A City Confession

I love venturing into big cities. They're full of so much excitement and energy. It's amazing! I love the foods, the sites, the lights...everything! I even like the crazy amounts of people everywhere. I secretly like to pretend that I, too, am on some crazy work agenda and rush from subway station to subway station all hurriedly. It gives you the opportunity to be pushy on the escalators and, also, you get to look like you know what you're doing rather than looking like some lost tourist. So fun.

Okay, so here's the point of my post: I'm not a fan of the homeless/poor population that seems to make an appearance on every street corner. It's not because I don't have a heart or that I'm annoyed by them and wish they'd stop asking for help. It's more for the fact that my heart is a little bit sad at the sight of these poor peeps. I mean, come on now. They're freezing and then they have the dogs with them and ahh! So sad. I always look at my mom when I see these people thinking, "Just a euro, Mom!" But she always tells me, "It's just a game. This is what they do. Some of these people are very well off without your money." I still can't help but to feel bad passing them.

One time, when I was seven years old, my dad took me to breakfast in Newburgh. For those of you that don't know, Newburgh is filled with people that could use a little extra help to say the least. Well, we were waiting for a store to open on Broadway (yeah, Broadway!) and a guy passed that was asking for spare change. My dad told me not to make eye contact...but I did. I told my dad that he looked really sad and we should give him some money. I think the guy heard me because he then came to my dad and asked if he had spare change. Of course my dad gave him some. I mean he had a poor person on his one side and his seven year old daughter with a sad face because of this guy on his other side. The guy thanked my dad, and, if it was all for show, he deserves and award because his thank you sounded very sincere.

Another time, I was in London with my mother. My mother, unlike my father, has no problem saying no to anyone. As we were walking around near Westminster Abbey, my mom got ahead of me. An old lady came up to me and asked if I had any spare money for some sort of charity for children. I said that I didn't have money but that my mom probably did. My mom, seeing that I'm talking to some strange lady, comes back to me. I tell her that she has to give this lady some money for children. My mom flashes me the look of death and then tells the lady that she has no money for her and pulls me away. I was upset to put it lightly.

Yesterday (mhm, yesterday), I went to Cologne with my mother and one of her friends. The train ride was soooo long so, naturally, everyone had to pee as soon as we got of the train. On the way to the bathroom, there was a man sitting on a blanket. In his arms, bundled up, was his yellow lab. Oh, the pitifulness of this sight! I looked at my mom and even she said "aww." But then said, "Oh, please!" when she saw my face. As we passed, I snapped a picture. Why? Well, mainly because I've never seen such a sad sight and I wanted people to believe me. I did do it subtly, though. No worries. Anyway, the bathroom was really close where this man was. My mom asked if I was coming to the bathroom but I said I didn't have to go. Lies, I know. As they walked down the stairs to the bathroom, I walked over to the man and put a five euro bill in his bucket. If my mom finds out, chances are I will be either mocked or scolded. I know she reads this blog so I'm already preparing for it. But, seriously, who could just pass this man without feeling a bit sad?

so far this week:

- I don't sleep anymore. Seriously. Rarely can I fall asleep before 4:30am and I usually only sleep until 8:30am. I think it's been too long to blame this on jetlag. It kind of sucks to say the least.

- I've been babysitting. A lot. I don't mind, it's actually kind of fun...until there's pee everywhere and the baby won't stop crying and the dogs won't stop barking and it's just SO loud! Everything eventually works out and everyone is smiling again. And then I get to go home and enjoy the silence. Motherhood is not looking like a fun time. I actually found a book at one of the houses called, "Motherhood is not for Sissies," so of course I had to read it. It was filled with pictures and a quote on each page. Some that I remember are:

"There is a reason it is called labor."

"Laughter is like changing a baby's diaper. It doesn't permanently solve any problems, but it makes things more acceptable for a while."

"That million dollar smile doesn't come cheap."

"I figure if the kids are alive at the end of the day, I've done my job."

And the last page read:

"And if all else fails, pray."

Honest to goodness, I have prayed that the baby would finally fall asleep at nap time. The crying was starting to make me wonder if there was actually something wrong. There wasn't. Just tired.

- My mom has been baking Christmas cookies all week. Every night the house smells like some new treat. I don't mind. She made peanut butter cups. Holy goodness!

- I went to my old high school's band concert. One of the songs they played had a bit of that song "Sleigh Ride" in it. As I was listening, this got whispered in my ear:

"Hey, what does this song remind you of?"
"...Christmas?"
"Hahaha, noo, Elf!"
"Ah, how did I not catch that?!"

Yeah, I was really upset with myself over that one. But after it was said, I couldn't stop picturing scenes from that part of Elf!

- I have been playing Words with Friends with a bunch of people. I was doing pretty good but the tables have turned. I don't like it. I also don't like that I can find really good German words to play!

- I'm convinced that my cat is the Grinch's helper. He chewed through the wire of the Christmas Tree lights. The tree ornaments aren't on the tree because he takes them off as soon as they go on. Candy canes have been found on the floor...and in the his mouth. Also, the he took down some of the window lights because, hey, that looked like fun.

- The distribution of presents may not occur in the Rice house on Christmas morning. My mom and I took too long to order some of the gifts so we're just printing out pictures of what we got everyone and putting them in a box. When the presents get here, they get here. The fact that presents are coming is pretty great by itself. After taking my mom to a Relief Society activity in New York, I didn't think presents would be given this year at all. Someone said something about kids getting three presents on Christmas because Jesus only received three presents and why do we deserve more than him? Well, that was just a great thing for my mom to hear. That night I remember I asked her if she did any Christmas shopping while we were there in New York. She said, "Jesus only got three presents. Why do we need any?" Awesoooome.

- I've come to realize that I can quote almost every line to Matilda, Madeline and Elf. I was aware that I was pretty great at quoting Elf but I didn't realize how much I knew of Matilda and Madeline until I watched them again. I surprised myself! And, yes, I watched them recently. I found all of my childhood movies! Of course I watched them!

- My dad hit a car last night. Only the mirror, nothing severe. When explaining what happened to my mom, she said, "You drive just like Emily! Riding the curb!" It's okay, Papa Bear, I have yet to crash. That was a compliment in disguise.

