Just an update!

I've been pretty chill about blogging lately. I do a lot of writing for work and sometimes I just don't feel like writing any more when I get home! And I just don't force myself to write if I don't want to. I'm lazy like that.

I am starting a new job as a legal assistant. Although I will miss my old job, this new job is a big blessing for me, and I'm really excited for this next step in my career.

We love where we live. Sam loves his classes and is making excellent progress on his degree. I am so proud of him! I just love our little life together. We get so stressed out about life, but we have each other, and that gets us through life's crazy times.

Hope you all have a great day!

Mood

Finals always makes me want to pick a different major.

Like Parks, Recreation and Tourism. Or Yoga. Or Tetris. Or breathing.

I've never changed my major. I suppose I could, but I do like linguistics. Sometimes though, I just hate doing syntax. I'm allowed to do feel that way, right?

But if there was such thing as a tetris major, I would seriously do that as my major. Just sayin'.

I guess what gets me down during finals is knowing that I am bring about my own stress, my own pain, and my own trials. It doesn't have to be this way. I don't have to procrastinate. I don't have to waste time. I don't have to get discouraged, yet I do. I let myself give in to my weakness as I freak out and panic.

On the instructions for my syntax take-home test, my professor wrote: Don't panic. Don't Delay. I am not trying to trick you.

Comforting, but still so hard. So. hard.

I can do this.

In 48 hours it will be summer and I will be freee! (Yes, with 3 e's) I'm going to celebrate by going to the park and listening to my ipod while I swing. It is seriously my favorite thing to do.

-M

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

I'm a Fan

It's not that I can't sleep, I just don't want to.

When I'm stressed, I indulge in fan-girling.

I love Harry Potter (this you know). I love Pixar and Disney. I love to hate Twilight. I think Star Wars is pretty awesome. I can't wait for the Hunger Games Movie. And now I'm becoming obsessed with Doctor Who.

These things make life happy.

And thanks to everyone who has listened to me rant the past few days. I appreciate your ears. (If you still have them.)

-Meg

Best assignment ever

I love my professors.

A New Member of the Family

Hey ya'll!

So, you probably all know that I love writing. But sometimes it feels weird to put creative stuff here, so I started another blog for all that stuff.

Holy Whoa is about my whole life, and A Dandelion Smothered Life is for my poems and short story stuff. First entry is the beginning of my NaNoWriMo novel. Probably the only good part of that novella.

Finals are here and I am so excited! I'm doing alright. I have stuff to do and study, but it's all under control, and if I just stay focused a bit longer... I'll be alright!

-Meg

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!

Study Day

Study pad:

Study cards:
Study hair and study glasses:

Study tunes:
Study cursive:

Study toast:
Study fuel:
Study storm:
Study rain:
Study flower:

and in the end, I realized that a final for another class was due today, and I forgot to do it. So I turned it in an hour late. I suck at life sometimes. I set aside an ENTIRE day to study and work on homework, and yet I still can't get it right. I obviously don't use a planner enough, and the stress having a job and trying to be on my own is too much. I want to do it all, but instead I fail at like everything!

I know this is so depressing. I'm just down on myself. I keep messing up. I don't want to fail! I keep trying but I'm just not good enough right now! It's late, and I need to sleep. Tomorrow (today) is a big day.

And I really need to post about my dating life, because that has been interesting! But I'm not quite sure how to do it. I feel guilty that I am dating when I really should be a slave to my school work, but I have had some fantastic dates recently! I love boys!

But anyway, I'm signing off. Megan is sad and disappointed herself, but she knows things will work out in the end. Some nights are just hard.

Sleep tight, readers. Stay in school. Don't miss your finals. Don't do drugs.

Yours truly,

Meg

Here, there, and everywhere

{edit} Internet is Working, so here are some pictures!

Behold the Sego Lily. The State of Utah's flower. They are beautiful, and edible, but I've never tried them. Legend is that the pioneers ate them to survive on the prairie.

My mom being so brave! Her horse, Society, stepped on her toe. She's soaking it in cool stream water to keep the swelling down.

Me wincing after getting stinging nettle during a photo shoot of some flowers. I always get into trouble when I go into the wild brush to take pictures of rare foliage.
My daddy looking so swell in his ostrich cowboy boots and cowboy hat.

My beautiful sisters! We made a music video, that will be uploaded shortly.

Me, Megan Many-Faces. We relearned the meaning of that nickname this trip. ;)

The deer that came up right by the deck!

Cowgirl sisters!

Ah, the view is beautiful! I love riding horses.

Okay, now the blog post:

I just keep wondering if I'm ever going to be sorted out quite right.

