Home is...

I've been home more throughout the summer than I have for much of the past school year. I love it! I enjoy going home almost every time. I had the chance to celebrate Mother's and Father's days and see the show my sister was in. I even had a chance to spend time with my grandparents. It's the best. I am so thankful that I have a family that lives nearby as well as gets along really well. But here's what happens when I'm home:

Home is...
... early mornings
... granola bars
... Skyping my brother
... mowing the lawn
... sister time
... TV and/or yard work with dad
... snacking and movie watching with mom
... slow wi-fi
... home church smiles, hugs, and handshakes
... hanging out with my best gals
... laughing so much that I'm crying
... hugs

I haven't taken tons of pictures while I'm home, but it's only because I'm having so much fun!

Happy Fourth of July!

I love Google. (If the words in the logo are hard to read, they are: "This land was made for you and me")


So far, life is normal. I'm waitressing and doing stuff for the family. Today I'll be doing "no-bake" things. Pictures to come!

I also have the honor of playing my French horn and helping with hair and makeup for this show at the community theatre! It's looking really great! Opening night is Thursday, so come on out! The show runs this weekend only, so be there or be square! I'm not very good at playing, but I like to pretend! It's set in the 50's, so I have so much fun doing makeup and hair!! It's my favorite decade! I am not allowed to post pictures from behind the scenes until after the show, so you'll have to wait until after Sunday. But they will come as well!

I really hope you have a safe and blessed holiday! Sing a good ole' 'Merican song today! :)

Come with me!

And you'll be in a world of pure imagination!

Okay, maybe not in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, but come with me on Spring Break '12! I'm on spring break right now, but I took pictures of a lot of things that I did! I'm inviting you to see what I did and have fun with me!

Unfortunately, I left my camera cable in my dorm, so you'll be one week behind. That's not too bad though; it's like going twice!! :)

Can't wait to see you there!

The latest

So, happy Valentine's day! My gift to me was the ISU football schedule coming out via Twitter! I'm super pumped.

Anyways, I've been journaling more lately! Check out my nice, new notebook!

Well, I hope you enjoy whatever day you want to call this! I'm not sure how I feel about it. Currently, it's called Valentine's day, but it's also only the second best holiday in February. My birthday counts as the first! ;)

Hugs! 

Favorite Things!

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

1. MUSIC: I love Jason Gray! Not only is he a great guy, but his music totally jams! Overall, his tunes are pretty chill while still praising God. Some of my fave songs of his include: "Blessed Be", "Grace", and "Move". And you can find most, if not all, of these on Grooveshark! :) I love listening to him while I read.

2. NEW BOARD GAME: Last Word! Played this at a New Years' Eve party and loved it! I'm a word person, so I thought it was a lot of fun! (It probably didn't hurt that I won...) :) Basically, you draw a category and a letter, and then push the button on a timer-ish thing. (really specific, I know) Everybody gets to now yell out whatever they can think of that starts with that letter in the category. The timer goes off randomly, and whoever said the last item that qualifies, wins that category and moves up a space on the board. Whoever reaches the end first, wins! Yay!

3. VIDEO GAME CONSOLE: I love the Wii. We don't have one in our household, but I love playing at friends' houses. "Now, Emily," you might say, "isn't that kind of anti-social? Or maybe even rude??" I understand where you're coming from! But if you play the right group games, every one can have a blast dancing or playing away!

4. WII GAME: Now that we've discussed the Wii, I'd like to introduce you to a fun game! I admit my Gleek -ness. (Gleek= Glee geek; lover of the show Glee) I love music; I love singing. I HATE true karaoke... It's just not my thing. Singing all alone with just bare accompaniment and without loads of preparation in front of lots of strangers? I'll pass. But... singing just in front of friends with your friends from McKinley High that you enjoy looking up on Youtube and singing on the radio (and in the shower)?? Sure!!! My friends and I had so much fun! P.S.: I totally own "Taking Chances". I doubt you could beat me, but I'd agree you might have a chance at tying. :)

5. NEW BOOK: Longing by Karen Kingsbury!!!!! I was sooooooo excited to get this!! A. I love Karen Kingsbury! B. I love the Bailey Flanigan series because she's only a couple years older than I am. C. Bailey Flanigan was inspired by Mrs. Kingbury's own daughter Kelsey. So cool!! D. I enjoy reading books that others read too. I love sharing about what I love in a book without spoiling it! If you have never read a Karen Kingsbury novel, I totally suggest you start with the Redemption series. It sparks so many of her series! Happy reading! :)

6. FORM OF COMMUNICATION: I <3 Skype. I recently had a super long conversation with a best friend from another state for free. I love those words, too. I can even call from my laptop in my room to the home computer in the office if I need my mom or sister (who both use the home computer the most out of the four of us here). 

