father's Day, stuff like that.

Homestar not so much.

He likes them in theory as holidays to hang with some buds maybe play some games but just chill which means that I end up being the one who is dragging him to take a picture like I did on Christmas, here's the Christmas Eve tradition in your new PJs photo:

He stood in this photo for as long as it took to take it and then was like I'm done. 

For Easter though, I had free reign to treat him with whatever I wanted to so I made him stay in our room after church and put out his EASTER SURPRISE, which was a blu-ray and candy and some bubbles. 

Then when he came out he had to follow the trail of Easter eggs and candy to his pile of stuff.  See if you can figure out what Homestar was thinking.

Basically, he thinks I'm ridiculous, but he still loves me enough to get me flowers for my kitchen table. Gotta keep him around.

It's not me, it's you.

Have you ever been a situation where you know you are in the wrong (like you bet your husband ten dollars there was a full moon outside only to walk outside and see that there is definitely NOT a moon tonight) and then you wait WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too long before admitting that you were wrong until you have to sheepishly come back in and mention that you were wrong and it's super awkward?

Well, um, hi I'm sorry. I was wrong. 

I think I was under the impression that it would be possible for me to do everything all at once. You know work 30 hours a week, go to school, graduate from college, find a job, move 2 hours away and deal with the holidays and still have time to post blogposts about my life. Well, I was completely incorrect. 

So moving on, I have moved south, and I now live extremely close to a school I:

a. abhor

b. dislike

c. find super annoying

d. all of the above

e. Babelicious!

f. all of the above except e. 

The answer is probably obvious it's b. I don't abhor the institution and I do find the people but the school itself is well...less than stellar.

I do love seeing my siblings more which has been a huge plus to moving closer to the institution of death and destruction. I also found myself getting more and more psyched for the Hunger Games movie which is coming out super soon. To end this blog post I have a couple of videos and a promise: I will give you a tour of my new house (via pictures). 

This is the song from Taylor Swift that is going to be in Hunger Games. It's nothing like her other songs and I really like it.

Here's just another trailer of the Hunger Games b/c I can't get enough of this show.

I am a pro at marriage and yes it is a competition

 I basically proved myself being a professional wife.

I know, I know. You are all very impressed.

I have this (psychotic) need to prove myself as the BEST at something.

Currently I am the BEST wife for Homestar.

[sidebar: Having never been married and only having one wife, Homestar doesn't have a lot of competition for this spot. But I will take a win when I see it.]

I think I spend some much of my day forgetting or just plain failing that it is sometimes nice to feel the BEST at being a wife.

[Additional sidebar: I am human so trust me, I fail....a lot.]

But that's neither here nor there.

What is happening is I have not updated. Here's a little quiz of why:
a. I am winning at being a wife and the awards ceremonies are back to back.
b. I am a full time student and working 30 hours a week. And if I'm not at school or work I'm falling asleep on my husband during dinner and murmuring, "That's nice."
c. In between adopting all children and donating my blood, I haven't found time to update.
d. All of the Above


Correct Answer: D, All of the Above. And no, I'm not lying about adopting all the children in the world.

For all seriousness, I am a little busier than I thought I would be but here is a little update of what I have been up to:

First, I sold half my soul to the Devil. And I guess my sister did too based on this picture. I'm not quite sure why we look so evil but Jan-Jans (not her real name) my sister-in-law looks nice and normal.

Maybe she's the Devil, we sold our souls too.

[sidebar: My older brother got married a month after my husband and I did, which was ridiculously crazy for my family but I love this Jana girl if she is the Devil she is very good at hiding it. See above.]

Here are my favorite pictures at that event:
This is my sisters and I holding up our older/younger brother. Don't we look related?

[sidebar: please note how dang good I look. I'm making a somewhat sly face but my leg position is Top Model worthy. *sniff* Tyra would be so proud! Also note that this will never happen in another picture this post]

Luckily for you I went back to my usual wide mouth weirdness in this one.

And in this one. I seem to have a preference for weird face pictures but no worries, I have great dental hygiene, which you can all see.

We also got our real wedding photos and here is one of my favorites:



That is the love of my life. And I am his #1 Wife. I think I need a mug with that on it.

Make some noise with a "Z".

First of all my title for this blogpost is in fact a TV show quote. I will spend at least post on my favorite TV shows, mainly because they are silly.

But it also brings to mind a lot of happy and joyful kind of events which are very similar to my wedding day.

