Step #30-- Both sides

Never again will I have to smile instead of scream

or be sympathetic instead of yelling “You idiot!”

Never again will I be forced to park a thousand strollers:

the Eddie Baures,

the Gracos,

OR the Maclarens

Never again will I watch an Elephant, Ostrich, or Rhino relieve itself

Or smell it

Never again with the language barriers, the “Stand behind the yellow line!”s, or the radio chatter

Never again will I wait for a bus that should’ve arrived 25 minutes ago

Never again will I be asked where to get a Fastpass or where the bathrooms are

over

and over again

On the other hand,

Never again will I get seven two week safaris in one day,

catching those poachers every time

Never again will I greet people with JAMBO!

or pretend I live in Africa

Never again will I get to help little princesses in poofy dresses

or five year old pirates with whiskers

Never again with Rock ‘n Rollercoaster on Friday

Space Mountain on Saturday,

Followed by church on Sunday,

and Expedition Everest on Monday

Never again will a Lion be in my rear view mirror

or a Giraffe be within arm’s reach

Never another chance to give magical moments

or make dreams come true

But I can stop the pixie dust from dissolving

and the magic from disappearing

by keeping it in my heart

Then the world will never be bleak again

Never again

Step #29-- Maturity

In life, it's important to know when to be mature.

I did my best the other day, but sometimes things are just funny, no matter how much they shouldn't be.

It was a slow morning, one of the slowest I'd ever seen, but as the weather cleared out, we were flooded with guests. I was then assigned to a truck where they left me for three and a half hours. HORRIFIC! But some interesting events took place during those three hours. On one round, a white Rhino came up to my truck, put its horn by my front tire and started to rock my truck back and forth, back and forth. Just as I started to get sea-sick, it got bored and walked away. Weird.

A couple rounds later, I saw that the male rhino had his head resting upon the female rhino's rump. The guests thought it was adorable and started to take pictures, but I was concerned. I remembered that Animal Programs had trained us on how to spot the signals animals send to each other before beginning the mating process. I also remembered that this specific rhino action was one of those signals. What would I do if they started to mate in the middle of my safari? Just as I thought this, the male began to mount the female. Fortunately, the female was not in the mood, and she moved away. My guests were laughing their heads off and I let out a snicker or two. I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. I called it in.

The next round, we came around to the same point and the trucks in front of me were stopped. I figured it would be a small delay, so I stopped, put my vehicle into park, and began chatting with my guests. Over the radio I heard that we were stopped for a white rhino. Not a big deal, that was pretty much what I'd been expecting. A few moments later, I heard that all five white rhinos were in the road. ALL FIVE. Kind of a big deal. We'd already been stuck for seven or so minutes at this point. next, I hear this on the radio:

"Reserve Warden from Safari 12."

"Warden by."

"The White Rhinos are breeding."

"10-9?"

"The White Rhinos are breeding...in the middle of the road."

Oh boy, the White Rhinos were making a baby in the middle of the ride path. Big deal.

I gasped into my microphone but tried to regain my composure. The guests in the front row over heard the radio and started to laugh. There wasn't much to do at this point except to sit and wait for Animals Programs to come and do...something. We were stuck there for about 20 minutes. 20 awkward minutes. When we were finally able to get back on the move, we were forced to take an alternated route so we didn't interrupt the rhinos. As it turned out, I was only two trucks behind where the event was taking place and as we turned onto the alternate route, we could see that there was still one truck stuck behind the action, helpless and unable to move. But beyond that truck, blatant and unashamed, were two mating rhinos. I'd never seen anything like it. The male was on top of the female--like rhino Jenga. There was no hiding it, and no changing what we'd seen. That's the circle of life for you. I hurried my chuckling guests away trying to keep my composure, but even I couldn't suppress the laughter. Can you blame me?

Sorry maturity. Maybe tomorrow.

Step #28-- Be a character or be a kid, but don't be boring

So meeting Disney Characters made me feel more like a kid than I have felt in a long time, and it made me realize that, when you're a kid, the simplest things can make you happy. I saw little kids wait for more than thirty minutes just to say hi to Belle. We met a little girl dressed like Rapunzel and she was so excited to show us all the pictures and autographs she'd accumulated since coming to Disney World the last year. I'd never cared about meeting characters before, but it was such a fun experience. It's made me realize what a kid I am, and what a character I am.

