I Am

Untitled

2012-01-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

I've got dreams. They're pretty big and require a lot of school. They will lead to making a big difference in a lot of people's lives. I hope.

I've also got dreams of being a mom. Those make me happy to think about. And they'll happen someday. And they will make all the difference in those little people's lives. I know.

I've got potential. I like to think I have a lot of potential. For a lot of different things. But how to spend the time? When to chase to which dreams?

I'm at a crossroads. School? Family? Work? All three? Only two? So many questions and only One who knows the answers. Only One knows me, knows my potential, knows my biggest and most sensitive dreams and doesn't scoff. I'll ask Him.

What are you doing in your life right now? Feeling the same as me? Got it all figured out? I would love to know, my friends.

Searching for Me

2011-11-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I read a post on a blog that really got me thinking. It was about a haircut and it was about feeling like yourself.

Lately, I have been feeling like the "me" I think I am is way down deep in there somewhere and my body is being inhabited by someone not so much like "me". Do you ever feel like that? That you just want to do something crazy just to feel like yourself again. Miggy went into the bathroom late one night and chopped off her hair. Since I am in a pact with myself to avoid cutting my hair at all costs, that's not an option. But, I am trying to think of something else I can do. Something that will make me feel like myself again. Some spontaneous act that will jolt me back to "me".

Truth be told, I have thought of some ideas. These include dropping everything and running away to Disneyland for a few days, laying in bed and not going to school or work for a whole week, and plastic surgery! (just kidding on that last one)

But none of these will do. From experience I know that ducking out of real life for a while only makes me more anxious and stressed and that's not "me". So, any ideas for some constructive soul-searching? Something that won't set me back but rather throw me forward? Thoughts would be much appreciated.

Stormy

2011-09-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

Have you seen Les Miserables? Better yet, have you heard the beauty that is the music of Les Miz? Yesterday I was at work, filing, and so I put in my headphones and went to town. I turned on the Original (British) recording of Les Miz and just listened as it went through the story. "I Dreamed a Dream" sung by Fantine is one of my favorites. One line states "But there are dreams that cannot be, and there are storms we cannot weather."

How terribly sad. And how completely untrue. Every storm is conquerable, every dream feasible. I found a website recently called A Good Grief and I have been touched by the stories of those who have shared their losses and the cause for which the blog is maintained. So much heartache, so many tears and so many moments of perceived hopelessness. I too have experienced these things and I am here to tell you, there is no storm we cannot weather. With faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and His everlasting Gospel to guide us and lift us, we can make it through the storms of life. With people all around us who have lost and healed, we have examples of strength and hope that all will be made up, all will be right again.

Like the wonderful people who have written on A Good Grief, we have all lost something. A loved one, a job, a dream- but it will be ok. One day, one moment at a time, we will get better. I have seen so many examples of this, and it is true. There is nothing we cannot handle.

Random picture post

2011-09-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

I was looking through pictures on my desktop and found a bunch of funny old ones :) Without further ado..

Fossil Creek hike-Brig and his horny toad. Awww.

My methods of keeping cool vary... on the strange side

Brig took this random picture of a snail! hahaha silly boy. Can you just see him laying on the driveway to capture this shot?

Old! We were engaged and we were "commissioned" to paint the eaves on my parents' house. Not surprisingly it turned into a paint war.

We made this happy little watermelon a long time ago and gave to some friends in the ward. It's on my list to do again, it was so fun and cute!

So there you have it, random picture post :)

School's in!

2011-08-24T19:55:00.001-07:00

Ah, another semester, another week of feeling like I'm a freshman all over again. Spending much too much on textbooks that I will never read. 5 classes of meticulously going through syllabi, even though they are ALL THE SAME!! I know you won't accept late assignments and that no excuse other than "I almost died" will excuse me from class. That is, with medical documentation :)

But here I am- in my 7th semester of college at ASU and I am feeling a little ambiguous about the whole thing. I am almost done (May) but for some reason, I feel just as far away as my first day at ASU. I love my major, but I don't like all the busy work, the assignments that are just filler for lack of better things to assign. I feel like, at this point in my college career, I should be spending my time on things that pertain directly to my major and that will be useful to me when I graduate. I guess that the problem of the Bachelor's Degree-it is not yet specific enough to really get me into all the work when half of it is unrelatable to my interests.

That might be the most boring paragraph I ever typed. I apologize. But why are you reading my blog if not to hear me vent right????

Don't answer that :)

Truly though, I am beyond grateful to be in school. And truth be told, I feel some pride in my education. Going to the high school I went to, it seemed like every single one of us was on the path to college after graduation. All my closest friends are in college now and most of the people I knew were going as well. But, I realize that not too many people, especially Mormon-married-girls, go to and actually finish college. And for that, I am very proud. I am on the path and I'm not stopping til I finish!

ASU has fulfilled its most important goal- at least according to me. It has taught me to love learning. I find great joy in learning and hope to continue for the rest of my life.

But it has also taught me that it is INDEED possible to use the F-word 10 times in a 20-word sentence. Unbelievable.

And disgusting.

So to all you collegers out there I say-"Press on!" And may the force be with you. Amen.

Havasupai 2011

2011-08-14T20:43:00.001-07:00

Good family

A good hubby

Beautiful falls

God is good.

Thoughts on a Sunday Afternoon

2011-08-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm not much of a picture-sharer. Not sure if it's a privacy thing or the fact that most pictures of me are not ones I am willing to share :) But I do like having a forum where I can post some of my thoughts. I don't expect anyone to really care what I think but if you do, thanks for being here.

For me, blogging has turned out to be less a report of my daily life and more a place where I can think out loud, share some thoughts/ideas, and ask wise people their opinions. I like the feeling of support I get when kind people comment and share their thoughts.

Today, I wanted to share something that struck me in church. For many years now, I have heard people tell of their trials. Everyone has them, they say. And for some, one source of comfort has been the knowledge that, before we came to Earth, we chose our trials, or at least we knew what we were getting into. But that was as far as it went. And I couldn't help but wonder, "So what?" I chose my trials. That doesn't help me, it just means I had no idea what I was getting into because, were I given the chance to do it all over again, I'm not so sure I would "pick" these same trials. The fact that I know that I chose my hardships before I came here just proves my life-long theory: I'm not the brightest bulb.

BUT! Today, as I listened to the thoughts of others at church, something finally clicked with this whole idea. I finally understood why it's important to know that I chose this.

Here it is:

This body of mine is inhabited with that same spirit that chose these trials such a long time ago. And the spirit in me now has the same strength, hope, and grit that it had when it chose. And that strength, though it may be hiding deep in me somewhere, can be recovered. And I can do these hard things.

Father's day 2011

2011-06-19T14:56:00.001-07:00

On Mother's day this year, I woke up to the smell of waffles and syrup. Brig had gotten up early and made me breakfast! When I came out to the kitchen, there were pieces of paper with candy bars taped to them in lieu of words like Star (starburst) and Kit Kat (I don't remember how he tied that one in :) It was sweet and made my day so wonderful.

Now it's father's day and I have done none of those things for the future father of my children. This holiday snuck up on me and before I knew it, it was Saturday night and the thought of something for Brig for father's day had not even crossed my mind.

This is the story of our marriage. He is thoughtful, ever-present, and prepared. I am frazzled, behind, and scatter-brained. He makes me feel like a princess. I'm sure I make him feel like a frog.

Today, I want him and everyone to know just how much he means to me. He collects my scattered, frazzled self into a coherent mass of love for him. He is my world, and it is the best world I can think of living in. He makes my asthma flare up because he makes me laugh so hard. He kisses my cheeks until I fall asleep. He gives me huge handicaps when we play raquetball and is so proud of me when I reach 5 before he reaches 15. He loves me more than life, and I him. We make a winning team. We may not be the most stylish or the most level-headed team in the world (thanks to me) but we are a winning team. I win because of him. I cannot do it without him.

Brig, I love you baby! I mean that with all my heart. Your face always has and always will make me smile. You are mine. And I love it.

Love,

Your Em

Oh don't worry, no pressure...

2011-06-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

your kids will just be totally messed up if you don't do a million different things while they are in utero and infants!

You guys, I'm seriously stressing out about this. I am taking a Stress Management for Wellness class and it's killing me! For example, today:

Prof. Larry: The biggest thing that impacts the explanatory style of your child (whether your kid has a good attitude about life or a bad attitude which will most likely lead to depression and other psychological problems) is.... you guessed it, the explanatory style of the mother!!

Me: Ahhh!!!! I better shape up my little attitude..

And a few weeks ago:

Prof. Larry: if you are under chronic stress while pregnant, it could lead to that child having metabolic, psychological, and emotional problems for the rest of their life.

Me: I need to chill out.

Disclaimer: I am not pregnant!

But someday I hope to be and I am learning what a gigantic role the mother plays in the development and health of her child. I could totally mess up my kid's life! I just get overwhelmed thinking about all the things I need to pay attention to after I decide to become a mother and start growing a wee baby inside me.

I always knew diet and hydration were important but all this emotional stuff is going to be a challenge. I want to be the healthiest I have ever been physically, emotionally, and spiritually before I attempt to raise a child.

This is not to say that children with emotional or physical disabilities are not just as sweet and precious as healthy babies. They are (I know from personal family experience) but I don't want to live knowing that something selfish I did caused pain to my child.

Children are so special. More than anything in the world, I want to be a mom to beautiful babies! But it is going to take a lot of unselfishness and discipline on my part. I wish more women out there knew the enormous impact that their health, attitude, teachings, and professions of love have on their children. It is a special calling and I am so excited!!!!

Hope

2011-06-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

I watched Nie Nie's Glenn Beck interview a couple days ago. It inspired me to be better and have more faith and also to use the experiences I have had to help others. I don't know if anything I have felt or dealt with could be of any help to anyone, but I want to try. I want people to know that hope is so important in our lives.

If you don't know me or my past, here's my story.

The year I was born was the same year my oldest brother, Ethan, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He had been falling a lot and was slower than the other kids his age, even kids much younger than he was. As he grew, my sister and brother and I watched his disease progress from bad to worse until finally he was in a wheelchair full time at age 12 or 13. Soon after his legs could no longer walk, his arms could no longer be lifted and his back could no longer pull him out of a bent position. He got weaker and weaker. It was difficult to watch.

