The Sweetest Things

So, a couple of years ago I posted a ranting post about Valentines Day, which you can read here if you would like. If not, it's whatever. I'm not going to judge you for it.

In that post I shared how much I dislike Valentine's Day, and I shared a few things that I was looking for in my ideal husband. Here's just a little snippet:

"I want an ETERNAL Valentine's Day...and more importantly, an ETERNAL Valentine.

One who will look me in the eye EVERY DAY and say he loves me. ♥
One who will NEVER leave me. ♥
One who will watch a Suns game with me and keep the negative comments to a minimum. ♥
One who will help me do the dishes. ♥
One who is willing to do nothing and be satisfied, just as long as he's with me. ♥
Does this man exist?

Eh....maybe. I'm probably going to have to fudge a little on the Suns and dishes."

I was reading through my blog archives the other day just for fun and found this post. As I read through this list of things I wanted I realized that I've found him! This man DOES exist!! And I didn't even have to fudge on the Suns and dishes!

*dreamy sigh* my fiance is so handsome!

The best part is, I got so much more than I could have ever asked for when Daniel came into my life.

I have dated some great guys in the past, but until I met Daniel none of them have given me this constant feeling of happiness! I still get excited to see him and he still gives me butterflies all the time. This summer when we're living in different towns and working all the time is going to be the worst. I just can't wait to marry him :)

He makes me laugh every day, he supports me in my future career, he is thoughtful, kind, easy-going, hard-working, and SO much more. And he says the sweetest things to me.

He quotes songs to me, which kinda makes me a little weak in the knees...
ex) "Baby you light up my world like nobody else", "When you and I are alone I've never felt so at home", etc.

He calls me beautiful all the time, which is just nice to hear even when I haven't done my hair or makeup or really gotten dressed for the day....you have to make sacrifices on test days...

He is constantly thinking ahead. The other day I had work and study group until late, and I went to his house for lunch before work. He made me this HUGE meal and told me that he knew that I probably wouldn't get a break for dinner, so he wanted to make sure I got enough to eat.

And the day before that he brought me some food to my study group and stayed so he could give me a ride home so I wouldn't have to walk.

And the best thing is that every day, multiple times a day, I'll hear this, "Hey you! I love you!" That will never get old :)

I love him so much and can't wait to spend the rest of my eternity with him!

The Start of My Forever

BASICALLY UNAWARE OF HIS EXISTENCE

The date was January 4, 2014. I was at my friend Amy's reception and everything was kind of starting to wind down. Beyonce blared over the speakers and all the single ladies lined up for a chance to catch the bouquet. Amy threw the bouquet over her shoulder and I snatched it right before Sunny had the chance (she wasn't very happy with me). I joked around with everyone that it was now destiny that I get married even though inside I was still hurting over my latest letdown.

WHEN WE MET

The date is now January 5, 2014. Sunny had been begging me for a long time to double with her and Luis, and they had decided that Luis' roommate would be going with me. Luis and Daniel came over that night to visit for awhile just to talk and I immediately knew there was something different about this guy. I guess I should also say that I had technically met him before...but I was kind of not interested in dating anyone because of some other stuff going on. We've all heard that story a thousand times huh?

WHEN WE WERE DATING

For our first date Sunny, Luis, Daniel, and I went to Pizza Hut for dinner and then came back to my house to play Phase 10...which then erupted into a Nerf gun battle.

We went official on January 14. We went to institute and everyone had to answer a few questions about themselves including "Are you single?" Daniel had to go first and when he stood up to introduce himself I was wondering what exactly he was going to say because...well, we hadn't talked about it! When he came to that part he said, "I'm not single!...Well, I'm not married...but I'm also not really single...". We were definitely on the same page there :)

He told me he loved me on February 16th. We were watching a movie at his place and I don't remember what I did (I probably tickled him or something) and he said, "You know what?...Never mind." The 'You know what' part didn't surprise me, but the 'Never mind' part was new, so I asked him what was up and he got really quiet and then said, "...I love you." He caught me completely off-guard! I tactfully replied, "Really?! ...I love you too!"