Yes folks I'm now married! Forever and all that good stuff! To prove it here's a picture:

 

It was a pretty awesome day, to sound cool and mature and not at all ridiculous but there was one moment where I descended into weirdness with Homestar and that was when we were cutting the cake. I am going to tell this story in pictures because they add to the weirdness. Our reception was more of a luncheon thingy with just friends and close family. We had it at a park in Ogden called the MTC learning park. It was pretty awesome and super gorgeous! I would recommend looking it up online. (Name that movie!)

So everyone gathered around us and then we attempted to cut this cake. I will be honest. My face in this picture describes what I am feeling. "Haha. We are pretending we have no idea how to cut this cake, aren't we cute? hehe, can someone help us...please?" I was pretty desperate because we looked foolish. but not the cute we're-so-in-love-we-can't-even-cut-the-cake, the we-can't-cut-the-cake-we-look-dumb. kind.

[sidebar: my sister made the cake and it was so gorgeous! She's pretty legit.]

This is when my mom had to step in and cut the cake for us. There are many pictures of my mom stepping in and helping me from destroying something. Whether it was from stopping me from stabbing my prom date with a boutonniere pin (she even helped pin on Homestar's) to stepping in and fixing my wild hair. My mom has been there and it wouldn't be a real gathering if she didn't step in again. Thanks Ma!


[sidebar: I call my mom Ma and my dad Pa so that they know which child they are talking to. They tend to roll their eyes when I do this.]

So we cut the cake effectively and then we are going to feed each other.  Earlier, Homestar had told me that if I was nice, he would be nice. So I was going to be nice. You can see it in my eyes that I am going to lovingly put it in his mouth.  What happened next was he shoved cake in my face and so I took my plate and smeared it on him.  There is no picture of when I did it but my brother-in-law said that I looked "scary".

  

My mother then proclaimed: Emily! So in this picture my only response was "He did it first!" Which is true. My actions were purely reactionary. I would not smear stuff on my one true love. That is mean.

So of course he had to help clean me up. And that is where this awkward gem appeared. I'm not quite sure why I look like that or why I decided to put my head like an awkward ostrich.  I appear displeased. hmm...no comment.

Anyway, my cousins decided to then convince us to kiss. They all started singing "Kiss the Girl" from The Little Mermaid. It went a little like this:

Them: She-la-la-la don't be shy, you better hold on tight you should-"

*awkward pause while I put it together*

Me:...yeah...oh kiss the girl!

Them:...so kiss him.

Me: Right!

 

So I did. Albeit a little awkwardly. But that's just like our love. Awkwardly cute and weird.

Average is as Average does.

My wedding is about two weeks away (15 days to be exact).


I honestly can't wait. Patience has never and probably will never be a very "developed" talent of mine. Instead, I employ tricks like demanding that time move faster so that I can be married in what feels like no time!

Just fyi:   Time is a Jerkface.

I guess it's probably a good thing that I have more time than I want because the things that I need to get done seem to continue to pile up and every time I check off a big one about fifty more small ones pop up.



And then I have the whole problem where I recognize that I should probably be spending some time with almost husband (15 days) but we do not live in the same town so it means we have to schedule it like we are some sort of high powered couple with crazy busy important schedules instead of two silly kids with broken cars and jobs in different cities.

Maybe its a good thing but I have to admit I prefer seeing him everyday and doing dumb stuff then planned dates. It seems a little stuffy.

Well, on an extremely upbeat note I have figured out what his nickname is going to be! This is a BD [big deal] because I take nicknames seriously.

I really do not like calling people by their given names. For some reason, I will shorten it to make one syllable or add syllables because "it sounds better" or make one up completely because it has nothing to do with their name. I really do not follow a pattern.

I do this with everyone. I also tend not to ask them if they like it because then they might so "No" and I would not be able to call them what I want to. To save myself from having to stop, I just do it. (Nike would be so proud!)

Anyway, I have come up with a nickname for him; Homestar.

This name is partly because I love Homestarrunner. (check him out at homestarrunner.com)
It's partly because I think of him as my hommie G. (we have in fact started a gang.)

For realz. Here are our gang pictures:

 Ok these really aren't gang pictures but we are complete ridiculous together so he can totally be my hommie G.

And it's partly because of this song:

Home by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Here's the link to their video (they have two swear words, I'm sorry) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHEOF_rcND8

Here's the lyric that just makes me think of Homestar every single time:
man, oh man you're my best friend
I scream it into nothingness
there ain't nothing that I need

Seriously.
The lyrics are amazingly great at describing how I feel.  The chorus is:
Ah, home
Let me go home
Home is wherever I'm with you
Ah, home
Let me go home
Home is wherever I'm with you.


