I Like Goals

I'm that person that puts things I've already done on my to do list just so I can check them off. I love the feeling of being productive at the end of the day. I like making goals, just so I know I can accomplish something. In a life so expansive and crazy as ours, it's comforting to know you can accomplish things.

My life post Cedar has been full of mundane goals just for the sake of having something to check off: do dishes, write so-and-so a letter, apply for X amount of jobs today, etc. It's all I can do to keep myself from going crazy in this transitional phase of my life. My to do lists use to look like this:call so-and-so agent, schedule venue, finish paper, meeting, class, next meeting, and that was just before noon. At the end of the day I was exhausted but I felt like I'd made a difference.

I haven't felt like that in a long time--until today. Today I went and helped out with my high school's Mock Trial team. I was in Mock Trial all four years of high school and absolutely loved it. I worked with the kids on smoothing out their speeches; diction, pacing, parallel structure, and keeping a unified voice through out their arguments. I could really tell they were not only understanding it but also understanding why these skills made them stronger public speakers. No matter what they choose to do with the rest of their lives, these are valuable skills.

Tonight as I'm crawling into bed I feel like I made a difference and I forgot how rewarding it is. I realize I'm making a difference down here, and I know my family appreciates how much I help out, but I don't think I put as much importance on it as I should. So my new goal? Before I go to bed every night, really take the time to ponder the differences I've made that day. I think that not only will I feel more fulfilled but that I'll challenge myself to do more. I just love goals.

P.S. I realize in my earlier post I sounded like I would be blogging all my tender mercies, which was my original plan. They're becoming a lot more personal than I expected, so from time to time I'll put some up here, but for now they're going in the journal.

It's Halftime America

I love football. Like A LOT. Most people with my love of football loved yesterday, they were all about the Superbowl, but for me, it was all about the ads. I can't stand either team that was playing so I just recorded it on my parents DVR and fast forwarded through the game to the commercials. Call it the Comm Major in me but I've always had a sincere respect for good advertising. Most of the time they're funny, sometimes moving, but life changing? Not really. This one however, came really close. My eyes may have misted a little.

Emmett Taylor Burt

This afternoon Emmett Taylor Burt decided to grace our family with his presence.

And yes, "ET phone home" jokes have already been made about his initials. I haven't met him yet but I heard the little guy's a fighter, tried to struggle when they put the tubes up his nose.That's my boy! Can't wait to meet him in a week!

It all comes down to Football

This week's tender mercies are brought to you by one of my favorite past times.....FOOTBALL.

1) For the last three years of my life everything has evolved around events. In my memories I think "that was the Sunday before Sunfest" or "that was the day after the Gala." I was really struggling because I NEED to work an event. Well football came to the rescue! Someone called my former boss asking her to work an All American College Football game. A week where players come from all over the country so NFL scouts can check them out. She couldn't do it so she recommended me. I almost jumped out of my skin. It's in two weeks and it couldn't come soon enough. The Lord totally knows how long I can go without working an Event and put one in my life right when I needed it.

2) The last one is that this week in PE my little brother made his very first touchdown and was actually excited about it. I am by no means expecting him to become some pro athlete but I want him to enjoy playing sports because it's such a great way to make friends. I haven't lost hope on the kid yet.

Dear Creators of Football,

Thanks you.

Love,

Emily

2012: It's All About The Little Things.

Moving home has been nothing that I thought it would be and yet everything at the same time. A few weeks ago I was having a nice little Skype sesh with Laurel Udy complaining about being a substitute teacher. Laurel, being the divinely inspired Daughter of God she is, said "It kinda sounds like it's all about the little things." Which is really so true. I've met lots of great students who will go on to do great things. And I really am so blessed to have a family that I can move back in with and will help me in this transitional phase of life. It's not what I had planned but it's what He had planned and I know that's what really matters. So my resolution this year is to take the time to recognize the little things. Part of recognizing is recording so in 2012 I'm going to record at least two tender mercies a week. Ready?