Step #27--Tacky clothes and bad hair styles never hurt anyone

I went into music video mode this past week. My other two videos are more serious and took a lot of work, but this one was just pure fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFnypZtAcrc

The Story of Waldo

Once upon a time, there was a woman named Debbi Randall. She was happily married to a wonderful man named Kelly and they had six children: Tricia, Rachel, David, Nicholas, Brian, and Emily.

Debbi was famous for her astounding birthday cake creations. Each birthday, she’d contrive, construct, and decorate a unique themed dessert to match and delight the birthday boy or girl. The cake she planned for young David’s birthday that legendary April morning, would forever be a legend in the Randall family household.

It was a simple bunt cake, but strategically planted in the middle was a small Waldo figurine. Dressed up in his classic red and white striped sweater and hat, he waited in the center of the cake, encompassed by frosting, for an eager party guest to find him. And find him they did.

Not so long after that, David slumped through the garage door, discouraged after having a bad day. Debbi wondered, in the way mothers typically do, how she could bring a smile back to her son’s face. With a snicker, she picked up Waldo and hid him in an unsuspecting place. Satisfied with her plan, she called to David.

“Oh, Dave!” She chimed, “There’s something special for you in the shower!”

“What is it?” David asked, confused and set aback.

“You’ll just have to look and see what you find!” Debbi giggled.

Well, what would you do if you found Waldo hiding under a washcloth in the shower? It was an immediate success, and soon Waldo began to appear in strange places: hanging down from the front door, in the washer, in drawers, just about anywhere. The person who found him got to hide him next.

But the family started to grow and spread. The siblings started to go off to college and travel the world. Did Waldo retire? Of course not! Waldo visited Tricia at a girl’s camp and in the Czech Republic. He travelled to Peru to help David on his mission in Lima. He went on a cruise with Debbi and Kelly and all the way to Argentina to see Brian. Emily even had him for a while in China. He currently rests with her at Walt Disney World, enjoying the magic and the pixie dust. Where will he go next? Will the legend of Waldo continue on? Will he and the Randall family live happily ever after? Yes. Yes they will.

Comments

Good news everyone! I think you'll be able to comment on my blog now. Give it a try and let me know if it works. I changed the settings...so hopefully it worked!

Safari photos

Step #26-- 99 times out of 100, it's not you, but once it a while...

...it is. Today I had a camera crew get on my truck. MY TRUCK. Out of the 35-ish trucks that were in rotation at that particular moment in time, I was the lucky truck. The crew was from the Travel Channel. One of those cooking channel chefs got on board with his family along with three cameras (one on his family, one on the animals, and one at the front of the truck), one of my managers, a coordinator, and several people from Animal Programs. I turned off my microphone and drove slowly through the ride path, allowing them to see, film, and react to the animals. It'll probably end up being a one-minute clip on some Travel Channel TV show, but it was all filmed on MY TRUCK! Not bad for a little college program safari driver.

Step #25 -- Find moments to be a hero

Today at work, there was a random sprinkler by base, next to the ride path that was going around in slow circles: getting people wet, spraying out on the ride path, causing confusion, and basically wreaking havoc. I was standing there, waiting for my truck, avoiding the rotating water hose, when a driver brought his truck-load of guests right into the line of fire. I didn't think anything of it at first, but as the sprinkler started to make its way towards the guests I started to yell variations of "take cover! Watch out! It's coming!" The guests suddenly became aware of their situation. The truck couldn't move and neither could the guests. I knew those if those people got wet, our managers would be handing out "no strings attached" cards and dealing with livid people all day. As guests started to pile on one another on the opposite side of the truck, I knew I needed to take action. So without really thinking, I ran up and shoved my hand in front of the sprinkler, stopping the water from hitting the guests. It shot upwards towards the sky and back at me like a fan. Fortunately, I didn't get as wet as I thought I might. Once the sprinkler rotation had moved on, I removed my hand. The guests and my fellow cast members were all shocked that I'd done such a thing. For me, it was almost a reflex. The guests showered me with thanks as they passed by and my co-workers gave me a few pats on the back. Frankie and Ashton gave me Guest Service Fanatic cards for it. It made me feel fantastic to do that little bit of service...because it really wasn't a big thing. I just like to think that I made somebody's vacation just that much better. Ordinary people don't get very many chances to be heroic, and like I said, it really wasn't a big deal, but to that lady in the fifth row, who was finally having a good hair day, it was heroic, and I'm just happy I was able to spare her the frustration of an unnecessary frizz.