I'm here,

and there,

and everywhere.

I wanted to post some lovely pictures of my vacation but alas, my laptop isn't getting wi-fi today. It's like Peter Pan, lost its shadow. After 4 days of no internet, I'm DYING to get on! I'm such a tech nerd, and I'm so addicted. Right now I'm on my grandma's computer, which somehow is blessed with internet connection.

I left my make-up and brush and scriptures up at the cabin. Luckily my family is bringing them down for me. I'll see them on Saturday, we're all running the 24th of July 10k.

Everything is crazy, and I can barely keep up with everything. Looks like I'm not going to be failing my English class after all, though. I have a lot of work to redeem myself though.

I love the cabin. It is so romantic. I want to take the love of my life up there someday, and we'll ride horses here and there and everywhere, all around the valley. Now that I'm back in SLC, I'm bitter about all things love and romance; I'm back to normal! I just don't know what I want, actually.

Okay, now I'm going to go make myself some avocado toast.

-Megan

I might be a Flunker

[insert rant about my own stupidity.]

I deleted my twitter account today. On purpose, but no clue why. Just did.

I missed my exit on the freeway.

I'm failing my English class. I don't want to talk about it.

Can I start over?

-Me

Exclamation Points, Eating, and a short list of utterances

Yay! Another really late post! Hold on to your hats! Let's hope that this is semi-good (let's face it, the last couple of posts have been LAME!)

Now that I've overused my exclamation points, we can move along to the rest of my rant.

I'm so so tired. (Duh). It is so hot. I can't believe I complained about the cold just a few weeks ago! (Crap, I just used another exclamation point.) I am blaming the heat for the reason why I cannot sleep. The heat is keeping me up, that and my homework, which isn't due until Monday, but I have a feeling I will have absolutely no desire to do it tomorrow, because tomorrow is Mr. Hill's farewell. The fact that tomorrow is his farewell and that in a just 3 days he will be embarking on a long journey to an island 6,000 miles away is NOT why I'm still awake. Because I wouldn't whine about that on my blog. How cliche would that be?

Another reason I'm still awake and it's almost 1 a.m.: I think I've had like MAYBE 700 calories today. And like half of those were from a serving of Alfredo noodles. Alfredo is my weakness! I know it is one of THE most unhealthy dishes one could eat, but I always get it! (Well, actually my mommy made it for dinner, so I didn't have a choice.) But I actually didn't feel as guilty as I normally would. I had a toaster strudel this morning and a slice of left over frozen pizza for lunch. So I was so happy when I drove all the way home from work and mom had saved me food from dinner! But even with a normal dinner, I'm still out of whack from not eating. I love eating, I just don't ever have time to eat.

Wow, that was an pathetically long paragraph about food. I'm sorry, I know it is so impolite and boring to write about food! And I'm feeling nauseated anyway, so writing about vittles was an extremely poor decision... oh well! (And there I go again with the exclamation points!)

Maybe I should only write blog posts in the wee hours of the morning. The floodgates of my creativity are so weakened by sleep deprivation that they break open all the thoughts I would keep to myself while in a rational state.

I am really going to go to sleep soon, but I have to say one more utterance! (Okay, maybe more like 3 or 4.)

1. I saw TOY STORY 3. I loved it (I mean, is there any other way to feel about that movie?) I could really hype up this show, but it really stands alone. Just see it, and if you cry, that's okay, because I cried too.

2. I love my daddy. Happy father's day dad! I suppose I should make a Dad blog post just like I did for mother's day. Well... I will ... I guess. But I just get the feeling my pops aren't as sentimental about that kind of thing. I'll still do it though.

3. There are a total of 12 exclamation points in this post alone! Not okay! (13) Using exclamation points is like laughing at your own jokes. (Name that movie!) (14). Sometimes they are necessary, I think, especially in texting and such, because how else can you convey an excited and engaged tone? This is an endless puzzlement for me.

4. Speaking of puzzles... well, I'm not going to say anything about that. Mr. Hill does not read this blog, but YOU NEVER KNOW!

5. Speaking of Mr. Hill, after tomorrow he shall be called ELDER HILL. Although I've decided that when I get letters from him, they shall be called "Epistle of Paul." Because that's just cool.

14 exclamation points later and WAY TOO MANY CAPITALIZED WORDS, I end this tremendous blog post, which exhibits the extreme insanity of me. If you have read until the end, I commend you (as I often do). You are a brave soul.

-just little old me(g)

The Passive Voice (My final research paper)

This is my new approach to revising my essay. As you can see, I had a lot of reorganizing to do.

.

