Since I grew a foot or two, I now have been called on a mission!

So the news everyone has been waiting for.  ***Drum Roll please ***

 I have been called to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Chile Osorno Mission, reporting on August 18. I will be teaching in the Spanish language. I am so excited!

 I got the envelope in the mail Thursday morning but my parents wanted to come down and be here for me when I opened it so I had to wait until Saturday afternoon. I had to keep myself super busy Friday so I wouldn’t think about it, luckily I was moving out of my apartment so I had a lot to do, but I am very glad I waited. We went up to Marie’s house where Marie had put together so much food, sandwiches, salads,chips, brownies, so delicious, and there was a bunch of family there. Grandma Moss, Grandma and Grandpa Beazer, Holly and fam, and Kelly and fam were all there to support me! It was especially nice to have my parents there, it was really special to be able to see their reactions and get a hug instead of just doing it over the phone.

When I first opened it and was reading, I was thinking less about the words I was reading but more "don’t just skip to the place Emily, read word for word", it was hard, and then my dad skipped ahead behind me and says woow before I even got there! Hahaha My first thought was surprised/shocked/excited/how do i say osorno! I hadn’t even thought about Chile before so I was excited to go somewhere new. My next thought was YES Spanish speaking!! That is what I really wanted so Elliott and I could talk to each other. All I really wanted to do after that was go google Chile, but I resisted and called up all my friends, talked with my family etc.

But now I was able to get a little bit of information.

There are 9 missions in Chile, the Osorno Chile mission covers the whole southern half. The Osorno Mission is the red. There are about 4 missions in Santiago, the Conception mission and others up north.

I have been trying to figure out the weather there but I don’t really know still, from what I read Osorno doesn’t get above 90 and doesn’t go below 32 and rainy, kinda like Washington I figure, but I think the farther south I get the colder it will get as well. I also read that it gets really windy at night, that is going to be excited. From what I hear the food is wonderful, and the people are awesome! So that is really encouraging!

The church in Chile is pretty strong, they just hit the 100 stakes mark, there is a temple in Santiago, and another was announced to be built in Conception. Apparently only about 20% of the members are actually active so Im assuming I will do a lot of re-activating of the saints.

I am so excited for this opportunity and experience. I know the Chile is where the Lord needs me and I cannot wait to go serve there. And I am excited that I will be looking at sites like this for 18 months (well like 16 minus the mtc).

The Osorno Volcano

Why yes, there are penguins in my mission!! Cool huh. Chantel says I have to hug one.

I don't really know what to expect, and it doesn't quite feel real yet but it feels good and right! Now I just have all summer to earn money, prepare, and play with my friends! : )

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.

So I recently have been reminded how awesome my friends are! I am so lucky to have all of them : ) It is so comforting knowing that no matter what I will always have a group to turn to.

First are my girls.

We have been friends since like middle school. (give or take a few rocky months due to the inevitable drama that comes with high school) Although we rarely get a chance to talk to each other now that we are all apart at school, when we do talk its like we never left off. Christmas and summer breaks I still find myself sitting at Lynns house, "Friends" on in the backround, talking and laughing for hours just like we were in high school again. Not only that but I still get the occasionally Happy Friday texts from Ky, or the I love you girl texts from Lynn that make my day! People always say you don't stay friends with people from high school, but I don't see me ever going back to Woodland and not catching a Quiznos Friday with these girls.

Next college friends. I like to call them my boys. (+ Jess)

I sometimes feel like these boys are my older brothers in a way. They are all about 4 years older than me and pick on me/make fun of me all the time! Its love. We like to party, eat In-N-out, walk around Wal-mart with nerf guns, and this summer Mike is gonna take me shooting! I like when I hang out with these boys, I don't have to worry about anything but just having fun. And Troy might possibly be the funniest person I have ever met, when he is a stand-up comedian someday, Im totally going to brag that I knew him. I can't help but just laugh when I am with them.

Moving from the group and on to singles,

Sara.

I have known this girl since I was 2. Who knew that 20 years later we would be inseparable. She pretty much got me through this year and I am so grateful that dance parties brought us together again. (true story) we never even talked, then we realized we both liked dancing and bam! Realized we actually liked hanging out with each other when we weren’t dancing too.

