7 July - 7 September 2025
Hey, future posterity, have so much fun reading this XD. I was just thinking how nobody except my future kids/posterity will probably ever read all of these... and I guess I should say, "Hello, future self!" because my future self will likely look back on some of these for the mems. Or, you know, maybe I'll be famous one of these days and will be shocked by the number of people who read this... (which is so funny to say because recently I have been thinking about how God is protecting me from myself by making sure I'm not famous. If I got the views or followers on my social media, I would be facing a lot more negative attention and temptations, and right now I get to continue to focus solely on God and becoming my best self, so God truly is wise).
The past couple of months have been a huge transition for me. I am pretty much full-time right now, for the first time since starting to work, and it has definitely taken a toll on me. It's been exhausting. I finally transitioned full-time to Restored Counseling and Wellness Center instead of continuing to split myself between two practices. I am starting to make more than I have before, so I am enjoying slowly building up my savings (lol, after I spent all of it on my trip to South Korea...). Just this week, it hit me that I am carrying the mental health of twenty other people on my shoulders every week. And I need to really make sure mine is intact and well taken care of too.
Today in sacrament, I bore my testimony about my personal relationship with God and how He sends the right people and knowledge into my life at the right time. I just reflect back over the past couple of years at everything I've learned. I have always felt like there is so much to know and not enough time, because I need to know it all right now. But slowly, over time, God has led me to the right connections, modalities, trainings, and conferences for me to gain knowledge in the moments He has needed me to have it in order to bless others. From learning EFT, to meeting Valerie Southwick, to working at Restored, to serving on the AZ YSA Conf committee and meeting Aselin and Alisa, to learning EMDR for free, etc. It has been incredible.
Here are some of the highlights from the past couple of months:
Sunday dinner selfie with my sista-sista! I love when she and Porter come over. It's about once a month but sometimes feels like less, so I sure miss her because I used to get to see her every day when she lived next door with grandpa.
I grabbed drinks with my friend Ashley at this place, and it was SO yummy! Highly recommend. I got a mango smoothing with peach popping boba. And coconut cream on top. Delish!
Lucy came down between breaks and I treated her to Costa Vida. Mom and dad were still on their cruise when she first got down. She spent a week and a half with us, then she went up to Provo and I flew up the next day so we could attend the UT YSA Conference.
Selfie at Meg Langford's (well, now a new last name) wedding reception. They had Frost Gelato serve icecream and it was so good!
Our family went to see JK Studios! Even Val and Porter came, but they were sitting in the back, so we didn't get them in the photo. They had some pretty funny skits, like an Amazon delivery notification one and a mash up of Harry Potter and Wicked (their closing song, instead of "Defying Gravity" was "Defining Boundaries." It was funny).
Lucy and I went to Valerie and Porter's house to hang. I had to come late, straight from work, so they had eaten dinner and started playing games without me, but I was just in time to join in on the games and eat ice bream with them! I love these two sisters of mine more than words can express and am so SO incredibly grateful for them!
Lucy picked me up from the Provo airport at night. While I stayed with her, I helped her fix her car blinkers (and fill up air in her tires) and it was a whole thing. I think I got bruises from it. We had to use butter knifes and enlist the help of a guy in her ward. But we did it!
We sat in the main stage area and just so happened to choose a section of chairs with Korean names on the back. It made me feel seen and loved in that moment. Throughout the rest of the conference when we sat in other areas, there weren't any names on the backs of chairs.
We took a similar selfie last year at the previous UT YSA Conference, so I wanted to do another to document the SLC temple. It pretty much looks the exact same, but I hope lots of work is being done!
I was so SO excited to get to see Whitney at the Utah YSA Conference and meet her boyfriend Sam. We got to attend some classes together and catch up. It was incredible and I am so happy for her. She and her boyfriend are super cute together and they may even move to AZ after they're married, so... I WOULD LOVE THAT SO MUCH!!!
I went to church with Lucy. It was so nostalgic to be back on BYU campus. Her sacrament meeting was held in the auditorium of the JSB, and I love that you can see the Kimball Tower in the window reflection behind us. I sure did have the best time ever while I was there and part of the community, but now I definitely feel like a visitor. It's no longer my time or season, but I am so happy for my sister and the kids who do get to enjoy such a beautiful season.
I watched the Sunday evening devotional by Elder Holland at Whitney's place. She invited some friends over and there were lots of snacks. This is the view from her apartment. You can see three temples glowing out in the distance (though I don't think all three are pictured here. Two are on the left of the scene and one is on the right, so I don't think they could all fit in one frame). So beautiful!
Gracelyn turned 3! We had her Stitch-themed birthday party at our house. After Gracelyn opened her presents, Briesa announced she was pregnant, so we are all super excited for baby number two!!
Much love,
Emily Burnham
