Am i smarter than a 5th grader? (pt. 2)

The results are in, folks!

Finally, the answer we've all been waiting for...."My name is Emme Toth and i AM smarter than a 5th grader!"

Or at least, "My name is Emme Toth and i AM qualified to teach children!"

Either way, i'm really just thrilled that the official scores have been posted. Not only did i pass, but my scores were above average across the board!

So watch out world, just a few short months and i WiLL be a honest-to-goodness, real teacher.

Yay!

expectations of failure

The other day i was hanging out with the Fireman telling him all about the UCSS Conference i attended that day. The UCSS is the Utah Council for Social Studies; essentially i attended classes all day to learn how to better teach Social Studies in my future classroom. My cohort sisters and i were expected to go for class (it was that or watch a conference and write a paper). What began as a bit of an unsure Saturday turned out to be absolutely phenomenal and full of amazing activities.

i was so excited about everything i had learned that i had to tell the Fireman all about it when we were hanging out later that day. At one point i turned to him and told him that i could stop talking about the conference if it was boring for him. He told me to keep going because it was cool to see me so excited about this.

Afterwards he told me that i'm going to be an amazing teacher.

You have no idea how much that meant to me. While i know my teachers all want me (and my cohort sisters) to succeed, while i know that they're preparing us to the best of their abilities, it seems like all they tell us lately is that we're not going to succeed. At least not for the first year or so. it feels like they keep telling us that we're only going to be keeping our heads above water the first year, that the first year is the most stressful year we'll ever face, etc.

Just once, while i know they're all rooting for us to succeed, i wanted one of them to tell us that we're going to be phenomenal, that we're going to succeed, that we're going to help our students succeed because that's the whole point of any of this. Again, i know they're only telling us it's going to be hard to help us prepare, but at some point it gets to be extremely discouraging. At some point it almost sounds like we're expected to fail and, in turn, fail our students.

So that one comment, "you're going to be an amazing teacher", from a guy i'm still getting to know, made a world of difference. Here's to you, Fireman, for reminding me that i (and my cohort sisters) can succeed.

music pt. 6

"Take Me (As You Found Me)" - Anberlin

Yep. Pretty much. :)

Am i smarter than a 5th grader?

Well i'll officially find out in 10-15 business days.

i took the Praxis this morning which is essentially Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Except in the TV show you win/lose money. The Praxis determines if i can graduate and get my teaching license.

Essentially you have four sub-tests; one each for Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science. The questions can be on just about anything related to those subjects that an elementary school child should know. And it's absolutely terrifying because i haven't learned most of this stuff since i was actually iN elementary school.

i finally got the test taken care of this morning after a weekend of studying random history, grammar, and fractions, and science. Technically i won't be getting the official scores for 10-15 business days, BUT the computer gave me a tentative score for each sub-test. And? i PASSED! With really good scores i might add.

Now i don't want to celebrate too early but the tentative scores DiD say that i passed so i'm going to hold onto that until the official scores come in.

Hopefully then i'll be able to actually say "My name is Emme and i AM smarter than a 5th grader" or at least "My name is Emme and i AM qualified to teach". You know, both are good.

music pt. 17

There are just some songs that sing straight to the depths of my soul; all for various reasons. A lot of the time it's the power behind the song. it just hits you like this overwhelming feeling that you can't shake. The song can make me nostalgic, anxious, powerful, joyful, etc.
Generally i can tell the difference between a good song, a great song, and a phenomenal song by the goosebumps i get. Now, the labels "good", "great", or "phenomenal" aren't set in stone; the difference of time can change how i feel about a song. The songs that follow, however, i have yet to demote from "phenomenal".

Lamentations of Jeremiah: i sang this with my high school choir at Legacy my junior year (so about six years ago). Granted, this YouTube video isn't us singing but it does the song the most justice out of the videos i could find.

Lindsey Stirling & Peter Hollens: The Skyrim Theme song. Peter Hollens sings ALL of the parts. Impressed? You should be.

Transformers: Arrival to Earth (by Steve Jablonsky)

The Da Vinci Code: Chevaliers de Sangreal (by Hans Zimmer and choir) The slow build in this is just amazing.

Harry Potter: Lily's Theme (by Alexandre Desplat) if this doesn't tear at your heartstrings going i don't know what will.

Lea Michele: O Holy Night. i don't care what time of year it is; this song is ALWAYS appropriate and ALWAYS phenomenal.

it's finally here, folks!

it's finally here, folks! My last ever year of being an undergrad. And i'm determined to make it the best year yet!

i'm all moved into my new apartment with new roommates and everything. it was definitely terrifying at first; i've never not known at least one roommate before the start of a new academic year. Thankfully, my roommates are all rock stars (not literally, but they are pretty fab). i've finally attended the new ward at church and i think things are going to be just fine. The Relief Society president even told us she's just had the feeling that amazing things are going to be happening with this group of sisters (i'll keep you posted on all of our awesomeness, don't you worry yourselves about it).