I dropped her off at the MTC today, and it just now hit me that I will not be seeing her for almost 2 years between her mission, then mine. I am really going to miss this girl a ton!  I could say so much more about Sara and how amazing she is, but like I said, it just hit me… so we are going to move away from thinking about that.

 Chantel. 

I met this chica when we were freshman roommates. I wish I could say that I knew I was gonna like her from the beginning buuutt.. I mean her email was fairyfrosting….. and I was worried. Luckily she turned out to be so awesome, funny, random, beautiful, smart, spiritual, and more, everything I could want in a best friend. Our friendship grew over myspace messages during the summer, then became life-long when we shared a hole in the wall bedroom Sophomore year.

I always have so much fun with Chantel, acting like little kids, doing the most random awesome stuff, like having dance parties to the programmed songs on a keyboard, watching Brian Regan in a dead mans house, laughing so hard we have to make a couple stops to sit down on the way from campus, and so so much more. Plus I always know that she will be my running buddy if I want! I am so excited that is now summer so we will actually have time to play!

 Justin. 

I met this boy 2 years ago at work, the magic of BYU Broadcasting, he said he liked to dance, then laughed at my jokes, and I decided I wanted to become his best friend. Success!

I like this boy because he is so unique [slash] can never sit still [slash] loves to have fun [slash] way spiritual. I owe a lot of the person I am spiritually to this kid. He is a great example and has this way of getting me to reflect back on my life and what I need to do better. Not to mention he is in love with California as much as I am, so I always have a road trip buddy!

Allena. 

If I owe who I am spiritually to Justin, I owe a lot of my personality to this girl. She definitely was a huge support of emily’s breaking out of shell becoming outgoing stage. We have had some pretty awesome memories, and can laugh all the time. Our friendship has had some tough moments and because of that I know that we will still be friends when we are 80 years old, sitting on a porch and still laughing! It sucks that I really only get to see her for like 3 weeks out of the year, but I always know that I can tell her anything and everything and she will only love me more! Which is why she is probably the only person I have zero secrets from.

Those are the biggies. But I love everyone that is in my life. I did notice a trend tho, dance parties, and laughing. Guess I can see what is important in my life... : )


Some friendship advice : "If your friend is already dead, and being eaten by vultures. I think its ok to feed some bits of your friend to one of the vultures, to teach him to do some tricks. But ONLY if your serious about adopting the vulture" -- Jack Handey

Live Weekend Update

This weekend Sara and I went to the Men's Volleyball game against Cal-Baptist. We went Friday night and loved it so much we just had to go back Saturday.

I think we just might have watched the players more than the game and definitely regretted not going to all the games this year. We each had a personal favorite player.. Sara was a traitor and went with a someone from Cal-Baptist.

 he is a Brazilian so naturally Sara was interested.. We even saw him after the game and Sara almost asked him for a picture.

I stuck with a fellow Cougar

He is beautiful. I would even give up my no taller than 6'1 rule. Oh and he happens to have been my best friends mission companion.. fate. i think yes.
Sara and I decided that he had perfect Ken doll arms too.

                                         Can you see the definition in his arms? Yes please.

This boy, though, we both loved!

He was super super tall and skinny and gangly. Not only that but he was REALLY into the game, and would get super upset when he messed up. At one point he laid on the floor for a long time after diving and missing the ball, and he would always hold his poses after messing up, it was the best! Mostly because his poses were always way awkward and funny looking. Good times.
 I think though my favorite part about the volleyball game tho were the blocks. When the other team would spike it and 2 or 3 players would all jump up at the same time and deny it! It was so fantastic.
We even got a picture with Spiderman Cosmo! This was after he stole Sara's purse and almost dropped it over the ledge and stole my camera and took some hot self portraits.

So conclusion... watching Mens Volleyball is fun, or more like watching Men's Volleyball players is fun!

After the game Saturday Sara and I went over to Justins and played Scrabble for a couple hours. I know, sounds like a riveting Saturday night huh, but it was actually really fun. I didn't think that I liked Scrabble, Im not one of those people that has a huge, extensive vocabulary, I stick to simple common words, so I thought I would fail miserably, but it was actually a lot more fun than i thought. Plus at the end of the night I felt like I had really exercised my brain. Pretty good feeling. I even woke up Sunday craving a little speed Scrabble. It was odd.

