".....and I said hey yea yea eh eh, hey yea yea, I said hey, what's going on?"- 4 non-blondes

What's up with me? I'm glad you asked! Here's what's going on in my world!



I'm in my last quarter at Big Bend, I applied for graduation and as far as my counselor and I are concerned I'm all set to receive my 2 year degree in June. Now, I realize it's just an associates degree, but I'M SOOOOOOOOO EXCITED! It feels good to be so close to accomplishing something.....and it only took me what? 4 years to do it!!!!!


That's me though, always on time (wink, wink).


The middle of April, Angie's sister Kim and her daughter Elsie flew into Seattle and we made a little road trip out of it and hit up some hot spots, like the Woodland Zoo, Seattle's children's museum, and the Tulip festival. It was amazing, we ate some seriously delicious food, and made some serious memories! Angie who is apparently a star sighting magnet, spotted Dave Mathews at the Zoo on the carousel with his youngest son, she pointed him out to me, and I couldn't believe it at first, but after I got another good look, I was so excited, I wanted to get a picture real bad, but Ang reminded me that he was with his family and that wouldn't be so cool, man I hate it when she's right!




Here's some shots from the Zoo....

Also, I'm not gonna say I had a deprived childhood (mainly because my Mom reads my blog and I don't want her to feel bad!) But I never had the chance to attend a Chuck E. Cheese as a child, so Angie and Kim being the saints they are decided it was something I should experience, so we hit up good old Charles E. Cheese, not for the kids we had in tow, but for me!

In fact it was kinda funny because, everything we did that weekend was mainly for the kids, but I think I may have out funned them! I had a blast, here's a few more pics from the weekend.......

Children's Museum

This is my most favorite shot of the whole trip!!!!

Tulip Festival

Big shout out to Angie's friend Liz, and her cousin Diane for housing us for the weekend they were the best hosts and it was a pleasure meeting them and their families!

Just this past weekend I hit up the great state of Utah! I've been attempting a trip there to visit friends for what seems like forever, finally the stars aligned and I found a cheap one way ticket, and then drove back with my buddy Kelly Hodges.

I got to spend some quality time with Kelly's cousin Vanessa, whom I absolutely adore!

 As well as my old friends Callie Lybbert and Kyle Jackson, which is always a treat! (Callie and I forgot to take pictures of our excursion, sad day! Love you anyway Cal!) 

Kyle and I did some improv bowling and he schooled me! This is him Bowling like a nerd to impress a girl!!!

The weekend was pretty laid back, as always I ate like a queen and got a sweet tour of the BYU campus.

yep, that's a naked Indian, apparently the honor code only applies to students!

 Cousin V and I had a little date night at the Gateway mall and we ended up watching "The Last Song", just as I had expected Miley Cyrus sucked BIG TIME! Although I have to admit, there was one scene that actually kinda got to me, and Miley's acting was somewhat believable. Cousin V and I actually shed some serious tears, but that's to be expected I mean it is Nicholas Sparks!

The 11 hour drive home with Mr. Hodges was an experience, Kelly has taken upon himself the role of the brother I never had, and wasted no time finding ways to punch me at random, and gross me out, but he did take me to Tocano's for lunch, so all is forgiven!

 Just a side note, I love Utah, it's beautiful and there's lots of  stuff to do and great places to eat, and some of my most favorite people live there, but I definitely received no impressions to make it my home. There comes a time in a Single LDS girls life when she reaches that age where it feels like you've got to move somewhere in order to find a husband and you think "Hey Utah has a lot of single Mormons, maybe moving there will solve all my problems!" Uh, not so much, I've known plenty of people who have proved that theory wrong! I thought it was a place I'd like to go, but I no longer feel that way.

So what's coming up next?......priority #1 is I need to find a summer job and from there....well, I've officially decided that I should only talk about things that are definite, that are all set up and ready to go, that way it's not so disappointing if things fall through, and you don't have to explain yourself.