When I was 15 and a sophomore in high school, my second brother, Ben, went on a 2-year LDS mission for our church. He was called to serve in Argentina and he loved it there. On December 2, 2005, my dad picked my sister and me up early from school with tears running down his cheeks. My first thoughts turned to my sick eldest brother and my stomach sank. But then my dad said "we lost Ben." I couldn't believe it was Ben. Ben was the only healthy brother (by this time I had two younger brothers, both of whom were diagnosed with the same ugly disease as our oldest brother), how could he be the one taken away so soon? I had prepared at least a little bit for Ethan to go, but not Ben. His death threw me into a spiral of confusion and hurt and distrust. His funeral was hard, so hard. Ethan took it so hard. Ben had been a Marine and missionary, everything Ethan had always dreamed of being, and now this beloved brother was gone from him.

Life went on and my three remaining brothers continued to deteriorate. Finally, on January 17th 2009, my dad walked into my work, again with tears in his eyes, and he told me softly that Ethan was gone. I was comforted in the first few moments knowing he was better off where he now was, but then the horror and the hurt choked me. I wrenched and sobbed as another brother left me here alone. I left work and went to his empty, skinny body, lying on his bed. That image is in my mind so often. I miss him so much.

Cade and Colby, the youngest two and twins, are now completing steps that I watched Ethan go through. They drive wheelchairs instead of run, they play stationary games instead of baseball and I can't help but cry often for them. I have seen the rest of their lives, and it is a sad life. They know how their story ends, and so do I. It ends with loss of all function until death is welcome and anticipated. It comes, always too soon but never soon enough and, at last, they are gone from me, just like their brothers. I will miss their sweet little bodies, their laughter and their faces. Their sweet spirits.

Whenever this pain and hurt seems too much to bear and I want this ride to be over, I remember my Savior. Sometimes the hurt goes on for hours, even days at a time but always, every time, the Savior brings me out by the hand into His light. My life is good, my life is wonderful, even with all the pain I feel. I know there is hope for me. And I know there is hope for every one of you. Everyone hurts sometimes, but the Savior is there every time to lead you by the hand and save you from your own grief. He offers relief to the daily pain of life, for me and for all people. I will see my Ben and my Ethan, my Cade and my Colby again. I will get them forever. I know this is hope. And it is the Savior who offers it. Take it, and He will heal you.

The Ranch!

2011-05-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

A prequel: My SIL Jen gave me Ombre hair! See the highlights at the bottom of my hair? Not great pics but it's fun and easy and you don't have to worry about roots!!

Moving on, Brig's family has a sweet ranch up in Vernon, by Show Low. It's legit guys, like they brand and round up and castrate and all sorts of fun things! I am still learning the ways of the ranch, but I love to go and be in nature. It is split into two spaces, the Lower ranch and the Upper ranch. The lower ranch is where the pastures are and where all the ranch work happens. The Upper ranch is on the mountain and is full of pines and meadows and is so beautiful!

Here's my baby (the big one) and nephew Mack! Brig was chewing on a piece of straw and Mack decided he wanted to as well :) Such cuteness

Ha! This face :) He got filthy! And had an awesome dirt line from his hat. A real rancher!

And the dirty man trying to kiss me or wipe his dirt on me. This was just before shower time and those showers might be the grossest things ever but I have never felt so clean in my whole life! The irony...

things that are making me happy!

2011-05-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

This!! is what I am blogging on and it is sitting in my family room! I love it. I just sit and look at it and want to play with it. Mine mine mine! Before you think I am a spoiled little stinker :) I will tell you that I have been saving my money like a crazy woman to buy this guy. Mine and Brig's new best friend.

Nail Polish! I am a diagnosed chronic nail biter guys. But for the past two weeks I have been defying the odds and letting them grow! I paint those suckers so I don't bite them because who wants to bite such cuteness?

The temple! My friend Hannah is getting married in a couple weeks and we went with her as she went through the temple. What a wonderful thing that they can be together forever! And they have fake wedding pictures tonight! Those are the best :)

Making memories with my family. Hiking the Grand Canyon with my papa and sister was so much fun and we all just got to talk and laugh together. What a wonderful family I have!

My awesome life! Seriously guys, I am feeling great about life today. Maybe it's the warm weather? I am a happy girl. Despite some downs, life is full of beautiful ups.

One time, I was talking to my dad about a co-worker of his who had lost his son. This man said to my dad-" happiness used to be my ocean and sadness were the little specks of land every here and there. Now, grief is my ocean, and happiness only comes once in a while."

Isn't that terribly sad? I would never wish anyone to have oceans of sadness in their life. How blessed I am to know that everything-all my hurt and yours- will be made right in the end. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He gives me oceans of happiness while allowing me to learn from the islands of grief.

Now, what makes you happy?!

The GRANDest of Canyons!

2011-05-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

It is 11:30 at night and I can't sleep. My tummy is dying a slow death as I write this.

Last night, my dad, my sister, and I drove up to Flagstaff. We woke up at 5 in the morning and drove the rest of the way to the South Rim of the Canyon and started hiking at 7:30! It is mid-May, but it was below freezing at the top of the rim and I thought I would die as I was only wearing shorts and a T-shirt. However, I did not die! In fact, the weather became absolutely amazing the lower in elevation we got. SO beautiful.

We hiked our 17 miles down South Kaibab and up Bright Angel. I really enjoyed myself. I love being in nature so much. I could hear the wind in the trees and the sounds of the river and its off-shooting springs and I felt so much love for our beautiful world. What a lovely place it is!

Now I am sore. And my tummy hurts because I was silly and did not hydrate enough the day before. Dehydration nausea is the worst kind. :( But it was worth it!

I did not bring my camera but here is a super wonderful picture of this most beautiful place!

Love ya'll!

Relief

2011-04-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ahhh... you guys. You make me feel so good. I'm glad to know I am not the only one who feels like being moral doesn't mean being stupid! Ha, but really, I am grateful for the support of good friends and family. It helps me to know I am not in this alone :)

On another note, school is wrapping up!! Hooray! Next week is the last full week of classes and then half a week and then finals!!! Wahoo! And then summer school :( ha just kidding, it should be fantastic.

I just wanted to mention how much I love my family. Both of them. I am so lucky I get to live so close to them. I am so blessed that we are all committed to the same gospel and that we love each other! And I love you! Hooray for love!

Lately, I have been obsessed with hair. Like I want to quit school and go to hair school. I'm kind of kidding because I won't really do that, but someday I will go! and I will love it! Even if I stink :)

One more time, I wanted to thank you for the kind comments. I love you all!

Frustrations

2011-04-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

I have been pondering whether or not to talk about this experience of mine. But I am going to because I think it is an important issue.

On Wednesday, I had a paper due in my class called "The History of European Migration." It was supposed to be on a book entitled "White Teeth." I did not turn in this assignment. And here is why:

I only got through the first 8 pages before I threw the book on the ground crying because I could not handle one more F-word, S-word, sexual slang term, talk of suicide, or other disgusting, depressing thing.

I am an Exercise and Wellness major and in this major I don't have to deal with anything like this. But I am also a History minor which is where the liberal arts come in. I wanted to share the email I wrote to my professor:

Professor H-,

I wanted to discuss this book. I began reading it and was disappointed and uncomfortable from the very beginning. The themes of suicide, prostitution, sex, and alcohol among other things are the very opposite of uplifting. The use of curse words is appalling and, to me, unnecessary.

I realize that this may sound as if I am sheltered and have not come to grips with the harsh realities of life. However, I understand that suicide and prostitution happen and run rampant. I know that the world is full of depressing and terribly sad things. But I do not believe that I need to be so unabashedly exposed to it to understand the lessons you are trying to teach in this class. The use of slang sexual terms, swear words, and other ignorant words is a practice too often mistaken for authentic and even educated dialogue. Stories can be told without the use of such crass and vulgar words. I am attending ASU to be educated in a professional and mature way and I am deeply disappointed at the choice of such offensive and indecent literature.

I am fully aware that this complaint will probably not lead to a change in curriculum. However, I wanted my voice to be heard. I want to make it clear that I and others like me can learn very well without being exposed to such ugly language.

Sincerely,

Emily Nicoll

I wanted to share that because I am sick and tired of vulgar and disgusting language being passed off as acceptable because it is "real life." That is a ridiculous excuse. As I said in the last part of this email, I wanted my voice to be heard. I know this email won't change anything and may just feed the fire, but if you, like me, are tired of ignorant language I would encourage you to do something about it. It is scary to me that this kind of language is acceptable and promoted in the education system.

Girls Trip 2011!!

2011-03-14T15:45:00.001-07:00

We went to Disneyland! And were very happy to be there...

The lines were short!

Can you spot Atley and me?

We ate churros...

And were sad when they were gone :(

We rode the teacups ( on which we did NOT lose our churros!)

Next day, we played on the beach!

And jumped for joy!

To be together :)

Cute mom found shells

And our shadows made an appearance

Awesome girls trip!

Can't wait til next year!!!

New post!!

2011-03-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

Alright! New post new post! Yesterday was our 2-year wedding anniversary! it has been the BEST TWO YEARS EVER!!! We went up to the cabin in Strawberry on Friday night and Brig had been so sneaky and marinated some delish chicken!! We got up there and feasted on grilled teriyaki chicken and twice-baked potatoes! He is the best :) We had some crazy competitive Wii tennis and bowling, watched Ice Age (one of the greatest things on Earth) and went to sleepy. Then! We woke up, cleaned up, packed up, and went to Tonto Natural Bridge!! Guys, seriously so beautiful! I'll prove it..

Here is my love freezing after sneaking behind the waterfall! The things we do to get a picture :)

I was freezing too but I'm better at hiding it :)

Here we are under the Bridge! Did you know it is the biggest natural bridge in the whole world?!

The bridge is behind us in this one.

Out of order, but this is right after we came out from behind the waterfall. I got kinda wet :)

Happy anniversary babe!! I love to kiss and smoosh your face!

Favorite Quote

2011-01-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

I have to share my all time favorite quote. My dad showed it to me a few years back and I have loved it ever since: "The gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain; it is resource in the event of pain." I have so many thoughts on this quote and so many experiences. But I won't share them here. You go think about it. And if you feel so inclined, please do share with me what you took from it through email at eenicoll17@gmail.com. I would love to be inspired by you.

My Body

2011-01-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

I just went for a walk/run. I vowed to myself I would never be a "walker" but in light of recent happenings, alas I have become one. Just for a little while though :)

In August, I broke my foot. In October, I hurt my hip. And then in December, I hurt my foot again! So it's been the laziest few months (in regards to exercise) that I've had in a very long time.

