One more semester has come to a close. First semester "senior" year. I say it like this because though I am a senior, I have one last year left. This only makes me a "super senior", or so people say. Calculus has sought to keep me in college for the rest of my life. However, at the close of this challenging semester, I have passed another calculus class and will be advancing on to my last math class next semester. This semester has taught me so many things. I will admit, I almost quit school several times to become a ninja.
I have learned that even when things seem utterly hopeless, God is faithful to provide for me. I think somewhere along the way I lost all focus on the peace and bond the Lord and I shared over the weather. Before college, I might have told you that weather was God and I's "thing". It was how He communicated to me, "I am here." Somewhere in all the calculus, I forgot. I started working for my benefit and praise. I needed to be the best so that everyone would look at me and know that Emily Yates is a super meteorologist. The work seemed mountainous and goals seemed unattainable. Fortunately, God is faithful even when I am not and I ended this semester with all of the grades I needed.

      This semester I started leading a D-Group (bible study group for the unfamiliar. I have never lead a bible study before in my life. I was shocked when God placed three very spiritually strong women into my group. My initial thoughts were, "God, me? Are you sure I am the one for this job?" God has been so faithful in ways I couldn't have even imagined. He has lead these girls through me and it has exceeded my expectations. When I have been weak, he has been strong (2 Cor. 12:10). There have been so many times I have been reading our lesson so lost and confused and suddenly had perfect peace and lessons flow out of my heart that I didn't write. The girls I have fit perfectly with me. We worry about the same things and struggle the same struggles in such a perfect fit that can only be the work of someone who knows how many hairs are upon each of our heads (Luke 12:7). We have been reading Captivating this semester. I will never forget standing in Lifeway in utter panic trying to decide what we should study. I was overwhelmed by the realization that I was taking on the task of discipling three other girls when I am a mess myself. The Lord put this book into my hands and it has been a strange journey. At first, I thought, "Okay God, this is what they need to hear." The more and more I read the Lord began to heal my own heart. One of the biggest lessons I have learned so far was in the chapter on wounds. The idea in this chapter is that every time we are hurt in life we are sent a message that stays with us forever. I took some time to really look deep within myself and discover my own personal wounds and the messages I had been sent. This was really painful and overwhelming at first but it gave me the peace to let go of some of the people who have hurt me and accept that I am not longer tied to them but to a message. A false message. Some how all the "You're not good enough, you can't trust anyone,  and no one is who they say they are"'s all began to really take shape in my mind where it had bled into my life and made me how I am today. I have really found myself in a better place since then. I cannot wait to see what next semester will hold for my girls and I.


I am getting married in six months. What an emotional roller coaster.  I can remember talking to someone who was about to get married expecting them to say, "I am so excited." or "It has been so wonderful and the best thing ever." or something cliche like that. When they sounded a bit overwhelmed, I was perplexed. I now understand. Somedays, you feel exactly that way "excited" and like "this is the best thing ever". Other days, you feel overwhelmed by the large commitment and responsibility you are taking on.  I really wanted to prepare myself emotionally. It has happened in different ways then I envisioned. I foresaw myself reading book upon book and feeling "confident" and "prepared". Instead, I have found little tips and kernels of knowledge along the way from various people, shows, books, and events. Something I have really learned that I didn't expect is the idea that my future husband is not perfect.  I guess we get all wrapped up in the idea of "souls mates" and "my perfect person" and we forget that we choose to marry an individual that is fundamentally flawed. This means you are going to be hurt and disappointed. Two emotions we do no expect to feel. This sounds like it is leading to something awful for a moment. My thinking on this lately has been more about the importance this puts on a Godly relationship. When my relationship with Alex is lacking God, I look to him for all my needs instead (i.e. comfort, satisfaction, happiness, relief, advice, ect). The problem is, he is not God. He is not perfect and he can not always provide. That is okay. God ultimately works through him when he is weak. It is a balance that has to be maintained. Love is a complicated thing. "Feelings" only go so far. Love has to be a commitment. It is a choice to wake up every morning and love an imperfect person. Forsaking all others. This also means we have to be over flowing with grace for them. I will be the first to say that I do not find this to be easy, at all. However, I , Emily Yates usually need a whole lot of grace myself.

