miss emma.

today we had nothing planned with the program, since tomorrow we are going to south hall for a culturally enriching experience. but anyway, i woke up to audrey screaming "emma, david really wants to talk to you!!" so i reluctantly got on skype and for once, he was the one doing the waking up. he didn't really have anything to tell me, audrey just wanted me to wake up. and i didn't want to, because it was only 10 am, and that is far too early to wake up on a free day if you ask me. anyway, i chatted with my man for a while and then i got ready and caitlin, audrey, macy and i went to portobello market. the sun came out for a while as we were walking there, and it was so lovely to get some vitamin d, even if it was for about 2 minutes. portobello market is this cute colorful street full of fun shops and cafes and street vendors. we were really enjoying ourselves until it started raining a ton, and even though i had my umbrella, the rain was coming in sideways and it was not so fun to be wet and cold. but we visited some really cute shops.

we found the most adorable cupcake shop called hummingbird bakery. it was full of people, so we knew it would be good, and it definitely was. fun fact: it is my dream to have my own bakery. i love treats. i love baked goods. i got a red velvet cupcake, and it was delicious. divine. heavenly. made with love.
after cupcakes, we walked around a bit more and then decided to brave the tube. apparently there have been a lot of terrorist threats today because tony blair is speaking in london today about the war. a lot of people were avoiding the tube at all costs, but we are not scared of terrorists; we have armies of angels protecting us. terrorists have nothing on me. anyway, we got off at south kensington and walked around forever trying to find this place called giraffe that we had heard good things about. we finally found it, and thank goodness because just then it had started to hail. giraffe was really good. and their motto is "love, eat, live" which is my new motto for life. funny story: so on fridays, i lead devotional, which means i get up in front of the whole program and ask if anyone has announcements and then i assign someone to do a spotlight and a spiritual thought and prayer. so today, i'm doing devotional, and our program director starts talking about how he had such a wonderful day visiting some museum and how enlightening it was and then he goes "emma, why don't you share an experience about your day." and unfortunately, all i did today was eat and shop, so i probably sounded like an idiot up there saying "well, looking back at my day now, i realize that i need to be more productive with my time...blah blah blah...and i probably shouldn't spend so much time on the pursuit of fine food...blah blah" but i lied. i do not feel guilty that my days are centered around what i eat. that's just how i live my life, friends.
anyways, that was off topic, after lunch, we discovered that giraffe is conveniently located on the same street as top shop and urban. so we went into urban, and i bought a really cute headband, and nothing else, because i am developing self control because someday i am going to get married and cut off and my princess life is going to end, and i'm just preparing myself for it. the day of reckoning may or may not be near. today caitlin referred to me as frugal, which was the first time i've ever received that compliment. i was so flattered. just call me a penny pincher! top shop wasn't as amazing as i expected. i was actually kind of disappointed, but mainly because the store was a mess and nothing turns me off of a store more than a mess. i don't know what it is about london, but every single store i've been in here has tons of lingerie. not like a couple dinky racks, but a whole elaborate, huge section stocked with lingerie. and at places that i would never have expected, like h&m. maybe i will just have to make a trip back to london in a few years when i have money of my own to spend, and a husband to spend it on ;)
so here at the london center, it is tradition for the girls to write little tips and notes underneath the top bunk bed. mine has a lot of food recommendations, and a few random quotes such as "it's not about the romance, its about the action!" and "eat a chocolate bar a day" and "nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels...except in london!", etc. one of the girls today was mentioning how on her bed, it says in big bold letters, "did you make today count?" i think i just might write that on my bed now, so that i can go to sleep and wake up to it. i always wear a little silver cuff on my right wrist that says "live your dream". david has looked at it for 3 years now and he has always asked me if i am in fact, living my dream. for a long time i would just nod my head and give an unenthusiastic yeah, because i didn't really know what my dream was, and i didn't think that i could ever find it. and then things changed for me, and i became active in pursuing the kind of life i wanted to live, and now i can say with my whole heart that yes, i truly am living my dream to the fullest.
i hope you know that today is a day that you will never live again. it is the first day of the rest of your life, and one day closer to you being dead. today is yours for the taking. so go ahead and seize the day. and live your dream.