The Girl in the Red Rubber Boots

Author: Emily Sara Smucker

  • Limping Through December

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    This year I learned one of the uncomfortable truths about post-college life: Most people don’t get a month-long vacation over the holidays. I’m used to the terribleness that is the two weeks after Thanksgiving: Illness, dead week, finals week, giant projects you should have started on three weeks ago. But then, I’m also used to…

  • Cozy Books

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    “Is The Kite Runner good?” I asked Amy while perusing her bookshelf for something to read. “Oh, you haven’t read it yet? You should read it!” So I read it, and it fell vaguely short of my expectations. Which was somewhat of a feat, as I had very few expectations going into it. I guess…

  • A Christmas Miracle

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    On Black Friday, the first day of the “official” Christmas season, a Christmas Miracle happened to me. It began when I decided I wanted to go Black Friday shopping. If you know me, you are probably wondering why on earth I wanted to go Black Friday shopping. I just do not enjoy shopping, or crowds,…

  • Thanksgiving

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    My friend Simone and I sat outside on the porch swing, with only a light blanket over our laps for warmth. The winds blew, sending wet leaves to the sidewalk with a splat. We watched the kittens peeking timidly at us as we sipped our tea and ate pumpkin cheesecake. “It feels strange being out…

  • The Homeward Journey

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    Sunday, the day after the wedding, folks began to drift homeward. My brother Matt and my Uncle Philip left early in the morning before I even woke up. Then, at a more-reasonable-but-still-morning-hour, the rest of my siblings piled into Ben’s rig and left. Saturday, with its crisp air and clear blue skies, had warmed to…

  • Keith and Taylor’s Wedding

    Keith and Taylor’s Wedding

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    In the days following the wedding, my family had some conversations and disagreements about what exactly Tifie Ranch was. I thought it was just a regular campground and event center, until I remembered the “No Trespassing, Enter by Invitation Only” sign at the entrance. My Uncle Chad thought that some rich man had created it as a playground…

  • Utah in the fall. Who knew?

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    As I mentioned in my last post, my cousin Keith’s wedding wasn’t until 4 pm Saturday afternoon. The nature around us was so magnificent that we couldn’t bear to stay indoors, so on Saturday morning my siblings, some of my cousins, and two of my uncles went on a hike that Ben had found using…

  • The Full Utah Experience

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    My family’s road trip through the night to Utah for my cousin Keith’s wedding left us rumpled and unwashed, but in generally good spirits. We freshened up as best we could in a gas station restroom, ate a good breakfast of McDonald’s pancakes, and then drove on and on, through Idaho and into Utah. We couldn’t…

  • Road Trip Through The Night

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    My cousin Keith got married on October 7, in one of those small exclusive weddings that makes everyone who is invited feel like they’ll miss out if they don’t show up. The wedding was to be held at a ranch outside of Salt Lake City, which promised beautiful views and abundant wildlife, and good times…

  • Why Personality Tests Always Misdiagnose Me

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    Emily Sara Smucker
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    I struggled through years of taking personality tests that gave me absurd results. They told me I was an ENFP, a Sanguine, a 9 on the Enneagram, and then I’d read the description for what “I was” and it never sounded anything like me. “Don’t overthink it. Go with your gut,” people told me. So…