Third week as juror #3

Today I started my third week of jury duty. Yes, THIRD. You would think I was on a murder case or something exciting like that but really it's just a bunch of stubborn men who can't agree on anything so we have to make their decisions for them. Seriously. Once it's over and I can tell you all about it you won't believe they kept me on the jury.

I was a little grumpy about the possibility of being involved in a trial that could go until November 22nd but I have actually enjoyed most of it. It's interesting to see how it all works. I kind of feel like we're celebrities because whenever we walk in the courtroom everyone jumps out of their chairs and stands until we're all seated. I think that may have gone to some of our heads. And even though I am the youngest juror by many years, we all get along perfectly. Our bailiff, Frank, (who we also love because he tells us jokes) says that he hasn't seen any other group of jurors who get along like we do. They even took me out to lunch on my birthday!

We're hoping that if all goes smoothly we'll be deliberating by Thursday at the latest. Of course, that depends on whether or not the world's most ridiculous lawyer can contain his lengthy questions. If not, one of these days my pen is going to fly across the room and flick him in the forehead. It's bound to happen if it goes on too long because I have been holding myself back for two weeks now. Hopefully I'll last a few more days so we can wrap this thing up!

A handy tip for the easily distracted

It's been too long since I've blogged.
I blame it on the combination of being distracted (by nothing important or necessary)
and having nothing exciting going on in my life to report about.

I present to you a handy tip for those of you who are also easily distracted:

Don't you feel like you need to do this sometimes? Miranda July is brilliant.
This is a deleted scene from The Future, her movie I saw in January at the Sundance Film Festival

I knew I loved you before I met you

[for those of you who saw the juicy title of this post and are excited, i apologize ahead of time for the disappointment.]

If I had to sum my feelings for New York up in a song (or at least in a line from a song) it would be the 1999 Savage Garden gem, "I Knew I Loved You". And for those of you who were still in diapers at the time, the line is "I knew I loved you before I met you". When I was a little girl my biggest dream in the world was to go to NYC at Christmas, sit on a bench with hot cocoa, and watch people pass by with their shopping bags. I knew I would love it, I just knew it (which i realize now was a risky thing to commit to loving before I ever stepped foot into the city since people tend to either love it or hate it).

The Christmas after my first semester of college I flew from Salt Lake to LAX and met my mom, dad and sister. From there, the four of us headed for a big adventure in the big city (and for those of you worried about my brothers, we made it back before Christmas). It was everything I ever thought it might be, except a little colder. I was in love. New York and I just....fit.

And then I came up with a new dream, which was to work in New York. When that came true last spring, I fell even more in love with the city. I loved walking down the street in my business clothes and being a real person, not a tourist. When I went back in July I wasn't sure if it was going to be the same. For the first little while it wasn't but then one day after church I wandered over to Central Park and, bam! Just like that, it all came back. Oh New York, how could I have ever doubted our love for each other? Especially when I knew I loved you before I met you.

'Arry Pottah [Translation: "Harry Potter" in an English Accent

Let me first say that I am not a crazy person or a paparazzi. Sure, if I see a "famous" person on the street I will stop and look, or even tweet about it, but I am not one to go chasing after them or to interrupt their meal when spotted at a restaurant. That being said, on Wednesday I was the most starstruck I have ever been in my entire life.

I saw How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and loved it! The cast and music were both great. And in case you have been living under a rock, Daniel Radcliffe just so happens to be the star of the show. And since you have been under that rock, I guess I should tell you that Daniel Radcliffe is Harry Potter. Rock or no rock, you should know who that is.

[he's only taller than me because he's on a ladder. seriously, he is itty bitty in person]

The show started and down came Daniel Radcliffe from the ceiling. Girls squealed and screamed and i thought, "how ridiculous". But then there he was, right in front of me, the boy who lived, and my jaw dropped. So of course when I overheard a security guard giving someone a tip on the best way to meet him after the show, I recruited my roommate and we decided we would just "pass by" where the guard said to wait. And that "passing by" turned into standing for over half an hour until he came out. And he was lovely and signed our playbills and let people scream and flash their bright flashes in his direction [could you imagine?]. He also just so happened to accidentally grab my hand as he reached for my playbill and apologized for it. No apology necessary, my friend. For a brief moment I honestly thought that might turn me into a wizard and scenes of me on my way to Hogwarts flashed through my mind. Alas, I am not a wizard but it was still magical.

[so maybe this was a little too much. but he was so close that we had no choice but to invade his personal space. and i needed proof that i saw harry potter]

[this is what starstruck emily looks like]

All joking aside, it was such a great show and who knew he was so talented! He can sing, he can dance, he can talk in American accent... If anyone is in New York, I definitely recommend it!

A little of this, a little of that

A few nights ago I woke up on the floor.
Apparently my poor little air mattress had a hole so in attempt to make it sleep-able
I had to scavenge through our apartment
[which was 95 degrees at 12am]
for a quick fix before I went to bed.
I found some used packing tape and mailing labels that I was sure would do the trick.
No such luck.
I ended up making a nest like a bird to sleep on...with my clothes.
Not ghetto at all.
I think an actual bird's nest made of sticks might have been more comfortable.