- I went out the living room window today to avoid accidentally letting the cat out the door. The patio table is right outside the window. It's not like I climbed out the window, walked around, then came back in. I just opened the window, sat out on the window sill a bit to grab what I needed and then climbed back in and landed on the couch. I did this while my dad was explaining how things were back in his day. 25 minutes later he is complaining the cat moved the window decoration to the other side of the window. I asked if he really didn't notice me open the window and go outside. He said 'no'. What? He was sitting right there!

- We had a late night cookie decorating session. I think we did pretty good! I had a problem keeping the icing in the bowls. Messy messy!

George. He's Cute.

This has been one rough week. I'm not sure if I'm jetlagged or just recovering from all the sleep I lost over assignments and exams. Either way, I'm SO happy it's finally the weekend. I still have one more paper to write but it's for Old Testament. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Story Time: When I went into the bathroom to begin getting ready this morning, I found sweet, little George just chillin' in the sink. How cute, right? I even took pictures of him. Then I kicked him out. I turned on the water in the sink and let it run. I know, you're probably picturing all of the cute little otters losing their water but hey, I like to brush my teeth with hot water. Weeeeell apparently George put the drain plug down as he was laying in the sink and next thing I know, flood. Lovely. Thanks, George. It's your fault the otters are dying.

He's lucky he's adorable.

At Baggage Claim, Ya Gotta Take the Luggage in Your Name

Hello. I'm now back in my cozy bed in Deutschland. I've missed this bed so much! I've missed my whole room! And my dad and the countless number of pets, too. I'm just happy to be home!

Winston missed me. He's been following me around all day.

We had a pretty easy trip back. It was long but at least there wasn't any turbulence or medical emergencies. I don't know why but "if there is a doctor on board please indicate so with your flight attendant call button" tends to be said on most of my flights. We did, however, have a bit of a delay leaving JFK. We taxied out to the runway but it turns out our plane engine was broken so we had to go back to the gate and wait while the maintenance men fixed it. I watched all of Jurassic Park while this was going down. Yes, Jurassic Park. I'm already aware of how cool I am so there's no need to mention it. I also watched The Princess Diaries, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, and Pretty Little Liars while in flight in case you were wondering. Delta has added so many movies to their system. They had everything from Charade to The Lorax to Jane Eyre to The Hangover. It was ridiculous but very much appreciated. What was not appreciated was the seat. It was so uncomfortable for whatever reason. I felt bad reclining it because of the man behind me and, therefore, I was sitting straight up the whole time. It was probably good for my posture. Just go with it.

Baggage claim. This was slightly embarrassing. You know how when you're standing in baggage claim, you watch the bags coming up and before they drop on the conveyor belt, you try to see if it's yours? Well, I do that. I saw my purple suitcase come up and as it dropped, I and everyone else saw two tampons hanging on for dear life out of the newly formed hole in my suitcase. Before it made its way to where I was standing, I made it through the entire five stages of grief. First, I was in denial. It just couldn't be my bag and I was not picking it up. Second, I was pretty upset. Who put that hole there allowing this to happen?! Then, I hit the bargaining stage. I asked God if He would be willing to make the tampons disappear if I gave Delta it's Sky Mall magazine back. It was a no go so then I hit the stage of depression because, honestly, this was pretty tragic. By the time the suitcase made it's journey to me, I was already accepting the fact that I was going to have to pick up this sad looking suitcase. So I did. One tampon managed to fall back into the suitcase while the other fell completely out and made a few trips around the carousel until who knows finally ended it's ride.

If you're wondering how this could even happen, I'll tell you. I just throw things into my suitcase because who the heck cares?! Well, now somebody the heck cares. Me. I always thought I'd be the only one to see the mess I make out of a suitcase. Oh, me and the security people but I'm sure they see worse things. Thanks to my cheaply made suitcase, I'm now investing in a cosmetic bag, you know, in addition to new luggage.

It's Christmas Time in the City!

Yes, it is! I love when the city is all decked out in Christmas decorations. The city has such a great feel to it during this time of the year. It's so cheerful and welcoming. I don't want to leave!

My mom, aunt, and I went down to the city on Tuesday. None of us really knew where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do so we just walked around. Here's some of the pictures I took:

The ice skating rink in Bryant Park. "Put a positive spin on your life." Yeah, okay.

Love, love, love.

The only tree with it's own security guards.

It's too hard to hold a camera the right way. Come at me, bro.

These ginormous soldiers surround the skating rink in Rockefeller Plaza.

Like the headlines? New York news is never boring.

Union Square Christmas market!! Almost as good as a German one.

A little German street : )

Overall, it was a great trip. We didn't do much besides walk but it was good to spend time together. Some funny things happened liiiike my aunt getting hunted down by Elmo, my aunt saying she found the "Jewish Christmas Tree" and my mom kicking a random lady on the train.

"Mom..did you just step on that lady?" -Me

"No...I kicked her." -Mom

We even got to go to lunch with my cousin, David. He made reservations at this amazing Italian restaurant in Times Square. Amazing. They had the best pasta with olive oil, garlic & broccoli. I loved it. 

Must I leave this incredible place? Why? WHY? WHY?!

The Day We Switched Coats.

My mom and I are like best friends. We have the same personality and we know exactly what each other is thinking without saying any words at all. We can share our clothes, our shoes...but not our shampoo. Apparently Paul Mitchell is too expensive for my hair. Excuse me. Otherwise, we are practically the same person just 26 years apart. We keep each other out of trouble. Actually, I keep her out of trouble. I'm too sneaky to keep out of trouble. She tells people that I act more mature than her at times. I like to think that it's true but, if that's true, it's kind of sad.

Today, my mom and I spent the whole day together. Well, we have spent the last week together but today was different. There wasn't any shopping or errand running involved. It was just my mom and I out for the day. We went to West Point and walked ALL over post. Seriously...I have the blisters to prove it. We got lost in the Military Academy and panicked when the guards saw us. My mom said, "Do you see a way to escape?!" and, sure enough, we managed to find a way. We then lost the car and ended up hitting the panic button to find it. We started driving home over the mountain. We took this road, 218, that's pretty curvy and narrow. My mom asked if I wanted to drive. Of course, I said yes. She pulled over and I got in the driver's seat. We weren't even on the road five seconds and she's bracing herself yelling at me about not turning the steering wheel when I'm supposed to or something. Chill out, man. Then she says she's getting sick and to slow down. I had to pull over. She made me get out after that and I had to sit in the passenger's seat for the rest of the car trips. She was telling the story over dinner and told my grandma that I only lasted three minutes driving. I told her it would have been even less if she at least let me drive the speed limit. Anyway, from that horrible driving experience, we went to Dunkin' Donuts because my mom was complaining that she needed a coffee. From there, we went to the trestle. It's one of my favorite places here. It's a place that my dad used to take me all the time when I was younger. You can see deer and turkeys on the hills and I used to love watching them when I was little. Today, I wanted to take pictures of it. I was taking pictures of the trestle when I heard my mom walking away from me. I turned around and just started taking a bunch of pictures because I knew she was up to something. I was right:

She walks away.

