We had a crazy Friday night. My favorite little guy, Mac, came to show us his Halloween costume. He was a cow and it was so cute! He wouldn't leave it on for very long but I loved it. We all went to see Grandma and Grandpa Freeman and hung out there for a while. Grandpa told me he had some expensive stuff locked up in the shed right by us and that he wasn't sure if anyone saw him put it in there... so we needed to watch out for it. I told Josh about it when he got home and then he started away on his never ending homework. I looked out the window and saw a car over by the Orange Patch and told Josh. It wasn't a big deal but then... about a half hour later our door handle jiggles, like someone was trying to open our door. So we got a little nervous and Josh got his shotgun. We heard a knock and Josh asked who it was but there was no answer. Then we heard a knock on the other side of the apartment and Josh asked louder who it was. Still no answer. So he takes his shotgun out the door and looks around. No one was there so he turned around another corner and saw someone wearing a mask and he lifted his gun. Then... we hear "Wait Josh, it's just me." She takes off the mask and come to find out it was two of my 17 year old girl cousins and their friend. Poor Josh was so nervous and felt so bad, he couldn't get his hands to stop shaking for so long. He didn't sleep a wink all night either; he felt so stinkin bad! I'm so glad nothing happened, but our house is out in the middle of nowhere. If anyone comes out there it's usually to steal something or be crazy. We rarely get visitors so we had no idea. And we forgot it was Halloween weekend. So... I don't think we'll ever get visitors again.

On to happier things, Josh had drill this weekend and found out that he got taken off the deployment list. So as of now he's not going. I am happy but I had accepted it and was prepping for it. They change things way too much in the Marines and it makes it hard on my emotions. In the back of my mind, I still feel like he's gonna go. So I'm not totally accepting that he's not going. We had the ball too and we got our pictures taken this time so maybe I'll post them. If they look good.

Today was my first day in Young Womens. I was called to be the 3rd counselor, yes we have 3. We have the Arboleda Branch with us so one is from the branch. I'm the counselor over the Beehives and I'm scared to death! I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm sooo under qualified. I met the girls for the first time today and they seem like the funnest and sweetest girls but I'm so scared they're not going to like me or they'll think I'm boring. And then, every other leader in Young Womens seems so talented and amazing. I can't think of anything I'm good at that I can teach these girls. I almost cried a few times today thinking about my calling. Other people probably think this job is a piece of cake but I'm not too confident in my leadership abilities. It's a very scary thing for me but I hope that I can make the best of it and put so much into my calling. I want to make it the best for these girls and I hope I can become a better person through the experiences I'll have with them. I know it's going to be so fun and I'll love being in YW. We'll see how it goes!

So, remember when I gave Josh the duty of updating the blog for me? Well, neither of us are very good at it. Josh is always doing homework or Marine stuff. I feel bad that he's so stressed out and there's nothing I can do about it. I don't understand anything he's learning in school. Hopefully this will end soon.

Other than that, I went to my grandma's cabin in Greer for Conference weekend and it was soo nice, other than missing Josh. I think that part was made worse cause I was thinking about how I'm going to miss him so much when he leaves for his deployment.

But conference was so nice. I loved all the talks and it was so uplifting! By the time conference comes around, I think it is so needed. With all the bad things going on in the world, I need to be reminded of all the good things too. I've always taken conference for granted and I regret not taking advantage of the messages from our church leaders in the past.

Anyway, while watching a session of conference, I was laying on the ground after putting a bunch of over sized Lego's together for my nephew Mac. I stopped paying attention to him and that must have made him very mad, cause all of a sudden my face started throbbing with pain and tears came uncontrollably out of my eyes.

He threw it at my face! I couldn't help the crying; I really tried to stop. My crying made Mac feel bad and so he started crying. During the pain, I tried to comfort Mac and make him feel a little better.

So now... for the first time in my life, I have a black eye. Given to me by a 22 month old. It's not that bad of one, but still it's a first for me.