Step #24-- It happens

I went to the beach today and even though I had a fantastic time, tragedy stuck shortly after we departed. About ten minutes from the beach, I realized that my bag was not in the car with us...my bag that had my id, my housing id, my debit card, my phone, and my camera. We turned around and zoomed back to the beach. Katelin, the one and only, called ahead to have a waitress at a near by establishment check for my bag. They were able to find it and hold it for me, but by the time I got there, someone had stolen my camera. Everything else was there, but the camera was gone. So I was lucky, but unlucky. Basically, bad things happen and we have to deal with them. So I'm now camera-less--I lost some fun pictures from the beach--but I'll always have the memories, and that's what counts.

Step #23-- Try new things

This is a Kitchen Sink from "Beaches 'n Cream," a diner located at the Beach Club resort. This is the second one of these puppies I've had while here in Florida. We split it amongst seven of us and there was plenty to go round. It includes 8 scoops of ice cream (3 chocolate, 2 strawberry, 2 vanilla, 1 mint chocolate chip), a whole can of whipped cream, and every topping they've got (candy bars, angel food cake, oreos, fudge, carmel, peanut butter, etc, etc) It is delicious even if it's a little scary. I've been trying new things lately: new foods, new rides, and new perspectives. I've come to realize that the older I get, and the more aware I am of time as it passes, the faster it goes. When I come to the end of my life, I want to be able to look back on all the things I've done and be pleased with what I see. I'm all about experiencing new things. Kitchen sink? Check. What's next?

Step #22-- Gain experiences

So, it suddenly occurred to me what a strange job I have. Basically, I'm putting on a show and trying to make sure the guests get through the attraction smoothly, but the fact of the matter is, I go out on "two week safaris", chase poachers, spot animals, and "get shot at." My main concerns are whether or not the crocodiles are on show and how many families with strollers will be going through the line. I drive a gigantic truck but the only thing that worries me about it is the possibility of running over a helmeted guinea fowl in the Ituri forest. It's an experience and I love the stories I'm gaining. I get to deal with people from all over the world and animals from all over Africa. There's no other job like it in the world.

Around the world in 2 1/2 hours

Today was my day off and I decided to travel

around the world. But instead of hopping on a plane, I hopped on a bus...to EPCOT!

Step #21--All work and no play...

Whether it's work, school, or life in general, every once in a while it's important to take a break and just play. It'll get you through the next stretch of things to come. Last night Kaitlin, Kelly, and I went to Mickey's not-so-scary Halloween party at the Magic Kingdom and I had more fun than words can express. We went as the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty. Kaitlin was Flora, I was Fauna, and Kelly was Meriwether. Our costumes were constructed out of paper plates, tulle, ribbon, spray paint, glitter covered dowels, and $5 dollar wings from Wal-Mart. People were constantly complementing us on our costumes and some even wanted to take pictures of us. I carried glitter in my pocket to sprinkle on little princesses while we were waiting in line for characters. The party had an amazing parade, the "Hallowishes" firework spectacular, trick-or-treating lines, the Villians mix and mingle, and dance parties. We did it all and then some. Seriously, I had a fantastic time. Hard to believe it isn't even October yet.

Step #20--Move it or lose it

I saw fantasmic tonight and it was amazing. But to get there, and to Tower of Terror, and to Tower of Terror a second time, and to the bus at the end of the night, we had to hustle hustle hustle. I've been running everywhere lately. But it's nice to be constantly on your toes, because then you don't lose them.

