o holy night.

I was little, and it was Christmas. After dinner, my grandpa called all his grandkids around him. I sat on his knee. He put his arm around me, and told my cousin to fetch a book out of the china cabinet. We knew which one--we had read it before. The entire dining table hushed.

It was the Christmas story. A story that amazed me then and still amazes me now. 

This is the greatest story ever told--a story that has been told for centuries upon centuries and that will continue to be told into the eternities.

It's a story of a babe who was born and laid into a manger. A story of a babe who grew up to become the Savior of the world. A story that changed the fate of the world forever. A story that gives meaning to my existence. It's a miracle- the biggest miracle of all. It's this story. You've heard it before.

Luke 2:4-14

4) And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6) And so it was, that while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7) And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8) And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9) And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10) And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11) For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12) And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

I still remember feeling like I was part of something bigger. I remember blowing the candle out on Jesus' birthday cake. I remember being completely happy. I still am. I've been blessed. 


O Holy Night is probably my favorite Christmas song. This arrangement is quite different from the traditional one, but I love it. It's still so hopeful, so joyful, so wonder-filled. 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
-Isaiah 9:6

dearest you.

Dearest you,
I thought I saw you once.


I could have stopped you, maybe, but
You seemed hurried, and I move slow.
Real slow, and I needed to breathe.
I've been a little thinner lately.
Did you know?


Because you've brought me low, you did.
And I've brought you low, I did.


I scribbled scrambled thoughts across my bedroom wall
Once upon a time back then.
My dear, if you really saw this
If you could have only seen this-
Heart of a dreamer and soul slightly flawed.
But it's a long ways to fall
In the dark in the sand.
And I'd have to tell you that 
I understand.


And you've brought me low, you did. 
But I've brought you low, I did.


To those times when I've done it right
But did it wrong
Healed scars and intrinsically sad smiles
Old letters and postage stamps
A way when back and a time ago long
Ended up in some song because


To me, you never seemed
Quite so lonely
As you did then
To me, I never seemed 
Quite so lonely
As I did then.

home sweet home

I love coming home.


My dad was waiting for me at the airport, like always. I don't know if I know anybody more dependable than my dad is. My dog, who is now blind, still recognizes me by my voice and smell. I've arm-wrestled with my little brother on multiple occasions. He won the first time--and then it was a tie. I'm not sure how that thirteen-year-old got to be as tall as I am, but he is. My little sister has made me an entire ensemble of cotton ball jewelry, which I wear proudly, as well as colored me countless pictures, written me lots of unintelligible notes, and has consistently stuck to my side almost the entire time I've been home. The pantry is full of delicious food and I've eaten my weight in my mom's egg rolls. I'm going with my dad to pick up Jon from U-Mich on Thursday.


I went to Holland today for a dentist and orthodontist appointment. In between appointments, I took a walk around downtown Holland.


That place was magical when I was a kid. It still is, but in a different way. It's changed a bit.  Or maybe I've changed a bit.


Anyways, just walking around that place made me smile. So many great memories. I went into JP's, ordered myself a mug of their famous hot chocolate, a cup of corn chowder, and took it to the bar at the window. I people watched, just thought, and wrote a bit. I took my own sweet tme.


It's been a while since I've been able to do that. At school, I usually have so much going on that I'm always multi-tasking or in a hurry. I feel like the greatest thing about being home is time. Time with the ones I love most and time to rejuvenate myself. 


The simple joys of being home. 

throwback to san francisco (part two)

The next day of Thanksgiving Break was Thursday. Thanksgiving Day.

I spent the first part of it doing homework. Then we all went over to Isaac's in-laws. And then we stuffed. It was a HUGE Thanksgiving dinner. I wish I had taken pictures of the food as it was beautifully prepared, but alas, pictures are not a first priority when it comes to eating Thanksgiving dinner.

After dinner we went to see the new Twilight movie haha. No shunning. It's a family tradition apparently--to go see a movie after Thanksgiving dinner. And while I'm not the hugest Twilight fan, I still enjoyed it. Obviously, it had its flaws...and there was this one part (maybe a couple parts) where I just wanted to laugh out loud. But hey. Let's be real. There are parts like that in most chick flicks.I'm not going to hate on it just because that's what everybody seems to be doing.

On Friday, we went to Santa Cruz and visited the beach!! I walked into the Pacific ocean and it was magnificent. And really really cold. So much fun.

Sea Lions!!

change, yo.

After we had finished the beach, we drove back home, with a stop for a delicious lunch at a little diner. We went home for a bit, where I worked on my Spanish research paper.

That night, we went to the Oakland temple. It was a great experience, especially right after Thanksgiving. Such a blessing.

so beautiful.

After doing some temple work, we walked around outside. Since the temple is on a hill, we could climb the stairs to the second story of the temple, stand at the balcony, and just stare off at the huge expanse of city. I've already expressed my love towards the city in another post, so I'll spare you here haha.

Anyways, we drank hot chocolate, ate doughnuts, and got some authentic Mexican food before heading home. Mhmm.

