1 married cousin
1 vacuumed floor
1 uneaten pizza
1 lost camera
1 frantic car search
1 found camera
1 tired Emily

= my extended weekend

Some days I have to remind myself that life will get better in a few days, just wait. But I’m realizing more and more that in the waiting, it doesn’t seem to lull. I guess that’s what happens when you transition into adulthood.

That wishful thinking was on my mind last week: just wait until the weekend, you’ll have a chance to relax and you’ll get a fresh start on Monday. That kind of thinking is what gets you into trouble. Well, I’m really not that superstitious, but I am becoming a devout believer in When-it-rains-it-pours-ism.

The torrential downpour of a weird day was this: My mom woke me up this morning to the news that my Papa (grandfather) had died in the night. I was waiting to hear “he collapsed, but he’s okay.” But it wasn’t the case this time. I was really close with Papa and hadn’t seen it coming, although his health wasn’t particularly good as of late. In my groggy, distraught state, I realized that this was the day that my brother had long-planned to propose to his girlfriend.

As the day nears its end, I am exhausted from the extreme emotions. In my experience with loss in the family, God has always blessed us. When my great-grandma died, my cousin Joshua was born about a month later. Today, I have a sister-in-law. And very recently, Matt and Megan’s fiance Matthew just joined in as well. It’s not right to say that it offsets the losses, but I count these people as huge blessings for these times.

Papa’s legacy was loving the Lord and loving others. His family reached far beyond our little unit. With the new families that are now starting to be made, I pray that we’ll take Papa’s legacy in stride.

Having rarely dealt with death much, I’ve always been somewhat bothered by the Christian attitude that it’s a time to celebrate, that he/she is in home with the Lord. Sometimes I feel people may misunderstand this idea and think we’re not mourning. As I told Matt tonight, I know he’s in heaven, but I have the right to be sad and cry for a while because I miss him down here. And I do feel deeply sad.

Yet, Papa was a man of God. I know he would want us to rejoice because he’s in heaven. All day I still didn’t feel like I was ready for this, but at church we sang a song that is helping me. It is because Jesus died for all of us that we don’t have to be afraid of death. Death has no power over God; it’s a temporary parting. We sang the following song at church tonight and I was able to rejoice in this fact. I wish everyone who has lost a loved one could know this level of comfort that comes from above.

Mighty to Save — Hillsong

Everyone needs compassion
Love that’s never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations

Chorus:
Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever, Author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender

Bridge:
Shine your light
And let the whole world see
We’re singing
For the glory of the risen King, Jesus

Little did I know how drastically my life would change after last Sunday. I realize now that my worries then were pretty insignificant now that I have to become self-sufficient, update a new blog and plan a wedding. On top of that, work has been more demanding lately and I’ve somehow managed to catch a cold. Every night when I come home from work I try to eloquently describe every detail of the proposal. But tiredness overwhelms me.

Yet as the days pass and I come to more fully realize my decision, I couldn’t be more happy. Matt and I make a great team. Every day I’ve learned a little more about how he orchestrated the proposal plan and it makes me feel even more special.

The most excited I’ve been since Sunday I think was when we went to Costco Tuesday night. (My parents often refer to us as the Costco Couple.) As we maneuvered the orange flats around the warehouse, I realized that no longer will we need to split up all the stuff we buy. And one day, hopefully in the near future, I will have a huge freezer to house all my ridiculously oversized food items. One can only dream.

So I hope to have my reactions to the proposal up sometime soon. You know, before I leave for LA for the two graduations (congrats Mike and Megan!) and the wedding (congrats Jeff!). Until then, I leave you with the first “engagement present” I recieved from my grandpa (Papa):

————
This post and others related to our engagement and wedding can be seen on http://emilyandmatt.org/blog.

I’ve tried thinking of creative ways to announce it, but none seem to do it justice. So I’ll just go and say it: I’m ENGAGED!! Those words are definitely worth the double explanation. The proposal was an absolute surprise–from the question popping to the tearful reaction to having family and close friends bursting out the door to congratulate us.

While I sort through everything, check out www.emilyandmatt.org for pictures and blogs by Matt.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. I just finished editing and uploading the pictures to my photo gallery. And although I didn’t bring home any eggs, the Easter Bunny delievered a basket to this 22 year old — filled with dark chocolate and candles. Man, that bunny knows me all too well.

People may judge me for still living with my parents. To them I say, A. I’m not that old so it doesn’t matter. And B. enjoy throwing your money away for rent. But this living situation has other perks, too. They are egg-shaped funfetti cupcakes with yellow frosting and butterfly sprinkles.

