My blog is moving....

...to wordpress.  I have given up trying to get blogger to upload photos. 

http://emilychipman.wordpress.com/

I hope you'll stay in touch!

Oh. And if you know how to use wordpress and have any tips, send them my way!  (It's a little more difficult to use, but at least it gets the pictures up!)

33 and Perfect

33 is the perfect number. I'm certain of it. I actually am thrilled to be 33. Sometimes I feel a little shocked that some of the next numbers are so close down the path, but I feel like the 33rd year is going to be a wonderful one to the record books.  Thanks to so many friends and family who made it wonderful. 

Birthday highlights included the following: a spontaneous surprise party from family including Hoops and Yoyo and Justin Bieber cards, a rainbow cake, the grandkids pulling party popper streamers, and all the sweet messages of love shared with me;

celebrating with several friends over brownies and chips and soda; flowers and a custome made fabulous t-shirt made just for me commemorating my love of swimming; and all the restaurants that give away free food and goodies on your birthday.  I drove around picking up all the free food so that my roommates and I could enjoy the free stuff for dinner. (Sephora gave me free lip gloss, which I love.) 

I'm so loved.

I'm so lucky.

Really, I'm just so blessed.

p.s.  My goal this year.... somehow, someway find a way into Disney's Club 33.

ASU

I love collegiate shirts, most notably my Harvard shirt that I bought on the streets of Boston.  I think today I finally found the shirt I need for a school I actually went to.  It's Sun Devil time! See you at the games!

Utah Antics

It was so great to have the family all together after my parents returned home.  The prep for their return was a lot of work, but definitely worth it. In typical Chipman fashion, we had SO much good food to eat. As mom always says, people are always happier when there is good food to eat.

 



Just a little ketchup

We were so grateful for a chance to go to the temple together, including all spouses, children, and parents. As a bonus, Abby's parents got to come as well. (They're practically family anyway.) It made for a great excuse to go to Kneaders.

 

 

We also got to catch up with all of our cousins up in the canyon. I can't remember the last time we did this, but we always used to do it growing up.  It was great to see everyone together again, and I just loved the addition of the sweet little babies my cousins brought along.

 

I love this sweet little girl.  Don't you just want to pinch her cheeks?



We also managed to get some family pictures, and even got Chris to laugh.  Forbidding him to do so using a monster voice worked very well, and we got a lot of pictures where he looks truly happy. 

No picture session is complete without a silly picture. Joe was worried what to do, so I gave him a wet willie. 
I'm nice like that.

 

What is it with me being all hunched over in all the pictures?  Goodness.  Whatever.  I love this picture anyway.

I enjoyed the Fourth of July for what seems the first time in ages.  How is that possible?  I don't know, but I can't remember the last time I sat around watching a fireworks show for the holiday.  The fireworks were great, although I wish I'd been able to see San Diego's disaster of a show that lasted all of 15 seconds.

We finished off the week with a Chipman family reunion, once again getting to catch up with many of the cousins and getting in some good time at the lake. (pictures to be added if blogspot ever starts cooperating again...)


Finally, I was lucky enough to have an extra day just to my mom and I.  It was so great to buddy around with her and spend time at the best store ever.  No pictures, unfortunately, but you can guarantee that it involved some serious time in Costco.

Welcome home, parents!

After several days of cleaning linens and putting the house in order for the parents' return, we were all so excited to see them. Preparations included creation of a huge sheet designed with Peruvian influences to welcome mom and dad home, two days of laundry, many trips to the grocery store, twenty or so balloons celebrating every holiday/race/birthday/fathers day/mothers day/etc. that we've missed while they are out of town, and some home made signs.

  

 

 

Unfortunately, C's family got delayed due to awful car problems, and the parents' flight was delayed several hours.  You can only imagine how wonderful it was for these grandparents to finally get to see their grandkids and hold them in their arms.

We were all so glad to see them walk down the stairs of that airport!  Welcome home, parents!  We're so glad to have you home!

Other things worthy of a blog post

While I don't have pictures to match this entry, the last few months have still been quite busy. I've moved twice (and am finally in a place where my bed fits), have done a number of interviews (including one that resulted in two trips to San Fran), put together dinner party groups for sixty people, and have done quite a bit of reading. The dinner group project took a lot more time than I imagined it ever would, and yet...I'll be doing it again. It was a great way to network, meet new people, and mainly introduce my friends to one another (which I love doing).

