Megan's Mj but Meezy and Meg

Logan Run

2012-02-13T01:41:00.000-07:00

Friday, due to terrible timing of a conformation email, my Saturday plans were canceled. Instead, I texted B and asked him if he wanted to go to Logan with me to see my grandparents house for his first and my last time before the sale finalizes tomorrow. It was an awesome experience. But first, I took him to Gossner's to get curd cheese. We eventually ended up in Hyde Park :). There is a well beaten path where cars have long driven up when the back driveway was full. As any visitor knows, the front door does not open from the front but only from the inside and stays locked. So, you either went to the side doors or entered from the back, leading you directly to a room full of loving people waiting for your arrival while sipping Diet Coke out of a tall glass or Maverik mug. I didn't think I'd be able to get in, however, by a blessing, someone forgot to remove the very thing that I would need...the spare key.

I showed him around the empty house which almost didn't feel like the same house. There were not cookies jars full of hard candy, broken Pepperidge Farm cookies, and breads on the counter. There weren't 20 copies of National Geographic, 3 weeks worth of newspaper, and who else knows what covering the other counter. The bar-stools where my grandparents ate breakfast every morning were absent. the long dining room table, china hutch filled with dolls, sewing machine, cross stitched tapestries, stuffed animals hanging from the chandeliers, thousands of dolls and cars, green rocking couch, afghans, and Diet Coke were gone.

The chairs where my grandparents sat and gathered with family and friends were absent. There were only dents in the carpet from where they once sat and an empty wall of what once was a family tree of pictures. The dents stayed, reminding me of the Saturday nights of two loving people watching The Lawrence Welks Show together while my grandpa massaged my grandma's feet.

In the cellar, we found an old wood burning furnace that hasn't been used in years. It was then that I remembered why my favorite childhood book, Milk and Cookies by Frank Asch, was and is my favorite. In the book, Baby Bear is afraid of the wood burning furnace at his grandparent's house. In the night he dreams of the furnace turning into a dragon and eating all the milk and cookies. After he wakes up and is comforted, and they all eat milk and cookies :). Well, this is one fire-breathing dragon that never ever got my cookies :)

The memories that I told him about were what kept it feeling like the same house. He held me while I cried and wiped my tears away and took pictures when I asked. It wasn't ever the material items that made this house a home. It was the people who lived and gathered there in love that made it the haven that it was for over 60 years. As we left, I saw hanging above the door "Families Are Forever". It's been there for as long as I can remember and I'm so grateful that it still is hanging there today because my family will be together forever.

While sitting outside on the picnic table bench, we saw a deer prancing across the neighbors lawn which then attempted to jump over the fence but got caught. It went back for a longer run, and jumped over two fences, only to get caught on irrigation poles. As Brendon and I gaped at what had happened, the deer got back up and pranced away across the other neighbor's lawn as if nothing had happened. Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. IT WAS HILARIOUS.

After we visited my grandparents and Uncle Rodney at the cemetery.

If you're in Logan, there are a few great and iconic places to eat. Some of my favorites are The Bluebird, Angie's, and A&W. We decided on A&W and got root-beer from the tap :). We love that stuff.

We tried to go to the Willow Park Zoo...but they were closed for the winter. We WILL go back :). B carried me princess style for a minute or two and some nice, but scary, ladies pulled over and asked if I was okay and if we needed help. He was just being nice and was carrying me around lol.

Afterward, we got lost. And I mean lost! It took us about 30 minutes to find the Aggie Ice-Cream place on the USU campus. But we had fun. I showed him Old Main Hill where my family used to roll Easter eggs and yolk fights every year and eventually, after several phone-calls, we made it :D. We got our Aggie ice-cream!!!

Then it was time to go home. We headed back singing all the way to Disney music and remembering why it was that everyone had once loved the High School Musical trilogy. I'm so glad that my best friend would go with me down a trip on memory lane because this day will be filled with memories I'll never forget.

Obsessed

2012-02-09T16:35:00.001-07:00

I'm absolutely obsessed and in love with......Maltipoos! They're a Maltese and Poodle mixed together. Brendon and I held one at Bird World on Saturday and I've wanted to keep it ever since. Look at how adorable they are! Brendon says if I get one that I can't dress it up with a cute beanie and leather boots and a scarf....but if I do it when he's not around it won't hurt right? What's happening to me? I don't like dressing dogs up. That's dumb....but he's soooo cute.

See? Blake has Penny and they're so stinking cute together. Just like on Ryan's bday when she had Penny send him balloons.

I might need one. I'm obsessed.

Unsalted Saltines

2012-02-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

See that horrible yellow oval at the bottom of the box? Yeah, UN-FREAKING-SALTED!!! What the heck? What is the point to having unsalted Saltine crackers? This is hecka stupid. You want to know what else is stupid? The store didn't even have the normal ones. Cute Jaimee asked, "If they don't have any salt, shouldn't they just be ines then?" Seriously, that's my question. Way to go, Megan. This will be the last time you forget to read a label.

TWO SHOES!!!

2012-01-29T12:11:00.002-07:00

Two more weeks and no more of the ugly boot for me!!! Well, that's the tentative date but that really means like three. Then I'll get to start therapy at home/the rec center by myself. Do you know what that means? Do you? Do you? I'LL BE ABLE TO WEAR TWO SHOES AGAIN!!! YES, ME! Two shoes and no limping around, running into things, or having customers tell me to be careful when I'm in the back because the floors are slippery. I usually agree with them. If only they knew how clumsy I really am. Besides that....TWO MORE WEEKS!!! I'm going shoe shopping :D.

Les Miserables

2012-01-26T10:23:00.001-07:00

Over the last couple of days I introduced Brendon to Les Miserables. Now, normally I don't believe in wishes coming true. However, The Shakespearean Festival at SUU is putting on Les Miserables in place of The Drowsy Chaperon for their 2012 season. When I saw this I literally screamed. I'm so stoked! Brendon and I are going to see it and will probably stay with his grandparents while we go so it'll be a blast. It's gonna be hecka legit. AGGGHHHH!!!

MASH Cookies!

2012-01-22T17:44:00.003-07:00

I got volunteered to help Ashton make cookies and it was fun :). I can't wait until they're done. I'm such a cookie monster.

What are you doing in my kitchen?

Best Buddies :)

Craziness is contagious.

The Pie Pizzaria

2012-01-20T10:49:00.001-07:00

Last night I tagged along with B, his brothers Kenton and Trevan, Melissa (bday girl and Trev's gf), Andy, Megan A., and Jake to The Pie. It is a rite of passage as a University of Utah student that you go there from time to time with a GROUP or duo. You ALWAYS go with other people so that the result of cheese and garlic that floats as the permanent cologne of The Pie effects everyone and not just you (because it's awful to be sitting by yourself thinking that you've just come out of the zoo). The Pie is great. Go there and grab something amazing. I recommend everything!

Megan A. gives the Pie two thumbs up. Why? Because it's what Megans do.

Creepin' on the Pie Guy. We really wanted our pizza.

Pizza's shouldn't be 23". That's just too much pizza.

The Megans at The Pie. We're just that awesome.

Rosewood, Stars Hollow, and Hazzard

2012-01-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

Oh and just so you know in case it's been driving you crazy too, downtown Rosewood from Pretty Little Liars is filmed on the same set as Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, The Hart of Dixie, and the Dukes of Hazzard set. I KNEW IT!

2012-01-14T16:55:00.002-07:00

I was home alone last night thinking that I'd just be having some awesome study time...but I got something a MILLION times better. Brendon surprised me, literally. I looked out the blinds to see him looking back at me on the front porch. He brought scone dough, hot chocolate, and strawberry flavored, heart shaped marshmallows :). He taught me about Final Fantasy...I think I get it....maybe. Seriously, though, if it's the FINAL Fantasy why are there somewhere around 28 games? Anyway...as Alex Goot's Beauty and The Beast cover came on our playlist, he brought me to the kitchen and danced slowly with me (since I'm crippled)....:). We sang, danced, and laughed all night long. He's definitely a keeper <3.

My favorite hot-chocolate flavors :)

Okay, seriously, this just makes me smile. How cute is this?

Yay, for hot chocolate makers!

Mmmmm scones :).

2012-01-13T16:19:00.001-07:00

I don't think the Ice-Cream Truck Man knows that it's January. If he wakes me up again he better pray that he's selling scones with honey butter and hot-chocolate.

Best Hugs Ever

2012-01-11T00:13:00.003-07:00

This is my absolutely amazing little...well younger...brother, Dallin. Today is his 13th birthday. I can't believe he's that old. He's taller than me too and proud of it ha ha. He's one of my favorite people in my life. He's always keeping me entertained with his jokes, made up stories and songs, and his adventures. One time he rescued a baby quail and brought it home to try to take care of it, like the two foot snake he found in the bushes in our front yard :(. I felt like I was living in an episode of Seventh Heaven. He teaches me a load about things that may or may not ever be helpful in any future conversation like about his video games, the hottest girl in 7th grade, and how somebody did something crazy on the bus. He plays his clarinet outrageously to get a reaction from me and gives me the best hugs. He's the only person besides Emily who can get away with calling Meggy. Yesterday, I was over-thinking more than normal and I asked him if I could have a hug. He said, "Yeah. Are you feeling sad again?" and I almost wanted to cry. I told him I just needed a hug and he said that's okay and that I could have as many hugs as I needed. And when I don't ask for them he just says, "You have pretty hair, Meggy. Like Smurfette." I can't help but laugh every time. He's one of my best friends and motivations to become a better person. I love my brother. Happy Birthday Dallin :)!

I just wanna dance

2012-01-08T10:59:00.003-07:00

Dear Doc,
In the words of Lilo, "I wanna dance. I practiced. I just wanna dance. I practiced."
I just want to dance, walk around normally with TWO shoes on instead of a shoe and an insanely large boot, play soccer, and get to my classes at a normal pace. I've been good for the last month and eleven days.
Sincerely,
A Megan who is insecure about losing all of the muscle in her left leg.

2012-01-07T00:28:00.001-07:00

Scratch the last post. I'm extremely loved and supported by an amazing group of people and a loving God. As a bonus, I just got all of the classes that I need and they're all on Tuesdays and Thursdays :D. I think I'm going to love this semester.

2012-01-06T22:45:00.000-07:00

You know those days where you feel sick to your stomach. Yeah, well my wonderful day just turned into one of those. I'm so done with Bountiful. Replanning and rescheduling my life now. I'm having one of my single minded to the point of recklessness moments...and I can't even run. All the bad words.

AGGHHH!!!

2012-01-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

This is it. I'm going to cry! I need to retake Intro to Mass Communications so that I can apply to my major and get in and they're both full! I'm sitting here shaking and praying like an starving lion hoping a fat gazelle with a broken leg will limp by as I wait to pounce on the opportunity. I'd love to have it on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I'm only on campus twice a week. That would be amazing! But seriously...I should really eat something because I can't stop these shakes. PLEASE! Someone drop out of this class now because there is no way that Fisher is going to let me in with an add code. I need to be sneaky like a ninja and beat the system...so please, pick something that works for you BF credit and GET THE HECK OUT OF MY MAJOR!!! Please and thank you, a crazy Megan.

Happy Happy Happy

2012-01-01T03:28:00.000-07:00

Brendon and I went to The Living Planet Aquarium today and had the best time ever. It was such a great date. We both had fun. He even conquered his fear of petting the stingrays. I love the aquarium. Every time I'm in there I come out feeling happier than a kid in a candy store. We went to lunch and this is how I know we work well together. If I can't decide on what I want, he'll pick something we both want and then tell me to pick the other thing I'm craving, such as chicken nuggets and corn dogs, and then if I change my mind he'll switch me meals. He's the best! We visited our friend, Jake, and partied with our friends for the New Year by raising a glass of sparkling apple cider to one another. It was great. I can't think of a better way to start a new year other than with a day of happiness.

B conquered his fear of stingrays. I'm so proud of him!

Cute stingray :)

I have a thing for turtles.


