Merry Christmas!

 21 December - 27 December 2020

Monday: I awoke at 5:45am to go grocery shopping with Grandpa Jim. He was picking up dessert for the evening, and I wanted to pick out something I would be able to eat. We had David Claridge and his three oldest kids, plus Aunt Symantha, over for dinner. We had homemade pizzas (yum yum) and dessert (also yum yum). But my tummy was about ready to explode after that! I spent the evening working on writing the book for Lucy.

Tuesday: I finished watching exams and grading papers and making sure things were good to go with submitting grades.

Wednesday: I called my professor to walk him through how to submit the grades (since I didn't have access to do it). I also spent quality time with Lucy... playing videogames. Haha, so maybe not so quality.

Thursday: Valerie came up with a Christmas Eve presentation. It was really good. We all gathered around and watched a cartoon video about Christ's birth and discussed the nativity. Then we went around and all said what we loved about each family member. It felt so good to hear what Valerie and Dad and Aaron loved about me since I don't get to hear it often. Of course, it's always good to hear what my mommy loves about me. It was also really good to reflect and say what I loved about each member of my family. Afterwards, we decorated a gingerbread house and a gingerbread chicken coup! Our neighbor Lana gave it to us. It was so cute! I spent the night so I'd already be in the main house when we woke up for Christmas.

Friday: Merry Christmas! We watched the nativity video that the Church put out seven years ago and then opened presents. We had a great year! We are all old enough to get each other good gifts (especially Aaron--he got us expensive gifts!). Mom received some surprising presents that she was really happy about. Aaron loved his mini tripod I got him, and Valerie needed a new charger and was pleasantly surprised I got her a wireless one (since I didn't even know she needed a new charger). Christmas lunch was SO delicious! Yum yum yum. Later that afternoon/evening, we went over to grandma and grandpa's house to visit with family and play games. I officially moved in to the house since Grandpa Jim is kicking me out of his guest bedroom.

Saturday: I had to clean up the room I was staying in because Grandpa Jim's sister Helen is coming for all of next week, so I was booted out. Symantha came over to visit and play games with us. We went on a walk down the street, and mom found a DQ gift card in the road. We were debating if she should throw it away, but she ended up keeping it. Then later that day, she checked how much was on it, and it had over $19 on it! She was so excited about that.

Sunday: Aaron spoke in the singles ward today. He did a wonderful job. Andrew came to listen, and Cody and Collin were also there, so we all sat on the same row. It was fun to sit by so much family (me, Val, Sean, and our three cousins). Val and I visited with Helen for a bit when we got home from church, and then we all had dinner over at our house. Mom was sad about how dinner turned out, but everyone liked it! Also, two people left comments on different videos on my YouTube channel, asking gospel questions. It felt good to ponder and answer their questions about the Book of Mormon and why we had to go through the veil and forget our premortal life. I'm grateful for the missionary opportunities that have come because of my Missionary Approach YouTube channel.

Much love,

Emily Burnham

Finally Finished Finals!

14 December - 20 December 2020

Monday: I worked hard and finished my USU essay and completed my application. I hope it is submitted (I didn't see a "submit" button, but it said it was complete, so... oh well). 

On Tuesday, I studied pretty much all day for Abnormal Psychology and then took my exam that afternoon. I did better than I thought I would! On Wednesday, I studied all day for Positive Psychology and Basic Mediation, but I didn't feel ready to take either, so I just studied.

Thursday: In the morning, I took both of my exams and finished them up by around noon. Then I felt so free! I was officially done with finals! But then I remembered all the papers I still need to grade for work, and spent a couple hours doing that. That evening, I went with Lucy to her voice lesson to practice the song we would sing on Sunday, The First Noel. Valerie had planned a bonfire that evening, so when we got home, we joined in for some games, but I left early because I was worn out (and didn't like the game we were playing).

Friday: I spent a lot of the day grading papers for APA errors (which I don't even get paid for, but it's fine. At least it's over.) That evening, I made the grampster-hamster dinner, and he was so happy about it! Then Heidi and Doug came over with Andrew and Zeb. We played Skull King with them and had a great time. Heidi played the song we would be singing on Sunday at church to help us practice, but she was kind of making Lucy and me stressed with all her comments about us not doing it right and the accompanist not having enough time and blah blah blah, but at least Lucy and I got better at harmonizing together!