So I went and bought an roll of duct tape and went to work.
I used the entire roll and will still be sleeping on the floor.
Notice the air bubble?
Bummer dude.



On another note, I went and saw David Letterman this week.
I think the air conditioning was actually my favorite part
[it has been insanely hot here]
but I also got VIP seating and I sat at his desk.
Not too shabby.


And, look at this cute boy!
Couldn't you just kiss his sweet cheeks all day long?
I got to visit the Lythgoes in Connecticut for a few days and we had such a fun time!
Sadly I didn't bring my camera so this is the only picture I have,
but the rest of the kids are pretty dang cute too!
We got to go to the library, read books, play with American Girl dolls,
talk about harry potter, paint nails and play with legos.
it was awesome.
Thanks for having me, Lythgoes!

seriously...those cheeks!
and don't even get me started on his laugh.
it's the best.
[And he got that bump on his head while I was watching him. I'm the worst]

Memories according to my trusty old Blackberry

You know how some pictures just stay on your phone and you have no need for them but you don't want to delete them either? Well friends, it's your lucky day because I am about to share with you some of my Blackberry's favorite memories of the last year before he has a chance to bite the dust and they are gone forever.

First up, we have Brumbittle. He asked me to send this picture to his boyfriend, Unicornasaurus before I left for New York. Unicornasaurus sent him this picture before he left on a trip too. Little lovebirds.

There are many more strange pictures of my brothers where these came from but for some reason these are the two that made the cut and I still have on my phone. Aren't they precious?

A while back Hannah and I [mostly Hannah] made these fruit tarts for baby Hendrix's shower. She's pretty much the best at baking.

I am pretty sure I promised I wouldn't post these next pictures to Facebook. I never said anything about a blog so hopefully I don't get in trouble. I went to the Happiest Place on Earth in May and all I got were these pictures. Pathetic. Who knew that two 25-year-olds couldn't handle a little ol' ferris wheel? As you can tell by his face, Chad was not happy at first and then he was just plain scared. If you would have seen me, you would have thought I was about to barf all over him.

Right before Winter semester ended I got to go to lunch with my two favorite girls! It was the first time we had seen Jessi Cat since her mission..reunited and it feels so good!

As I am sure you all know, I hate the snow. I think I took this picture to remind myself that it could be pretty sometimes. This was seriously days before graduation...and I slipped on ice seconds after it was taken.

Chad and I tried to go see Mindy Gledhill but we missed her performance by minutes and got to see this lady instead. She wore ruby slippers, a crazy dress and a house on her head so I think we got our money's worth once we got our laughter under control. She even walked right up to people in the crowd and sang to us. Amazing.

And this is what happens when you take boys of any age to Macaroni Grill. Zombies, brains, blood...it's a mess.

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook came to BYU with Senator Hatch to speak to us. This was the first time ever that he had spoken to a University. Pretty cool, right? I especially loved that he sported the jeans and sweatshirt.

This is probably one of my favorites. One night while driving home from Salt Lake we decided to stop at a waffle house for some...waffles [obviously]. We were just sitting there minding our own business and i look across the table and this is what I see. So I turn around to see what the commotion is all about and there is a group of middle-aged women at a table with a whole bunch of these gothic dolls! They had special wigs and fancy cases and everything. It was maybe one of the creepiest, most fascinating things I have ever seen. We caused a total scene and could not get ourselves together after that. And the best part is that a few months later we were at the mall and we saw a couple shopping for engagement rings WITH their gothic doll. Apparently it's a thing?

This picture of the Salt Lake Temple is probably my number one background on my phone. I was lucky enough to be able to go to General Conference a few times while I lived in Utah and this was from October, when I was extra lucky because I got to see my hermana there too!

Tessa Sue and her cute family moved to Boston and we went out for one last hurrah before the big move. We NEVER take pictures of us together so I love this one, even if it is dark and blurry.

I came home from work on day to this scene going on in our bathroom. Just a little makeup, a toothbrush, and an empty carton of ice cream. Apparently Jann had a rough morning.

And this was my cute corner of our little loft area. I loved it so much. It got a lot cuter but sadly I never took a picture.

Okay fine, they might not be the best team and they might not have any money but our little family are huge Doyer fans! Last year I went with my dad and Sam to watch them play and to eat my yearly Dodger Dog [and ice cream in a Dodger hat, of course]. It was a perfect night!

I never got around to blogging about our little vacation to San Clemente last year but it was such a blast! Lots of cousins, late night trouble-making, walks to the pier, fires, and chronic tacos. We loved staying in our little mansion and visiting the places we love, including Grandma Posey's old house. Let's not worry about the odd band I have around my head. It's been a year, I'd like to think I am older and wiser now and that will never happen again.

If you made it this far, I am impressed.