Since the day we met I can count on one hand the number of days that we haven't seen each other :)

Dressed up as pirates at Grey's birthday party.

We had been dating almost 2 months at this point.

THAT ONE TIME WHEN HE POPPED THE QUESTION

Are you ready for the proposal story? It's a pretty cute one if I do say so myself!

We had been talking about getting married and actually...we already had the temple scheduled, but I was just waiting not exactly patiently for my ring. His parents had invited us over for Easter dinner and the words "funeral potatoes" had been used, so I knew there was no way I was missing out on that!

When we walked into the house I immediately saw yarn strung all over the family room and leading downstairs. Now that I look back, I could see that Daniel was acting a little squirrely and he immediately wanted to look for our Easter baskets, which I knew were hidden at the end of the yarn. I grabbed my yarn and started winding! I was bound and determined to beat Daniel, but he was always right behind me. He found his basket first and sat down on the couch to wait for me. My yarn led me to a door and when I opened it there was my basket! I saw a handmade booklet titled "My Book of Favorite Memories with Emma-Leigh" and I sat down next to Daniel to read it. He wrote about our first date, and when we went official and my birthday and Valentine's day and the time we went to Logan to watch a hockey game. It was all really detailed and I was really impressed by how much he had written about. When I turned to the last page I read, "All of these memories are very special to me, but my favorite memory was when I proposed and she said yes!" Then I started crying and Daniel pulled out the ring and got down on one knee and told me that he loved me and wanted to be with me forever and asked if I would marry him. Of course I said yes!!!

We took a walk down to the river near his house afterwards. 

And here is the ring! Let me tell you, it is SO sparkly :)

Daniel is seriously the best thing to ever happened to me. He never ceases to tell me why he loves me! He seriously treats me like a princess and I don't think I could be marrying into a better family! Daniel is everything I could have ever asked for and I love him so much!

SO WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!

August 9th.

12:30.

Idaho Falls.

Oh my gosh, is this real life???

What Can You Do in 1000 Days (part 2)

So, for those of you who don't know or don't remember, I'm kind of a journal nut! I got started writing every night when I was in high school and just kinda...never stopped. Shortly after I got to college (3.5 YEARS ago...that has no actual significance, I just still find it crazy) I hit the 1000 day mark and wrote a blog post about it. You can read it here.

Since then, a lot has changed in my life, but I have kept everything (okay, so all the important things and a bunch of random stuff) documented in my journals.

All of my journals

So, here is how this is going to work. I am going to ask some friends and family to pick a number between 1 and 1000 and I will tell you what was going on in my life on that day. Hopefully no one picks one of the embarrassing days! Here we go:

Sunny: 523
I went in to get an oil change at a Jiffy Lube or something like that and when the guy came out to give me my keys back he said, "Hey, so we noticed your oil was a little low, so we changed it for you." Let me repeat something real quick- I went in to GET AN OIL CHANGE. That probably wouldn't have bothered me as much if one of my roommates hadn't woken me up at 5 in the freaking morning by exercising right above my bed.

Jason: 13
Got asked on a date...by a guy who was already on a date. That was awkward on so many levels.

Cecil: 822
I decided to make flash cards to help me memorize generic and brand name drugs...probably the biggest waste of my life ever. I also helped Amy and Sunny move into their new apartment, which was sad.

Lindsay: 777
Probably the worst day of my life, good pick Linz haha. This was April 1, 2013. The day that I handed in my $500 seat holding fee for pharmacy school and then within the hour was told that my entire company was being shut down and I no longer had a job. Did I mention all of this happened before 10 in the morning?
As I was reading in my scriptures that night I came across this scripture, which I have tried to live by ever since. 2 Nephi 10:23, "Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves- to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life."
Okay, I tried to start living that after I cried for a thousand hours and threw some stuff to vent my anger.

