Things that make me happy right now

There is much rejoicing in the land!

My cousin Kyle got his mission call to Lyon, France. He leaves in September.

These penguins named after the Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge are expecting a baby penguin. Yes.

Also, Will, Kate, and Harry wave wands in Harry Potter world.

This really expensive, but effective shaving cream from Lush. Sometimes my skin is very sensitive when I shave, which is why I need to go all out sometimes.

The Salt Lake Community Co-op. (Yay for awesome veggies!)

A million and a half weddings this summer. Love is in the air.

Everyone is getting jobs! One of note is my husband: Sam has a new job at America First. (I guess that makes us DINKs now?) My mom also got a job as a kindergarten teacher.

This video by Mr. Hill and Mr. Hoye.

Yoga. Especially hot yoga.

Namaste.

The Big Apple

New York City couldn’t be more iconic. I feel like I know exactly what to expect when I get there because I have heard so much about it and seen so many movies and TV shows that take place there.

At the same time, I know it’s going unexpected because that’s what New York makes New York. You can’t understand it until you’ve been there.

I leave for NYC Saturday. Since I’m going for work, I won’t have a lot of time to explore. But I’ll be taking the subway, eating local food, and talking with hair stylists who live and work in New York. I’ll also probably be battling my people claustrophobia.

Wish me luck!

I'm going to the windy city tomorrow

I like the way that the second C and G softly ricochet around my mouth when I say “Chicago.”

I hadn’t really thought about the city a lot until I knew that I would be going there. But I knew that it was one of those giant cities that was different from New York and Los Angeles, the first two biggest cities in the US. Chicago is the third biggest, and I know it has its own identity, even if I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it is. I think I'll know more after I visit it.

Chicago reminds me of red, the world fair, deep-dish pizza, and that really big fire. Oh, and Michael Jordan and the Bulls. I know it is a windy city and that it is really cold.

I go to Chicago for the first time in my life tomorrow. I am excited to eat, fly, and hear other accents. Those are my favorite things about traveling.

Eating is the best part of any trip. I love eating good food.

I will miss Sam while I am gone.

Mundane, but Merry

I want to blog more but I don’t know what to write about, really. Our life is great, but not super exciting. We go to work, we eat food, we try to be social and not become social recluses...


We don’t have a TV yet, so we play games, read books, or clean the apartment in what little spare time we have. It’s kind of nice not to have a TV. There isn’t anything quality on hardly except the news. Which is depressing, but interesting. Movies are great, even though we don’t have a ton. I like movies there’s less chance we’ll be watching sleaze, since you can research what’s in it and there aren’t stupid commercials to worry about.


Now Sam’s in school, so he’ll have homework and studying to do. We’re still planning on getting a TV, but I’m in no rush. We’re doing our research about it, and trying to find a good deal. Because we can survive without it!


We’re busy, but it’s not as crazy as when college was going on in my life. I’m glad we have things to do, a direction to go in, and stuff to work on.



I like cleaning the apartment. I don't know how long this will last. But for now, it's still fun. 

-Meg

The Story

I always thought I would cry, when the time came.

But instead I just laughed--a giddy, unbridled happy laugh. I think I said, "oh my gosh" and I might have said, "I think I'm the happiest person in the world right now."

I don't really remember.

I should have seen it coming, really. But you see, Sam's always romantic and thoughtful. It's not unusual at all for him to show up with flowers and to remember that six months ago we met for the first time. We usually go on fun, well planned-out dates. He's always so sweet. And he didn't seem nervous at all!

We snowshoed up to Donut Falls. It's a significant place in our courtship, so it was a fitting place to end it and begin our engagement.

He asked me to marry him! We were taking pictures like we always do--I go stand in the frame while he sets up his camera on the tripod.

One moment I was squinting into the snow, the next I look up and there he is, the love of my life down on one knee. And he's holding a ring in a little gray box.

It's perfect. I've never worn a ring in my whole life. (OK, maybe I wore a CTR ring for a few days when I was 8.) I'm just not a jewelry person. But this is so different. It signifies so much, and it's so beautiful, and it's exactly my style.

Sam and I have been calling and texting and visiting so much this weekend. We have to let everyone know our exciting news. Getting back to life and focusing on essential things will be difficult, but somehow between now and July 12, we're going to be planning our new life together.