I have been thinking a lot about the concept of love languages. This being the ways we express and show our love. I have been thinking about this because in a lot of ways, Alex's unconventional love languages are something I have come to really cherish about him. For instance the other day, he bought my gas. It wasn't the action of buying my gas so much as the method by which he went about it. We were driving down the road and he said, "I meant to get your gas while we were on Nolesville Rd. I guess now I will just drive back over there." I didn't really think very much about it and said, "Oh, it's fine I will get it later." He then said, "No, I wanted to pump it for you." I was confused and said, "I mean, thats okay, I can pump my gas." He then said, "No, I wanted to buy it for you." (I usually don't take such things well. I get defensive and feel the need to insert my financial independence.) Me being me, I said, "It's okay, I can buy my own gas." and then he said, "No, I WANT to do that do for you." It was then I shook my head and realized it was bigger than the gas. It was about showing my importance to him and his want to provide for me. He is constantly going above an beyond for me in those small but meaningful ways. I am so thankful for that.

I have been considering lately the thorns in my sides. These are struggles of sorts that God has not yet finished working on in my life (2 Cor. 12:1-10). Paul experiences this in the Bible in a very similar way. A constant feeling like a constant unquenched thirst. We never understand why God doesn't remove the thorns in our side and cry out for relief in our nightly prayer. However, we are on God's time and not our own. Right now, I have the thorn of a person in my side. Someone God has placed on my heart and mind for a long time. This person deeply hurt me in my past and I have never really be able to let it go. I have learned an immeasurable number of lessons from this thorn. For instance, this thorn was a great part of my wounds and messages revelations about detaching the messages from the person. Realizing what haunting messages this person left me with made me realize where some of my biggest fears and reservations about people come from today. Realizing where those came from helped me grow from it and learn to let it go. Sometimes though, I still dream about this person. Even when I haven't thought of them in months just one dream comes to my mind. A dream where we reconcile our differences and become friends again. Then, just when I breathe a sigh of relief, I wake up. It's like the feeling you get when you dream about getting completely ready for school and then wake up still in your bed. You feel like you already went through the process and trouble only to go back to square one. I never understand this dream. I am always initially angry. So many times I have cried out to God asking why why why. I saw this person face to face a while back. This is not unusual. I had gotten very good at "acting cool." This past time was different. I was forced to actually talk to them with no way out. I had not spoken a single word to this person in four long years. The conversation was extremely cool and at surface. Then, that person took one more step with a comment to my friend that was meant for me to hear asking who I was. Someone I have known and was deeply close to for several years. The comment was meant to cut to my heart and I will admit that it did. It reopened my wounds so long sealed over.  I don't know why that happened. I am still looking for the reason. I cannot foresee a reconciliation between us in the future. I don't know why this person crosses my mind or my dreams. I have begged God to remove my thorn and he has not for the time being. I know there is some great something to come of it though I cannot see it now. So, I will continue to be patient and wait.

Life is moving at a very fast pace.

This summer has been full. It began with my trip to the plains to go storm chasing for two weeks where I finally saw my first tornado. One of the many things on my bucket list that have been accomplished. 

Lessons learned include a whole lot about meteorology, using the bathroom in the wild, and that I will probably never eat Subway ever again. Two weeks exploring the country (a thing I never do) seeing places I have never seen crammed in a van with 12 other people but so rewarding!

This summer has been my first experience living alone. My solution: adopt a kitten. Don't let the looks fool you. A kitten is really more like a two year old. They are into everything and wild as a bat out of hell. Good thing he is so cute. I have had him for a little over a month now. One of my favorite memories has to be a night when he sprung into an attack position when someone came in the front door. I am thinking a "Beware of Cat" sign is in order.

