Bean Museum and Olk Folks

Howdy friends and family! This week really flew by, which I guess is a good thing!

Monday
I really enjoy my Psychological Testing class, even though I'm exhausted by the end of it! My group is making noticeable progress on our project. We stayed after class just a bit to finalize some things, so by the time I got home, I left with my sister right away to go to Home Evening. We had a giant dinner, and Sister Osborn was kind enough to make a chili that was safe for me to eat. I was so grateful to have safe food to eat because I was so hungry since I had come straight from three hours of class!

Tuesday
Basketball class is always super fun! I think I'm getting a lot better. I've been scoring more points and have definitely noticed myself getting into more shape! After my class, I studied real quick before going to take my basketball exam at the testing center. It's pass/fail... and I failed. Just kidding, I passed! The weather was cold and rainy so I postponed going shopping until Thursday. I really enjoyed going to institute though! I went to the "Women in the Scriptures" class and felt very enlightened.

Wednesday
I worked on homework, but it was so hard to focus! Fortunately, I got everything done on time. After my three hour class, I felt so blessed because ward prayer was cancelled due to the dreary weather! I was tired and hungry, and I was able to make myself a yummy dinner instead of worrying about going to ward prayer!

Thursday
After basketball class, I went on a giant shopping spree! I needed to get new tennis shoes, so I went to Kohls and tried on at least nine pairs of shoes. No joke. I'm pretty sure people were giving me weird looks because I was carrying a giant stack of shoe boxes to try on! I also had a date this evening at the Bean Museum. I learned a lot about the animals there from the other guy we doubled with (since he works there). I am now terrified of hippos because I learned they are very vicious creatures. They are the animals that cause the most human deaths in Africa, and they can take on a crocodile! Also, they had a ridiculous amount of birds there!

Friday
Today was a very chill day. At work we watched Guardians of the Galaxies 2 and ate breakfast. Then  I got to go home and relax because Monday is a holiday, which means I don't have homework due until Wednesday! So this is the first real break I've had in a while!! I wasn't feeling very social, but I got a lot done around the house. Including scrubbing our bathroom from floor to ceiling! It took me a very long time! (Yes, I took pictures because I was super proud)

Saturday
I went to the temple this morning and had a cool experience. I love the peace and insights that come as I take the time to be still and know that God is with me. Then I had to run some errands, which took a few hours and didn't end up being as productive as I had hoped. I was so exhausted afterwards that I had to take a nap! But then my sister and I painted (just for fun) for a bit. That evening, we went to our stake activity. They had food and games at the park, and luckily it stopped raining soon after the food arrived so that we could play some fun games.

Sunday
I listened to Elder Holland's talk about the Lamb of God and the sacrament before church, so I made sure to arrive at church 10 minutes early and really think about my Savior. I felt so much love for God today during sacrament meeting. Going to church isn't always about learning from what a speaker says, but it is about renewing your personal and intimate covenants with God. Today I truly felt that. After church, I went with a group to sing to some elderly women at a senior home, and I was overwhelmed with how much Heavenly Father loved them and was aware of them. I could feel their spirit and testimony of Christ, and knew they were close to the veil. Then I went to reconnect and worked a tiny bit on family history. I think I'm slowly getting better, but it's questionable!

I love that the gospel of Jesus Christ truly is simple. The great motivation of the plan of salvation, of Jesus Christ's Atonement, is love. Everything we do can be split into two categories: things we do because we love God, and things we do because we love others. Sometimes we forget why we are doing some things and need to remember that it is out of love—if not for the person we are interacting with, then at least because we love our Savior and are trying to be more like Him. And if some things we are doing do not fit into these two categories, perhaps we should drop those things out of our life.

Much love,
Emily Burnham

Escaping the Escape Room

Howdy y'all!

Monday
I rushed to finish all the assignments I had due before meeting up with my group. I've been a bit frustrated because often times I feel like I am doing the most work for the project and other members slide by without having to do much. I'd just prefer to work alone in that case. But I am trying to have a positive attitude about my group and am encouraging every contribution they make! After class, I rushed home so I could go to Home Evening, which was an ice-cream social. We actually made homemade ice-cream, so I was able to make some with almond milk!

Tuesday
I only have one class today, so I thought I would have a pretty relaxed day. But no, I had a lot of homework to do. I spent at least three and a half hours working on an essay that is due tomorrow night. That evening, I attended institute with Valerie and some other friends in our ward. We went to the church history class, but I think want to try out a different class next week because I've already read the book the class is based on, Saints. Which, if any of y'all haven't read that yet, I would highly encourage you to! The more you know about someone, or in this case, Joseph Smith, the stronger your testimony of them will become.