My baking is finally taking off again as i've baked consistently over the last few weeks. The Lemon Bundt Cake of Sunshine is slowly becoming my specialty. Miss Calah says it's her absolute fave out of everything that i've made so far. She even had me make one for her boss's birthday last week (aka Mr. Boss Man). He's a very healthy eater and doesn't usually sample the cupcakes i bring to work but he ate TWO whole slices of the lemon! Hence why that was his birthday cake. We surprised him by just leaving it on his desk when he was in a meeting. He told me later that day that "it's the meanest present anyone has ever given me because i want to eat the whole thing and i can't". So, being the kind sir that he is, he decided to share it with anyone who wanted some. So Miss Calah and i brought in the whole of Finance and a few of the execs. One of the guys even told me "that cake is off the chizaaaaiinnn!" Which i believe means it was a success. This week i'll bring in chocolate cupcakes and see how those go over.

For Little Miss Evie's 2nd birthday (that's right! She's already 2!) i made her Mickey Mouse cupcakes. They turned out phenomenal and i found myself the perfect baking assistant. One of friend's daughters is about 10 and just the cutest thing. She helped me make the frosting, frost the cupcakes, and decorate them. So much fun! Didn't they turn out fab?

i realize that none of that has anything to do with school, but it's all about the mental preparations, right? Making sure that my first day outfit is all ready, things are in order, books are purchased, my planner is organized, and such. Those things are all just part of keeping my mental and emotional health in check so i don't stress out too much. As far as baking goes, i think my roommates and ward mates will think it's an essential part of my mental health too. Haha.

So here goes nothing. Preparations are done. Tomorrow i begin to actually apply everything i've been learning the last couple of years into methods. i get to learn the HOW of teaching subjects instead of only learning the subjects. Come October i get to begin Practicum where, three days a week, i'll be helping out in real classrooms.

Come January? Student Teaching! So, ready or not, here i come! (i am ready, though, i promise).

Laffy Taffy Time champ

That's right! 1st time winner of Laffy Taffy Time right here!

Every couple of days or so we have Laffy Taffy Time in Finance. We all gather around Miss Janna's desk and Glen reads us a joke from a Laffy Taffy. if you're the first to correctly guess the punch line then you win the candy AND a light bulb trophy to proudly display on your desk (please, contain your jealousy).

The winning joke?

"Why was the baby ghost crying?"

"He had a boo-boo!"

Feel free to laugh at the hilariosity of the joke.

i moustache you a question...

but i'll shave it for later.

Hahaha. Hilarious, right?

Moustaches (the fake kind) have become a thing of the office. Miss Calah bought me a pack of moustache sticky notes a while back. i figured there's no other way to use them other than as actual moustaches. Obviously.

i gave one to Miss Janna a couple of weeks ago when she was having an extremely stressful day and now they've just become Finance's thing. Time for a meeting? Time for a 'stache. i even have them on my desk with a note that says "Please take a moustache" so if ever you're feeling like you need to up the fancy, you can!

So get your fancy-schmance on and...

Donut Date the First

This last week we (Misses Calah, Jenya, Marina, and i) began a wonderful tradition: Donut Date.

Thursday was the first. in our lunch discussion on Wednesday Misses Calah, Jenya, and i somehow got onto the topic of donuts and which bakery/store made the best ones. So it was decided that each of us would stop by one bakery and bring in a raised glazed donut, raised chocolate icing donut, and a cinnamon roll (because why wouldn’t we want to include cinnamon rolls?). Unfortunately my bakery of choice doesn’t sell donuts so i was only able to bring in a cinnamon roll. But that’s ok, folks! We decided it could still be in the running.

Thursday’s contenders were Macey’s bakery (the one in the grocery store), Payson Market, and Shirley’s Bakery in Provo (this one doesn’t sell donuts). The three of us made sure to go on a drink run first because you just can’t have a donut tasting without a drink (being the soda connoisseurs that we are).

Miss Marina joined us and we had a grand ol’ time tasting each donut and commenting on the deliciousness of each. It was a wonderfully hilarious time as well because we were all full of funny commentary; plus we tried to share the love of donuts with fellow coworkers and they all thought we were crazy (they did still take donuts though).

The raised glazed donut:

Payson Market was the overall champ as it was a thicker donut with a more cinnamon-y flavor. Although i did like the creamier sweetness that Macey’s donut had.

The raised chocolate iced donut:

There were mixed reviews in this category and a true champ could not be declared. The Payson Market donut had a more icing-like chocolate icing versus the chocolate ganache-iness of the Macey’s donut (which then gave the Macey’s donut a stronger chocolate flavor). Do you prefer a stronger chocolate flavor or a thicker icing?

The cinnamon roll:

Macey’s won hands down. i believe it was because i believe it was actually a swirled donut with cinnamon sugar in the swirls and then glazed. Whereas the traditional cinnamon rolls from Shirley’s and Payson Market, while delicious, where heavier the icing was too sweet for our taste.

Personally though, cinnamon rolls have never been my favorite breakfast pastry. The icing is much too sweet for me and i don’t like how heavy and bready they are (which is odd because i LOVE bread!).

Well there you have it, folks. The champions of Donut Date the First. We’ve decided that it shall be a monthly occurrence in which each of us will find a new bakery and bring the same donuts (so we can more evenly compare).

So stay tuned for next month’s champions!