Saturday: In the morning, I had heart-burn (acid reflux) so that was not fun. I got lectures about eating healthier (I promise I really do eat better when I'm living on my own AND I'm not exposed to so much cross-contamination. Plus, you know, it's the holiday season with lots of treats and goodies... But yeah, no more. I need to watch what I eat and make sure I take good care of this body of mine. Lucy, Mom, and Val went with me to Sweeties Candy shop by Alma School. We picked up a scorpion sucker for my friend Braeden to try (he said he would eat it if I gave it to him). We had a fun time looking around the shop. Then we stopped by Ross afterwards because Lucy wanted to get a new outfit to wear for singing tomorrow in church. We went and didn't find anything. I did find this adorable winter jacket that I really wanted, but it was a size too small. We left and went home. A couple hours later, I took Lucy to a Ross that was further away to look for something, and that Ross had the same winter jacket in my size! Only it was more pricey than I thought... but I got it. It will hopefully last me many years! Also, Lucy found a dress that she really liked, only it needed a cardigan because it didn't have sleeves. Ross didn't have anything, so we went all the way to Walmart and found something. Lucy was so happy, and she looked super cute in it! Soon after getting back home, we left to go to voice lessons with Lucy's teacher and learned that everything Heidi told us was pretty much wrong and that we could do it our own way. Sarah recorded us and sent it to Emily Sanchez (our pianist) and said we would be great, that she would be there to hear us and that she would pray for us.

Sunday: Lucy and I sang in sacrament meeting today. Lucy was SO nervous that I couldn't even be nervous. She was nervous enough for the both of us. Her voice cracked a bit at the beginning, and she was so self-conscious about that, but I held her hand and reassured her with smiles and nods and hand-squeezes. After that, we finished strong, no mistakes! Everyone seemed very touched and said they loved the show of support and love between us. This afternoon, I worked a bit on the book I'm writing for Lucy as a Christmas present. Now I have five days left to finish a novel! Yikes! I don't have any other Christmas gift ready to give her, and she is definitely expecting a book, so I just have to finish it! Even if it has a crappy ending or gets cut short (then I can finish it for reals later) but I need to have some sort of ending!

Much love,

Emily Burnham

Family Photos

 7 December - 13 December 2020

Monday: I worked on homework up until 10pm! I had a lot of things due before midnight that took forever.

Tuesday: I attended an extra credit review in the evening for my Positive Psychology class.

Wednesday: I enjoy going on unicycle rides with Lucy, Sean, and even dad! We ride down the street and around the office buildings. I have gotten so so so much better at riding on them!

Thursday: Last day of classes! My 8am class ended super early, which was so nice! After my last class ended at 7:30pm, I rode one of the electric unicycles to the church building down the street for the stake Relief Society event. I got to help decorate a ginger bread house with some girls in the ward. Our house turned out rather... colorful!

Friday: I helped Lucy with her homework, and she got mad at me for thinking of a clever last sentence since she hadn't come up with it. I don't know what to do with that little Goomba. She gets mad if I don't help her, and apparently she gets mad when I do. I had a Zoom chat with Braeden in the evening, and guess who was peering through the glass sliding door at the back of Grandpa Jim's house, trying to spy in on our conversation? Yeah, you probably guessed correctly... my mom! She then snuck inside to say hi. Good thing Braeden is super personable and was chill about it. My mom really likes him. I really enjoyed talking with him and felt energized afterward.