 In other words, I don't know yet, I've got some "irons in the fire" but nothing absolute, but I will let you know, when I know!

"You know how they say we only use 10 percent of our brains? I think we only use 10 percent of our hearts."- John Beckwith "Wedding Crashers"

I crashed a wedding last Thursday! I never met the happy couple before, I knew 2 people that were actually invited, and it was....... well not as sweet as the movie makes it look, but that's probably because I wasn't lookin' to hook up with hot chicks, so you know whatever!


The upside is, it wasn't your typical LDS wedding reception with the line, the after dinner mints and the crazy sherbet/7-up punch we love so much! This was a pretty classy event and my only pet peeve was the choice of songs selected for their mini dance party they had at the end of the night All this gave me the inspiration for my top 5 list for this Tuesday.



without further adieu today's theme for Top 5 Tuesday is.................................



"Top 5 Most Overplayed Songs @ Weddings!"




1. "When You Say Nothing At All" by Allison Krauss and Union Station









I sang this song at not 1 but 2 wedding receptions in the same year, this song lost it's appeal to me though when it replaced "Lady in Red" as the go to slow song at stake dances, so whenever I hear it now it takes me back to all the times I stood alone along the wall trying to make myself look available for a dance, but nobody takin' the bait! Hmm.... perhaps that's really why I hate it so much?








2. "At Last" by Etta James









I think this song should strictly be played at weddings of people
 over 50 who've never been married, it's a little more fitting, I have a hard timing believing this song when it's played at the weddings of people in their early 20's..... really? really? at last your love has come along, like you've really been waiting that long?......doubtful!








3. "God Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts







I admit it, I got sucked in and thought this may have been the sweetest love song ever written, but when everybody started jumping on the train and thinking that song was written just for them, it got old fast! Sorry Rascal Flatts you still win my heart with "I Melt" though!






4. "From This Moment" by Shania Twain feat. Bryan White





I think Shania may have the record for most overplayed songs by one artist of all time, I could make her music, an overplayed Top 5 all on it's own! But this song, ever since it came out apparently became the only love song duet in recorded music history! Oh and don't even get me started on when she crossed over and she took Bryan White out of the song completely, this song needs to be retired ASAP, it is too obnoxious to still be used!





5. "Pachelbel's Canon" aka "Canon in D major" by Johan Pachelbel








I sometimes wonder if composers would die a new death if they realized what their works were best known for. For example, would Benny Goodman be happy or disappointed that whenever "sing sing sing" came on it made people wanna eat cookies? Or when you hear Aaron Copeland's "Rodeo" you automatically say "Beef it's what's for dinner!" Same with Pachabel, would he be OK that his Canon in D is the opening act for Wagner's "Bridal Chorus"? I don't know, but I can't figure out why with all the various classical pieces to choose from Pachebel's Canon gets played like it's the only one that exists! Time to switch it up people!








So.............did I miss one? what songs do you roll your eyes at when they come on at weddings?

"A hero is someone we can admire without apology."- Kitty Kelley

Moses Lake is pretty void of cool places to shop, If it's not at Wal-Mart, Fashion Bug, or Maurice's, you gotta head for the big cities because Mo-town is out of options! Now I am a girl that loves her accessories, clothes can only take you so far, and it's what you accessorize with that really makes or brakes an outfit... Am I right ladies?

That is why my My Monday Hero is Miss Angela Clay

Angie owns the store Liberating Style,I do not know exactly what brought her here to quite possibly the most fashionably challenged area of Washington, but I am extremely thankful she found her way and managed to find a reason to stay. For about 3 years now I have frequented her shops and booths, and I am never disappointed in all the sweet stuff I find! Some of my most treasured accessories have come from her, and I feel the need to praise her for aiding me in my constant quest for cute stuff!