Derek: 479
The day that my good friend Cecil got married :) I went to the temple that day with Garth Gaylord and Emily Treasure. It was my first time just walking in to do baptisms. On our way there we read talks about the temple and Garth amazed us all by reciting 2 Nephi chapter 2. Seriously, blown away!

Bonnie: 76
I picked up some extra hours at work and then spent the evening with Mystie! We went to Subway and watched How to Train Your Dragon :) This was right at the end of a semester, so she was getting ready to move home. She ended up getting married and never came back! Jerk...

Brendan: 613
Went to Lagoon with Zach Sorensen, Arminda Crane, Haley Summers, and other people whose names I can't remember. We had stayed the night in Malad at Zach's family's house and then woke up and had pancakes and went skeet shooting before heading out. Also, it was Frightmares which is just cool. It was a good day :)

Katie: 962
Sunny and I did Zumba and followed it up with Jamba Juice. I will forever confuse those two names now. Zamba! Jumba! haha

Tarry: 737
This was during that time that I was writing letters in my journal to various people. On this particular day I chose to write a letter to myself. It was one of those days where I was thinking about someone (read: a boy) a lot and wasn't sure what I should do. Writing it down helps me see if what I'm thinking is absolutely ridiculous or not. In this case, I decided it was ridiculous.

Rebecca: 17
I had a talk with a guy that I had kind of been dating. We had fallen apart and I didn't know why. We finally talked about things and it was a relief to finally have things out in the open.

Sierra: 365
Bren and Witney's reception! Their reception was the day before they were married and it was absolutely wonderful. At that point we already considered Witney a member of the family, but it was great to have everyone together to celebrate it. Their cake was made of tutti frutti cereal and the whole thing was picnic themed and adorable!

Maci: 57
A talk in church really touched me. It focused around Hymn 124, Be Still My Soul. Also had a movie night with some of my best friends! We watched Flight of the Navigator at Tim, Zach, and Ryan's house :)

Nate: 541
Oooooh the joys of working overtime. Also, my family was in town and we went out to eat and got to talk to them. I love them. Also, I have one of my notes to a future person asking if two finger rings are still cool haha.

Mom: 943
There was a certain boy that came over that I was trying to avoid...yuck. I hate that. My first exam of pharmacy school was the next morning, so I expressed some anxieties over that as well.

Rachelle: 6
I was bitten by one of my clients at work while he was having a tantrum. Then hugged by my next client, so it made things better :) Also, it was the 11 year anniversary of when I started activity days...random fact. Also, I was sneak-a-dated. You know, when you are asked to "hang out" with some friends only to realize that no other friends were invited and you have to endure an evening with someone you don't want to go on a date with haha

Logan: 245
Brother Laga gave a really good talk at the Saturday session of stake conference. He compared getting an education to backpacking and how whining won't get you anywhere. "It's hard...TOUGH!" were his exact words.

Witney: 14
My brother taught me a very important lesson about loving people that do wrong to you. It wasn't one of those lessons that he meant to teach me...he just did through his example.

Brittanny: 850
The 4th, 5th, and 10th wards got together to go to Steadman's Ranch for an activity. We spent the day sliding down the water slides and playing volleyball :)

Carley: 49
Played football with some friends...which was interesting. I stink at football! But I made a touchdown, which was awesome. We also played floor hockey that night, which is seriously the coolest. My friend Ryan told me that he wanted to score more, so I was going to have to stop playing and I took great pride in that haha.

Dad: 43 (Show of hands, who's surprised by his number choice)
This was the week before Easter, but since my brother and his family were in town for conference, we celebrated Easter early (aka Preaster). Gwen and Phoebe had lots of fun looking for the "Easter bunny eggs" as they called them.
Conference was also amazing, as usual.