1) The first happened in the wee hours of the 1st. I was staying with the Robison family in Orem that night. Their oldest daughter lived in Juniper with me my freshman year and she pretty much completes me. I've spent time with her family on many occasions and they are just as magical as she is. I woke up Sunday morning and when her mom saw me she just had the best smile on her face. I love how welcome I feel in their home.

2) When I got home from Utah I had not one but TWO letters from missionaries. Need some great missionary upliftment? Follow Elder Bergquist. He's one of my close friend's little brothers and he is a stud! I met him the weekend of his 15th birthday and I can't believe he's already on a mission. He's grown so much and the people of Honduras are so lucky!

Rights

This is a post to vent, just a warning. Our country is SO AMAZING. I know it was set up by a divine design. I love our Constitution, at one point I wanted to study constitutional law. What grates me like nothing else though, is people who expect more rights than they really have. It's a smack in the face to every single person who has fought for those rights. This morning I got on Facebook and saw a friend's status asking if she should get a twitter or not. One of her friends had posted the following:

In all practicality, my annoyance with Twitter is the character limit on tweets...I figure if I've got something to say, I want the freedom to say it how I want, rather than abridging it to fit their format.

You're really going to take then time out of your life to complain about how social media limits you? Are you kidding me? Governments have been overthrown by the use of social media! Have you heard of North Korea? Their citizens can't access anything on the internet that isn't approved by their government. We should be beyond grateful for the fact that we can wake up in the morning and read a newspaper, a newspaper that can print whatever it wants without fear of persecution from our government.

I realize that part of our rights as American Citizens is to be able to voice our opinion, no matter what it is. My problem is not with people voicing those opinions. Don't agree with me on something? Great! Just make sure that you're not just talk, that you have a foundation for those opinions, and that they are based in exceptional gratitude for the undeniable rights we do have, not the ones you think you have.

My Two Favorite Mikes

Do you ever re-read a blog post and see a glaring error? You think, how on EARTH could I have missed that? Today I realized there were two very serious errors in this post. I forgot my two favorite Mikes.

The first one is Mr. Michael Conrad Hunter, the Mr. won't be around for long be cause he is attending Medical School right now in Rochester, NY.

Mike is on the right and Justin is on the left. You see,their besties; same home town and all that jazz, and without Justin my friendship with Mike never would have blossomed. I'd met him before and to honest, thought we were too different to have a solid friendship so I never even tried. Then when we were choosing senators for our campaign Justin insisted Mike had to be our science senator. Knowing Justin had never let me down before, I didn't even question the choice. He worked harder than any other senator in that campaign and in the following term that we served. And because we had to spend this time together I found out how amazing he truly is. Besides being ridiculously intelligent, he works harder than anyone I know, and is absolutely down right witty. He can make me laugh like no one else can. And on top of all that? A heart of freaking gold. We are 2500 miles away and he still knows when exactly I need to hear from him. He's is so in tune with the spirit it's not even funny.

Case in point: a few weeks ago he posted the following video on my wall.

He posted it because he had witty comment to share with me about it but what he didn't know is I needed to hear EXACTLY what Elder Holland had to say. It's the little things like that-I could make a list that would stretch from hear to Rochester. I didn't anticipate how well we'd stay in touch after SUU but I cherish it so much. I know our friendship is being seriously guided by my Father in Heaven.

The second Michael is none other than Michael Spencer Burt.

If I had to name the one person that has influenced me most in the past 12 years of my life it would definitely be this young man. I still remember the day I was taking my state standardized tests in the cafeteria at Desert Gardens Elementary School and Mrs Jordan, the school secretary, brought in a little post-it note to tell me he was born. I know he is one of the reason's I'm supposed to be home right now. He's always been my baby brother but tonight when we went as a family to tithing settlement something changed. Seeing him talk to the Bishop about is accountability before God really hit me, he really is turning in to a great young man. I can't wait to see what he'll become.