Ragnar at Last!

Have you ever watched that show “I Didn’t Know I was Pregnant?”

Well I kind of feel like that was my life last week (minus the baby part). It was an unexpected journey.

On Monday, one of my friends on Facebook said that she needed another runner for their Ragnar teams that weekend. They had some of their team members drop out because of injury and other conflicts and they needed someone ASAP.

I’d always wanted to do a Ragnar Relay Series, but I’d never had the chance. Getting a team together takes a lot of time, money, and organization, and that’s just if you get in! The race usually sells out very quickly.

I jumped at the chance to run in the relay. I was nervous because although I had been running and exercising, I hadn’t been training for this race specifically. But I trusted in my body and the adrenaline therein and decided to take the plunge.

Before I knew it, I was in a van with five other people I didn’t know on my way to the starting line in Logan.

I was runner 6. My first leg was 6.9 miles and rated “hard.” But I was fresh and most of it was downhill, so it was manageable. It became hotter and hotter as I ran down into Liberty, but the view was amazing.

My second leg was 8 miles and I started around 8:30 at night. I was already a little stiff and tired, but I tried not to think about the journey that lay ahead of me. I knew it was going to be long and dark.

I wasn’t used to running with a headlamp, but I knew it was necessary so I wouldn’t get killed, or worse, disqualified.

The road stretched on and on...but it was one I’d travelled before on my way to Girls Camp. But as night fell, the road became less and less familiar and all I could do was follow the headlamps of the other runners ahead of me. My running playlist was starting to get boring. I tried not to walk too much, but the road was became so steep at times that walking was my only option!

My support van stopped about every mile to offer me water and food. (Those random ginger snap cookies were the best!)

By the last mile, it was all I could do from saying the worst possible swear words. This was harder than my half marathon! Just when I thought the exchange would be around the corner, it wasn’t, and a huge hill would be there instead.

It was during that second leg that I took a moment to close my eyes and thank my Heavenly Father for my body. I think C. Jane Kendrick said it best: “I exercise to thank my body, not change it.” I was moving for an hour and a half -- forward and upward, into darkness. Although I was heaving and my legs hurt, I was going. My body knew what to do. It knew how to run. I wasn’t the fastest runner, but it didn’t matter. I was moving.

One thing that kept me moving was knowing that Sam would probably be there at the finish line. I didn’t have great cell service, so I hadn’t talked to him in a while. But I knew he was going to try and be there to see me come in. Oh how I couldn’t wait to see my husband at the finish line!

My pants are really high up on my waist because I had to wear a little butt light. Don't give me crap about this.

I look like I'm drunk. I'm not, but you can give me crap about this part if you want. I also kind of look like a Native American. (Braids plus headband, anyone?)

The whole route is absolutely gorgeous. My camera’s battery died, so I just had to take in the views as memories. Rolling green hills, yellow and green fields, small towns of small cottages, towering rocky mountains... a dead deer or two...

My last leg was through Heber, and it was only 2.1 miles. Nice and easy.

Most of the time is actually spent in the van, supporting whomever was currently running. This is excellent bonding time. We were all Ragnar Newbies, so we didn’t have any crazy costumes or crazy sayings written on our van windows. I loved my team!

Some of the highlights from the van:

• Popping the “orange candy” (ibuprofen).
• Sharing water bottles willy nilly. We did not care about hygiene. All that mattered is that we were drinking water.
• Our dorky little cheer.
• That moan that comes out after you step out of the van for the first time after running.
• Getting really excited to see the “portas.”
• Noticing the same vans over and over and giving them nicknames. (Jesus van, dirty van, running buddy van etc.)
• Trying to find food with the most calories and carbs possible. (You need all the energy you can get during Ragnar)
• The enthusiastic, helpful volunteers all along the way.

Crossing the finish line felt so good!

Sam was so amazing at supporting me in this! I love him so much! (He took all the pictures in this post. Except the one his in in.)

-Meg

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.

Wandering through Streets

I have a great sense of direction. Unfortunately, that does not translate to giving good driving directions, or at keeping myself from getting lost.

Sam has figured out by now that he can't trust me when I say I can get us somewhere. When we drive somewhere I've been but haven't been recently, I really can't be trusted. We usually end up kind of lost and then kind of getting where we need to go. Eventually.

Sam is not your ordinary man, which is why I married him. He has no problem asking for directions. He'll take the GPS, call our parents, or go into a gas station. No hesitation.

I'm all "no, I swear this will start looking familiar in a second" and "just follow the signs and we'll get there."

Living in Salt Lake City spoils you. It's so easy to get around here. Most of the roads have boring names, but at least they follow the grid system religiously. (That's what happens when a city is founded by religious people.)

