Almost Emmalie

I wrote a letter for my roommate's birthday this week, so that counts as my writing. But she asked me not to post it... so I guess this means that I'm just publishing this post to taunt you (Elizabeth Burdzy).
BUT sometime this week I'll do a "Three weddings and a funeral" post, and that will be super cool.
So stay tuned.

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Emmalie just gave me permission to "do whatever [I] want" with her letter. So here it is.

Emmalie Arntz is opportunistic.

Most people wait for opportunity to knock… but you built the door. Do you want to know why I’m super convinced that you are going to be a successful musician? (Other than your remarkable talent and incredible song-writing ability, of course.) It’s because you create your own luck. You are a go-getter, a networking pro and unafraid to put yourself out there. 

Emmalie Arntz is loving.

You take the time to love. I was McKenzie’s roommate, but I don’t know if I was ever her friend. Of course it was a weird situation and she made it clear that Kaleb was her priority… but you still took the time to be her friend, more so than any of our other roommates could manage. This may come as some sort of a shock, but I’ve never had a boyfriend. (There are several reasons for this, most of them including my own inflated self-image and inability to talk to guys.) So it was a bit of a culture shock for me, having you in my life. You were beautiful, talented, and unafraid to mix and mingle. My idea of a perfect Friday night was watching Merlin (and not the person, I’m not creepy). You? You went hiking, stargazing, singing, dancing, and … eating. It was remarkable. And intimidating. No, I never came home crying or needed a hug like you sometimes did, it’s true. No, I was never hurt or dumped or … dated at all, really, so I was spared a considerable amount of heartache. But… I also never came home singing euphorically, bursting at the seams because of a perfect date, or a first kiss, or a DTR as you did so many times. You excel at living life to its fullest. It isn’t the easiest way to live, and you get just as much heartbreak as happiness, but it’s the perfect way for an artist such as yourself to be. Your loving nature fuels your creativity and adds truth and depth to your songs. It suits you. And it’s wonderful.

Emmalie Arntz is playful.

It was never very safe to wear sweatpants – especially my camo pajama pants – because you had a little bit of an obsession with pantsing people. Odd? Yes. But endearing. Remember how we laid down on the ground of the in the Young Hall foyer in opposite directions and watched each other’s mouths move, pretending they were upside down? It sounds stupid when I try to explain it, and it probably was. But I’ve almost never laughed that hard. Or remember when we started a Google+ Hangout, even though we were sitting right next to each other? We added silly hats and distinguished mustaches to the screens and our laughs echoed and multiplied through the tinny computer speakers? We were surrounded by an endless round of maniacal laughter and when people with worried looks came to check on us, we just laughed harder. And then there was that one time you wanted me to listen to one of your new songs, but you couldn’t stop hiccupping. I’ve never known anyone who could hiccup through a song and still sound so good. So props for that. Thanks for silly moments like that.

Emmalie Arntz personifies bravery.

I don’t think I’ve hiked as much in my entire life as you did in our first year of college. You are the adventurer. Remember that one Friday night, just shy of midnight, that you burst into my room and roped Marissa and I into playing Fugitive? I’ve pretty much never run so much in my life, and never hope to again. ;) We trespassed through a construction zone, hopped a fence, and almost made it to the Mazer building without being caught. Or that time you sang harmonies with your favorite band in an intimate concert and got invited to the stage? I don’t know a single other person who has the guts (or pipes) to do that. But you, my dear, had both.