So, there you are. That is a very small glimpse of what has happened to me in the last 1000 days. I love my journals. As I go back and read the things I've written I find that sometimes I wrote about things that I had forgotten about.

There are so many memories in these pages...good and bad. Triumphs and failures. Moments of bravery and moments of anxiety. Times of relaxation and times of complete stress. New friendships. Failed relationships. Books I read that I couldn't stop thinking about. Quotes that helped me through a hard time. Movie tickets. Things that my roommates said or did that had me rolling on the floor.

I love that I have those memories, but what I love more is that my future kids are going to have access to those memories. There is no possible way that I would be able to tell them everything, so having it in writing is a comfort to me.

Let me ask you something, have you ever had a moment where you just stop and wish that you could live in that moment for the rest of your life? You can. But not if you lock it up in your mind. Eventually emotions fade and you won't be able to remember exactly how you felt in that instant. Memories are not eternal until you keep them in writing.

So that's my challenge to you. Keep it in writing.

New Year's Resolutions

Last year I had some pretty standard resolutions: lose weight, eat less sugar, no more pop. Wanna know how they ended up?

Lose weight: Lost 10 pounds by my birthday. Gained it back. And it's still here. But hey, at least I didn't gain more!

Eat less sugar: I did really well for 2 months. Then I really wanted a cookie.

No more pop: I did so well on this one! I definitely did have some pop, but I think it was like...4 for the year, so I'm counting it as a success. The only pop I crave anymore is Root Beer, but I have stayed away!

This year I have decided to give some other goals a shot.

1. Start and maintain a budget. I have been so horrible in the past. I just want to get to the point where I know where my money is and how much I have. It's going to be a tough one, but hopefully this will be a learning experience for me.
2. Study more. Goodness knows I'll need it in the future. This one will require a lot of self control. I really hate studying. I'm not very good at it. I guess that comes from my high school years of never opening a book and still being the valedictorian of my class...
3. Index 10,000 names and arbitrate 30,000 names. In the past I've done really well with indexing and arbitrating, but I have basically done equal numbers of both. This is me trying to focus more on arbitrating while still setting a lofty goal for myself.
4. Don't eat out so much. I do it a lot...especially during finals week and stuff like that. I'm hoping that my budget goal will help a lot with this.
5. Expand my horizons. This one is kind of one that is open to interpretation. Basically I don't want to do everything the same all the time. Not ordering the same thing off the menu every time I go to a restaurant, put together a new outfit out of the clothes I already own rather than buying a new outfit, sit by people at church I don't normally sit by. Things like that!
6. Blog more. I really do enjoy blogging. I just never found the time to do it and fell really far behind and then didn't want to catch up...so I've decided that I'm just not going to catch up and start from where I'm at haha. I have recently passed the 2000 day mark in my Prayer-Journal-Scripture Study, so expect a post about that soon! I just need to be back in Poky where I have access to my other journals.

So there you go! If my #6 goes well, I should be doing a follow up in about a year :) Hope to see you all then!

As 2013 draws to a close...

I am finding it incredibly hard to believe that this year is almost over. Looking back on everything that has happened, it has definitely been my hardest overall year. A real roller coaster for sure. Here's to hoping 2014 is better!

Also, a side note. I usually use my journals to write these things, but I don't have the one that covers the first few months of the year with me, so events may be sparse...mostly in February and March.

January:

• Brought in the year by myself...in a blanket fort...and I'm fairly certain I fell asleep at like 10:30 haha
• I bought a car! Or, you know, I'm in the process of buying it. It's the first big purchase I've made, but I love that thing :)
• I had a TON of reservations about applying to Pharmacy school. Nerves, I guess.
• Finally finished the cross stitch of Christ I had been working on for years.

February:

• The application deadline for Pharmacy school!
• I turned 21

March:

• Interviewed for a place at ISU's College of Pharmacy
• Got accepted to said College of Pharmacy. Wahoo!