So today, I decided it was over! But the reason I hurt my hip in October was because I got my boot off and tried to run 3 miles as fast as I could. Not smart! My little hip didn't know what had hit it, so it got grumpy at me.

This time, I walked a mile and ran a mile and a little bit. I felt so good! Maybe it's because the weather was so beautiful, but I actually listened to my body. When it was tired of running, I stopped. And I actually made it farther than I thought it would :)

Every time I run, I get the same feeling. Happy. Just happy and content. But then, if I don't exercise for a while, I forget that feeling and it is just so easy to be lazy that, eventually, I end up at square 1 again. Trying to get myself off my lazy booty and get out there because I know that happy girl inside me is gonna poke her head out as soon as I get going.

That is why I love my major. I love sharing the joy and peace that taking care of your body can bring. I'm not just talking about exercise but also eating right, getting enough sleep, and listening to your body. really listen to it. It will tell you what it needs. I think I've finally learned my lesson that it is NOT worth it to ignore your body. You'll just pay for it later :)

Ok, enough of my soapbox. In other, WAY more exciting news, I got my first sewing machine!!! Can I tell you how excited I am? Ok! I am SO SO SO excited! It may seem like a weird thing to be this excited about but you just wait til I'm whipping awesome stuff out :)

Don't hold your breath... you may be waiting a while :)

Comfort

2010-12-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

I sometimes feel that I need to update this blog more. But then, I only want to post what is meaningful to me. One thing that is very meaningful to me is that I am DONE with my semester!! Only 3 more to go. May 2012 can't come fast enough! But then it's on to graduate school, so really I've still got a long way to go :)

This post is entitled "Comfort" because I was feeling lonely last night. I went outside and watched the stars for a while. I love the night sky because it reminds me of my Creator's love for me. He created all that He did with me in mind. When I was a little too cold, I came inside and opened my scriptures to Isaiah and I read the most beautiful, poignant scripture. It is Isaiah 61: 1 and 3. The phrases that comforted me were that He was sent "to bind up the brokenhearted... and give unto them beauty for ashes."

Sometimes I feel like I have a lot of ashes; that a part of my heart is just ashes and it will crumble at the slightest push. Then, there's much more of my heart that is beautiful. I have so much love for people; especially Brig, my families, and my Savior. And Christ will turn every ash into beauty. He does that for me and, one by one, my ashes are changed to beauty and my broken heart is bound up. It happens when I feel unconditional love for my Brig, when I go to the temple and feel of God's love for me, when I think of Ben and Ethan and realize that I know where they are and that they are happy, when I know that Cade and Colby have big brothers that are cheering them on and will meet them on the other side.

I hope I'm not being too heavy, I really am not meaning to be. I know I must sound like an ultra-depressed crazy that sobs in bed all day. That's not who I am. I live and I love because my Savior gives me beauty in my life. It's our job to look for it and, honestly, it's not hard to see. There is so much beauty!

I love my Savior. I know He loves me and knows when I am sad or aching for my family to be whole again. I know it will happen someday and I know it's because of Him. How could I repay Him for that? He has sealed my family together and it's beautiful.

Have a beautiful weekend :) I will.

On Being Christ-Like

2010-11-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Today I read a quote on a blog-"Anyone can be nice when it is convenient. It is being nice when it's really hard that makes you like Christ."

This hit me hard. Much of the time, I am conscious of how I talk about or treat others. I really do try to be kind and talk about them nicely. If I have nothing nice to say, I try not to talk at all and walk away from a nasty conversation.

But lately, just a few times, I have said something and immediately felt horrible about it. I repent and promise I will not do it again, but I do. I feel so weak when it comes to this, maybe because it is so easy to get a shallow laugh with someone by making fun of another.

But then I read this quote. And I realized my problem. I want it to be easy! I don't want to have to work at it. I just want to ask for it once and be an unfailingly nice person.

But that's not how it works. It is tempting to be mean and hateful about someone. No doubt that sometimes it is funny to make fun. On the other hand, it is more difficult to constantly remember to be kind, to "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

But I want to do it. I want to be someone who people can trust. Someone who doesn't back bite. Someone who doesn't say "Bless her heart..." as if blessing her little heart will cancel out the mean thing I just said.

I will not let mood swings or a bad day dictate how I treat others. I will always be the kindest I can be.

I will not let past experiences of mean behavior to me justify why it's alright to be mean to others.

No, I will take on the challenge and be like Christ.

I want to lift you up.

Oh the things he says..

2010-11-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

Brig was on a roll tonight. First, we were walking out of the grocery store with bags in hand and Brig gets serious. "I can't find my keys" he says. Oh crud. "Well," I say "did we leave them in the car?" So I start walking over to the car and... I hear the car running!! He had left the car running the whole time we were in the store! Ha Oh he is so funny.

And THEN! We are in the car driving home behind a truck with a license plate from Saskatchewan and I note that it is a long way from home. Brig says "Where is that? New Mexico?" Pah! I almost died, and then almost died again after looking at his face and seeing he was dead serious! It's even funnier because he is a super smarty, I guess Saskatchewan just never got covered (It's in Canada). Oh I love him :)

ALSO: Tonight, I ate my first entire banana. I know, but the texture just kinda grosses me out and I could only ever take like 2 bites before the gag reflex started kicking in. But tonight was the night! I am so proud

Have you seen Emma Watson's (Hermione Granger) new haircut?? Love it? Hate it?

On a more serious note, Happy Veteran's Day! I am so grateful for those people who sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms. They have a sense of pride in country I wish we all had. Ben was a Marine and I am grateful for his service. Yay America!

Dilbert

2010-11-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue."

-Dilbert

new news!

2010-11-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

Heyyy! Have you ever been to values.com? Oh my cutest commercials ever! And they have a grea quote secton. I love it! I love quotes so much so I am going to share daily quote on my blog. Enjoy and be happy!

Quote of the Day: "Danielson, never keep the ladies waiting."- Mr. Miyagi

Oh he is so wise :) Does anyone LOVE the way he says "Danielson"??

I went to the cemetary yesterday... sat with Ben and Ethan for a while and just talked to them. It's nice to talk to them :) I miss those fellas. Can't wait to be with them again! Oh boy

In other news, we have our LYF activity tomorrow!! Yeehaw! It's our talent show and we are stizzoked! Come, come Danielson! haha I just love saying that in my head. If you haven't seen him, youtube it up!

I read a post written by a beautiful girl who is fashionable and hilarious and kind. But she was saying how much she doesn't like herself and how bad she hurts inside. It makes me sad to think af all the beautiful girls (and boys maybe) who don't like themselves. It made me think how I feel about myself. And I realized I really want to get more in touch with myself. Not my body, but my spirit and what I really want and who I really am. It feels good to be in touch. And I have a BEAUTIFUL lady in my life who I want to shout out to! I won't say names but J.M.R.- you are so BEAUTIFUL and I want you to know that! It makes me sad when you don't think so. You are wonderful. Just know that to one girl, you are the most beautiful person ever!

loves everyone! Have an amazing weekend!!!

Em

Too Darn Classy!

2010-10-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I don't really belong in the blogging world. I have seen at least a million (yes, a million) blogs in the past couple months that include one or more (usually all) of the following:

Long Blonde Curly Hair

LOTS of pictures of a very dapper husband/bf

Talkings of food like antique tomatoes and caviar etc.

Nothing but vintage clothes on skinny bodies

Some amazing craft that "I just made up on the spot!"

HINT: These will not be found on my blog. What will be found on my blog:

Short, usually unstyled hair

Still lots of pics of a very handsome man

Talkings of food like cereal for breakfast, and lunch...and dinner maybe too

Nothing but WalMart shorts and Goodwill jeans on this not-so-in-shape body

No crafts. At all. Ever

So I guess that I'm trying to say is that I am just too classy for the blogging world!

What's Wrong in the World?

2010-09-30T21:22:00.001-07:00

I'll tell you-

They are putting less filling in Pop-Tarts. That's what's wrong in the world

Today

2010-09-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my heart hurts so bad I can feel the scars forming with every beat. My heart must be as calloused as my heel by now. Then why do I feel so much? Why does it still cut so deep?

It's not the future that hurts. I know I'll see them again and I know they are happy.

It's raising my fist to knock on my mother's door and hearing her crying.

It's laughing at something funny and then feeling guilty. Why should I be happy when they go through so much pain?

It's forgetting the sound of his voice and turn of his face.

It's the regret that I wasn't always kind.

It's the unanswered question of what it would be like if they were here.

It's the dichotomy of feeling happy that I have a sensitive heart and wishing I could go the rest of my life without feeling.

It's just that I miss them. So much.

There are some days that to feel is to hurt. Today is one of those days.

But they are not everyday. Thank goodness for that.

Nothing but Brig

2010-09-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of the most fabulous man ever!!! If you guessed Johnny Bravo, you'd be wrong because he is not the most fabulous guy ever. Brigham is!! See??

I love you punkin! Have a fantastic day and don't get high from all the sugar I gave you ;)

Loves,

What we do when we don't do anything

2010-09-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

The answer to that is:

work,

school,

eat,

sleep,

repeat!

It's kinda like how a baby only does a few things like sleep, poop, eat, repeat only we use a

tad more brain juice (at least I like to think so).

Anyway, here some fab things that have happened over the last little bit.

1. Found AMAZING blog! Seriously love it long time. She inspires me!

2. Working on food storage! We have about 4 or 5 meals all done and continue working on some more! Maybe I'll post about our system soon if anyone would even care?? Do tell.

3. Limping. I'm super at this one. Short story: Playing raquetball with hubs, get too into it, jump, fall, break foot, glass doors all around court in gym... yaaaaa real graceful Em. Next 6-7 weeks is history. The boot and I have become besties.

4. New calling as ward choir accompanist. Hooray!!

5. Being jealous of everyone's brand new little ones! Can I please come hold them and snuggle them?!?!

6. Being grateful for a healthy hubby and a loving family.

7. Being impatient for some (pleeeeaaassseeee) cool weather! Remind me why we live here?

8. Wishing I had a non-broken camera so I could actually blog with pictures! I guess doing it this way just pushes my creative limits...or not.

Anyway, I'll be back soon!!

Loves,

I'm sorry miss Jackson, I am for reeyal

2010-08-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

It's true! Love, Your Friend is officially a big deal. Now I know you all want to come :)

(to clear up any confusion, we are now a NON-PROFIT organization! Yee-haw!)

August Acitivity!

