it's all about relationships

If you want to find yourself, you need to lose yourself in the lives of other people.
- My Philosophy professor

Relationships with other people are more important than being right.
- My boss at work, Fred. 

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
- Mother Teresa

Being angry with someone decreases your quality of life, ya know? 
- My friend Taylor (and he probably doesn't even remember when he said that to me, but I won't forget it because I always try to remember it when someone is annoying me :) )

When the Lord requires that we forgive all men, that includes forgiving ourselves. Sometimes, of all the people in the world, the one who is the hardest to forgive—as well as perhaps the one who is most in need of our forgiveness—is the person looking back at us in the mirror.
- Dieter F Uchtdorf

I LOVE YOU!
- Karina, who always tells us that she loves us, and so I try to say it more too.


It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tired into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.
- Martin Luther King

And that, my friends, it what makes life worth living.  Loving others.  Serving them.  Understanding them.  Empathizing with them. Forgiving them.

And I'm telling you - when you're having a bad day, think about the people you love and why you love them.  Connect with them and then show them that you love them.  Say I love you every once in a while.  Do an act of service.  Give a hug.  Write a nice note. You know,  it's all about relationships.

As I have loved you, love one another.

- Jesus.

A harlot

Wanna read a good story that you probably don't read all that often?  Read Hosea.
Here it is in a wrap.

Hosea is a prophet.
He is commanded to marry Gomer.
Gomer is a harlot.
They have children.  Their names respectively mean: "sow or gather  spread, scatter," "no mercy," and "not my people."
Gomer says - I will return to my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink.
Say what?  Your lovers will give you bread? And water?  Bread - symbolic of the Bread of Life? of Jesus Christ?  Your lovers can give you that?
Gomer breaks her covenant and goes to her former lovers. Can I just say how when I read this - it hurt. I was legitimately so angry with Gomer.  Hosea married you when you were a harlot.  And you leave him for your former lovers who you think can give you bread?
But Hosea doesn't give up on her.
Hosea lets her go for a season.
Then he goes after her.
He "allures" her into the wilderness and "speaks comfortably" to her.
He cleans her up.
"And I will give her her vineyards from thence, ad the valley of Achor for a door of hope, and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

At first I thought Hosea was crazy.  How could he let her come back?
And then, as my New Testament teacher so tenderly pointed out, I realized....

This is my story.  This is an object lesson for the Savior and me. Sometimes, I go to other places for my flax and wool.  It can be hard.  I learn from my trials.  But Christ comes back for me and he forgives me.

I know that I'm not perfect, that I sometimes get wrapped up in things that I shouldn't get wrapped up in. I forget Him. But, I want so desperately to follow my Savior.  He comes back for me.  He is waiting for me, with open arms. He is my Savior.  I am nothing without Him.  And He loves me.

Following Him is more than just believing in Him and then going and doing whatever I want.  Gomer just went back to her lovers, and yeah, she messed up and came back.

But what does coming back consist of? (click on the link...)

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
Repentance
Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins
Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost
Enduring to the end living a continuous Christian lifestyle.

I am so grateful for my Savior.
(I can't wait to share His gospel for 18 months!)

To the lovely Sister Callister

Dear Jasmine,

Okay, yes, this is a public letter.  I'm not sure how you feel about that. But here ya go.  This is from me, and also from all of us.

Jasmine! You're going to Paris! PARIS.
Jasmine! You're going on a MISSION. (That's more exciting than Paris...)

Here are a bunch of things that we love about you (in no particular order):

You are an amazing cook. Baker. Everything.

You always do the right thing.

You are easy to talk to.

You are inspiring.

You are hilarious and have a great sense of humor.

 You have great music taste.

You look good - 100% of the time.
You WORK OUT!

You always come up with really fun things to do.

You have the most adorable sense of style.

You introduced us to dry shampoo (best. thing. ever)

 You quietly go about doing good and setting a good example.  You do good for the sake of doing good, not for praise or in a self-righteous way.

You ask good questions about people's lives.

You sense others' feelings really well.

Thank you for being such a good friend.  I am seriously so blessed to have met you and your family.  You are always so willing to serve and talk with me. I will always remember some of our deeper conversations. I am so jealous of all your future companions!

 You love the gospel with all of your heart, and you will be such an amazing missionary in Paris!

We love you! I love you!

Love,
Emma
Karina
Hannah
Sarah, and
Ellie

an extrovert

In high school I took that personality test- you know, you're either a INFP, or an ESFJ, or an ENTJ.  Or something of 16 variants (something like that).
Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
Sensing or iNtuition?
Thinking or Feeling?
Judging or Perceiving?

I liked what I got back.  I won't say what I was.  Except that I've realized one thing since I've taken that test and come to college.

I'm an extrovert.
(Most of the time).
And yes, it might depend on how you define extrovert.

I've developed into an extrovert.

I thrive off of social interaction.
Maybe I'm a little closed off and shy at first and maybe I don't like opening myself up to a bunch of people.  But I realized, it's only the deepest parts of myself.  And not many people open up like that. (Heck- I write a blog...)