April:

• Was laid off when my company was forced to close its doors.
• Rediscovered my love of reading.
• Welcomed Porter Sheldon Owen to the world on April 5th :)
• And let's face it. April was basically occupied by being depressed about the loss of my job. I found it hard to get out of bed many days. Thankfully that didn't last long.

May:

• Started working at Ed Snell's Pharmacy Shop- the same pharmacy I had been observing at for 2 years
• Called to be the FHE coordinator in my ward.
• Found out that Rachelle was expecting a baby in December!

June:

• Baby sister graduated from high school!
• Was a witness in a court case...which was definitely a new experience. 
• Celebrated Thanksgiving in June! (Cause if there is such a thing as Christmas in July, there should be a Thanksgiving in June, duh)

July:

• Started observation hours at Advanced Isotopes of Idaho (a nuclear pharmacy)
• Also started my community pharmacy hours at Ed Snell's...cause they are awesome like that.
• Lagoon with two of my very best friends!
• And...most of July was filled with sleeping then volunteering then sleeping. 1:30-4:30 in the morning at the Nuke, 9:30-6:30 at Snell's. Sleep in between.

August:

• Began Pharmacy School!
• Finished official observation hours!
• Won a randomly drawn scholarship at White Coat Ceremony :)
• Learned to give flu shots...not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

Getting my white coat from Dr. Liday, my advisor.

September:

• Finally got to play floor hockey again!
• My family moved from Soda Springs to Blackfoot. It's nice to have them so much closer to the family!

October:

• Participated in flu shot clinics to get in some experience and hours for school :)
• Began a new cross stitch (Nature's Paradise by Thomas Kinkade).

Here is where I'm currently at on the cross stitch. Over half way done and only been at it for 3 months!

November:

• My stake officially finished indexing 1,000,000 names for the year.
• Gave my first presentation of my pharmacy career.
• Floor hockey again! Wahoo!

December:

• Attended the Forgotten Carols with Sunny, Sarah, Katie, and Amy. It was good to be reunited!
• Finished my first semester of Pharmacy School. Just 7 more to go!    ...eesh
• Baby Samuel Shadrach Owen arrived on the 14th :) So adorable!

I am not going to mince words, 2013 was hard. It beat me down in ways that I have never been before. Don't get me wrong, there were lots of good times. Lots of happy times! But there were so many times that I am just thankful I was able to keep my head above water. 

This year has made me stronger, that's for sure. For that I am grateful, but I can't wait to see what this new year has to offer. 

Happy 2014 everyone!

Learning to Trust

Well everyone, this last week have been one of the scariest and most exciting of my life.

Last Monday I received a letter in the mail from the College of Pharmacy, stating that I have been provisionally accepted into the Doctor of Pharmacy program on the ISU campus, Pocatello site! I have been working at this for a long time, so you can imagine the excitement that filled my life for days and days after the fact!

The very next Monday (April 1st) at around 9:05 I turned in my $500 seat-holding fee. That's when I realized that this was REALLY happening and I was ACTUALLY going to be a pharmacist. Then, at 9:40 I got a call from my manager and got some terrifying news.

Medicaid terminated our credentialing as an agency without notice, so I was not to go in to work that day and possibly not the next day either. The CEO was going to see what he could do and hopefully we would be up and running again in the morning.

Unfortunately, the call saying that I could go back in to work never came. Instead, it was replaced by an apologetic email from Dr. Sommer saying that with much regret we were going to have to close the doors of Seasons of Hope, a company that I have given my all to for two years.

So yesterday, I went and I cleared out all my personal items from my office...the same office that I never actually got around to organizing. Now I'll never have the chance.

I cried as I grabbed the "Grapes of Hope" trophy that I won last week for our company Appetizer cook-off. It was supposed to be a floating trophy. Someone was supposed to win it next month in the Finger Food cook-off.