She heads to the tree.

She puts down her drink.

Pulls up her pants.

Pulls on a loose branch.

Pulls on the whole tree.

She catches me taking pictures.

And down she goes.

*Insert break where I'm dying of laughter*

She picks up her coffee.

And walks back smiling all proud of herself.

My mom isn't super weird, I promise. She just likes to have a good laugh once in a while and she's definitely not afraid to be goofy. She knew I was upset about her freaking out while I was driving so she gave me something good to laugh at. I love my mom. I can't imagine spending this beautiful day with anyone else. Today, minus the driving incident, was perfect. It was the day we switched coats.

 

 

The Post that Searches for the Silver Lining

"I had a dream I was dating Jon Hamm."

"Oh yeah? How was he?"

"How was he?....ohmygosh."

I've been in New York for a full week now and I must admit that I'm bored. I knew this trip wasn't going to be a "fun" trip but sometimes the boredom gets to be a bit much. I keep thinking, "what would I do if I were home?" which has led to many Friends & Pretty Little Liars marathons on my computer. I'm really excited to find out who 'A' is. I'm so close to that episode. Don't ruin it for me.

I really do enjoy being here with family. Really, really. I love that I can walk down to my aunt's house or go visit my uncle and his wife for the day (they saved me on Saturday and we went to Barnes and Noble where we drank steamers and looked at photography books for two hours). What I don't like is when I get home and my mom and grandma insist on watching some TV show that advertises a bunch of products that you can buy in "four easy payments." QVC it's called. As baby mama would say, not to be dramatic but I would rather shoot myself in the face than watch that channel.

So I've been looking for ways to entertain myself. I take an extra-long time getting ready in the morning. I wake up at 6:30 every day. While listening to Usher tell me how I've got it bad and Taylor Swift remind me how I remember everything all too well, I begin the process. My hair is almost dead from the curling and straightening its been through over the past few days. Oh, and I've tried new mascara and new eyeliner. I also learned that it's important to make sure you have make-up remover if you're going to try new things. Whoops : ). But it's all okay because I turn out gorgeous by 9:00. If I'm lucky, we go run errands until lunchtime. Then we come home and QVC comes on and I go upstairs. I should really do homework but the motivation is never there. I always say that. Maybe something is wrong with me. OR they need to let me take my major classes and forget about foundation class requirements. Just saying. My uncle asked me today why I knew so much about genetic mutations. I told him I took an Understanding DNA class. He asked my major. I said Psychology. Silence.

I do love the opportunities I have had to Skype with Amanda though. Today we Skyped for a few hours. I miss that girl tons. That little quote at the top of this post was from that conversation. Nobody else gets our jokes and that's okay because we just crack ourselves up. Papa Cherrington came over to say hello, too. He wants to know why I traveled halfway around the world to sit in a closet and do homework. When I come up with a good answer, I'll let him know. By the way, I'm not in a closet but the best wireless signal is in the small room upstairs.

I feel like I need to mention that good times have occurred on this trip. It probably looks like I just complained minutes on end but I'm just having one of those "bored" moments. I really have had some good times! I finally got over the worst cold I've had since October 2009. I had an amazing Thanksgiving with the family. I had a great experience down in the city at Grand Central Station (and with that I'm thankful to be alive, too). I love the laughs that have happened with my grandma, aunts and uncles. I'm thankful I got to catch up with my two cousins that I never get to see. I had a great Black Friday (and Sunday) with my mother and aunt. And, today, I had a great time going out to lunch with my mother and making cookies into the late hours of the night. Mint chocolate chip cookies, yuuum!

I have a feeling this week and the next will be a lot better. Like I said, I was really sick last week and the only times I got to leave the house were when I had something important to do. Now that I'm better, we are planning on getting me driving and going down to the city. I'm just in love with that city. Let me live there forever and I'll be happy. With my Channing Tatum clone of a husband, of course.

How Great Thou Art

I am by no means an emotional person. I know there are about three people reading this going "uh, yeah huh!" but they're stupid because I'm really not one to show my tears. I have to reaaally be hurting to be crying and I mean REALLY hurting. Or at least that's how it used to be because, today, I got emotional twice. Two different things made me emotional. Two. That's a record for one day. I have no idea what is happening to me but lately it's like "Ohhhmygosh, a puppy looked at me. I need a tissue." It's not even that time of the month.

The first time I got emotional today was when my mom came home from cleaning out my great aunt's attic. They had to clean it out because of some damage from Sandy. Apparently, it was a lot of work. Thank goodness I had homework, eh? Anyway, I don't know where she found the package of pictures she brought home afterwards but I'm pretty sure it wasn't up there in the attic. Slacker. The pictures were of my mom's bridal shower. I was looking through them and I found a picture of my dad's mother, MeMe we called her. I saw the picture and I got attached to it instantly. I loved MeMe so much. My parents could leave me with her for weeks while my mom was TDY and I wouldn't complain or get homesick. She was my favorite. Now this picture of her wasn't a particularly good picture but I loved it anyways. Tears filled my eyes. I couldn't stop looking at it. I haven't seen her in so long and most of the pictures we have of her come from around the time that she was sick. But in this picture, she's smiling and happy. I don't think my mom is going to be able to get that picture back from me for a looong time.