Step #19-- Kindness pays off

So my roommate Kaitlin and I were playing around in Hollywood Studios yesterday and we found ourselves drawn to the Rock'n Rollercoaster (pretty much the best ride ever!) We waited in line once, and it was so good that we got back in line for another go. Being the happy, upbeat people that we are, we were joking and playing around with the cast members manning the ride. After the second round, the cast member at the unloading dock came up to us and asked "Are you two together?" When we told her we were, she sent us right back to the front of the line for another ride. Apparently the guys at departure called her and said to send the girls in the front of the next train back for another go. It's called a "Magic Moment" when a cast member does something like that for a guest. It certainly was a magic moment, it's just kinda funny that Kaitlin and I were both cast members...but we didn't tell them that. I guess it goes to show you that kindness pays off. You never know what magical moments it'll bring. The only downside was that we went hoarse from so much screaming. But it was totally worth it.

Oh, I also confronted my fear of large reptiles with big teeth and went on the Dinosaur ride...hence the picture.

Step #18-- No fear

I was so excited to sleep in this morning...but fate hates me. I was slumbering peacefully when suddenly I was called from my dreams by a towel-clad Kelly.

"Wha--what?"

"There's a giant cockroach in the shower."

"Huh?"

"There's a giant cockroach in the shower."

"In the shower?"

Now, the thought of a giant cockroach makes me want to gag or run away screaming...maybe both. But seeing as poor Kelly was being traumatized by the mere thought of smashing the beast, I had to be the brave one. I charged into that bathroom like a knight on a horse, armed only with a tennis shoe. Indeed, there it was, big and ugly, on our shower curtain. I lunged forward with the shoe.

One smash..........no luck

SMACK.........now he's on the run

Ssssqqqqquuuuuuiiiiiiiiissssssssshhhhhhh

Grabbing a piece of toilet paper, I gathered up the remains of my fallen foe and nodded triumphantly as I sent him to swim with the fishies below.

Now I've just got to inform the front desk of our problem. Goodie, goodie.

I TOOK GUESTS!!!

Four days of training and I've already taken three loads of Guests on my Safari! Can life get better? I submit that it cannot!

Step #17--Absorb

It was day two of my safari training today. Since I don't want to ruin the magic for anybody, I can't go into too much detail, but let me just say that the experience is WILD! The Kilimanjaro Safari ride is unlike any other attraction. I have to know a billion and a half things--or something like that. My trainer, Raffi, is fantastic. He is my Jedi master and I am his padowan--He really calls me that. "Come, Padowan, to the next station." "Yes, Master Raffi." It's pretty much awesome. Since I pick up so easily on things (driving the truck, directing Guests, memorizing spiels) he thinks I'm amazing. He brags about me to all the other trainers and Safari drivers. He's constantly wowed by the things I do. Basically, he makes me feel like a hundred bucks. That's not to say that I don't ever screw up or forget things or misunderstand him. But he's incredibly patient and doesn't mind repeating himself. With so much being thrown at me, and so much to remember, I'm kind of panicking. But I suppose the main thing to do at this point is to watch, experience, and absorb. I'm trying to be a sponge. If I soak it all up, I'll be able to hang on to most of it. Right? Right?

Step #16--Find the Love

Whew! We've made it. After so much worrying and waiting, we're finally here in Orlando! We're settled into our new apartment and I know what ride I'm going to work (Kilimanjaro Safari Operations! Woot!) I start my Traditions training today and my OST (on sight training) on Sunday. The past couple nights Kelly and I went out with some friends and we visited some of the Disney resorts and we strolled along Downtown Disney. I'm already in love with Orlando and Disney World. I could be nervous, I could be scared, but I'm not. I LOVE LIFE!

Emily and Kelly

Step #15--The glass is half full

Waiting, waiting, waiting. When you're just about to plunge into a new adventure, it can be rough standing on the edge. You just want to jump in, but it's not time yet. You can look at this two ways: with the glass half empty, or the glass half full. When there were still three weeks left until Disney time, a part of me wanted to groan and mope, whining: "I still have THREE WEEKS LEFT?" But, the stronger part of me decided to make the most of these three weeks I've had at home, and it's been AWESOME! We shopped, ate, laughed, spent an afternoon at the lake wave running, got sunburned, made cookie dough, got my medical problems squared away, made a trip to Lava Hot Springs for some river floating fun, and enjoyed each other's company. And now, as I sit here, realizing that I'll be in the airport in 24 hours, I can't help but look back on the past three weeks and smile. I know I enjoyed myself because I wanted to enjoy myself. Pessimism never pays off. You'll never find joy when you're looking for misery.

