To Mexico.. or bust!!!

The countdown is really on!! I have about 2 weeks left at home until I embark on my next adventure.  The thought that I only have two weeks left with my family, friends, home.. kind of puts me through an array of emotions, for example:

Some days are like this:

Woohoo!! I'm going to live in a foreign land and speak a different language!! 

Then other days I feel like this:

No thanks, I'll stay at home in my comfy bed.

Then I think, Ah, Mexico!  I love me some Mexican food.. and Mexican hats.. and Mexican dogs. 

And suddenly I realize.. 

Wait.  I only have 2 WEEKS?? AAAAAHH!!!!!

But in reality I am just super pumped and the doubts don't even matter.  I am going to live in Mexico teaching others about the gospel that I love so much!  

I'm glad I could take you all on a journey through my emotional roller coaster life!

HOORAAYY!!! JUST TWO WEEKS!!!!

A friend of mine once compared the gospel to a pair of 5 dollar jeans.  These jeans aren't regular jeans either... They are the best jeans in the entire world.  Wouldn't you want to tell everyone you knew about these incredible $5 jeans??  We should be just as excited to share the news of the restored gospel!  It is way more important than jeans!  

"Wherefore, go ye and preach my gospel, whether to the north or to the south, to the east or to the west, it mattereth not, for ye cannot go amiss."

--D&C 80:3

This gospel is great.  

Preach it!  Love you all!  See you in 2015!  

A Mission to Mexico!

I recently received my mission call for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!  I will serving in Xalapa, Mexico!  It is located in Veracruz and it is the state capital.

  

It looks like I will be right on the coast and according to Google weather it is a very rainy place.  I really can't say that I know anything else about it other than the weather and where it is.  But I am so excited!  This is going to be a once in a lifetime experience and I am thrilled. This is my favorite picture that I have found of Xalapa.

Well everyone, I've still got some time.  I will be leaving October 30th to the Provo MTC where I will train for about 6 weeks and then I am off to spread the gospel!  Yay! 

Mi Familia!

These people are THE best.  And I am sorry if you think your family is best because I'd fight you for it.  Mine is the best.  That's just how it is.  We were lucky enough to have my sister Kelsey and her hubby Justin come out for a little while.  Lucky for us there is a lot going on this summer so they get to keep making the trek from Ohio to the grand state of Utah for a little while!  We got to spend all sorts of time together just partying, sadly for me I have recently been employed and I was unable to spend a lot of time with them! Grr..  But I guess I can't really complain because I need the money and all that stuff.  But they are just the best, they all came into the restaurant and I got to wait on them and might I add, they were very generous tippers!  We got to go to the ZOO, it was the best!! I love the zoo!  It makes me happy!  But it wasn't just seeing the animals it was more the company I had.  I couldn't have been there with a better crowd!

WE HEART NY!

A rare Papa Bear in his natural habitat!

Welcoming the family home in style!!

Living in the now!

Alright, so an update on life: at this point in life I have stopped long term planning because honestly.. none of my long term life goals have come about!  If they had, I would be travelling the world this summer, but as we all know, life happens!  And things don't turn out the way we hoped!  No, no I am not disappointed, not at all.  My life is brilliant, just in its own way, not in the ways that I had intended!  But you know what, the challenges and the changes are what make life so terrific, it's not predictable!  There is always something new coming and that is exciting!
Oh right, the update, so I am here at home with the parents for the summer and I have come to the decision that I need to put my education on hold to serve the Lord.  That's right, it may come as a surprise to most but I, Emily Chandler, have decided to serve a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It was never a part of my plan, if things had gone according to my plans I would be going into my second year at USU, but apparently Heavenly Father had a little something else planned for me.  And thank goodness he does have a plan for me.  And although sometimes the thought of serving a mission scares the heck out of me I know it is what is going to be the best for me in the end.  I know that everything that has happened in my life up until this point has been preparing me to serve a mission and I am so grateful for this chance to serve!  I heard this super cheesy Mormon quote about it but you know it is totally applicable and I would like to share it with you, my whole 3 readers...

This puts missionary work into perspective for me.  This is a sacrifice that I can make.  And I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me and that as long as I listen and obey, he is going to help and bless me.  I can't think of a better promise, so I am going to leave my family for a time so that others can have the same blessings of an eternal family like I have!  

The church is true people! Preach it! 

Freshman year at USU has come and gone... and now I sit in my room wondering how it could go by so quickly!! Change is a terrible blessing!  This year was one beautiful year, I now understand why people say college years are the "golden years" because they really, truly are!  They are completely golden!  I wouldn't change anything from this year, not even the bad things, because it all made me grow into a new person.  This year, I had so many wonderful experiences.  I crossed quite a few things off of my bucket-list, among them: living on my own, going to college, riding a mechanical bull, donating blood, becoming a true Aggie, go to a Parachute concert, have roommates, ride a motorcycle, ride a tandem bike, plus many other amazing things that I never planned such as getting a swirly!  Yeah.. that happened... not really proud of it, but it happened and I will definitely never forget about that! 

(For those of you dying to see the video..)