Wednesday
I didn't have time to make food yesterday like I had hoped, but God blessed me because even though I had a lot to do today, I was able to accomplish all of it! I made some (surprisingly delicious) broccoli potato soup that would last me for a few days. I also had lots of readings to do and quizzes to take before class started at 4pm, and then after class, I went straight home, ate a quick dinner, then went to ward prayer. We played some fun get-to-know-you games, and then I went home and got ready for bed. It's been hard going to bed so I can get enough sleep, but I'm still alive and functioning somehow!

Thursday
I absolutely love my basketball class! It's so fun to play with everyone, and I'm getting better at scoring more in the games. After my basketball class, I had a job interview to be a counselor at a Mission Ready summer camp. I spent the afternoon studying for my test tomorrow!

Friday
We got to finish early at work so we could watch a movie (on the clock)! That is one reason I love Fridays! Also because I don't have any classes. Unfortunately, the movie we watched was very scary, and also, I had to study for and take a test. But it went well! I received an A. Then I got to meet up with my friend Whitney to eat fries at The Wall. Fortunately I got there early because I didn't know they were closing early, so I was able to order both of us fries to go, since she wasn't there yet. That night, I went on the ward temple trip, and we were there for three hours because it was so crowded! I was glad I went because only three other people went. When I got home, I went straight to bed.

Saturday
Today was super fun, even though my stomach hurt all day. I think the fries I ate yesterday were contaminated with gluten. I left just before 9:30am to pick up my friend Whitney, and we went to the temple together. We did two sessions back to back, and it was a really cool experience. The longer I was in the temple, the more time seemed to slow down (as in I felt completely at peace, not rushed or in a hurry), yet speed up (the session went by a lot smoother and faster, probably because I wasn't worrying about time, so it passed without my notice). I didn't have any big revelatory or miraculous experience, but I felt filled with the sweet Spirit and rejuvenated. Afterwards, I went home and attempted to do some homework, but the pain in my stomach got worse, so I just lied down for a while up until Val and I had to go. She planned a fun evening since we don't get to see each other much during the week. She had 2 free admissions to go to an escape room, and we were both super excited because we had never been before. It was really fun, even though I may have gotten in trouble towards the end for picking a lock to get a key that would open a chest with the last object we needed to complete the mission (a crown). I just thought I was being resourceful, and was honestly just surprised with myself for guessing the correct passcode. Fortunately, the other people in our group solved the puzzle to get the code to unlock it, so we were still able to finish the non-cheating way, with 5 seconds to spare! It was really cool to finish, because we were told only 30% of people actually make it through and can escape! Afterwards, Valerie took me out to dinner at a Thai place, and I have realized that I absolutely love Thai and Indian food!

Sunday
I taught Sunday School for the first time since getting my new calling! I wasn't very nervous, surprisingly. I just prayed all week long that the Spirit would touch the hearts of those in the class, help me know their needs, and give me the words to say. It wasn't a perfect lesson, but I loved how much people participated. I got to learn from them and just facilitate the comments. After church at Reconnect, I continued trying to work on my family history. I didn't accomplish much, but I am making slow progress! In the evening, Valerie invited over some girls for dinner, and I made up my own dinner and ate with them. It was great to get to know them better and have great conversations.

I had a cool insight when talking with my sister Valerie. We were discussing how people are quick to judge others for their weaknesses. The world is quick to pick apart the Prophet Joseph Smith because of his mistakes. They pick apart the rich young ruler for not giving up all that he had. But if all you knew about Peter was that he denied Christ three times and at one point Christ literally called him Satan ("get thee behind me, Satan"), you would think this Peter guy must have been pretty bad. But no! He was a faithful and dedicated apostle. Because of the natural man, we are all prone to make mistakes. We should expect that, and not fall into a judgmental and criticizing attitude. Rather, we should seek out the good in others--like the fact that the rich young ruler came running to the Savior and fell down at his feet--and be amazed at the effort it took them to put off their natural man. Focus on the good in others, focus on the good in yourself, and you will be a much happier person!

Much love,
Emily Burnham

Glamorous Camping

Hey friends and family!

This week has gone so much smoother after dropping my physical science class! Throughout the week, there would be random times where I felt so happy for no particular reason. Probably because I had more time to accomplish things and didn't feel so rushed and stressed. Heavenly Father is so good to me.

Monday
I'm getting a bit more used to waking up early every morning to get to work by 5am, and I really am enjoying my basketball class. I have noticed I am getting in more shape by the fact that I walk less up and down the court during games! I can actually jog and run the entire game now :) For Home Evening, we met at our new Bishop's home with the counsellors. We asked different questions to get to know them and heard some pretty crazy stories!

