I'm in a airport.

 That's right. I'm sitting at the gate on the way back to SLC because ya girl starts school tomorrow AND because my grandmothers funeral is over. 

First, can I say that airports are getting more and more fancy with their food? Like for real, this one has a Los Taquitos. Pretty sure it means tacos and to me that's a lot fancier than a McDonald's.

Second, a couple just walked by both wearing shirts with a bald eagle and an American flag that I definitely saw at Walmart last week...and every time I've been to Walmart those have been there in the past 10 years. I should just totally cave and buy one, too. 

Third, my grandmothers funeral was a BEAUTIFUL celebration of her life and I'm so thankful that I got to go. My Grandma Joy definitely was her name. I just feel so blessed that I even got to have her as my grandmother. She worked so hard for her family. I mean she was a telephone operator for 37 years, doing the graveyard shift,just so her kids could do extracurricular activities. She was a fashionista that was always looking for a bargain. She loved her cheetah print. Also, her love and devotion she shared with my grandpa Reed for the past almost 70 years is something that I cherish. I think the most heartbreaking thing to watch yesterday was my grandpa. I mean, the woman that he cared for and loved and labored with for the past 70 years was gone. His very best friend. Watching him stand alone as her casket was loaded into the car made me realize more than ever that one of the most important things we can do is strengthen and cherish those eternal relationships here on earth. I'm so thankful for my grandparents and the examples they have set in my own life. I'm so thankful for those precious covenants we make in the temple so that we can be together for forever.

                Grandpa Reed and I!

Fourthly, if that's even a word, in the past week something has been pressing on my heart a TON and I've been pondering it ALL THE STINKING TIME. It's that we  are totally our spirits and we are NOT our bodies. I know I know, you're probably thinking, "old news Em, you've known that since you've exited the womb." But seriously! I've been thinking about it a ton. For example, I am Emily, I am NOT my eating disorder. My spirit is pure, but my body is prone to imperfections and trials. My negative thoughts are not  my spirit. Depression is not my spirit, etc. Every time I've made a decision this week I've asked myself,"is this going to nourish my spirit or is it going to hurt it?" 

So if I had a negative thought about myself, I would cast it out because it wouldn't help my spirit. That's just one example. I know I'm totally rambling but this has just hit me so hard. Everything that I do in life, I want it to nourish my spirit and help me grow eternally. I don't want the fears, negative thoughts, self doubt, mental disorders to harm my eternal growth anymore. I've realized that I will face those things my whole life, but I don't have to entertain them or define who I am. Because who I am is a daughter of an Almighty God. I'm not my eating disorder, I'm not my fears, I'm not my doubts. I am His. 

Drop the Label.

    "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

            Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.” Alma 48:17-18

             When I first read these verses all I could think was about how much I wanted to be like Moroni! I wanted to become just like him. I wanted the very powers of hell to be shaken forever at my presence! I wanted to be able to be just as righteous and just as faithful as Moroni. Moroni was not perfect, but he was perfectly consecrated to the Lord. He never complained against God and the trials he was given in life, he never forsook the gospel and went out on his own. He was completely humble before the Lord and relied on Him daily because he KNEW that he could not do it alone. Moroni could be labeled as a fearless, faithful follower of God.

            There are many different men and women in the Book of Mormon with many different labels. When one talks about Nephi, it’s always in reverence and awe because of the faith he showed in truly following God in every aspect of his life. When one talks about Laman and Lemuel, it’s always about how they were truly never converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were labeled as doubters and non-believers. When one talks about King Benjamin we always speak of his endless service to God and his fellowman. When one speaks about Korihor, it’s always about how he was faithless, a man that would never be satisfied without proof, a man truly without faith. Then we have Corianton, who I want to spend time on. Whenever one brings up Corianton the first thing anyone ever says is, “oh yeah, he’s the one that broke the law of Chastity.” Or “he’s the black sheep of the family, the one kid that didn’t get it, etc.” or in modern terms you could say, “he’s the one that went home early from his mission because of morality issues he never took care of”. These are his labels. But what we fail to forget is that Corianton CHANGED. He was able to repent and to become clean through the atoning power of our Savior Jesus Christ. His sins were completely washed away. Why then do we keep associating these labels with him?

