hello from the other side

"the other side" in the title is referring to the actual other side because i'm dead now. RIP me.

i, like every other person in new york city, entered a few contests the other week to win tickets to adele's special one-night-only comeback concert at radio city music hall. when i got the email telling me i had actually won, i was shocked. the concert was incredible and i still can't believe i got to go. i took my friend mckell with me—she's given me jimmy fallon tickets and broadway lottery tickets, so i figured it was time to return the favor. when we got inside radio city and saw that we had amazing orchestra seats, we almost fainted. then we sat down and realized bill murray was sitting in the seat in front of us. shoutout to matthew mcconaughey, who is a babe and was also sitting in front of us. maybe the most satisfying part of the evening was that we had better seats than donald trump, who was sitting in the section behind us. LOL. but seriously, i could not believe that we were sitting in such swanky seats and that we were surrounded by movie stars. i legitimately felt like i was at the oscars.

then adele came on. she was introduced by jimmy fallon (sup) and she opened with "hello" and blew us all away. homegirl is unbelievable. THOSE PIPES. she is also stunning. she was wearing a gorgeous sparkly gown and a big beehive hairdo and that flawless makeup look. so beautiful. she sang lots of songs off her new album, as well as all of her hits and even some of her early stuff. every single song was pretty mind-blowing, but my favorites were "hello" and "skyfall" and "water under the bridge" and "when we were young" and "rolling in the deep" and "set fire to the rain" and "someone like you" and okay, everything. mckell and i were crying and singing along and having an emotional breakdown aka we were in heaven. also, adele is hilarious and so sweet. she came across as so funny and down-to-earth. her accent was cracking us up and her laugh is this amazing, adorable cackle. my favorite part was when she said she had a surprise for us and she was like, "whoa, it's not drake or anything, don't get too excited." but i think every person there was just in total awe of her and her talent. she is a queen.

basically, it was the best. such a special, inspiring, magical night i will remember forever. adele's album, 25, comes out on friday, and the concert will be aired on NBC on december 14th, so you can (and should) watch it! meanwhile, i will still be over here trying to process. in a good way. I LOVE U, ADELE!

every night with us is like a dream

this past weekend i saw taylor swift in concert when she brought the 1989 world tour to metlife stadium (as you probably saw if you follow me on instagram #sorry #notsorry). it was my first time seeing her in concert and it was a dream. i've been a huge fan of taylor's for nine years now. nine! each of her albums has been the soundtrack to a year of my life, and i have always related to her music in a way that i've never experienced with any other artist. i think this is why when she surprised us all by playing "you belong with me," i felt such a powerful wave of emotion and nostalgia that i started crying. i was kind of a hot mess, but they were happy tears.

the concert was incredible. taylor opened with "welcome to new york" and ended with "shake it off" and in between she sang the entire 1989 album plus some throwbacks ("love story" & "you belong with me") plus some twists on the classics (rock version of "we are never ever getting back together" & dramatic version of "i knew you were trouble" & medley of "enchanted" and "wildest dreams"). she also brought out all her supermodel friends and nick jonas aka my first love. they sang "jealous" together and i was jamming in absolute heaven. unless beyoncé makes an appearance at one of these shows, i don't think that can be topped.

here are my impressions: taylor is literally the cutest human. she is so talented and sweet and engaging with the audience. she has amazing stage presence and is an even better performer than i realized. also, homegirl is truly rocking the crop tops. she changed outfits at least ten times. she sounded great live and she danced and played guitar and piano. she was just generally killing it all around. it was so exciting to finally see her in person, and everyone there was clearly having the best time. all i can tell you is that even if you barely tolerate taylor swift (what is wrong with you), GO BUY A TICKET FOR THE 1989 TOUR RIGHT NOW AND IT WILL BE WORTH EVERY PENNY YOU SPEND. mad love for real.

savior, redeemer of my soul

please listen to this song.

performed by dallyn vail bayles, with jenny oaks baker on violin

if you've seen the movie 17 miracles, you might recognize this arrangement by rob gardner. i remember loving it when i watched that film, and then one of my home teachers sang this same arrangement in our sacrament meeting recently, with the violin and piano accompaniment, and it gave me goosebumps. the other day i heard someone playing it on the piano in the wilk, and i looked it up as soon as i got home. i was having a really hard day, and i just played this video on youtube and i honestly started crying. it's really beautiful and just what i needed. i hope it resonates with you too.

gratitude (and gratuitous photos of myself)

november through december is my favorite time of the year. and while i love having the holidays as an excuse to eat more food than i even knew was possible, i'm more grateful for them as a reminder to me of how blessed i am. sometimes it's hard to look past the commercialization and superficiality that have become so mainstream in this season, but i love that the very nature of thanksgiving and christmas points us to the lord and helps us to recognize our many blessings, especially the gift of our savior.