This summer I have started my first meteorology related job as a operator at the Kentucky Mesonet. I absolutely love my job. It is such a relief to be doing something that is worth my while and no where near retail. Working as the Mesonet has kept me living in Bowling Green for the summer. In order to pass the time, I created a list of projects thinking I probably wouldn't get to them but it would be nice to stay busy. I am proud to report I have actually crossed some things off the list!

Sunday, I had my engagement pictures done! I had two of my really good friends do them and that made it so much fun! As is only fitting, it was a stormy blustery day but it made for some wonderful pictures. The storms were well welcomed after sweating buckets for the first hour or so. I am less than a year away from getting married and it is beginning to become real! My mom and I have beens slowly but surely crossing things off the to-do list and buying decorations. Sometimes, I just have to stop and think about how silly the whole ordeal is. All the decorations and planning that really mean nothing up next to the real deal which is that I am committing myself to one wonderful man for the rest of my life. If there is anything I have learned from that experience it's that Alex and I are not cut out to be super models. We still had a blast trying!

Bowling Green has really become home to me. I went driving around the other day and was constantly just taken back by the sights. Bowling Green has the best of all worlds. One minute, you are in the middle of the city. The next minute, you are in the middle of nowhere. Drive downtown, and you go back in time. The houses and shops are stuck somewhere in the 1970's, which I could not love more. I love to picture Alex and I moving into one of these old houses downtown. I took the photo pictured on the side downtown. Just another beautiful day in Bowling Green!



One of my favorite new places is Tea Squares. Abbey, Cameran, and I decided to check it out last week. I had done some looking at their website after hearing some many people talking about it. We expected to find tea and desert. However, we ended up having tea and hamburgers. Call me crazy, but it was delicious! Of course, now I am on the hunt for a tea pot with matching tea cups and stand. I have a growing list of kitchen needs when I move into my next apartment. So far, I have purchased one bread pan. One item down, a million to go.








Alex came and visited me in Bowling Green this past weekend. I have to say my favorite memory from the weekend was making fried oreos! We were really unsure of ourselves. I have asked for a fry daddy for my birthday. However, in the mean time we had to resort to cooking on the stove. We luckily had a thermometer from a candle making kit and found a website that gave us some good guidance. Luckily, I can report we did not receive any burns nor did we burn down my apartment. We had a blast! It was so fun to play house for a weekend and have a small preview into our lives together. Another thing from this weekend I will never forget is him making me coffee. I sat in the living room folding laundry while he was fixing my coffee in the kitchen. He asked me how much sugar I wanted, how much milk, so on and so fourth. I kept giving him vague answers which he kept turning down asking for a more specific measurement or detail. I started to get frustrated and wonder why it was such a big deal and said, "It's not a big deal, okay?" He calmly responded, "I know. I just want to know how to do it right so I can make your coffee someday." My heart melted.

There is something magical about the first snow of the season. This is not the first snow for Bowling Green but it is the first snow I have seen this winter. I love a day like today that is overcast and you can almost smell the ice in the air. It came and went rather quickly, as snow usually does, as I sat cuddled up with Alex. As you can see it is only a dusting though for a few moments it appeared like a blizzard sending Alex and I in a flurry (pun intended) to get him packed and on his way home before it could get worse. It was as if we looked outside one minute to no snow and covered roof tops in the next glance. As a meteorologist I must say, forecast snow is by far the most nerve racking. A band of snow can sweep across an area dumping inches to feet of snow in a matter of minutes. As a forecaster, you are expected to predict it's timing and amount down to a science. People are sensitive about snow. If you forecast an inch of rain and have a forecast bust people are not upset as long as it rains somewhere in the immediate area. If you forecast an inch of snow and your forecast busts, you have to go into hiding. Even so, I do enjoy snow. There is nothing more beautiful then a fresh coat of snow and the sight of snow flurries flying past the window. My favorite thing to do is build snowmen and go sledding. Usually, if this area of the country is lucky enough to see snow, it is never the right consistency for snowman building. However, here in Bowling Green we are blessed with a place called 'Hospital Hill'. True to it's name, this is the most perfect snow sledding hill you have ever seen as well as the most dangerous. People constantly hurt themselves sledding down this hill. This could have something to do with the large amounts of alcohol that some people choose to consume before taking the hill on, all part of life in a college town. I anticipate the first snow with some accumulation so that I can take this hill on again, sober.


