Smart and Talented--ridiculous.

I have three very dear friends who are about to move farther away from me than Siloam Springs. I am not ready to let them do that just yet but apparently I am not going to be given a choice. My Teeny is moving to Kansas City, MO to establish residency and hopefully follow that up with starting a grad program in Art History at UMKC. So instead of learning the drive to Bentonville, AR by heart I am going to have to learn the drive to Kansas City by heart.

Ryan is also headed to KC to attend UMKC where he will be wowing more crowds with his genius level skills on the piano. He will be beginning his grad study in piano performance, I will be travelling for his piano recitals as well so he will not forget me--his 'best friend' since Freshman year and the girl he proposed to, with a ring, in the middle of the quad.

Jake is not surprisingly headed on to bigger and better things though he is deciding to do it in another country. I will miss local calls from him discussing Phantasmagoria and how he would be a great President at JBU and I would be a great president's wife. Once again, his only aspirations for me are marriage. I love hearing how everywhere he goes people are astounded by his voice and talent and just feeling so proud of Jakey-poo.

Here's to one last hurrah in Fayetteville.

Brinley & Addison

If I have never posted about these little ladies before, they deserve it now! These two are the 2 and 4 year old daughters of friends of mine that work at JBU. I helped babysit Brinley with a team of other college friends starting from when she was about 6 months old. When Addison came along I went and saw her in the hospital the day after she was born. Pretty much they have both had me wrapped around their fingers since I laid eyes on them. They are probably the craziest, most imaginative, dancingest children to hang out with! (I don't know where they got that from?) I just got to spend an evening with them while I was back in Siloam the past 5 days. We had to play mermaids (a game and outfits we created last time I came to visit, which includes full costume, singing all the songs from the Little Mermaid, and me being told to be Prince Eric) for most of the night, followed up by a healthy game of Cinderella.

SMILE--School's Out

The school year has ended much faster than I expected it to. Though I am happy that I will have a more free schedule and I do have things to look forward to this summer, I really love my job and I enjoy working and being busy. I could never have predicted that me, Emily, the girl who loves to sleep more than anything, hates to work out, and has a lazy tendency to her, is becoming somewhat of a workaholic. I think it definitely says something for enjoying your job and feeling like what you do makes a difference.

This is the wall outside my room and I took pictures of all of my elementary students I work with. (It had a smile theme if you can't tell.) The exciting part was that they got to take home their pictures on the last day of school! Doesn't take much to get 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders pumped!

Scotty-The Lawyer

My favorite older brother recently graduated from Colorado University's School of Law in Boulder, CO. I am so very proud of him and happy for him to be done with school! It was a joy to see him graduate and to be with our family up there. It was also an awesome subculture to be apart of that is very different from the subcultures I am used to!

Fun people, beautiful city, accomplished brother.

Cinco de Mayo

So, I had a Cinco de Mayo party. I went a little overboard on the cooking. I made enough food for an army when in reality we were only feeding about 6 people. It was still super fun and worth all of the after-school grocery shopping and speedy cooking!

Startin' Em' Young

In a recent conversation with one of my 2nd grade girls I was proud of her insistance to seek out equal opportunity for women:

Ms. Pritz: (attempting to define what nature is when another student asked)

Anything not made by man is nature.

Girl student: What about made by a woman?

Ms. Pritz: Nope, sadly still not nature.

Girl student: dangit.

So I went to Pittsburgh......

Another amazing reunion with the women formerly of 340 Holly Street. Reuniting with these housemates and dear friends is always rejuvenating and refreshing. It is also super fun to travel to new places and explore them together.

Highlights:

H & M

Pita Pitt

Homemade perogies

Primati's sandwiches

The Church Brew Works restaurant

The most amazing roommate trivia game ever--nat, jill, and I totally rocked it

Pittsburgh downtown is beautiful and unexpected

Lots of bridges

The Duquene Incline trolley ride at night

Being together.