B:"How's it going up there?" Me:"You don't get to ask many people that do you?" B:"No. And those aren't people :)."

Sea Nettle are gorgeous.

Squirt, "Jellies? Sweet." Crush, "Totally."

Dwarf Sea Horses

Lion Fish

I don't know what this is, but I'm glad I finally got its picture.

Octopus. Sometimes you go for what you can get.

Giant Lobster. He was in one of his moods. He needs desserts!

Okay, people! This is NOT Nemo. Do you know what Nemo means in Latin? It means NOBODY. Finding Nobody. I find that ironic. Please stop teaching your children to be ignorant by encouraging them to call Clown Fish, Nemo. They are Clown Fish.

This beautiful turtle will remain in captivity due to need after being attacked by a shark and hit by a boat. Both caused a crack in the shell causing what is called "Bubble-Butt Syndrome" where an air pocket is created between the shell and skin. This prevents the turtle from diving properly to catch food. Workers put a sealant on the shell to allow diving and surfacing but she will remain in captivity necessary for survival.


Sometimes we feel like we're fish too.


B's checking out the upside down jellies :).

2011-12-28T14:27:00.001-07:00

I PASSED BIOLOGY!!!! IT'S A FREAKING MIRACLE!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Fake ID

2011-12-27T14:44:00.003-07:00

So it's no secret that I LOVE Footloose. I love both of them. However, I LOVE dancing and the remake has one of the HOTTEST country line dances I've ever seen to Big and Rich's "Fake ID".

I LOVE IT! I saw this with my mom when it came out and with Brendon last night. I can't wait til I'm off my crutches and dancing again because look at what finally came out on Youtube! Ashley, Brendon, Haley, Abby, and Emmy get ready to dance your butts off because we ARE learning this! We'll be the hottest one's at Studio 600 on Thursday nights.

Christmas :) and Grades :(

2011-12-26T01:30:00.001-07:00

Christmas was wonderful. I got spend time with my family, friends, Brendon, and Brendon's family. It was so wonderful and just happy and I hope all of yours were too. However, I'm still waiting for one grade. I used to be a really good student and now...I'm average. Actually, I don't even know what average is for college but I'm still waiting for a grade and better freaking come soon or I'm not going to be happy because it's really stressing me out.I really hope I got a good grade...please hurry, Dr. P!

TV Holiday Favorites

2011-12-21T15:06:00.002-07:00

I don't know about you, but I'm disappointed that I haven't seen any of the old Christmas animated classics on TV. You know which ones I'm talking about; Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and The Year Without a Santa Claus. Not many people my age have seen The Year Without a Santa Claus and it makes me sad. I might be weird, but I love the villains in these old shows. There's something about their jerky movements due to stop motion animation that makes them absolutely hilarious. Here's the Heat Miser from The Year Without a Santa Claus:

and the Snow Miser:

My other favorite is A Charlie Brown Christmas. I own 5 holiday specials from the Peanuts collection and love it. The Christmas one is a particular favorite because it doesn't focus entirely on the materialism of Christmas, but about the religious aspect too.

Honestly, go find these. They're classics. Don't be deprived. Watch them on YouTube. Rent them at a store. Buy them on Amazon. Go find them. You won't regret it :).

Smurfs

2011-12-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

The Smurfs are invading my house! In the past twenty minutes my brothers have brought me an array of "smurf berry" food. I love my brothers and I think it's adorable that they're trying to cook...but waffles just shouldn't be blue, at all. Except for the berry part. The mixture isn't supposed to be blue. You don't put two yo-plait yogurt containers into the blender and mix it with berries to call it a smurf smoothie. The "smoothie" was better than the waffles though. It breaks my heart looking into their eyes and telling them that it's not good...so I didn't. I just thanked them for sharing instead. I almost feel bad sitting in bed while they're up in the kitchen concocting smurf berry food....but they're singing their little song. You know which one I'm talking about...this one to the right.
I don't think anyone's ever told them that the song is annoying. I just can't do it. I don't have the patience and I haven't had breakfast yet...and I'm secretly afraid that my brother have turned into tiny blue creatures called smurfs. I think I'll wait a couple more minutes before surfacing to the kitchen.

I'M SO OVER THIS DAMSEL IN DISTRESS NONESENE!

2011-12-15T13:57:00.002-07:00

I'M SO OVER BEING BROKEN! It's plenty that Brendon assists me while getting in and out of the car, or when going up and down stairs, which is greatly appreciate but this is getting ridiculous! Regardless of how old you get there are still those really nice, good looking, and gregarious people that get along with everyone and know everyone. Today while scooting to my biology final, one of those amazingly awesome people, Mavin, who happens to be my friend's ex, was going the same direction. We'd almost made it to the library when some rock from the garden bed was right in my way and BAM! I flipped over the handlebars, bruising my body, my emotional state, and possibly the scooter. Mavin immediately helped me up and asked if I was okay. I was totally embarrassed. Really? Really? Out of all those totally cool people that I'd love to be friends with, not because they're cool but because they're a really nice person, I had to go and hit a ROCK and fall all over myself? I'm pretty certain if I keep this up I'm never going to make friends at school because they'll all be afraid that I'm going to injure them too. I should come with a hazard light and caution tape! I just want to run around, play soccer, and not hurt myself anymore....no more crutches or scooters please. I'm so over this damsel in distress nonsense!

:(

2011-12-14T18:24:00.001-07:00

You probably noticed I've changed the layout and template of my blog 5 times today....I don't want to study for my biology final anymore....here we go!

Top Picks at Top Hat has moved!

2011-12-09T18:42:00.001-07:00

Hey everybody! I love reviewing movies almost as much as I love soccer. To reach a larger audience I've started a separate blog dedicated solely to Top Picks at Top Hat. Please follow and share it with your friends. Come visit at http://toppicksattophat.blogspot.com. Happy movie watching!

My Phobia Doesn't Have a Name

2011-12-08T12:42:00.001-07:00

When I was young, I got stuck in an elevator in a Mervyn's with my mom, brother, and a bunch of strangers. I don't remember how long we were stuck but I remember men prying the doors open and how hot and smelly it was. Since then, I've been stuck in 7 elevators, 4 of those being in different Mervyn's (aren't we lucky they went out of business). Since breaking my foot, I've had to be elevator dependent to get to my classes. The elevators in the library and CRCC are dependable, however, there are 3 elevators on campus that I've decided would be the utmost terrifying place to die: The physics building, the education building, and the social behavior science building. Each of the buildings are old and when I find proposals online to fix the elevators, that are currently running, I question the integrity of the elevator. The one I use most frequently continues rising as the doors open and then returns to the stopping position which is level to the floor even though my class is on the top floor. The one in the physics building makes noises to terribly stomach turning with it's flickering lights that you're just waiting for something to come through the air-ducts and kill you. As for the social behavior science elevators, they're just old and exactly the kind of elevator that you'd suspect of snapping from its cables and dropping to the bottom floor, announcing your death (even though, scientifically and structurally, elevators can't do that). Fortunately, I only have to use three elevators next week according to my schedule anyway. And I can't wait for it to end. My name is Megan and I'm afraid of being stuck in elevators.

Green M&M's

2011-12-07T13:16:00.001-07:00

Steven Jay Davis

1950 ~ 2011

Sometimes people come into our lives that will change it without ever thinking they could. Steven Davis was a husband, father, bishop, and a friend. He was the loving bishop of my singles ward for two years and never once complained about his failing health.Whether he was encouraging us to go live adventurous lives, to grow closer to God, or to eat some green M&M's to catch a date, he was always with us. Even when we went to him, Bishop always brought a smile to our faces. As a previous Chief Investigator for the Dept. of Commerce, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing he was able to see through us and help us to overcome our hardships because he saw every angle of our being...and he loved us for we are and were. And he knew exactly how to tease us in the most heart-warming of ways. He forgave us when we accidentally kicked soccer balls at his head, laughed when we stuck our tongues to the lamp posts outside of the church on cold winter nights, let us have movie parties in his basement when we had nowhere else to go, and cried and laughed with us as we sat around his hospital bed talking about how Scotty went on a date. Forever we will hold him in our hearts as our bishop whom we loved and trusted. God be with you til we meet again, Steven Davis.

Top Picks at Top Hat 3

2011-12-05T09:36:00.001-07:00

It's time again for my Top Picks at Top Hat! Here are five movies/shows you should pick up this week.

1)The Green Lantern:
Similar Movies: Captain America, Spider-Man, X-Men
Let's start with the cast. Normally, I love Blake Lively and I think she did a fine job as Carol, however, I was seeing a little of Serena Van Der Woodsen mixed in with Carol Ferris and it made me cringe a little. The upper east-sider shouldn't meet the Marvel universe. Ryan Reynolds was fun as Hal Jordan with his arrogance and flamboyance of a 20 something year old who was living in the shadow of his father. Some of the special effects, such as what I'll call the "Lantern Punch" since I'm lacking Green Lantern knowledge, was overdone and a bit cheesy, but was manageable. I loved the story though. There were some wow moments and some, "well, I really wish I were a Green Lantern" moments too. This is one of the better superhero movies of this year. If you're going green, go with the Lantern, not the Hornet.

2)Captain America:
Similar Films: Green Lantern, Batman, X-Men
Captain America!!! Here's the scoop. Originally I had no intention of seeing this movie before seeing the previews but did so for a friend who is serving and LDS mission in Peru because his favorite superhero is Steve Rogers himself. I'm picky with films that are set in other eras because I believe if you're going to film something in a different decade that you should make it chronologically and historically accurate. The entire film made me absolutely giddy which isn't something you hear about superhero movies but I'm saying. Captain America had its slow moment like every movie because of back story and dialogue, but the fighting scenes and pacing kept the movie flowing beautifully. It's filmed on sets of muted colors which pull the audience right into the 1940's :). I loved this movie. I was pleasantly surprised and I may buy it as a Christmas present to myself to put in my stocking.

3)The Music Man:
Similar Films: The Music Man, Singing in the Rain, The Sound of Music
Unfortunately, Top Hat can't find their copy of the original so I went with the more recent film starring Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth. Let's stop right here. I had little hope for this movie the second B said, "Hey, it's Inspector Gadget." I love Kristin, and she did an excellent acting job. I felt that there was too much vibrato used by Chenoweth in comparison to Broderick's short vocal range. However, I'm a sucker for musicals and it was fun. Overall, the movie was cute and honestly impressive for a made-for-TV movie but that's the magic of the Disney Company.

4)Doctor Who: Series 5:
Similar Shows/Films: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures
Alright friends, here's the truth. I'm a nerd. I love superheroes. But mostly, I LOVE DOCTOR WHO. Let's catch you up. The Doctor is a time lord from the planet Gallifry who is the last of his kind and can regenerate 12 to 15 times (this is still under debate).He travels in a time machine that he "borrowed" and is a vigilante. Gallifry no longer exists as it was destroyed in a huge time war. The Time Machine is a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension In Space) and it's bigger on the inside (time lord technology). It's disguised as a blue 1950's police box and is gorgeous. The Doctor is epic! He travels through time and space saving all sorts of worlds and defeating Daleks, Cybermen, Slavene, and more and always travels with a companion/s. Start with the Christopher Eccleston version as the 9th Doctor (the rebooted series) to catch up :). Series 5 starts us out with the 11th Doctor played by Matt Smith. He lands in London, just after regenerating, where he meets Amelia Pond who has a scary crack in her wall. Every series has a mystery that has to be solved and this crack is it. Amy, played by Karen Gillan, is quirky, snarky, and fun. Everyone loves a red-headed Scott :). Rent it, fall in love, and become a Whovian. Trust me, you won't regret it.