Jealous? I thought so.

I recently watched Stranger Than Fiction. While I don’t count steps to the bus or the strokes of brushing my teeth, it spoke to how my life is run by the man. My 40 hours per week ain’t that bad, but there’s just something about living and doing new things that keeps life interesting. But it turns out that I’ve actually had some interesting things going on lately. So, in order of how I remember them, some tidbits:

1. Upgrade U: Collars may have been popped and shoulders brushed. This is what happens on the way home from work when I forget my cell phone. Sometimes in the car I feel as if that’s when I can be myself, you know, when i don’t care what the other commuters think. Some background: Let’s just say that while at middle school dances Matt was bopping along to the sounds of “Love Shack” by the B-52s, whereas I was singing along to “Five on It” or “California Love.” I’m not really sure that my parents would be proud of the fact that their daughter’s musical history includes these selections. My aunt already tried to fix the problem when she made me return Salt n Pepa’s “None of Your Business” cassingle for a much tamer Real McCoy. But the truth must come to the surface at some point. After all, my hymn-loving mom also loves Jimmy Hendrix (hi mom!) and my dad was given the Flava Flav award at one of their club meetings (hi, dad!). So this deeply rooted truth came to the surface Friday when I let it all out listening t0 Beyonce’s latest album, b’day. Specifically, “Upgrade U.”

2. Appletini meetings. Then there was Thursday when I left a 3-hour city meeting 15 minutes early to grab a drink with a couple old friends. Seconds after my appletini was poured, in came the leaders of the meeting, who I had to talk to the next day.

3.The Jungle Book. I went to my church to see my younger cousins perform in The Jungle Book. I’ve never seen the Disney movie, and after the play I still didn’t know what was going on. My little cousins were fantastic, as the narrator and an elephant. My second favorite part were the costumes. As Mel Brooks said in Spaceballs–adorable. (Nice work, Jenny!) Every costume was a colored sweatsuit decorated to be an animal. There were elephants, frogs, parrots, wolves…

4. Little Guy. I always love seeing this little face. Especially when it’s stuffed full of cookies,

5. New Camera. Not only does it take better pictures, but it can be programed to have a dog bark when pushing the shutter. Technology at its finest.

6. Meeting up With Old Friends. Looking into the future with the eyes of the past is quite refreshing.

7. Creative naps. I had the best nap the other day. As I was falling asleep, I dreamed of celedon and cowboys and flowers. I wish I could record things that go through mind as I fall asleep. I’m most brilliant when … I … start to … zzzzzz …

8. Ancient China. My parents found a box with a whole bunch of china and teacups. We have no idea who these things belonged to, but they haven’t been used in a while. How do we know? The newspaper it was wrapped in was dated Jan. 12, 1951. Whoever they were, they had great style.

Emily,

Your room is so CLEAN that it almost looks like you might be moving. You’re not, are you? Anyway, it looks so nice I even put away the dusting spray for you. Thanks for doing such a great job!!!

Love,
Mom

One of my greatest accomplishments has been convincing Matt’s family to get a dog. It began by asking about their old dog, Sammy. Matt’s dad would laugh before telling me the story I’d heard several times before. That was fine with me, you see, because with each telling a yearning for a four-legged family member was growing.

Months went by and Matt’s dad searched all over for the right dog. Then in late December, a momma dog and her two young dogs came to a shelter. They had been accused of killing a sheep, though no evidence or hostile behavior would prove this story. Matt’s dad pleaded for a second chance because he wanted to have the female puppy. In a second investigation, Debbie passed the test, but turned out to be a Duke. On a second visit, its brother caught Matt’s dad’s eye. And so “Ben” joined the family.

While we all love this dog, we can’t decide on a name. Matt and I like Brut, as in champange. His mom like Spreckles, while his dad likes Harley. Initially he was convinced Sir Barks A Lot aka Barky would be it. But he doesn’t really bark. He’s a fiesty little fuzz ball who loves to greet (read: tackle) you with hugs and kisses.

My suggestions include: Tucker, Wild Wild (West), Ninja. Can you tell I never had a dog before?

Or Hammy. If there was such a thing as America’s Next Top Model Dog, he’d be the winner. He gave me solid pose after pose.

One thing’s for sure, though. He’s definitely a Frisbee dog in the making!

So do you have any name suggestions for this fella? For more inspiration, check out my photo gallery.