Too Tired to Come Up With a Creative Title

There are many different forms of art: music, sculpture, painting, drama, the list could go on. Tonight I experienced a form of art that is unique, abstract, and for me, hard to grasp: the art of contemporary dance. It has a sort of surreal beauty to it that transcends the common, modern mind but it is something that is very meaningful when you consider the concepts it seeks to portray. Though I was slightly confused throughout most of the performance, it was beautiful and passionate, and I enjoyed watching it. Fran and Dan (who I have mentioned before) were both performers as well as choreographers and it was really neat seeing their vision come through the different dances. I cannot even imagine putting together such a complex routine and I was amazed at the final product.

Well...going back in time...I watched Lydia and Chloe again this morning while their mom and Aunt Susie finished up their paint job. We had lots of fun (again) and I introduced them to Phineas and Ferb, which they loved. When the ladies got back, Aunt Susie and I decided to go on a bike ride...little did I know it was going to turn out to be 15 miles long! It was actually great though. We rode all the way to the Snake River and back and saw some beautiful sights, including an eagle, which was pretty cool. After that exhausting excursion, we took off (in the car thankfully) to get Sarah from the farm she works at in Idaho. We went over Teton Pass, which is an amazing mountain road, and I found myself utterly content. Some girls need chocolate or new makeup or flowers to make them happy: me, just drive me through the mountains while I get to look out the window and soak it in. That right there is a recipe for happiness. We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and then enjoyed a delicious (and extremely healthy) meal made by Sarah that contained many, many vegetables and no meat at all. But that's okay because I am learning to appreciated veggies more and more every day. After that, we went to the aforementioned performance and now I am home, resting my weary (to say the least) legs. 

Oh yeah! I also stabbed my tongue with a piece of pizza today...because I am that talented...and I think I may have done some legitimate damage 😂. I've got issues (but you got 'em too...it's a song for those of you who don't know). 

Okay it is becoming more and more apparent that I am tired because my brain is running away to crazy places and I can't catch it. (see like that...that doesn't even make sense)

So...I'm going to sign off before I say something I regret ;). Oh and pictures included at the bottom. Actually just one because I realized my aunt has the ones from the bike ride on her phone.

Bye now!

EMMA

The view going through Teton Pass.

Losing Creativity and It's Only Day 5

Today was probably one of the most productive days that I have been here. My aunt woke me up at an appallingly late time and told me I was gonna babysit. Turns out it was for the same two little girls who came to the house a couple days ago. They were HIGH STRUNG today but I had a ton of fun with them. We played with Legos and a doll house, had a tea party, played at the park, and read some books...and we got to have mac and cheese for lunch...which is always a plus. I ended up babysitting from 12-6 and since they're kids are so good, Aunt Susie never has the parents pay, but Miss Crystal gave me $30 at the end of the day, which I really appreciated. Though it may not seem like compensation for six hours of babysitting, the girls proclaimed to their parents at the end of the day that they loved me, and that is payment enough.

We had an awesome dinner at Snake River Brewery, and I had a cheeseburger pizza, which I almost ate in its entirety...after days of Indian food and vegetables and fruit I was ready for some good ol' 'za (pizza). It was really good. Although I have to admit, probably the best part of the experience was rubbing in my dad's face that I was at one of his favorite breweries.

Anyway...today was great, and I feel so much more accomplished at the end of it having worked today. I'm sorry I haven't had pictures up recently, it rained today also so we haven't taken any hikes or anything. Hopefully we will go to Grand Teton National Park tomorrow.

Peace out,
Emma K.

When it Rains, it Pours (and Hails) Pt. 2

Well...we had another day of not so great weather today so we didn't hike or anything like that. This morning I went with my aunt and a lady she works with to go see some open houses (they're realtors). We only managed to see two since most of the open houses closed at 12 but they were both really nice and the second one was a 5 million dollar property!!! It backs up to the National Elk Refuge and it's really big which explains the price of it. Then we went to their new office, where furniture was being delivered, and took a look around. It's going to be pretty nice and they are expanding their business so they will have a lot more agents. When we got home, I ate leftover Indian food from, you guessed it, Teton Tiger (this is becoming a thing). Then my aunt and I cleaned because Catherine had a friend from high school back in Texas who was coming over. I cleaned the windows and vacuumed the whole house. When Catherine and her friend (Jacob) got here, Aunt Susie left to go to the store and we left to get food to bring to Fran's house. (Fran is one of Catherine's good friends and her friend Dan was there too. They're both dancing in a performance we are going to see on Friday). Well...we were trying to decide what to do for dinner so we thought...what better place than (drum roll please).....TETON TIGER! Wow. It's a good thing they make good food or I would be done with that place. We took the food to Fran's house and had a great time eating and talking to them.

Oh yeah...most important part...and the reason for today's title...it rained and hailed AGAIN today. We had to run through the hail to our car...it was kinda painful not gonna lie. That was an exciting experience.

All in all, today was a good day and I am very glad to be developing a friendship with my cousin Catherine. I was a little worried about how that would play out before I left, but she makes it so easy and I am very grateful for that. She and my aunt are both including me as part of the family and it makes me feel at home. I'm very thankful for them.