Other good news about the weekend, my mission papers went in on Sunday! So all i have to do now is play the waiting game for 2 more weeks and I will have my call! It is finally starting to feel real, and I am so excited to be able to go serve the Lord for 18 months. I cannot wait! : )

Become as a Child

This weekend I have been thinking about childhood, and wishing that I could just go back to being a little kid again. Wouldn't that just be great. No responsibilities, playing all the time, not being considered a weirdee if your just imagining and playing make believe all the time, not caring what other people think of you, and just going and being who you are.
This all started at the Volleyball game Sara and I went to Friday night. There was a group of about 4 girls probably like 9 or 10 standing in front of us, and a Taylor Swift song came on that they looved, so they let people know it. They sang at the top of their lungs while dancing and acting out the words. It was awesome. How many 21-22 year olds do you see doing that? Perhaps alone in their apartment, but definitely not in front of a group of people at a volleyball game. And if they did, you know most would think that they were immature, and needed to act more their age. But they didn't care, they were just having fun, and being themselves.
Then Saturday, as I was going for a run, I find this park, and so I decided to swing. I was just swinging, listening to music, enjoying the sun, and thinking and next thing I know it has been like 20 minutes. Sara ended up coming to the park with me later and we just played and talked, and it was so fun and relaxing! 
I think I would like to do that more, just become more as a child. I think it is important to go back to the basics and just remember who you really are, and what better way then go back to the beginning, to the time where your personality was truly developing. And really is it immature to have fun and adventures, build up an imagination. I think not. 

Spring Break Numero Dos

So this has probably been one of the best weeks of the semester. It started out with a trip to California with Justin and family.

 Sadly I need to be better at picture taking and this is the only one I have on my camera. But it was a blast!
Lets see. Weekend highlights:

enjoying the sun. Wearing shorts and being warm! 

played a little of this, and did handstands while looking at the 5 stars we could see.
 

going back to my 11 yr old self and playing with the pogo stick. yeah i totally could have done that trick.... ; )

practicing our juggling and learning that Justin has mad skills.

playing with these cute girls.

eating tons of delicious homemade mexican food

and of course playing and dancing!

Not to mention quoting the potter puppet pals non-stop, making fun of billboards and each other, and enjoying some quality church time with 6 year olds, and learning all about Easter from them. For example- "Jesus died a long long time ago, it was like in the year 1997!" so funny! 

Then I came back and my mom, Abby, and Oliver were here, and I got to hang out with them everyday! Tuesday I was able to go up to Lisa's Bridal Shower with the whole fam, the girls anyways. Pretty sure everyone thought Abby and I were crazy because we couldn't stop laughing at this one blonde joke, but it is funny! Here you be the judge: "A blonde is talking to her friends and she says, so you know how everyone says blondes are dumb, well not me, Im a smart blonde. so her friend asks why, and she says Cuz i just finished a puzzle and on the box it says 4-6 years, and it only took me 3 days! " hahahaha good one right?!  then Wednesday mom and Abby came down here. We got lunch at Pizza Pie Cafe, then hit up the Nickelcade to play a little laser tag. Oliver kicked our trash, mine and Abby's score combined was still less than his. It was pretty legit tho because it was just us 3 so we were rolling on the ground and jumping over things and stuff. Then all you can eat cereal at the Cannon Center for dinner.. yum! Thursday I headed back up to Salt Lake to hang out at Holly's. I took this game up for us to play.

Okay this happens to be the funniest/most fun wii game ever invented! You watch this girl dance on screen and just copy her moves, which happen to be pretty ridiculous. We got the whole family downstairs dancing and it was the best! We even got my grandpa to move to a little Spice Girls as you can see. Best moment ever! I love my family :)



Yes, and that is why the past 7 days were so awesome. It was like a spring break minus the fact that I still had work and school mixed in there. Oh not to mention Elliott got his mission call to Mexico City, Mexico Northwest? northeast? Leaving july 21. He is really excited and I know he is going to make an awesome missionary! Im hoping to get Spanish speaking as well cuz then we can speak to each other, and we can teach our kids to speak Spanish and then they can talk to each other and bug all the other cousins!