 Last week I was sick. I went to school but I didn't feel like myself.  I went home and curled up in a ball trying to stay warm but study Italian at the same time.
And I missed people.

Maybe I don't go up and talk to every person I meet and at a party I'm definitely not the leader or the one to start dancing in the middle first.

But.
I like being there.  I like being there and observing people and talking to new people and getting to know them.  I love that.  I want to get to know people.  I want to understand them.  Understanding people.  Feeling connected with them.  I want to understand what makes us all human. (This is why the hashtag fascinates me.  But that's another story.)
I want to know you.  Why are you you?

And I can sit in the library and read all about the Peoples of India and what makes them unique - but it's not the same as being there, understanding it, and living it.

So yes, a test may tell me I'm an introvert.
But, I am most definitely an extrovert.
Because being around people makes me happy.
Telling people what I think (even if it's crazy) makes me happy.
Listening to others' ideas makes me happy.
Understanding people, and being a part of the culture and the craziness - that makes me happy.

And I think we all crave a little social interaction now and then, even if we're an introvert.  Because we're all human.  And that's something we all can connect with - despite culture, religion, race, color, or even gender.  And while I believe these social groups are absolutely a part of our unique identities, I think it's fascinating to discover what unites us all as humans.

(maybe I should just be a freakin Anthropology major...)

Some tips for falling asleep from an expert ;)

1. Check every social media site you participate in before lying in bed.
2. Keep your phone on full volume just in case anyone needs to get a hold of you. There could be an emergency.
3. Lie in bed and make mental lists of everything you need to do the next day. Don't worry, you'll remember everything the next morning.
4. Drink something caffeinated. It really helps get those sleep hormones going.
5. Eat a bunch of chips and salsa.
6. Study for all of your classes in your bed. They say if you sleep on it (literally) you'll remember more.
7. Think about all the people you might have possibly offended that day and think of ways you can apologize to them.
8. Remember all those good memories you have from your past relationships and just replay them in your head over and over again.
9. Keep switching sides. Try using two pillows. Try out new positions. Hold your breath periodically.
10. Keep blogging in the middle of the night. I'm sure that helps you sleep a lot ;)

love those epiphanic moments

This week in my New Testament class I noticed some things in the scriptures that were particularly touching.  I didn't learn anything I didn't know before, but I saw some symbolism in the scriptures that I just found profound.  And I learned that there are hidden gems in the scriptures all of the time, we just have to look hard enough. As my teacher pointed them out to me, I kept loudly whispering... "that's so cool!" 

 
Acts Chapter 20 - the story of Eutychus.

Verse 7:
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from  the third loft, and was taken up dead.
And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
When he therefore was up again, and had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.
And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

Eutychus is a Fall of Adam type.
Paul is a Christ type.
And yes, while one could say - don't fall asleep in church because bad things could happen to you - there is such profound symbolism here.

Aren't we all like Eutychus here in some way?  Although we don't believe that Adam's transgression is our own, we still suffer the consequences for that sin. We all sin.  We all fall short every day.  We fall asleep in church.  We say hurtful things to people that we regret. We watch something we know we probably shouldn't.

But, as Paul fell down on him and embraced him - Christ does for us.  If we let him.
And, we can do that for others as we follow Christ's example.

This is such a beautiful image of Christ's love to me.  He has suffered for me, he falls down to embrace me when I am fallen.  And through Christ, we can live again.

I love these golden nuggets in the scriptures.

three things and why

I don't write this blog for a bunch of page views.

I'm not really into the classic - lets take pictures of what I'm wearing and be all fashionista like.

I can't really cook.  I don't post a bunch of recipes that are to die for and everyone should make.

I'm not a photographer. (Although, Instagram is an amazing creating that makes me feel like I am).

I don't even care if anyone reads it. (Even though I might write like I do.)

I'll blog more.  Just because I don't journal enough.  And somedays, I like to look back and wonder what I was thinking.

Oh, and more pictures.

Why do I write?  Just because I like to think.  I like to think out loud and in some way get my thoughts all in one place.  I write about... life.  My life.  I write about random ideas that I have.  Pages that could go on and on.  Philosophies.  Life lessons. That's all this is.

Today I'm thinking about just a couple of things.

1) Italy.

2) My sisters.  I miss them. 3 more weeks!

3) This video.
Boring is easy.  Everyone can be boring.
Aren't we all on the same team?
This is life, people.  You've got air comin through your nose.  And your heart beat.  That means it's time to do something!
It hurt, man!
Not cool, Robert Frost.
I want to be on the one that leads to awesome.
Keep goin, keep goin, and keep goin.
What will be your space jam?
This is your time, this is my time, this is our time.
We've got work to do.
We can cry about it, or we can dance about it.
Get to it!