5)Water For Elephants:
Similar Films: Me and Orsen Welles, Moulin Rouge, Dear John, Remember Me
I dislike Robert Pattinson's acting in the Twilight Saga with a passion but absolutely loved his brilliance in this film. I was surprised by Reese Witherspoon's choice in taking this part but was more than pleased with her performance. Water For Elephants is about a Polish immigrant who loses his parents the day of his final exam to get his degree in Veterinary Science. Losing everything to the bank, he walks toward the city and jumps onto what happens to be a circus train. He keeps his bid on the train as a worker as the circus' vet while falling for the star attraction, Marlena, who happens to be the ring master's wife. To stay in business during the depression, August (the ring master), buys an elephant in which, Jacob, the vet, is put in charge. Watch it. Love it. I can't tell you more because it'll give away the ending, but this is another stocking stuffer that is going on my wish list :).

The Art of Getting By will be reviewed later. I just didn't get to it. Sorry readers. Have a great week and don't forget to stop by Top Hat Video for your Top Picks of the week :).

Top Hat Top Picks Preview 3

2011-12-02T14:27:00.001-07:00

Since I'm couch ridden, I'll be doing a lot of review in the next couple of weeks.
Here's what you can look forward to in the next few days:

1) The Green Lantern (Something new)
2) Captain America (Something borrowed)
3) The Art of Getting By (Something I haven't seen yet)
4) The Music Man (Something old)
5) Doctor Who Series 5 (Something blue and foreign :D )
6) Water For Elephants (Something new)

Look for my review soon and please send in requests. Remember, Friday's special is rent 2 movies get the 3rd for a dollar. Saturday's is rent 3 movies and get the 4th for a dollar :). Have a good weekend everyone.

I should've been a skier...

2011-12-02T14:24:00.001-07:00

You know how people always break their body doing cool things like snowboarding, playing soccer, or getting pushed down the stairs (well that's not cool but it's a good story)? Everyone who asks me what happened to my leg/foot asks after finding out my foot is broken says, "skiing accident?" Apparently, I look like a skier. Go figure. But then I have to tell them the boring story of how sometimes your bones bend in ways that they shouldn't, mostly if you're a spaz like me. I should've been a skier.

Things I'll Have to Explain to My Kids About the 90's

2011-11-29T18:04:00.001-07:00

   "Well this is the story all about how my life got twist-turned upside down. So I'd like to take a minute just sit right there and I'll tel you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air." As a child of the 90's, you could easily finish the rest of that theme song because you watched every episode of that great show featuring the amazing Will Smith.
   Power-Rangers were cool. Nobody wanted to be the yellow power ranger. You had to be the pink one, Kimberly. Why? Because Trini disappeared and was replaced by Aisha and everyone wanted to date Jason and Tommy. And when your pink Power Ranger costume ripped the morning of the Halloween parade in kindergarten, life as you knew it was over.
   The Spice Girls were everyone's idol regardless of their lack of talent or clashing personalities and we ALL had Spice World memorized by heart. We all sang along as we roller-bladed at Classic Skating in our overalls as we passed that cute boy, "If you wanna be my lover, you've gotta get with my friends. Make it last forever. Friendship never ends" regardless of whether or not we knew what it meant. Classic Skating was the place to be...now it's a parts shed for Bountiful Mazda. We were all devastated.
   Talking cats weren't weird, especially Salem Saberhagen. Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart) was our hero, even when she was Clarissa (Clarissa Explains It All). Especially when they had a "hot", but not always bright, boyfriend. Sabrina and Harvey had to be together regardless of how different they were or his floppy dog 90's hair or name. They just had to be!
   You never picked between the Backstreet Boys and N*SYNC...never. Choosing between them was like choosing between playing hopscotch or jump-rope. You didn't do just one. You always played both. Britney Spears inspired our braided pigtails on the playground and sometimes we tied our shirts like hers in the "Hit Me Baby One More Time" video when our parents weren't looking. (Modest was and still is hottest, we just wanted to be cool like Brit.) Stretchy pants not only were comfy, they were in, in bright neons. Scarily enough, white platform keds were a must. Large plastic square lunch boxes with stickers of Barbie, Scooby Doo, and Power Rangers adorned the lunch tables along with their matching mug filled with juicy juice.We were going green even before it was cool.
   We all collected cards and traded them as currency on the playground. Some of us were even the recipient of whole collections to signify that someone wanted to be your "boyfriend". We were obsessed with the creatures who fought each other and were entrapped in pokeballs that shrunk and expanded to let these animals live in their own little poke-paradise before fighting each other to "battle". We were fans of fake animal abuse but weren't smart enough to know it. There were 151 original creatures and we each watched the show, played the games, and traded the cards. You had to catch them all.
    Our Saturday mornings were spent watching cartoons that didn't ever seem to have a season. They didn't have a recurring plot, just recurring characters. Recess, Doug, Pepper-Ann, Hey, Arnold!, The Power Puff Girls, Rugrats, and Cat-Dog ruled Saturday Mornings. There was even a slot on tv dedicated to them called "One Saturday Morning". These are just a few things I'll have to explain to my children. Here are ten more:

Explaining the 90's

Brendon and Megan

2011-11-28T21:04:00.001-07:00

We went to see the lights at Temple Square last night. It was fun. We're kinda cute too. It's not the greatest picture but at least we have one now. :D.

Only I Could Do This

2011-11-28T20:33:00.001-07:00

Only I could have a wonderful Monday and then break my foot in a freak accident at work. I was getting up from putting something underneath the make table at work and twisted my ankle and foot. And BAM! I was down.The first thing I did was have my coworker call my boss and then I called Brendon to come and give me a blessing because my dad wasn't anywhere near and couldn't be in time. My mom came and got me and we went to Instacare where B and his awesome brother, Kenton, gave me a blessing. I'm so grateful to have them in my life A)Because I really needed them while my dad wasn't available and B)They're amazing friends. So we sat there and I was super mad because we had a combined FHE tonight and we were doing skits from a bag. THOSE ARE SO FREAKING FUN! So I couldn't go :(. But B pushed me in my wheelchair, gave me a shoulder massage, and kept me calm while my mom and brother joked with me. Anyway, so now I have a broken foot. I've never broken anything before and now I broke it in a freak accident. Of course, out of all the places to break something, I broke it in a sandwich store. Go figure. Oh well. Ooh! And I didn't even have to wait til Friday to watch the new Gossip Girl episode. I guess there was a plus side :). Happy Monday!

To be, or not to be, that is the question

2011-11-23T12:26:00.001-07:00

To be, or not to be, that is the question. Of course, I never thought that the question would be whether to stay a strawberry blonde or convert to full on gingerdom. I keep going through stages where I love my hair color, want it to be a brighter blond, or to become a full on ginger. I love these shades. So if I do become a ginger which shade should I do? Cast your vote:
A) For Karen Gillan
B)For Natalie
C)For random woman I pulled from Google Pics

Campus Running

2011-11-22T11:06:00.001-07:00

I like to run and the top picture is how I feel when I don't have anything on my back. However, I doubt I look like that although my friends say otherwise. See that second picture? The one of the little girl in the yellow. I'm pretty sure that's exactly what I look like when I'm running across the cross walk from the institute to campus when I want to make it across before the light turns green. Although you're a nice friend and you're going to lie and tell me that I don't look like that, it's okay, I know I do. I know this because this is what every college attending person carrying a 30 pound backpack looks like as they're attempting to figure out how to run across campus while not looking like a complete idiot. It's reminiscent of watching hobbits running and awkwardly skipping with their huge packs on their back. Even though we can empathize with the poor individual trying to keep their deadline, we can't help but wonder if that's exactly what we look like when we're doing the same thing. And we do. So go on little hobbits. Run like the the Nazgûl are chasing you and the orcs are going to take you to Isengard. Get to class on time. Because sometimes that's all we can pray for.

P.S. Chloe and Braydan

2011-11-17T11:16:00.001-07:00

SO I TOTALLY FORGOT!!! But, CHLOE AND BRAYDAN ARE ENGAGED. I'm so freaking excited and happy for them. They got engaged a couple of weeks ago. They're going to be the world's hottest married couple ever. And they're my cousins. I'm so lucky!

2011-11-16T23:10:00.001-07:00

One of the best quotes I've ever heard/seen is this, “Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."-Christopher Robin. Today I've been forgetting this even though I've gone through some pretty scary things and I feel like I handled them decently. I just want to crawl into bed with my pillows and blankets and throw Breakfast at Tiffany's on. However, I've got to study for my biology test. So I have to remember, I'm smarter than I think I am....or I'm never going to pass.

I Feel Like Superman

2011-11-14T17:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday at church I was wearing a new coat and curled my hair. B was running late so he was going to find me in sacrament meeting. Fail. We didn't find each other. When you don't sit with your boyfriend in sacrament meeting three things happen: A)People think that you have broken up; B)People think that you are fighting; and C)People think you aren't there/are sick. This results in 20 comments about these possibilities and 4 texts during the actual meeting, and several finger pointing in my direction to signal B that I was there. I don't blame him. I didn't even see him come in and sit down. However, some of my friends didn't even recognize I was there! Everyone always makes fun of Superman's disguise as a bumbling reporter because the only change is him wearing glasses. But I have to give him credit; It works! All I had to do is curl my hair and wear a new coat and people thought I wasn't there. I felt like Superman :). That is the power of patterns, my friends. If you wear your hair strait and curl it, you too can have an alter ego such as Clark Kent and myself. And then, you too can feel like Superman.

Top Picks at Top Hat 2

2011-11-14T10:02:00.001-07:00

I promised a review to a couple of movies so here it is.

1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2: PG-13
I have a new rule. When going into a movie based upon a book you should automatically forget that it's based on your beloved book because if you don't, it will ruin the movie for you. Let's start with what happened in the book that didn't happen in the movie:
-Harry didn't fix his wand.
-Voldemort's back story wasn't given.
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is set in 1998. The wardrobe, which is one of my favorite aspects of the film, does not fit the era.
-Ginny didn't die. (oh wait...that's not in the book either. Maybe I'll have to talk about my pet peeve with Ginny later.)
Back to the actual movie. The second installment of Harry potter and the Deathly Hallows is mainly action filled. The Gryffindors only have technically three, but really four horcruxes to destroy and find them in a challis, Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem, Nagini (Voldemort's snake), and one more. The special effects in this were amazing. The only graphics that I wasn't impressed with were the knights' landings. They looked too digital too be "magic". However, the giant shield around Hogwarts (forgive me for not knowing it's name. I'm a mere muggle) was extremely impressive. Here's a fun fact for you. Crabbe wasn't cast for the movie regardless of popular belief of him being cast with a dark skinned actor. This character is actually Blaise Zabini, an actual HP character from the Slytherin house. Actor, Jamie Waylett was fired after being arrested for drug possession charges before filming. In the book, Crabbe dies from a backfired curse. But I do like Zabini :). Overall this is a fun movie for wizard fans and muggles alike. However, Voldemort does set Nagini on Snape which makes me cringe every time. In the words similar to the MPAA, this may be inappropriate for young children.

2) Mean Girls PG-13
I've been missing out my entire life. Noted, this is one of those chicks flicks with a pink cover and shallow, materialistic girls who think they're at the top of the pyramid and they're never coming down. Like most chick flicks, this has a moral story behind it but it also happens to be one of the most quotable movies I've ever watched. All of the quotes that I've been hearing for the last 7 years make complete and utter sense and are even funnier now. As I checked it out, Mark told me that it's a universal film. He was right. I think anyone who has been to a public school in America can relate to this movie. And don't worry, I don't have ESP-N or something.

3) Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure PG
Your 1988 American rip off of Doctor Who is 80's hilarious with some witty one-liners and catch phrases. Rock Band Wannabees Bill S. Preston, Esquire, and Ted Theodore Logan have to ace their history report or fail. If they don't, Ted's dad is sending him to military school....in ALASKA! And then there will be no such thing as the Wyld Stallyns. While asking random customers at convenience stores for help, a telephone booth falls from the sky at the Circle K where Rufus, their guide takes them back in time. Bill and Ted decide to collect historical figures to help out with their report.. These are two awesome dudes. Remember, be excellent to yourselves and go rent this!

