Dream Job

The cool thing is, I actually already have my dream job.

Teaching.

At one point, I thought that medicine was the way I should go.

It wasn't.

I was meant to be a teacher.

It is something that has just come naturally to me.

I get to work with kids, which I love.

And I never have to work weekends or summers.

That is what I call a dream job.

The hardest thing I have ever experienced

I consider myself pretty lucky that I have not experienced a lot of hardship in my life, so I really can't say that anything has been incredibly hard to handle.

But when I look back, I consider 2005 my hardest year.

I started dating a boy (my very first real relationship). We had lots of fun and I felt comfortable with him as we were friends first. I was still so young that I honestly didn't think much into the future. After a few months of dating, he broke up with me. I had never dealt with a break-up before, so I didn't know how to react. Initially, I was sad...not necessarily because of the break up, but because I was losing a friend. For the first few months, I missed him. I think it would have been easier, but my best friend had left for the summer also. I found myself surviving every day.

Luckily, I had been called as president of my sorority. I made a choice to dedicate myself to that. Serving others was the best remedy for loneliness. That alone got me through the summer.

Fall came, and different feelings came. School, sorority and football all came back, and that meant that the life I had with him came back. Sadness quickly turned to anger when I found out some stuff that had gone down with him. I found that the feelings had not disappeared, only were suppressed. I was sad and lonely, and he had moved on. He wasn't crying every night because he missed me? What?? How could this be??? I was mad at him, but really I was mad at myself.

Eventually, I got over it. We started being cordial to each other, and that turned into hanging out in a group, then hanging out alone. It was confusing but I just went with the flow. To make a long story short, I started to fall again, slightly. Christmas Eve 2005 came around, and that meant the past year of my life had been dedicated to this boy. We went to a movie that afternoon, and I wondered if this was the start of something...again. As we were sitting in the movie, I noticed he was texting someone. Turns out, it was another girl. He was making plans to see her that night. I just shook my head thinking "You are such a fool, Emily". As he drove me home, I remember thinking "This will be the last time I will ever be with him" I was right.

I felt nothing. No sadness, no anger, no jealousy...nothing. That was exactly what I needed. It kicked my butt into gear. I do remember New Years Eve very vividly that year. It is the night that I made a decision to live my life. I stopped worrying about boys. I lived my life for me.

Guess what happened 6 months later...I met Brian.

And I have been happy ever since

5 things that make me happy right now

Brian

My paper chain countdown in my classroom

Exercising

the Jazz (1/2 the time)

Soccer and Baseball soon to begin

10 things I would tell my 16-year-old self

1. Be Yourself.

2. Quit gymnastics the second you realize you don't love it.

3. Get involved with everything, even if you don't think it's the cool thing to do.

4. Join choir and stick with it

5. Take as many college courses as possible before you graduate

6. SAVE YOUR MONEY!!!

7. Find a hobby you love

8. Keep the same healthy lifestyle you had when you were in gymnastics.

9. Stick with your guns and become a teacher. You are really good at it

10. Enjoy every moment of being young and don't worry so much about what is happening right now. High school is fun, but the best times are yet to come. College is going to be the best 4 years of your life as long as you are true to yourself, are open to love and have a direction in your life.

Relationships with my Parents

Mom
My mom is probably the most reliable person on the planet. I don't think there is anything she would not do for her family. She taught me to always do what is right, to be on time, to stand up for what I believe in, to never quit. She taught me to stick to it when times get tough. She always emphasized the importance of going to school and getting my degree. She taught me to be a Utah fan :) She showed me what unconditional love is. But the most important thing she has ever taught me is that Friends will come and go, but Family is Forever.
Boy was she ever right.
My mom was always there for us growing up. She was always volunteering at our schools, going on field trips, helping with homework, driving us to gymnastics meets and baseball games. No matter what we decided to do, she supported us and became our biggest fans. She was the perfect mom, and a mom I want to become one day. Now she is taking on a new role of Grandma...and I think she secretly loves is more :) I can't wait to have my kids spend time at Grandma's house one day!