I'm going to New Orleans for the ACES conference in April, graduate in May, and get a job... all while planning a wedding.

I am so blessed! Sam is so wonderful. He is the perfect man for me. I'm so happy and in love, I think I'm going to explode. It's been hard not to blog as much, mostly because before now, I couldn't share all these exciting plans with the world. But now, I will have so much to write about. This is the start of a beautiful journey.

I have such a wonderful family, and my new Thornton family is so kind and loving. Our friends have been fantastic and supportive. There is so much love going on!

Oh, and lest I forget! Happy Grammar Day!

-Meg

A dose of perspective

That was some game, wasn't it? Go Utes! It was much better than last year's game... I'm so happy we won by a landslide. I love love love love love football.

It was super weird because as I made that link up there I was all: "Holy whoa my life has changed so much in a year!" Because it has. My life really does just keep getting better. (Except for my hair. My hair was awesome and long back then. I want it back!)

Today at church everything was so surreal and wonderful. I felt like I was learning everything anew. A Tongan elder spoke in our ward and I thought of Elder Hill of course, because about half of his companions have been Tongan and he teaches a lot of Tongans who live in Fiji. The missionary talked about how he found the gospel and how much it means to him. Maybe one day one of the kids that Elder Hill teaches will be a missionary. I needed a good dosage of perspective.

Oh, and today I hurt my butt really bad... but that's beside the point.

What I really want to talk about is this:

This is the Rivalry Chrony for last weekend.

We created quite a stir, which is what we do best. I just want to say that I'm glad we have freedom of the press, and freedom to bash BYU. 

OK, so some of the articles were questionable, but we weren't stupid. I laid out news and that was surprisingly controversial (Well, the douchiest college story wasn't a surprise. But besides that...)

I also want to say that I totally made that headlyne up. 

I love my job.

-Meg

Exhausted at 3:12 a.m.

I stumble in my room after getting home from work. It is three a.m. and my alarm is going off. For a moment I can't figure out why my alarm is ringing at this hour.

Then it hits me. Last Monday morning, my alarm was set at 3 a.m. so I could wake up by 3:14 a.m. for my race. I never turned it off.

It was just Monday--although it feels like so long ago--that I was racing my 10k, which is the second one I've ever done. This year was much better than last. Right now I'm so tired and brain dead that I can't remember what it feels like to be energetic and ready to pound out 6.1 miles, but earlier this week I'm sure I felt that way.

The race was fantastic for me, I finished in 52 something and was 18th in my age division. 18 is my lucky number, after all. It was hard, too. Hard and glorious.

I ran with Adriana most of the way, but she sprinted ahead during the last half mile. She pulled out at a 51 something. We were in disbelief when together we passed mile three, and according to her watch, it was faster than the fastest 5k we've ever done. The race is mostly down hill, but we still felt proud of ourselves.

Lindsey did her usual quickness. She did a 45 something. Super awesome.

Our parents didn't come down to SLC to watch us race, but that's OK. It was a great way to start the week that was to be long and stressful. They had a lot of things to do.

It's over, though. This long week of rehearsals and Chrony are finished. These wee hours are Friday, and Friday means freedom for a few short hours. Then it's back to work. I can do this. It's like the last mile of the race. Every bone and muscle in your body is screaming and sobbing and all you can do is focus on every minute aspect of your stride. You know your face is awful and red and all the people on the side of the road who are watching you are probably really glad they're not you because you look so ghastly and agonizingly winded.

But you run anyway, and push your body and find there is strength untapped in reservoirs deep within your will to survive. The pain is to be embraced, taken in and basked in.

Now I just have to gear up for the weekend. Which I expect to be equally as grueling as the days before.

-Meg

Staying home

My family is on vacation. I am not. I had high hopes of joining them at the end of the week, but the powers at be thought otherwise. I will be lucky if I get a few hours up at the cabin.

My summer has been quiet and pretty empty, until now. Now about fifty different commitments are vying for my attention and time.

It's hard to remember how fun the musical is supposed to be when your sweltering under the hot stage lights, crammed next to other sweating people. The air conditioning is off, and we still aren't even in full costume, and so we have yet to realize how hot it's really going to get. And we do the scene over and over and over because we can't get it right.