4) Legally Blonde PG-13
Bubbly, pink, and blonde, Elle is Beverly Hills' favorite blonde. Until she gets dumped by Warner for being TOO blonde and not serious enough. Elle decides that the only way to win him back is to go to Harvard Law School with him. I love Reese Witherspoon in this. The cast is great. The set is fun. And the wardrobe fits :). This movie is charming, empowering for some....like a 12 year old me who thought that Harvard Law would be fun (let's be glad that dream died quickly along with my desire to wear anything pink). Unlike Mean Girls, this film isn't universal. It's a chick flick all the way down to the Chihuahua and "bend and snap". It's a fun film for your GNO but not for date night in with your significant other.

So there you have it. There are 4 Top Picks at Top Hat for you. Leave any suggestions, comments, or random word rambles below.

Top Hat Top Picks Preview

2011-11-11T16:01:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone. It's time again. I haven't been very good at keeping up with my Top Hat Top Picks but I'm going to get it started up again :). Here are some of the movies I'll be reviewing this weekend:

1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (something new)
2) Mean Girls (something I haven't seen yet)
3) Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (something old)
4) TBD (Miss Congeniality, Confessions of a Shopolholic, or Legally Blonde ---They're all something borrowed)

I'll let you know by Sunday at the latest. Please start putting your requests in for new movies, old movies, or loved movies that you want me to review. It's gonna be awesome. While you're waiting stop by Top Hat video in Colonial Square at:
521 West 2600 South
Bountiful, UT 84010

If you're worried they won't have what you're looking for (it's only happened to me once) check out their website http://tophatvideo.com/ or call ahead at (801) 292-2221 and ask for Mark and tell him that I sent you. Happy Friday Movie Night everyone!

....:)

2011-11-10T22:41:00.001-07:00

Okay, I'm going to brag. I can do this because A)this is my blog and B)I'm pretty sure there are only like 5 people who read my blog anyway. I have the sweetest boyfriend ever. Yes. Brendon B. Young. Not only does he treat me like a princess by opening and closing doors for me, battling jealous guys and crazy neighbors, baking, carrying me across parking lots when I've given up on heels, watching Breakfast at Tiffany's, and meeting Haley's family, that guy can get the girliest giggles out of me and makes "Tough Megan" disappear. I was having the mean reds all freaking day and then ten minutes to closing at work, he brought me a Keva with a protein supplement because I've been craving eggs, ham, chicken, and well...potatoes....basically comfort food carbs all day :). When I finally got to a canceled sports night, we went for a walk where he just smiled as I crunched the leaves under my shoes and kicked them up in the air. You know what's even better? He'll sing Hannah Montana songs with me. Yes, he is manly enough to do that :). And I love it.....I'm such a girl :/. This is such a new thing to me...being a girlie girl. I think I like it. Kinda. I don't know. Where's my soccer ball? Oh, a text from B! He also reminds me to do my homework....yeah, I think I'll keep him around. I kinda like him ;).

I wish I didn't know...

2011-11-09T22:21:00.001-07:00

I didn't know whether or not to share this but it has been bugging the heck out of me for weeks so I'm doing it anyway. There's a very nice man who comes into work often. He's built because he his a MMA fighter but he also has another job as a bar tender....well he did. Within the last couple of weeks, he's started paying for his meals in one dollar bills. Yes, one dollar bills. Tonight he handed me 19 for his bill of $18.15. He had a giant stack of cash in his hand and yes, they were all one dollar bills too. I think he got a promotion :(. I wish he'd just deposit his money like the rest of us. I hate washing my hands every time he pays for his meal. I don't want to know where he got his money.
On a happier note, here's a bit of wisdom from Haley:
"I find that the best way to eat chocolate cake is seductively. It makes it taste ten times better."
I laughed so hard when she told me this today. My best friend is so witty! I love her. I'm not a fan of chocolate cake but maybe if I ate mine seductively it would taste better. Yes, I am going to try this...but I can't make any promises that it will change my opinion about chocolate cake. It's just too rich for me. I prefer lighter cakes like lemon or white with lime frosting. In the meantime, I'll stick to my Funfetti cupcakes. So remember, eat your cake seductively. It will make it taste better :).

Chocolate

2011-11-08T15:13:00.001-07:00

My favorite thing about Dove Chocolate isn't the chocolate. My favorite thing is the message on the inside of the wrappers. Today, I started with just one. The first read, "You are exactly where you are supposed to be." And I agree. Who am I to argue with the truth? So I decided to open just one more....AND IT WAS EPIC!!! The second was obviously inspired by a teen of the 80's because it read, "Be good to yourself today." Immediately after getting the chocolate down I screamed, "BILL AND TED!" My mom must think I'm a little crazy but I was so freaking happy that I couldn't resist. So the moral of the story is this kids, don't eat fortune cookies. Eat Dove chocolate because at least they don't lie, and they always make you feel better.

SERIOUSLY?

2011-11-04T16:22:00.002-06:00

AGGGHHH. FREAK! 8 of my friends have gotten engaged within the last two weeks. What is this madness?! I'm happy for them...but what the crap?! Is there some sort of love bug going around that is infecting everyone? Well, idk about you but I'm going to go make sure that my cootie shot is up to date because unlike Alex says, I am NOT next....I think...:/.

P.S.

2011-11-03T11:38:00.002-06:00

Ironically, I'm studying concentration for sport psychology right now and I obviously don't have that right now.
Alex and I are going on a Coke run and Haley texted me...I'll text you back asap. I have no service in this corner dungeon of the Marriott Library at my study carrel. Must keep going. Oh, Brant and Kristy are engaged :) it makes me smile. I'm totally twitterpated, although stressed. I have the best boyfriend who helped me study last night and I'm glad for my Mustang driving best friends Haley and Alex who keep me sane and say, "Calm Down and Drink Coke." Well...their actions say it anyway...right...concentrating!!! Agh!!!

A Coke Day...

2011-11-03T10:53:00.000-06:00

It's been one of those weeks and just hasn't been getting better. Do you know what that means? AAAAAALLLLLEEEEEXXXXXXX!!!!!! COKE RUN AFTER COUNTRY SWING IN THE MUSTANG!!! And they better get our order right this time. Diet Coke is NOT acceptable. They better pray they don't mess up the order....it's one of those days.

Last Friday Night

2011-11-01T23:35:00.001-06:00

Attention Gleeks! I'm in love....with this song! It's okay, I'm not going THAT fast. I won't scare you. I blogged about the original to this a couple of months ago but...I'm not so secretly in love with Darren Criss's voice; Yes, he is the Very Potter Musical actor. This reminds me of the days when we'd jam out in drama and dance all over the place eventually ending up in a synchronized dance pattern or at least hitting the same beats. Those were some legit times. Enjoy :)!
(c) 2011 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

There is No Rewind Button on the Remote Control of Life

2011-10-31T12:05:00.000-06:00

   You know those days where you wish you had a rewind button for life? Last night was been one of those days. I hurt my best friend, had a hard conversation with B, and had deep conversations with Christian and Als about our lives. Last night Alex said something that I already knew, but didn't want to face. He said, "It's easier to put on the breaks and slow down at first [rather] than to go too far and then revert back or try to slow them down."
    For those of you who aren't familiar with the Alex and Megan friendship, here's a summary: inside jokes, car rides and projects, hiking and sometimes tripping, basketball, and country swing dancing, coke runs, hugs, and lingo/jargon of Mass Communications majors and car junkies. He's my best guy friend while Brett is serving the Aussies.
    Anyway, Alex has a point. Sometimes we make mistakes and it's better to deal with them now than to coast 100 miles down the highway only to have to go back to where you let your bumper fall off. So I stopped when my bumper started falling off last night. I'm putting it back on today and I feel so much better. Remember, there is no rewind button. There is only superglue and duct-tape until you can get your car into the garage so that the mechanic, regardless of whether you're the mechanic or not, can fix your car. And that's a sentence you can live by.

Scars

2011-10-27T15:02:00.002-06:00

Lately, I've been doing a lot of dancing. In my room, at work, at school well...mostly everywhere. Most of this comes from ill-will to an impatient 5 year old me who didn't even think about switching to some other dance class besides ballet and tap. As I spend time choreographing stuff for fun and helping my friends choreograph their showpieces for mid-term and term projects, I've been "studying". I know I'm way behind the times but this is one of my favorite's I've come across so far from So You Think You Can Dance. I absolutely hate clowns but I'm in LOVE with this dance! Here's Robert and Dominic dancing to "Scars". The actual dance starts at about 1:09. Enjoy and Happy Halloween :).

Belieber...

2011-10-24T00:31:00.002-06:00

Oh and I am now officially a Belieber. I know, it's awful right. But it's soo bad it's good. Chels, I've joined the pop side. I can't stop my feet from dancing to this song by Chris Brown featuring the Biebs himself, Next To You. Enjoy!

Comfy shoes :)

2011-10-23T23:54:00.001-06:00

I've been dating the most wonderful guy, Brendon. I'm well...definitely twitterpated. It's happened really fast which scares me, but he doesn't. Between dinner and movie dates, walks in the park, sitting together at church, practicing ukulele on the porch, and delivered smoothies to a sick sandwich maker (me), it's been almost parallel universe perfect. Because as we know, nothing in my life is ever normal or goes the way it should. You see, there's one little factor that keeps throwing everyone off...he looks a hecka lot like James. I know, you're thinking, "uh oh. Is she dating him because he reminds her of James?" No, no I am not. I genuinely like this guy and the way he makes me feel. I don't know where things will go but I like where they're going. It's like Momma Liz says, "You've got to try on lots of different shoes until you find the ones that fit the best." And these ones are pretty dang comfy.

Stick Shift

2011-10-17T12:06:00.000-06:00

Late last night Alex and I went to a parking lot....no. No, we didn't go to an abandoned parking lot to make out. I got to pretend like I could drive the Mustang that I inherit if he dies, which better not happen cuz I don't know what I'd do without that kid. The ever so patient A was so good with me. I was so freaked out though and so impatient that I struggled. After running laps, and loosening up, I got it a couple times. But until I can let patience rule my thoughts and loosen up I won't get it. A, was a great teacher though. So this morning, after running a little late I got into my car searching for the clutch and couldn't find it. I almost started crying thinking that someone had disassembled my car in the night. Then I had to take a mental moment and remember that I drive an automatic. Really, Megan? How blond can you get? Then when I got back to my car from classes I did the exact same thing! UGH!!! All I can say is that next time, I better get it. Because I'm starting to forget how to drive an automatic.

Top Picks from Top Hat

2011-10-12T00:57:00.001-06:00

For the past couple of weeks I've been doing a lot of Top Hat Video runs. I've decided to start blogging about my choices. The rules are that I have to pick an older movie (80's and earlier) and a movie I've never seen or haven't seen in a long time. Here's a list mentionable movies I've picked at Top Hat so far:

Postgraduate
The Newsies
Singing in the Rain
500 Days of Summer
The Majestic
Footloose

Let me start by saying that I'm a total Audrey Hepburn fan. I had the hardest time getting through Funny Face. I honestly won't ever watch it again. This isn't because of Audrey's performance, but because of the poor writing and composition of songs that are in this "musical". This one is about a book shop girl who becomes a model and falls in love with the photographer. In her defense, he kissed her first.

Postgraduate was a cute romcom perfect for any Alexis Bledel fan who needs girls night to herself. It's about a postgraduate, obviously, with high goals for her postgraduate life, that don't happen to become reality. She ends up living at home while trying to figure out life. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a few good laughs.

The Newsies is one I have seen before. It's about the 1899 news boys strike against Pulitzer and Hearst (newspaper moguls). I love the story, the actors, and the choreography. Honestly, I was a bit shocked to find out that Kenny Ortega directed and choreographed this masterpiece. I just don't understand what happened in his life to go from directing something like The Newsies to directing the High School Musical trilogy, despite it's success. News boys for life.

Singing in the Rain was an absolute delight with witty lines, likeable characters and actors, and amazing choreography. It's about a composer, actor, and a hopeful actress and their road to creating a successful musical/talkie. Oh, did I mention there's also a love story in it? Here's one of my favorite numbers from it:

500 Days of Summer was charming. However, it is what my teacher once called "Ethan Frome", realistic (realism). It's heartwarming and heartbreaking at times. See above.