2010-08-07T12:33:00.001-07:00

Tonight is the LYF BBQ and swim party!! Come and have a wonderful time! 1655 N 26th St! We hope to have a whole bunch of new faces!!

yayayay!!!1

LDS.org video

2010-08-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

This video touched my heart :)

Little Birdies

2010-06-30T11:14:00.001-07:00

FHE was last night and for the first time in a long time, I was in charge of the lesson part. I was asked to give the lesson on the Prophet's message from the June Ensign.

Combine that message with the fact that I have been quite the emotional wreck lately, and you get a very short, minimally wordy lesson.

But I have the need to write about it.

Writing is easier than talking :)

I feel like a canary with gray on her wings. Correction: I feel like a canary with nothing but gray. I am not exceptionally beautiful nor am I exceptionally good at any one thing.

But I feel like maybe, because of the things that have happened to me, I have a song. It might not be pretty, but it might be helpful.

I have been wondering what the lyrics to my song might be. What I came up with are 4 things:

1.) I can do hard things. And I can do them graciously.

2.) People are genuinely good.

3.) Time is the greatest healer. So wait.

4.) God in Heaven loves me. And you.

I hope my song helps someone, sometime.

I would love to hear your song.

We've gone crazy

2010-06-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

I have fallen in love with raquetball. It is the best! And it helps to have a hubby who is really super good at it, but is nice to me and doesn't hit it so hard it would break my face if it wasn't hidden in my arms. (I know you could, Brig!) Anyway, we have been going periodically for a couple months and as I improve gradually he just steps up his game a notch or two. Sometimes, he even lets me win, even though I know he could kick my trash. And when I start to get cocky he just serves it up at a million miles per hour to remind me just who owns the court here! Haha ooh how I love him :)

Second matter of business, we are obsessed with the world cup! Half the people we ask about it say "huh?" which is so crazy to me because it's flipping the whole entire world playing (unlike the "world series"..posers). Anyway, enough of my spiel, the world cup is bomb diggity. We wake up at 4:30 to watch Argentina. Now that is commitment. We even got a legit FIFA World Cup 2010 soccer ball and played in the house! Ha, I know I'm a bad housekeeper but oh well.

I look like scary spice. If you didn't know, the USA won this morning and we are moving on!! Oh my heart attack game though, awesome!

MDA Camp 2010!

2010-06-15T17:21:00.001-07:00

OK! So, we (Brig, me, and Conrad) went to MDA Camp this year as volunteers!! Cade and Colby went as campers (Brig was Colby's counselor, Conrad was Cade's) It was a blast except for a little drama early in the week which I won't expand upon :) MDA Camp really is so neat because it is a place where kids with all kinds of muscular dystrophy can come together and feel normal and accepted- not like they are the odd one out. So we will definitely going back next year!

Here's Brig and me looking fine (this is about how we looked the entire time at camp.. no time in the morning for grooming! you're lucky if you get a shower in)

Yes, that is a man in a dress, don't ask me why.

This is Abby!! She is my favie at camp! Love you girl! We had our war paint on for wheelchair soccer!

Here are the boys minus Conrad in wheelchair soccer. Seriously people, greatest invention ever! They get a HUGE beach ball and go at it. Pure awesome. The kids love it and it builds their self confidence like no other!

HUGE ball! Go Cade!

I needed a picture with Conrad and this is what I get... hmmm

OK! This kid is hilarious! He came up to Brig and me one day and was like "hey guys, look what I can do" and then proceeds to stick his pinky totally up his nose- like I couldn't see any of his pinky anymore. We were like Woah! And kinda freaked out and then he pulls out his finger and smells it and says "It smells like raisins.." and then sucks his boogery finger clean. I almost threw up. And we were laughing hysterically! Oh man this kid.. let's just say we weren't giving any high fives to him after that

This was may date to the dance! Brig got jealous :) His name is Eli and he is 8. I think he was going for the Joker look in this picture (he had a little too much fruit punch and went to the bathroom and good 5 times during dinner) oh man he was so cute!

This little boy is Evan and he might be the sweetest kid I've ever met. Brig and I just fell in love with him at camp. And Brig put him up to asking me on a date for lunch (in the cafeteria with everyone else, so not really a date :) ) and he stuck with us ever since!

Dance Party yaya!

Rock out !he dance was awesome! We figured out some pretty creative ways to slow dance with a wheelchair.

If any of you want some inspiration or need a reminder of how good we have it, volunteer at MDA camp next summer. It is amazing and fun and so great! we loved it and will be going back for sure!

Grand Canyon

2010-05-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

We straight up hiked the Grand Canyon! We did rim to rim. I have done this before but never all in one day. Let me tell you, it's tough! But so worth it at the top!

Brig was the fabulous photographer the whole trip. Here is the canyon! It is so majestic and beautiful!

Here's the whole gang except Brig (who was taking the pic)

And there we are!!

I loved it so much! Hiking is one of my favorite things to do and it was a big accomplishment! 21 miles! In Oct., we're planning on doing rim to rim to rim- 45 miles- straight! Wahoo!

Ode to my Mama

2010-05-09T16:56:00.001-07:00

This is my beautiful mother. I wanted to do a post about her because she is so amazing to me and I love her so much. She has been through a lot of hard things in her life, things that I could not imagine dealing with. Sometimes, I see her take things hard and there is nothing worse than seeing my mom cry. She is such a pure soul and sweet spirit that seeing her cry is like watching an angel hurt. I wish I could take all of her feelings of doubt and hurt away from her. But, most of the time, she is happy! And that blows me away! Even after all she has been through, she is still happy. She has such strong faith and she is an example to me of having faith and truly enduring to the end. She has her place in heaven, I know that. My only hope is to get there with her someday. Mom, save me a spot!

whats round and small and looks like swiss cheese?

2010-05-06T18:17:00.001-07:00

I am officially an Ovarian Cyster... If this is TMI for you already, best not read on.

So, after much and much pain in the lower left pelvic region (not pleasant!), and everyone from my mother to my relief society president telling me to go to the doctor, I go. And after an internal ultrasound-yes, it's as bad as it sounds- the Doc finds cysts on the ovaries. Lots and lots of cysts. Swiss cheese style. AKA Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Anyway, none were ruptured, so that's not what the pain is from, says Doctor. He doesn't know what the pain is from and neither do I! But I want to. Maybe someday I will.

I am not sure what to think about all this news. I don't want pity, but then again I don't really know how bad it can be. I'm thinking not that bad unless one of them explodes in my insides... am I right? However, it does have some fertility consequences. Not that we want to have a kid now or in the near future, but someday that day will come. But will it? I dunno?

If anyone knows my family, you know there were 6 of us. You might be thinking "Yay! Lots of grandbabies for the granparents!" Not so; only two of us can have kiddos. And one of those two had her tubes tied (not me). Therefore, there will be minimal grandbabies from that child. So who's it up to to provide the granchildren?? Me. But what now? What if that's not in the plans for me?

Sorry to rant. Rant over.

Date and Biking!

2010-04-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

Hello All! I have been a slacker and I have missed it! So this weekend was a blast! Grandma and Grandpa Banks had tickets to Hale Center Theatre in Gilbert but they couldn't go, so they gave the tickets to Brig and I and Jen and Scott! First, we went to Joe's BBQ and it was delish! As you can see...

That is BBQ sauce not blood, don't worry :)

Here we are at the play, it looks like I have a big growth out of the top of my head :) We were probably 4 of about 10 people under 50 or 60, no joke! It was funny. Thank you Jen and Scott for such a fun night!!!

OK! Mountain Biking was SO FUN this week! we have been going every saturday and I think we found our new favorite thing to do! It is an adrenaline rush and great workout and fun! Everything good!

I think I look like a criminal in this picture haha :) I love my Hubby!!!

Also, I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to my best friends in the whole world!! Brit and Kels got engaged and I'm SO happy for them! I love you!!

Robin Hood Date and Mountain Biking!

2010-04-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Brig emailed me on Monday or Tuesday and asked me if I would go on a date with him on Friday night (Since we don't talk to each other... Just kidding!) Of course, I emailed back adn said yes! So first, he runs into me like this!

Robin Hood! We went out back and shot the bow and arrow just like the real thing! We only got to shoot it a couple of times though before the arrow broke :( But it was so fun!

Then, I think this was my fav. part: We robbed the rich (Sprinkles in Scottsdale) to feed the poor (us). Except we didn't really rob, we paid fr them. And, OMG! I never say that but these cupcakes deserve an OMG! They are so flippin good. (They better be for what they cost) I got red velvet and Brig got lemon coconut. Heaven!!

When we got home, Brig had trees set up in our bedroom just like Sherwood Forest! We danced to the song they sing in there... Love, it seems like only yesterday... ya that one. It was fun! I think we just giggled the whole time at how nerdy we are!

Ok, change gears now. This morning, Brig and me and Scott (BIL) went mountain biking at Papago park. That place is the bomb. I love it!

There's me looking goofy

And the boys! If you look close you can see Scott's battle wound on his elbow. Love it!

Jen and Cami and Ammon, next time you have to come with us! It is F-U-N!

Brightly Colored Happiness

2010-04-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

I have to tell you that... I LOVE SUPERSTITION RANCH MARKET!!!! Doesn't this fruit salad just look amazing?! And huge! Happy snack time to me and Brig for the next week! Yippee!

Good Odd Goings-On?

2010-03-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

Who knows what movie that title is from??

This morning was the annual MDA Stride n' Ride! It's a fundraiser for MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) and a ton of people came which was awesome!

Including the Ghostbusters :) Here's Cade and Colby (who have NO idea how to smile in pictures but can sure do it in real life) and Brig.

It was nice to have family there! Here are two of my beautiful cousins, the Chelise and Shawnda (with Chelise's daughter)! We love you!

My squinty face! aha this was right into the sun! I love my seester!

It was great to walk those miles to help out these wonderful people with muscle diseases. It breaks my heart sometimes but I love being able to do something and help!

P.S. someday my hair will look like this:

( This part of the post was edited by Brig) So...... Emily put a picture of this weird lady and said she wanted her hair to be like hers. Well I like her hair just the way it is and I think it's beautiful! So I took the liberty of changing the picture. I'd rather look at Emily anyway.

Birthday Fun!!

2010-03-18T13:03:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I turned 20!!! Yes! No more weird looks from people when I tell them I'm 19 and have been married over a year!! Wahoo :) No, but really, it was a fabulous day, aside from the fact that the hubby was sick. But he toughed it out :)

In the morning, we went to Cracker's.... yummy! I got a parfait ( I know it sounds wussy but seriously they are huge and so so good) and Brig got the cinnamon french toast and I won't hesitate to admit that I stole some from him... ok like half.