(And who knows, maybe someday we’ll circle back and have a Champion of Champions contest like Cupcake Wars and Chopped do).

the magic begins

"Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of Number Four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much..."

(excerpt taken from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; as if you didn't already know).



So long folks, i'm off on a much-loved adventure!
 

life lately

it's been awhile, a long while, since i've written anything. And i'm ok with that. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions, activities, getting stuff on my list checked off, and family time.

First things first (because i know you're just dying to ask): things with the ArmyMan are not really things anymore. Again, i'm ok with that. He's basically been living the zombie life by working two jobs and whatnot and with an hour still between us it makes hanging out kind of difficult. So you know what? We're friends and i'm good with that. (With both of us being pretty busy my Summer Bucket List has been set on the back burner for now).

i also finally found housing! There were a lot of emotions involved and oddly enough Miss Calah and my housing experiences were very similar throughout the months of May and June. it would seem like we each found the perfect house and then something would fall through. Then it would happen again. it went on for several weeks and it seemed to be rather draining on us both (moreso on her since she and the family were moving to an actual house and i was simply finding a different apartment for the next year). Finally it seemed like it magically happened for the both of us. The house came through for her and the family and i went to see an apartment that just felt right. The feeling after walking through was something i couldn't fight and couldn't let go. So i now have a place to live next year and the stress of finding housing has lifted (the stress was starting to make me really freak out and feel nauseous if i thought about it too long).

Now that Miss Calah and her family have their house it's been a few weeks of moving and unpacking. i've tried to make myself useful as a babysitter or unpacking-helper-outer (just roll with the weird words, i'm tired here). Even though it's been exhausting, as moving always is, it has been so much fun to see them start to grow into their house. it's become their home and their belongings are starting to find their places. it's almost hard to imagine that they lived at the other place at all.

i've never been much of a picture-taker (i'm not even about to call myself a photographer) so i don't have tons of pictures of anything; high school, church activities, the college years. i want to change that, so i've been trying harder the last few weeks to document the little things in picture format. Finally getting an instagram account is helping this; although i'm trying to hold out as long as possible before i fully convert and start using hashtags. Since i've been up at Miss Calah's so much over the past few weeks i've mostly been documenting her and the family (and little Miss Evie).

Little Miss Evie loves their new backyard and the summer evenings have been full of drawing with chalk, making friends with the Rollie Pollies, and playing with her car, airplane, and lawn mower.

We even took a couple of trips in "Ah' Eh'ee's car" (Aunt Emme's car in case you don't speak toddler) and Miss Evie was SO excited.

She's also a natural at collecting rocks.

A fascinating fact from the last week is that i've discovered a love of tea (don't you worry, it's all herbal). i think it's time to cut back on all of the soda but i still want something yummy to drink. i just bought the most darling, cozy looking mug that just has "tea" written all over it! it actually says "coffee" all over it, but whatever. The Celestial Seasonings berry teas are delicious and warm and cozy. Basically just perfection in a mug.

My love of baking is starting to expand from cupcakes to other baked goods; i just made my first ever bundt cake and it turned out absolutely AMAZiNG! Just check out that beauty:

Life lately is pretty darn fab, if i do say so myself.

sometimes we change

Sometime we change. Sometimes it's together; other times it's apart.

The hard part is accepting that this change is inevitable. it's difficult learning to be ok with it. But eventually you realize that it wasn't only one person changing; it's been both of you all along.

While neither of you really saw it as it was happening, the moment has arrived to accept that it did indeed happen. The change occurred. Now what?

Now you keep going. Keep changing. Keep living. You may have grown apart a little bit. But you haven't lost each other.

Maybe the change is for the best. Maybe it's supposed to heal the wounds, help the scar tissue build.

Then maybe you'll change together again.

For now, don't stop changing. it's a good change; even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment. it may feel like your heart has been ripped out, or maybe your stomach is in knots, or maybe you're on the verge of a panic attack at the thought of this mighty change.

But change it is. And you CAN make the best of it. Because, most likely, it's for the best. For both of you.

For Rent signs and the crazies, they'll getcha...

...with their rude personalities!

You would think that someone who has a For Rent sign in their yard/window would be more than willing to let you come in and take a look at what the apartment has to offer. Or if they simply think you HAVE to schedule an appointment then they would let you know in a polite manner.

But no.

During the Great Apartment Hunt of 2013 Miss Momo and i went to multiple apartments where Provo is apparently stashing all the crazies. The first place (where i scheduled the original appointment) was adorable. The girl selling the contract was actually normal and super cute.

Then we went wandering (note: unless you're secure about yourself DON'T wander in Provo because you will be judged. Even by the crazies).

One girl gave us a tour like this: "This is our kitchen. Look at it. This is the hall closet. Look at it. This is the bathroom. This is the small bedroom. Look at it. This is my room, kinda messy. Look at it. i'll show you the upstairs bedroom. *proceed upstairs, past the kitchen* That's gross. *the girl in the room upstairs didn't want us to see her room. She gave a very curt "NO"* You can leave through the front door"

Seriously? First of all, we have eyes. OBVIOUSLY we are looking. Second, the look around had me bailing before i saw the rooms because i am NOT cleaning up after that kind of "gross" mess. Last, common curtesy dictates you show people to the door and see them on their way.