Step#14-- Have your cake and eat it too

It's almost my birthday, and since I'll be leaving for Florida in a day (YIKES) we celebrated it tonight! Lots of fun, lots of food, and an amazing cake. It's sad that I won't be home for my real birthday, BUT how many chances will I have to celebrate my birthday in DISNEY WORLD! I'm excited. I had a good birthday here, and I'm sure I'll have a good birthday in Florida. These are the pictures of my amazing Popcorn cake!

Step #13--A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

There's nothing like a good picture to go along with a memory. Here are some of my favorite pictures from The Barber of Seville. Enjoy!

Step #12 Breathe

Emily Suzanne Randall: actress/assistant stage manager/prop locator/actor-technician relations regulator/go-fer/ AHHHHHHHHHHHH

The Barber of Seville is more demanding than I could've possibly imagined. I have so many responsibilities and I hardly know what to do with myself. I've had to choreograph all the ridiculous scene changes over and over again as things were added and removed. I'm constantly needed in two or three places at once: checking on props, putting on make-up, being on stage, being on headset, checking up on actors and technicians, etc. etc. Tonight was the most ridiculous night yet! I swear I've never been so stressed before in my life. Still, I'm having a blast. As crazy as this experience is, it's good for me. I've never been in this sort of position before, and it's empowering. But, it's still stressful. I find the best way to deal with the stress is to breathe. Stop for a few seconds and breathe. It's amazing how the transformation of oxygen into carbon dioxide can relieve so much pressure.

P.S. This is a picture of me with my black hair (don't worry Mom, it comes out with soap)

Step #11 Do it over and over again

Grammar and Usage class

Let me just say, I was not excited to take this class.

Day one: I felt overwhelmed. How could I diagram sentences? It didn't make any sense! I put adjectives where? What are adverbs again? How can I tell if it's transitive? Yeah...BUT! I soon discovered that it's not impossible. Diagramming sentences is easy and, dare I say it, fun--once you get the hang of it. We've been practicing the ten sentence patterns over and over again and I finally get it. We took a diagramming exam last week and I got 100%!

Anything is possible. Next on the list...make a million dollars

Step #10--At least I got a good story out of it

I was at the ward activity on Monday and I felt myself strangely drawn to the Tug o' War station. I took up the rope in my hands and began to pull against various opponents. Unfortunately, when I went up against my friend Eric, instead of pulling, I found myself being pulled. Before I knew it, I was face down in the grass with a twanging pain in my left hand. I decided to ignore the pain for the rest of the night and the next morning, but as I stood waiting for my Latin ballroom class to start I realized that my finger was about twice its normal size. As it turns out, I sprained my finger. HOW EXCITING! I've never sprained anything before. I'm bummed because it makes typing, playing the violin, brushing my hair, and doing pretty much everything harder, but I get a lot of sympathy, and hey! I got a good story out of it!

Step #9--No count downs

The past few months my calendar has been covered with little "x's" marking each day. I was counting down to something. Today I realized I had no idea what I was counting down to, so I've decided to stop. One lesson I'm constantly learning is to live in the present. When I'm always looking towards tomorrow, I don't have time to appreciate today...and then I realize a week has gone by and I wonder what happened to all that time I thought I had.

I remember hearing a quote from somewhere, I don't remember where, but it went something like this: "Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present." Too true. So no more crossing off days, no more count downs. Time to focus on the here, and the now!

Step #8- When you can't stand it any more, DANCE

The end of the semester is approaching. Crunch time. Stress time. There are moments when I feel like ripping out my hair or throwing furniture across the room. But those aren't real positive stress relievers. Instead, I try to do something fun: draw, paint, sing, blow bubbles, anything to take my mind off of my homework for an hour or two.

My favorite stress reliever these days is dance. I go dancing on campus several times a week and it's a blast. I'm actually starting to get pretty good too.

