Emily's Exploits

Well, it's that time of year. Christmas festivities are over, a new calendar year is coming up, a new semester of school starts for me, and just about everyone makes a New Year's Resolution. I don't have a very typical one this year, but I make this resolution with the hope that the world and I will be better at the end of next year. My focus is on the word LOVE. I will consciously think of love when I'm in frustrating situations, and respond with more love. I will notice those around me who need love, and offer it as readily as I can. I will try not to suppress any generous thoughts, but act on them and not be afraid of what others think my motives are. I will speak of others with love, and leave gossip behind. I will find a way to love my classes, classmates, room mates, homework, practice hours, and my church calling. I will give service and try to consciously do a good deed each day. This might sound like a crazy goal. I'm sure it won't be easy. I'm sure...

Don't know whether or not to be proud of that, but it's a milestone. Right now I'm in the last place on earth that you'd want to be on a Saturday night. In the Library. I took a nap earlier, so now I pay the consequences and I'm here to do some homework. But the sad news is that I left the right binder in my backpack in my apartment! (that's what I get for having all black binders and not color coding) The good news, however, is that now I get to blog (as I surreptitiously eat my cornbread muffins. Mmm Mmm good. ) One of my favorite parts of being a vocal performance major is GETTING TO PERFORM! So today the girls and I (anyone who's in the major along with Dr. Reich, our professor) went to Allyse's bridal at the University Mall to try on performing gowns. What's awesome about being a soloist is that you can wear whatever you want, and if it's flashy, you look cooler. So I found this dress. The price? I mean, it looks like it could be around $30...

I live in Utah. Utah was settled by pioneers. So we have Pioneer Day, every July 24th. Which means I have no school today. Just one more reason to love it! ;) I feel I wouldn't be doing my civic duty without blogging about Pioneers. Or about my pioneer ancestry. It's hard work, but somebody's gotta do it. Hannah Thornock (my great-great-great grandmother on my father's side) was three months old when her parents and five older siblings boarded the ship Golconda to emigrate to the United States, specifically to meet with the rest of the Mormons in the Salt Lake Valley. The ship left Liverpool, England on February 4th, 1854, and arrived in New Orleans on March 18th. From there they went to Kansas City and outfitted themselves for the nine week trek over the plains and rockies to Salt Lake City! "In addition to all the heavy labor of assembling the wagons, training the young oxen, constructing pasture fences and corrals and all the camping and household chores, there...

"In the course of always looking for what others have done and what others have thought and what others have felt, we never learn what we think or feel about a subject. We overlook learning what is in our own hearts, and in so doing we never make the most important of all discoveries. That is, How do I feel about the subject? What do I think about it? That introspection or exploration is perhaps the most important kind of study in which we can engage." - Boyd K. Packer I'm reading this book right now and encourage anyone who hasn't to read it- it is a fabulous book about how to teach moral principles, based on how Christ taught His disciples in the New Testament. I've been able to examine how I learn, and how I can teach others, even when I don't formally teach a class or have any kind of training. p.s. I just love the retro book style- this cover is the first edition, but there have been several since its publication in 1975

When Joseph went to Bethlehem, I think he took great care To place his tools and close his shop and leave no shavings there. He urged the donkey forward, then with Mary on its back And carried bread and goat cheese in a little linen sack. That Easter Morn, a grave that burst, proclaimed to man that last and first Had ris'n again, and conquered pain. I wonder, when he comes again, Will I be ready there To look upon his loving face And join with him in prayer? Each day I’ll try to do his will And let my light so shine That others seeing me may seek For greater light divine. I’m sure he’ll call his little ones Together ’round his knee, Because he said in days gone by, “Suffer them to come to me. ”

While in Florence, Michael took us to the Uffizi Gallery, the first art gallery ever! So here are four of my very favorites. Leonardo da Vinci: Unfinished Adoration of the Magi Sodoma: Christ amid his tormentors This one made me cry. Sorry for the poor quality- the original was beautiful. Lorenzetti: Madonna and Child enthroned between 8 angels Giottino: San Remigio Pieta I love the sad, expressive faces of the apostles gathering around Christ.