This is just a fun sharing of things I've been up to within the past week!


All rights to the respectful owners.

Food for thought before the new year!

My, how the time flies! It seems we were here, just a year ago! In all reality, when I reflect to where I was a year ago, I have to look through binoculars! I have grown and stretched and moved and cried and shouted for joy and loved and shared. I went from high school senior to an Iowa State freshman! I've become more of my own person, and continually growing in the Lord.

Now here's the food. Pay attention. Similar to paying closer attention to a quiet person, some of the most important stuff is super small. (Make the screen bigger if you need to.) :)

Romans 12:1-2 (NASB) "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

I'm going to break it down. "Therefore I urge you, brethren..." Paul can't force anyone to do this, but it must come from our own will. "...by the mercies of God..." We can't do anything without God. "...to present..." This is a decisive decision, not something done on a whim. "...your bodies a living and holy sacrifice..." Holy means 'set apart'; it can't be a common sacrifice. A living sacrifice contrasts the dead animal sacrifices made those many years ago. "...acceptable to God..." Not something that we think is enough; He gave His all. Is He worth less than our best? "...which is your spiritual service of worship." This act is intelligent. This act is rational. This act is deliberate. This is not an act done without much thought; think of the time Old Testament priests would spend repenting for all their sins before going into the inner temple, before the throne of God. Today, we can go into His inner temple with each prayer, but He deserves pure hearts. "God loves a cheerful giver." Verse 2: "And do not be conformed to this world..." Everyday is a struggle to break free from this world and follow God. Paul encourages us to take the narrow path. "...but be transformed..." You can't help but transform when you follow the Lord. It's a continual thing, too. Everyday is new. "His mercies are new in the morning"  "... by the renewing..." Just like you can't take a new path with the old map; you can't be in the light without hitting the 'refresh' button. "...of your mind..." Every action began in your mind. No matter what you want to think, every good and bad deed began in your mind. With a new mindset, you can begin your transformation. "...so that you may prove..." People will challenge you. This isn't an easy task. You can't just pay lip service to this, no matter how easy it is. You have to continually prove that you are His, and that you are doing everything to maintain that relationship. "...what the will of God is..." You aren't doing this for you, you're doing it because your love for Him compels you to action. You're doing it because you want the absolute best. "...that which is good and acceptable and perfect." Everything we do should be to glorify God. (Phil. 4:8) Through focusing all our effort on Him, our actions will continue to grow and produce things that are good, acceptable, and perfect in perfect alliance with His will. 


I hope you all continue to grow in the Lord this new year. Enjoy the world coming to an end! (just kidding!)

Merry Christmas!

To: you and yours

From: me and mine

Best wishes upon this blessed Christmas season! I wish you safe travels and fun with family. Love to all!

Break? pfft. nah.

Well, we're back in the swing of things here at home. My brother is home, and I gotta say, so far, I love having him here. We even did a family movie one night! We saw Hugo; what a great family-friendly flick! No swearing, positive message, plenty of clean action (no blood, guts, or gore), a couple of laughs along the way, add a tiiiny bit of messiness to the main character's life (thievery, shenanigans, secrets) , and you have yourself a cute movie set around the 20's in Paris, France. The set was beautiful, and the panoramic views of Paris are gorgeous! I definitely recommend it!

My break has consisted of work, work, work, and a dash of chill play-time. I work as a sub teacher's associate at the elementary schools when I come home. I like it; some days are better than others. Today is the first weekday (other than Monday) that I wasn't called in.

Have a merry Christmas!

done, Done, DOne, DONe, DONE!!!!

So, this is a little 'best of' and favorite sights around me, wherever I am! :)

One of my favorite building for sure!

Be jealous. This is my view from my room when I'm home.
Love seeing this!

My town, from my window!

Rainy day from 10th floor!

My beautiful parts of the door! That's a red panda on my head, fyi.

Slightly edited, but nice pic of Welch Ave.
I walk this a lot going to campus.

Clock tower on Welch- a Campustown staple!

The glorious Memorial Union behind Lake Laverne, icons of ISU!
Beautiful in their way!

Campanile on Central Campus behind one of the most important streets at Iowa State. 

