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Grown

Dear blog, I haven't written on you for 10 months. How is that? Yet, I have so many drafts I have written and not published. And I feel like hitting publish on a lot of them because vulnerability is power and empathy is what makes us human…

A Continuing Education

I am currently a teacher to all of the women in our church congregation - also known as a Relief Society teacher. And to be honest, I really love it! It's amazing how all of a sudden in my life Relief Society is a like a lifeline, and being…

My Up and Down Relationship with Blogging

I have such an up and down relationship with blogging. (As you can tell by the scarcity and randomness of when I post.) So often I have the urge to write, to type and type and not be able to type the words fast enough to get them out before…
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Worthy of Love

Guilt and worthiness. I have struggled with these feelings for as long as I can remember because of my perfectionism, fear, I don't know. I know I am supposed to "learn" something from this infertility trial, but I feel done. Because I continue…

My Number One Trick to Staying Focused at Work

I currently work from home and I seriously struggle with staying focused. I get so distracted by my stinking iPhone and my adult coloring book and Spotify and podcasts and mostly food.  It gets ridiculous and my brain goes crazy. This week…
zion confidence
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Fear, the Impostor Syndrome, and Progress

Every year I make some sort of goal for my blog - blog once a week, once a month, etc. I start off strong with the first week, and then I go quiet. The little voice inside my head keeps telling me so many reasons why I should stop. Among these…
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thank you

I wanted to start off my writing today with a heart full of thanks.  After writing my last blog post I received countless texts, emails, and calls with words of empathy and encouragement. I must admit that publishing the post was a complete…
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I guess I am one of those people who cries in church now... a lot.

At church a couple of weeks ago I was doing fine.  I was enjoying the talks and feeling good and motivated and humbled and all of the feelings. And while I find it frustrating when people so very vaguely refer to their "trials," I will do the…
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the necessity of art

I remember when I first fell in love with Regina Spektor's music. I had just turned 16 and had learned how to drive a stick-shift.  My mom had put me in charge of driving my brother and some teammates to football practice every day.  As I…
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stop making excuses

Don't you hate it when someone commits to doing something and then they just flake out and they "get busy" and "something came up" and they just couldn't do it?  We've all been there. It's the absolute worst and we just want to say, "JUST DO…
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random joy | blogtember #7

When asked to share 5 things that bring me joy, I wrote down a huge long list and I couldn't narrow them down to only 5. My long list looked something like this: family, sisters, Dallin, stationary, tulips, ice cream, anything Italian, book…
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work vibes | blogtember #6

After a long labor day weekend, going back to work is not exactly my favorite thing to do. This morning I woke up at the crack of dawn to call students in India, so I've been awake way too long.  The only way I have survived from being awake…
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introductions | blogtember #1

For the first day of curing my writer's block, I'd like to start with some introductions. My name is Emma. I am a self-declared insomniac, lover of soda, cereal, pizza, and ice cream. Food is basically my love language.  "My diet starts…

cure for writer's block: the blog-tember challenge

As you probably gathered from my previous blog-post, the struggle has been real when it comes to writing.  Serious writer's block over here.  So I have found a temporary solution.  Let me explain. ( tl; dr -  backstory to why I am participating…

when there's nothing to write about

I'm stuck in a rut. Yes, being stuck in a rut is the most cliche phrase ever, but I don't know what else to say other than being stuck in a rut is the absolute worst. I'm overwhelmingly busy and yet at the same time I feel completely bored…
sleep
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10 tricks to falling asleep (from an expert)

As anyone who knows me would say, I am a self-declared insomniac since I started college.  Over the years, I have picked up on a few tips that have really "helped" me get a better night's rest.   1. Check every social media site…
society

It's Society's Fault

"Society makes us believe that homosexuality is a lot more common than it actually is..." or "Society would have us believe that pornography is harmless when in reality it is a drug..." or "Society has created gendered expectations that…
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what would leslie knope do?

One time my husband and I were having a hard week.  I suppose it was one of those hormonal, emotional weeks for me and I wasn't really believing in myself.  I had messed up at work, I felt overwhelmed, and I guess I just felt defeated. I…