It's not just her store that I love, This lady is truly amazing to me, If I had to describe Angie in one word it would be Industrious! On her website http://www.liberatingstyle.com not only can you find her online store, but she has a Fashion Magazine, as well as blogs, photos, and videos all geared towards plus size woman who don't want to be left out of the fashion world. It seems like every time I see her she is always working on something, or trying to figure out someway to bring a little more urban culture our way and you know I'm not mad at that!  

I've purchased a variety of different things from this place, but here are a few of my favorite finds, from one of my favorite stores.

My Winter Pea Coat that has kept me warm the last 3 winters........ a Liberating Style purchase!

remember these?......... courtesy of you know who

I call this my Superbowl ring

And lastly........ possibly my greatest get of all time

One part snake, one part zebra, it's my "Snebra" purse in bright green!

If I had to pick one thing I owned that embodied my personality it would be this purse!

Everywhere I go people stop me and say "Oh I love that bag", "where'd you get that purse?" and yada yada yada! At the zoo, at the mall, at the movies, at church, the list goes on and on, this purchase may have been the greatest decision of my life!

And I owe it all to Angie and her incredible eye for style! So, much praise to you Miss Clay, thank you for bringing fashion to the basin, thank you for giving all us big girls an opportunity to feel cute, and thank you for reminding me that it's all about making the best with what you got!

You are my Hero!

"It's been a long time coming, but I know a change gon' come!"- Sam Cooke

This blog has been in need of a makeover! I have had zero motivation to do anything on it, because I'm just not inspired, lots of stuff has been going on, but I have managed to shirk all opportunities to write about them.

And it never fails......everytime I read Sis. Payne's blog, I think man I really wish I had themed days, so I always have something to inspire me.

So, I don't care how completely unoriginal I'm being, Starting next week it's a whole new Big Girls Need Love Too...... I hope you don't mind the theft of the theme idea, but you know since when have I shy'd away from that?

Here's a breakdown of the days.....

"My Hero"Monday-

I love to give shout outs to people that inspire, or impress me, or even just make my life happier! I picked this theme because It seems to me I'm always thinking about people I want to pay homage to, because they dazzle me with their character, so you can expect pictures and stories about a new person each week, that has done something I think is amazing!

"Top 5"Tuesday-

This is the first of the "Not from Emily" ideas.... if you've read my blog before I bet you can guess who I stole this idea from.  The Top 5 list idea came from Angie (shocking!) via the movie High Fidelity, the characters in the movie are always spotting off top 5 lists usually themed towards music because they work in a record shop. but anyway Angie has always said it's the perfect amount, sometimes there just aren't enough options to constitute a top 10, not to mention sometimes that gets long, top 5 is quick and to the point, and since I'm notorious for making things longer then I need to, I figure this is a great way to help me out with my long windiness! But be warned I may throw a top 10 in on occasion in case I wanna talk about favorite TV shows or food or outfits or something!

"What Up" Wednesday- 

Wednesdays will give me a chance to give updates on my life, things I'm doing or looking forward to doing, and a chance to post pictures of what's going on in my world... this could be the most boring day of all, so you may just wanna skip this day, I will not be mad!

"Thank You" Thursday-

Jimmy Fallon has a lot of great bits on his late night Talk show, but so far my all time favorite is when he writes his Thank you cards at the end of the week, it's always random, but hilarious, and I love the idea so I'm stealing it, (also my friend Katie does this same sort of thing on her blog which I think is super funny... so yet another friend I copy!) I am not as clever as Jimmy or his writers, and I do not have a member of "The Roots" playing  special Thank You mood music while my thoughts are read a loud, but I'll make due with what I got, you can't have it all right? 

"Flashback" Friday-

remember that "my life Through the 00's" blog I started but never completed, this is an excuse for me to bring that back, and also gives me a chance to finally post my embarrassing dance pictures, or some of the cool old photos of my parents and grandparents, Friday is my day to reminisce about the past.

So that's the new and improved blog from Emily.... hope you like it, and See ya next week!