I had an unexpected bucket list worthy experience and I felt like I needed to blog about it. I didn't expect much out of New Years Eve this year. My best friend and I had made plans to do so last New Years Eve. Last year, they had a guitar drop this year it would be a music note. I was completely unaware that Lynryd Skynryd would be playing. Granted, there is only one of the original members still playing in the band, it was incredible. They saved Free Bird until after the music note dropped and the new year had begun, just to build up the suspense. I can remember being very little and sitting in the back of my dad's Ford F150 singing Free Bird at the top of my lungs with a hard hat on. Before they began they gave a traditional, "What is it your want to hear?" and I shouted "FREE BIRD!" at the top of my lungs with the rest of the crowd. It was around that time that my friend's boyfriend said, "This is bucket list stuff." I couldn't agree more. I spoke recently about my bucket list ,which now has 14 items on it, an update from last time. I did not have listen to Lynyrd Skynryd play Free Bird live on my bucket list but I consider it a bucket list item now completed all the same. I am not sure if that is cheating or not. In light of having accomplished two bucket list items, this one and owning a pair of cowboy boots, I have created a board for things on my bucket list that have been completed. Two down, 12 to go and the list keeps on growing!

I cannot believe I went to look for a wedding dress. Learning that Alex was going to be be able to graduate on time sent my mother and I into a flurry of planning. I have been waiting to be able to get serious about this wedding since that ring hit my finger. Getting in that dressing room, working way to hard to get into the undergarments (I had no idea there were so many), and slipping on the dresses made everything so real. Walking out, standing on the pedestal, and looking at myself I just saw a little girl in a pretty dress. Sometimes I feel like such a 'big kid', this was not one of those times. I have also never had so many butterflies in my tummy. I have officially begun to be slightly stressed. I felt the pressure to find the perfect dress. This was not because I am materialistic looking to spend millions of dollars. A wedding dress in not just a dress. In being white, it is a symbol of purity. It together with the veil is wrapping of a present. I love the symbology behind that, however outdated it may be. I am going to wear a full on veil to keep this tradition alive. I want it to be the perfect present for Alex. I can remember being a little girl and the women at my church telling me that I wanted to be able to look at my husband one day and say "I saved myself for you." I knew it was important then. Meeting Alex really affirmed it's importance. I regret every moment of my life without him. Every time I said I love you, every kiss, every hug, every smile. I wish I could give them all to him. I know he will love whatever I wear, I just want to know I have put some thought into it. So, before you get too excited about my picture, this was not my final pick, just one of the dresses I tried on and eliminated. I am pleased to say the mother and I have yet to cry. I cannot say the same for my best friend. She might have shed a tear. I am blessed to have her, she was so very helpful doing everything in her power to make everything special. She was more prepared than me.




I have this illusion that I may actually make and keep some new years resolutions this year. One of my resolutions is to take better care of myself. The other night I got in really late and decided to go to bed without washing my face or brushing my teeth and thought to myself "It's not the new year yet." and got into bed. I get this feeling a lot that I am not living my life to the fullest and being the best Emily I can be. It is so easy to become lazy and live life from your bed. I am young, I should be accomplishing something. In addition to the long list of new years resolutions, I have lost my mind and created a bucket list. Right now, it has 12 items on it and the list keeps going. However batty I may think I have gone, I think there are some positives to it. I feel like having a bucket list gives a person something to look forward to. It helps get me excited about my life and discover who I am and what I love. I enjoy thinking to myself that every morning I wake up is another day that God has something for me to do. This is especially important for me to do after Christmas. I get seasonal blues. I just assume rip out my heart then take down Christmas decorations. For some unknown reason, it really depresses me for Christmas to be over. I feel like mother and I have the same conversation every year about my Christmas blues. This year she said "There is more great things to come. You have to learn to enjoy things and then to let them go and know they will be back again." That is some pretty good advice. If I think back upon my life, I have been really sad for some things to end but there are some really happy things I would have missed out on had other things not ended. I have so much to look forward to, especially if I keep my resolutions and bucket list. Like I said in my first blog entry, the only guarantee is that the lemons of tomorrow will be fresher than today, as lemons usually are.