Tuesday
After work and basketball class, I headed over to participate in a research study for extra credit in my psychology class. Then I had to go get a new ID card because apparently the university updated everyone's card last year and put chips in them to get into buildings when they're locked. That was why my card wasn't working to open the door these past two weeks! I didn't know I needed a new one because it had worked for everything else on campus! Also, I went shopping and may have spent all of my grocery money for the week on a pair of basketball shoes for my class!

Wednesday
Work, basketball, homework, and Psychological Testing. That pretty much sums up my day! Also, it's so weird that we have ward prayer on Wednesdays at 7pm. It's kind of hard because my class ends at 6:40pm and then I have to rush home, eat something quick for dinner (if I'm lucky), then head off to ward prayer. Sometimes I leave early from ward prayer (can't eat the treats anyway) so that I can go home and have a real dinner or just have more time to prepare for bed by 8:20pm. But the ward is great, and I really like all the new people in the ward!

Thursday
I had a slight accident during my basketball class. A guy passed the ball to me harder than I was expecting, and somehow my finger nail on my right hand dug into a finger on my left hand, leaving a small gash. So I went to get a band-aid and thought, "This is nothing." Only, it wouldn't stop bleeding! It bled through two band-aids, so on the third one, my teacher also wrapped it with tape. It had bled through when I went home, so I rewrapped it and it was still bleeding that night! The next morning, I ended up just super-gluing it to get it to stop...

Friday
Work is so fun on Fridays because we hurry and finish our jobs in 1.5 hours and then get together and eat breakfast while watching a movie. This time we had cereal with almond milk, sausage, bacon, and fruit. All things I could eat! They are super considerate of my food allergies at work, which is so great. Today also marks 2 years since I left for the MTC to be a missionary for 18 months! Ironically, I unexpectedly ended up at the SLC airport, which is where I flew in from 2 years ago. My roommate Hannah asked me if I could drop her off at the airport because she last-minute decided to fly home for the weekend. I agreed but had a slightly negative attitude because I had a lot to do today since the overnight camping trip started this evening, but then I had the impression that as I served her, I was only serving Christ. And I would be so humbled and honored to drive Christ to the airport and get to spend time with Him. I felt the Spirit confirm that thought and my negative attitude instantly vanished. Afterwards, I got home and ate lunch around 1pm. That was when my sister called me and asked a favor. She was wondering if I could bake up the cookie dough batter she had made for the camping trip tonight because she wouldn't be home from work in time. I tiredly agreed and spent the next two hours making batch after batch of cookies. There were enough cookies to feed over 120 people! That evening, we left for Spring Haven, a million dollar cabin where we would be spending the night. The trip was called "glamping," as in "glamorous camping," though the name sounds anything but glamorous! There were over 100 other people who came from four different wards. They had so many fun activities for us to do! They had an inside volleyball/basketball court; a treehouse with foosball, pool, and air hockey; karaoke; a murder mystery; dancing; and tons of other games. Swing dancing in the gym was actually a lot of fun because this one guy took pity upon me and came over to be my partner, and he actually knew what he was doing, so before I knew it, I was being flipped! It was crazy, but super cool! We had dinner and stayed up soooo late! I was extremely tired, since we didn't get to bed until around 1am.

Saturday
Val and I got up around 7:30am and packed up, ready to go. Then we got some breakfast: bacon, sausage, hash browns, and fruit for me. Egg burritos for everyone else! We drove home, and I got ready and went to the temple. I thought I was fine, but during the session when the lights dimmed, I had the hardest time staying awake! Yikes. Fortunately, I was able to stay awake during all of it! But it was a real struggle. When I got home, I didn't have time to nap. I had to eat lunch, and I was able to do a bit of homework before I had to leave at 3pm to go to work. I went to help cleanup after the baseball game, but it didn't get over until just after 5pm, so I got paid to take a nap while waiting for it to be over :). That was a blessing! Plus we got free J-dawgs afterwards! Double blessed! When I got home around 7pm, I continued to work on homework, but I had to take a 15 minute nap around 9pm so I could stay focused and finish my reading. Then I finally got to go to bed around 10pm and get a full night's rest!!!