The second time I got emotional today was when I came home from my uncle's house. My mom was out with her friends so it was just my grandma and I for a while. I had a lot of homework to finish up so I went upstairs and left her alone to watch TV until my mom made it home. I was writing a paper when I heard a familiar song coming from downstairs. My first thought was, "hey..that sounds churchy." So I started heading towards the stairs to see what was happening. As I got to the bottom, I realized the song was "How Great Thou Art" and my grandma was sitting in her recliner humming along. When she saw me she said, "Emily! Oh, this is my favorite hymn. I love it! If I were home alone I'd be singing along." I looked at the TV and saw the words going across. I told my grandma that I loved this hymn, too, and that she should sing along anyways. She told me that she doesn't like others to hear her sing. I told her that I'm the same way and that I rarely sing along with the hymns in church. My grandma then says in a low voice as if it were a secret, "I'll sing along if you sing along with me." I loved the look on her face when she said this. It was almost hopeful. So there we were singing along to How Great Thou Art in the living room. When it was over she looked at me and said, "Thank you." In that moment, tears filled my eyes for the second time. I don't know who it impacted more but I'm so very grateful that I was home to experience that moment with her.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been back in New York for a week now. I've been having a good time minus the fact that I've been  dealing with the worst cold I've had in forever. No joke. I think it's almost gone though. Fingers crossed.

Since I've been back, I've already navigated through Grand Central Station during rush hour, braved the pre-holiday madness at the grocery stores, ate my favorite New York pizza, and walked all through Cornwall taking pictures. I just love it here.

My absolute favorite part about being back in New York right now is the fact that I get to spend time with the ENTIRE family. This almost never happens. One of the cousins is always off at school or working in the city or just off living life away from the safety of the Cornwall bubble. Holidays are the only times my family is ever fully together. It's the best.

Thanksgiving was yesterday and we all had a great time. I'd list all the many things I'm grateful for here but the list would be too long and I don't think anyone would actually read it. Instead, I'll just say that I'm thankful for my many friends and family members that are always there for me. I don't tell them enough how much I love and appreciate them but they really are what's most important. No matter how far apart we are, I know I can always count on them to be there. Even if it is via Skype : )

Got a Secret, Can You Keep It?

Swear this one you'll save. Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave. If I show you then I know you won't tell what I said 'cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

I have a new addiction. Can you tell what it is yet? It's Pretty Little Liars and I'm getting really antsy because I just finished the first season and I know my mom is on her way home with the second. It's just taking her forever to get here! Is this sad? 

I'm pretty sure that last part, the "two can keep a secret if one of them is dead," is a quote by Benjamin Franklin. Unless he said "three can keep a secret if two of them are dead." It's one of those but I remember writing about it in AP Language & Composition one year. My teacher totally fought me on it and I got a B. Sad story but here's a sadder one. I just now realized why that class was called APLAC. 

Ah! Mother just got home. She says she got the movie but it's stuck in the car. My dad picked up firewood on the way home and my movie is under it all. I'm a tad upset. Well, wish me luck in my Pretty Little Liars marathon!

Ya Live, Ya Learn.

I believe it's okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. That's what mistakes are there for, right? You learn from them and become a better person in the long run. I have to believe this because you can't imagine the number of stupid things I have done so far in my life. I'm not saying I was super bad or anything. It's not like I went to Vegas, drank a bottle of vodka, married my boyfriend in the little pink chapel and forgot about it all the next morning. What I am saying is that I have done little things that would not even occur to a normal human being to do. BUT I have learned from these mistakes and I don't plan on repeating them because, ya know, if you make a mistake twice, it's no longer a mistake. It's a choice. I just love Lauren Conrad.

With this being said, I will write about something that happened tonight. My mom is selling a bunch of things that we no longer use. I decided to sell my old Nintendo DS. The problem was that I couldn't find the charger for it. I started looking everywhere for this charger. While doing this, I came across an old list that Amanda and I had made two years ago. It's titled "What Not to Do...Ever." Listed from 1 to 43 are the mistakes that we had committed until that point that we thought were most noteworthy. I'm only going to share a few of them. There's still some sting behind some and others are just too embarrassing. Without further adieu, here are some of the lessons we've learned:

1. Smart cars were meant to hold two people, not three.
2. Camping in short shorts, a tank top, and no blankets is not okay.
3. If you find yourself at a bar, do not sit next to an old, drunk man even if it is the last seat left.
5. Be aware of the number you are sending a text to. Mixing up contacts can be embarrassing. Especially if you end up texting your coach when you meant to text your boyfriend.
11. Some people were just meant not to have Facebook profiles. Do not mess with that.

15. Leave your teacher's sons alone. Alone alone.
18. Do not wear heels to graduation. Why? See picture.
19. Do not drop a bottle of soda on the pavement in a tourist hot spot. Ever play jump rope with a spraying bottle of soda? Ever have people taking pictures of you as you are playing jump rope with a spraying bottle of soda?
20. Never go ice skating. End of story.
24. Make sure you check the address you put in the GPS. There is a chance that it is taking you to the wrong destination.
27. Playing 'dealbreakers' with a guy is not the best idea.
32. Remember to bring your passport. Even if you are only going to France.
33. Do not take questionable food from anyone even if it is from the nice lady at church.
34. Bodily functions should wait until after the silent parts of a movie. Especially if you are in a theater.
35. Locking the steering wheel of your car in a place where no one will ever find you is quite possibly the scariest thing to happen to someone. Ever. Don't try it.
36. It's probably best if you don't ask a guy why he is flirting with you if he has a girlfriend.
37. Try to be aware of when you're being asked out on a date. Otherwise, you will be going on one...accidentally.
38. Keep track of your car keys when taking pictures under the state border signs. If you lose the keys in that grass, I wish you good luck in finding them.
39. Sharing drinks with another girl's date isn't smart.
41. Rexburg police have nothing to do. Make sure you park in the right places or you may find an orange envelope on your car in the morning.

You may be thinking that these aren't real mistakes and yeah, I guess we could have done a lot worse in life but my point is that mistakes are to be learned from. And, believe me, we learned from these few instances. So, it's okay to make mistakes. Go make as many as you like. Unless it's the really consequency kind. You shouldn't make those and that is why they teach you about them in school. Okay. Now go have fun with life and don't be scared of messing up. You may just have a funny story later! :)