Syracuse at large is even easier to navigate. The major streets are straight and they are numbered logically. Better yet, there are no east streets. Everything is west, because Syracuse is so western.

The subdivisions are another story. Most have catchy theme-named avenues and streets and cul-de-sacs. I don't think the developers wanted them to be easy to just wander into. They are private residences, after all. Neighborhoods aren't for finding things easily.

I also appreciate Syracuse because it's flat. Although this makes sledding hard, it makes driving a stick shift significantly easier. The first time I drove a manual for a significant distance by myself was in Syracuse. Sam's car is a stick shift, so I've been learning and I'm alright. The steep hill of Salt Lake still terrify me.

So this time when I drove stick all by myself... it was to Brittni's bridal shower. Do you know why this is significant? Because the first time I drove a car alone was going to Brittni's house for a party. True story.

I'll probably spend the rest of my life going places without knowing the way exactly, but just kind of figuring out. Looking at the signs, making U-turns.

-Meg

That time we went to Disneyland! (Honeymoon)

I guess I should tell you about our honeymoon! We'll work backward. I promise, wedding pictures are forthcoming.

We stayed the night at the Little America (thanks to some great aunts and uncles who gave us a great room!) and in the morning, we began our drive to California.

We were met with a storm, which washed away a lot of the window paint and decorations which our friends had so lovingly put on our car. We listened to "Matched" on audio book, and just talked a lot. It was great, but long, since we did the whole drive in one day.

But at long last, we reached Disneyland!

 Yes, we are wearing "Just Married" pins. It was so much fun. Wearing them started a lot of conversations, and almost every worker congratulated us. (Even though sometimes it was an obligatory, bored "congratulations.")

 It was so blasted hot. We carried around a water bottle all day long and kept filling it up even though the drinking fountain water is not cold. It's water. Whatever.

 We ate a fancy dinner at The Blue Bayou. Sam and I both love Cajun/Creole/Southern food. It was so yummy. And it was so fun watching all the people go into the scary depths of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Roller coasters are so much fun, and I'm so glad Sam and I both will go on pretty much anything. We did have some firsts, though. (Please note the random bystanders in the photo. It's part of the DLand experience.)

 It was my first time on Storybook Land. Yes, it took me 21 years to go on this ride. I guess I was always too busy going on hard core rides to go on this simple, adorable Disneyland classic.

Sam went on the teacups for the first time! Usually spinning makes him dizzy...

He's OK. Don't worry.

 We waited an hour and forty-five minutes for the new Cars ride, Radiator Springs Racers. It was worth the wait. It was broken down for an hour, and took fourty-five minutes to fix it. But we met some new friends in line, so it was worth it.

It was a great way to begin our journey of marriage.


Our favorite rides (and why):

Meg--Space Mountain (We went on this about four times), Indiana Jones (just because), Thundermountain Railroad (we rode it right underneath a sky full of fireworks), and Matterhorn (Yeti, even though they don't have the snuggle seats anymore)

Sam--Space Mountain (music makes the ride super fun), Indiana Jones (Such a classic, and just so fun), and Midway Mania (reminds him of me, because I raved about it forever and it's way better than Astro Blasters)

-Meg

The Climb

On Labor Day Monday, Sam and I went hiking.

It was a difficult hike. We started far too late and erroneously thought that the path that was shortest would be the quickest.

It's unwise to go straight up mountain when there isn't a cloud in the sky and you only have one bottle of water between the two of you, and one of you (who's physically weaker by default because she's a woman) works at a desk job 40 hours a week and is seriously out of shape.

At the end (which I thought would never come) I had feelings that were similar to those I experienced after my half marathon, about a year ago. I'm about as sore, too. I felt proud that I had accomplished such a feat, and I was trembling because I was hungry and thirsty.

I don't know how I would have done it without my Sam. We had to pause about every 10 steps to take a breathers, and I even had to sit down at times because I was worried I was going to vomit or pass out. (Yes, I felt very lame and out of shape.) Sam was patient.

As we were taking one of our rests, where I couldn't hardly talk because my throat burned so badly, we saw a man running up the mountain. The very same trail we had been scraping our knees on as we marched slowly up toward the cloudless sky. And this man is running as if he's actually going down hill. As he passed Sam and I, huddled under the pathetic shade of a lousy bush, he said, "Great day, huh?" and he was not out of breath. I don't know how he did it.



(The group from last year's hike.)

Last year on Labor Day, a group of us did this same hike, except we took a different route that was still very challenging, but nothing compared to this. That hike a year ago was when Sam and I really started talking and getting to know each other. I still remember the spot on the trail where he told me he had five siblings, and he was the youngest.

(The group from last year's hike, again.)