"I Wanna Rock ' n' Roll all night, and party everyday!"- Kiss

It was Valentine's day weekend, and as usual I attempted to get everyone in Singles ward excited about another themed dance! Now this particular party I am especially proud of because I came up with everything all on my own, which is an unusual feet for me, because I am almost always stealing somebodies idea. . . . (mainly Angie). So I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment and it completely trumped the fact that I got zero play on Valentine's day ( I thought this was really gonna be my year! :))


Anywho. . . this years theme "the Headbangers Ball" and everyone was ordered to come dressed as their favorite "Rockstar" and or their own Rockstar persona!

I was super bummed because Miss Gwen in her usual genius came up with the plan for her and Meredith to be Axl and Slash from Guns N Roses. And I was left shaking my fist and wishing I'd thought of it first, so then I thought maybe I'll be Courtney Love, or Janis Joplin, or Brett Michael's circa Rock of Love. . . . none of which panned out or made me very excited, so finally two days to go until the big show and the idea hit me that I've wanted to be Lady Ga Ga for quite sometime, why don't I just be her? Sure it was a bit of a stretch considering it was "Rockstar" themed party and people were probably expecting something different from me, but everything for the costume fell into place (after a lengthy mental debate about whether or not I could work the no pants look.) and I was fired up about it, and decided forget what people think. . . . it's my dance right?





Here's what I came up with. . . . . . .

The Inspiration

The Imitation

I made those glasses myself thank you!!!!





I need to give a little shout out to the crew from Wenatchee that hit us up! Without their presence we would have been dead, so big ups to them for being the life of the party!

Here you see Axl Rose(Meredith), Steven Tyler (taylor Byington) and Slash (gwenny). Gwen made her Top hat out of felt and her hair out of black curling ribbon. . . . . . I don't know why she feels it necessary to out do me every time we do these things!!! but seriously. . . Brilliant I tell you brilliant!

Lady GaGa and Avril Levine aka Nette

Miss Stephanie Cobb and I posing for the Paparazzi!

Gotta love the faces in this pic!

I'm not sure how Alvin the Chipmunk fits into all this, but good work anyway Dan Heldt!

This is probably my favorite moment of the night. Bro. and Sis. Black are new leaders in our Singles ward, and they are a pretty quiet, conservative and a farely laid back couple, so you can imagine when they came waltzing into the dance dressed like this. . . . . . . .

It caused quite a stir. . . actually hardly anyone recognized them! It was pretty much the highlight of my night! This is the reason why I do this every year, because every time somebody steps out of their box, and completely surprises me with their commitment to the dress up theme!

A tip of the hat in your direction Bro. and Sis. Black!

The Kiss theme was a popular choice, but then again nothing says "Rock" more then them right? Major props to this foursome, because their costumes were magnificent!

Here is Jarna Knickerbocker and Derick Hines, Judging by this shot I think Jarna was miscast as Ace Freely. . . I mean look at that tongue!!!!!

GROUP SHOT!!!!! All six of them!

Daniel Justeson as Enrique and Kayla as Joan Jett

Mr. Perry is workin' that scarf!

Sarah Bryant and Keturah with a little bit of Lightning Mike in the background!

Victoria Alvarado lookin' totally outrageous!

Daniel looks ready to party, either that or somebody spiked the punch!

Looks like Taylor is serenading his table mates with a little "Dude Looks like a lady"

Rachel keepn' it Gangsta as always!

Please believe their was plenty of singing. . . . . . . . .

................Headbanging

. . . . . . and of course Air Guitar!

Meredith and Gwen. . . owning the air band competition!

The night was super fun and I couldn't have asked for a better activity! I think everyone came with great attitudes and so the party was a success. Biggest thank you ever to my "posse" for helping with set up and tear down. . . no balloons were lost in the process and if any of you know me and my luck, that is an impressive feet all in itself!

Well. . . . until next time

Peace out!

Oh and Happy Belated Valentine's Day!