Every apartment we saw after that went very similar (minus the "look at it" bit). Thankfully we happened upon the apartment we've been searching for all along and we don't have to subject ourselves to the crazies anymore.

(Now, to be fair, maybe Miss Momo and i are the crazies because we still expect those kinds of manners from people. But still).

"time sighed"...

i had the chance to start rereading my absolute favorite book again today. oh, how i love love!

"Beyond reason, beyond any sane rationalization, beyond anything reasonable, she was having her door currently opened by a man who she absolutely knew wasn't what he was pretending to be. 
    He held out his hand to help her out of the car. 
    And time stopped. 
    She wasn't one to indulge in thoughts of magical moments or slices of time where Karma was doing what she did, but she was left with no choice but to acknowledge that she was, unwillingly and with a good deal of unease, facing one of those moments. The world had gone still and quiet, as if it along with time held its breath for something monumental to happen. 
    Tess didn't dare look at John to see if he was wrapped up in the same bit of stardusty sort of stuff she was. She simply took a very careful breath and put her hand in his. 
     As if she'd done it a million unthinking, unremarkable times before. 
    Only she hadn't. 
    Time sighed."


(the link will take you to the B&N listing for the book One Magic Moment by Lynn Kurland where this excerpt is from)

cupcake redemption & a fabbity-fab-fab day

Did i say i would make beautiful cupcakes, or what? Check it out!

 i made sure to get the ingredients for the chocolate-sour cream cupcakes (i have NEVER had a bad batch of these) and then i got so excited at how beautifully they were baking that i went all out with the frosting. Each cupcake was double-dipped in chocolate ganache, cooled, and then frosted with a half-and-half frosting (half buttercream, half cream cheese) before they were drizzled with chocolate and butterscotch ganaches. Well, not each cupcake is the same as you can see. Some people don't like butterscotch so i left it off a few; and i did run out of frosting so i left some with just chocolate ganache because that is ALWAYS delicious.

i'd also gotten some cupcake boxes so that i could present them to a few lucky souls in the most beautiful of packaging. i added the refrigeration reminder and my mini logo (which i designed - or doodled - a couple of weeks ago).

i also designed a normal logo which i'm just loving! it's changed a smidge since i first drew it with a sharpie and some highlighters but this is the basic concept.

AND Mama Toth made the most genius of comments today and told me that i should get these trademarked so no one else uses them before i can actually get a business up and rolling. in talking with one of my friends it turns out he knows quite a bit about the ins and outs of starting a business (as he's done his own) and he's more than willing to help me. Huzzah!

That combined with the excitement of a cupcake decorating FHE this coming Monday where i get to make the cupcakes, a FANTASTiC day at work, AND i got to wear my new (and extremely comfortable) maxi skirt and jean jacket, AND i started rereading one of my favorite books just makes for fabbity-fab-fab day!

Life is good. Life is great. Life is fab!

oh, how the cupcakes have turned

Today's attempts at baking fell....flat. Maybe the cupcakes sensed my excitement at finding another potentially phenomenal yellow cake recipe and thought it would be funny to make them volcano out of the tins.

Well guess what? it wasn't very funny. it was rather disappointing.

Which leads me to say that Yahoo! better check their recipes before claiming "it's the only yellow cake recipe you'll ever need". Psh! NOT TRUE. 1 FULL tablespoon of baking powder? Are you completely crazy? Baking powder is what makes the product (in this case cupcakes) rise. A typical recipe calls for maybe 1 1/2 teaspoons at the most. This recipe called for TWiCE that; it made me iffy but i figured i would try it out and see what happened.

it didn't work.

The frosting recipe associated with it on the other hand turned out rather delicious.

To go along with the frosting i decided i could just make some chocolate cupcakes and call it good. Except i didn't have sour cream for my go-to recipe so i used another.

Guess what? Those didn't turn out either. Just another sunken volcanic looking mess.

Oh, how the cupcakes have turned against me. No worries though, tomorrow is another day and they WiLL turn out beautiful. Just watch.

soda snobs

The other day Miss Calah and I were discussing the need for a refill on our fountain drinks when prices came up. The Gas-N-Go by the office offers 90₵ refills (and they have 50₵ Wednesdays so with tax your 44 oz. of awesome is only 53₵ with tax). 7-Eleven offers 95₵ refills with no known Day of Greatness (Wednesdays, duh!) while Maverik’s refills are $1.06 and Sinclair’s are about $1.10.

So, by far, the Gas-N-Go is the best deal around. PLUS if you happen upon a Wednesday (which you will do every seven days) then you are even luckier because you get a 53₵ drink AND 53₵ day-old bread from Jimmy John’s (now what could possibly top that??)

During mine and Miss Calah’s discussion I realized that it might be kind of sad that we know all these prices. But do we care? Not really. Because we love our fountain drinks.

And for that matter, we’re rather particular about our soda too. Generally whoever has the best soda mix is where we’ll go until another gas station steps it up (who wants to pay for icky soda?) 

You may wonder, “how on earth can the sodas be different? If it’s Dr Pepper then it’s Dr Pepper, if it’s Mt. Dew then it’s Mt. Dew”. But you would be wrong. Here’s why.

