Wowee wow wow.

I feel a little bit silly for it, but I am weeping tears down my cheeks! Good gracious.

Tonight was my last night in young womens. For a lot of girls, this is quite uneventful, or even a relief. It means they don't have to go to hour and a half long activities on Tuesday nights anymore. It means they can go to the singles ward. It does not mean that for me. There is no way I'm going to singles ward, and I may just instinctively accidentally drive myself over to mutual on Tuesday nights. I don't know if there was a point of maturity I was supposed to hit where I was supposed to be ready to get out of young womens, but I never hit it. Those people are my family, and I just feel like I'm going to be missing out on everything.

I feel like a broken record for saying it so much, but San Tan Valley has some incredibly strong, positive, loving, compassionate members of the church. And some rock star young women. They are top-notch.

I have honestly never felt so loved by such a group of people. The camaradere (I don't know how to spell that...) is awesome in our group of young women. These girls will reach out to anyone, no matter how quiet, shy, annoying, or just plain strange they are. They have the amazing maturity at a young age to see each other as their Heavenly Father sees them. They put their arms around each other. It is really actually touching to see. (Gosh dang it I'm crying again...)

And our leaders... Oh, the incredible women who lead us and taught us and took care of us!! Sis. Atkin taught me to take a good hard look at people and think about how much their Father in Heaven loves them. I will seriously NEVER forget that. And Sis. Crandell inspired me to want to go on a mission. Some of these women have influenced me SO SO much more than they even know!

And then they HAD to go and give me a cute present to purposely make me cry in front of everyone tonight! What the heck??

Haha. Just kidding. I loved it. They are sweet as candy (no pun intended. really.)

I'm just saying,

NOT bragging or ANYTHING.

But my young women experience was way more amazing than yours.

It has shaped me, and I will really, really, really miss it.

I'm going to go get another tissue.

life is a big fat road trip.

so, i finished my personal progress yesterday.

*commence happy dance*
did you know i have the coolest happy dance ever?
you may or may not have known that.
well, people compliment me on it, like, always. seriously.
SOOOANYWAYSSSSS.
yeah. i just have to get my bishops interview tomorrow, and then i have young women in excellence on tuesday, so hopefully i'll get that lovely little medallion that night,so yeah. i'll pretty much be a babe.
a humble babe.

oh yeah, i almost forgot. i have a story.
it's kind of an old story. but whatevs.
so on tuesday, i was innocently sitting in the computer lab for 3rd hour english 101.
i was working intently on a film review for the movie minority report, when i heard someone pull into the chair next to me and SIGH. i didn't really notice this kid, because hello, i was kinda in the zone, people. but soon, he started asking me questions about the essay, what the teacher was looking for, things like that. then he rolled his little rollie chair to the other side of the room. okayyy.
soon, however, this kid was back. he asked me my name, and i told him. he told me he noticed i had a flower in my hair. good observation. and then he rolled away again. i was beginning to be weirded out.
i returned to my work. he rolled over again, and just kind of sat there. not even working on his essay. then my wonderful princess-friend victoria walked in (she was delivering something for another teacher or something) and she talked to me for a few minutes, alleviating the situation of the random awkward kid next to me. but as soon as she left, he turned to me again..
"so can i take you to homecoming?"

the thoughts running through my head: "whyyyyyyy is this happening to meeeeeee...." "i don't even really want friends in this class. i'm anti-social, and i want to work on my ESSAYS." and "i. don't. even. know. this. kid's. name."

i turned to him and tried to smile. "you know, i don't really know you. i don't feel comfortable going to homecoming with someone i've barely met."
he replied in the middle of my sentence, "oh, that's fine, that's fine, that's totally cool.... so you wanna have lunch together?"
I tried to answer, "I uhh--"
"Yeah, come on, yeahh?"
"Uh--"
"Okay. I deserve a hug. Gimme a hug."
sooooo i awkwardly (i didn't mean for it to be awkward, i was trying to be as friendly and nice and non-heartbreakerish as i could, but i was CERTAINLY not happy) put my arm around his back and immediately returned to my essay. then sporatically throughout the remainder of the period:
"hey so what do you like to do in your freetime?"
"you're really really pretty. maybe we should hang out."
"what's your favorite kind of music" (and when i told him i liked country best), "oh, COUNTRY? lame. i'm going to get you into rap."
yeah. this is NNNOOOTTT gonna fly.
i DEFINITELY did not get as much of that essay done as i would have liked to.
as class ended, the following conversation happened:
emily: "um, i need to go to my mom's classroom to get something from her."
kid: "oh, okay, can i come with you?"
emily: "i think i'll be fine on my own, thanks."
emily walks away faster than she ever has before.

so then i ran to my mom's classroom and whined the whole story to her.
"and now he's waiting for me out there! i wanna hide!"
"emily, it's just a boy. you are such a freak."
"yes, well. alright."
something like that.

so i went to lunch. ate at my regular lunch table. stood the kid up. and oh, yeah. my mom is friends with my 3rd hour teacher so i made her figure out for me what this kid's name was.