Dad
My dad comes off as rough, but he is the biggest baby on the planet. Along with my mom, he is incredible reliable. I think he has maybe missed one day of work in the last 5 years. He is the hardest worker I have ever seen. He did whatever it took to provide for our family while we were growing up. I remember him working all day, only to go work another job at night. Then on the weekends while we would all play, he would work Saturdays. Oh and so my family could continue to do what made us most happy (attend Utah sporting events) he would work as an usher at the games. I don't think my dad ever sat with us for an entire game until we were grown up. He is the ultimate family man. As I am the only girl, he loves me (probably more than my brothers) As I was growing up, he had to famous lines for me every time I would hang out with friends, go on dates, etc. "No matter how old you get, you will always be my little girl" and "You're the only daughter I have, and the only one I'm going to get" The first one ran through my head as I walked towards him on my wedding day. It truly is what made me so emotional. I am so happy my dad had the chance to walk me down the aisle.

My parents were and are not perfect, but in reality none of us are. But what was perfect is they loved each other, brought us into the world, and raised all of us to be good people. What more could I ask for?

3 Legitimate Fears...and how they became fears

Snakes and Fish

I find anything that doesn't have legs creepy I guess. But I have always thought snakes were creepy, and my fears have been realized since we moved into our house. We live behind a canal and a field so we get snakes in our yard all time time. I won't let Bella out by herself during the summer for very long for fear she will get bit!

As for fish, I think it is totally weird that they can live underwater. I love boating, but sometimes the fear a fish may swim by me or nibble at my toes is enough to keep me out of the water. Another example was when we went to Hawaii. We went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. If you have been there, you know it is not very deep. So as your are snorkeling, the fish are right by your face. It freaked me right out. I actually decided to sit out the rest of the day because I could not get over my fear to be that close to them. I think they are beautiful, and if they are a good distance away from me I am ok, but I can not get close to them.

Mice

When I was a kid, we lived next door to a older man. The older he got, the less he took care of his yard, shed and garage. One spring, we did our normal spring clean out to get our patio and yard ready for summer. When we took the tarps off the patio furniture and started opening up lawn chairs and such, we found at least 20 dead mice. We had never had mice in our house. Turns out the old man's shed next door had a little colony and they moved over to our yard during the winer. I will never forget seeing mouse after mouse pop up. Ewwww!!!!

Scary Movies

I have never liked them. I would watch them with friends growing up, but I would always hate it because I would have nightmares. When I was little, my cousin Andrew had a birthday party that was Shark themed. We watched Jaws. It terrified me so much that I called my mom to come get me. After high school, my friends all went and saw The Ring on Halloween night. I ended up in my parents room for the next 3 nights. I went to the drive in with my friend Stevie and her friend and they wanted to watch "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". I sat in the back seat with my eyes closed and ears plugged the entire time humming 'I am a Child of God" to myself the entire movie. They said it made it creepier for them, but I didn't care. After that night, I refused to ever watch a scary movie again. I don't even watch the trailer when it comes on TV. It is not worth sleepless nights.

Clowns

When I was a baby, I had to have surgery to open up my tear ducts in my eye. I don't remember this obviously, but before I went in, they brought a clown in to try and cheer me up. My mom and Grandma said I screamed bloody murder so they clown left. It must have left an impression because I can not stand them to this day. I usually turn my head when they come by at a parade. I never go to the circus because of them.

That is 4. Oops.

20 Random Facts

1- I jumped off the high dive at age 3, but now am terrified to dive into the water

2- I've never seen Star Wars

3- I didn't eat M&M's until I was almost 23

4-I have broke 16 different bones, dislocated my shoulder, sprained both ankles multiple times, developed cysts on my feet...but I have never had a single stitch.

5- My right hand is about 1/2 inch bigger than my left due to breaking my growth plate in my elbow when I was 6

6-I never had braces

7- My wisdom teeth have yet to grow in

8- I went through 4 majors in college and ultimately ended up doing exactly what everyone said I would...teach

9- When I was little, I would speak with a Spanish accent all the time

10- My ear lobes are not connected to my head

11-I didn't miss a day of school until I was a junior in high school

12- I rarely buy anything full price

13- I LOVE the feeling of a clean house

14- I watch Ellen every day after school

15- I love being 20 minutes early to work

16- I cry at everything...that I get from my mother

17- I sound like a foghorn when I blow my nose...that I get from my father

18- I secretly would LOVE to be on American Idol...too bad I am not any good

19- I read or do some sort of puzzle every night before I go to bed

20- I could survive on doughnuts, cookies, cakes, pastries and Diet Coke.