Boots, Obama, and Silver Bells

the facts from the past the week:

new york still exists
i have one month left of being a teenager
my mom found me 'hunter' boots on ramstein yard sales
christmas lights have been hung
i had my first job interview
obama won the election but amanda doesn't think it's official
i watched 'charly' and didn't cry
amanda's house has more corn than a field
i found a legit pearl in my dinner
my mom tried using ten pence as a quarter
i stuck a sticker that said "eat me, i'm smooth" to my dad's back and he didn't notice
that sticker somehow made it to my mom's purse and she sported it around town
silver bells sung by lady antebellum made me emotional
i tuned my guitar correctly for once
i'm printing out more recent pictures to hang in my room
i've been watching once upon a time and pretty little liars
i made the best taco soup or so my mom says
the leaves have disappeared
i made good money selling my old things
i feel it's been too long since i've been to h&m
i'm reading a good book for once
i now babysit for a family on a regular basis
i'm on the hunt for a polka dot pullover sweater
i discovered i like hazelnut flavored coffee creamer in my hot chocolate
my mom says a broadway show may be my birthday present
i should be doing homework but all motivation has been lost

Bags of Memories

You know how you always stuff little things into the little pockets of your bags? And you forget to clean them out before you start using a new one? Well, I don't know about you guys but I have that problem. I recently cleaned out all of my bags that I have and, when I say all, I mean all. Keep in mind, I have enough bags to put a small handbag shop to shame. You can only imagine the amount of things I found. Talk about a walk down memory lane. I found my old bus passes from sophomore year and junior year. I found a note from Amanda dated December 17, 2007. Oh, the things we worried about back then, hahaha. I found the clear nail polish that I used to pull out and use during Mr. Paulson's history class because heaven knows if you didn't have something to occupy yourself with, you'd be snoring within fifteen minutes. I found starburst flavors that I'm pretty sure no longer exist and two miniature, blue candy canes. I found earrings that I was given for Christmas one year. They were still in the package. In one bag, I found a pocket that was full of bandaids and I remember exactly why they were there. In another bag, I found the wallet-sized yearbook pictures with little messages on the back from the friends that gave them to me. October of senior year I thought I was dying. No really. Dying. I've never been so sick with the flu in my life. I couldn't even move without hacking up a lung and of course this all happened during senior pictures. Well, anyway, I found my stash of cough drops in the bottom of the bag I used that month. Oh, and a little note that said "Chemists do it periodically." I liked to pass that to Amanda during AP Chemistry. Obviously, I belonged in that class. I found a Snapple lid with my favorite Snapple fact ever. "Elephants are capable of swimming 20 miles per day." Is that not amazing? One of my lovely friends loved to update me on their swim times. I showed them this lid and the reaction was great. I kept the lid. One time, in AP Psychology, Mr. Tarnowski said he would give us extra credit if we could draw all of the wrinkles that were on a lady's face in a movie we were watching. Yeah, I found that little sketch of mine. I also pulled the cutest pens out of one of the bags. You know those miniature RSVP pens? I'm so happy I found those. They all still work, too! Woooot!

I can't remember what else I found doing this but I do know that I ended up making $26. Yeah, and in all ones, too. Student store lunch anyone? You always needed ones on hand for that.

I invite you all to clean out your old bags if you happen to have the same problem I do. I promise it will bring back a memory!

A Star on the Wrapper

I'm not a risk taker. Well, when it comes to my hair I'm not a risk taker. Never will you ever see me putting neon colors in my hair (even if it's temporary) or going all Britney Spears or Miley Cyrus on it. Nope. Can't do it. I don't have the guts to do such things to my beautiful hair. Yes, I just called my own hair beautiful. The hairdresser said it herself first though. She said I have beautiful, thick hair. She also said I had enough hair for five people. It makes drying and straightening it quite tedious. Anyway, I was asked if I wanted a trim or a cut. I said a trim. Sounded the safest. I was asked if I wanted to keep the layers and have it thinned out. Yes and yes. Then the whole process started.

I've posted before about how much I hate getting my hair cut. It's just not a fun time. First comes the hair washing. There's something about someone massaging my head and ugh, everyone says it feels so good. I just feel all awkward. Then the actual cutting starts. Something different happened this time though. As I'm sitting there staring at myself in the mirror noting how unflattering the cape was on me (really, nobody can make that look good, I don't care who you are), a lady walks in with two puppies. They were the cutest little things I ever did see! So adorable. They were little, fluffy, white fur balls. They were eight weeks old! The lady who had them asked if I'd like to hold one. Well, duh! So I sat there holding a puppy as my hair got cut. The hairdresser just smiled and talked to my mom, who was also there getting her hair cut. I seriously just sat there stroking the puppy and picking off any hair that fell on it. The sweet thing just fell asleep. I was off in La-La-Land totally disregarding my surroundings and, before I knew it, my hair was done! I think someone should bring a puppy in every time I get my hair cut. I'll be honest though and say you can't really see a difference from before my hair got cut and after it got cut. I kind of like it that way. Nothing to risky!

Told you. It's okay, you can laugh. The only real difference is that there are more layers, its more flippy at the bottom because of where it hits my shoulders when I sit up straight, and it's a bit softer and healthier now that the split ends are gone. I forgot to ask to have my bangs cut. I'll just keep pinning them back until I can go have them cut. I still can't get over how cute those puppies were though. I wish I had a picture of that!

P.S. I ate a Tootsie Pop while doing my homework today. I was chatting with Amanda at the same time. She told me that if there was a star on my wrapper, I could win a free lollipop. There was a star on my wrapper! I then started going through all the Tootsie Pops in the halloween bowl and unwrapping them. I did get a look from Papa while doing this but, hey, free lollipop? That's worth it. Every one of them had a star on the wrapper. Sketchy. I decided to Google this madness. Turns out it's just a rumor. So there I sat...disappointed and with nine unwrapped lollipops.

Mitt Romney, Ohne Romney.

I really only do these quote posts for my own benefit. It's so fun to revisit them after time has passed. They just crack me up all over again. These quotes all happened as I skyped with Amanda tonight. Yes, we live 10 miles apart and we skype. Skype just beats a telephone. I don't have to hold the phone and we can Facebook stalk people while talking this way. Good reasons, right?

"You know how chocolate covered pretzels taste really good?" -Amanda
"Yeaaah..." -Me
"Well I've discovered that if you put a pretzel in your mouth and stuff an m&m in there real fast..." -Amanda
"hahahha, why don't you just buy pretzel m&ms?" -Me
"....ha, 'cause I'm dumb." -Amanda.

"How am I supposed to get home? There's no subway. What am I supposed to do? Take a taxi?! Do you know how expensive that is? There's my plane ticket back to Germany right there." -Me
"Are there even taxis right now?" -Amanda.