I love this campus, but look forward to spending time at home with my brother!! So many great things to anticipate! AHHH! :D

Yep, that's right, I am officially finished with my first semester of college!! Time seriously goes so fast!

I hope you enjoy the campus as much as I do! Hugs!

Finals, Bunks, and Pranks

Thus begins finals week. I have one each on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. On Friday, I return home for three weeks. Crazy, huh? I hope I survive. My friends and I already have plans to Skype each other. Yay! I can't wait to see my girls, too!! My brother is also coming home!!!!!!! I haven't seen him in a year! I hope I can pick him up from the airport and hit up IKEA with my roomie!

Side note: My roommate and I recently bunked our beds. It looks great!! I'll try to upload some pictures! :)I have the bottom bunk, so over break, I'm hoping to make some curtains to make a little fort. Coolio! haha

My roommate have bonded a lot recently! We're actually a really good pair; we just found out a little later than other people. One of our bonding experiences has come from pranking my two best guy friends. They might have some good ideas to mess with our OCD (not actually diagnosed, we just like to keep things where they belong), but I refuse to allow myself to think they're winning. We've motioned for a cease-fire during finals week, but come next semester, it's on. We have reached out to some outside sources and have gathered new intelligence. We have also agreed to not telling anyone else as to keep double agents out of the picture. This is getting legit, if I do say so myself. We won't go too far; we still want to be best friends. Can't wait to give you more information as things come together! Have a great (and unstressful) week!

Back Home!

Well, I'm now back in my dorm after a long week at home. This post comes late, due to the nagging of papers and tests to prepare for. I enjoyed my week with family, but my friends and I have so much fun together! This weekend is WinterFest! I really hope it lives up to the hype my friends and I have added. :) Carriage rides, touring the Campanile, hot chocolate at the Knoll (president's house), free ice skating! AHH! I'm almost ready to burst from excitement!! This night will hopefully be filled with Christmas-y magic! It's my favorite season! I can now listen to Christmas music unashamed and, not to worry, have been doing just that. Enjoy your weekend and do something productive. And then, do something that you'll never forget! Hugs!

P.S.: It snowed yesterday!! Hooray for December 1st!! What perfect timing! :)

Thankful fors:

Over my break, I have been super busy! I worked three days at an elementary school subbing for a TA that works one-on-one with a special education boy. Mostly, he's not handicapped, he just doesn't always know how to deal with his emotions correctly and gets easily frustrated. But he is a great kid. One of his assignments the rest of his kindergarten class was doing included writing "Thankful Fors". Each day for the past week or so, they would come up with something they were thankful for and write it down to put in an envelope to show their parents. So....... here's my list! (I'll limit it to seven things, so you aren't reading forever!)

1. I can't even tell you how thankful I am to have a God that forgives and gives. He does so much for everyone, I don't even know! How neat is that?
2. I may be biased, but I'm pretty sure I have the best family! We're all pretty close, even though there's a lot of us on both sides! I'm so blessed to have each and everyone of them!!
3. I gotta say, I love my floor at college! We're pretty awesome. 'Nuff said. :)
4. My friends are the best! They always have my back, and I would do the same for them. Love my guys and gals!
5. Music. I could not live without it. I'm so glad there's so many great options!
6. Books! (especially Karen Kingsbury ones!!
7. I love my home. It's a great, loving place to come home to after a long time at college. My comfortable big bed and homemade food... I couldn't ask for anything better!

Hope you can make a longer list than I for all the great things God has blessed you with! xoxo

That one week. Right before break.

Today begins that week before break. The week that contains the most stress outside of finals week. Arg. 2 tests and a major paper. My social life has disappeared. I'm strangely okay with this. I went to bed before 11 on both Friday and Saturday. I was really happy with this fact. I apologize for not posting the remainder of this week. 

Thanksgiving break begins after classes end on Friday. I look forward to spending time with my family and friends. Can't wait to see you all!