He's Home!

I really want to make a goal to not go 3 months without making a new blog post, but I can't make any promises. Not that people look at this thing anymore. I'm not reliable at all. But I did have something happen that was exciting enough to put on here.

My brother Blake came home from his mission!!!

He came home on September 15 at 9:45 AM. It was such a great day and we worked SO hard for that day. We redid his and Bryce's room, a TON of yard work, a lot of fixes to my mom's house, sign making, and shopping. We were pretty much exhausted by the time he got here, but it was all worth it.

We were at the airport pretty early (just in case the plane came an hour early, right mom?) and saw the plane come in to the terminal. So as we were watching people come through a guy walks by me and says "He's coming" and that made us a little more nervous.

Then we saw this!

And my mom ran to do this....

And then he came over to the huge mass of people waiting for him

Thought I'd take a picture showing his plane had officially ARRIVED! It's the top line flight 2915

We worked for HOURS on these and he didn't even notice them.
They're cute though and that's what really matters.

This is the nice flight attendant that was with Blake the entire time he was traveling.
All the way from Argentina to Arizona

Blake and Bryce... aww cute!

Blake and Grandpa Freeman

Blake and Grandma Freeman... I think this picture is so nice.
We all love our grandparents so much!!

Blake and Dad

Blake and Grandma Ewart

Blake and Brady... they're not kissing each other on the cheek, promise,
my camera has a delay on it. Looks like it tho, gross

Weston! and Blake

Mac met Uncle Blake for the first time. He's still getting used to Blake,
he's only known him as a picture til now but it's getting better.

Brenner and Blake

Just going around the circle

Doesn't he look so good?!

We're so excited to have him home. We've missed him but we're so proud of him for serving a mission. Welcome Home Elder Smith!

Hey it's me, Emily, the slacker. I'm back for just a short post dedicated to my hubby! Josh has been at Corporal's Course out in Glendale for a week and a half now I miss him so much! You'd think 2 weeks wouldn't phase me at all but it does.

So when Josh was in Africa he was talking about being promoted to Corporal and he couldn't because someone didn't sign his paper when he was promoted to Lance Corporal. That means he lost like 4 months of time to raise his score. Our luck isn't so good.. Anyways, he missed the cutting score by 2 Points! It's so frustrating. Eventually he was promoted and it's been a while since then.

A month or two ago he was going to be put in for a meritorious promotion and he spent a lot of time getting all the papers in order and getting his picture taken. After a few weeks we found out that admin lost his picture! Again... our luck isn't so good.

Then... we were waiting for Friday for the cutting score to come out to see if he was going to be promoted to Sergeant. He called me Tuesday to tell me that someone told him the scores came out and he missed it by 3 points. We were both bummed! I couldn't believe that this would happen again. I felt so bad for him. After I got off of work he called to tell me that the guy was wrong and he was 3 points over! I was soooo excited! He's going to be promoted in July and he'll be Sergeant Johnson. I'm probably more excited than most about this but it seems like he's always trying so hard and things don't always work out. But it did this time! Anyways I'm so proud of him and can't wait to see him on Monday!

P.S. i'm not totally sure of the order of everything in the story but I tried!

The Southern Voice

I have to do a little bit of back-tracking. Since Emily and I don't have any children yet and are therefore a little more free than most parents we have always tried to go somewhere after each semester just to catch up on the time together that we missed because of work, school, studying, and the ever-present Marines. Some of these trips out of town have been more extravagant (Brazil) while others have been quiet and simple (camping). Well, as this past semester was drawing to a close I realized that we hadn't thought of or planned anything to do yet. I told Emily not to worry about it and that I'd think of something and surprise her with it. So...the pressure was on. It took me about a week to come up with something and still another week to work out the logistics. What was it? Tickets to the Tim McGraw/Lady Antebellum concert. Where? Atlanta.