I cried harder as a co-worker handed me the painting one of our clients had done. It has always been my favorite, capturing every ounce of personality he has. She had asked for it first, but she told me that I could have it because I had worked with him more. It's now hanging in my living room, right where I will be able to see it every day.

But I cried hardest of all as I drove away from that building for the last time. Hugs were given as well as promises to stay in touch. These people had become my family...teasing me when I forgot to attach a spreadsheet to an email, teasing me when even the slightest edge of criticism wormed its way into an email, and letting me know that my future is bright. They supported me whole-heartedly in everything I did!

I have heard numerous times from others that I was, "going to have to at least cut back hours in the fall anyway". But that's not the point!

The point is that this is NOT the way things should happen! No one should be blind-sided this way. There are over 100 of us out of work now, 100 of us feeling this same empty what-do-I-do-now feeling.

And this is where trust comes in. I have been telling myself since the beginning of this trial that I wasn't going to let myself be defeated, but still somewhere deep down in my gut there was that doubt. Can I find another job? Will everyone else be able to find work? Will I be able to pay all of my bills? Are things going to be okay?

And I'm here to say yes, they will be! I met with my bishop yesterday so he would know what was going on and he asked if he could give me a blessing. I began crying as he told me my Heavenly Father knows how hard I have worked, but then the tears left. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. I sat there and knew that there was no time for tears. Now is the time to fight harder! Christ will make up the difference between where I am and where I want to be, but I have to work and get as far as possible on my own.

Then in institute we were talking about trials of faith. As Brother Packer explained the refiner's fire he said, "Silver is pure when the refiner can see his reflection in the silver as it sits in the fire. That's when he knows it is ready. Do you see that through the fires of adversity, Christ is waiting until he can see His image in your countenance?"

And so I'll wait. I'll put myself out there and see what I can find...but in the interim, I will continue to ask. I will continue to knock. And I will continue to receive. I am blessed beyond measure...I just have to trust that the Lord will help me see that.

I'm Legal!

Well everyone, if finally happened! I am officially 21, that magical age where you can buy alcohol (as if that thought has ever entered my head) and have a driver's license that's actually turned the right way. Whoa...I just had one of those moments. You know, the ones where you all of a sudden remember back when you used to think 21 meant you were old...scary stuff man!

So, two years ago my older sister had a baby named Greysen Gene Thinnes. He was born the day before my birthday and is so SO special. I just love him to pieces. This is a picture from his moustache themed birthday party that was held on my birthday. We all had finger staches (as evidenced in the photo below) and it was just cute. Grey's shirt says, "If you really 'moustache', I'm two", which I just find hilarious! I felt pretty lucky to have so many family members gathered together in one place to celebrate Grey's birthday, and also mine kinda...I got my own cupcake with candles in it! It was a great time though, I loved it!

Me, Rache, and Linz

After I got home from the birthday party my roommates and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings and ordered appetizers and desserts. We had a great time cheering on the MMA fighter people, who we lovingly dubbed Monkey Fist and Fish Face, even though we were absolutely horrified by the sport. I believe Monkey Fist ended up winning. Fish Face got beat up pretty bad. Poor guy.

Also, the next big thing in my life is coming up this Friday! My mom, dad, and I spent the morning of my birthday picking out a new outfit for my INTERVIEW FOR PHARMACY SCHOOL! It's seriously so surreal...I can't believe it's actually happening. I was actually fairly calm about it until about Sunday. Then I started to get really nervous. That night my home teachers came over and when they asked that age old question, "Is there anything we can do for you?" I found my hand shooting up before I could control it. "I have a pretty stressful week ahead of me, both with the test and my interview. Since my dad isn't here, I would really appreciate it if you gave me a blessing." How lucky I am to have faithful home teachers :) 

And that is where I end this blog post...hopefully I will get around to posting a quick blog about how I think my interview went...and then a few weeks after that there will be a final decision made...EEEK!