We Are Family :)

Big big news in the Stott Family... this little guy....

who is now this big guy..

just got accepted to BYU. I can't tell you how happy I am!! I have my own kin on this campus again... being married is one thing, but having another human who escaped the same womb is entirely different. I know he already has plans of borrowing my car but that's alright cuz I already have plans of borrowing his meal card.

Last time I attended the same school as my brother, we were in elementary school. I was in 5th, he was in 1st, the details get hazy. I mean, when he was in 8th and I was a Senior, I had the pleasure of driving him to school everyday. The schools were ten minutes from our house. The perfect amount of time for our daily playlist.

Girlfriend-Avril Lavigne

Party Like a Rockstar - I have no clue

At Your Funeral-Saves the Day

I love him.. and I'm so excited to see him, hopefully on a daily basis... or a every/other kinda deal. Oh well... we have plenty of time to discuss particulars.

As for the Gardner Clan, not too shabby either.

This strapping lad also got into BYU.

You know what that means!!! Double the fun... and double the Dining Plus.

I wish I could say more about Matty here but we haven't known each other so long. He reminds me a lot of Zach so maybe just read this post again. Just kidding. I love Matticus very much. He's so boyish sometimes and he's always been so good at making me feel part of the family. He's also a really really good boy. Both of these boys remind me of the line by Taylor Swift that says,

"God smiles on my little brother, inside and out,

he's better than I am."

That about sums these boys up.

And one more thing,

Ladies- you better watch out. HEARTBREAKERS :)

Congrats Zach and Matty! We love you both!

I love...

It's Valentine's Day and I just feel that it would be inappropriate of me not to post some lovin on the world wide web. So here are some little things I love:

• the beach
• .. and these people
• Disneyland
• sleeping with socks
• sewing and baking and sharing
• MAIL! (feel free to send me some whenever you'd like)
• Snoozenod, my garden gnome/bff #2... but sometimes he's naughty and leaves the toilet seat up because surely my husband wouldn't do such a thing.
• Great movies and books

And these are the things/people that I couldn't live without

• My Husband Man/Best Friend/Calmer Downer/Fixer of Freak-outs
• My family-immediate, extended, new and adopted
• The Gospel

I should probably also gush a little about Mr. Husband. There are lots of reasons I love him. I'll give you a couple:

• When I am bummed, or a grouch, sometimes he just dances so I'll laugh
• Whenever he's trying to avoid doing something, he tries to make me cuddle with him because in his words, "You can't resist a cuddle!"
• He lets me hog the bed basically ever night. I cuddle right up to him and set up camp for the rest of my slumber
• He lets me purchase chocolate covered almonds from Costco on a regular basis even though I don't really share them like I claim I will
• When I do yoga in the living room, he always cheers me on.. not exactly necessary or helpful since I tend to lose my balance and laugh, but definitely supportive
• He's shy around strangers but hilarious around me. I like to think that he just saves it all for me because he loves me.
• Oh yes, and he's so dramatic. Probably more than me. So our conversations are always entertaining and our future children are absolutely doomed. DOOOOOOMED.... to awesomeness that is.

The Challenge

So one day Tyler was at work and I was left to my own devices, i.e. infomercials. After about thirty minutes I was very convinced that this should be mine. So when Ty returned from work, I told him of my newfound need and made a deal with him. If I worked out everyday in February (minus Sundays) he would consider purchasing it for me.

I didn't think it was going to be that easy. He doesn't think I can actually work out for a whole month. What he doesn't know us that I don't take challenges lightly.

Example: Two summers ago, I end up on a blind date with one of my sister's ex boyfriends {yuck} For the record, he looked more like a Who than anyone I've ever seen. We were bowling when he found out that my current line of work was in the ice cream parlor business. He made a bet that whoever lost would have to take the winner out to ice cream at my place of employment. And then I threw it down. Number 1: There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that there was going to be a round two of this date, Number 2: I do not pay for boys, only husbands, Number 3: Has anyone seen me bowl before? I'm the best! No one saw it coming.

In conclusion, the Who-man lost the game and his dignity that night. {Not only was he denied by one Hottie Stottie but two wuahaha} Oh yeah. And I WON!

What I'm saying is that Tyler doesn't know what he got himself into. I'm on day four, and yes my body is in agony but I'm going strong. And after some personal reflection, I don't even know how much I want TurboFire. I think I just want to prove Tyler wrong. It's all about winning, right?

Date Night Surprise

Tyler and I were really struggling with plans last night. When he left for work, the only options we had were frozen yogurt or a movie. He told me it was up to me. And then I had an EPIPHANY! We were going to have a Camp-IN. I thought about calling someone to borrow a tent but then I created this little beauty.

And yes, that is a "campfire."

Even with my lack of experience and enthusiasm for this type of outdoorsy business, I came up with an excellent menu

Appetizers: Granola bars.. on toothpicks naturally

Main Course: Boy Scout Dinners :)

Dessert: Peach Cobbler.. the camping way, minus the dutch oven = adventure. Royalties go to Joan Madsen.

I warned Tyler there would be a surprise when he got home. He called me on his way home and I turned out all the lights besides our campfire and waited in the tent for him to open the door. His first comment was, "Were you bored?" I hear that frequently from him. But then he was excited when he realized that I had dinner waiting for him like the good little wife I am.

And this is us in the lair enjoying our fine cuisine. After dinner we watched "The Social Network" on his laptop because we were in the wild. Duh. It was a fun night and I awed him with my date-making-up skills. He said I was in charge of dates from now on but that's just too much responsibility for me.

We'll probably just get some fro-yo tonight.

(But really, we will.)