You may be wondering why the heck we would go all the way to Atlanta for a concert. My sister and her family just happens to live an hour south of Atlanta so I figured we could spend a little time visiting them. And, Emily absolutely loves Lady Antebellum so I thought that she would really enjoy the experience of seeing her favorite country group perform live for thousands of drunk southerners and at least two sober Mormons. Then she could say she went to the 2010 Southern Voice Tour in the South.

We flew to Atlanta on a Friday and drove to Warner Robbins where my sister lives. We spent the rest of the day and the next morning hanging out with them and meeting her new baby. It was a lot of fun seeing her and her family. Her 4-year-old, Gavin, didn't remember me so it was easy to play with him since he doesn't remember how bad I teased him when they lived in Arizona.

On Saturday, we drove back to Atlanta and checked into our hotel. Since we weren't going to have enough time before the concert to do a whole lot we had to choose between visiting the Coca-Cola factory or the Atlanta Aquarium. After much debate we finally decided on the aquarium and spent more than an hour figuring out how to get there and where to park. This being accomplished we went inside and spent another hour with our faces pressed up against the glass like two little kids gaping at the HUGE fishes, sting-rays, and whales. I even got to touch the slimy wing of a baby sting-ray but just missed the baby shark by a few inches.

Traffic on the way to the concert was way, and I mean WAY crazier than I thought it was going to be so we had to settle on a very romantic gas station for dinner. Considering the fact that I proposed in a parking garage, the gas station didn't seem all that bad...besides, she's stuck with me. After parking in a dark corner of a suspicious parking lot and paying the even more suspicious parking attendant we finally made our way to the gates of Aaron's Amphitheatre for the show. I never thought I'd see my shy, timid Emily party but something about seeing her favorite band in concert transformed my little Nervous Nelly into a dancing, singing country girl. My favorite part was watching the drunk, shirt-less redneck guys trip on themselves while flirting with the sauced up and booted Georgian girls.

Once Tim McGraw was done singing his hair extensioned head off we made our way to the car and to my surprise, it was still there and not a single window was broken. Emily got a shirt or two to commemorate the occasion and we made it safely home to the desert the next morning. Despite a few hick-ups in my plans the trip went fairly well. I'm pretty sure Emily had fun and I didn't have to knock anybody out for feeling her up at the concert.

My Friend

I have to start this post by saying to the few people who still read this blog that, by the request of Emily, the illustrious duty of updating our few loyal followers on the events of our lives via blog has fallen to her far worse half....me. If you don't know who I am then you're probably better off by just knowing my wonderfully sweet wife. Since this is my first of however many posts Emily wants me to do, I find it fitting that I take a little time to brag.

The scriptures say that men should cleave unto their wives...the general understanding of that phrase is that men should commit themselves completely. In my opinion, that phrase should have been translated a little differently. It should have said something like, "Men should cleave unto their wives and speedily do whatever is desired by them for thou shalt probably be better off anyways idiot." And so it is that I am sitting here trying desperately to put into words on a computer screen what I feel in the deepest depths of my soul. Besides, who could say no to Emily?

For those lucky people who have had the privilege to get to know Emily and for those not-so-lucky people who have had the misfortune of meeting me, you are probably just as confused as I am that she conceded her eternal future to me. She is the sweetest, most gentle, most kind, most loveable, most forgiving, most patient, and most beautiful girl I've ever known and ever heard of. I used to think that I must have done something extraordinary to deserve an eternal companion like her but now I know that my Father in Heaven knew that in order to bring out my full, meager potential I would need a girl by my side who was as close to perfection as anyone can be. She knows literally everything about me and still insists on loving me. I thank The Lord every day for that great gift.

If you know me at all, you know that it is no small thing for me to bare my soul and expose my feelings like this.I promise to the reader that I will post more about our everyday lives but I wanted to put into words at least a portion of the gratitude I feel for the never-ending privilege it is to live every day with Emily smiling at me. She's my wife, my sweetheart, and my best friend. I love her.