the next day, i went to the computer lab and sat by a girl who seemed nice and normal to me. i was left in peace the whole class period to make up for my lack of productivity the day before thank you very much. but at the end of class, he approached me.
"so was that a yes or a no?"
"yeah, uh, i'm sorry. i'm just really not interested right now. i'm not dating anyone, and i don't plan on it this year. that's all."
"yeah, me neither. totally too busy for that."
..okay. so i offered friendship:
"you can, uh, eat at my table with my friends if you'd like. that'd be cool."
"well, no, i don't know your friends. that would be awkward!"
i wanted to slap the kid. THAT would be awkward? how about the last 24 hours of my life?
so the next day he asked for my number, and since a few people had told me to not be a jerk, i gave it to him. i told him i only wanted to text on it, and he said he didn't have texting. which i think was a blessing. i have gotten a couple of voicemail messages, and if he asks, hey, i told him texting only.

i wish i went to an all-girls school, for aspiring mormon nuns.

All I want is to rock your soul.

I love this church. I love everything about this peaceful, wonderful, involved, perfect church.

{Rock Your Soul by Elisa}

You bargain for a teapot in the shape of an owl.

Emily Jardine's life=

Online computers class

+

Personal Progress

+

Harry Potter.

That's all.

Oh yeah. I came up with a theory.

Remember the huboob last week?

I think the Death Eaters conjured that thing up and concealed themselves inside it and dropped off at various movie theaters in the valley so that they could demolish all of Harry Potter's followers before tomorrow night when we finally see their embarrassing defeat.

Which is really rude. Death Eaters are such sore losers...

Whatever. I'll be there at this time tomorrow, with my wand, so I can basically take anything they throw at me. Don't worry, guys. We're good.

{Ooh La La by Priscilla Ahn}

You can always count on me to make you better.

Girls camp...

Girls camp is early morning stops at QuikTrip for strawberry milkshakes.

Girls camp is spending 3 hours in a car, laughing until you hurt.

Girls camp is smearing shaving cream all over each others hair, faces and butts.

Girls camp is 19 lovely daughters of God gathered under one... campsite.

Girls camp is singing at the top of your lungs about mooses drinking juices, shaving your legs, Mormon boys, and Princess Pat's rickabamboo. Day in and day out.

Girls camp is reading the beehives bedtime stories. Because you lovey-love them.

Girls camp is hiking through horsey meadows and dodging pokey branches and crawling around caves.

Girls camp is reading letters from loved ones.

Girls camp is beautiful leaders who tell you they love you on practically a daily basis.

Girls camp is sneaking anonymous warm fuzzies into a leader's cubby because you love them so dang much.

Girls camp is late-night scripture study with the best Laurel adviser. EVERRRR.

Girls camp is cuddling with beehives in a blankie because it's actually cold at night. In Arizona. In the SuMmEr?!

Girls camp is midnight giggles about who can do the best impression of Brett when he loses an argument {me}.

Girls camps is marvelous cooks making marvelous foods.

Girls camp is taking sneak pictures of Brother Sevy because he kind of

resembles Mr. Fredrickson from Up. We love Brother Sevy.

Girls camp is almost crying because the beehives held hands and sang the camp song in their skit. Those are my girls.

Girls camp is patting beautiful beehives on the head because they're just so dang cute.

Girls camp is constantly reenacting scenes from Kid History, Marcel the Shell, and Nacho Libre.

Girls camp is laughing at Bishop getting knocked into a cold pond by his own first counselor.

Girls camp is being super competitive during game day.

Girls camp is beating the blue team's butts at game day.

Girls camp is getting a pantyhose leg full of flour stuffed down your shirt.

Girls camp is realizing makeup is for SQUARES.

Girls camp is raking leaves for a service project and turning it into a modeling op.

Girls camp is having the beehives tell you you're their favorite YCL because you brought them cotton candy to munch on while they waited for showers. And because you read them bedtime stories and share your blankie and pat them on their heads. No big deal.

Girls camp is getting realizing your feet look like they belong to children.

Girls camp is a plethora of spiritual experiences that remind you that you are a daughter of a king.

Girls camp is wearing bandanas and nerd glasses because you CAN.

Girls camp is re-falling in love with the beauty of Christ's creations.

Girls camp is pretty-pretty-please-ing leaders into taking you to Sonic for strawberry limeades on the way home.

Girls camp is just one more little manifestation that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the one and only true church on this earth, and the number one way to true happiness. :) I am so thankful that I am so lucky to be a part of this beautiful work.

Girls camp is becoming one.

Becoming one with yourself,

becoming one with each other,

and becoming one with Jesus Christ.

Or at least that was the theme anyway.

{Be Strong With Me by Jenny Phillips. It was our camp song}

P.S. My dream in life is to be a Beehive or Laurel adviser. {sorry Mia Maids. 14 and 15 year olds are super duper drama queens. Can't deal with it.} Really, anywhere in the young women program is good enough for me. Can I be in young women at 18 or 19 years old? Ehh? Ehhh?

P.P.S. Dude. There were SOO many pictures from this years girls camp. My friend Rachel took like 310. THREE-HUNDRED AND TEN. And there were also the legitimate pictures that the leaders made and put together on a disc for us. On that disc were 1,055 photos. 1,055! I had to make the decision to stop putting pictures on this post. Because seriously, these pictures aren't even the good ones. Whatevs.