I need to practice my Gibson Girl hair some more. I'm stubborn. I will settle for nothing less than a brilliant pompadour. People wore their hair like that every day--and some people still do--so I should be able to get it right. This should not be out of reach. I hate skimping on something so iconic as hair. I don't want a lousy low bun without any body. No sirree.

Then there's work too, but that hasn't been too bad. It's good to be back in the office. I had to stay home for the musical anyway, so work isn't too much of a burden. It's flexible anyway.

So yes, pity me in my misery. No, don't really. I just needed to vent.

Anyway, have a nice day. Especially if you're riding horses. Have a brilliant day.

-Meg

And that was that.

Owl-wise, I think I'm doing pretty well.

Other-wise, I'm just the usual Megan, cranky, ornery, eating too much sugar and avoiding the Oxford comma.

I want school to just freakin' end. I've never hated school this bad. I want spring break and I want it now! I can't do anything about it except grit my teeth and endure four more days.

This is also hard and fast evidence that I am just as selfish as I seem. I'm whining about my own life, but I'm lucky I even have one. People are dying in Japan and the Pacific, and I'm a white college kid with a great job.

Anyway, enough of that.

-Megan

Who's the cutest Chrony kid?

Hey! Loyal followers of my blog. Yes, all 18 of you.

You know that I'm an uber cute kid, right?

Want to show me how much you believe in how cute I was as a 5-year-old?

Then vote.

Click here.

If Essays were Babies...

It was one of those days that didn't start at all.

I was still some sort of conscious at 3 a.m. working on my essays, the memories of the evening earlier fuzzy in my memory.

I finally got to my page limit, (barely) sent my essays off to my mother to be edited in a few hours. I crawled into bed and fell into a fitful rest.

I awoke seven hours later to my phone going off. My mom texts me and tells me she's ready to go over my essays with me. They are due today at one.

I stumble upstairs to grab the house phone, because something's wrong with my cell phone's speaker, and whenever I talk in it it sounds really muffled to the person on the other end. Besides, I don't get reception in the basement.

But the power's out.

I stumble back down stairs, put on a bra and some jeans, shove all my school paraphernalia in my back pack. My laptop's battery is almost spent and can't go more than 20 minutes without being plugged in, and besides, I need the internet.

I grab a protein bar and capri-sun and dash over to the library. Even though I try to find a secluded spot (that's near a plug), I'm not totally out of earshot of the other library patrons. I call my mom and she offers suggestions, but whenever I try to respond, she can't hear me. I try yelling as much as I can, but she keeps going, and there a times when I need clarification, or I just need her to slow down so I have chances to fix errors.

It's not working. She can't hear me and I don't dare raise my voice in the library. I'm really tired and when I'm tired I get really emotional and so I start crying. Like full out crying in the library. I hardly care that I look uber pathetic: absolutely no make-up, a disgusting bun, glasses, a t-shirt. And I'm bawling.

I hang up and rush outside. I can yell out there, but I look around for one of those out door plug things and I can't find one. (I swear they're everywhere until you need one!)

Out of necessity I collect myself and call my mom. I can yell and not disrupt people, but my battery has limited juice and the sun is so bright. I try adjusting the brightness, but nothing works. My screen is just too shimmery. I move to the shade. No luck. I put my laptop on the bench and kneel down and lower the screen. I look stupid, but it works for a few minutes.

All the while my mom is telling me stuff I need to fix and stuff she thinks I can add to more safely manage my page-limit. I'm trying to focus and stay calm, but I see the green battery icon rapidly slimming down.

So I hang up again (it sounds rude, but she can barely hear me anyway). I waddle over to the Union as the tower clock strikes 11, only to find that my ordinary floor is undergoing some renovation, of course. I wander around frantically and finally spot a table near a plug! It's right by the men's bathroom, but sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven.

I resume my conversation with my mother, and after working for another hour, it's complete! Both of them! You know, writing an essay is kind of like having kids, and I just gave birth two twins. What labor!

I look back and wonder what I could have done better-- the copy editor in my nags that it didn't check enough. I should have read through just one more time. But I can't look back. I can't stop. I'm not out of the woods.