While every gas station and restaurant are all provided with the same ingredients (syrup and carbonated stuff) they don’t always MIX them the same. The perfect soda is a very delicate ratio of syrup to carbonation. Too much syrup and your soda tastes flat, too little syrup and there’s no flavor whatsoever.

And then there’s the Christiansen Mix: 1/3 Dr Pepper, 2/3 Diet Coke. If you’re drinking this (which you should because it’s delicious) then you now have TWO soda ratios to worry about. Not to mention if the syrup goes out completely. Those are always the saddest drink runs because you then have to alert an employee, wait for them to change the syrup, and then run the soda nozzle to get the air bubbles out. It’s a whole process.

Now, you’re probably thinking that we’re completely crazy (and you might be right. Most likely you are). The truth is we’ve always been like this. Back in high school I had the list of what was the best Dr Pepper (I was “purest” back then). Chick-Fil-A always ALWAYS had the best DP ($1.79 with tax until they raised their prices). Then Wendy’s could be counted on to be a good second place although their drinks are way overpriced. McDonald’s snuck up to second place when they came out with $1 any size drinks. Then it was Sonic (I just loved their ice at the time but their service is slower as all get out) and lastly you could depend on a bottle of DP before a can.

Back then I also didn’t frequent the gas stations hardly ever. I have no idea why. But Misses Calah and Shannee have taught me their ways of greatness and for that I am ever so grateful.

music pt. 14

if you know me but at all then you know how much i love instrumentals (Riverdance? Yes. Gavin Mikhail? Of course. Lindsey Stirling? Heck to the yes!), soundtracks (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Transformers, etc...), and the like.

Well i recently saw Safe Haven with Misses Momo and Kirsten (and loved it by the way! So much that i bought it right away when i found out it was already on DVD). i also downloaded the soundtrack and musical score right when i got home. it's just got that lighthearted, love-y, spring-y thing going on. And i love it!

So here you go! 2013's spring-y musical faves! (note: not ALL of these are in Safe Haven. But they do follow the vibe).

Brandi Carlisle "Heart's Content"

 Tristan Prettyman "Say Anything"

David Choi "By My Side"

Ingrid Michaelson "You and I"

The White Buffalo "Sleepy Little Town"

The Hush Sound "Echo"

 

the office: i want that

Ok, so i don't want an office environment like in The Office. While it's hilarious to watch, i don't know if i could handle a boss like Michael Scott.

However.

As i watch the hilariosity ensue, the characters develop, the story unfold, relationships begin and end and continue, i just can't get over Jim and Pam's relationship. How freaking cute are they? Too cute, that's how much (considering cuteness isn't a measurable "object" it's amazing that you can be too much of it). So ya. Jim and Pam? Adorable. And realistic; you see these movie romances which are great but would never ever happen. This is just a couple of best friends who make each other laugh because they're the same kind of goofy and they get each other. And THAT is what i want; simple, real, meaningful, thoughtful, silly, and all the good things. :)

18 and 22

This is a very special weekend due to the fact that it holds both mine and Ethypoo's birthdays. i get my day and then the next is his. it's a pretty big deal for us considering we're best buds.
 
Aren't we cute?

But these aren't just any birthdays, Ethypoo is a legal adult now. That little guy (who really isn't so little anymore) is 18. Weird! And if pictures are any indicator he hasn't changed too much since he was a kiddo...

Then:

Now:

Still rockin' the shades (what you don't see in the Then picture is that he's also riding one of dad's walking canes like a horse. it got cut out due to having to crop myself out of this picture because i was really looking like a wonky with some scarves and dress-up craziness).

And me? Well i'm...22!

This year is so great that there's even a song dedicated to it. Heck yes! Normally i don't really feel all that different on my birthday but this year is a little weird. Last year i became an actual adult, like with the landscape drivers license and everything. But this year? That's old news! i'm just a regular old grown-up now.

Which, "grown-up" is more an indicator of my age than how i act all the time considering i still make blanket forts to do my homework in and i make make-believe potions with the kids i babysit. But those kinds of throwbacks are for another post.

This year's celebrations consisted of the greatest things in life: family, best friends, FRIENDS (the TV show), books, baking paraphernalia, clothes, nacho (a classic Toth family dish) and German Sweet Chocolate Cake.

Crushed it!

the comfiest outfit in the world

Recently Miss Calah bestowed upon me The Comfiest Outfit in the World. Just look at this and tell me it isn't the comfiest outfit in the whole wide world.

You can't.

Because it is.

Now, this is actually slightly modified because originally it's a Voyant Tech sweatshirt but i was feeling the Police Academy t-shirt.

But check out those duck slippers. Ya, if you could just contain your jealousy a bit that'd be great ;)

taco bell or little caesar's? that is the question

Whilst out shopping with Miss Momo we had the following conversation trying to decide between Taco Bell and Little Caesar's pizza for dinner (We needed something cheap. We are still college students after all):

Momo: i am going to ask you three questions and from your answers we'll know which one you're craving more.

Me: Haha sounds good.

Momo: First question. What...were you doing at 11am this morning?

Me: Ummm...data entry?

