Where to begin?

Start a blog, I said.  It will be fun I said.  I'll make time, I said.

Well, obviously I was kidding myself about being able to actually commit to something and keep doing it.  However, at the encouragement of a good friend, Justine, I have decided to take the plunge into not only recording the awesome doings of my daily life, but also creating a place where I can go back and see the blessings.  So that's what this will be, hopefully.  A history of blessings, life lessons, and probably some embarrassing stories.  Let's be real.  We're talking about me.

Let me give you the quick updates of my life:

I completed my student teaching in Mesa, AZ in April 2014.

I graduated BYU-Idaho with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education in April 2014.

I escaped BYU-Idaho unscathed and unmarked AKA single.

http://everydayfeminism.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/The-Ultimate-Pillow-For-Single-Ladies-Funny-Cute-Picture.jpg

I became an aunt for the second time to one chunk of a baby boy (but I loooove those cheeks!)

My sister, Stephanie, will be returning in February from a 18-month mission for The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints in the Arizona Gilbert Mission.

The baby, my brother Brandon, graduated from High School and received his mission call to serve as a missionary in the Piracicaba Brazil Mission.  He leaves in mid-October.

My best friend just reported to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday to prepare to serve as a missionary in the Cleveland Ohio Mission.

And....I report to the same place on October 22  to serve as a missionary in the Micronesia Guam Mission!

So.
There's the update.
Three missionaries out.
And my parents will soon be empty nesters.

Life has been crazy in so many respects in the last 6 months.  Decisions are crazy things, especially when lots of prayer and faith is required.  As we completely put our trust in the Lord, we will find that our lives will be enriched in ways that we didn't realize they could be.  I know that to be true, and when I struggle to find that truth, I just look at my life as realize what I have blessed with with.

So, the blessings:
- I have been blessed to have a job not only that will take me back but that welcomes me back with open arms.
-I am blessed with a stable family home where I am able to still be blessed and nourished by daily patterns of spiritual living through family scriptures and prayer.
-I am healthy.
-I have not brought any physical harm to myself, which is a miracle if you have ever seen me play volleyball.
-I have people that care about me, pray for me, and watch over me.
-Goodwill shopping.  It's good for the soul.


That's all for today.  My new goal is to post at least weekly, if not more.  I hope that as I continue to update and post, I will not only begin to see the patterns of blessings in my own life, but understand what my role is.
God is real.  He loves me and you.
 And at the end of the day, that's a pretty awesome truth to know.

'Til next time. :)

Emily.