Lessons learned through unemployment 2

Agency and decision making has been one of the most important lessons I have learned so far. I am so grateful for a fabulous article in the New Era that discussed the difference between questioning and asking questions. So many times in life we have difficult decisions to make. I am learning that it is important to ask good questions rather than wallow in fear of the unknown. 

A while ago I was offered a job in San Francisco. It was an incredibly difficult decision, but made much easier by the fact that I determined to ask questions. I thought of the various things I didn't know but would need to know in order to feel like I could make a good decision. While the ultimate choice came down to a matter of gut instinct/the Spirit, I knew I had done everything I could to research the matter.  Decision making has never been easy for me, but has been made a lot easier because I am asking question rather than simply questioning matters.

Lessons learned through unemployment

One of the benefits of being out of work is that it has allowed me to refocus on the things that really matter to me and really think through what type of life I want to live. Some of the most important lessons I have learned so far include the following:

• Life is too short not to play. David's motto has always been work hard, play hard, pray hard. I believe it. I was doing far too much of the work and not enough of the play.  I have loved putting some fun back into my life. (Although I am still working quite hard at finding a job.)
• People matter.  Moving out to Mesa from Phoenix put me back in a place where I could meet new people. I love being around people, meeting new ones, and having roommates (who keep me from getting set in my ways).
• Don't take life so seriously.  I will never put myself in a situation again where the work is so stressful that it comes home with me. I am so happy again, and people who have known me for years have even commented on how this is the first time they have seen me so relaxed.
• God is aware of us. It's not that I didn't know this, but I have been amazed at the friends and family who have sent text messages, called, or emailed at the times I needed it most. For the most part, being unemployed has been a pretty positive experience for me because it is giving me a chance to start over. Still, in the moments that I may get a little discouraged the Lord has been there to support and sustain me. Priesthood blessings have also been a great help to me.
• Take risks. For a long time I haven't been one to take risks. However, I have really come to love taking chances--chances at love, chances to make changes in a career, and chances to live in new areas. These things can sometimes be scary, and I will be the first to admit that when I relationship failed I was pretty heart broken. However, I have grown so much by all of these experiences that I am actually anxious to continue taking chances. I find that I am growing so much more and that my life is more full.
• Take time to learn. I am so grateful for the time I have had to learn what makes me really happy in life.  These are the things that I have determined must remain in place when I finally do become employed once again, and include running/exercise, scripture study, good music (going to concerts), having great friends and family in my life, and having some down time.
• Miracles happen. Joy is possible. Life is to be lived with joy. Much of what we experience is because of our own choices. We can have as much joy as we choose, if we will take note of the things that bring true joy and keep them in our lives.

Huntington Beach

May brought a trip to Huntington Beach with my roommates, which included an initial stop to the ACDC house. David was, unfortunately, in Korea or some other foreign place, but we got to catch up with Abby and catch a little bit of beach time.

We then went down to Huntington Beach for the mid-singles conference. I am a little on the young end, but loved it because everywhere I went I ran into old friends from California, Utah, Washington, and all over Arizona.  I loved catching up with everyone, and introducing my friends to one another. I have such amazing friends who all do amazing things, and I just think they should all know one another.  The trip home was made particularly enjoyable as my friend Katie joined us on the ride back.

ohhhh....I was soooo tired by this point!

Iowa Kidletts Trip

In May I went to Iowa to watch my niece and nephews while Camille and Mike ran a half marathon in Indy. I can honestly say that motherhood has to be the most exhausting experience.  Still, it was so rewarding when the children would snuggle up to me and tell me how happy they were. We had a great time celebrating Cinco de Mayo, and a less great time cleaning up their bedrooms.  I think my favorite moments had to be the morning walks with Chris (who can make a gun out of any stick), the hugs from Ben, and waking Kara and Ben up late at night to see the first fireflies of the summer.  I missed them so much when I finally had to fly home!  They live in such a great neighborhood. The homes and neighborhood must have been built at the same time period as the home I grew up in as they were the same style and the lots the same size. It felt oddly as if I was walking through a new section of my old neighborhood. 

If this kid doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will!

Sedona

With a little bit of time off from work, I got to go on a hiking/photography trip to Sedona with my friend Joe. The weather was perfect, the scenery great, and the company enjoyable. 

February Sailing Trip

While out in California I got to go sailing with some family. I just can't say often enough how much I love the water. We had a great time out, although it was a little chilly for my taste.  We topped off the day eating dinner out on the boat in the middle of they bay. Oh. And we also scored some free Moroccan Oil from the Beautician Convention going on. David got some great pictures, and so I am sending you to his blog for a better recap of the day.