Momo: Did it take a long time? (the first question was two parts)

Me: Ya, kind of. it's a project i'm still working on.

Momo: Ok. i am analyzing that answer. Now. if you could take a trip anywhere at all today, well tomorrow actually because today is over, where would you go?

Me: Scotland.

Momo: Ok....and if you were a shape what shape would you be?

Me: Ummmm....a diamond. Even though technically my teacher told us we're not supposed to call them that. it's a "rhombus". Well i think "diamond" is cooler.

Momo: interesting, ya. Well let me just compute your answers and we'll know where you want to eat. *pretending to fiddle with a computer* Ok so i'm just trying to see any kind of similarity in these.

Me: Do you want Cinnamon Twists?

Momo: Ya i'm kind of leaning towards Taco Bell but your answers were very clearly stating Little Caesar's.

Me: Hahaha Taco Bell it is.

 Ya. This is how we make decisions.

just call me E

i got to spend this last weekend with one of the cutest little girls ever: Miss Evie.

She's reached the age where she can mostly say your name. Like Ma, Da, Mar (this is for both Mark and Maverik), and Kin (pronounced keen, like in King). And me? Just call me E.

All weekend whenever she wanted me it was ""E, E, E!" Which speaks right to my little heart because that's adorable.

loving looks (the kind on tv)

i've recently begun watching The Office on Netflix (turns out they have the first 8 seasons. Score!). Aside from being absolutely hilarious, the relationship between Pam and Jim is freaking adorable. There's something about the way that Jim looks at her. i mean, he just adores her. And i love that.

(Now they just need to be together. Which i know happens eventually thank heavens because Roy is stupid-head).

summer 2013 bucket list (pt. 3)

7. Order dessert first at a restaurant

Tonight the ArmyMan made a special trip down to my part of Utah so we could have dinner before he leaves for a three-week training. When i asked what would be on the evening's agenda he responded with, "hmmm..what do we still need to cross off your list?" (adorable, right? right). After listing off the items available he thought dessert first would be our goal; and so it was done.

We decided Chili's would adequately help us complete the task because their dessert menu just rocks your socks off. Molten Chocolate Cake? Yes, please! i think the wait staff thought we were a bit crazy because of our order. This surprises me because you'd think more people would want to have their dessert first. it's not THAT obscure of a request, is it?

Anywho. We essentially scarfed our food down like there was no tomorrow; i was just really hungry and the ArmyMan hadn't eaten since breakfast. i think you can understand the hunger.

All in all, a lovely meal (even though it was backwards) and a fantastic night hanging with the ArmyMan.

Item 7? Check!

(on a side note, i realized i'm really bad at documenting adventures in pictures. Something to work on, ESPECIALLY for the paragliding)

late-night spend-overs

Spend-over = the equivalent of a sleepover or spend-the-night. Miss Momo's niece, Arden, calls them spend-overs so we've adopted the word too.

Miss Momo and i love spend-overs. Especially the unplanned kind because it's generally super late and spontaneous (and who doesn't love spontaneity?)

These were fairly common when we were roommates and we'd end up falling asleep watching TV or just chilling in the living room. When morning came (and by morning i mean when we decided to wake up because it was technically morning when we went to sleep) we would have a cereal party. it was always grand.

Last night ended up with another late-night spend-over. We ended up watching House at the End of the Street with Miss Kirs and Bingo and Little J which made neither of us want to sleep alone. So we crashed on her couch and watched Gilmore Girls and talked.

i didn't realize how much i missed that. Just being able to talk about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING; school, boys, future plans...Just talk. At least the time for spend-overs isn't over.

wonky: it's a word

Wonky:

1 British : unsteady, shaky

 

2 chiefly British : awry, wrong

 

Lately i've been using the word "wonky" quite a bit and i think it's quite hilarious. i had thought that i just made it up because i honestly don't remember hearing it anywhere. And THEN i was reading a blog that i follow and the fabulous blogger used the word "wonky"! i was elated at the fact that i am not the only one using this word; this led to Googling said word to see if anyone else uses it. Turns out it's British slang. Check that out! (Although i don't know if anyone else uses it as a noun. But whatever)

flirty findings

Tonight i went on a drink run with Miss Chaela and Miss Ariel (Miss Chaela's family calls it "getting a bev". Adorable, right?) and as we were getting in the car to come back to the apartments Miss Chaela goes "Emme, can i tell you about an awesome compliment you received the other day?" Rather surprised to here this i said "Sure?" because i really didn't know who would be talking about me or why, but by all means compliments are fab!