I owe Amy big time that I even saw any of these beautiful paintings! It was the Sunday that we got to Milan, and I was exhausted from our train trip, it was raining outside... and I wasn't too excited to go out into the city. But I really wanted to make the most of my day, so we headed to Brera, one of the most famous art galleries in Milan, and we got in for free! I've only posted a few of my favorites that I saw there, but I'll just let the paintings speak for themselves. Guercino: Abraham reprimands Hagar Batoni: Sacra Conversazione (Brera, Milano) Giampietrino: Madonna col Bambino (Brera, Milano) Hayez: Il bacio (Brera, Milano) Induno's Triste presentimento (Brera, Milano)

When we were in Salzburg we all took a jumping picture together and this is the result. Probably the funniest thing in the world! I just got this copy from my friend Rebekah (my copy of the jumping picture was much less exciting)

PICTUR ES Our final week in Europe was spent touring Tuscany and then a quick trip to Innsbruck, Austria (where the Winter Olympics have been held twice!) We did a lot of hopping on trains and moving to and from hotels- so it wasn't my favorite leg of the trip just because we were on the go so much- but when you're in Italy, how can you even complain?  I actually loved the long train rides because there were castle ruins near the alps, and beautiful scenery and it was just fabulous. I spent a lot of time being introspective and getting excited to come home. Because now that I'm home I feel great that I'm here and ready to move on to the next step in my life.  Getting back to the trip: Venice: Very pretty with all the water and gondolas. We went to St. Mark's square, then to Rialto bridge, and the next day we spent on Murano Island (close by Venice) where they make the famous glass sculptures and jewelery and things! I loved the island and I bought myself some great...

Study Abroad has been life changing. I have learned so much about the culture, about people, the food,the music, dancing, recreation, and day to day life of the Austrians. But there is one part of the Study Abroad which is completely unique and can never be duplicated in any other time or place.  I've been blessed with an amazing group of supportive friends and teachers. Of course we didn't start out as close knit as we are now, but the joy was in the journey of discovering their lovely  personalities and learning to create a working environment of love and learning. I'm going to copy what a few of my friends have already done in blogs past and write a bit about each character in the story of my Vienna Experience, just as a tribute to them and my gratitude for the things I've learned from them.  Dr. Vincent is the leader of our group. He is the Opera Director at BYU. I first met him when I was a senior in high school- I arranged to have a voice lesson with him one weeke...

Sorry- here's the link to all the pictures from the previous two posts :D HERE

SALZBURG After finishing our German final, all 10 of us students hopped on the train to Salzburg!! The place where the Sound of Music was filmed!! Our trip thru the countryside was fabulous. I am in LOVE with Austria. The grass was so vibrant and green with patches of daisies, there were rolling hills everywhere with little villages and churches, we saw a gorgeous sunset... I simply cannot put it all into words. I cried as I looked out the window when we got toSalzburg. That's how sappy I am.  We saw the  Hellbrunn palace owned by some sort of bishop, and he put in all of these fun water powered mechanical things, as well as water that squirts you unexpectedly from random places, like out this deer's antlers! It was built in the 1700s and was powered by water then, and still is today! It's fascinating.  The people in the town wore those cute hats and traditional coats, and there was a cute market, and the huge castle complex at the top of the hill that was built in 1077, a...

MAUTHAUSEN This camp began in 1938 as a concentration camp for German and Austrian "criminals". Prisoners of war were sent here, and Jews began to enter the camp in 1942. The average life expectancy of someone entering Mauthausen as a prisoner was 2 months. An estimated 50,000 people died here, and another 50,000 or so died at sub-camps surrounding Mauthausen.  There is a stone quarry down the hill from the barracks where the prisoners would hew away stone and carry it up the hill to build more buildings. Sometimes for fun the officers would push prisoners off the cliff of the hill once they got to the top. They called it "parachuting".  When a contingent of 500 Russian prisoners attempted an escape, those who were found were brought back to the camp in the cold of February, chained to a wall, and hosed down with cold water until they froze to death.  In the summer, overseers closed all the windows and doors to their sleeping quarters. Their rooms reached temperatu...

