RM - a hopeless epidemic

I was talking to a friend of mine last night online. He told me that he figured out something about his approach in dating that left him without the desired results. He told me that he has been approaching dating much like a missionary approaches a new investigator. "If you spend a lot of time and put a lot of effort into them, it brings results." He then told me he has discovered this is just not true. He needs to change his approach, he said. I agreed with him.

The whole conversation struck me as funny because another newly Returned Missionary friend of mine told me his approach to dating and how it has changed since he got back from his mission. He said that when he got home from his mission, he had the next five years of his life planned out. "I realized that my Junior year, I wouldn't have a lot of time to date, so I'll just get that out of the way this year. I was planning on being married by July or August and then focusing on school. The first girl I started dating right after the mission, I decided she was the one. We didn't have a lot in common, but I knew she was it. I've dated two other girls since then." He went on... "My new goal is married by December." I just laughed to myself. "Your approach has changed huh?"

The friend from the first story I told asked me why I didn't say anything about the RM disease earlier. "Then," he said, "I wouldn't have had to learn the hard way." It's true. I should have told him the secret remedy. The thing about that though is, I don't know it yet either... :)

A sad phone conversation

I was walking in the library the other day and heard this snippet of conversation from a guy talking on his cell phone, "You are the hardest girl to get a hold of! The phone number you gave me didn't work and then your email address didn't work! I had to look you up on stalker net."

I walked away and sighed. Poor boy. Poor, poor boy.

Some Help?

So... Once upon a time there was a girl named Emilie. She could not figure out how to put links onto her blog. She tried to follow the directions that the blog site gave to her, but somehow it didn't work. If anyone has any idea how to help this poor girl, please let her know! :) Thanks so much! (She was afraid to ask for help by herself) ;)

Recording... I'm famous! Well... ok, not really

Last night the phone rang in my apartment around 11:00 pm. "Hello, is Sister Gardner there?" The voice on the other end of the line asked. As there are two Sister Gardners in the apartment, Julie replied, "Yes, let me get one for you." "It's for one of the Gardner sisters." She came into my room to say. I ran to the kitchen, "Hello? This is Sister one." "Emilie, I need a girl to sing the harmony for the song I wrote. Could you come sing right now?" Ted asked. "Sure!" I replied. I raced to his apartment (well, I raced after we put the bed back together). I learned the song as quickly as I could and we recorded the song. It's a great song. And I decided I like recording. You'll have to hear it sometime. :)

My sister's bed

Well, ladies and gentleman, it is official. My bed is not the only bed that falls off the cinder blocks. Last night, Audrey, Cassidy and Caitie were on Caitie's bed giggling away when all of a sudden there was a huge crash and the giggling exploded into screams and laughter. I love this apartment.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! That's basically all I have to say. Life is good. The end.

pics!

Christian with his older sister, Camryn. Aren't they wonderful??

More pics to come. The computer stopped working! :)

New Nephew!

I have a new nephew! His name is Christian David. He's pretty much adorable. As soon as it works, I'll put pictures up. Yay for new babies!

Learn Chinese in Five Minutes

I know many of you have seen this before, but I read it again and it still makes me laugh. Enjoy!

LEARN CHINESE IN 5 MINUTES ... (READ THEM OUT LOUD)
1) That's not right............................Sum Ting Wong
2) Are you harboring a fugitive?...............Hu Yu Hai Ding?
3) See me ASAP.................................Kum Hia Nao
4) Stupid Man..................................Dum Gai
5) Small Horse.................................Tai Ni Po Ni
6) Did you go to the beach?....................Wai Yu So Tan?
7) I bumped into a coffee table................Ai Bang Mai Ni
8) I think you need a face lift................Chin Tu Fat
9) It's very dark in here......................Wai So Dim?
10) I thought you were on a diet...............Wai Yu Mun Ching?
11) This is a tow away zone....................No Pah King
12)Our meeting is scheduled for next week......Wai Yu Kum Nao?
13)Staying out of sight........................Lei Ying Lo
14)He's cleaning his automobile................Wa Shing Ka
15)Your body odor is offensive.................Yu Stin Ki Pu

Weather

Wasn't the weather crazy today? I walked outside of the RB and it was snowing when the sun was shining so bright! It was a beautiful day. Good times... Good times.