This morning I did what I have been trying to do for a long time. I woke up early. I kept telling myself that one morning I was going to so I could sit and eat breakfast, drink coffee, and blog. I usually, however, become overtaken by my snooze button and sleep late. Then, I am forced to take a two second shower, leave my hair wet, and run to class. Somehow, that is not the best start to the day. There are also the mornings when I get up late and decide to act like I have gotten up early. This usually means cramming a bowl of Cherrios down my throat while trying to tell myself I can take a literal two minute shower and be ready to go in fifteen minutes. I have never quite made that work. This morning, I am sitting here, with plenty of time to eat and get ready, drinking my gingerbread latte and waiting for my blueberry heart shaped muffins to be ready to take out of the oven. I wish I could do this every morning. The best part about it is that now I get to leave the oven door open to cool which will make the kitchen nice and warm.

I have gotten into reading books again. My lame excuse for not reading more is that I never have time. This is less true than the real reason which is that I have a five minute attention span. I am also a very picky reader. I get tired of reading the same story line on the back cover of every book. It usually goes something like "Forgotten love, hidden secrets, rediscovering her past and true love, fiery romance, will Betty Sue find what she is looking for?" I cannot stand that. I will put a book right back down if it sounds like a story line I have already read somewhere. Also, I hate finding out that the movie I just watched is actually based on a novel and I did not know it. That makes me feel really lame. The books are always ten times better than the movie. Also, I feel like the fact I did not even know it was a book just makes me a typical lazy American.

Over Thanksgiving break, I read Fireproof. I read the back of the cover and decided it was perfect. True to it's back cover description, the book was amazing. The story was about a firefighter named Caleb and his wife Catherine and how they save their marriage from divorce. I feel like books like this are an important thing for me to be reading to prepare me for my marriage. I love being able to read about things that go wrong in a marriage from the husbands perspective as well as the wife. I feel like it makes me more prepared to do accident prevention in my own marriage. FIreproof hit on all the things I consider most important to sustaining a marriage. Mainly, the need for understanding what your spouse needs. For the man, it is all about respect and appreciation. If a man feels like his accomplishments and contributions to the household go unnoticed, it strips him of his dignity. Men must be appreciate and respected. This is something that is so hard for women to understand. We would rather be loved than respected. Women are the complete opposite. We need to always feel pursued. We need to feel like our significant other is always fighting for us. Men have a tendency to marry a woman and stop trying to persue her whereas women have a tendency to become so uptight that we begin to belittle the man. I have found this so true in my own relationships. For some reason, it is so easy to become so mean so quickly. I get to the point where I realize that all I am doing is telling Alex what he is doing wrong and barking orders at him. I also start to realize I am not saying thank you for things he does for me anymore that just happen out of habit like carrying something for me or holding a door. I don't compliment him anymore. As girls, we always fish for compliments but we never realize that guys need compliments too. They need to hear that the look nice or be told that they are doing a good job. Another good thing the book touched on is the lesson that sex is not a bargaining chip or a weapon. A woman should never withhold sex from her husband in order to punish him. The book has spiritual backing and brought up the biblical basis of this principal. Husbands and wives are not to deny each other in that way. For the husband, it is an extremely unfair temptation.

I remember the first time this was all told to me. It came to me in 10th grade at church one night during our girls bible class. One of the mother was teaching it and she began to explain that men would rather be respected then loved. I was knocked out my chair. I never realized the things I was doing were so wrong in my relationship with Alex. It's almost like you could say that it astonished me to find out that boys have feelings, shocker.

