One step back.

This is what has been staring me in the face for the last couple of weeks--well, this, and the hour by hour version of my life in my other planner. 

The next two and a half weeks have had me stressed, panicked, worried, and nervous; plus a whole lot of excited too. 

In the midst of moving this week, trying to juggle two jobs+a social life+a healthy sleep schedule...overwhelmed doesn't quite cover how I've been feeling. 

As I looked at my upcoming schedule, I spent a sad little minute questioning what on earth I was doing and wondering if I was wasting all my time and energy...until I got a stunning little reminder of what the heck was going on. 

One of my best friends is currently on a mission in Paris, France. She's like my twin sister; the one who finishes my sentences, answers the phone at 3 am, and reminds me where I'm going and who I want to be when I forget. 

I completely spaced emailing her Sunday night, and when I woke up Monday morning, I had a one sentence email waiting for me in my inbox. 

The subject line was, "I think you need this right now," and all the body of the message said was, 

"You're too blessed to be stressed. Love, Emily." 

I guess I forgot. 

Forgot that I'm living in one of the best cities on the planet, going to what I think is the best school. 

Forgot that I have a fantastic job, that lets me work with people day in and day out, answer questions that I had problems with not too long ago, and be with some of my favorite people all day long--and another that (while not my favorite) gives me a chance to talk to dozens of new people every day, and keeps me on my feet and distracted. 

Forgot that I'm studying something that I love--and devoting the next couple years of my life to becoming educated in a field I adore. 

I guess I forgot how incredibly lucky I am to be so busy doing the things I love. 

I really am way to blessed to be stressed.

We can't stop.

When your daily routine gets a little too routine, and you're out of adventures to go on, you have to get a little creative. 

This would be us [the #TwerkTeam] running around campus at midnight in our swimsuits. Shenanigans, dance parties, and foreign activities took place. 

Being the classy individuals that we are, sushi is always a yes. But in case you were wondering, sushi + ice cream in the same night is always a no. 

And when we all finally have a day off work, we caravan up to Bloomington Lake. With a rope swing, cliffs to jump, crystal clear water, a group of my best friends, and a view like this....

you can't go wrong. I could live on the side of this lake and not feel bad about it for a second. You really don't need much more in life than water, sunshine, a rope swing, and cliffs to jump off of.

 When two of your friends haven't been to Ikea...you pile six people into a five person car, and make the two hour drive to Draper. You play house for two hours, fail to buy the couch we went there for in the first place, and introduce the bunch of crazies you spend every day with to your family [this picture epitomizes Brian. So he gets to deal with it. That, and it was the only picture that we took on my phone all day].

When Trent needs help with a video about AED's for campus, Wolfie "dies" and Big Blue takes off his shirt.  

[Bonus: I got to hang out with Big Blue all day.]

And even after all these crazy adventures, sometimes there's nothing I'd rather do than sit on Braxton's bed with my favorite boys and watch them play video games, Tinder, or listen to Selena Gomez until way too early in the morning--even if it involves dozens of pictures of Trent&Sherlock, Brian, and ____ Braxy Brax.

I guess I'm just very very glad I met--and got to really know--these boys this summer. I was worried about not having people to do stuff with...but that fear disappeared very quickly. 

Brian, Trent, Michael, and Braxton [and the rest of the SigEp boys + the other A-Teamers] made this summer a blast and a half. Whether we were doing back flips off a rope swing, fighting with pool noodles in the basement, playing watching Minecraft on Braxton's bed, hitting up McDonald's for yet another large drink in a styrofoam cup, attending Beyonce Home Evening, playing Snapchat telephone, swimming in the fountains, twerking all over campus, or fighting over what movie to watch on LoveSacs...I had a blast. 

S/O to the #twerkteam for a perfect summer, and for becoming some of my best friends. I guess I kinda like you people. 

Escape from reality.

With two of the original roommates out on their missions, the remaining four of us decided there was nothing else to do but escape our lives and responsibility for the week. St. George was the best way to forget about the chaos of our lives for a second, and it was an excellent way to catch up with my best friends. 

I'd never been to Tuacahn before, and Kenzie got a ridiculously good deal on tickets to Thoroughly Modern Millie. I loved musicals before, but I decided that there's no better way to experience than nestled in the red rock of Southern Utah. That ampitheater is beautiful. And the musical itself made me want to live in the 20's more than I've ever wanted to before. 

We also learned a very valuable lesson...don't let the adorable old lady attempt to get a picture of you jumping into the pool. 

Obviously, we spent a majority of our time laying out by the pool. It was nice to finally let my skin see the sun, after being in polos and at work every other day this summer. [And I didn't get a sunburn. #winner.]

This picture is really only here to show you how excited we were to not be in the cave anymore, not have jobs to worry about, and be in air conditioning--well that, and how stoked Lauren was to share a bed with me for four nights. I may or may not talk in my sleep. And she might have woken up with me taking over the whole bed and with my arms around her once or twice. I like my sleep, okay?? Also, it's almost physically impossible for us to take a decent picture together. This is about as good as it gets. 

This basically sums up our whole adventure. A whole lot of time together, no makeup, top knots, swimsuits, enough shopping to fulfill my wardrobe wishes, and hotel beds. 

I guess you could say I consider myself very lucky to have had some of the best roommates imaginable. These girls keep me sane--and that's not always an easy job. They understand when I flip out in the middle of traffic, and don't judge when we decide to sleep through the hotel breakfast. They get the fact that I'll watch Friends at any hour of the day, and laugh at my weird jokes. 

I'm so glad I can call these ladies my best friends, and can't wait to see where this year takes us. 

I wish you all 5's, girls. :)