A Blast from my Past

It seems for me that when one random person or event creeps up in my life, a whole bunch of random things from my past happen right after that. It is usually so unexpected that it knocks me right off balance. This happened last night. I received a letter from my very first boyfriend, my first love, my first kiss-all of whom happen to be the same person. He has been on a missions for 22 1/2 months now. I haven't seen him in 3 years. He wrote to tell me he had been thinking about me. He wants to tell me something when he gets back. He asked me to write to him. And at the end, he informed me that his family had just moved to Utah.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this. Crazy how things just pop up sometimes, eh? All I know is that I think too much.

hurting

I've discovered I care about people a lot. :) Not such a new discovery, but I've realized something about how I care about people that is a new discernment. It was spurred on by Audrey. There was a movie that several people were going to watch. As I wanted to be a part of the group, I thought I would watch it with them. The day before we watched the movie, Audrey took me aside and told me she thought there would be scenes that would disturb me a lot and suggested I not watch the movie. I appreciated her concern for me and decided not to watch it. The parts she thought would disturb me were very emotional scenes. She told me, "Emilie, you take on other people's emotions without knowing why or what they are feeling."

After she told me that, I have watched myself and have been sensitive to how I feel when other people are around me. When I am talking to a friend that is hurting, I feel their hurt. I don't understand it... I can just feel their pain. I sometimes cry not because of something they said about how they're hurting, but because I can see the hurt in his/her face and I feel it. I've also discovered that I can be strong enough for the person for as long as they are hurting. But when they are ok, I break down. That's when I really allow myself to feel my own pain for the person. It's no longer their hurting.. it's my hurting. I realize how weak I am. I realize how little I actually help. All I do is feel for them. I can't take care of their problems for them-no matter how much I'd like to.

I remember when I was Mia Maid and Laurel President, these feelings were very acute. I felt so much for my girls. There were many nights of tears and prayers for these girls who could become incredible women, but didn't see their potential. I could feel how Heavenly Father felt for them. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've had.

It's easy to forget how Heavenly Father feels for His children individually. When we are so caught up in the mundane tasks of life that seem so overwhelming. When it seems like we're just going from test to test, trying to keep our heads above water, it's so easy to forget. It's easy to be caught up in pride. I am so weak. I have so much to learn. And I constantly need my Heavenly Father to take me in His arms to remind me that He loves me and that I'm His daughter. But, I'm stubborn and I think I'll be all right without that. He has so many other children who hurt more than me that He could be taking care of. But the atonement is all encompassing. It's not like Heavenly Father only has time for one child at a time. He is ready and waiting for each of His children all the time. I need to remember that. I am blessed. Truly blessed.

Hurting Gums

My gums are in pain. What a strange thing to say. At the beginning of last semester, my upper lip swelled up so much that it was bigger than my bottom lip. It looked rather awkward. It also hurt a lot! I went to the dentist and found out that the root canal I had received when I was 8 had become infected. It required immediate attention. I had another root canal a week later and also had 4 new teeth put into place. I have not had trouble with it since.

Well... that is... until yesterday. Yesterday, my gums began hurting again. I thought nothing of it. I figured I just brushed rather rigorously that morning or something. However, this morning when I woke up and it hurt much worse, I realized the rigorous brushing was not the problem. It's a constant tooth ache on my front tooth. I can't blow my nose because it hurts clear up there. I think my new root canal is infected. Blah. I'm not a big fan of dentists.

:)

It is an exquisite day outside. I want to fly a kite. Anyone want to go with me??

Curl up and Dye

Growing up in my family saw many Saturdays of Mom cutting my brothers' hair. Every other Saturday it was a ritual-oldest to youngest and then everyone helped clean up. When I was about two years old, I thought I should try to help my Mother by easing her burden of so many hairs to cut. When she left with the boys to a scout activity after one such ritual of cutting hair, I took the scissors and snipped every long, dark curl off my head. When my Mom came home from the activity, she was mortified. She took me immediately to the hair salon where I got a perm and the lady fixed the haircut. It turned out to be one of my Mom's favorite hairstyles for me as a little girl.

After that and until the age of 14, I basically just grew my hair out and occasionally trimmed it. When I turned 14, I went to the salon and told the hairdresser to cut it off. She did just that. She cut my hair to my chin. Because my hair is very thick, it turned into an impossible-to-make-pretty poofball. I went home and cried. I determined to never cut my hair short again.

As many of you know, I just turned 21. Since the age of 14, I have only trimmed my hair and done occasional highlights. Two days ago all of that changed. I have never dyed my hair in my life. But, Saturday night, I dyed it. The whole head! My hair is now brown. DARK brown. The hairdresser also cut three inches off and gave me bangs. What a drastic change. I looked in the mirror and decided I loved it. I really do. I have never liked a drastic change in my hair before. But, I LOVE this change. Thank you, my dear sister, for the perfect birthday present.