Weird happy grins

Fall is my favorite season!! And, welcome September! Here it is!!! :) I now have to wear a sweatshirt while walking to classes, and shorts just don't cut it anymore. *insert happy weird grin here* And, soon, with the help of my brother and the computer engineers on my floor, pictures will be a possibility! I can't wait to show you my view at night from my dorm, my roommate, and my new friends.
Another reason I love fall: FOOTBALL!! (College is my favorite!) This past weekend was the wonderful ISU v. UNI game here in Ames. Congrats Cyclones, you pulled it off! With a win under our belt, the (evil) Hawkeyes (puke) travel to challenge us. (to my dismay, they will probably wipe the field with us, but i would like to pretend they won't.) Nebraska (another team i love) also won! :D
But, instead of actually going to the wet and rainy game last weekend, a few girls and I found a little kitchen and baked cupcakes! :) DELICIOSO!!!! (and you can see the recipe here)And, as a shrewd business woman, I sold them for $1 a piece or 3 for $2. I know, I was giving them away at that price, but, alas, people bought them! And not just people from my floor! Silly people like to check out the activity on all the floors and got suckered into buying cupcakes. haha crazy kids!

New to my posts: Every time I post, I will try to incorporate a funny story about non-Midwesterners misconceptions about our awesome traditions.
Here's number one:
On the really hot days, a bunch of us were sitting in the common room, wishing winter would come sooner! (In March, I'll wonder about our sanity) Then we transitioned to our favorite fall/winter treats. One girl said she couldn't wait for hot apple cider, and the kid from New Mexico yelled, "WHAT???" We all stared at the crazy 'foreign' child. "I thought that was only a Christmas myth!!" We thought he was kidding... he wasn't. YAY FALL!

Have a happy fall! :)

"Because I knew you, I have been changed for good"

If I have ever influenced your music listening choice, most of you should recognize the title as part of the lyrics to the song, "For Good" from the musical Wicked. Here's how this post came to be.

Yesterday, I had the joy of experiencing the Iowa Straw Poll at Iowa State University. As I had attended a youth group overnighter the previous night, I slept. :) To put me to sleep, I have a "Naptime" playlist on my iPod. On this playlist is all sorts of slow songs I have fallen asleep to previously, including "For Good". Listening to those lyrics, I have realized that my friends, family, acquaintances that have jaded me or lifted me up, have all touched my life as Glinda describes Elphaba had done for her. (Yep, now you have to listen or read the lyrics) As I listened tears of joy came to my eyes as I realized just what a certain family had taught me: you can't be besties with everyone, don't reveal secrets because they aren't yours to tell, always hug your siblings and sometimes, people from other families can become a part of your family to fill an empty role. (this isn't to say the role is not fill-able by the original 'owner', so to speak, but sometimes, it's good to have someone in that position) Though I will leave for college this week, those lessons I learned over the years, and so many more will come with me, shaping who I am, like a hand print on my heart. Who shaped you? Does that person know? Was it for the better or worse? As you truly listen to the lyrics, I hope they touch you! Fun music fact: Stephan Schwartz wrote the music for Wicked, as well as contributed or wrote Godspell, Pippen, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Prince of Egypt, and many others. Isn't he amazing? What talent! :)

Another fun thing from the weekend:
Since I will be attending college at Iowa State, my parents decided that we should all go see my room. Unfortunately, I can't see my actual room until I move in, but my CA (in ISU terms, in 'typical college terms': RA. Iowa State thinks they're soo cool!) said that a guy moving in today probably wouldn't mind if we looked out his window. After seeing that view, I'm fairly certain my dorm will acquire the nickname "The Penthouse". WOW! SO BEAUTIFUL! (yes, I'm yelling in my mind) There are trees of green, red roses too, and I also see skies of blue, and clouds of white, bright, blessed days, and dark, sacred nights. What a wonderful campus! :) Plus, the guy I talked to was really nice; he's from North Carolina. To me, that translated to a 21 hour drive! (not automatically translated, but "Hoky Smokes, Bullwinkle!") I feel really bad for him because he probably won't be able to go home for Thanksgiving! :( I am glad that I met someone on my floor already!

Super Hoppenings!

Not to worry, I know it's not Easter! Anyways, here are the past and super near future events!! From the top: the show went well! Parents are gone, I've been throwing wild parties every night- jk! Also, tonight my sis and i watched "Home Alone 2". Good times with the Glover cousins!!!And the super awesome thing that is just so superly super is Camp Shetek tomorrow!!!!! A ton of my favorite people in one place! Super! Camp Shetek is my church camp, and I totally can't wait! Super! (it's just the newest craze) Not to worry, a full report will ensue after the week ceases. And that's the news. Happy 4th!!!!!!

mylifeislame.com

So, I'm on Christmas break and haven't written. I feel bad. Hope all had an exciting time! I sure did! I celebrated with my immediate family in the morning, my mom's side for lunch, and my dad's side for supper. Whew! I had a lot of fun getting together with the majority of my cousins and talking and laughing with them! With all the hustle and bustle going on in relation to Christmas, it's sometimes hard to remember the Man in the middle, Jesus.