"I was at the commissary and this lady tells me she's a paraprofessional so I ask what that entails. She says she follows kids around all day and tells them to do their homework. I told her it sounds like babysitting. She said it was." -Amanda
"You know what I picture when I hear paraprofessional? A paraplegic." -Me
"That's not funny. Stop laughing. The last thing you need is karma to come around and put you in a wheelchair." -Amanda
"That's what they get for using buzzwords." -Me.

"I need to show you something. I'm dying. I shouldn't be because I like Romney...but I'm dying. -Amanda
Here is what it was:

"I think he has Utah and Idaho locked down but that means nothing. Your state is important. So if he loses, I'm blaming you specifically." -Amanda.

"My mom really wanted to name me Mandy but they told her that it wasn't a real name." -Amanda.

"Oh, so you know that exam I spent three hours on? Well. In the instructions it said it was closed-book but in the syllabus it says that every test will be open-book so of course I used my book. Not everyone did though and now the teacher is voiding everyone's exam score. So upset." -Me.

"I thought that word was 'uncanning' like -ing. I was kind of blown away when I found out it wasn't. -Amanda.

Fifteen Facts.

- I can't get into an unmade bed. I will make my bed at 10pm just to go to bed 15 minutes later.
- I like to pretend that I know how to play the guitar. I really only know four songs. And I can't even tell you the chords I'm playing when I play them.
- There's this stuffed animal on my bed. His name is Sherlock. He's a basset hound. I've had him since I was five.
- Black Friday is coming up soon. I participate online. I can't take large crowds of people.
- When I was little, I took ceramics classes, drawing classes, cooking classes & swimming lessons.
- I only really like Kraft mac and cheese. I find Velveeta to be a bit dodgy. I'll still eat it though.
- When I was in Kindergarten, the fifth and sixth grades at my elementary school made a haunted house for the younger grades to walk through. I was dressed as a witch that year. Broomstick and all. Do you see where this is going yet? Walking through the haunted house, I whacked one of the kids that jumped out to scare me with my broomstick. Self defense, man.
- I really do miss high school. Only because I miss not knowing much about consequences and I liked not having to make big decisions. It was like life was on a one-way track. With guardrails.
- I just completed my collection of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. last week. Finally. I was missing Season 3 for years.
- Whitening strips only hurt one of my teeth. I thought it might be a cavity but it's not. I don't know what I'm going to do about that.
- I think I was about ten before I actually started liking Disney movies. Finding Nemo got me.
- In first grade I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. A cowgirl I said. Now I'm living in Idaho. Still no cowboy boots but I think I'm getting closer to my first grade dream.
- I still ask my Magic 8 ball life's most challenging questions.
- I love living in Europe. I really do. But I'm ready to go back to New York. I've lived here so long. I want to be by family. I want to know what it's like to be able to visit my aunt or grandma whenever I want or go to family birthday dinners and, you know, malls.
- I have an obsession with webcams. If no one is around to take a picture with me, I grab Rocky. He enjoys being in my pictures :)

Awks & Awes

Awkward:

- Amanda & I were playing with our Happy Meal toys. We look up at the guy sitting at the table next to us and he is cracking up watching us. Glad we can provide entertainment.
- I get out of the house this morning and Amanda is laughing in the passenger seat. I get in the car and ask what's funny. Apparently I wasn't dressed appropriately for the weather. I didn't have a coat yet! (I bought a cute navy blue peacoat later on.)
- While Amanda and I were waiting outside for her mom, one of those people that stand still painted like a statue starts squeezing a dog toy at us. I seriously thought he was a statue before this point. We kind of scooted away.
- Dallin yelled at me saying I act like a mother. This happened about ten minutes after I snapped at Amanda for doing the same thing.
- I was told I was a money spender and should probably get a job. I said I had a job. I was then told I need to actually start working. Touche.  :)

Awesome:
- We went shopping in Saarbrucken today. Our first stop was Primark. It was awesome. It was definitely a shopper's paradise. I found a few shirts, cozy socks and a coat!
- There was a trunk-or-treat at the church tonight. Papa Cherrington drives up in a hearse and decorates all around it. I'm pretty sure he wins the award for best set-up.
- I've been looking everywhere online for some cute pullover sweaters. I finally found some at H&M today. Speaking of H&M, the autocorrect changes 'hm' to H&M automatically. I trained my iPod well.
- We heard from my family and friends back in New York today! Besides some damage done to the houses, everyone is well! Hurricane Sandy definitely left her mark though!
- After spending all day with Amanda, I get home, make food and go upstairs...only to get on Skype with her. We spend two more hours talking and laughing. Definition of best friends right here, folks!

Currently

Loving:
fashion blogs, pumpkin seeds, taylor swift
Reading:
thirteen reasons why
Watching:
grey's anatomy
Thinking About:
the hurricane.
Stressing About:
school work. there's too much.
Looking Forward To:
november in new york! ya know, if it's still there.
Making Me Happy:
freshly baked cookies & skype dates with my favorite people
Coveting:
an extensive shopping spree. i'd buy...
- polka dot sweater
- plaid button ups
- cheetah print belt
- pullover sweater
- black boots
- peacoat
- gloves & hat
among other things.

The Jean Jacket & Hairspray

So, here's me wearing a jean jacket. It's only been about seven years since the last time this happened. I thought it was noteworthy.

Also, last night, I went to see Hairspray performed by KMC Onstage with my mother. Not sure if that sentence was structured correctly but I think you get the gist. It was such a great musical. I was surprised by how well some of the people could sing! I probably just think anyone that can sing is amazing because when I try to sing...yeah, it's not pretty. These guys were great though! Everyone did a great job! And speaking of jobs, I got myself a job while I was there. Come December, I shall be rollin' in the dough.  :)

Herbst: Ohmbachsee

My parents like to run. Well, apparently they do. I haven't actually witnessed it yet. I like to walk. They refuse to walk with me. All I want to do is take pictures while the leaves are changing! It's so pretty outside and you can't take pictures and run. Well...I guess you could but if I tried that, I'd be in a wheelchair so fast. Either that or I will have broken the last working camera in the house, ha, my bad. Anyway, I've been begging my parents to go on walks with me so I can take pictures. I don't like going alone. There's wild pigs out there, man.

Side note: I did go on a walk with my dog the other day. I went up a way I had never gone before. I was starting to get scared because it was near the forest and such. Anyway, I kept going and through the trees, I saw this giant white thing. I thought for sure I had come across a plane crash site. I was freakin'. Turns out it was just some storage area for the farmers. My imagination makes it impossible for me to go on long walks alone.