Happy Birthday

Last night I went on a "date" with my roommate. We went shopping, she took me out to dinner, it was a wonderful time. Later, Audrey got a phone call on her cell phone that I answered. "You can come home now, there are people here." I thought that was strange. But I didn't connect a thing. Later Caitie called and said there were a couple guys at home who were awkward and they really wanted us to come home to entertain them. We hurried home. Crossing the porch to my front door, I noticed all the lights were out and the door was locked. Weird! I thought they were home. slowly I opened the door. The lights turned on and, "SURPRISE!!!!!" was yelled out by a ton of people. What a happy surprise! I have never been surprised on my birthday. It was such a wonderful night.

During the course of the evening, audrey and Tolkien Boy asked me what I had learned during the past year. I couldn't tell them right away, but it has caused some serious reflection in myself. What have I learned this past year? How am I different? How have I grown? One major difference this year is that I actually wanted people to acknowledge my birthday. Last year, I didn't want anyone to do anything. I wanted it to be forgotten. I realized that I have learned a lot about myself. I have learned to like myself. I am not afraid to be myself. I also found what kind of woman I wanted to become throughout my life. And as a result, I have goals and I'm excited to meet them. I know I can make a difference in people's lives and I want to help people. I love music and I'm finally in the music program at BYU. I'm learning things I'm excited about. I'm helping children learn to love music. I'm learning more and more every day how blessed I am and how much responsibility I have with the blessings I have been given.

I have learned that instead of just "getting through" life, I am going to conquer it and have a good time doing so. Life is good. Thank you everyone for the examples and love you have shown me. Everyone has made a difference in my life. You're all amazing.

I'll survive

I had a wonderful cuddle session last night. I'll survive. :)

Self Inflicted Torture

Last night I went on a great date. The guy was a lot of fun. I was laughing the whole time. We went to Comedy Sports and then out for ice cream. He's a biology major. I'm a music major. He's got a quirky sense of humor. I think it's hilarious. He opened the door for me in and out of the car. "Thank you for opening my doors." I said. "Thank you for letting me. Not many girls do." At the end of the night, I felt really good about the date. I thought he would say something about maybe doing something another night. I told him, "Thank you so much for the date, I really had a great time." He said, "Thank you. It was really good to meet you." Nothing about another date! Sad. It's been a while since I had a great time on a first date.

So as I type this blog, I'm watching Hitch. Great flick. The only problem is that there are some cute love stories in it. I've been all right for a while now. I have been grateful I'm not dating anyone. It would be much too stressful to date anyone with the schedule I have. But, after last night, I've been in the mood to date. We'll see. Sometime I will begin dating again. Until then, perhaps I should refrain from inflicting the torture of watching fake love stories unfold on the TV screen before my eyes.

The Awesomest Super-Woman Dive Ever!

Well my friends I am pretty much the coolest person ever. Have you ever known anyone to do a superman dive with a double back flip? Neither have I... until tonight. Well, I didn't so much watch it as I was a part of it. Ya see, there's this guy I was trying to show off for and I thought to myself, "I bet he would fall in love with me if I dove down the stairs." It was more like I fell for him. He better appreciate that! After I did it, I realized it wasn't the smartest idea I'd ever had of showing myself off. *sigh* What one does for love. Is love a fancy or a fool? In my case... I'd say fool. So much for a romantic night at the library. Actually, this was only the beginning of our relationship. I hear that boys tend to date girls that break/sprain their ankles. What can I say? I have weak ankles. ;)

I am a gimp. I'm not quite sure how this will pan out this semester. I have two dance classes and one exercise science class where I run and jump and do cartwheels and everything! After it happened, I realized it's probably a blessing because I've been running around too much this semester as it is. The Lord knew I needed some time to sit down. I'll be doing more of that than I'd like. Not dancing will be the hardest part. I love dancing. Feel free to visit me. I love visitors!

Happy, Happy and Happy!

My vocal technique professor told me I sounded really good today! It's the first time anyone from the music faculty has given me a compliment. And he's the head of the vocal department! He was walking around the group, stopped at me and was very pleased. He said, "do you realize how good that sounds?" *sigh* There is pay-off when you work hard. I left the class smiling my head off. Life is good. Life is very good.