Today is New Year's Eve. Hope you have a fun and safe one!! Today, I was supposed to be coming home from New York City, but alas, here I sit. All week. Tonight, I was supposed to go to a lock-in, but alas, the weather has decided that I need a week at home. A whole week for my brother to bug me, clean my room, and watch all the Heath Ledger, Gerard Butler, and war movies to my heart's content. All were highly successful.

I still don't have a "real" resolution. I have ideas, but I'd really like to have a way to actually achieve them. I guess one would be to graduate. :) Sure, that's one!

Now, I shall explain the title. Recently, with all the disappointments, my life has kinda been lame with nothing to do. Also, I enjoy reading the stories of My Life is Average. Hence, the title. Have a great New Year full of attained dreams, wishes come true, and the occasional trip back to reality.

Stress

Finally, I turned in my paper sent from the devil. Actually, my teacher has a name, but this paper gave detrimental habits into my life. But now it is over, I finally got some sleep, and I dressed pretty for school! Today was a good day! :) AND we played pep band tonight!!! I love pep band!! For those who don't know what pep band is, it's basically the band playing pop songs (from the late 90's, but they're still pretty awesome)! YAY! The school year is coming to a resting stop soon, and semester tests are next week! AHH! I don't think they'll be too hard, but I hope to do the best I can. Many presentations are due soon, and I think I'm ready! (Yes, I know, I use tons of exclamation points!) I can't wait for the semester to be done! If I thought this semester was easy, I can't wait for the next one! Creative foods, band, choir, government (difficult, but not impossible), Spanish, and two other classes that I'm dropping to fill with slacker classes! :) Maybe I'm naughty, but I do alot of extra-curriculars in the next few months! I've applied to my first college, and as long as my school sends the correct stuff in and pay for my app to be looked at, I am looking forward to hearing from UNL in about 3-4 weeks! (that long mainly so I don't get my hopes up too high)

Christmas is closing in upon us, and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!! My brother is coming home, and a close friend, even mentor in a way, is coming home on the same day!!! It's going to be great!!

And finally, an adventure I had this past Saturday! So over the past weekend, my town encountered a blizzard! I had to work that morning, so being the trusty and reliable employee I am, I made myself go in. My mother warned me not to, but I told her that I didn't have a choice, it was my job, and I had to be there. Along the way I came upon spots where I couldn't see anything, but I simply slowed down and kept going. I made it there, and my co-workers were glad, but my boss said that I should be on my way ASAP. Then my mom called, saying not to send me home at all; the weather was too bad, and my small car would not make it back. I would stay with a close family friend who lived in town. I made it there by lunchtime, and then, (long story short) we went to work on a house they were fixing up. Technically, we were demolishing everything so they could begin to fix up. I spent about five hours weilding a hammer as a torturous weapon. Some parts were tedious while others, I could just pound on the walls without a second thought. I enjoyed myself! Finally, we arrived back at the warm house and ate supper and played Scrabble. I lost terribly, but it was fun to play, nevertheless. The next morning my home church was cancelled, but a friend's church was putting on a drama, so my mom and sister came in, allowing me to have fresh clothes and get home!! It was an exciting weekend!! Next time, I think I'll call in to work saying that I don't want to get stuck! ;)

Wow, maybe some consistency?!?!

So two Saturdays in a row?? Miracles still happen! :P Thanksgiving was fabulous! Black Friday, not so much due to the almost 11.5 hours put in at work. I'm going to New York for 5 days over Christmas break, so there goes all of my hard-earned money. It's going to be fabulous though! I AM SOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kinda like this holiday. Just a little bit. I love to sing Christmas carols; I begin in late October and keep going until about mid-January!! I guess I'm like Walmart in a sense! :) There's a chance I may begin a second job sometime soon. Right now I'm simply contemplating applying, but we'll see…

Over the past couple days, my sister and I downloaded most of our CDs onto our iTunes accounts, and I'm loving it!! I love old school stuff like records, but I also enjoy having all of my favorite music in the palm of my hand. (Which, conveniently, is where I'm writing my post: on my bed, on my iPod) That's my technology sales pitch for this post… ;)

Over the past week, my school has let out twice for freezing rain!! Wednesday, I got to Skype my brother for almost an hour. My family took over after that, but it was awesome to see and talk to him about all sorts of things!