Then, we came home and opened presents!!

This is me as a ghost. A happy ghost opening her presents.

Here's my haul! Not bad, eh? For those of you with bad eyesight, I will name them one by one... this is also for my own pleasure :)

From Brig I got: sweatband, best crossword book yet- not Sunday New York Times style but not Kindergarten either- Love it!, 5 lb. weights, 10 lb weights, resistance band, jump rope, workout shirts. This may seem like a haul full of hints to you, but to me, it's my new fitness collection! Yeehaw!

From mom and papa: That yummy necklace you see on the white shirt. I will most definitely get a closer picture of it so you can actually see how darn cute it is! My mama's got style!

From Atley (the sister): halfsies on the two shirts which I adore :)

And, last but not least, my own present to me! I have 2 pairs of super cute jeans but they literally fall off me.. like I don't even have to unbutton and unzip to take them off, TMI right? SO, i got myself a new pair! When I have a hubby who is better (and awake), I will have him take a better picture so you can see the glory (I know you probably don't even care about seeing the glory, but I want to see it on my Blog!!)

There's the very top of them, don't they look cute already?!

Alright, enough about presents. The real joy of the day was getting to be with people I love! On birthday eve, Jen and Laurie (SIL and MIL) took me to Tia Rosa's. Good food, good conversation, and best SIL and MIL ever! We missed SIL #2 Cami. We love you!!

Then, I got to spend the day with Brig, Atley, and my fam at night for ice cream cake (aka best invention ever!)

I love my life. I truly am so grateful for the amazing blessings I have been given, which usually come in the form of people. I count all of you as blessings and I LOVE YOU!

Have a happy day!

Loves,

Engaged!!!

2010-03-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is my beautiful friend Tara. She just got engaged last night to Zach Brough!! I love them both and am seriously SO excited for them! I love all this wedding stuff :)

Tara, I love you forever and am so excited for you to be married forever! You got a good one :) and so did he! You are wonderful!!

the Big Day!!!

2010-03-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the day!!! Cammon (Cami+Ammon) got sealed! The temple was beautiful and so was the weather! everything worked perfectly it seemed like!

I wish I could say I took these awesome pics but that would be my fabulous aunt Ashley!!

I think this pic is adorable :)

And this one might be my favorite wedding picture ever!! I think they both look so beautiful!

And, it was our One-year anniversary! Double whammy! I love you Brig! This has been the best year of my life and I can;t wait for more!!!

Goodbye Grandpa

2010-03-10T17:52:00.001-08:00

My grandpa is the most fantastic grandpa in the world. He would always give us kisses and hugs and sing "I love you, a bushel and a peck..." He would get down on the floor with us and tickle us til we cried.

Today my grandpa died. I am going to miss this man so much. He was the life of the family parties.

Dear Grandpa,

I will miss you. I hope you know how much I love you and all the good memories I have with you. Please say hi to Ben and Ethan for me.

Loves,

your Emmy

Club Acitivity

2010-03-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, people! Instead of telling you about the club acitivity after it happens, I'm going to tell you before so you all come!

It is this Saturday, March 6, 2010 at 5:00 PM.

So now there's no getting our of it :)

But really, I want to get the word out there that this is not an awkward thing to come to. It really is so fun and you are hanging out with some AWESOME people. I know sometimes things like this can be intimidating, but I really want you to know that we would love to see you there. Even if you can't be there for the whole time, just come for a little bit and see what good things are going on.

I'm talking to you Kristin, Chloe, Brittany, Britney, Christine and anyone else who reads this! Come! You will be so happy you did :) And I promise you will be touched. If you're in need of some inspiration, you know where to be Saturday night :)

Run like the Wind!

2010-02-27T19:59:00.000-08:00

Hello! Here is our report from the Ragnar!

This is Brig leaving on his second leg. This one was about 6 and a half miles and he rocked it. He was injured and was unable to complete all three legs so he did his first two and did so well! I am so proud of him!! That is him in the blue shorts and vest taking off.

This is us just after my first leg. It was 5.5 miles and was the easiest one of my three! Pardon if I look a little tired... I was :)

Studly husband!!!! There is the sassy man himself. He twitterpates me!

And there I am finishing up my first leg. Pardon my tallness, I know I'm a giant. But the girl I handed off to was super teeny.

I feel bad that we didn't get any pics of us other than at these two legs. My first, was my easiest, my second was 7.5 miles and by far the hardest because it was all uphill :( and then my last one was super hard because I was on hardly any sleep and I was already SORE! But oh man did it feel good to cross that finish line and know that I had run my 16.5 miles and I WAS DONE!!! Actually, maybe I am glad that we don't have any pics of that because I am pretty sure I looked poopy.

I have to say thank you to my sweet husband for complimenting me on the blog :) even though none of it's true! He is so wonderful and I love him! If you're not married yet, try and get a guy like him!

Whimsical

2010-02-23T07:32:00.001-08:00

I was feeling very Jane Austen-y this morning as I walked to my 7:30 AM class. I could see my breath and feel the cold. That exact type of cold brought back memories of times I had experienced it before. I remember living in London and going to watch my brother Ben play rugby while my mom and I ate sour patch kids-- in that exact cold. I remember being in elementary school and going on "huge" adventures out accross the hills at my school-- in that exact cold. When I felt it this morning, I just wanted to throw out my arms, like Maryann in Sense and Sensibility, and embrace that cold and those wonderful memories of being young and free. But that would have looked goofy, so I just smiled in my heart and remembered.

Have you ever been brought back to your childhood through something like that?

can't help falling in love with you

2010-02-19T12:13:00.000-08:00

Shhh this is Brig sneaking a post on the blog! Sorry this will probably embarrass Emily but... oh well! I want to post about my best friend. I have just been so amazed with my wife these last few weeks. I always knew I was marrying a wonderful woman but the cool part is that she just keeps getting better and better.

1. Loving- When I mentioned that I wanted some new scriptures one night, then next day when I came home from school Emily had a present for me. A new set of scriptures! She is always thinking of me and wants to make me happy.

2. Faithful- Emily has been looking for a job for a while now. In the last few weeks she has been blessed with three job interviews that would have been so cool to get. Each one has not worked out because of her school schedule. She has shown a lot of faith in seeking out a job and really gets her hope up when it finally seems that the blessing has come, but in the end it does not work out. The cool think though is that she keeps trying and doesn't get down. I think we can all learn from that.

3. Example- Emily pushes me to stay spiritual and to stay with our goal of temple attendance. She really puts first thing first and makes me want to do it.

I don't know how to adequately show my appreciation for her, there is nothing I could do to pay her back for how much she has given me. Thank you Emmy for being my besty friendy!

Love,

Brig

sicky face

2010-02-17T16:54:00.000-08:00

This is me today:

Whatever you do, DON'T GET THIS BUG! It is no bueno

Back in the Saddle again

2010-02-15T10:50:00.001-08:00

First off, we are going to be running the Del Sol Ragnar on Feb. 26 and 27! My legs are 5.3 miles, 7.1 miles, and 3.4 miles. Brig's are a 7, 8, and 3 miles! We are stoked and kinda nervous!

Secondly, I have forgotten about my commitment to write about someone else once a week! So this week's post and subsequent posts will be from my "followers" list!

Autumn Dark!! If you want to hear about an amazing person, keep on reading. She has been a friend since Jr. High days at Poston and all through High School. She was always so sweet and kind. She was not a member of the church which was so weird because she totally acted like one! Anyway, she made the decision to be baptized against the will of some of her family and has been an incredible example. She has been through some really tough times, but she has allowed the gospel to pull her through and she has been made stronger because of it. After graduation, she moved to Montana where some of her family were and met Scott Dark, with whom she fell in love! They got married on Jan. 2nd in the Mesa, AZ temple and we had the opportunity to be there with them. It was such a beautiful wedding and we are so happy for her!

She really is such an example to me of pushing through hard times by using the gospel and the hope that it brings. She has made the most important decisions of her life very wisely and I repsect her for that.

I love you Autumn!!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Loves,
Em

hard day

2010-02-12T15:02:00.001-08:00

It's been a hard day. I'd appreciate prayers :)

Club 'n Stuff

2010-02-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

This past Friday we had our LYF activity! Big thanks to Brig's parents for letting us have it at their house :) And also thank you to Joseph, Brittany, Sarah, Jen, Cami, and anyone else who brought stuff to help out!!

There was a wild game of croquet going on outside and Cade won! Everyone did so well!

Inside, the Wii was going and people were showing their skills with bowling :) Seriously impressive

Dinner was hot dogs, yummy apple salad by Jen, chips and dessert was sugar cookies! Everyone got to frost and sprinklify their own and it didn't turn out too messy! which is a miracle :)

On a different note, here is a picture of the homemade Clif bars we've been making. They have choc. chips even though you can't really see them. They are really yummy and money-saving too! Double score! So, here is a link to the recipe, but I will tell you what I do differently.

OK, first of all make sure you do not go over on the amount of dry stuff, because it will be too dry. SO go easy on that.

Second, I use honey, not brown rice syrup. If you have brown rice syrup, then go for that but I don't.

Put a little bit more nut butter, just to make it a bit more moist. The first time we did it, it came out a little dry.

Also, do NOT put it in the fridge right away. The texture is way better if you just leave them out for a while or the entire time.

Bon appetit!

Also, ten points to my fabulous cousin Shawnda for getting the movie quote right. It was Heavyweights!!! You are a woman after my own heart :)

This pleases me

2010-02-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

Ten points to whoever can tell me what movie this post's title is quoted from???

The other day, Brig and I were at the grocery store and were looking at energy bars. We love Clif bars but they are over a dollar a piece! So, looking at the ingredient list, I said "Hon, I think we could make these!" "Genius! That's why I love you." was Brig's reply.

So we went on home without spending a small fortune and we created our very own! Actually, that's a lie, we got a sweet recipe from a website but I did change some things up, so I take credit for it. The first batch was peanut butter, and the second was peanut butter choc. chip (wayyyy better than the first b/c that was when I changed some stuff up.)

If anyone wants it, I will post the recipe. If not, just revel in my success!!

Sunday=FOOD!!

2010-02-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh it's nice getting comments. Thanks for the love people :)

So, yesterday, Sunday, was a day of rest for everything other than my poor stomach :( This is what the schedule looked like:

8:30 AM- yummy homemade Clif bars (will post about later because more experimenting is needed.. but they are good let me tell you!)