New-ness

So we're NEWly married. And we live in a NEW apartment. And we have NEW sleeping arrangements (cuddle for ten, then bum to bum for the rest of the night.. just in case you were wondering). And we go to a NEW ward. But what thing I'm really worried about is making NEW friends.

It's really quite silly because I'm good at making friends. I have best best friends. Alissa.Courtney.Joan.Kacie.Lauren.Natalie And I have friends at school and friends from my old ward. I was relief society prez last semester and an EFY counselor. {Disclaimer: Not the loud obnoxious EFY counselor.. I was the kind everyone appreciated because I was cynical and witty and not obnoxious} These things are supposed to translate into: Throw me into an unfamiliar situation and I'M GONNA SHINE BABY!! But I'm a little out of my element.

Some of these people have kids. And some people breast feed their kids in sacrament meeting {ew.} And some people have three kids. THREE OFFSPRING.

I'm not against kids. I want four-ish. But I'm a few years away and I feel like an infant compared to these experienced mothers.

Anyway.. I digress. I get nervous about not making friends. So much s

o that when it's my turn to pray at night I always include ".. and please bless that we'll make some friends.." Tyler makes fun of me because in his words, "We're not lepers!"

I went to a relief society getting to know you night.. by myself {scary} But right before I left, I ran home and there was a post-it note from my sweet husband... here it is.

.

He's good to me. And the Relief Society thing wasn't so bad... I made a couple acquaintances.

On the bright side, I got a bread machine yesterday.. and this cute birthday cake stand. It sings. And a jillion little tubs of make up from my awesome Mother In Law. My sister says I'm lucky cuz my Mother In Law is young. I am.

Oprah

I've decided that Tyler is the boy version of me. Mostly because he says that most ridiculous and unexpected things constantly. I'll give a few examples:

Example 1: I'm sitting on the couch using the computer as Ty attempts to steal it from me:

Ty: Give it to me now *cough cough*

Emily: Are you okay?

Ty: I need a drink

Emily: Well go get one then

Ty: My throat hurts from the monster noises I was making earlier.

Example 2: He's rubbing my shoulders as I whimper from the pain:

Ty: I watched Oprah today

Emily: and how was that?

Ty: It was the one where they went to Australia

Emily: hmm..

Ty: I almost cried three times

Emily: What?!

Ty: (sheepishly)... it was a really good Oprah!

Not long ago Ty also commented that while I was slaving away at school, he was watching Regis and Kelly. When I started to mock, he replied, "That Regis is a funny man!"

We also just stayed up til midnight to watch Betty White on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I just don't where he came from.. but I probably hale from that planet too.

LDS Female, Extremely Literate, Brainwashed just a Titch

Disclaimer: This was for a class.. I generally don't devote entire posts to myself

LDS Upbringing

The LDS Church has been with me every single day of my life. From before I can remember I've been taught that I am a Child of God, that He loves me and that I can return to live with Him if I do well in this life. One of the most important truths I've learned and know is the eternal and divine nature that I have. I have the potential to become a goddess if I follow the commandments and endure to the end. As a member of the LDS Church, I also believe in Eternity and that there is no beginning or end which is why I chose to be married in the temple for Eternity.

One of the most comforting ideas to me in the Church is that I'll be with my family forever. Every member of my immediate family is one of my best friends and I get to be with them forever. The idea that we'll be together always has helped me to appreciate them but to also have an eternal perspective.

My Love of Learning

Since I was little, I've loved to learn new things. Especially when I can teach myself how to do them. Naturally, when my older sister started to read, I needed to read too. I couldn't stand to think that she would have access to things that I didn't. So I learned to read at the age of 4.

As a teenager, I would read all the time, sometimes finding it more entertaining that friends or going to the mall. I would read anything and everything. I was a TA for one of my favorite Literature teachers. I helped him move from one classroom to another. Each box I packed was filled with literary treasures and I wouldn't empty boxes until I had read everything in them. It took weeks to go through a box. Luckily for me, this teacher cared more about my hunger for literature than the organization of his classroom.

As a college student, reading is a treat. It only happens when I'm traveling or the rare moment when I have a fragment of spare time. It's so easy for me to get wrapped up in a book. I roll the words around in my mind and put myself there, following the main character as they blaze through the pages.

I read to learn. I read for fun. I read to be entertained. I read to be inspired.

My Hometown and High School

I thought I grew up in a normal Apple Pie American town. Richland, Washington. This is my school's logo. Please note the Mushroom Cloud behind the Richland "R."

About 70 years ago, Richland's government site, Hanford, was working hard on the Manhattan Project i.e. Atomic Warfare. Currently, the Hanford Site works on containing and destroying nuclear waste but during WWII, they were working on the Atomic Bombs. Specifically supplying the uranium and plutonium that massacred millions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and ended the war. As a child growing up in this region, this was history. We learned about this from grade school up until our senior year where we were required to take a class called, "War and Peace," and would have more accurately been named, "War and why we are the best."

During high school, our link crew was called "The Bomb Squad." Our Pep assemblies were covered with mushroom clouds and bomber planes and fake bombs. At rival games, the student section chanted, "Nuke 'em! Nuke 'em!" I always heard comments about how we glowed in the dark from radioactive exposure.

This was normal to me. It wasn't until college when I was chatting with roommates about high school that mascots came up and after everyone had listed off some aggressive animal, I sheepishly added, "uh.. the Bombers."

I then had to explain what that meant and why it existed. And then I was told how terrible and racial and controversial that was. None of these things had crossed my mind growing up because the whole town accepted this as history.

What this means:

There are some things that we can see affect us very obviously, like growing up in a Church. There are other things that affect us and we don't think about them at all, like the town I grew up in. However, what we need to realize is that every experience we have shapes who we are, what are beliefs are, and what we will become.