Step #7:It's where you feel the most inadequate, that you have the chance to shine

All my life I've been on top;When I took the hard classes, I got good grades; When I auditioned for choirs or shows, I made it in. This semester I was worried that my luck would change. On the first two days of classes, I sat there feeling small and insignificant, especially in my Shakespeare and Acting classes. The classes were hard at first, I was having a hard time understanding what the professors expected of me. But now, I'm passing all my classes with flying colors. As it turns out, I'm not lucky, I just work hard. Hard work pays off.

The past few weeks, my friend Caleb and I had been working on a scene from The Star Spangled Girl by Neil Simon. After our first performance of it, Hyrum gave me a B+ on my performance. I was shocked and discouraged. I'd never done that poorly on an acting assignment in my life. But, instead of getting angry or depressed, I stepped up my game and took to heart all the suggestions Hyrum gave me. After our second try at the scene, which was significantly better than the first, Caleb and I both received A's on our performances. Hyrum had nothing but good things to say about it. As you can imagine, I was ecstatic.

My Shakespeare class has been a true test as well. When Brother Waddell told us we'd have to write an 8 page analysis on one of the comedies, my heart stopped. But as I threw myself into the project and began to write the paper, I found myself enjoying the process. I got excellent grades on both the paper and the midterm exam. I am currently one of four A's in the entire class.

Now, of course, the key is to keep it up. No slacking off now. I have to keep my scholarship after all! Sometimes when I feel too confident in a class or subject, I end up performing below my expectations. It's where I feel inadequate that I am able to grow the most and eventually shine.

Step #6- Everything's Not Lost

There's a song called Everything's Not Lost by Coldplay that I absolutely love. It's a song about dealing and coping with hardships. I thought I'd go ahead and share the lyrics. They mean something to me, maybe they'll mean something to you.

When I counted up my demons
Saw there was one for every day
With the good ones on my shoulders
I drove the other ones away

So if you ever feel neglected
And if you think that all is lost
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah
Hoping everything's not lost

When you thought that it was over
You could feel it all around
And everybody's out to get you
Don't you let it drag you down

'Cos if you ever feel neglected
And if you think that all is lost
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah
Hoping everything's not lost

If you ever feel neglected
If you think that all is lost
I'll be counting up my demons, yeah
Hoping everything's not lost

Singing out
Oh, oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, yeah
Oh, oh, yeah
Everything's not lost

Remember if you ever feel neglected, everything's not lost.

Step #5--Options

No matter what happens, you always have options. When a date falls through for Friday night, that doesn't mean you have to sit around sulking. Watch a movie, paint a picture, write a letter, go get some ice cream, clean! When you get a bad grade on a test, don't let it destroy you. You have the option to be consumed by it, or you can get over it and learn from your mistakes. If it's absolutely necessary, you can be sad for a moment or two, but then it's time to move on. There are plenty of other things to do. Pity parties are rarely fun and they never make you feel better. Get over it

Step #4--It'll pass

Having a bad day? Having a bad week? Having a bad year? Guess what? It'll pass. Things will get better eventually! After about a half hour at work doing surveys on the phone I think, "Can I really survive for another 3 and a half hours of this?" The answer is yes. Yes I can. I have up to this point. When push comes to shove, 4 hours isn't that bad of a shift. Sure, it isn't fun, but it won't kill me. Eventually, the 4 hours pass, and I get to move on to other things.

Not all things go as fast as a day at work, but no matter what it is, eventually it'll pass. A bad date, a horrible class, an embarrassing moment, a sickness, it'll always pass.

Step #3: Understanding Gravity

What do you think of when you hear the word "gravity." Probably something along the lines of "What goes up, must come down." True. What goes up, does come down. Gravity is the force that weighs us down towards the earth. It's what causes us to trip, stumble, and fall. But did you ever stop to think of the benefits of gravity? First of all, it's the only thing keeping us rooted to the ground. Without it, we'd have little control over our bodies. We'd start to float off towards space and we wouldn't be able to stop. What a scary thought! Second of all, there must be an opposition to all things. If nothing was weighing us down, we wouldn't have to pick ourselves up. We learned how to walk only because we stubbled as kids.