12:00 PM- linner (lunch+dinner=linner) was BBQ beef sandwiches for 8(including missionaries, investigator, other couple etc.... I don't count Brig and I as 8 people, although sometimes I wish I could)! Lots of meat to shred but totally worth it! And I saved half a roast for us :) ya! and salad, and scotcharoos, and chips. So lots of yumminess!

3:00- Jeremy Ashcroft had his farewell and invited us over for Mexican food.. and who says no to Mexican food? Certainly not us

then the rest of the day was snacky time. mmmmmm happy day :) But I think I should do that only once a week or less :)

Hope you had a wonderul SUNday!!!

MOCK...yeah...ING....yeah...BIRD...yeah

2010-01-30T11:09:00.000-08:00

Alright here we go! I don't know if any of you really care, but I'm sorry for not blogging for a while. But here is what has been going down today!

We garaged saled it up this morning and found some sweet stuff (I know.. there is this recurring theme in our saturday mornings. That's what happens when you are newly married and are living on a budget :)

We got, among other things, a cd rack for all our cd's that have eaten the dvd drawer alive. Well, we went through them and found a ton (at least 48) that we already had on the compy so we tossed them. And I mean, literally, we tossed them!!

Briggers beat me though, those things fly so unpredictably! Definitely gotta try it some time, when you're really really bored :)

You may remember the old white friend we bought a couple weeks ago? Well here she is!! The finished product. Sorry about the sun spots, the blinds were open, I promise the paint job really isn't that gross! hah but we L-O-V-E it! Lots more room for all our clothes (sarcasm) but yes it is more spacious!

here is the fabulous Mr. Nicoll sanding like a fiend.

And there's the wife... who put a picture of her up anyway???

P.S. I see all these blogs with like 35 comments on the posts and makes me wonder where ya'll are! I would like to think that more than 2 people read my blog. But maybe I'm living a lie???

Ethan

2010-01-18T08:00:00.001-08:00

Yesterday marked a year that Ethan has been gone. (I feel like I just did a post like this...). My mom, dad, Cade, Colby, Atley, and Camden, and Brig and me went to the cemetary and then we joined my grandma and uncle at the Cheesecake Factory (one of Ethy's favorite places) and ate there in honor of him.

I miss him so much and had a hard night last night thinking about him. The last time I saw him alive was on Thursday, Jan 15, 2009 when I was about to leave to go through the temple. I went to say bye to him and he had tears in his eyes when he told me he would give anything to go with me but he was just too sick. It broke my heart. I didn't see him at all the next day, and at around 7 a.m. the next morning (saturday) he slipped away in his sleep. My dad came and got me from work, I called Brig and we spent the day with my family.

I have some regrets. Sometimes I wish I had been more patient with him, done more for him without complaining. But I know that he is happy, and that makes me happy.

Thanks for listening, it helps to talk about it.

White Treasure!!

2010-01-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

A lady in our ward is moving out to Queen Creek and was having a garage sale. She lives right down the street so we popped over there this morning to see if there was anything good. And we found this!!!

It's super dirty right now but I can't wait to clean it up and paint it! We are gonna take off the door and put some shelves in there. It should be sassy! I'll blog the "after" results when I get it done! My first real homey project!!

Recent Stuff

2010-01-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

Alright, lots of catching up to do! I rarely have the compy to myself to upload pics, so here we go!!

A few days after Christmas, we took a hike with a group of people up the Peralta Trail in the Superstitions. It ended in a beautiful view of Weaver's Needle! We definitely recommend this hike because it is so beautiful and not that difficult :) Especially when it's cool out

Then, on Saturday the 9th, we had our January LYF activity and, let me tell you, it was a blast!!!! The night before Brig and I went up to Strawberry and got some snow in coolers to bring down. Then we got everyone together and had a snowball fight in the backyard! Some people were a little hesitant at first... ahem Cara :) but then got into it!

After lots of fun and lots of cold hands, we built a fire in the pit and made s'mores! My favorite (that was my dinner!) This pic is about half of everybody. Then we played madlibs... funniest game ever! They loved it :)

The last activity for the night was and UNO tournament!

Thanks to everyone who came and played with us! Special thanks to Scott and Jen for bringing s'more stuff and Joseph Gardner and Sarah Steiner for giving rides!! We love you and can't wait to see you next month!! Mark your calendars!

Tribute

2010-01-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

I have decided that, once a week, I will do a post that is a tribute to someone I know and love! Why? Because I need something other than my monotone life to blog about. (Or I need to spice up my life a bit... kinda risky). No, it's not that my life is horribly boring (which it most certainly is NOT!), it's just that I would rather talk to you all about people other than me! Kapish?

So Person Number One is.....

My fabulous cousin Jamilyn Haban!!

When I was growing up, Jamilyn and her family lived in Payson and we lived in crazy places so we didn't know each other very well. Plus, she was older than me so I was the little squirt :) The first time I really remember talking with her and being with her was at her wedding in 2004 (I think that's the right year). Anyway she was so beautiful and she married the sweetest man named Kameron and has the sweetest baby boy named Kason. This last August, Kameron died. He had been in the hospital for a long time and it was really hard on both him and Jamilyn and also Kason although I'm sure he didn't really understand what was going on. When I heard about Kameron I just cried and cried for Jamilyn. I hurt so bad knowing the hurt she was feeling. I couldn't imagine losing my eternal companion. But you know what? I don't think they have any regrets because they loved each other so fully and they appreciated each other. And that is what I'm trying to do in my marriage.

Her strength has and continues to amaze me. She is a beautiful and strong woman who is being made stronger through the fires of adversity.

I love Jamilyn and, if you want, you can click on this link to a fundraising project for Jami and Kason. It's definitely a worthy cause.

Disneyland and Christmas!

2009-12-26T09:46:00.001-08:00

Together again! Robert is here to visit for Christmas and the three amigos are back together (with their Mac)

This is the happiest thing about this Christmas! LOTR baby! I know we are nerds. We even got eachother the same LOTR movie (Return of the King) so we had to give one to Andrew! But honestly if you haven't seen these you are missing out in a major way on some really inspirational stuff :)

Brigham was so stinkin brave and went on the Tower of Terror with me! This is my favorite ride and I'm so happy Brig likes it too!

This is my sister and her hubby! Aren't they cute :)

And of course the famous Disney churro.... cant live without 'em.

The trip and Christmas were a blast but most of all, I'm grateful for our Savior this Christmas. He is the reason for the celebration and we love Him! Happy Holidays!!

New Family Pictures!!

2009-12-18T17:08:00.001-08:00

It was raining a little bit so my hair is a little crazy! But it was way fun to be out there and the lighting was really good!

All done!!!

2009-12-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

Finals are done! Yipee! It's been a hard semester for us but we did it and now we are free!!!

I realize I haven't put many pictures up lately so here's a couple random ones :)

This was after he shoved the cake in my face... I wasn't very happy! haha

This was in London when we finally found platform 9 and 3/4!!! Actually, we never really did find it but we did find platforms 9 and 10! I like this picture :)

Happy Holiday Break everyone!!!

For the love of....

2009-12-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

BRIGHAM!!! Here is a post of 23 things I love about the Briggles. I am using the number 23 because that's how old he is... not that it is his birthday or anything I just wanted to do a post about him and 23 things came to mind! So, here we go:

1. He takes out stinky garbage when all I can do is sit there and plug my nose and whine until he gets the hint and takes it out :)

2. He lets me win at Checkers, even though I am unbelievably horrible at it. He still finds a way to let me win! I'm pretty sure that's really hard to do!

3. He sometimes steals the blog and writes things about me that make my day!

4. His freckles :)

5. He loves the food I cook, even though I'm pretty sure some of it is nuclear waste or something. Thanks for smiling your way through it babe :)

6. We can have really deep talks and the next minute we're goofing off!

7. The squirrel voice. For whoever has heard it, you know what I mean! Funniest thing ever!!!

8. He LOVES Christmas just as much as I do! And that is A LOT!! And it makes me so happy

9. He is a smarty pants. Like really the kid can study like nobody's business and retain it! I wish I could do that...

10. He loves he gospel and I love that he loves the gospel.

11. He still talks about his mission and how much he loved it! I love mission stories

12. He is a hard worker. He is quite the handy man. Also, when we were in TX this summer, it was really hard work but I hardly ever heard him complain. I would just sit and think "there is no way I could ever do that."

13. He loves Lord of the Rings just as much as I do! That pretty much sealed the deal :)

14. He loves Harry Potter just as much as I do! That pretty much double sealed the deal!

15. We can read Shakespeare plays together, accents and all, and not even laugh at each other!... much

16. He loves his family and is so stinkin good with rowdy boys, which the Nicoll family has aplenty!

17. He is tender! Don't worry babe I won't tell them how you cried in "Up" when the grandma dies... oh wait

18. We have dance parties... that's right!

19. He married me in the temple which I looooooove!!!!

20. He sometimes leaves me sweet notes on my pillow or on the bulletin board in the office. Those are the best

21. He stuck with me through all my moodiness and breaking up with him! And I'm so happy he did!

22. He does yoga with me... and then rubs my back when I stretch a little too far :)

23. He is my best friend in the whole world!!!!

I love you Brig!!!!

Loves,

remembering Ben

2009-12-02T09:47:00.000-08:00

Today is the 4-year anniversary of Ben's death. I miss him so much and I just wanted to take this time to honor him and recognize him. He is the best brother I could ever ask for. He blessed my life in every way and since his death, he continues to do the same.

It's interesting how the pain never goes away. I thought for sure by now that it would have eased up a bit but it hasn't. There are always things that remind me of him, especially music. And red Jeep Wranglers. And Marine Corp stickers.

But I know where he is and that he is with Ethan right now and looking down wanting us to be happy. And that's what I try to do everyday. Because he is where he is, he gives me a goal to get there and to be with him and the rest of my family forever and ever. I just hope I can be good enough to live with him someday.

Boooooring!

2009-11-30T11:05:00.000-08:00

I am at school so I have no access to pictures but I looked and I hadn't updated the blog for 2 whole weeks! Unacceptable! So this post will be boring without any fun pictures. I apologize.

Fun things that have happened in the past two weeks:

Cami got engaged!! To Ammon Nielsen! Fun Fun! For the story go here

Jen and Scott are in their new house!! yay!

Kayla Nielsen is home from her mission!

I get to speak and play a piano solo for the Christmas Sacrament Meeting. nad sing in Relief Society! And prepare for finals. I am in high stress mode right now!