I eat Chinese food to lighten my mood. I'm exhausted, so I catch a shuttle because I'm lazy, even though it's actually shorter to walk... but the driver must be asleep because we don't take off for what feels like forever and so I decide to walk anyway.

The moment I step off the bus it takes off. Wonderful.

At work I'm told it's my last day. I'm happy. I'm sad. I'm confused about how I feel about people there.

This whole day I've had a hope inside me that a letter will be waiting for me-- a triumphant reward for the crazy past few days.

No letter.

But scrabble with one of my best friends! And a party with my beloved family!

(The real party was last night-- my grandparent's 50th anniversary celebration. More on that to come.)

I still have a final to take. One last one.

And then I'm off to the Shakespearean Festival! Rapture in my soul!

Gushing about a Letter

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever! Okay, it's been like a week.

I blinked, and Independence day came and went. I worked the entire holiday weekend. I did manage to fit in some excitement, like the Sandy city fireworks with a new friend.

I had a huge paper due yesterday, so that is one reason why I haven't written. You know how when I write papers, it consumes me so much that I burden everyone I talk to? Ya, see this post and this post

I got a letter from Elder Hill yesterday! I almost didn't get it because the 4 in my address looked like a 9, so it got sorted incorrectly. I was at work when the mailman came, and my grandma, bless her heart, went out and talked to him. She asked if there was a letter from an elder in Provo, and he said he was sorry, but there wasn't. He left and went about doing the rest of his route. Then he saw a letter from Provo, and thought it might be mine! So he walked all the way back to our house. He asked my grandma, "Is her name by chance Megan?" It was my letter after all! The mailman asked where he was going, and my grandma told him Fiji, and he said that he was excited to get to deliver mail from Fiji eventually.

I was so happy to receive a letter. He says everything is great and that he loves it! Most of the letter was devoted to explaining pronouns in Fijian. I love that kid. [sigh] It wasn't a long letter, but I can tell you, at that point I would have been happy if he had just written my name on a piece of paper and sent it to me.

So even though I had this huge essay, I wrote him back this HUGE letter. I felt bad because I didn't mean for it to be so long, I just couldn't help it. I reassured him that he does not have to write back the same length at all because I know he is crazy busy.

I dropped off his letter at the post office on my way out to run. I was on such a high that I ran for 4 miles! And quite hilly miles too! Now my shins are hurting a little, so I'm taking today off, even though I crave running so much. I don't want to train too hard too fast.

After my work out, while I was taking a shower, I realized that I forgot to sign my name on Elder Hill's letter! I was MORTIFIED! I had printed my letter out, but not signed it! So I signed my name all big and flowery and put it in an envelope. I put a note in there that said, "sorry, sometimes my signature comes late." (It's an inside joke actually-- you know when you're instant messaging or texting and you forget a period or something at the end of a message? Well, we'd always say, "Sorry, sometimes my period comes late.") Anyway, he'll think it is funny.

I know I'm not technically waiting for Elder Hill, but sometimes I just can't help feeling that I am. I definitely miss him with muchness. I'm dating other people, just like he asked. Also like he asked, I'm not telling him about my dating life. (I totally don't get that reasoning, but whatever.)

Okay, now back to homework.

-M

Cliché Whining Blog Post

So I'm trying not to procrastinate. I'm really am. I did a lot of my project yesterday. But I just can't do my homework right now because I can't get on to WebCT to work on my online class. The U website isn't working. I am just a little okay with this.

I have plenty of other stuff to do, I just need to make myself do it. I was going to try and get done before work, but it looks like that won't be happening. I just need to come home and churn out the rest of this project. And let's hope that the U's website will be back up and running. I really should stop neglecting my online class.

I need a change of pace. I really do. I think next summer I'm going to go work at a boy scout camp. Like I'm dead serious. I'm going to do it. Scouting is in my family after all. My poor father has no sons to share his love of scouting. My dad's dad was a professional scout, no joke.

I just hate school right now. I hate work. I want to be with people. I want to be hugging and laughing and joking and having fun.

But I really do have so much to be thankful for. I'm a lucky girl. Sorry this post is so whiney, but I have to whine sometimes. I really have no right to complain. Sure my life is boring right now, but in the fall it will be so fun! Even later this week will be fun! I get to have my last date with Mr. Hill! And he has his farewell! That is both sad and happy. But it is exciting. And I need exciting.

