counting my blessings a billion times over.

I want to cry. Have you ever been in rain when it is part of a tropical storm and you can’t tell if you are above or under water? Yeah. It’s like that. Have you ever wondered about how much water really drops from Niagara Falls each second? Yeah. It’s like that. Am I sad? No. Do I have a gazillion things on my mind? Uh huh. Behold Niagara.

God is good. I cannot even express to you how much I love my Father in Heaven. Each day I witness the beauty from His hand and I feel so indebted to Him. I love my beliefs. I love practicing my beliefs. I love my family. I love my life. I love me. I love my friends. How on earth could God love each of His children so much to give blessings like this? I don’t know. But He does.

So, life is good. And God is good.

I am writing this right now because I decided to come home from work early. Just because I wanted to. Yeah. It was cool like that. My summer job is over. I got a dream job, followed by two other dream jobs, and I have to decide on only one dream job. In the mean time, summer job told me I could come back and work when I wanted to. So I do. I love summer job. Let me tell you a little more about dream job, though. Applying for jobs can be super hard for me. Interviews make me so nervous! That took me through months of a process called PROJECT: HUMBLE EMILY and I think the mission was successful. Then…get this...I get offered the jobs that I thought I wouldn't get offered within a few days of each other. Which really does lead me to believe that Heavenly Father really does know what he is doing (summer job and I were just meant for each other), and that YES he does have an incredible sense of humor. So while I sit back and decide which dream job I should choose, I am writing to you after a pleasant shift of summer job where I thought up this blog entry.

Another reason life is good right now is that things just fall into place. Dontcha just love it when that happens? I got to adopt Ruby this week. She is really mine! I love Ruby. She is a car. I named her after dogs in Portugal. How romantic, right? I think that will be the name of my firstborn, too. And the name of every single one of my pets. See Ruby at the bottom of the page? Told ya.

Third reason for Niagara is NieNie. I have heard a lot about her and the accident, but until today I hadn’t been able to really find out more and read about NieNie and what type of life she has lead. She has a beautiful life. I was choking up at work today because it made me understand how important every second is. I want to relish every moment. I love her example of being a mother. I want to be a mother like her. She did this and this. Just in case you are too lazy to read what this and this actually is…she lets her kids be kids. She loves them. I love her example. My prayers have been with her and her family since I heard and I am so astonished/thankful for what people have done for her. Amazing. I think noble causes, heroic efforts and glimpses of the human nature to love and nurture is why I want to do non-profit organizations and humanitarian work for a profession. Thanks NieNie for what you live for!

My other super grateful feeling comes from a first feeling that I had last week. I swam in the ocean. I stepped on the sand and floated along with the waves. I let the waves take me back to shore. I got an itsy bitsy seashell stuck inside my foot. (no idea how). I was buried and made into a mermaid (how magical!) and consequently I had sand in my bathing suit. I drew my name in the sand when no one was looking and I tasted a little salt water on accident. I hid behind my friends because I was afraid of sharks, and I got attacked by seaweed. I love the ocean.

I have a friend who told me of an amazing thing that is going to happen in her life and it makes me smile a lot.

I love the people of Portugal so much and I miss them a lot lately. That makes me kinda sad.

So much going on. So much change in my life. So many emotions. So many blessings. And I am loving it all.

This picture is in honor of Niagara. Me and my amigas wearing our ponchos and Bug's Life glasses at Disney's Animal Kingdom last week. Bring on the water, baby.