She tells me she'd been hanging out at one of the guys' apartments a little ways back (within the last week, i believe) and the conversation turns to girls and dating and whatnot. Kind of a dating panel situation where you can just ask whatever you feel and someone will give you an honest answer. These conversations can be rather handy when you actually have both genders represented but at the same time you can't always follow the advice to a T because everyone's different. Anywho. Dating conversation. Miss Chaela asks what it is about some girls that they just get asked out a lot (because you have the obvious super-hot-gorgeous chicks who you know just get asked out all the time, but then there are girls who are just absolute dolls and super cute such as yourself and you wonder what they're doing that you aren't kind of thing). The guys discuss a few qualities and then one of them (Hawaii #1) says "you just need to be like Emme. Like, she's the perfect balance of being sweet and showing she's interested without being overbearing". Huh. According to Hawaii #1 i'm the perfect flirt. Which really is quite the compliment (especially considering he's quite the dater). So ya. interesting because i don't consider myself to be all that expert in flirting or dating by any means but i try to be fun and just not too analytical about it (which is a challenge because over-thinking is easy to do). But ya. Apparently i'm good?

cupcakes expanding

The last few months (this whole semester, pretty much) i've had a difficult time finding the motivation to bake cupcakes (which is strange because i LOVE to bake). i would want to and then realize i didn't have half the ingredients or i couldn't decide on a recipe or i was just so tired after school and work that standing for a few hours while baking didn't sound appealing. So i only ended up actually baking a few times.

Well that has all changed. My dear sister, Miss Kierston, gave me an early birthday present: a cupcake apron! it says "She who bakes takes the cake". Perfect.

This (and my recent obsession with Cake Boss) have led to a whole new drive for baking cupcakes!

Last night's creation was Chocolate Sour-Cream Cupcakes (my absolute favorite chocolate recipe!) and chocolate buttercream. Now the buttercream is the key here because i came up with it ALL ON MY OWN! And i kid you not, it tastes exactly like my mom's homemade fudge! Done and done, my absolute fave cupcakes.

i also decided to mess around with decorating and just do whatever i felt like; hence, the mish-mash of everything known to mankind in this one batch of cupcakes.

So be prepared, world, because it's summer and the cupcakes are coming!

summer 2013 bucket list (pt. 2)

11. Eat a whole roll of Hubba Bubba bubble gum at one time

This last weekend began the endeavor that is my Summer 2013 Bucket List. it started with getting Philly Cheesesteaks at DP Cheesesteaks with the ArmyMan who happens to be my bucket list buddy (because some of the items are just not as fun all by your lonesome). He asked what the items on the list were and decided that we should begin at once! So we did.

We began with "eat a whole roll of Hubba Bubba bubble gum at one time". Let me tell you, it is gross! And full of hilariosity. There we were sitting on the couch with our mouths completely full of gum; you can't talk or anything because your mouth it literally FULL. it really was hilarious until we began to feel like we might throw up and i started to laugh which made chewing the gum even more difficult and i felt like i might die (at which point we spit out the gum).

it was also fairly funny because ArmyMan was able to fit the gum in all at once and it took me about five bites to get my roll of gum to even fit in my mouth (this is one of those items that just really would make you look like a wonky to do it by yourself).

So there you have it. Item 11? Check!

"i like you"

Found this on Pinterest. i think it's adorable (hopefully you do too).

summer 2013 bucket list (pt. 1)

i have this bucket list. And it's beautiful. i printed a whole bunch of those "before i die" and "bucket list" pics you can find on Pinterest (and a bunch of other places on the internet) and then i organized them into categories and put them all together in a nice little red photo album. i've slowly (very very slowly) been checking them off with shiny star stickers and the dates the deeds were accomplished and any explanation i feel is necessary. i love this list.

What does this have to do with a 2013 to-do list? EVERYTHING! Because i have chosen 12 awesome "to-do's" and the goal is to complete this mini list before my cohort semester begins in the fall.

Can i do it? You betcha! Feel free to join in because let's face it, completing this list is going to be full of fun fun fun!

So without further ado, here's the goal:

1. own a mockingjay pin (for those who don't know what a mockingjay is, here's a link to The Hunger Games trilogy on Barnes&Noble. Buy it. Read it. Love it.)

2. go paragliding (you can do this in Utah at Point of the Mountain here)

3. drink from a coconut

4. eat enough Skittles to taste the rainbow

5. dye my hair a crazy color (the temporary kind over the weekend. i love my hair too much to do anything drastic)

6. see a platypus up close

7. order dessert first at a restaurant

8. paint roses red

9. find out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop

10. own a pair of nude pumps (aka high heels)

11. eat a whole roll of Hubba Bubba gum at one time

12. go to a drive-in movie (it's been years since i've been)

. . . .

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them” 

                  ~ Albert Einstein

a family trip and "see you soon"

Miss Shannee's wedding was last week and in honor of that my sisters from Colorado came out to visit. it was a glorious week of shopping, eating, late night conversations, and sleep overs. And the wedding shenanigans of course.

 The first night after all of the family had arrived we got to party it up with the Christiansen clan for Shannee and Jorgen's family dinner. it was the first time in probably 10 or so years that ALL of the Christiansen girls and ALL of the Toth girls were together in one place (in case you weren't aware that is a very long time and we thus had to celebrate this).

That night the nieces also got to have a very special spend-the-night at Auntie Em's apartment complete with nail painting, a cereal party, a massive sleepover in the living room, and watching Brave.

Zoey decided she was full of funny faces:

 

 

 The wedding followed the next day; there was much hustle and bustle to make sure everyone was ready (we did have about 10 people, almost all kids, to get to the temple in time to see the lovely couple). There was a lot going on at the temple and so many pictures being taken that i didn't get very many myself. But i did happen to catch Miss Calah, Little Miss Evie, and Miss Shannee cheesing it up super quick (aren't they beautiful?).