The Majestic is one of my favorite movies and will always be. I'm not normally a fan of Jim Carrey. Carrey has often been referred to as a stock actor, that being someone who always takes similar roles. Carrey received criticism for breaking out of that but I give him my standing ovation and tears. This is about script writer Peter Appleton, who is blacklisted for suspected communist activity. After a long night at the bar, he and his car are washed off the side of a bridge. The next morning, he's found on the beach with no memory and is claimed as a small town's long lost war hero, Luke Trimble. Harry Trimble gets "Luke" to restore their movie theater, The Majestic. I absolutely love this movie and cry every time I watch it. I will never stop watching this movie. Check it out:

Okay, I'll admit it. Until tonight I had never seen Footloose. And I've lived in Utah my entire life. I always wondered what was SO great about it...but now I know. KEVIN BACON WAS A STUD! That man can dance. I'm excited to see how the reboot turned out when it hits theaters on Friday. This is a movie that everyone should watch. Why? It involves thinking past yourself, reaching out, and cutting loose :). Seriously, go watch it. NOW!

Here's the trailer for the reboot set to hit theaters this Friday :) :

These are the last few weeks movies. Regardless of whether I blog about them or not, Saturday night movie night at Top Hat Video will continue to be a tradition of mine. If you have suggestions, let me know. I'm up for anything. Just remember the rules: something old, something new, something borrowed (or rented), and maybe something blue :). These are my top picks from Top Hat.

Getting Lost is Hard

2011-10-10T22:32:00.003-06:00

I LOVE corn mazes. Every year my ward goes for FHE and it's a blast. However, this year, I've had my eye on one of my wardees and would have absolutely loved nothing more than to get lost with him. We entered with a group, good luck there, and found everything almost without the map. In the middle of the punch hole hunting, he asked me if I wanted to get lost. OF COURSE I WANTED TO GET LOST! There was nothing more that I could ask for. Fate had smiled down on me. However, despite our best efforts there was always another certain individual, we'll call him Benton, who kept getting "lost" with us, making us return to the group. After finding all the punches, I slipped away. So, we'll call him Matt, tried to follow me, but got followed by Benton. EPIC FAIL!!! After realizing Matt had called me three times, I went back into the maze, found my group, and Matt and I were able to escape to be lost together. We kept bumping into each other but he never took my hand :(. Really? Really! However, we had trouble coming up with conversations. ME! I HAD TROUBLE COMING UP WITH A CONVERSATION!!! Eventually we decided to exit and then things were totally normal. Was it me? I just don't know! Then, another guy, um...now named Carter, is friends with the Matt G. (not "let's get lost" Matt). He asked me how long I'd been going to the ward and then he replied, "and you're still single?" I was so freaking oblivious to his flirting because I had Matt on the mind! Life is too entertaining. But seriously, why is getting lost in a corn maze so freaking hard?!

I lied...

2011-10-08T00:54:00.000-06:00

Okay, I do like Harry Potter. I'm a sucker for brave guys in striped sweaters and a story about loyalty. Oh, and does anyone else think that Harry and Ginny have a totally awkward kiss in the second part? I mean, Ron and Hermione's is great...but Harry and Ginny...I never got them. Ginny goes from being a fan girl to his girlfriend to his wife. Late at night, I'm getting off now. Right. Yes, I like Harry Potter...because they have awesome guys in striped sweaters....and you can't even blame me because you like them too.

Fall Break...

2011-10-07T20:22:00.003-06:00

I'm sorry, did I hear you right? Why, yes, I did. IT'S FALL BREAK!!!! I'm so freaking happy. Today I bought, "Just Being Audrey" which is the most darling picture book about Audrey Hepburn's life and I absolutely love it! Now, even though I was going to stay in and watch "Funny Face" because I'm on an Audrey kick and I already read my book three times, I'm outfit searching in order to go watch Harry Potter 7.2 at the dollar theater even though I've already seen it. I don't even know why I'm outfit searching. It's not like I'm trying to catch anyone's attention there. It's been one of those days. I'm trying to be social but I really just suck at it. I'm sorry...I just don't like Harry Potter anymore. Except for this one. I think he's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Dream big little Harry, dream big.

Red Rover, Red Rover...

2011-10-03T15:38:00.000-06:00

I hate slow walkers, especially when I'm trying to get to my classes. Out of nowhere all of these adorable couples have popped up on campus within the last two weeks. These adorable couples walk SSSLLLOOOWWW. That's right, slow. Now normally I wouldn't mind because I'd just walk around or through them. Everyone does it. You know I'm right. But there are two of them holding hands looking so happy and all I can think is, "Cuss! You're in my way and I've got two minutes to get to class!" In my head I then imagine running at full speed in between their arms while yelling, "RED ROVER!!!" I haven't gotten up the courage to do it yet, but for now, I'll just be late to Biology every day....if only if only my teacher were calling from the other side of campus, "Red rover, red rover, send Megan right over."

Boots

2011-10-01T22:18:00.001-06:00

Every girl in right mind does not live life without a pair of black leather boots. I love mine. However, tonight, whilst eating a raspberry cheesecake shake with a sick Alex in Arctic Circle, he told me that my boots looked like stripper boots. I wasn't happy. Of course, he was meowing like a cat and I'm certain it had to do with his whole face being so hot that I could've cooked an egg on it. I came home to Tanner and Dallin playing xbox (who would've thought, right). I asked, "Do these look like stripper boots?"
Tanner replied, "Do strippers wear boots?" Ha ha ha. I love this kid.
Then Dallin matter of factly said, "I don't know. I've never seen a stripper." Ha ha ha ha ha. Leave it to my teenage brothers to give me blatantly honest and upright hilarious answers. I still don't know if my boots look like stripper boots, but in the meantime, I think we've got a green light :).

Hiding in my blanket with The Newsies

2011-09-30T22:44:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had one of those experiences that you just haven't wanted to have? You know, those ones that leave you feeling shaky and a little nauseated and in shock? I had one of those tonight. I went to Seth's to get a picture back and it's been the first time in 6 months since I've seen him. It was going to be absolutely fine because A)I looked good and B)I was just going to get a picture. It was nice to see him again...but man, my body is telling me something that my brain refused to accept. I was HECKA scared to get my picture back. I know it's stupid, and you're thinking, "you're just getting a picture." But then I had to stand on the porch awkwardly trying to converse and try to appear like I wasn't freaking out about whether or not to make eye contact or whether or not I looked like I was freaking out. UGH! This shouldn't be this complicated and maybe it's not. But for now, I'm going to hide cuddled up in my blanket on the couch while I watch The Newsies for the second time today.

Real Salt Lake

2011-09-29T00:26:00.005-06:00

   So yesterday in my Foundations of Business Thought class something horribly hilarious and embarrassing happened. The lecture hall has those nice tables with hanging chairs. Yeah...well mine decided it didn't want to hang anymore. So right in the middle of the lecture there was this loud pop and my chair descended. My group project members chuckled quietly, offered their chairs, but I just smiled and kept taking notes as we exchanged quirky comments. I love my group.
    More importantly, I went to Rio Tinto Stadium for the Real Salt Lake vs. Chicago Fire game. I was so excited to go with my friends and for the home return of the awesome Javier Morales. However, I hate to say that I was extremely disappointed with the game and some of the players.
   Within the first ten minutes of the game, my favorite player, Kyle Beckerman head butted another player after being clinched and was red carded.

In the first ten minutes! That isn't pertinent. I was disappointed with Beckerman's actions, attitude, and lack of civility and discipline in a game and performance. Not only was it unprofessional but it was inhumane. I almost felt ashamed to be wearing a Beckerman jersey. It's going to take a lot of good sportsmanship and positivity on his behalf to earn back my respect. However, Will Johnson #8, although I couldn't hear his conversations with a member of the Fire, seemed to be extremely civil and almost friendly toward him in many moments of the game where he could have easily have lost his cool, and I was appreciative of his positive example in a tough game. There were several things that should have been called differently on behalf of both teams. Frankly, the lack of calls and calls of the officials were biased, uneducated, and emotional, all of which should be avoided by any sports official. The final score was 0-3 for a home loss. I love going to games. This was not a good game and it worries me that the team is playing this terribly in such a critical time of the season. I sincerely hope that my next visit to Rio Tinto won't be as disappointing and perhaps there will be more game play, less player contact (that means you Becks), and a set of referees who will be fair in their job performance being unbiased toward both teams. But for now I say, decent fight tonight RSL, decent fight. Get your head in the game. Stay close to your coach. And, of course, go beat the Galaxy Saturday :).

Who's the mommy in their family?

2011-09-25T11:35:00.000-06:00

While sitting at my friend, Kit Bartleson's, farewell this morning, I sat next to my friends, Ann, Amanda, and Kylie. Take note that none of us look alike. I'm strawberry blond and freckled; Amanda's tiny and red/brunette, Kylie's got brown hair and is taller than all of us, and Ann has black hair, fair skin, and the amazing ability to look good in everything. The family a row in front of us had two little girls who liked to smile, wave, and look at us. Toward the end of the meeting one of the little girls turned to her mom and asked "Who's the mommy in their family?" Ha ha ha ha. This made my entire day better. Upon vote, we decided that Ann was our mommy and that we were her adopted foreign children. The morals of this story are A)always sit behind entertaining children at farewells and B) families are all unique and can look like anything...even when there's only one blond and three brunettes.

FALL :D!!!!

2011-09-23T15:35:00.002-06:00

If you can't tell by the title, it's the first day of FALL!!!! Okay, Autumn, but who uses that term still? Today as I walked across campus people braved boots, scarves, and cardigans. And these were the guys! I was so surprised and absolutely giddy. They looked fabulous and ever so gorgeous. It's finally fall. It's time for football, walks in the park with leaves crunching under my feet, bonfires, football games, a new season of Gossip Girl, corn maze and pumpkin patch group dates, Real Salt Lake games with the Pirates/Wally's, Halloween, and colors. Welcome to Autumn/Fall everyone. Aren't you excited?

What to do?

2011-09-22T16:14:00.001-06:00

Until college, I had never seen a rated R film. As of today I've seen two and I'm ashamed to say that it was by my choice. Both were films watched in classes and the material was/is going to be tested on. Both were rated R for language. Today, those lessons in sunday school with the object lesson of the piece of cake with dirt smeared on it don't seem irrelevant. As I sat in class, watching these films, I prayed not knowing what to do. Some would say I should've left. Some would say I should stay. If I had left, I would've missed out on material I needed to know for passing my tests. If I had stayed, I would've been undermined by those who scream to me that my morals are ridiculous and irrelevant. For years, I've refused to watch R rating movies because I wanted to be able to tell my brothers that I had never seen one. I can't do that anymore. Now I'm left wondering what I can argue if they ask me why I didn't stand up for my values. I've been taught to get an education, to work hard to be successful in it, and to stand up for my standards. What is a student to do when riding the grey line in-between education and their morals? That's the question I'm contemplating as I sip my Slurpee, hoping that I will know what to do next time I'm in this situation.

Chivalry is not dead

2011-09-19T23:07:00.000-06:00

   Tonight, Katie dearest and I were chatting away in the hall at church. Two of our guys friends, Mark and Josh, came out of the gym, said hi to us, and then walked to the foyer. They then returned with two soft chairs.
   Katie asked, "Are you guys going to sit in on our conversation?"
   Josh replied, "No. These are for you to sit on. You looked a little uncomfortable so we brought these for you."
I think my heart melted right there. Mark and Josh are the sweetest and they made my entire day by their courtesy, chivalry, and respect for women. I want to be worthy to marry someone as amazing as them someday. Thanks, Mark and Josh, for proving that chivalry isn't dead and for being an amazing example as to what I should look for in a husband.