Husband Tag

1. Where did you meet your husband? We met on a blind date. It was kinda a last minute deal and Josh's friend talked to me more than he did. He says he was trying to find something wrong with me but couldn't.... awww so sweet. We went to Cheesecake Factory and watched a movie at my dear friend Heather's apartment

2. How long did you date before you got married? We dated for 2 months and engaged 4 months

3. How long have you been married? a little over 3 years, crazy how fast it goes.

4. What does he do that surprises you? ok... i have a story. so for my birthday...which is 2 days before valentines day, Josh got me this nintendo system that plays super nintendo games and the older games. But it didn't work and he felt really bad. So the day after my b-day and the day before v-day he comes in with Jaren to my work. Josh is in his nice suit that he's worn maybe once, with a flower and starts singing to me.
He also does the dishes to surprise me and i love those surprises!

5. What is your favorite feature of his? I love his hair, and that he's not losing it (and when he wears gel.. ). I also love his smile

6. What is his best quality? He treats me so good! I think he gets it from his dad. He never ever gets mad at me, even when I'm being difficult.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? most the time it's just Em, but sometimes he'll say "hey girlfriend"

8. What is his favorite food? Deifnitely Mexican food. We love our Mattas!

9. What is his favorite sport? football and baseball

10. When and where did you first kiss? um... he kissed my cheek on our first date

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? watch movies and hang out

12. Do you have any children? no, not yet. but we want to someday

13. Does he have any hidden talents? he can sing and he has an incredible memory when it comes to movies. he can remember quotes from movies he hasn't seen for years!! He does really good impressions too.

14. How old is he? 27

15. Who said 'I love you' first? well... i guess he did... kinda. He took me on a gondola ride and then we walked around by the water and he told me... get this, that he was 96% sure he was falling in love with me. I don't know if he was scared of what i would say so I guess it was him that said it first...haha

16. What is his favorite music? almost anything. I've gotten him more into country but he likes things like Weezer and Jimmy Eat World.

17. What do you admire most about him? He's very dedicated and smart! He knows the scriptures soo well and I often get jealous about how much he knows. It's amazing to me that he can remember so many details about the scriptures and the history of the church.

18. What is his favorite color? Green

19. Will he read this? Eventually I think. I hope he doesn't get embarassed

20. Who will I tag next? Like my friend Lachelle, anyone who reads this and wants to do it. And Lachelle... I kinda copied how you filled this out with the pictures. it was so cute!

I've been told a million times I need to update my blog and I really try. I always start a new post and then delete it cause it seems really boring. I guess I need to quit worrying about that. Even now, I'm tempted to just quit but I won't.

I should've taken before and after pictures but I only have after pictures. A few weeks ago I convinced Josh we NEEDED new bedroom furniture. Eventually we would've since we didn't own our furniture... it was all borrowed and none of it matched. So we went and looked and got a really good deal and ended up buying a whole set! And I LOVE IT! We got a bed with storage underneath, a chesser (a dresser with a little cupboard), a mirror, and 2 nightstands.

a night stand

the chesser... my favorite for some reason

and the bed

all in all...i counted that we have 20 drawers and storage underneath half the bed. It feels so nice to be a little more organized and I've already dusted the furniture a few times. It's only been in our room for a week now.

Oh and last night, it was confirmed to me that Josh doesn't notice anything. It's totally off subject, but he came home from drill and kinda stunk so he changed his clothes and i made him wear cologne. We were going to see some of his friends because Lee and his family are moving. So on our way home we had this conversation...

Me: "You know I love the smell of that cologne... I don't understand why you don't wear it more often"

Josh: "Well, if it was out on the counter or something, I'd wear it more often but I always forget"

Me: "Josh... That's where it's been for the last year and a half!"

It literally has been on the bathroom counter right behind the faucet since I bought it for him when he came home from Africa. I don't know how long cologne normally lasts a boy but this is gonna last him his entire life because I think he's put it on a total of 5 times. But I still love him... He did let me get new bedroom furniture after all!