So. I finally convinced my mom to go on a walk with me. We walked around this lovely lake. I have such great memories that took place at this lake going back to when I was nine years old! I think that's pretty crazy. There were some lazy days here and definitely some more eventful times. I had a great time walking around the lake and talking with my mother. We were kicking up the leaves and laughing having a good time. Then she says, "One time, I was doing this and I kicked up a dead squirrel." Moment kind of ruined. Or at least leaf kicking was for the moment. Gotta love her! Here's some pictures we took:

Sunshine, Blessed Sunshine.

Amanda, my mom & I in the car on the way to Frankfurt. Yes, Amanda and I are wearing the same outfit. No, it wasn't planned. She was pretty upset about it since, ya know, she had the sweater first. I just thought it was funny :)

This Sunday was pretty much amazing. We all got up super early and headed off to Frankfurt to see President Monson speak! The car ride was pretty uneventful. There were some threats thrown around here and there by my mother of course, but nothing too exciting. One of her threats occurred when I was taking a sip of water and she said she could slam on the brakes and make me spit it out all over myself if she wanted. Wouldn't that be pleasant? The main entertainment though was music since talking about your dream wedding is apparently frowned upon. A girl should be able to dream.

We got to Frankfurt an hour and a half early. This meant we had the opportunity to get good seats, which we did! As we waited for the talk to begin, Amanda and I entertained ourselves with a few games of hangman. We are all now very aware that I am incapable of spelling out the word "missionaries" with dashes. Is that not sad? Also, as people were being seated, the choir practiced their songs. I ended up singing, "suuuunshine, blessed suuuunshinee..." throughout the rest of the day. 

It felt like forever until everything started. We were so excited! Some of the talks were in German but, luckily, both Amanda and I could understand mostly everything. President Monson's talk was so good. I loved it. He talked about how "love is the catalyst for change." 

After the talk, we went back to the car and ate lunch before heading off to the Frankfurt temple to take pictures. We weren't expecting anyone to be there since everything is closed on Sundays. We get there and we start walking around and taking pictures. We notice a black car by the entrance of the temple but we don't think anything of it. After I think about it though, we really should have thought something of it with all the guys standing around the car like they were. Oh well. We continue taking pictures and we are kind of far from the front entrance of the temple by now. Then my mom says, "It's him!" And Amanda says, "Hey! It is him!" And then I say, "Who? I can't see anything. I don't have my glasses!" And Amanda says, "It's HIM!" It wasn't until we started walking back towards the temple that I figured out it was President Monson! Oh, so exciting! It was awesome. I just love President Monson. 

Confession Session: Amanda and I did not shake President Monson's hand or go talk to him. Why? Because we are too timid for such pressure. No joke. I was shakin' in muh boots. Literally.

After President Monson left, we went back to the car and headed home. We told Amanda's mom what had happened. Nobody can believe that we didn't talk to him. It is pretty sad actually. How many times do these types of opportunities come around?!

Pictures:

You thought I was kidding about the outfit? Nope. Hahaha

President Monson! 

Frankfurt Temple!

It's October!

It's been October for a while but it's now officially October. I finally got my pumpkins! I love picking out my pumpkin every year. I have been picking out my own pumpkins since ever. I can remember the days when my elementary school would take a trip to the pumpkin patch and every one picked out the pumpkin they thought was best. Then we would take a hayride through the pumpkin patch back to the main entrance. Oh, and there were cookies and apple cider, of course! Those were the days, but, to be honest, I haven't grown out this pumpkin picking business. I was pretty upset to hear my mom suggest we just buy our pumpkins at the commissary. It's just not the same. Picking a pumpkin out of a box in the middle of the grocery store just doesn't cut it. Besides, I wanted to take pictures. 

Speaking of taking pictures...my mom and I encountered a little problem in the beginning. You just don't fully understand what happens when the two of us get together until you have experienced it. I'm not saying we're stupid but the train is definitely not in the station if ya know what I mean. My mom starts taking pictures of me and then she goes to view them. She says, "Oh, the lighting is bad over here." So we go elsewhere. The "lighting" was bad there, too. After about fifteen minutes, I take the camera and look. Yeah, we were so on the wrong settings but neither of us thought to check. We just kind of laugh it off. Like always. Here's the result of our little mishap. Warning: You might need sunglasses.

Musica

I've been listening to music constantly lately. I can't stand silence as I'm doing my homework and if I turned on Grey's for noise, no work would get done. There's a few songs I just can't stop listening to. If you don't know these, you should look them up. So good.

- In Her Eyes -Joshua Radin (absolute favorite)
- Slow and Steady -Of Monsters and Men
- Lost and Found -Katie Herzig
- Parade -Matchbox Twenty
- Tomorrow is Gonna Be Better -Joshua Radin
- Too Young For this Love -The Icarus Account
- Not Quite Happiness -Good Old War
- Between the Raindrops -Lifehouse
- I Believe in Everything -Matchbox Twenty
- Red -Taylor Swift
- The City -Ed Sheeran

Okay, so I just looked at this list and it may look a tad depressing but I promise it's not bad. They're really good! :)

George & Winston

There are two adorable kittens that have moved in with us. I joke and say it's my crazy cat lady starter package. But that's just a joke. Must be a joke. Please be a joke. Anyway, here's the story:

While I was in Virginia, my mom calls and tells me that our cat died. My dad was pretty upset. This was "his" cat. I didn't care for her much but that's probably just because I didn't bother with her. She was an old cat and therefore grumpy. Talk about scratches. My dad, on the other hand, loved the cat.

A few weeks later, as I'm in New York, I call my dad and ask if he is going to get another cat anytime soon. He says that a guy at work has some kittens that he is going to looking for homes for in a few weeks. Excitement level = ecstatic! I love kittens. So cute and playful! I ask my dad if we can get one. He says "maybe." My mom said "no." Long story short, my dad totally talked her into it and, a few weekends later, we were playing with eight little kittens trying to decide which to choose. Hardest decision ever. I fell in love (I mean, IN LOVE) with a little black & white one while my dad chose the runt. The compromise? A cute, black kitten with a white spot on his chest. We were told we could come back two weeks later to pick him up.