The next day (Saturday) we went to the Muir Woods, the redwood forest! Holy cow, was this place beautiful. Absolutely took my breath away. And I think it was here I realized how much at the same time I absolutely loved being out of the city and in the middle of nature. Whatta paradox.

We headed back to home, eating Korean tacos on the way. Such good fusion food. That night we went back to the temple to see it all lit up for Christmas. I <3 Christmas so much. 

We got ice cream afterwards, at another notable ice cream place. We had to wait about twenty minutes to get a table. It was called Fentons. You know, the ice cream place in Up [oh, so so cute].

epic sundae.

And that was the end to Saturday night. We left for Provo, UT Sunday morning. What could have been a boring, lonely Thanksgiving break in Provo turned into something exciting, new, and so much fun, thanks to Sarah and her wonderful family, and I'm extremely grateful for that.

Now I'm at home for Christmas break with my own family, and I'm loving it more than ever. It feels so good. Every bit of it. I love traveling, seeing, living, and experiencing new things...and at the same time, I'm realizing more than ever, how wonderful it is to have a place you can call home.

throwback to san francisco (part one)

Well, I had every intention of writing about San Francisco way back when...and then school happened. 


But now that it's Christmas break, and I'm home, and with some extra time to spare--here goes!


Sarah (a co-worker from the Quality Assurance Lab) and I left for San Fran on Tuesday afternoon. We drove with her sister-in-law and the boyfriend of said sister-in-law. We finally arrived somewhere around 2:00am, I believe. Very long, and for the most part uneventful. There was a beautiful sunset, or so I'm told, because I was very much asleep for that part of the trip. Ever since my Europe adventures, I've been able to sleep almost anywhere, and cars are no exception.


We were staying with Sarah's brother and his wife, and as we prepared to go to bed in the living room, Isaac (Sarah's brother) informed us that we were leaving for San Fran at ten in the morning.  


So the next morning, we woke up, ate breakfast, and then we all went to San Fran. Isaac's in-laws are incredibly kind, generous people, and they showed us around. And the rest of the post will most likely be more pictures than words, seeing as how a lot of the pictures kind of speak for themselves.


First, we went to the Golden Gate Park, which is HUGE. Apparently, there is a man who hangs around the park, dresses up like a bush, and makes his living scaring the crap out of people. I kind of wish we could have run into him.

Then we made our way over to the coastline. So beautiful. 

After we had explored for a bit, we headed over to see the Golden Gate Bridge and a bit of scenery.

Isaac, Sarah, and baby Aiden (Isaac's baby). SUCH a cute kiddo. Such nice people.

And then we made our way to the big city itself. 

Someday I'm going to live on the top floor of that red apartment.

Lombard street!! aka the most crooked street in the world

We went to Ghiradelli Square! Mhmm mhm delicious.

free sample of peppermint bark. favorite thing ever.
i don't even usually like peppermint. 

tis a good thing that ghiradelli square is so far away.
no matter how tasty the very berry sundae is, there is no way a college student can
afford a $8.95 sundae every.single.day.

After we had gotten our sugar-fix for the day, we walked to Fisherman's Wharf. SO PICTURESQUE. Seriously.

1) part of the wharf
2) clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. SO GOOD.  Surprisingly good, considering that
seafood and I are just getting over the "I hate you" stage of our relationship.
3) looking back up at the city from the wharf.

After we had walked up and down around Fisherman's Wharf, we headed for the cable cars. This was a great idea: 1) it took us all over San Fran in a short period of time, 2) it showed us San Fran at nighttime, and 3) it was an absolute blast. Hanging off that cable car was ridiculously enjoyable.

bryce, mandy, me, and sarah.

We had a little bit of time to shop and look around, and then it was time to head back. 

We had dinner at Isaac's in-laws' place, and it was absolutely delicious. Salmon and risotto with scallops. I know, more seafood. What kind of person have I become?!?

We came home. And that was the end of the Wednesday of Thanksgiving Break.

and how does that make you feel?

How do I feel? How do I feel about what?

About being done with my last physics class? Or the finishing up of finals week? Or the new car I just bought? Or the going home for Christmas TOMORROW? 

Let me tell you how I feel.

I feel just like this:

Even the fact that I have to do cleaning checks+pack+finish grading all these papers tonight...

doesn't change the fact that life couldn't be better right now. 

:)

Top Ten.

Provo promises... a not-so-white Christmas.

At least, that's the picture so far. The lack of snow is a little disconcerting. I'm still not sure whether to be thrilled or sad about that one. Whatta doozy. It makes Christmas feel like it's still a long ways away. But judging from the way my facebook newsfeed blew up this morning, there's definitely snow in Michigan now. Good good good.

Regardless of the fact that it's more of a winter wasteland here than a winter wonderland, I have a plethora of reasons for why I love the month of December anyways, in no particular order. 

1) All the trees in the JFSB quad. They're all lit up, and they make walking home from the library in the wee hours of the morning much more enjoyable.