OK, but not really. I spent the afternoon going on my seventh and final walking tour around the southern part of Vienna's inner city, between the Naschmarkt and Belvedere Palace. And it was so wonderful! First of all, it was nice to just be alone and stop when I saw cool things that I wanted to see... and sometimes I find strange things that I think are cool, like this:  I find photoshop fun... It's not Elizabeth Arden, but it's a red door... and it is awesome. Found an art gallery on a street I passed. Don't you just love the old architecture and the beautiful sign up above? I can hardly even believe I saw this from across a really really busy street.  And probably best of all, I found or walked past 4 vintage clothing stores! It was a shame they didn't have anything like a necklace or earrings out, or else I would've bought it! The clothes were ADORABLE, albeit expensive. I doubt that I'll have time to go back, but if I don't, a trip to Urban Exchange...

More pictures from my adveuntries with Michael, Julie, Mom and Grandma can be found here .  False reports today led me to believe that it would be sunny and warm. Thanks a lot.  But now I can just look outside at the grey sky, drink my Almdudler - and everything will be just fine.  Favorite Things about Today's Adventure on Walking Tour 6 with Rebekah:  Pascualati Haus:  This is the site where Beethoven composed many great works, including his only opera, Fidelio . It had a lovely view toward Votivkirche and Universitaet Wien (I don't really know if those structures were up at the time Beethoven lived there). There was a small museum with a pianoforte (it had 5 pedals on it!!), some manuscript facsimilies of Beethoven's music, recordings of several of his works, some busts... but you can see for yourself by going here: PICTURES! Votivkirche: This Neo-Gothic edifice was beautiful and tranquil. It is surrounded by Freud Park (yep, named after the one and only Sigmund Freud. V...

I was in love with Klosterneuberg at the beginning of this week, and now I think Prague may just have stolen the title. It was that amazing. So, we missed our first train to Prague due to inconsistencies in some of the S-bahns in Vienna (GEE WIZ!)- but four of our group left for Prague at 1:58 and the other six of us left at 3:58. In the meantime, we explored the art in the Upper Belvedere Palace, which was probably my favorite art collection that I've seen since coming to Vienna (and that's saying something, since I have seen TONS!). They had the old, and the new... let me see... "Tod und Ma:dchen" (Death and Maiden) by Egon Schiele (1915) (I'm singing a song called "Der Tod und das Ma:dchen by Schubert right now so I thought it was very fitting) "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt (1907) Hilde und Franzi Matsch, Children of the Artist, by Franz Matsch (1901) "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer" by Gustav Klimt (1907) "Landschaft bei Meisenbach...

Bowing and Being Graceful Me and Laura Ladies on the Steps Red Carpet Action One Entrance to the Hofburg Posing... Candid Shot- Ty and Me

On Friday we have no class. So naturally, I wake up around noon-ish to get a good start on the day. This particular morning (February 27th) I was planning on doing a walking tour of Vienna, seeing some sights... you know, the usual. But it was Carli's birthday so we went to our favorite Shottenring Cafe for lunch! I met up with them around 1:30. Laura, Carli, Joseph and I were there talking about spy and mafia conspiracy theories, how great it would be if somebody could just choose our food for us (which the Schottenring cafe graciously did- they brought us fish and soup without us ordering it!) birthdays, friends, and family when Joseph asks:  "Do you guys want to go to Bratislava ?" We all look at each other with mischievous grins and say YES! It's an hour train ride to Bratislava from Vienna (Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia) and we called Elisabeth - she said it was a 12 euro train ticket, so we were TOTALLY on board.  I was wearing a skirt, boots, gloves, no...