Okay, now I have that out, I can get back to work. Loves!

-Megan

Back in Whack

Hiking Adam's canyon. On the way down the canyon I fell and scraped myself up. But I'm okay; the only thing that broke was my sunglasses. (But they were such nice glasses...) I love nature, and boy is it warming up. Birds everywhere, green leaves, perfect weather.

I've been so busy lately, and I love it. In the past few days, I have been doing:

Homework, dates, long phone calls, cleaning, getting a job in order at the Daily Utah Chronicle (YAY! :D), getting the whole family history from grandma, learning to cook, reading, practicing piano again, working out... the list goes on and on.

I went to Red Butte and the Monument yesterday. I really want to be a pioneer. I think I'll volunteer there next summer if I'm in the city for the summer. We'll see.

I'm on a role, and I'm so glad to be back in whack again.

-Meg

Sudoku

Look as this beautiful little book I bought at the Bookstore:
I bought it to get me through work.

I love sudoku, and I love cute little books with floral patterns on the front. So this was pretty much the perfect thing. It made my day. Little things like this make me happy. I know it's material, but it's small and happy.

The best part is that there are like three others kinds like it at the bookstore that have different puzzles and patterns. That will be my incentive to finish this one and move on.

I had better not get Alzheimers. I spend so many hours doing puzzles and games, I hope it pays off and I never loose my sanity. Oh wait, I already have. Oh well.

-Me

P.S. This just in-- My super cool friend Alexis just did a post. About yours truly! Click HERE

Spread Thin

I am, (already?) coming to the end of another school year. Junior year was crazy, especially in a brand new school. I though I knew what being 'busy' was until this year-- boy, have I learned a lot!

...

In the fall, it wasn't so bad at first. I got used to classes, went crusading to convince the guys that asking a girl to homecoming is not a proposal of marriage, and worked on my online Spanish class. I kept myself mildly entertained with creative writing, choir, and yearbook. Math wasn't too bad yet, and I was treading water in AP American and Honors Physics. I taught piano and still practiced an hour each day. I also worked at a wedding reception and event center on the weekends.

...

But as winter approached, it only got wilder. We had our first few deadlines in yearbook, and after much anxiety, hair pulling, and tears, the staff got the pages error free and sent off to the plant. I auditioned for productions, an after school class, somehow reasoning that as long as it wasn't a class in the school day, I'd have time for it. I still did choir, creative writing, and I still did online Spanish and worked on the weekends.

...

Then there was the slight 'Winter Break' vacation, what I like to call the calm before the storm. Come January second, the musical rehearsals began: every single day from five to seven in the evening. Math suddenly became so foreign I couldn't tell if my teacher was speaking Greek or Yiddish. I still had to keep up with physics and AP American, not to mention my online Spanish (and the deadline was all to quickly approaching). I had to prepare for solo/ensemble festival because I was doing a vocal and a piano solo, which required more practicing time then I could afford. We had two yearbook deadlines- back to back and only a month apart. Two of our staff members dropped at the semester and I had to pick up the extra slack. Work was especially busy with Christmas Parties. The choir performed at a few Christmas gigs as well. I had my own parties to go to, and I had to pencil them in six weeks in advance.

...

Once the musical was performed in March and my online class hastily finished, I thought I would have plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, not so. The final touches for the yearbook were due, and there seemed to never be enough time, even though I was taking two yearbook classes. Math was harder than ever, and my highest test score was about a sixty percent. The AP American test was just around the corner and I had to make up for all the lost time from the musical. Work got busier in the spring (people love getting married in the spring) and I added two more piano students.

...

After I took my AP American test, I had to go back and make up all the work I had put off until after the test. I was behind and I was worried I would never catch up. But I could only do one thing at a time, which was why I felt horrible. Although I was in many things, I couldn't devote myself to them 100% because I was spread so thin.

...

And even when everything was finally winding down, the worst happened: I lost momentum. I was out of gasoline and I wasn't going to drive another mile. I've never been so tired in all my life! The whole year caught up to me. Why did I do so much, and why did I try to keep decent grades? I don't even know anymore... but I can't wait until next year. What's on the agenda? To name a few: yearbook, piano, productions, an internship with the paper, all the extra required classes I didn't take earlier, and a job.