2) Christmas music. Need I say more? Seriously. Listen to this gem. You've got to be a regular old Scrooge if this doesn't make you smile even a little bit. My It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year Pandora station is what gets me through finals.  #rockingaroundthechristmastree.

3) Tim Tam slams (Hot chocolate. Bite off opposite corners of Tim Tim. Use Tim Tam as straw. Pop in mouth once it starts to melt.). Sounds strange, but I don't know how I didn't discover these until this year. Needless to say, I will never forget sitting in Rob's kitchen with the Cambridge folk as we all tried one. So decadent. Casi transcendental.

pretend that's hot chocolate and not coffee.
you get the idea.

4) Ugly sweaters. I bought two in England, specifically for this time of year. You bet they're ugly. You bet I love them. They are shapeless and do your figure no favors, but they're warm and comfy and colorful.

5) Christmas trees. We don't have one in our apartment, but there's a plethora of them all around campus. So festive.

6) Reason for the season. I love reading the Christmas story, especially around this time of the year. I also love Christmas hymns. Christmas is a beautiful time of the year, if only because Christians all over the world are taking the time to remember, commemorate, and worship Christ.

7) Nice people. Seeing the Salvation Army people ringing their bells always makes me smile. I think people are more cheerful in December. More service-oriented.

8) Christmas movies. Elf. The Polar Express. Joyeux Noel (which I'm seeing tomorrow). Cheesy, happy, silly, inspiring, amazing.

9) Family. I love my family and family time. December is usually the only time I get to visit home, with the exception of a couple days during the summer (sometimes). There's nothing like turning into ye olde familiar driveway and seeing my dog run towards the car. My house is dab-smack in the middle of the woods, surrounded by huge pines covered in snow. It's clean and beautiful and home-y.

10) Accomplishment. For me, December also has this feeling of accomplishment. Finals get done somehow. A semester of learning has just been completed--a semester of class, work, and service. The year is almost over. Usually, I like to keep my focus future-forward. December is a little different. I like that feeling of looking back and seeing how many steps I've taken as opposed to how many I have left to go.

Well, Spanish and chemistry are practically screaming my name. Time to get back to work. Eight days until I am home. 

brand new day

As I sit in the library, staring blankly at the coordination chemistry chapter in my hefty chemistry book and with a to-do list of 134920394 things running through my mind, I think-

There's only eleven more days before I'm on a plane, headed for home. How bad could eleven days be? 

In other news, here's my new fave artist. This here dude, Trevor Hall, reminds me of Bob Marley. And I'm not talking just about the dreadlocks. 

Pretty cool, ay? Solid.

summer plans=done.

In a matter of two phone calls within twenty minutes of each other this past week... summer 2012 was made.

I've been crossing my fingers for a summer internship for a long time. I thought the chances of me getting a solid internship this year were rather slim because I still have not taken any of the core food science classes yet.  This year my goal was just to try to get as many interviews under my belt as possible. The practice with the interview process would be good, if nothing else. 

A couple weeks ago, I applied for a position as a research and development intern at Land O'Lakes. I made it past the first interview, and a second interview was set up. Tuesday at 3:30. They would call me.

It was 3:25 on Tuesday and I was sitting on my bedroom floor, literally shaking from nervousness. I couldn't sit still. The phone finally rang and I scrambled for it desperately. 

"Hello, this is Emily," I said, making an effort to sound as professional as possible. 

And the interview went from there. 

On Wednesday, I got good call #1. It was Nick from Land O'Lakes, offering me the internship. I couldn't believe it. I could have screamed. 

Turns out, I'll be in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from the beginning of June to end of August. I'll be working in the research and development facility. It pays well. The area looks beautiful. And plus, I'll be needing a car. So I'm buying a car! I'll be driving out there from Provo. Hellooo twenty-hour road trip. By myself. But I'll have a car. And a great internship with a solid company. I cannot wait. 

As soon as I got off of the phone with Nick, I saw that I had a new voicemail. It was from Jeff, telling me to call him back because he had some really great news.

Jeff is heading up a student-led trip to Zambia this spring. I've been planning on going ever since he told me about it. We'll be working with Scholarships for Zambia. A group of 6-8 of us students will be bringing and distributing medical/educational supplies, teaching classes, and setting up a micro-loan program. The thing is, all of this takes money. We needed to raise at least $10,000. I had no idea how we were going to do it, so it's been something that I've been praying about. 

I called Jeff, and thus, good call #2 commenced. We got a $10,000 grant from a foundation.

I literally had no words. I was ecstatic. This is HUGE. I mean, I've been learning about Education in International Development all semester long. Our 20 page group paper is about education in Zambia. This is something I'm passionate about. $10,000 might not look like much when you're looking at the entire country, but in terms of the lives it will happen to touch, it will mean the world.

The trip is on. I'll be in Zambia for all of May. 

May: Zambia. International development work.

June, July, and August: Minneapolis. Internship.

Both will be amazing experiences. 

I AM SO EXCITED.