It's december tomorrow and that means Christmas!!!!

I love you all!

Tennis Smackdown

2009-11-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

This morning, Brig and I competed in the Nicoll/Nielsen Open against Cami and Ammon. It was intense!!!

Here is our competition. They were pretty tough.

After a long hard competition, they bested us 7 games to 6. Sad day :(

Just kidding! Thanks Cami and Ammon for a fabulous morning of laughing and whacking!

2009-11-11T19:06:00.001-08:00

This is Emily's husband and I just wanted everyone to know how super awesome of a wife I have.

I will just give a few evidences.

1. She brought me home some yummy foods from the grocery store. Two words, APPLE DAPPLES! It's some good stuff!

It is even loaded with Iron, Zinc and calcium!

#2. She keeps me motivated to run. Emily and I are having a running contest to see who can get to 15 miles first. Well, she is ahead of me right now. This is a shot of the nike+ website where we track how far we run. She is at 12.87 and I am at 9.05. Little does she know I am gonna wake up at 5:00 am and run 6 miles before work and wipe the floor with her! The loser has to buy the other one ice cream!

#3 She is the sweetest person I have ever met! Today she went and got a gift card to get a pedicure for my sister Jen because she has a new born baby and her 2.5 year old to watch. Then we went over there and Emily held little baby Mack for a while. She's gonna be a good mama someday.

#4 She is my best friend in the whole world and always supports me in everything I do, and she is the most smartest girl I know and she is the most beautifulest girl I have ever seen!

Thanks for being my wife Emmy, I salute you!

Love, Brig

Journal Entry

2009-11-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

I have been having a rough couple days. It seems I do badly on everything I try to do well. It's a good thing we have Wednesday off of school. And then some bad news yesterday made it even worse! I hate to be pity partier but these are some things I wish I were better at:

Having a healthy body

Doing better on tests

Being a better wife (I haven't been grocery shopping for a while...)

Being stronger when sad thoughts come to me

Being better at sports!

And a whole lot more! Sorry if this seems like a weird post but I'm trying to use this more as my journal rather than just a blog, so I gotta say how I feel. I'm sure I'll learn something from all this!

Loves,

November giveaway!

2009-11-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Here's an awesome link to an awesome lady who makes beautiful jewelry!!!

I'm thankful for a month of thankfulness!!!

Another "Love, your Friend" Activity!

2009-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Yeehaw! Tonight is our second club activity and we are so excited!

Here are just a couple pictures from our last activity and it was fabulous! If you want to be a part of it, just comment here! We have a blast!

Our trip back East!

2009-10-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, Brig, Camden (Brother-in-law), Atley (sister), and myself flew out to Ohio to meet my parents who had been there since Monday. We landed in Cleveland and drove for about four hours to get to Palmyra where the rest of the fam was. We did Palmyra on Friday so here are some pictures!

This one was at the Hill Cumorah Monument. Talk about a steep and beautiful hill!

This is the Grandin printing press where the first 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon were printed. The sister there took us through the process and I couldn't believe how much effort was put into a single copy let alone 5,000!

This is the sacred grove. The spirit there was so wonderful and we didn't want to leave! I loved it so much and my testimony of Joseph Smith grew so much. I know he was a prophet called of God.

And this one is the bedroom where the Angel Moroni appeared to Joseph 4 times in one night. It was really interesting because the missionaries said that in all the paintings we see of that event it looks as if Joseph is the only one in the room, but actually there were about 6 or 7 people sleeping there with 3 or 4 to a bed! But no one else woke up on that night :)

After Friday in Palmyra, we woke up on Sat. and went to Kirtland! I loved Kirtland so much; the spirit there was so wonderful. I didn't want to ever leave!

This is my whole family (minus my two oldest brothers. I'm sure they were with us though :) ). It is the Johnson Farm where Emma and Joseph lived. By carriage or sled, it is about a day's journey to Kirtland so they were pretty far away. If you remember the tar-and-feathering story this is where it all happened. The mob said they were sure Joe Smith wouldn't be up preaching the next day (they did it on a Sat. night) but he crawled home, had his wife pick tar, feathers, and skin off of his body and preached on Sunday morning (some of the mob were even in the congregation). Joseph Smith is such a wonderful example of faith and courage to me. I learned to love him so much on this trip!

This is the School of the Prophets. Pres. Hinckley said this place, along with any other place that the Father and Son have appeared are the most sacred places on earth! It was so neat!

This is the Newel K Whitney store where Joseph and Emma stayed for a while. These people were so incredible and gave up everything for the kingdom. they inspired me so much!

My First Roast!!

2009-10-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I am happy to announce my first ever roast! I avoided it for seven and a half months but I couldn't escape it any longer so without further ado.... The Roast!!

Wedding Pictures Finally!

2009-10-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

So, I finally got access to our wedding pictures! Hooray! I know it's all kinda lost its excitement since it was almost 8 whole months ago (crazy!) but here are just a few that I liked! I have over 300! Yippee skippy! I'm a happy girl :)

I think this one might be my fav out of all of them!

Baby Ray is here!

2009-10-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

Mack Thomas Ray was born this morning!!! Congratulations to Jen and Scott (my SIL and BIL)

Have any of you ever seen 7 Brides for 7 Brothers? When Mack was born I talked to Brig and all I could think about was when Gideon says "I'm an uncle..." and passes out on the floor!!! Yayayayay!!!!

Loves,

Happy Birthday

2009-10-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Cami and to Laurie! I'm late on Laurie's and early on Cami's so I figure it evens out right? Anyways, I think I have the best mother-in-law (Laurie) and SIL's (Cami and Jen) ever! Why?

1)They are super fun to be around!

2)I get to see Cami at school sometimes and its a happy day when that happens!

3)Jen does hair! Very well I might add :)

4)Mom (Laurie) is so sweet and just makes me laugh!

I love them and am so grateful for them! Happy birthday Mom and Cami!

Love,

Em And Brig

Doogie Houser?

2009-10-08T16:08:00.001-07:00

Lots of people say Brig looks like this guy right here:

He told me this and I didn't believe him until the cashier at Wal-Mart was like "ya know, you look a lot like Doogie Howser! Has anyone ever told you that?" He looked triumphantly at me, then turned back to the cashier and said sweetly "why, yes in fact lots of people have."

Personally, I think my hubby is MUCH better looking :)

What do you think?????

2009-09-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

So I don't think that my lovely wife Emily knows how to put pictures on our blog, so I will do us all a favor and put of beautiful pictures of her so that everyone can look at her.

Yesterday Emily made me some chicken noodle soup. But get this...... the noodles were homemade! And Scrumdidilyumpcious! SO Anyway, I love Emily yesiree and we are a happy family!

"Love, Your Friend"

2009-09-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, the "Love, Your Friend" Club had its first activity. I want to tell you the story behind the name of the club:

A few months ago when Brig and I were trying to come up with names for this club, we were just writing word after word of concepts that we wanted to incorporate into the club. We had some really good words but couldn't figure out how to piece them together to make a name that made a statement. After a while of sitting there we started to get really creative (and by creative I mean goofy!) Anyway, we were talking about one of Brig's good friends in high school who has since passed away. her name was Ronnie. She was severely disabled (wheelchair, trach, the works) and absolutely fell in love with Brig. They became fast friends and she would write him letters all the time. Especially while Brig was on his mission. She passed away while Brig was in Argentina. Brig showed me some pictures of her and you can just feel the spirit even by just looking at a picture. She was a special girl. She touched Brig's life and has touched mine. While we were thinking about names I thought of the words "Love, Your Friend". We thought about it and didn't know if it would work. But the more we thought about it the more we liked it. Then, a few nights later we were going through some of Brig's letters from his mission and came accross some from Ronnie. She had drawn pictures and written love notes :) And at the end of the letter were the words "Love, Your Friend". I couldn't believe it! She had actually written those same words and we didn't even know it! It was such a sweet experience that I will never forget. So there's the name of club!

It is a club for special needs kids and those without special needs alike. We exist to make friends, serve others, and have tons of fun!! We are so grateful for all the help we had on Sat. night! This has been a dream of Brig's for a long time and I'm so happy to see it come true!

Next month we weill be having another activity, so come and see what we're all about!!

Loves,

Activity Day!!

2009-09-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Today is the activity!! We are so super excited to start this up and hopefully help out some sweet kids! I know we'll have fun! If you wanna know what I'm talking about, I don't have time to explain it right now but I will at a later date!

Loves,

You're a..... what?

2009-09-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right I am an exercise and wellness major. Not that this is a strange major, but I'm almost positive the thought "she's not even fit!" just popped into your head.

I'm working on it!

During FHE last night, Brig gave the lesson and I sat contently listening until I heard the words "we should get up at 5". Then I wasn't so content anymore. But then came the reasoning:

We can get our scriptures read and have that checked off the to-do list.

We can run.... hinting at my not being fit

We can say our prayers

We can have a good, healthy breakfast

We can make lunch so we don't starve at school

These made sense to me because mornings around here can be a little chaotic. And we don't even have kids yet!! So this morning, the alarm rang at 5.... and we hit the snooze button :)

But we got up at 5:40 and went for a little jog during which I felt like my heart was being squozen (is that a word? it is now!). I am NOT in shape. Oh the good old days when I used to be.

Anyway, we got home, showered, made waffles, and I sent Brig off to work while I got ready for school.

Let me tell you it felt so good!! And I'm not even tired today! I could get used to this early business.

Shout out to Jen for doing my hair! I looove it! I would post a picture but my face is not cute and the hair is air-dried... so not yet!

I love our life!

Loves,

My first post!

2009-09-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is my beautiful wife!! I love her!!!

This was the night we went ring shopping for the first time.

I can't believe I am actually posting on a blog. I feel so....so......bloggy. Anyway I hope Emily doesn't beat me up for infringing upon the P.W.P.F.M.W. rule (posting without permission from my wife). (For some reason when you click on the above paragraph it shows another picture of Emily.) (Cool!)

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have the sweetest wife in the whole world and that she makes me so happy.

My new favorite thing to do with her is to ride our scooter together because she sits in back and kisses my cheek as I drive us around. It makes me feel a little more manly on the scooter.

She always makes me laugh and does such an incredible job and knowing what I need. Yesterday morning I rushed from work to school and only had a few minutes. Amid my running around to get ready for school she made me some yummy oatmeal. I didn't have time to eat it all but I did get a bite of it. I didn't really fill me up but it let me know that Emily loves me. I am grateful for my besty friendy.

Love you Emmy!