  Well for my roomies (who are probably my only readers..)  I LOVE YOU ALL SOOO MUCH!! Thanks for being amazing!! My friends are the ones who made this year so wonderful! 

I love Utah State!  Go Aggies!

Me and Alyssa at Parachute!!

Me and Amber with the main singer from We Shot The Moon!

Homecoming!!

TANDEM BIKE AND A BOY! (Landon)

Me and the beautiful Maddie Calder!

214 after our first annual Dundee Awards!

This is an array of some of my favorite times of the year!  

The Setting Sun

    On April 19, 2013 our beloved goldfish Sunset passed away.  After a life full of happiness and joy it was his time to go.  We are so proud of how long he lived and so happy for the life that he lead.  As we mourn the passing of our dear friend Sunset we realize that change is inevitable.  Sunset brought us together in the beginning of our time as a family and was a perfect addition.  It's almost like it was meant to be, he was with us the perfect amount of time.  As the year ends and we all part ways we will always remember how Sunset brought us together. I'll miss you Sunset, you truly were a remarkable fish!  Who knew that a Wal-Mart goldfish could survive for 8 months!?  We'll miss you!  

 

Hipster Emily...(in progress)

So I have come to the conclusion that I was meant to be a hipster.  I have decided that it is time to reinvent myself into a hipster. Here is my first attempt... all I've got so far are the hipster glasses.  But I am getting there! Don't worry!  I'll be the hipster I was always meant to be.  Someday.

Life as an Aggie!

I just wanted to take a moment and tell you all what it is like being a part of USU.  It is fantastic. Choosing to come to this school was the best decision!  Utah State has such a sense of pride and loyalty that you can't help but get sucked up in all the Aggie Pride! So readers, if you are trying to decide where to go for college, choose Utah State. You can't go wrong.  Go Aggies!!

It only takes 20 seconds of insane bravery for great things to happen.

Okay everybody, this post is about my life.  What the?  I know this blog is all about my life, but no, this post is about me figuring out my life.  It is rough.  There are so many tough decisions coming up.  What are we supposed to do about those?  I usually just let them come so close with out getting near them that I end up having to make rash decisions... That is kind of how I ended up at Utah State, I just waited and waited to make my decision between SUU and USU, then one day... I was here!  I don't really know how it happened but I do know that it was the right decision for me.  This is where I need to be.  But why?  I don't know.  Maybe I'm supposed to meet someone, maybe I'm supposed to realize that I am supposed to be an engineer or maybe drop out and go to beauty school...(but that one probably isn't an option)  I don't know if I will ever find out the divine purposes behind why I am here.  But I know it is a good place to be.  One of these days I'll figure it out and I'll do amazing things!  Until then, I am here, doing kind of amazing things... not really... just homework. But until next time, have a lovely life!

MADDIE ELEANOR CALDER

   Maddie Calder is one of my dear friends.  She is my roommate as well!  Lucky me!! She is funny and awesome and we always have awesome hilarious adventures together.  Also she was awesome enough to tell the world how awesome I am on her blog so I am returning the favor!  Thanks Maddie!! Anyway world, she is great!  Get to know her.

Isn't she pretty?!

Also, there is Amber on the left, she too, is fantastic!

I look up to her so much that I decided to be her for Halloween!

We're twins!!

214

214

These are my built in friends!  They are some of the best people I have met and I am so happy to have them in my life.  They always do hilarious things that make me forget about the stresses of everyday life and schoolwork.  We always have something fun to do, whether it is going out on the town or doing something as simple as playing the Wii.  They just crack me up!  If you guys read this, thanks for being my friends!  You guys are amazing!  This blog will, no doubt, be full of hilarious stories to come of all the adventures we have! 

This is why dogs are the best! 

They just love you!

My Mom: The Graduate

      Well folks, she did it!  My mom is a graduate of Emporia State University with a masters in Library Science. She is basically a champ.  I hope one day I can be like her, she finally made it through all those so called "horrible assignments of death".  Which I think we can all understand is quite the feat.
      Luckily I was able to attend, I was nervous that I wasn't going to make it because the weather was completely dreadful!  It took us quite a while to finally get down to the graduation, but due to my father's incredible skill of driving in the snow we were able to make it there unscathed!  Congrats Mom!

The graduate herself!

The whole family!   (Almost...)

Blog Post Numero Uno!

      Well everyone, it is time that I join the blogging world... which doesn't really make sense because I realize that they are not as popular as they once were.   I guess that just makes me a hipster!  Posting on Facebook is just too mainstream for me.

      Anyway my story goes like this, once upon a time there was a family called the Chandlers, they were great, one of the best in fact, but they soon realized that their lives couldn't be complete with out an Emily in their lives.  So here I am!  Lucky them!  They were blessed to add a new and final member to their family.  And I was lucky enough to end up with them as my family forever.  They are the best, I love them to death.  Everyday I ask myself how I got so lucky to have them in my life.  

 Here they are!  Aren't we cute?!

    

Plus one, this is my amazing brother Carson who is faithfully serving a full-time mission in the Mexico Monterrey West Mission.  (He will be returning in about 6 months!!)

That's about it for now, but I'm sure you'll all be hearing from me again sometime in the near future.