Sunday
Happy Mother's Day! I got to sleep in until 7:30am, which was a huge blessing. I really needed all the rest I could get. And I probably would have slept in a bit longer, but my little sister called because she was so excited to give Mom her card (which she spent 2.5 hours making) and gift and wanted Val and me to watch Mom open it. It was great to get to talk to my mom before going to church. After church, I decided to serve my roommate. While driving her to the airport, she said how excited she was to go home, but that Monday would be stressful for her because she had a quiz and an exam she had to take. Well, she had left her sheets in the dryer, so I made her bed and cleaned her room up a bit so that would be one less thing for her to worry about when she comes home on Monday. Val and I went to reconnect at our bishop's house, and I attempted to feel competent and useful as I searched for ancestors on Family Search.

Another tender mercy that happened this week was when I was in the temple, the Lord reminded me that I cannot fail if I am serving Him. That one day, regardless of my grades or other mundane things in my life that I stress over, I will be an exalted being. I will be living with Heavenly Father and my family for eternity, and God will help me succeed in the little things. This eternal perspective has been such a blessing to help me not worry over my grades as much and to trust that God has my back. If I try my hardest, I will do just well enough to get into whatever programs He wants to place me in to be an influence of good to others!

Much love,
Emily Burnham

Studio C Extraveganza

Howdy friends and family!

On Monday, I called into where I worked and scheduled to work with the early morning crew (so I could have more hours this summer) and I will be starting tomorrow! In the evening, Valerie and I met up with a few other people from our ward at The Creamery for fries and ice-cream.

I awoke so early to get ready and go to work by 5am. It isn't as bad as I was thinking it would be, but it definitely is a lot! I have to cover a huge area, vacuuming offices and taking out trashes. It's cool that I get to clean inside the volleyball athlete's lounge rooms. They sure are spoiled! The men's and women's team each have a ping pong table, refrigerator, TV with Wii, huge bean bags, and soft, cozy chairs. Spring classes started today! Fortunately, I only have one class on Tuesday: Basketball! It was really fun, but I also realized how out of shape I am... We played some scrimmage games, and I was so out of breath! I also worked on readings for my physical science class tomorrow.

Wow, Wednesday was such a long day! I had six hours of classes! My physical science professor is hilarious (well, some of the time; his jokes are either hit or miss). I am actually really excited to learn from this class because it blows my mind and makes me wonder about the creation of planets. I am in awe regarding just how knowledgeable and majestic God is to create such mighty works. And it is amazing that one day we get to be like Him! But oh, do I have so much to learn before that point! I then ran all the way across campus to go to my basketball class. A few hours later, I had my three hour long Phycological Testing class. We already had to split into groups and pick a topic to research and experiment with this term! Everything is moving at such a fast pace. We also had ward prayer tonight at 7pm. Since we are now combined with the 5th ward after losing all of our priesthood holders, we are now having it in the middle of the week. But they have epic ward prayers! We had to design a contraption to protect an egg dropped from the third story of a building, and our device was a success! Then I had to hurry home and eat a quick dinner before getting to bed.

Nothing eventful happened on Thursday. I am just super busy with homework and have lots of readings to do. Nothing too exciting happened, though I did make a couple of baskets during the scrimmage game in basketball class!

Work on Friday morning was really fun because we all rushed to finish our cleaning by 6:15am so that we could make breakfast and watch a movie! It was super nice to get paid to relax and eat food, especially after a long, tiring week. Then I had physical science, which was really entertaining because my professor likes to show experiments and real-life examples of the things we are reading about. That afternoon, Valerie and I went to The Wall for half-off fries, and then we drove over to watch a live taping of the next season of Studio C. I had won free tickets to go! It was really cool and fun! The new cast seems quirky and fun, but we were sad we didn't win a free t-shirt or gift card.

Valerie and I got to do sealings at the temple Saturday morning. It was funny because we had to wait a while for a male to come, and so one temple worker started singing, "Come, come, ye couples!" I also had two dates today! One was not that great, and the other one was really good! The rest of my time was spent doing homework. I have so much to do and am becoming very overwhelmed.

Sunday was a very much needed spiritual day of revelation. I have been fasting for some problems happening in the family and some guidance for my own life. During sacrament meeting, I had an answer come to mind and felt complete peace for the first time all day. The thought came to me that I don't need to take physical science this term, and that I should just drop it. Immediately, I felt relief, peace, and assurance. I know Heavenly Father is watching over me and has my best interests in mind! He truly does answer our prayers, though it is in His timing. We often have to struggle and work through things first to show Him we are willing to struggle and sacrifice to follow Him. We must consistently be in the right place, doing the right things, to be worthy and able to receive an answer. This evening, we went over to another girl's apartment for a fiesta and watched the YSA devotional. I ate lots of guacamole! Yum yum!

Much love,

Emily Burnham

Joke of the week:

What do you call it when Batman ditches church? Christian Bale