            In verse 18 something amazing happens at the very end of it. It starts off by saying that Ammon, all the sons of Mosiah, etc. were men JUST like Moroni. Then at the very end it states, “and also Alma AND HIS SONS, for they were ALL MEN OF GOD.” Alma and his sons! “His sons” includes Corianton! Corianton’s label of being a “law of chastity breaker” was dropped when he fell to his knees for forgiveness from our Father. His label of being “a sinner beyond repair” was dropped when he went through the repentance process and felt of the Saviors love and peace. His label of being “a child of the world” dropped when he turned over his whole entire life to Christ and preached His gospel again to the dissenters. Corianton was changed because of the Atonement of Christ.

            We also need to drop the labels that we not only give one another, but what we give ourselves as well.  We are all worthy of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We are all worthy of our Father in Heaven’s forgiveness. In the words of Brad Wilcox, “Worthiness is not flawlessness. Worthiness is honesty.” When we honestly turn to our Father in Heaven and plead for Christ’s grace, our labels are dropped. We become changed. We become like Him. I have such a strong belief that when we get to heaven, Corianton will be a lot different than what we perceived and labeled him in this life because he is changed through Christ.

friends4lyfe #5

Joni Sip

I haven't finished yet with these posts yet and you are all so lucky because this girl named Joni is the best of the best. Joni is one of my roommates that I have had this year since January and to say that she is one of the kindest people ever is an understatement. She has to be one of the most loving, caring, service-oriented people I have EVER met and has made such an impact on my life. I hope she knows that. At first when you meet her, she's shy, but she loves with her whole heart. The way she shows that love is by serving others. I swear she is always looking out for other people, whether it is by quick notes or just asking how you're doing or by just acts of service. I swear homegirl does everything. I can't tell you how many times she has just come home with a York peppermint patty for me "just because" or how many times she has gone out to eat with me just to talk or how many times she has left me notes when she knows I am having a hard day. She is truly one of the most Christ-like people I have ever met and I have been truly blessed to have her in my life. I am definitely going to miss hanging out with her, but I know that whatever she does in life, she is going to be the best because she will put her whole heart and soul into it. Joni is the oldest in her family and you can just see the love she has for her family by how she talks and treats them. She is going to be one of the best mom's and I can't wait to see the day when we all live on the same street and I see her taking her kids to ultimate frisbee games ;)

Joni is my take-out buddy, my basketball watching best friend, and my "I work at Jimmy Johns and eat it everyday" role model. I love my homegirl!

Five random facts about Joni:

1. She loves the Jazz more than anything...I have learned not to judge her on this.

2. She is the most athletic person I know, I swear she is good at every sport, even bingo.

3. She is the oldest of five.

4. She and I WILL go to a Red Sox vs. Yankees game when I come home.

5. She has worked a bajillion jobs, including Pizza Hut and Jimmy John's. She's our suga mama.

I just love ya "Joni-fer"!

girls girls girls

I would like to say a few words about girls. I love them, I cherish them, and I am one of them (some find that hard to believe after they see how good I am at the man's game called whiffle ball), but sometimes I get so frustrated when I see some of them tear down other girls ALL OF THE TIME by little snide comments. They don't really think it's "tearing" someone down or rude, they just honestly believe they're stating facts with a compliment at the beginning. Here are a few examples that I have heard:

"Yeah her lesson was good, BUT did you see her skirt? Totally didn't cover her gross knees, poor girl."

"She is nice, BUT like, could she seriously just calm herself every once in a while, her voice sounds like something dying."

"Yeah I know she is going through a hard time and that's why she's gaining weight, but I am going through a hard time too, you don't see me crying or running to McDonalds to buy a big mac every time I have a problem."

"She does have great hair, but dude, did you hear her solo in church today? Kind of sounded like a boy going through middle school puberty all while singing a hymn."

After hearing all four of those statements I don't know whether to a) laugh at how ridiculous it all is or b) to throw my diet coke at them.

Honestly, I wish girls would just remember that we are all SISTERS, that everyone is going through a hard time! We were all raised differently and as such, we react differently to situations. We need to empathize and truly be our sister's keeper. Just because you start off by complimenting someone doesn't give you the right to ridicule later or EVER.

Who cares if Sandy wears pig tails still? That's how she likes to whip her hair!

Who cares if Donna likes to be center of attention by singing her sentences? That's what makes her shine!

Who cares if Wendy dates any boy that walks through the door? Let her get at that free food!

And who cares if Sasha is eccentric and draws anime? Let her be multi-cultural! She might even draw a picture of you and make you a warrior princess in her next comic book!

