Step #35-- Miracles Happen

It must be the Easter season, because my camera has resurrected. I can take pictures with it again. Unbelievable, right? I dropped this camera in a POND, and it still works. It's amazing that Heavenly Father can speak to us through everything...even electronics. Thank you Heavenly Father, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Step #34--It happens

That's three cameras and counting. The first one was dropped in Hong Kong, resulting in a broken screen. The second one was stolen at the beach in Florida. This third one was dropped in a pond on the BYU-Idaho campus. I'd set the camera down on a ledge, the ten second timer ticking, and while getting into place, the camera teetered and plunged into the water. Various thoughts ran through my mind as I tried to comprehend what had just happened, but mainly I just kept thinking "Not again! Not again! Not again!" I was able to reach into the murky water and grab the camera about 30 seconds after it fell. Kelly and I then proceeded to take out the memory card and the battery. We rushed home and placed the camera in a bowl of rice. By the next morning, the camera was working, but the inside of the lens was fogged over. Submerging an electronic in water usually leads to its demise. Was it an unfortunate incident? Yes. Is it the worst thing that could've happened to me? Of course not. My philosophy in life is that bad things happen, and I have to deal with those things as they come. Getting all upset and emo about it won't change the fact that it happened. All I can do is mourn the loss, get over it, and move on. Then I can deal with whatever happens next.

In closing, I'd like to say a few words to my camera:

Camera, you and I had some good times these past few months. You never let me down. I hope you've found your way safely to electronics heaven. I hope you'll have more luck in the next life.

Love,

Emily Sue

Step #33-- Raise it up

For Conference weekend, my roommates and I decided to have a last hurrah, so we constructed a massive Lehi-style tent in the front room. Later we remodeled the tent and ended up spending three nights in it. There's nothing like being random! The first picture is of tent #1, and the second picture is of tent 2.0.

Step #32--Listen to the smoke detectors

The last few apartments I've been in have had over active smoke detectors. They go off over the smallest little burnt smell. But here's the thing: I'd rather have a smoke detector that goes off over the little things just in case, than a smoke detector that doesn't go off at all. Life is full of smoke detectors to warn you when there could be dangers. One of the best smoke detectors I have is the Spirit. He'll never let me walk into a fire without some kind of warning. What more could I ask for?

Step #31--Find those moments to shine

I recently auditioned for the children's melodrama "The Horrible Monster of Danky Swamp." It's a 45 minute show following the Everwhine family and their cousin, Serenity Braveheart. The Horrible Monster of Danky Swamp has been terrorizing the town of Prissy Point, so that nearly everyone has left. So, Serenity sets out to vanquish the Monster and restore peace to the town. It's a part of my Reader's Theater class, but it will also be a part of a Main Stage production this semester. There will be special performances for neighboring elementary schools during the day and night performances for the BYU-Idaho audience. I wasn't planning on auditioning for a show this semester once I found out that they weren't doing "The Drowsy Chaperone," but I went for it anyway, and after a monologue and a few cold reads, I was given the part of Serenity Braveheart!!!!! It should be a blast. I've never been the heroine of a melodrama before. I feel really good about it. Now I just have to start memorizing my lines!

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.