Still waiting for better title suggestions...maybe from a certain creative and hilarious aunt of mine...*cough cough*

Goodnight y'all!
EKT

When it Rains, it Pours (and Hails)

Hey! Today was pretty relaxed which was nice. We had a chill morning until a storm rolled in and we were hit with heavy rain and hail. I've never seen so much hail before, it looked like it had snowed on the back porch when it was all over. After that fiasco, Aunt Susie had to leave so she took me to Teton Tiger (where Catherine works) and I hung out and ate some Indian food. I got fried okra, which was made with chickpea flour and had a kind of cucumber and lime dip to go along with it, and though it may sound strange, it was the best fried okra I have ever tasted. I also had some Thai Tea which is pretty much sweet tea on steroids made with bubble tea (if you don't know what that is then google it because I don't know what it is either). It was incredibly sweet so I couldn't drink very much of it. I got some Chicken Tikka Masala to go and set off to find my way back to the house (I walked). I actually made it back with no problems and found the street pretty easily. I was proud of myself. When I got home I had a nice phone call with my main girl Gracie (shout out) and then I watched some  Netflix and painted. When Catherine and Aunt Susie got home, we went for a hike with the dogs up part of the butte that I hiked the first time I came. It was pretty difficult because a lot of it was uphill but it was a gorgeous hike and it was really nice outside (61 degrees to be exact). We saw a three legged German Shepherd that was kinda scary on our way out. When we got home, I warmed up my Indian food and ate it and now I'm sitting here, telling my story to the world (not really the world, more like little podunk Nacogdoches). So today was another great day!

P.S. I'm kinda tired of the title of my blog since I used it last year...if anyone has a new idea please let me know!

Emma

Day 2

There is a moment in time when you are captured by something and it takes over your senses. All your worries melt away and the problems of the world are dissolved. And in that moment, time stands still, because you try and try to absorb it all but you can't because there is just too much beauty, too much majesty. I experienced that moment today.

Taggart Lake

Before we get to the breathtaking experience of the day, let's go back in time to this morning/afternoon. I watched two little girls with Aunt Susie today and long story short, they are super sweet and I painted a ton. Their names were Lydia (5) and Chloe (2) and they were downright adorable and they got along so well (much better than my sister and I would've gotten along at that age I'm sure). Lydia loves to color so we sat at the table and colored and painted for a very long time and we watched part of Zootopia and then we colored/ painted again. It was really fun. After that, (here comes the boom) we packed up some snacks and water and Aunt Susie and I took off to Grand Teton National Park to hike to Taggart Lake. It was so beautiful and, though I was breathing very hard due to the reduced oxygen levels, it was soooooo worth it. It was amazing. It's hard to put into words what it was like and the pictures don't do it justice either but I'll just point you back to the top of the page. I could have sat at the lake for hours upon hours upon hours because it was impossible to fully absorb the glory and majesty that is the Lord's Creation. I don't want to get repetitive so I will just close with this: The Lord is good all the time and I think that nature is proof of that. 

Blessings from Jackson Hole,

Emma T.

Flowers on the trail. The colors are gorgeous.

Trip to the Tetons #3

Hello! To anyone concerned, I made it to Jackson Hole, Wyoming safe and sound at 2:00 this morning. We had a 2 hour flight from the DFW airport to Salt Lake City and then my aunt and I drove four and a half hours to get to Jackson. We wanted to eat at Chick-fil-a for dinner but we could not for the life of us find one so we drove and drove until finally we gave up hope and settled for Wendy's at 9:30. The drive through Salt Lake City was really nice and scenic but around 10:30 it got dark so the rest of the drive was less exciting. I spent most of my time trying not to fall asleep and I actually succeeded (thanks to some really great friends who stayed up way too late last night (shout out)). Aunt Susie and I listened to music in the last two hour stretch and she made me the DJ so that was fun.

Moving on to today...we got up this morning and had a nice breakfast and then I took a shower and we got ready for church (we went to the 11 o'clock service). The church service was pretty good, the highlight probably being offertory, in which a man played "It Is Well With My Soul" on the harmonica. It was pretty cool. After church we ran home to get our wallets and we went grocery shopping for about an hour and a half (due to the fact that my cousins and aunt shop at three different grocery stores). Then we went home and ate leftover Indian food (well some of us, Sarah is a vegetarian) because Catherine works at Teton Tiger, and Indian restaurant in town. We had fried rice and it was really good, better than whatever Peking has to offer I'm sure. It had bison in it, and bison is awesome. It's so much better than beef (which the fam doesn't eat by the way). After lunch, Aunt Susie and Catherine left to take back our rental car and I went on a walk by myself. It was really nice: I walked to the Elk Refuge and back. As soon as I got back, Catherine asked me if I wanted to go to Persephone's with her (a little bakery) and I accepted her offer immediately. So, here we are, sitting in Persephone's, me writing a blog and her making a website. I think we are going hiking later on and then tonight we have to take Sarah to Idaho, where she will be working on a farm during the week. It's been an absolutely beautiful day today and I'm excited to hike later. I attached some pics at the bottom to add a little excitement to this otherwise ordinary post.

Signing off,
Emma K. T.

My aunt's neighborhood

Another shot of the hood

I'll get closer to the Tetons later on in the trip :)