Love,
Emma

La mia chiamata per la missione di Milano

Well, first of all, my world kinda flipped upside down when this announcement was made.  I didn't know how to react. I remember saying, "Is he kidding?  Is this real life?"  And then for weeks, the idea became more of a reality.  It seemed too good to be true.  Could I really go now?  Is a mission what the Lord wanted me to do? 

Every time I watch this video, I get the chills. Tears fill my eyes. I am so excited. 

Quite honestly, I've always wanted to serve a mission and bring the world His truth.  I just didn't know if the timing would be right, or if that was the Lord's plan for me.  

I believe in personal revelation.  I know that as I turn to Him, He will provide answers to my prayers and give me direction in my life.  As I started working on my papers, the decision felt more and more right.  (I didn't faint when I had my blood drawn, and that had to be a sign :).)

But, of course I would serve a mission.  Why did it take me so long to figure it out?  I wanted to be sure.  I wanted to do what the Lord wanted me to do.  And you know what He told me?  If I wanted to go, I should go.  And heck yes, I wanted to go.  So here I go. 

My Stake President asked me "if there was anywhere I wanted to go, where would it be?"

  "Wherever the Lord wants me to go," I said.

"Yes, of course.  But, you must have a place you dream about going."

"Well...Italy. I would love to go to Italy."

Last Wednesday, I found out my call had been mailed.  Probably the longest day of my life.  I started crying when I told my mom it might be coming that day. And all day, I kept waiting for a text from my Grammie that it had arrived.  My dad texted me every hour, saying "so?"  And at 5:00, it arrived, a time for  a Google plus hangout was set, and the waiting began.

I have to say, I have watched this video a few times. I'm quite dramatic. But I'm Emma, I freak out and get dramatic :) Please watch, and share in my excitement.  

Italy, Milan. 

May 1st.

We had a huge Google hangout going.  So much fun.  I wish my family could have been there with me, but it was so fun for all my cousins and my grandparents to share in the moment with me.

My best friends were there! And seriously, these girls are my best friends.  I don't know where I'd be without them.

4 of us are serving missions.

Ellie: Poland, Warsaw

Jasmine: France, Paris

Karina: Argentina, Cordoba.

Watch out world.

My cousins from Salt Lake came down.
Andrew is serving a mission in Oklahoma right now.
Thanks for coming :) It means a lot.

I couldn't be happier.

I know this will be the hardest thing I will have ever done in my entire life.

But I have a testimony of this gospel.  I love my Savior.

Feed my sheep, He said. I will serve those around me by serving a mission. As I study the missions of the apostles after Christ left the Earth, I strive to feed His sheep.

I want to tell the people of Italy that they have a Savior who loves them and who died for them.

I want to tell them that Christ's gospel is restored upon this Earth.

I want to tell them that they can be with their families forever. 

I want to share with them my knowledge that The Book of Mormon is the word of God.

I can't wait to share this in Italy. 

(Remember how 8 months ago I was blogging all about how I'd be in Italy in a year, and how I was trying to learn Italian?)

May 1st.  96 days left and counting!

I forgot

Dear fingers,
I forgot what it was like to practice piano.  I thought I could play the way I played 5 years ago. Not. quite. I'm sorry you are out of practice.  But don't worry, an hour (plus) a day makes the awkwardness go away.
Love,
Emma

my break through pictures

First off. California.

first taxi ride

view from the kitchen
 not complaining

yeah I pretty much have
the cutest cousins
in the world

too many Christmas sweets
this wrapper is my motto
for next semester as well

chocolate milk bottle

not even staged
they seriously all just gathered together
one by one as Seth read to them.
pretty adorable

another ocean view

frozen yogurt expedition

the children before their Christmas program

beach sunset
I have a thing for sunsets.
who doesn't?

panoramic view from mountain

Home Sweet Home.  Arizona. 60 degrees and beautiful.

I have some cute little brothers

yeah, we're a pretty good looking bunch
things get a little crazy with 9 people
we love our Mexican food
we are from Arizona

Christmas Eve feast

scarred for life?
Bruce the stray dog
he's come around a lot apparently
he likes to harass Zoe
poor thing

another sunset
this time in Arizona
I love Arizona sunsets
home.

Christmas carols
we all take a turn at the piano
flute, violin, clarinet
17 voices
the Strongs, the Baers, and Sister Jackson

9 stockings
10 including Zoe
yes, Zoe has a stocking

our 15 foot Christmas tree
it's last year standing

Mark's Christmas Eve PJ shirt
I'm a Mormon.
I know it. I live it.  I love it.

Christmas Eve Pajama tradition

this is my Dad
he loves Zoe
and wolf books

Christmas Eve tradition:
walking down the stairs youngest to oldest to see what Santa brought
we all slept together in the same room

Anna gave each of us a note
this one wasn't even that funny compared to the other ones

catching up with old friends
Scavenger hunt - find a drink with two straws

lots of cuddling with Zoe during wisdom teeth recovery

picking our Arizona grapefruit

New Years Eve
such a party
Thank you to the Merrills

old friends
yes I won at bowling
still not very good