Home really is wherever I'm with Homestar. And in 15 days, we're making it permanent.

So I went to Haiti...

Hello blogging world!

I have returned from Haiti, free of malaria, stress and (unfortunately) orphans.  So it was a fairly successful trip in my mind (minus the whole orphan thing).


Haiti is a gorgeous country that has problems (like most countries) but unlike some countries Haiti's problems are kind of the serious kind: malaria, AIDS, earthquakes, terrible infrastructure, etc.  Which means that the biggest source of income/growth could come from tourism which is limited because as it states of the State Department website: Travel is not recommended in Haiti.


Well, the Emily department recommends it; especially if you like to have your life flash before your eyes anytime you used public transportation.

To start off my stories about Haiti, I need to explain what I was doing there.

As a requirement for my major, I had to have an "international experience" (no joke that's what it's called)  so I because I knew someone who knew someone who was a part of this NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) called Sustain Haiti I decided to go with them.

I had a great time as a part of that organization. I even had a name badge with a horrible picture. It was very legit.  We spent our time working on different projects like micro-financing loans, orphanages, gardening, and health projects like teaching handwashing and basic first aid.

We did a little bit of everything but I really had a blast working with the orphans. They were definitely the best part of the trip. But it was hard to leave them. Anyway, Sustain Haiti was located in Leogane which was the epicenter of the quake last year. So it still had a ton of problems but it was a gorgeous part of Haiti.

Sorry to be so long but here are some pictures:

[sidebar: I can't get my pictures to load, so I will post more. These are ones I stole from facebook]

This is about how many people can ride a moto if you don't have any problems with personal space.  The driver of the moto is in green. His name is Junior and he was one of the funniest people I met. He was the guy who helped us out and took us around to different projects that we did. He was mainly involved with the gardening aspects but he helped us out a ton with other stuff too! He was just all around a good guy.  The people on the bike (front to back): Paula, Junior, Me, Rony, and Jon.

Riding a moto is a bit like putting your life in the hands of mad scientist. You really have no idea what they are thinking but they obviously know more than you....they both can also kill you. I really spent quite a bit of time on a moto wondering if the last words to your loved one were going to be, "Don't forget me" (true story) and "Stay awesome". 

This is the group of us (from left to right): Madouchie, Becky, Claire, Me, Abby, and Schnider.  Madouchie and Schnider were the kids who would follow us around because they did not go to school. We are sitting in front of the LDS chapel in Leogane waiting for the rain to stop so we can go to our next appointment.

In Haiti, if it rains, everything stops. Nothing keeps going. It's pretty insane to tell you the truth. Literally, the entire town just stops functioning. It's a blessing and a curse [name that TV show!] because sometimes you would like to take a break but mainly you are hoping that they get back to work soon.

Ok. We are making boxes for transportable gardens for orphanages that do not have enough ground to plant there.

Junior and I had a brother-sister relationship. His wife (Saskya) and him were the Haitian version of my cousin and her husband who I love so that was pretty cool. He would make fun of me all the time and I responded by pulling pranks.

When we finished these boxes they looked like coffins, so I hid in one and jumped out at him...worth it.

 

These three are adventure pictures. The middle one is not any where near the first and the last one, but I thought it looked better in the middle. 

Haiti is basically a giant beach with mountains. It's kind of cool.

These two pictures are me with adorable orphans. I have and will be posting more pictures of orphans. I guess it should be mentioned that I wanted every orphan I had but as my friend Matt says, "YOU'RE NOT MARRIED YOU CAN'T HAVE A KID", and when Matt is the voice of reason, things are definitely a little weird. 

This last two pictures define my trip to Haiti:

A lot of smiling, sweaty faces but I had such a good time! I also did have that slightly crazed look the entire time I was there. I'm not quite sure why.

The first picture is of me and Becky holding bags of water. These are best when they are ice cold and it's literally a plastic bag of water that you bite a hole in a guzzle down. They are amazing!

The next picture is of me and Junior and a water bottle called Emily Drink. Junior said that I only brought a giant water bottle so I could feel helpful, because I knew I couldn't drink it all. Basically it was one of those times when a name just sticks and so soon everyone was drinking from Emily Drink. It became the thing to ask for and Junior even came up with a slogan.

Emily Drink...For Everybody!

It still makes me crack up.