This year's hike was fun because it was an adventure. It wasn't walking through shady forested canyons, but up steep grades, on ridges of dry grass and dust. There were no switchbacks and hardly any shade. The view at the top was great, though.

It was so great being with my honey. (Yes, I'm calling him "honey." This is what happens after bonding experiences.)

-Meg

New Orleans

Oh hai! Megan here. Yes, I still exist. I was almost swallowed up by the terror of finals, but I came out victorious. Miracles happen, people. I am still not out of the woods quite yet, but I have done the worst of the things. There were many things.

So 'bout three weeks ago I went to New Orleans! True story. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

 We took a six-hour flight with one stop and one layover. The skies that day were ferocious, and having watched the first episode of LOST not 48 hours before, I was a bit terrified. Turbulence is a fun feeling when you're riding a roller coaster, but when you're on a plane, no bueno.

Apparently it was stripe day.

New Orleans has great book stores. Great book stores have cats.

 Beautiful architecture

The streetcar that we took. We inadvertently toured...

...the garden district. A beautiful place where there are gorgeous homes and, of course, gardens.

Pralines are said "PRAW-leens" They're super sweet. But my favorite sweet things in NOLA were...

Beignets! Imagine a scone and a hootnannie (AKA German Pancake) are madly in love and they have a child. Imagine that child is sprinkled with so much powdered sugar that it looks like the snow on the top of the Himalayas.  This is a beignet. Because of the amount of daily powdered sugar avalanches that occur in this 24-hour, seven days a week joint, the flour is caked in the white stuff. It's a bit sick, actually. But those man-catching beignets are divine.

You guys... this is the Mississippi river. I'm not sure if this picture is on the East or West side of it (it's nigh impossible to judge directions without mountains, mmmkay?) The point is, I know that I did cross this mighty river. So I HAVE BEEN EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI. This fact is so wonderful, I put it in caps. Big deal for me. I'm just happy this has happened. By the way, this river is gross and big, but it's an American legend so you just have to love it anyway.

The true reason for going to NOLA -- the conference. There was a lot about grammar. You just had to be there. If I told you all the things I learned, you'd probably be super bored. But suffice it to say, I was entertained and enlightened by grammar nerds from all around the country.

New Orleans is loud and windy.

I wish I got a better picture of Cassandra, our instructor for the cooking class we took. The food was delicious and it was prepared before our very eyes. We had unlimited lemonade and as she cooked, she talked about the history of the area and how it related to cooking. Add that in with an amazing accent and charm, and you have the most adorable cooking class ever!

 The Audubon Aquarium was fantastic because it had beautiful sea horses and jellyfish, among other exciting sea things.

Oh the trees in Audubon Park! Their branches bend low to the ground, and some go underneath the ground and come back up again. How this happens I do not know.

Live Oaks.
I loved being in Louisiana for a million reasons, some of which being that it was hot (and I heard it snowed back home); Sam was once here, and it made me feel that much more connected to him and his past (he served a mission in Louisiana, although he never served in New Orleans); I loved being with my Chrony friends and getting a break from school for a few days; I loved learning about copy editing and journalism. The conference was really great.

I want to give a big thank-you to everyone who helped us get to NOLA. It was real.

-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

Just me being random and bananas

Today I felt like I could do anything and everything. It's mostly on account of exercising, I think. I lifted weights and rowed and crunched until my body was trembling and I felt that my middle section was going to collapse. This is good.

The snow was also a blessing, and I slid around just a bit and swore just a bit. I grocery shopped and cooked with Sam and homeworked. (Still working on that, actually.)

I wrote, and then thought of something funny to add after the fact. (I do that every time I write something that I think is clever.)

I'm working on not using parenthetical so much. (Sorry).

OK, there was some happy weirdness for ya'll. Just had to get it out into the cyber world, because that is what I do.

-Meg

New Year, New Adventures

GLoW IN THE DARK CUPCAKES! Well, not really. But close.

All that matters is that they taste good. And look cool. January though, I am back to muffins! This is good because muffins are easier because they don't have frosting, and bad because they don't have frosting.

We had a black light party (and thus the cupcakes). I wasn't even mentally prepared for the new year. I don't really know what there is to prepare for, but somehow I don't feel ready for 2012! I am pretty sure that this will be the next best year of my life.

Many exciting things will happen this year, like:

The end of the world
I'll graduate college
Elder Helms gets home
Elder Hill gets home
Elder Hoye gets home
Elder Webb gets home
The Hunger Games comes out
The Hobbit comes out
Brave comes out
The Woman in Black comes out

...and other adventures. Bring it on!

-Meg

And I forgot to mention that the pictures are courtesy of my dear Sam.