I just wish girls would remember that we are all here for a purpose, life is hard, and to have someone telling you that you aren't good enough, when you already think that about yourself, is not fun. We have got to empower people!

friends4lyfe #4

Victoria McBride

Can we just say that this girl is the most awesome person ever?! And I am being completely serious. I met Vicky just in January, but we saw each other around in our singles ward last year. She is my roommate and I am FOREVER GRATEFUL to have her as I go through the awkward dating scene which resides in Rexburg, Idaho. Funny thing about Tori is that she has a best friend/cousin and I have a best friend named KD, that went into the MTC the same day as each other, February 6th. With that happening, we really bonded. She has become one of my closest friends and I am so thankful for her loving heart. She is there whenever I need her and is always looking for ways to lift others up. She is the best and I hope she knows that. 

Also, she is engaged to a guy named Garrett who is equally awesome. They get married August 3rd! There is no way they can ever forget my birthday now (August 4th for all you who want to start saving up money for my birthday present now). Anyway, on to Tori. She has the best sense of humor, loves everyone and their mother, and is so easy to get along with. Just on Thursday we drove down to SLC in one day for her dress fitting and all the way down we could be laughing one second and then a minute later be in such a deep conversation about the gospel or past trials. I love that I can just talk about anything with her and I know she is a tender mercy from my Father in Heaven. She has been through a lot and has so much faith. She really inspires me every single day.

 I cannot wait to see her and Garrett get married! I have helped them prepare for children as being their permanent third wheel. YOU ARE WELCOME JOHNSON FAMILY.

Five random facts about Victoria:

1. She has so many ways to say her name. I am pretty sure I haven't called her by the same name once in this post.

2. She is very creative especially when it comes to graphic design.

3. Her parents live in France and she gets to live in Rexburg...lucky girl!

4. She will eat pizza with me whenever I desire it (friends that eat take out with you are hard to find guys!)

5. She is the sweetest person ever. she randomly just buys me a lemonade because she knows I love lemon and ade. 

I just love ya Aunt Vicky!

friends4lyfe #3

Mylissa Hoover

This here is Mylissa, Missa, Lissa, you can call her whaaaatever ya liiiiike...(cue T.I song)

Mylissa is my new roommate this semester and one of the most awesome girls you will ever meet. She is the one that introduced me to iPod idol (you all must try it), dancing like you just don't care, and the t.v. show "Criminal Minds." She is truly and honestly one of the strongest girls I have ever had the privilege of meeting. She has had some hard trials in her life and yet stands through it all with a smile on her face. She is constantly giving the best advice and never thinks of herself. I remember one day we were worried about one of our roommates and she just got out all of her self-help books and just started writing all the things we could do to help her. She is just the sweetest and I am so happy that I get to call her a friend. What makes me sad is that we now only have 3 weeks left, but she has definitely affected me for the rest of my life in the best way possible.

Always in the back seat, never the front.

Five random facts about Mylissa:

1. She loves "Twilight" more than she loves babies (sometimes), she even won a trip to Forks, Washington.

2. Her whole room is covered in One Direction posters. #madrespect

3. She is from the east coast!

4. She refrigerates her peanut butter...

5. She has the best music on her iPod...NSYNC's Christmas CD anyone?



I love the girl.

friends4lyfe #2

Nikki Tatham

This is Nikki and she is the sweetest person on this earth. I met her back in January through my friend Sam and connected with her immediately. She became my Costa Vida partner, my therapist, my spiritual confidant, etc. The list goes on and on. 

Back story on Nikki, she was baptized April 2012 and then moved out here to BYU-Idaho in September from Illinois. If she isn't the most courageous person on this earth, I don't know who is! She has the strongest testimony and I am constantly uplifted by it every time I see her. 

 She is seriously one of the most caring individuals you will ever meet...EVER. She is constantly looking for ways to serve others, whether it's a quick note or a phone call or baking cookies. She is constantly following the promptings of the spirit and she makes me want to be better all the time because of it. I mean she even moved into another apartment halfway through this semester because of a prompting to help another girl. HOW AWESOME IS SHE?! I am so thankful to have Nikki in my life because she truly has shown me what it means to have Christ-like love for everyone.

Five random facts about Nikki:

1. She drives a PT Cruiser (I know, I know, I almost wasn't her friend because of it ;)

2. She can cook like nobodies business.

3. She is a PRO GOLFER PEOPLE!! She had a full scholarship at her last college.

4. She has the cutest sense of humor.

5. She knows every song ever produced on this planet. I'm serious, any song that plays on the radio, even if it is from 1928, she knows the words.

Like I said before, I don't know how I get so lucky. 

Love you Nicuragua!