California/Utah 2012 (trip 1)

I left Arizona for about a month at the end of January, and spent two and a half weeks in Cali and a little over one in Utah. I don't love long drives on my own, but I love my little Camry (which has tremendously comfortable seats). :)

This was an important time for me as I reconnected with family and made some game plans for the job search.  Thanks to ACDC for hosting me in Cali, family friends that I stayed with in Saint George, and family and friends with whom I stayed in Salt Lake City.

Highlights of the trip included visits to the LA and Bountiful temples; beach time (always a plus); visits with friends I know from Jerusalem, Guatemala, and Arizona; and some gorgeous scenery. And, since there is a bridge over the Hoover Dam, I figured I should run across it.  This ended up being a great idea as it gave me a chance to move around a little instead of driving non-stop back to Phoenix.

I quit!

I suppose at some point I should probably blog a notable experience in my life this last January....I quit my job!  I left on good terms, and just knew it was time to move on to new experiences. I will always be grateful for the excellent training, experiences, and colleagues which were part of my life during the six and a half years I worked for the state.  Few people can say that they have made presentations to the legislature, or been involved with the things I have seen or reviewed.  Few people can also say that they have had such excellent, high caliber colleagues.

I had not had intentions of leaving, but when the impression came I knew it was time to go.  So, I am moving on.  I have felt so great about leaving, and feel so grateful for the clear evidence of God's hand in my life and personal revelation. Perhaps one day I will blog some of the lessons I have learned over the last few months of unemployment. (Yes, I have a list that I am continually adding to.) In the meantime, I will simply say that I hopefully am a better person for this experience.

I am also really grateful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost. I believe that this is an answer to many prayers I have offered over the last few years, even if it came in a rather surprising package.

Thanks to my friends for a great farewell, and many good years.

My friends know me so well!  Loved my farewell flowers, which were so cheerful.

New Years/Columbia

Thanks to **** Airlines for a forty hour flight trip home from Peru. While I didn't love sleeping on the floor in the Lima airport, picking up and rechecking my bags three times, or spending New Years Eve in a ten by ten hotel room with a nonfunctional TV and bathroom that looked like a high school gym including kick flush toilet, thanks for flying me to Columbia. And getting me some additional passport stamps.  And deliverint the bags you lost during the only American portion of the flight.

In all sincerity, it's the best "worst travel experience" I've had, and I appreciate the $200 flight voucher.  Everyone needs one of these stories, right?

side note: Columbia is really, really gorgeous. I really am glad I got to see it!

Christmas in Peru

I went to visit my parents in Peru a second time, and had the opportunity to re-live some of the "mission life".  I have to admit...it was even better the second round. (Perhaps it's the fact that I wore sandals, listened to my ipod on the way to zone conference, and didn't have another gal at my side 24 seven.) The trip started almost immediatley with a trip to an orphanage, where my mother played the violin and we took gifts to the most precious children. For the most part, this trip was about missionary work, though.
As sweet as the visit to the orphanage was, the highlights were yet to come. I had the great opportunity to share my testimony in a zone conference almost ten years to the date from the last time I did so as a missionary. My parents and I sang for the missionaries in zone conference, which was just a sweet experience.



Mom played Christmas songs for the orphanage children, who enjoyed chocolate milk and panettone.

I think we made 180 treat bags for the missionaries, with the bonus present being earplugs.



Dad with his missionaries.

Sister Duffy came just before Christmas. Such a sweet girl.



Zone Conference numero uno

We did manage to get away for a drive, and visited an outside baptismal font. As usual, I find there is beauty and interest in almost any place I go. This drive was no exception.


Typical truck in Peru



We also got out for a walk in their neighborhood. I will spare you the picture of the other trash containers, but have to include just one.

I particularly enjoyed Christmas Eve this year. We sang in the Plaza de Armas again, and I was able to give out pass along cards and talk with families in my very broken Spanish. I am sure they were mostly being kind, but it was fun to try anyway.

Following caroling, we also had over the office elders for what became (for me) the traditional Christmas dinner in Peru. I can't tell you what it was or how it was made, but I loved it! 

Lucky me! Santa still found me! 

We also had the fortune of having Aunt Anne with us for Christmas.  Aunt Anne is particularly good at listening to others, and probably remembers the trip better than I do.  It was great to have her along for the trip.