I think books like this become so important to me looking at all of the failed marriages I see today. It is a scary thing to look around and see. I have been taking notes for quite some time now trying to figure out what has gone wrong. I think the situations discussed in Fireproof are the main causes. I know no marriage is perfect, but I hope by educating myself before hand with books like Fireproof I can make my marriage last. Possibly the biggest lesson from the book was that love is decision. It is a choice, not a feeling, that we make every single day. I must choose to wake up every morning and love Alex, even when I don't "like" him. I am truly blessed to have someone like him that makes that decision really easy!

Last night, my roommate and I decorated our apartment for Christmas. I love the way that Christmas decorations just bring warmth and home to a place. I have just now started planning everyone's Christmas presents. I am never an early shopper. I do take dedication in my decision making. I like to get things that will really mean something to someone that way I can be exciting about giving the present to them. It really is better to give than to receive when you have really thought out a present before giving it. I am not so good at keeping secrets most of the time. Any one who knows me very well can tell you that first order of business when I get home for Christmas break is to slunk to the floor like the Grinch, slide across the living room on my belly, and sniff out each and every present under the tree. I shake them, weigh them, smell them, and lick them (okay, so maybe I don't go that far). I always want to know before hand what I am getting. This makes it even harder for me to not tell someone what I am getting them. I had to keep a secret anniversary present from Alex for a month. It was killing me not to tell him! I do not know what I will ever do when I have kids.

This week has been (insert descriptive adjective here).

I have really learned that sometimes the best kind of therapy is some good old fashion Emily time. Time to take care of myself, paint my toe nails, take a real shower (not just a ten minute "quicky", we are talking 20-30 minutes, I never get to do this), take time to carefully wash, condition, blow dry, and straighten my hair, time to apply lotion after showering. These are luxuries I do not have usually unless I make the time to. There is no better fix to feeling then to do a few things to spruce yourself up and make you feel pretty. I know joy doesn't come from being pretty, but when you take the time to improve your appearance you are more confident to face the world. A nice cup of hot tea and extra sleep doesn't hurt either.

A week like this makes me think a whole lot about my purpose. I believe every morning you wake up, God is not yet done with you. In my mind, its a promise to me every morning that I wake up that I have something to do that day in the will of God. He has not yet given up on me. He has a purpose for me still. That is a comforting thought that helps me want to get out of bed during weeks like this one. I have something to do, someone help, something to accomplish.

Speaking of accomplishments. I cleaned out the bathtub drain. The job required tools. I disassembled it and reassembled it without breaking it. Normally, I would take something apart and not be able to put it back together. That is a big deal for me. This having my own apartment thing has taught me how to handle odd jobs.

I have one of the best best friends in the world. (Is that repetitive?) She is always tweeting Bible verses and inspirational things of that nature. As I am sitting here I received her tweet to my phone that had a verse in it I really needed. It was Isaiah 41:13 and it reads "For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not,' I am the one who helps you." I really needed that. I can remember one night she called me around midnight. I thought sometime was really wrong and answered the phone quickly and I will admit my heart rate might have sped up a tad. When I answered, she said "I just needed to talk to my best friend." That meant so much to me. She didn't need anything from me, she just needed me. I feel like so many relationships are based off of what the other person can benefit from being friends with someone else. I was discussing this with another friend last night. All I ever expect of someone is their friendship, not what can they do for me. It is disheartening to realize that someone has used you and as soon as you are used up you no longer need to continue the friendship as it no longer has monetary value. I have been friends with my best friend for close to 14 years. She has never left me because I no longer offered monetary value. In fact, most of the time I find myself apologizing because I don't do enough for her. She keeps me accountable. She loves me unconditionally anyways and I am so blessed to have that. She has been my longest and best friend. I can remember a night when I got broken up with and she came in the middle of the night and went to a Haunted House with me. She is amazing and I thank God so much for her.