Touchdown Dance

2011-09-18T21:32:00.002-06:00

Touchdown dance? That's right! I scored my first touchdown of the fall season. Mark threw an amazing pass right to me tonight and I ran it. It was, if I may say, beautiful. The touchdown dance, a victory of my own, was so welcome. It's a right of fall passage and felt oh-so wonderful. Welcome to fall ladies and gentlemen :). It's going to be extraordinary.

Bryce will be so proud

2011-09-17T19:00:00.000-06:00

   Last night was the Mills Park YSA annual overnighter at Patriarch Howard's "cabin". It was so much fun. I didn't get much sleep, but I got some studying in and a lot of playing time in. So, funny story, I lost my license and some other significant items somewhere in between here and there. Actually, I lied. Not funny at all! I really hope someone found them and will bring them to me tomorrow at church. I even drove all the way back to the cabin and still didn't find them :'(. Yes, I cried!
    On a happier note, the moment we've been waiting for is finally here!!! It's the U of U vs BYU RIVALRY GAME!!! I'm actually not as excited as I normally am and it's all because I don't feel like we are rivals now being in two completely opposite conferences. But it's still going to be fun watching the game with friends.
   Ooh, and although I'm not studying, like I obviously should be, I feel really accomplished because I made two, well I bought one, dinners tonight! I feel so domestic. I even used our amazing grill all by myself! I know I probably shouldn't be this excited but I can't help it. My food was actually really good. It's the first time I've grilled a meal for someone other than myself successfully and now I can write to my friend in the MTC who uses his grill like 3 or 4 times a week, even sometimes at 2 A.M. and tell him of my awesome new skills. I only burned myself once, too! Elder Fisher will be so proud.

2011-09-16T17:15:00.000-06:00

Megan-A song I wrote for you

As dorky as this is, this song always cheers me up. Who doesn't love a song telling them that they're loved? Click the link! You know you want to :). They love me, platonically.

Cupcake with Sprinkles Happy

2011-09-12T21:55:00.008-06:00

Have you ever seen a couple while you're in the mall who just make you giddy? I have. But what's even better is that these uber-cute couples are permanent fixtures in my life. They make me feel happy just like I've just eaten a Funfetti cupcake with sprinkles.

Lee and Ashley are absolutely adorable. I've known Ash since 3rd grade and Lee since 7th and I can't imagine them being with anyone else. They mesh so well together that you couldn't ever be envious of them because they just make you smile when you see them together. They're high school sweethearts and best friends :). At school when Ashley was down, Lee would always make her day better by sending a text or sneaking into student government for a hug. Ash was always at his football games cheering him on too. How awesome is that? They make each other better people, which is hard to say, because they're pretty awesome on their own but as a team they dominate. Their love is like that of a fairytale and they'll have a happy ending.

Meet Braydan (my cousin...sorta :). He's my cousin's son) and his girlfriend, Chloe. I've only seen them together once, but I know that they are an amazing support to each other and I absolutely love them! Any couple that smiles, laughs, and looks as comfortable together as they do gets a big thumbs up in my book. Whether they're working, going to Aggie games, or just being together they look like they were cast to make the perfect romantic movie. I'm just saying...they're adorable and I love them. Go Aggie love <3!

Tyson and Katie are my cousins. They're always having adventures together. They go hiking, biking, camping, and everything else it is they do together :). Tyson carries around Katie's camera equipment when she's busy working at her passion and in return, Katie smiles as Ty multitasks while watching his many sports teams play at the same time. They love spending time with their families and show it. They fit into each others families like they had never been a stranger to them. How awesome is that? They support each other in everything and I don't think I've ever seen them unhappy together. All I know is that when I find a guy, we better be just as cool as Tyson and Katie, because I want to be married to my best friend just like they are.

Brad and Hilary are optimistic, responsible, and fun :). Their energy is contagious. Whether they're going on trips, hanging out with family, or playing on a slip n' slide with me, they are an excellent example to me of what I want my family life to be like. They're amazing parents to their son and love everyone they see. I'm so grateful to call them my cousins.

I love these people and their stories because they're real and give me hope that someday I can have my own amazing story just like theirs. Cinderella may have lived happily with her prince until death, but these stories will last forever :).

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

2011-09-11T09:15:00.002-06:00

Today, the date is 9/11/2011. It has been ten years since the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Where were you as planes were flown into buildings, killing thousands of people, causing devastation, and stopping the world in an instant?
I remember where I was. I was nine years old, getting ready for school. New York City is two hours ahead of Utah time, and the only time I'd heard of the World Trade Center was when I asked my mom what building Kevin was looking through the binoculars on in "Home Alone 2". As a fourth grader standing in line for school, kids were telling each other that planes had been flown into a building and that people had died. My friends and I, not knowing yet what had occurred, told our fellow classmate that he had made it up or that it had been a bad dream. We were rushed inside the building, much like cattle being herded into stable slots. As soon as attendance was taken, every teacher was called for a meeting. We were left alone over 25 minutes. I don't remember any of us acting out. We just sat quietly, wondering if someone really had flown planes into buildings in New York City, how someone could do fly a plane into a building, or if we were going to be safe. When our teacher returned, she said nothing other than something to the effect that something terrible had happened and that our parents would discuss it with us at home. That was all we were ever told that day or for the next year. When I arrived home, my mom and I sat on the floor, eyes and ears attentive to our TV as I watched repeated video footage of building collapsing, fire burning, and the bluest sky I'd ever seen turn ash grey. Finally, I broke down and cried, clinging to my mom who assured me that I was safe and that we would be okay.
Ten years later, I am a sophomore in college majoring in Public Relations. As I sat in my business class this week, an attempted discussion on 9/11 was started by my professor. However, since it is a lower division class, being filled with students who can remember that day, but were too young to understand and were not educated fully on it, our discussion died quickly and with a somber silence.
I can no longer go past the gate to pick my loved ones up from trips, returns from missions, or to use a bathroom at an airport. Liquids are limited in my suitcases. Full body scans or pat downs are my only options for going through security. My neighbor has returned after honorable discharge from the Marines, after 6 tours in the middle east and 3 bombings on his line. My dear neighbor's sons, both Marines, have been back and forth between the US and Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and more. Daniel is done with his duty and is now a police officer and SWAT team member, and we wait anxiously for the safe return of Pat's other son, Derrick. My cousin, Brock, is in the National Guard. Last week I watched as he and WWII veterans folded the flag from my grandfather's grave, presented it to my aunt Peggy, and saluted him by gun fire. My friends, Stephanie and Shanoah, are Naval officers, who chose to join while in our senior year, not because they needed money for college, but because they wanted to serve a country that they have hope in. Stephanie is stationed in Japan, and Shanoah in California. It is my prayer that we will be reunited again. As a child, I could never have imagined seeing men and women in uniform in my classes, at the store, my best friends in the line of battle, or at the graveside of my grandfather. This is the world that we live in and that I have grown up in.
I have three younger brothers, who at breakfast this morning, were not certain as to what exactly happened ten years ago, but rather, all they knew, was that al-Qaeda terrorists were responsible for the destruction of two tall buildings and for a lifetime of war that they've grown up reading and seeing about. My 12 year old brother asked, "What was the World Trade Center?" It took all I could to not cry due to his lack of knowledge about the moment that changed the world forever. Now, I let my tears come, as I cry for those who lost their lives, for those who sacrificed their lives to save those they could, and to those who fight for our country today in order to protect the United States of America. Let us not be ignorant or forget to teach our current and future generations about the day when the world stopped turning. God bless America.

Take Me or Leave Me As I Am

2011-09-09T15:23:00.004-06:00

People will walk into your live, change it for the good or bad, and sometimes for both. Sometimes you'll meet someone who encourages you to be yourself all while trying to make you into who they want you to be. It is not until you let that person go, take a step back, and dump yourself from the relationship that you truly can be free. There is a pseudo reality in being happy for someone else for the sake of a friendship, partnership, relationship, etc. Happiness can only come when we truly say, "This is me. Take me or leave me as I am." Last night, I came to this realization. Why would anyone want to be with someone who wants to mold you into their perfect IDEA of who THEY think YOU should be? Today, I'm dumping myself from fake friendships and I'm going back to the ones I'm temporarily separated from and the ones that I've that I've sadly grown apart from because they were the people who always loved me regardless of who I am. So tomorrow, I'll go for a morning run at the golf course, play the piano, read my assigned readings in the park, and sip a Caramel Apple Spice while attending open mic night, because this is me. Take me or leave me as I am.

Gelato

2011-09-07T15:06:00.002-06:00

My stud of a friend, X, is chill. The U of U, as many know, is a very large campus so we rarely see each other even if we're in buildings right next to each other. Last night, after seeing that he's been cuffed (X is now in a relationship with S), we decided that we needed to go get gelato so that I could hear this story in person. First we had to make a stop to Cicatrix Tatoo for X's meeting with his artist about his half sleeve he's getting done next week. The artists are some of the nicest people I've ever met. They had this almost Bob Marley minus the drugs attitude to them about going with the flow and not taking anything too seriously. When I entered the parlor, I felt like someone had mixed art, Urban Outfitters, and a little bit of a guy's man cave (a shelf full of super hero bobble heads, Star Wars memorabilia, and Seattle Sea-hawks football helmets) to create a lounge. I would've stayed there and studied if they would have let me. I may take a trip or two with X just to see what a tattoo process is like. Strangely, for whatever reason, I get X gelato at Capo Gelateria, which is right next to Settebellos in Salt Lake City, every time he gets a new tattoo. They're both amazing places to eat and I recommend them to anyone. I probably shouldn't encourage the behavior but he's a sucker for gelato and will tell me anything when I buy him some, like how he came to have a blond girlfriend. Besides, I'll take whatever excuse I can find to go on a gelato run. Tattoos, gelato, music, and short classes. You've gotta love college. Off to my homework!

Fall Football is Flirty Fun

2011-09-01T23:17:00.006-06:00

Hello my lovelies. Today was the first U of U football game in the Pac 12 and we won :). I LOVE football. I can't describe my love as just a love, but as a passion so deep that people have referred to me as "Sheryl Yoast" and "Leigh Anne Tuohy". I will admit that I have cried at/while watching several games. I know, it's just a game...

There's something even more significant that the beginning of the football season indicates; It indicates a new start, a new hope, and of course, fall flirting, boots, caramel apple spice, walks in leaves, and striped scarves :).
Here's my confession of the week, I have this fantasy of being kissed on a football field after a home-game win. The Friday night lights beaming on the field while fans rush around yelling and screaming and for one silent, still moment, time pauses as a shared moment of selfless (okay, idk if it's selfless. Everyone likes kisses) happiness and love is created. While I'm waiting though, I'd love to meet someone like these two guys. You can never have too many friends. And look, they have scarves :)! Striped and plaid scarves <3!

A supportive man doesn't hurt either. Don't they look genuinely happy?

I'm so excited to break out my boots and scarves. I'm going to strut the avenues as I kick the leaves to the sides as the cool air flushes my cheeks while I drink my Caramel Apple Spice...I may have watched too many Audrey Hepburn movies and episodes of Gossip Girl tonight....and I won't forget my scarf. ~XoXo~

Life Problems Solved

2011-08-29T13:30:00.003-06:00

Today while my mom and I were eating chocolate and painting our toe nails, we started talking about running. I told her that running was only fun if you're stressed out, you're running with someone, or if you're chasing a ball. She added, "or if you're chasing boys." HALT. I don't know about everyone else, but I never chased guys at recess. I know, weird, right? I feel like I missed out on something.
She stopped me and said, "See, all these years you've been trying to blame me for all of your life's woes because you never got ruby red slippers and it's really because you never chased boys in the second grade." Ha ha ha. So when I was little, I always wanted ruby red slippers and every year for Christmas I asked for them and never got them. I was traumatized!!! And then, I had this pink convertible Barbie car that my cousins passed down to me. One day while I was away at school it disappeared!!! My mom totally thinks that she didn't get rid of it but there is no other explanation for my missing Barbie convertible and I want it back! So apparently this isn't the reason for my childhood woes. It was all because I never chased the boys in second grade! The moral of the story kids is this: Chase boys in second grade!!! Because if you don't you'll be single forever with guys who have stuck you in the friend zone just like me. SO CHASE BOYS IN SECOND GRADE!!!