Brig

Gratitude

2009-08-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

yesterday (Sunday) was our Stake conference and our Stake Presidency got reorganized! As much as I love the old presidency, I am excited about the new one too!! But I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for all the things our old presidency has done for our stake these past 10 or 11 years. As I got thinking about gratitude, so many little things popped into my head!

Here are a few of them:

A mom who lets me have her freshly ground whole wheat to make waffles... and then comes over and eats them with me!

A sweet husband who takes awfully ugly pictures with me and laughs with me til we cry. And he lets me win at trivial pursuit :) we're nerdy I know

Hearing about friends' adventures and being able to live one of my own

The scriptures!!! This one should go on the top. I just re-energized by the scriptures and I love them so much!

Prayer

Our Mac... the best!

The music on Emily Peterson's blog. I always smile! I love you girl!!

An awesome family of in-laws who make me laugh and whom I love!

Having a body that can walk and run (sometimes...) hahah!

My family!

Anyone who reads my blog and leaves comments! I don't know why it makes my day but it does.

My husband... again!!

I love my life and am grateful for the gospel. It is my life and it has changed my life!!

Loves,

I love my hubby hey hey hey hey hey

2009-08-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

I love Brig!! I wanted you all to know! Haha I am sitting here on my bed and I was looking at him and talking to him and I felt like writing about him!

Brigham is the kindest person I know. He has a sense of knowing what people need and how to make things better and how to communicate with others. And I need that in a companion because sometimes I'm not good at expressing my needs. But when you have a hubby that can practically read your mind?!?! That's awesome!!

He also makes me laugh sooooo much! I love that about him. His sense of humor fits mine perfectly and we have so much fun together! He is my best friend!!

So here's a short sweet post about my hubby!

I love you my best friend!!!

Loves,
Em

Back Home Again!

2009-08-17T08:55:00.001-07:00

We are hoooommme!!!!!!! Haha and so happy about it! We were supposed to be driving on Sunday the 16th but Brig came home on Thursday and we just decided to hit the road on thursday!! We got home at around noon on friday. We unpacked and my wonderful Brigham did so much to clean up the house and get it organized while I went to breakfast with some friends. I love you honey!!!

I also wanted to do a little shout out to our families!

Nicolls- thank you SO much for making us feel at home again after we had been away! Especially Mama N, Papa N, Jen, and Cami. Thanks for smiling at me when you saw me :) that's all I needed to know you were happy we are back. Thank you for all your love and support! And for always making me laugh!

Ellsworths- Thank you for being excited to see us when we drove up! And for letting us come play softball (even though I stink :) ) We are so grateful for the house!! We love you!

Loves,

PS I found out how to do pictures on this blog!!! hooray! Now I just have to take some cute pics :)

Just a Thought

2009-08-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here at work and because the receptionist is not here, I am sitting up front doing her job which involves.... a LOT of nothing! So I thought I'd post. I know that probably no one enjoys reading abstract, random posts but this is more for me than anyone else. If you know me, I used to be a creative writing major and I LOVE to write and just talk... and talk and talk! So here are somethings I've been thinking about lately:

I just finished reading the watered down version of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People- it was the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens :) Brig got it for me because it was free at a garage sale and he said it works because I'm still a teen... very funny honey! Actually it was! So I read it because the real version scared me. Anyway, it was just jam-packed of AWESOME stuff and advice and things to be Highly Effective! But I found myself kind of floundering in a sea of awesome advice... and I didn't really know where to begin. I guess I just realized some things about myself. One of the things that really hit me hard was the section about keeping promises to yourself. These are important promises to keep but most of us, at least I, didn't really ever think about it that way. If you don't keep promises to yourself, such as getting up early and exercising or not eating chocolate for a week, then how are you EVER going to keep bigger promises to yourself such as being a good example for your kids or attending all 3 hours of church every single Sunday. We tear ourselves down every time we break a promise that we made to ourselves. And I am bad at that!!!!! And it tears me down!! And I didn't even know it!

Some other things the book made me think about:

Am I really a good listener? Do I judge people or give my advice when all they really want me to do is listen to them?

Do I let others share their ideas with me and do we work together for a better solution rather than thinking that my idea is the only way?

Do I do enough service for others? Actually that's not even a question, I know that I don't do enough.

Anyway, the point is I need to be better! Not for anyone else's sake but my own!

The next book I've begun reading is called The Holy Secret. We had a FHE lesson on it the other week. The teacher gave a quick summary of what it was about: a man leaves church early because a Sacrament meeting talk pierced his heart and he needed to go think. The talk was about loving things that are holy. We have been commanded to love the temple and the scriptures and the Sabbath day. But do we really?

I heard that and I know I needed to read this book. I have been needing help in this department to be honest with you. To a degree, I love the temple and the scriptures and the Sabbath but do I want to be in the temple more than any other place? Do I want to read the scriptures more than any other book? I don't think so. And that is a problem. I'm working on it :)

We're happy and blessed beyond measure! I love the church! Thanks for reading if you stuck it all the way through :) If you didn't, I don't blame you!
Loves,
Em

Nicoll Reunion!

2009-08-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was the Nicoll reunion at the ranch near Vernon, AZ! It was wonderful! Here are some of the highlights that I loved:
1- on the way up, it was just me, Brig, mama Nicoll, and papa Nicoll in the car and mama and papa gave me a geneology lesson from about 5 generations back! I love family history and loved learning about this new family of mine.
2- going through a session at the Snowflake temple. Beautiful!
3-taking a tour of the lower ranch... I was in heaven! I could stay there forever. Every time I go up north I realize how much I just love nature and how peaceful I feel when I'm there.
4- getting up to the upper ranch and seeing the fam for the first time in a few months! It was great to see everyone! Brig was most excited to see baby Katelyn who is not so much of a baby anymore! Getting so big!
5-walking to the pond and skipping rocks with Landon, Brig, Sim, and Jake... before we knew it was against the rules!! Sad day!
6- setting up camp and sleeping in the tent.. which was lopsided. I kept sliding into Brig!!! Uncomfortable but so fun!
7- Dessert! best thing ever :)
8- going on the horsey with little Rex. He was so wide-eyed! I love it!
9-throwing the frisbee around woth Kempe, Brig, Andrew, and Conrad!
10- sitting by the fire at night and just talking!
11- going to church in Vernon. Hearing lots of testimonies from little kids... so sweet :)
12- seeing my family at home for a few hours!! Ya!
13- missing our flight... oh man ahah

All in all it was a wonderful trip! I love the Nicolls!! Thanks for getting us up there!
Loves,
Em

MARATHON!

2009-07-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Hello!
So, here in TX I have been thinking a lot about running a marathon... and then I caome back to reality and wonder
"am I crazy?!"
But then the thought trickles back in and sounds so appealing and I don't know why! I have never done anything like this before but it sounds so rewarding. I think that's what gets me. Anyway, today I proposed the idea to Brig and he gave me the go along the "I'll do it with you!" so that made me very happy :) I have been researching training programs and have found a couple good ones so far! I am very excited! If you ever have time and want to check on my progress, please do! I will be needing people to check up on me.

And if you are as crazy as me and want to run it with me, PLEASE do!! I love running buddies, and chances are, you'll be a lot better than me :)

Nicoll reunion!

2009-07-14T13:30:00.001-07:00

Yesterday on my way home from work I called my fabulous husband and he was telling me about the Nicoll reunion happening later this summer. we were going to be in Texas and so the plan was to not go BUT...... we are going now! I haven't met most of these people but I am so excited to see all of Brig's family and get to know the ones that I don't know! And to get dirty and ride horses at the ranch :) At least I hope we can ride horses!
Anyway, I am just really excited to get a break from doing the same thing day in and day out. I love the Nicolls!!!
Loves,
Em

I need friends!

2009-07-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

So I have ONE follower.... sad day! I know it's not the most interesting blog to look at but the point of you becoming my friend is not so that you can look at MY blog- it's so I can look at YOURS!!! So come find me and tell other people too as well!!!
Loves,
Em

Texas!

2009-07-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

Oh WOW!!! Jen I need you! I have decided I am going to stick my neck out there and try this blogging thing one more time... I'm going to be honest I'm a little scared. But I have faith! And two awesome sisters-in-law who are good at this stufff :)

Anyway, this blog will be about TX! Brig and I moved out here to Plano on May 18th (I believe) and are really liking it although we do both miss home. Just not the 110 degree weather!!! He is selling pest control door to door and I am working in the accounting office of a manufacturing plant called Aloe Vera of America! It's really interesting and always smells yummy :)

We have an awesome ward! And I have had to learn how to play the organ for Sacrament meeting next week and the three weeks to follow! Wish me luck :) I love it!

I hope all of you (meaning like the two people who read this blog... actually I don't even know of two people read it :) are doing so well! We miss you and love you!!!
Loves, Em

sorry again!

2009-01-21T07:36:00.001-08:00

Hello!
So this post is to apologize for that last one- a stellar example of why men should NOT blog :) Anyway, The wedding plans are coming right along. We have the temple and the Wright House reserved. We have flowers all sorted out. We have clothes for the men and clothes for a few of the women :) and I have my dress!!! It is pretty much my favorite thing in the world.
But aside from all the stuff that is involved with the wedding, I am so much more excited about who I'm going to be married to. Brig is the most wonderful person I've ever met. And that's just how it should be. He makes me want to be a better person. He comforts me when I'm hurting and laughs with me when I'm rejoicing! I'm so excited to get married to him but I'm even more excited to BE married to him! yay!
Loves,
Em

SORRY!!

2009-01-19T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hi all!
I just want to apologize for not posting in forever!! The truth is, I have no idea how to make this cute or anything... (our only posts were done with the extensive help of Jen :)) Anyway, here is an upchuck that emily spewed out all over the place last week when we were at the county jail picking up crazy old Tom who had just been busted for a grade three monkey train assault. He is doing well and still "chugging" along.
Brig is doing well, sometimes I worry that his muscles might get too big. But oh well, it's a trial that I can live with. Next week I'll be posting a special post about how much I love to kiss Brig, especially lip style kisses!

Luvs and snuggles

Emily

THE RING!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-30T16:50:00.000-08:00

So.... This was wednesday, November 26, 2008! I was sitting at home while Brig was "at work in Flagstaff" (he wasn't really)! He had gotten in touch with a few of my best friends and had them kidnap me and take me to the Mesa Arts Center (I was blindfolded so I didn't know where we were going) where he proposed on the stage! It was AMAZING!!! And I love him!