i was blessed to spend last week in the most delightful and lazy way: sleeping in, spending time with my sister and cousins, hanging out with a couple of my roommates who were still in town, and watching these delightful movies. my sister and i went to her friend's house for thanksgiving and spending the day with her family was so nice. and delicious. (we had nine different types of pie.)

i was literally going to explode.

liz and i made two pecan pies... who knew that pecans cost $12 for a little bag?! highway robbery, macey's, but they were delicious and totally worth it.

i am grateful for my family, my friends, the opportunity to go to BYU, and the gospel of jesus christ. i am also grateful for the tender mercies of the lord—he is constantly blessing me more than i ever deserve. also thanks, liz, for the photos.

i am also grateful for free $10 gift cards to sammy's, and their burgers and shakes which are nothing less than heavenly! i went there today and i had an amazing burger and this red velvet cupcake shake. ohhhhhhh and it was free, too. best. day. ever.

i can't believe this semester has gone by so quickly! just a week and a half more of classes, five final exams, and i'll be on a plane to philadelphia. i can't wait to be home with my family! i miss them lots, especially this girl. and i'm excited, as always, for our little family tradition of a trip to new york city during christmas break. i've missed that place.

15 days.

miscellany

it's rainy and freezing this week in provo. i was so excited yesterday when i got a package from my mom and opened it to find a pair of yellow rain boots! perfect timing and i love them. also i think rainy days call for rainy day music and i've been listening to these two songs over and over. i'm so obsessed with adele right now. really though, i love her. this cover of hers gives me chills.

monday was my dearest cousin/roomie catherine's birthday! she's officially 20 now,

and of course she had to have a harry potter cake. ugly but delicious.

happy thursday!
i'm sipping hot chocolate while i watch modern family on hulu. #bliss

just a little youtube

you should watch this. it will make you feel great about life.

and you should watch this. it will make you feel great about nick jonas.

my huckleberry friend

although audrey's version of this song will always be my favorite,

i really love this one too.

that's all.

massive catch-up post numba 2.

remember that time i was doing a 30 day challenge? cool.

day 17 - someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why

kristen wiig. she is so so so fantastic and being on snl is something i have always thought would be THE COOLEST THING EVER.

day 18 - plans/dreams/goals you have

summer bucket list:

it's still in the works...

-wawa and cream valley asap when i get home

-super special secret photoshoot in new york city

lauren, i'll tell you when i get home! be excited.

-go to the met and find pieces i've studied in art history

-reread the entire harry potter series

-chaperone youth conference in my stake

-see harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2 at midnight or on opening day

-philly cheesesteaks and the art museum

-beach trips as much as possible

-may day with becca and the wanlass fam

-lauren, wanna camp in the backyard one night like old times??

-make one new recipe per week

-tie-dye sesh with lauren

-get back in shape....ahhh the good old days before the cannon center

day 19 - nicknames you have and why you have them

i never used to have very many nicknames, but since there are five girls in my ward here named emily/ee, i got quite a few of them this year.

everyone in my fam has always called me em, and cat calls me emmy a lot. the girls in my hall always call me vandy or sometimes vans or vander. caro occassionally calls me more ridiculous things...like darth vander or baby v. [which always makes me think of the intro tothis song. ahaha.] and sometimes she sings the aaron carter song "i want candy" but changes the words so it's "i want vandy." it's pretty great.

day 20 - someone you love

my little sister, lauren.

she is always so happy and positive. she makes me laugh every day. she's such a great friend to everyone she knows. plus she's adorable and super stylin.

day 21 - a picture of something that makes you happy

hey cat and liz...remember how all the greatest drawings and games of MASH happen on plane rides? we're def playing MASH on our flight on thursday. just you wait.

day 22 - what makes you different from everyone else

okay this is random because i feel like there are actually lots of things that make me different from others, but one thing i never realized about myself until i came to college is my memory for movie quotes. that's so random, but it's what i'm best known for in my hall. i can quote almost any movie or youtube video i've ever seen and i remember the quotes and i'm pretty good at the impressions or accents and the girls in my hall never get over it. they think it's so impressive and their reactions are what i think is so funny. they force me to quote movies all the time and they make me act out all the quotes on the quote wall in our hall. i don't mind though. i love quoting movies. liz and i basically speak in movie quotes.

day 23 - something you crave for a lot

ice cream. curse you, byu creamery/taylor hall vending machines. it's a love/hate relationship.

day 24 - your last five facebook statuses

[looking back at them, i realized about 50% of my facebook statuses from the past several months are byu basketball-related. this makes me proud.]

finals schminals.

being done with classes would be exciting if it didn't mean now i get to study for my six final exams.

jimmer, i love you forever.

florida's about to get jimmered. ELITE EIGHT, BABY.