That very night my two oldest nephews had the grand opportunity of staying the night in Provo so that they could go to class with me on Friday. Stetson even said that he felt like he was already changing into an adult after he walked on some of the apartment stairs. Ya, it's that cool apparently. We did end up having a blast, me and the two boys. Our morning line up included breakfast at the CougarEat, meandering the book store and campus, and attending my one Friday class (Cognitive Development). Upon our travels we found that this very day the great people of BYU were creating the World's Largest Cardboard Castle. it was still under construction as we left, but they were doing a smashing job of creating the castle.

Now remember when i mentioned the Toth sisters being together finally (minus Miss Amber because they were in the process of moving and i think Tovah still had school, we did miss them terribly. And still do). But since the other four of us were together we celebrated the event with a Sisters' Night. These festivities were grand and all out fab. There was an absolute delish dinner at Chili's complete with chips & queso and dessert, a drink run to the Holiday (no not alcohol you crazies, drink run = fountain drinks aka heavenly elixir), and two whole episodes of The Vampire Diaries. it was pretty freaking awesome because we laughed basically the whole time and talked over each other and we were loud and it was great. Because that's just how we are.

 Easter also came early this last week because everyone had to leave before or on Easter itself. The kids got their Easter baskets and we all went to the park for an Easter egg hunt. it was pretty much the cutest thing because the little girls thought it was just the coolest thing ever, especially after they realized there was candy INSIDE the eggs. The hunt took a turn for being even more awesome when the adults began sliding on the curvy slides and Miss Kierston and Stetson began wrestling. i love my family :)

To top the whole weekend off Miss Calah and i had the grand opportunity of joining the Christiansen family for one last family dinner before Miss Shannee and Jorgen embarked on their next adventure across the Pond to Denmark (our family had already left back to Colorado at this point). One last drink run was made to 7-Eleven. We piled into the truck (literally) and it's one of my favorite adventures.

So as far as our goodbyes went it's "see you soon, Miss Shannee!" because "soon" sounds a lot better than "later" and it really isn't goodbye.

life lately

i had this whole idea in my head about how this post was going to so eloquently describe how my life has been lately. And then i went shopping and i can't bring to mind the eloquence of those thoughts. So, sorry; you're just gonna have to deal with my random ramblings.

Life has been good. Great even. Only four weeks of class left and i still have A's in all of my classes (since when is that even possible any more?)

i registered for a teachers conference that's in Provo next month which sounds absolutely AMAZING: tons of great speakers talking about what's actually going on in schools nowadays. Who could say no to that? Not me.

One of the guys at work also got me an interview with his kids' principal for a possible student-teaching position! Seriously?? Yes. Which means i just have to actually meet with her and then talk to my adviser if it's even possible to pick the school i student-teach at since i've already got a contact there. i'm honestly crossing my fingers (and trying not to squeal) at the possibility of this happening.

Could life be more fab right now? (i do hope you read this in your best Chandler voice). The answer? Yes, yes it can. Recent developments in my dating life tell me i'm actually a pretty fab person to date (which, let's face it, we all knew but now we know that the boys are aware of this too haha).

So life lately? Well it's just fab :)

Saturday mornings

Due to the snow (because it's the first week of spring and that obviously makes sense) i spent my morning watching cartoons and eating Fruity Pebbles.

It was grand; apart from the depressing fact that Saturday morning cartoons nowadays terribly suck. i ended up on Disney Junior with Jake and the NeverLand Pirates. Now i do love this cartoon because it's in NeverLand and just so dang cute. But seriously. What happened to Sonic the Hedgehog, Recess, Static Shock, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh? We had Pepper Ann, Doug, and the good superheroes. Justice League? Of course! Yet somehow society thought those weren't good enough and now there are about two channels that were even playing cartoons. How depressing.

think a happy thought

imagine you're really upset. You could be mad, sad, whatever; you're just super upset. And someone (maybe you) is telling you "think a happy thought" or "go to your happy place". Turns out that this advice is scientifically sound. Or at least it's been supported through research (the scientific community does NOT like the word 'proven' very much, so watch yourself when you're telling your friends about this awesome information).

According to State Dependent Memory, an event can trigger an emotion and the emotion can trigger other memories associated with that emotion. Let's go back to being upset. You're driving along and someone cuts you off. A small act, yes, but it still upsets you. Feeling upset, you suddenly remember how earlier that day someone at the office ate your lunch. Or you bombed the quiz in class. it's a vicious cycle of upsetting events.

How do you end this cycle, you ask? Well let me tell you!

THINK A HAPPY THOUGHT! 

Peter Pan is singing to you right now to think of a wonderful thought (no you won't fly, so don't attempt it. The happy thought will assist your mood).

if you can break the vicious cycle and come up with something good that happened that day (or maybe even last week) then that happy thought can trigger the happy emotions and a glorious cycle of joy will fill your mind. You'll remember the quiz you aced last week, the time you brought the most delectable left-overs to work, the fact you get to go to Joe Bandido's tomorrow, how you're ahead on your reading for class, there's an extra episode of your fave show on Hulu....it'll just continue. And so will the happy mood.

This is one of the secrets to happiness, folks! You're welcome :)