We went to church every Sunday and I was told that she was one of those rare children that listened intently on the things of God.  She was kind of an odd child that way.  She was always on the end of her chair taking it all in while other children would ask "how much longer before we get to go?” or "when do we get our treat?". One Sunday on our way home, Em was in the backseat, (she was about 4) and she said in her funny little language "ya know that thing about asking Jesus into your heart?  Well, I just did that!"  When she was older and we were talking about it, she said she remembered it vividly.  She said that when she "did that" that she remembered that she done it right there in the back seat of the car while driving home after thinking about what was shared in Jr. Church so she just went ahead and asked Jesus into her heart right then and there in the back seat.

   She had a very special relationship with her sister Sarah right from the very start. Sarah would always refer to Emily as "my Emmie".  Emily adored her sister and followed her everywhere and Sarah was such a mother hen always in protection mode over "her Emmie".  They spent childhood days making up dances, finding mud to play in, playing dress up, babies, school, and grocery store....alot of this occurred on the trampoline, either on it or under it like a fort.  Em learned to do things early like riding a bike, doing back hand springs, and swimming, probably because she was fearless. She started dance classes at age 3 and would continue that until the 9th grade when scheduling became a problem with other activities.  She played softball with the older kids because she wanted to be on the same team as Sar and have her dad as the coach.  When a young pitcher named Stevie (who would later become her volleyball teammate) would pitch with alot of speed but not have alot of control yet, Em would take a wild pitch on the hip to advance to first base while the other and older teammates would bail out of the batters box and hope for a walk. Her love for volleyball came when she was in the 5th grade at which time she became a ball girl for the Varsity Volleyball team.   

    When Em was in the 4th grade she asked to be baptized. It was a decision she made on her own and the baptism was done during a family church retreat.  She wanted everyone to sing her favorite song at the time "Step by step" by Rich Mullins...(and the song continues "and I will follow you all of my days").  The church sang and she cried all the way into the water.  She was baptized and as she returned out of the water, the church continued singing and she cried all the way back to shore. It was very meaningful to her and to those that witnessed it. 
 

    In Jr. High, she met a new group of friends that would prove to be yet another important part in her life.  Things were becoming very busy with dance, her involvement with volleyball and now with Jr. High sports opportunities.  There were many slumber parties and get togethers.  And much time was spent with her teammates through their basketball, volleyball and softball seasons.  Some of Em's closest friends played basketball and her friends were very good at it. Em was happy to make the B team and therefore would still spend time with her friends at practices and games.  Basketball was her least favorite sport to play but she loved being with all the girls on the A and B teams. She did play off season Jr. Pro basketball, but it was mostly for the friendships.  Softball was a summer sport in Jr. High and she was on a traveling team.  She loved the game but eventually volleyball would take precedence.  She spent alot of time at her coach's home and pool (the Galaviz home) for parties after softball.  Emily would play volleyball with her own classmates during the regular season and she would play with an older group in the off season as volleyball was her favorite sport and the one she loved most and worked hardest at. This group of girls would prove to be very talented.  The other sports were fun for Emily but it was the camaraderie that she enjoyed the most.  The girls on her AAU (Blue Power) team would become another huge part of her life as they spent long days together at tournaments and sleepovers afterwards.    

   As busy as life was, it seemed manageable to Em.  She and Sarah were still dancing together and supporting each with their individual activities.  There was never any competition between them, only protection and support. It was something very special and rare between sisters. 

 

  
 
  The fun and friendships Emily made up until now would only catapult her into the high school years and all that would await for her there.