[if only...]

is in the library. the closing music tonight is none other than friday by rebecca black. ahahahahaha

day 25 - what one would find in your bag

cell phone, keys, money, id card, lip gloss and chapstick, sunglasses, pink ipod nano, and sunscreen.

day 26 - what you think about your friends

i love and miss my friends from back home. as for my friends from freshman year here at byu, i'm so happy and grateful i got to know them. i'm going to miss them so much and i can't wait for our movie nights and reunions all the time in the fall. i feel like i've adopted everyone's different catchphrases, i'm going to miss all their quotes on our quote wall, and i love different things about each of them. i know that they have each really helped my testimony grow and i can definitely see their influences in my life. i love them all a whole lot.

day 27 - why you are doing this 30 day challenge

some friends of mine did it, and i thought it would be fun.

day 28 - a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?

i feel like i've changed a lot since i came to college. i'm much more independent, i think i've gained a greater desire to be positive in my attitude and thinking, i definitely have a stronger testimony, and i think i've learned a lot about being a friend.

day 29 - what you have learned in this past month

i'm really great at 30 day challenges...

day 30 - your favorite song

i can never pick one favorite, but these are two of my faves.

mood music.

these are just some songs i've been listening to and loving a lot lately.

i love this song and i love that whoever made this video filmed it in philadelphia and at the jersey shore. i'm going back home to the east coast.

lenka's adorable and i love her music so much. i can't wait for her new album to come out this month!

enjoy.

day fifteen.

put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play

1. glass of water — coldplay

2. never know — jack johnson

3. i love you always forever — donna lewis

4. anything i'm not — lenka

5. only hope — switchfoot

6. don't forget — demi lovato

7. homeopaths — pushing daisies soundtrack

8. burnin' up — jonas brothers

9. distant lives — becoming jane soundtrack

10. signed sealed delivered i'm yours — stevie wonder

massive catch-up post.

day 7 - a picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you

brigham young university.

being here has been an incredible experience for me. i've grown spiritually and emotionally, learned lots from my classes and lots from mistakes, realized a lot about life, and made so many new friends. i feel so different from where i was a year ago. i can't wait for another year of this!

day 8 - your short term goals for this month

1. study hard and do well on my finals

2. spend more time with my friends

3. look for a job for when i get back fall semester

day 9 - something you're proud of in the past few days

i've actually been eating pretty healthily and exercising a lot lately [well compared to how i've been eating/exercising...] and i can feel the difference. yay for nutrients and endorphins!

day 10 - songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad

happy

put your arms around me—natasha bedingfield

you make my dreams come true—hall & oates

p.s. check out the music video the girls from the 1200 hall did to this song. it's SWEET.

haven't met you yet—michael bublé

you and i—ingrid michaelson

sad

fix you—coldplay

if this was a movie—tswift

happier—a fine frenzy

that should be me—jbiebs

bored

in the sun—she & him

by the way, click the link and watch that music video. it's my fave. i'm obsessed.

strawberry swing—coldplay

okay watch that music video too. it's my other fave.

1901—phoenix

american boy—estelle feat. kanye west

hyped

friday—rebecca black [duhhh]

i wanna dance with somebody—whitney houston

shark in the water—v.v. brown

jump (for my love)—pointer sisters

mad

i am not a robot—marina and the diamonds

king of anything—sara bareilles

forget you—glee cast feat. gwyneth paltrow

any tswift break-up song

day 11 - another picture of you and your friends

day 12 - how you found out about blogger and why you have one

blame it on liz. my sister's had the coolest blog for years. you should check it out. i've wanted one ever since reading hers.

day 13 - a letter to someone

dear jimmer,

you're my hero.

dear girl who gave me her extra bluebook 2 minutes before my test in art history today,

thank you from the bottom of my heart. you pretty much saved my life.

dear rebecca black,

i will never be able to eat cereal or get in a car again without thinking of you. thank you so very much.

dear lauren,

i miss you! see you in a month!

day 14 - a picture of you and your family

this is me with liz, lauren, and my mom when they were taking me and liz out to school in august.

here's the whole fam. funny story about this picture:

it was taken at our family reunion this past summer...i wasn't there. liz photoshopped me in later [burn victim shoes, bandages, and all]. and so, this picture cracks me up every time i see it.