Linguists have very bad handwriting, leaving me no choice but to decipher my professor's comments, which were all in Chickenscratchese. All 3 of my linguistic professors so far have had atrocious handwriting. Let it be known that I have excellent hand writing.

-Meg

Much Fun and Love

It's 1 a.m. I have a paper to finesse and a presentation to prepare. So what is the most logical thing to do? Simple: do a blog post.

I had arguably one of the best weekends of my life. Considering it was the weekend before the end of the semester, that's pretty phenomenal if you ask me.

Relief Society retreat was so much fun. I've always loved the sisters in our ward, but we really bonded Friday night. We swam through each other souls. Laughs, pillow fights, secrets, swimming, games... ya, not much sleep happening. We joked about picking up some "Mans" in Midway, but it really didn't happen. I mean, after all it was a girls' night!

So I came home and went to Mr. Hill's recital! He rocks. I'm going to miss him with mounds and mounds of muchness.

Then... {drum roll please!}

I headed home for LINDSEY'S PROM!

She is the prom queen. Yes. She is the prom queen. I'm going to say it again: "She is the prom queen! "Behold:

I will post more pictures later, because I took about 300 pictures. I'm going to select about 17 to post here. Why 17 you ask? Why such a random number? Well, on Sunday Lindsey turned 17 years of age. I love her! I was so happy that I could come home and be there on her special weekend. (Ya, she had way too much attention this weekend. Luckily she's so humble and gracious: any other girl would probably be super annoying after all is said and done.)

(I feel bad that I'm leaving my other sister out, but I'm going to devote a post or two to her in the future, because she is amazing too. It just so happens that Lindsey took over the weekend.)

School ends on Wednesday. Will I be able to make it? I know not, but I love you all. Happy Spring!

-just little old Me(g)

A paper just isn't a paper without an all-nighter and a rant

It's only 11:45 p.m. and my paper is done. Done is a relative term though. I am turning it in only to get it hashed apart by my professor. I don't mind the hashing part, I do it to other people all the time.

I'm just weirded out by this "Done by midnight" thing. I mean, I did stay up really last last night and the night before that. I did skip one of my classes today (I feel so guilty!). I did my best not to procrastinate, so I should not have to suffer through an all-nighter.

A paper just isn't a paper without an all-nighter!

When I say paper, I really mean like 5 papers.

I feel like this paper is taking over my life. I kind of asked for it by taking writing classes, but I'm getting bitter. It's like all I can talk about, which I'm sure gets annoying for all I converse with. I probably sound like I'm making myself a martyr and that I'm over exaggerating. Well I am, and I'm annoying myself. I talk to somebody, and they're like "How are you?" and somehow my answer turns into a HUGE rant and I'm suddenly going into detail about my thesis and how it relates to the great questions of the world and how this paper is taking over my life! And now the paper is taking over the blog post. But I'm trying to get it all out here so the people in my world can stop hearing about my misery and agony over my paper.

My papers and their topics: (Because you really want to know)

Bilingual education

The passive and active voice

How modern human beings came into exist (starting with Miocene apes)

Different cultures coming together in peoples' memoirs (This is uber vague, still trying to figure out what he wants)

Haitian Americans

Suddenly my photography project seems so nice! No writing! Just a creative explosion of no-explanation!

I am going to bed after I print out my paper. The printer is not going to work because that is how printers work: they don't. Especially not at 12 am.

If you have made it to the end of this grotesque post, I commend your brave spirit and valiant heart. I just needed to write crap that wasn't for school. Good night!

-Just little old me(g)

Stress is So Much Fun!

I got in this zone when I had a lot on my to-do list. It’s kind of an addiction or excitement. It’s the drama of having a pile of homework, and work, and dishes to do--and not quite knowing whether or not you’re going to accomplish everything before the timer rings.

I kind of enjoy this rush. No, it isn’t like stretching-out-on-a-beach, or curling-up-with-a-good-book happiness, but there’s definitely something addicting about being busy. Colleges have sure been around a long time, and they’re supported by a population of people who secretly indulge in having fun doing a myriad of stressful, time-consuming activities.

You’ll hear college students complain about being busy, and having no time, and etc. Don’t buy it. We love it. We love the uncertainty of the end result of our grades and the suspense of finals week. We adore coming home from work at nine and then studying for four hours while binging of caffeine. We love trying to be a cheap as possible, like using public bathrooms whenever possible to conserve toilet paper in the dorm. We love trying to sustain ourselves on nothing but ramen and easy mac. We love feeling confidently justified to sleep in until noon on Saturday because we partied all Friday night. We love the independence we have. We love being stressed out.

-Meg