Day 3-picture of yourself as a child

Ok, all of the best pictures of me are in my photo albums at home! and I still haven't mastered scanners yet, soooo here is the best I got. Pretty cute eh? I mean, I do what I can. Thats my sister and my brother next to me, and even though we are so different, I have the best brother and sister in the entire world. We grew up under kind of hard circumstances, and some how hard things seem to bring people together and make them even closer than they could have been otherwise! My mom used to always call my sister "Pidgy" and my brother "Alli-scoots" lol. She just called me Emmie....pretty standard. But hey, thats our family! We don't need any of that excentric crap, or a gajillion people in our family to feel like we matter. Us three are all about the quality, and these 2 are quality people. I can't think of 2 people with more integrity and loyalty on this planet! And look at those smiles.....we are so perfect.

That picture was taken on Easter like 20 years ago, and those threads are high class Easter clothes that our momma bought us! And 20 years later, she still puts $100 in my bank account for a new easter dress. Our family rocks....in style. Now I just gotta go shopping!!! One of my besties come with me, PLEASE!!!

day 2-the meaning behind your blog name

Well, my blog is named "Beautiful Disaster" and the older I get, the more and more fitting that name seems to be. I changed it after my mission from "I am Emily M", which was also a good name I think, just because theres alot of blogs out there. Like food blogs and blogs that talk about clothes and catchy ideas and such. I love all of that. But I write a blog to let the world see who I really am. And that name was kind of a declaration saying "i'm not going to hide who I really am anymore, even when its hard!"

I love Beautiful Disaster because to me thats what life is. Its a disaster all the time. Even when you plan it, even when you obsess over it and think and think and think, you can never predict exactly how things will go. Things that seem like the most ridiculous or difficult parts of your life can turn out to be the most inspring and enlightening.

This past week on Choir Tour we went and sang at a Methodist church. The kids felt a little awkward since they really have never been to any church other than the LDS church, but I was right at home cause I used to sing in the choir with my best friend at her Methodist church in our home town. And the pastor said something that really struck me about Oysters! When on oyster gets a piece of sand inside of it, the oyseter puts layer after layer of protective coating over the invasive scratchy grain in order to protect itself. And in the end, it turns out to be a pearl! Man thats life in a nutshell.

As far as me, this semester has been trough....oops i meant to type either tough or rough but hey, trough works lol. Student teaching has been so great but also exhausting, and there have been alot of other things this last 4 months that have left me emotionally exhausted. I've been kind of a disaster. But even when I'm going nuts and acting crazy, the people that love me still love me. You know who you are. And I am so grateful for that. Love is what gives me faith that everything will always be ok in the end. And if its not ok, then its not the end.

So there it is. I'm a freakin' beautiful disaster. Take me or leave me.

Day 1 "A recent picture and 15 facts about yourself"

Well everybody, here it is. Day one, FINALLY. I chose this picture because I just got back from a tour to California with my students. Yes thats, right, my students. I am a legit teacher! And yes its hard to tell the difference between me and the students sometimes, even though I got like 10 years on them! Being a teacher has ups and downs, but I really feel that being with these little guys and teaching them what I know has been one of the scariest and the best experiences of my life! I'll write all about that in another post, but the point is: This picture best defines who I am right now. I love my students!

Its funny how things never quite work out like you plan, and yet without a plan you just end up nowhere! This semester my life has been so crazy. If you are reading this blog It means that you actually care about what I have to say, and therefore you deserve to know the truth that I have been at BYU since 2005! Holy crap thats forever! And during that time ive lived in over 25 different apartments, 3 different countries, worked almost a dozen different jobs, had 7 of my best friends get married, completed almost 200 hours of course work, learned 2 languages, and had a billion life changing moments both happy and sad. Needless to say, life takes you to the most unexpected places sometimes. And I have to admit that change is hard for me. That might seem really strange for someone that has moved so much and kind of been all over the map as far as changing her mind about life. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE adventure. I love traveling and moving and new experiences. But change with people is actually really hard for me, and I am probably the worst person you know at dealing with goodbyes. And I know that pretty soon my life has to change. Soon I will be a college graduate! And nothing makes me happier than to look back on all the work i've done and have that little piece of paper to show for it. But at the end of the day, the paper isn't anything at all compared to all of the life skills i've learned, the experiences i've had, and the amazing friends that i've made.

I can't tell you how lucky I am. I've loved every minute of my mission and my time at BYU. But the people that I have met here along the way are among the very best i've had in my entire life! I have the kind of friends that most people in their lives will never have. I have friends that, when i'm having a bad day, can actually sense my emotions and will call me or text me to see how I am. I have the kind of friends that will make you laugh until you pee your pants watching youtube videos, or will stay up till 6 am talking with you about life. My best friends are my soul mates, even the ones that are married. And nothing has been more fulfilling to me than learning from each and every one of them.

Needless to say, people like these are hard to let go of. I don't even know where i'm going to be living or working for next year! But I know in my heart that its time for my next adventure.