Saturday: I went and took family pictures for the Burgess family, and I did well! Especially considering that I didn't know they were bringing their two crazy dogs along! I made sure to go to the location early to scope out some spots, and when the family arrived, we took pictures for just over an hour, so the timing was good. I think they had an enjoyable time. It definitely wore me out, though. I came home so tired. I sat on my dad's massage chair and relaxed for 25 minutes. That evening, mom and dad had over all of the Burnham siblings and grandpa and grandma. All of us kids were kicked out (except Val, who ran the games). We ate dinner in Grandpa Jim's kitchen, and then Lucy and I had a night of activities planned. We made peanut butter balls, decorated a ginger bread house, put on face masks, and watched a new movie that had come out on Disney Plus. Honestly, it was kind of exhausting, but enjoyable too. The funny part was when Lucy's face mask didn't want to come off, so she left chunks of it to her face when it wouldn't come off. Later that night, mom, dad, and Val came over to report that everyone had finally left and the party had been a success!

Sunday: I was so exhausted from the weekend that I slept in until 8:30am! I know that may not sound late for most people, but the family ward started at 8:30, so I made sure to attend the singles ward. I was glad I did because I got to see some friends that were down from Provo! I hitched a ride home with one of them because Aaron's car was way too cramped. That afternoon, we all got ready for family photos. I helped Lucy with her makeup. Photographing with a tripod is the worst. It's so much harder to guide your family and get all the shots you want when using a self-timer. Boo! But at least we got a couple of good shots, plus some good head shots.

Much love,

Emily Burnham

Zoo Lights

 30 November - 6 December 2020

Monday: I had a lot of homework to do that didn't get done on Saturday. As the end of the semester is approaching, lots of deadlines are creeping up! Including graduate school deadlines... yikes. I finally finished around 7 or 8pm with a quiz. Having to do school when I'm home and feel like I should be on vacation is the worst! Haha, but I'll persevere :)

Tuesday: Mom listened in to my 8am class and was crying! We were discussing self-compassion, which is such a needed thing in our society today. In a gap between classes, we went shopping. Then I had class the rest of the day.

Wednesday: In the afternoon, I went with my mom to the store because she needed to pick up a couple of items. I told her not to forget to get the chips. Then I decided to go inside with her instead of waiting in the car so that I could make sure she remembered to grab them. You've probably already guessed by now, but yes, we walked out of the store, loaded up the car, started driving home, and then remembered that we forgot to get chips! Lucy came over in the evening to have a "homework jam session," which was good for me because otherwise I wouldn't have had the motivation to continue working on homework. 

Thursday: What a long day! I had classes alllll day. The best part was the guest speaker in my morning class. My mom didn't seem to be listening at first, but then she heard the speaker and came to see. He talked about his experiences 

Friday: Cousin Kayla came over to help me find a good color for my hair. She brought her two kiddos over to play. I didn't realize how long it would take as we tried different colors and combinations and then had to wait 30 minutes in between. But finally... six hours later... we ended up with a color that was a little darker than I preferred, but closer to what I wanted. Kayla said it should fade out from washes in a week and so hopefully it will be the color I want. That evening, I had to work on a couple of things that needed to be done before midnight (like an essay) so that finished up my evening.

Saturday: In the morning, I attended a Stake Relief Society activity where we were served breakfast and did yoga. I enjoyed that we were right across from the Gilbert temple! I spent the majority of the day doing homework and listening to online class lectures. That evening, I went with mom and my two sisters to go and see the Zoo Lights in Phoenix with all the young women in the ward. It was enjoyable to spend time with my family and see all the pretty lights. Afterwards, we stopped by Inn and Out for a quick dinner since we didn't eat that whole time. I am grateful for my mom and sisters.

Sunday: I went to the family ward with my parents at 8:30am, and it was good to be able to see old acquaintances and family friends. I bore my testimony during the meeting about hope and faith, and I got some compliments. I also gave dad his late birthday gift (a bag of brussels sprouts with a card), which he did not find amusing... unfortunately. That evening, we made smoked pizzas for dinner to break our fast. They were amazing as always. Then we watched the Christmas devotional with the sister missionaries and Amir. I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ because He helps me overcome my negative thoughts and weaknesses. I started this morning feeling inadequate and unworthy. I recognized those thoughts, vocalized them, realized how false they were, and was able to move past it. I am grateful for unconditional love and for infinite chances and opportunities. Lucy also took me on a ranger ride and pulled over just so she could climb a tree.

Much love,

Emily Burnham