Two weeks later, I'm sitting in the back of the car with a box on our way to pick up our little kitten. We get there and our kitten is brought to us. Feisty little thing. Did not want to be held. I figured he was just scared. As we are standing around talking, the wife of my dad's friend says that a lady was looking at the black & white kitten I liked. She said that the lady wanted to have him declawed. Now I'm not 100% sure of what 'declawing' entails but it does not sound like something my little black & white kitten should endure. So. I gave my dad the puppy "papa bear, i love you" eyes. My dad asked them to bring the kitten up. I knew right when my dad asked for them to bring the cat up that I was getting him. My mother was standing there all "what is happening?" My dad said we'd take this kitten, too. Two kittens! I like to think we saved this kitten rather than stole it away from some other family. Cats need their claws man. Not saying they shouldn't be trimmed because if you look at my arms right now, you know that I'm 100% for the trimming of nails.

So now we have two cute little kittens running around the house. I love them. My dad's (the black one) is named George and mine is named Winston. Like George Winston the pianist. Yeah, we're cool. My mom still can't grasp the name Winston though. She calls him Watson and one time she called him Jackson. I just laugh.

The kittens have been good so far. No major disasters. The curtains are still hanging and the toilet paper isn't shredded...anymore. Winston only has about five of his lives left according to my Papa. They're just so cute. They don't stay in trouble for too long :)

My mom calls him a little devil. Among other things.

I was packing.

They seriously sleep like this all the time. 

20 Things You Probably Didn't Know

1. Deep conversations are my favorite.
2. I'm scared of fish. I hope to not catch anything when I fish. Why do I go? For the Papa.
3. I don't care for steak, baked potatoes, or chocolate ice cream.
4. My favorite movie is the original Willy Wonka.
5. Sundays really are my favorite. I just don't like getting ready.
7. Since seventh grade, I've planned on majoring in psychology.
8. I still love waking up to "With You" by Chris Brown.
9. My bucket list only has one thing on it so far: Go to the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.
10. I say I'm from Cornwall or Newburgh but really I'm from New Windsor.
11. Being an only child isn't all it's cracked up to be. I wish I had a sibling.
12. "I love you" and "love you" have two different meanings. The latter annoys me.
13. At this moment, if I had to choose where to spend the rest of my life, I'd choose Connecticut.
14. I say I need to marry rich but I hope I'm lucky enough to marry happy.
15. My "addiction" to shopping online can actually be controlled. I just do it out of boredom.
16. I believe life isn't complicated. People make it complicated.
17. My favorite place to be is anywhere I can see the stars.
18. Chemistry was my favorite subject in high school. Until the AP exam kicked my butt.
19. I've played Halo 1, 2 & 3 all the way through. With the help of Papa, of course.
20. I'm so tired I could pass out. Good night!

Prague

This past weekend I went to Prague with the Cherringtons. I just love them. All of them, even little Alison (we still argue constantly, no worries, everything is still normal). Anyway, I took some pictures while I was there. Not many though. Here's a few of my favorites:

Prague. Yummy food!

The sun finally came back! 

Beautiful!

Churches everywhere!

The John Lennon Wall. We signed on the 'e' of love.

This trip, like all others with the Cherringtons, had its fair share of quotes. I wrote some out. I'm still laughing. And be sure to watch the video. It's worth it.

"Alison, am I invited to your wedding?" -Me

"If you're still alive." *insert dirty look here* -Alison

"You realize you just dissed yourself, don't you?" -Dallin

"You know how animals crossbreed? Well if cars did that..." -Dallin

"So, did Bella become a vampire?" -Alison

"I'm sorry, what did you call dibs on?" -Amanda

"But if they all get married, then my life is over!" -Me

"Hold on. What? Are you okay?" -Amanda
"I will never be okay!" -Me
"You're such a girl. I'll never understand them." -Dallin

"Awww, Emilyyy, come talk to Papa Cherringtooon." -Papa Cherrington

"So the John Lennon Wall is part of the Berlin Wall?" -Amanda

"I put on my paper that you were the smart one in the family..." -Alison

"Ahh! What is this dance? What the footwork?" -Hard Rock Cafe Guy

"Oh, this is just me." -Amanda

"Hey! Look! It's Amanda's favorite animal. An ass!" -Papa Cherrington

"Did you stop and pick blueberries? What took so long?" -Papa Cherrington

"I fell down the hill." -Dallin

*In the hall with everyone & sirens start*
"What the hell is that?!" -Me

"Hmm....you should see your face right now. It's as pink as my leg." -Amanda

"Oooo, Emily, they're coming for you." -Alison

"That's where they put the little girls that talk too much." -Amanda

"Nooooooooo!" -Alison

"I feel funny." -Amanda

"Emily doesn't get cold, she doesn't get hot, she doesn't pee, she doesn't talk in the car. She's the perfect child." -Papa Cherrington
"Don't get me started." -Amanda

"Stupid girls." -Dallin

"So how thick are these walls?" -Amanda

"People aren't supposed to bend that way." -Dallin

"I'm flexible. Or so they say." -Me

"Hey! I'm known for being flexible too!" -Alison

"Uh. By who?" -Dallin
"My gymnastics teacher. You can ask her! If she's still alive. She was old." -Alison

"You know, everyone thinks you're quiet, shy and sweet. Little do they knoww..." -Me
"Yeah, they're sadly mistaken." -Amanda

"The world doesn't revolve around you." -Me
"Yeah, well you don't revolve around the world!" -Alison

"They put a boot on his car?" -Alison

"I feel like I'm back in Rexburg." -Me

"I was thinking the same thing." -Amanda

"Does the camel back there have to pee yet?" -Papa Cherrington
"Noo, and I'm not a camel." -Me
"You never pee." -Amanda
"Sally, the camel, has five humps. So, ride, Sally, riiide!" -Jana Cherrington

"You know, when that announcement was being made, we were probably waiting for them to exchange water." -Amanda

"Probably." -Me

"Or we were confusing those Czech boys in the Apple Store." -Amanda
"Could have been." -Me

"Or we were watching everyone chant with that homeless man." -Amanda

"That would be a tragic story" -Me

"Ohmygosh. That is exactly what we were doing when they announced we could serve missions. The exact time." -Amanda

"I don't know if this is funny or sad." -Me

Ezra, Krin, Dallin & Patrick chanting with a homeless guy. Not even a minute after a cop telling this guy to chill, these guys go up and start dancing with him. Notice the people on the right taking pictures of the whole group. So funny.