Jarenisms...

Ok, I've decided to get back to my blogging roots but since I can never, ever think of something to blog about I've decided to dedicate a few blogs to one of the um...shall we say, most interesting people I know. I'm of course talking about one of Josh's younger brothers. Although all of them say and do things that are blog-worthy, this particular brother seems to always give me something to laugh about every time I see him and since we don't have any kids to write about, Jaren will have to suffice.
For this first of what I'm sure will turn into many blogs I've decided to write just a little bit about Jaren's unique personality...and believe me, it is unique. Jaren has always been the one to want to do the things that everyone else would tell stories about. He doesn't usually take the time to think about what he's about to do...he just does it. Come to think of it, I don't think he's even capable of feeling even a shred of embarrassment about anything. For example, after one of his many visits to the hospital, Josh was teasing him about a female nurse having to clean Jaren's behind...to which he replied, "Heck! I don't care who wipes my butt just so long as somebody wipes it!" I'm still laughing about that pearl of wisdom.
Another thing about Jaren is his weird fashion sense. As much as his mom, sisters, and girlfriend may try to get him to wear more conventional clothes, Jaren is always going to put on (or take off) whatever he wants and if you don't like it, he couldn't care any less. So, as a result he's either dressed like a mountain man or not wearing much at all. If you're already getting bored with this blog I apologize but I promise, specifics will come in future blogs. So, without further ado, I present...


Jaren!

So... a crazy thing happened at work the other day. I finished juicing my 55 gallons of OJ for my work and got bored at home. So even tho I was not working I went to my work. I get bored being by myself for too long and I usually visit my good friend Lorene at the OP2.

I went to the back to say hi to my mom, but saw Irma instead who told me a terrible story! A car was broken into in the back parking lot at work. I don't understand why people think they can do things like that. But it was in the middle of the day and no one saw or heard the window break. The customer's gps was stolen and they were pretty upset, not at us tho.

That night we went to play cards with my g-ma and g-pa and told them (who own the OP2) about the break-in. They were pretty upset too and couldn't believe something like that would happen at their store.

Soooo... today when I was at work, my g-ma and her good friend came to visit and I thought they were there to shop...cause it's a really cute store. But my mom came to tell me the real reason they were there. My grandma, who is in her 70's and her friend came to . . . .

patrol the parking lot for thieves!

How cute is that! I couldn't stop smiling... and laughing a little. I have the greatest grandparents in the world. They are the most hard working, generous, and honest people I know and would do anything for anyone. Even hunt for parking lot theives

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!

Today is Josh's birthday and I just wanted to make a special blog for him to say...Happy Birthday! He should feel pretty special about this cause i blog about twice a year. I feel really bad too because on his birthday he had to go to school and work. I've been sick for a week and a half so I haven't had much energy. I have a lot to make up for. I made him waffles this morning and put them on the Birthday plate tho! Well, I know this wasn't the most exciting birthday but I want him to know how much I love him and want him to be happy. And Josh... I love you!!!

So... Christmas was great and New Year's was relaxing and, in a few days, life will be busy again. We had a really nice Christmas with all our family. We got to talk to my brother Blake who is in Argentina and has a little less than 8 months left. We got to talk to Josh's brother Gator, who is in Colorado and comes home in April. They're both doing great!

Then... Josh and I had a relaxing weekend in Payson over New Years. We forced ourselves to stay up til 12 on New Year's Eve and enjoyed sleeping in every morning! We didn't plan a single thing and loved every minute. We saw Blindside and Sherlock Holmes... both were great movies. We made a few trips to Walmart and Blockbuster... just for something to do. I definitely recommend this kind of vacation!

So all this relaxing time will end in just a few short days. Josh starts school on Wednesday and he signed up for 14 credits and he's working part time. So... good luck to him! I know he can do it, he's a smart kid. So, the good life will end soon and the craziness will begin!