There have been a lot of things pressing down on me lately: school, work, church duties, etc., but it's come to my attention that it's the hard things, not the easy things, that really matter in self discovery and personal progression. This current semester has been a lot like jumping out of a plane; I didn't know what to expect or whether I could handle it or not. But I have many things acting as my parachute: friends, family, textbooks, the gospel, and the spirit. It's hard, but I'm actually enjoying myself.

It's important to understand that "gravity" is here to help us grow and learn. It's a force pulling us down so that we can learn to pick ourselves back up.

Step #2 Evaluate

Have you ever really had a bad day? This last week's devotional speaker told a story about a family that brought a dog into his veterinary clinic. The dog's name was Cholo. Cholo had been hit by a car which crushed it's skull. The family decided it was best to have Cholo put to sleep, so a family friend took him out into the desert, and shot him five times. After it was decided that the poor dog was dead, they buried him shallowly in the ground. A few days later, a neighbor called the family, informing them that Cholo was wandering around the neighborhood and looked to be in pretty bad shape. The family assured the neighbor that the dog couldn't be Cholo, but the neighbor was sure that it was. Sure enough, the dog was Cholo. Extremely surprised, the family embraced their dog and took him to the vet, this time to have him fixed. If what Cholo had was a bad day, then I certainly have never had a bad day. My troubles are minimal compared to being hit by a car, shot five times, and buried alive. As I evaluate a situation, or even an entire day i have to think: compared to what Cholo went through, I can cope with just about anything!

Step #1 Look for the Rainbows

You know what I love? Rainbows. Not painted rainbows or skittles rainbows, but real life rainbows. I love the bright colors: the way they shine and the way they stretch across the sky. But what I love most about them is that they come after rain. The sky, having been grumpy and unpleasantly dark, suddenly becomes bright with sunshine and vibrant colors. Rainbows aren't always easy to see. Sometimes you have to shift your head to the right or move a few spaces to the left. Seeing the rainbow always makes me appreciate the rain.

After thinking about it, I believe you can find metaphorical "rainbows" in life situations: the lecture may be boring, but that information learned will help you pass the test; the boy may be an awkward date, but hey, you got a free dinner out of it; so what if you just dropped your cell phone into a swimming pool? Now you can buy one you really want! No matter what situation you find yourself in, no matter how uncomfortable, awkward, sad, boring, unbearable, or awful, I believe a rainbow can be spotted, even if it's simply "Now I know I never want to do this again."

My blog is changing...

Hey there,

My name's Emily Randall and I'm currently a student at Brigham Young University--Idaho. There's nothing particularly extraordinary about me; i'm just your typical 19 year old college student, surviving on ceral and a minimal amount of sleep. My daily concerns involve boring things like homework, my call center job, and going to the grocery store. I've been blogging for a little over a year now, but I suddenly came to the realization that my blog had no point. I wasn't writing it to anyone, I wasn't writing it for anyone, I was merely blogging for the sake of blogging.

That's why I've decided to change things up a little bit.

I don't want my blog to be a pointless waste of space, so I came up with a purpose. It didn't take much time for me to realize what I wanted to write about. So many things happen to us throughout the course of our lives. Many things are good, but a lot of them are bad: death, discouragement, failure, misunderstandings, depression, accidents, and so on. As mere human beings, it's difficult to bear so many burdens. But my point is not to run from these things or wish they never happened, but to learn from them and look for the positive in every situation.

Easier said than done, right? "Look for the positive, hmmm. How exactly do we do that, Emily?" you may ask. Well my answer to that is pretty simple. I have no idea. But that's why I'm doing this. I want to find out. So everyday for the next year...that's right a whole year, I will look for the positive in at least one situation throughout each day and then record what I learned. No more "I hate the world" days. No more chocolate truffle pity parties. I'm going for an attitude adjustment one step at a time and my hope is that you, as a reader, might learn something too.

Back in Rexburg

WOW AM I BUSY! School, work, homework, school, work, homework! I now have a job at a call center. Not a fabulous job, but it'll get some money in my bank account. I'm loving my classes, even though they're running me ragged. I've already read one Shakespeare play, performed one monologue, written a couple papers, and done numerous assignments. Welcome back to college Emily!