Letters #1

2011-08-27T13:16:00.004-06:00

My adorable friend, Kristy, has been blogging letters to anonymous people lately and I loved it so much that I thought I'd give it a shot. And I'm really trying to avoid my class assigned readings...I know, awful, but here we go :).

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Dear J,
Thank you for being such an amazing support to me lately. Every time I'm feeling crazy you pop up somewhere and make sure that I'm okay. Seriously, you have no idea how much that means to me, especially because I'm really good at pretending like everything in life is okay, even when I just want to cry. Thanks for staying up with me until 3:30 in the morning listening to me ramble and just listening and laughing to my insanity. I'm so glad we found each other again.

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Dear A,
You know...you drive me nuts sometimes, kid. But I love ya anyway. I wish you would just make decisions about things and you'd stop riding a line of protected neutrality. Thanks for helping me get a laugh or two out and for amusing me when I needed to get away from my constant stream of thoughts or just get out of the house. You've become one of my best friends and let's face it, you're basically the older brother I'm never going to have, so you better be a good one! Thanks for sharing jokes, going on Coke runs, and for teaching me about cars....oh cars. Ha ha. Bless our souls. We'll be the death of each other.

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Dear H,
How I miss you. I know you're struggling right now and I wish I could be there with you every step of the way but know that I'm always here and that you're learning a lot of amazing things. I'm so grateful to have you as my best friend and I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm so excited to see you next weekend cuz it will be awesome :). Stay strong, keep holding on, and hecka dominate :)! <3!

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Dear A.N.,
I'm so glad we talked today. It feels like a lifetime since I've seen you and I'm seriously in need of some girl time. I can't wait to come visit you in Cougar Town and we'll party all weekend long...well, maybe not all weekend. We do have homework and stuff to do :/. Don't worry, I'll bring J's welcome wagon basket...:). And everything will be set in motion. I love us. We were just meant to be friends. Birthday twins are legit <3!

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Dear Grandpa...

2011-08-25T21:20:00.003-06:00

Dear Grandpa,
You're probably not going to make it through the night, and at 85 amazing years all I can hope is that you go peacefully. There are things I won't be able to tell you for a really long time, so this will have to do for now so that I won't forget when I do see you again. If you do make it, I can only pray I make it up to see you to tell you.
Thank you for being the fabulous father to my amazing mother, and the loving father-in-law to my dad and the father-in-law every son-in-law could hope for. I learned from you to always look for a boyfriend/husband that will treat me with respect and love, never contempt or anger, who is temple worthy, and is family oriented. Thank you for being the sunshine on my rainy days, and for teaching me that you can never give too much. I learned from you that learning is always important, whether it's playing checkers (thanks for letting me win once or twice), that I shouldn't eat the apples on the ground, and to study hard. Thank you for teaching me that serving others leads to authentic happiness. This has been shown by the many humanitarian projects, temple work, Christmas Eve Mr. and Mrs. Claus visits to the hospital, and country service that you participated in over your life time. Thank you for teaching me that I always can and should choose my reaction to things, and that patience will always help me out in the end. Thank you for teaching me to always try and that I can always rely on the Lord. Thank you for teaching me the importance of the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. Thank you for showing me the importance of family and how they can be your best friends and support system. Thank you for your silly jokes, random made up songs, your laugh, smile, and hugs. But mostly, thank you for teaching me that every person deserves respect, compassion, and overall love. Thank you for teaching to love people as if tomorrow were my last day to live, as if the rain were never going to stop, and as if love could cure all wounds.
God be with you until we meet again.
Love your granddaughter,
Megan

I'm not allowed to be a mechanic :(.

2011-08-22T16:26:00.003-06:00

Today while struggling to figure out a major tuition problem with the U, I turned to my mom and said, "I could always stop going to college and become a licensed mechanic." She didn't think this was very funny and said, "Yeah, no. You're going to school." The banker thought it was pretty funny, and if not, I appreciate her pity laugh. I've gotten two classes out of the five I need (one is institute so it won't be hard to get) and I HATE fighting for classes. But I'm so grateful to my parents who have helped me figure things out and have helped me get into and through school. I'm not going to lie though, I'm kinda disappointed about the "not being allowed to be a mechanic" thing. What happened to you can be anything you want to be when you grow up?! Seriously! Then Alex and I went and got Coca-Cola and french fries because Coca-Cola just makes things better. We even got to see Ethan, Alex's best friend, who is a stud! Ha ha. Basically, they're just awesome. It's always nice to know you've got a friend who will go and sit in a McDonald's with you just to drink a Coca-Cola while you pray that you can get classes you need. Anyway, here I go into the dark abyss that is the registration war. Wish me luck!

Random Occurances That Remind Me That I'm a Girl :D

2011-08-19T00:17:00.004-06:00

This week has been fun. Angie, C.J, and I hung out Monday night and got milkshakes to drink while watching Brian Regan. Today, Angie and I went and ran around in the Olympic Fountains at the Gateway, talked about guys(of course), religion, and life in general, at breakfast, and made muddie buddies! It was so great! I love my birthday twin. For those of you who don't know Angie, you're missing out. We work together and I'm doing everything in my power to move in with her next semester at UVU because I feel like it's something I need to do in my life. Transfer and get out on my own for a bit :). Anyhoo, it was just what I needed to banish some stress from my life and we always have fun.
Oh, and I'm NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER letting my kids leave crayons in the car! I left my brand new box in the car in my backpack and it all melted into my seat. Yeah, it's been fun trying to get the stains out. My kids are NEVER leaving crayons in the car! Just a thought :). But if you ever have that happen to you, I can now tell you how to get most of it out :).
Steph's getting married in two days and I can't believe it! It's so crazy! I'm so happy for her though. There's also this huge stake activity that I'm supposed to be going to starting tomorrow, so I'll be in between stuff do to work and the wedding but we're going to make it happen. Besides, I can never have too many friends and I like meeting new people. Especially new single people ;). Ha ha totally kidding....kind of.
I got to see Joe this week twice which is nice because A) well, who doesn't love seeing their friends and B)I may or may not be....twitterpated...I haven't decided yet. So for now, I remain the slayer.

Fast Cars Weren't Set Free :(

2011-08-18T23:59:00.002-06:00

I'm not going to lie. For some terrible, okay maybe not so terrible, but Twilight Zone worthy reason I have a sudden um...addiction to learning about and working on cars. I fully blame this on Alex and Josh but mostly Alex. Yesterday I went to the Pull N' Save, tools in hand, searching for my "new" hood prop. Yes, it has a name :)! It took me about 10 or 15 minutes of searching to actually find a Civic that was close enough to the make of mine or that actually had one in it still. While walking confidently through the yard, workers, pullers (other merchants), and random people looking for something to do stared at me, took double takes, and held their chins in hand as they tried to figure out what a "tiny blond chick" (their words not mine) was doing in the junk yard...with tools and car parts in hand. Ha ha ha. As I searched, I found the body of a 1967 Cougar. It was trashed but I couldn't help but want to buy the body and restore it. PAUSE! Megan wanted to do what? That's right, I wanted to restore a car. Oh dear, for the love of carbs what has happened to her? But I didn't because A)I don't have the money to restore a Cougar or buy the tools, B)I don't really have the time, and C)I had no idea how I would get it from West Valley to my driveway. Needless to say, I got out after seeing a Mustang body and functional parts because I knew if I stayed long my college days would disappear. So I left the yard, got in line, and the owner gave me the prop for free :). I even put it in by myself, which wasn't hard at all, and taught my brothers how to replace it and how to attach a hose clamp (thanks, Alex). Needless to say, I think I may have found a new hobby. It's a good thing I have great female friends to keep me wearing pink :)....I think I may need a reminder that I like chick flicks sometimes too.

Drive In Dilemmas

2011-08-14T17:55:00.003-06:00

A time honored tradition amongst Americans is attending the drive-in movie. The Pirates (there was Mark, Katie, Ben, Russell, Alex P., Robin, Christian, Chris, James, Gary, Kristy, Joe) and I went to the Redwood Road Drive-In to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Cowboys Vs. Aliens, both of which I didn't pay much attention to. Before the movie started I got Gary to undo the fuse in my car so that the alarm wouldn't go off a million times during the movie. Little did we know, but the alarm was connected to the security system in the car shutting down the engine. First, I thought the battery was dead and I was going to be hecka pissed because I just replaced it about 5 or 6 months ago. It was like 1:20 in the morning, we'd tried charging the battery, reconnected the fuse, and the engine freaking started! SERIOUSLY?! HOW STUPID IS THAT? Who designs a security system like that? However, my very sweet, but large friend, not fat, friend, James, forgot that the hood latch was still propped up and snapped it in half. That's right. RIGHT IN HALF! So tomorrow I'm going diving in a car junk yard to replace it. I'm secretly hoping that Alex will help me search and replace just because he loves me like that...but we'll see. I may have to bribe him. I was so grateful that Joe was so understanding. I was seriously lying on the ground for a minute just laughing because it's easier than crying and he was totally ready to pick me up and give me a hug. He's just awesomely sweet and okay...I'm being girlie....let's move on. But here are some things I learned at the Drive-In.

1)Your alarm works for a reason. A very specific reason. Don't do stuff to it without knowing what else it's connected to.
2)Twizzlers' Pull and Peel Licorice is a perfect substitute while re-creating the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti scene. But it's better because there are people and not dogs.
3)Always take car savvy friends with you on adventures like my wonderful "brother" Gary. Thanks, Garrison Ford. I <3 you!
4)Community cuddling is not only encouraged, but keeps everyone warm. As long as you're all friends and it doesn't get awkward, it's fun. We're one big family, the Pirates and me. I can't imagine life without them. I love you all!

My friends were right when telling me, "I don't need satellite because I'd rather watch your life, Megan. It's like a tv show but better...because it's real." Ha ha ha. Welcome ladies and gentleman to season 19 of Megan's Mj but Meezy and Meg. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Roof Top Kiss

2011-08-06T17:59:00.004-06:00

I have now come to the conclusion that my life is by no means, ever going to be normal and I'm okay with that now :D. The other night J and I went on the roof of this building and went stargazing. He helped me up and down from the roof. I kinda felt like I was cheering ha ha ha. As we watched the stars we saw several shooting stars. I didn't make any wishes but he did. An hour later a firetruck came by and all I could think was, "Shoot! Who called the fire Marshall to come get us down?" while J turned to me and said, "Quick, a distraction!" and freaking kissed me! I was so surprised. After he stopped the said, "Huh. Wow. You were my first kiss." Hold the breaks, my brain was thinking, "What?! You've hardly been single since you turned sixteen. How does that work?" But I really was his first kiss. For the longest time I couldn't remember my first kiss but here's how it went down.

Setting: Five Points Park...someone's bday party
Age:14 or 15
Why: Truth or Dare
So I kissed him. And apparently I told him that he was a bad kisser and needed lessons. Ha ha ha. I feel pretty bad about that but it's kinda funny too.

So then, as we sat on the roof he turned again and said, "So, I still need those lessons..." and we kissed. Again. I couldn't help but think of She's The Man when Viola says, "When we started dating you couldn't kiss at all," and then later assures Justin by saying, "Don't worry. I taught you well." Man, I don't know where this good luck or good karma is coming from but I think I like it :)...

2011-08-03T23:17:00.011-06:00

Haley showed me a really cute blog that had a list of someone's favorite fictional couples and so I'm doing one too! They're not in order by favorites at all. I just love their stories.

Clark Kent (Superman) and Lois Lane (Do you really need a reference?)

Clark: I guess that's why we're friends.
Lois: Oh so we're friends now?
Clark: I won't tell if you don't.

Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter from A Walk to Remember (the book is SOOO much better than the movie!)
"You have to promise you won't fall in love with me."-Jamie

Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady
"The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated."-Eliza

Westley and Buttercup from The Princess Bride
"This is true love - you think this happens every day?"-Westley

Sophie and Charlie from Letters to Juliet
"I would have grabbed her from that blasted balcony and been done with it."-Charlie

Savannah Curtis and John Tyree from Dear John (MY FAVORITE BOOK!!!)
"I love you, not just for now, but for always, and I dream of the day that you’ll take me in your arms again."-Savannah

Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater from Titanic
"I'll never let go, Jack. I promise."-Rose

Holly Golightly and Paul "Fred" Varjack from Breakfast At Tiffany's
"I don't want to put you in a cage. I want to love you!"-Paul

Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars
Logan: I thought our story was epic, you know, you and me.
Veronica: Epic how?
Logan: Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined, bloodshed. EPIC. But summer's almost here, and we won't see each other at all. And then you leave town... and then it's over.
Veronica: Logan...
Logan: I'm sorry about last summer. You know, if I could do it over...
Veronica: Come on. Ruined lives? Bloodshed? You really think a relationship should be that hard?
Logan: No one writes songs about the ones that come easy.

Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen from Smallville

Oliver: You scared the life out me!
Chloe: You better be careful Oliver, or I might start to think you're falling for me...

Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl
"Three words, eight letter. Say it, and I'm yours."-Blair

Bridget Vreeland and Eric Richman from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
I love the soccer playing duo :).
"I play forward."-Bridget

Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables (and all the other Anne books)
"I don't want diamond sunbursts, or marble halls. I just want you."-Anne

Duke and Viola from She's the Man or Twelfth Night
"No man... if you wanna kiss her... You go right ahead and you kiss her! I mean, knock your self out! You just take her... then kiss her. Then kiss the crap out of her!"-Viola

Buffy Summers and Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
"A vampire in love with a Slayer. It's rather poetic... in a maudlin sort of way" -Rupert Giles

Luck Be A Lady

2011-07-31T00:44:00.006-06:00

I've been a lady this week for the most part. I stayed with the guy on the first date and got a second from another guy from the first date. I've been on two dates this week. I feel lucky for this. Wednesday, I went to see "Seventeen Miracles" with my friend, Brandon, and it was fun. On the way to eat after, a Gateway security guard stopped us after slowly following us on his bike. It turned out to be my good friend, Joe, who I haven't seen in years. He said he'd catch up later because he didn't want to interrupt. And we did.
Tonight we went on an AMAZING date. We ended up going to what my friends like to refer to as "Makeout Point" because Will Numbers built a bench for Kate Kuykandall above the temple and it has this amazing view for watching the sunset, stargazing, or making out but Brant accidentally broke it last week. There was no making out but just lots of great conversation.
After we had dinner at Paradise Bakery which was delicious :). We burned time wandering at North Canyon Park because no one shows up on time to Open Mic Night where we ended. We even snuck upstairs to check out the new art exhibits. There were some amazing artists tonight and I was so inspired that our second date is art inspired. Anyway, I ran into another friend, Carston, and it was awesome to see him again. Why do I keep running in to other guys on my dates? Ha ha ha. It'll only be a pattern if Carston asks me on a date too. Ha ha oh that would be funny. Not about Carston but about the circumstance...okay moving on!
Anyway, we went to Fivepoints Park because we couldn't get through the round about...because someone drove their van through a sign and onto an island! We watched from the park as the police and tow truck company worked to free the van. As they did fireworks went off. That's right! Real fireworks. How awesome is that? After we chilled, played tag, he showed off some of his amazing parkour skills, we got frosties and french fries. At this moment I knew that my long lost friend had returned and that we were DESTINED to be friends. What makes this even better? We have a second date! I have ALWAYS wanted to learn the showcase dance from Step Up and so we're going to!

I'm so excited that I can barely even wait. Thanks, Joe for the amazing date. You rock. Lucky it is, indeed, to be a lady tonight.

My Favorite Things :D

2011-07-25T10:48:00.003-06:00

I was looking back on a few of my journals and I had lists of my favorite things. Little me was sooo cute, if I may say so. I mean, she was though. I was surprised to see that my favorite color has only changed three times in my life. So I thought I'd do it again :D.

Favorite Color: Tiffany Blue
Favorite Movie: Breakfast At Tiffany's
Favorite animated movie: Lilo and Stitch
Favorite Book: Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
Favorite guilty pleasure (food): soft frozen strawberry lemonade
Favorite Sport: SOCCER!!!
Favorite color to wear: Navy Blue (it's my signature color)
Favorite instrument to play: Ukulele
Favorite Song/Theme Song: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
Best Friend: Haley Benson
Favorite TV Show (currently on the air): Gossip Girl
Favorite TV Show (of all time): Veronica Mars
Favorite Guilty Pleasure: Magazines (Transworld Surf and Seventeen) and lip gloss
Favorite summer time activity: Anything outside in the sun (tie between kayaking, surfing, swimming, and beach volleyball)
Favorite food/s: Margherita Pizza and chocolate covered strawberries
Favorite Drink: Cool Blue Gatorade
Favorite Holiday: The Fourth of July
Favorite place to go on a day without plans: The Living Planet Aquarium
Favorite animal: sea turtles and sharks
Favorite accessory: Bracelets!!! I have a ton of them. I can't get enough.
Favorite Football Team: The San Diego Chargers
Favorite soccer team: Real Salt Lake
Favorite Athlete: Stephanie Gilmore (female surfer) and Kyle Beckerman (male midfielder for Real)
Favorite sibling:...ha ha ha you didn't think I'd really pick, did you?
Random thing to do at night: Stargazing with the Pirates
Something I've always wanted to do: Dance in the rain, spend a night on a roof top, go surfing in North Carolina, play soccer on the beach in Baja.

They may not be raindrops on roses, or whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, or warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings, but these are a few of my favorite things :).

Posed Barbie vs. Barbie

2011-07-24T10:26:00.005-06:00

Today I feel like a posed Barbie doll. Well, not just today, but a lot recently. I like what I look like and appreciate that I have a nice figure because I like taking care of myself rather than being unhealthy, but lately I can't help but wish that people would look past my body. Lately I've been hearing things said to me and about me such as "You're a pretty girl. Who wouldn't love it if you showed up to their house and invited them to an activity?"; "I wish I could take you and your hot @$$ out on a date"; "I love your hourglass figure. It's so tight and fit"; "You're really beautiful. Did you know that?" Certainly, I appreciate the comments, well some of them, but I can't help but wish that my best guy friends were here to tell me that I'm capable, determined, smart, that I can do anything that I can put my mind to, to kick the guys butts at sports night because I can, and that "if anyone ever tells you that you have a hot @$$ again you call me and I'll pummel them for their crudeness."
I feel like a posed Barbie because all a posed Barbie is is a decoration or an accessory. The Megan who is getting complimented about her body feels like an accessory to lug around on a guy's arm. A Barbie out of a box can do whatever she dreams of. When I look at my childhood, I remember Barbie being a doctor, veterinarian, marine biologist, mother, dentist, chef, fashion designer, pilot, ballerina, lifeguard, teacher (swim, education, special education, dance, aerobic, art, etc.), in several military positions and ranks, president, UNICEF diplomat, astronaut, and a photographer. These are only a few of the careers that Barbie has had and a stupid person could NOT hold that many positions. Barbie is beautiful, for a doll, but she's capable, intelligent, and determined as well. So today, I feel like Barbie who is stuck in a box. I'm just waiting for my mind and possibly friends to come uncut the tape and remind this Barbie that she is meant to live life with a strut and as James would say, "hecka dominate."

Sprained fingers and hand, ripped ligaments, and shaved legs

2011-07-20T19:21:00.002-06:00

So Monday I spent a few minutes with one of the coolest people on Earth, Gates Hunsaker. Though we weren't really friends in high school, he always made my day and definitely made my Monday. He's so positive and chill that you can't help but smile when you're around him. Later I went to FHE and played on a 50 yard slip n' slide. Needless to say, I sprained by fingers and hand, ripped some ligaments, and made my hand so swollen that it looked like someone injected my hand with liquid latex. Fortunately it's not broken, according to the xrays that I got taken. I went to the doctor all by myself for the first time and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I mean, they did have tv while I waited for an eternity in pain. Any-who, so while I've been sitting around being totally unproductive while watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix I noticed that my brother looked a little different. He's got a lot of hair, but it's blond...well, was. He shaved his legs. What? Yeah, he shaved his legs! Why? Because he and his friends were going swimming and he had a lot of hair, blond hair. Needless to say, his hair won't be blond much longer if he continues to shave his legs. Strangely, he did a really good job...and that's what disturbed me the most. How did he get his legs so smooth and how can I get the same result? Please, little brother, share your knowledge...someone obviously gave you my copy of Seventeen Magazine...and I want it back.

Don't ask why. Ask how.

2011-07-14T13:49:00.003-06:00

Today I had an experience where I and normally most people would think, "Why did this happen?" However, I have the most amazing mom who taught me in one of my darkest moments that "we can always ask why things happen to us. But life will always be better when we ask ourselves how we're going to move on from our challenges and what we can learn from it. That's when we become the people that we are supposed to be." So today, I'm asking how, not why I am going to get over my challenge today and what I can learn from it because that's about all I can do. And that's good enough for me.

Soccer is like muggle Quidditch

2011-07-11T10:19:00.004-06:00

What can a soccer enthusiast say other than GOOAAALLLLL? Yesterday's US win over Brasil was something that I dreamed of all day long as I traveled from meeting to meeting. It's a good thing I found it recorded so I could catch up on everything :). A 2-2 tie with a shoot-out or pks of 5-3 is something I screamed over!!! After the tragic loss to Brasil in 2007 I was jumping up and down...while my brothers weren't watching...and was certain that the hills were singing. I'm so ecstatic for the semi-finals. They're going to be amazing. I'm so proud of the US Women's team.

In light of that, I can't help but feel that I've failed in the soccer department with my brothers. My brother and I had this conversation yesterday:
"Soccer's cool."-Tanner
"Well, yeah!"-Me
"I like it. It's kind of like muggle Quidditch."- Tanner
"....no, Tanner, no. It's...it's not like Muggle Quidditch. I...no."-Me
"You're right. They don't have bludgers in soccer going around being thrown at people."-Tanner>
Soccer is NOT like muggle quidditch. When he said this my heart stopped beating and felt like it dropped straight out of me. Muggle quidditch? That's an actual sport that is NOT like soccer. I've got to get this brother of mine in some cleats and show him how to kick a ball before Harry Potter starts playing wizard soccer....oh this is going to be an interesting journey. I can tell already.

My Secret Guilty Pleasure

2011-07-08T16:44:00.002-06:00

We all know that I'm a Ute. I'll cheer for them, but getting access to video from games and actually finding time or the opportunity to securing tickets to go to games is difficult. Today, I confess. I am a closet BYU fan. I know! I know! I'm sorry. Actually, I really am not that sorry. As much as I appreciate, love, and back Title 9, I can't help but wish that we had a mens volleyball team. I stay up late many nights during their season watching recaps.I love watching BYU's mens volleyball and soccer matches! I'm watching last night's soccer match again as I type. Will Burton was donning some legit orange cleats last night. Not that that's important but it helps when reporting about the season to his brother in letters. I was worried last night after his hard landing but he got up and fought for a win :). I can't wait until next Saturday for the game against Ogden. I never thought I'd say this without James dragging me there, but in true James fashion I can say that it's gonna be "hecka tight". I think I may even have to go to the BYU bookstore and get me a hoodie or t-shirt. What can I say, blue is my color. Moving along, I love the spirit that BYU's teams have. They have a unity and chemistry that a lot of other teams don't have and I can't help but admire that as an athlete. The U has some amazing teams, but until the womens' soccer season, I'll enjoy the Cougars' programs :).

The Mean Reds

2011-07-08T00:15:00.002-06:00

Paul Varjak: The mean reds, you mean like the blues?
Holly Golightly: No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
Paul Varjak: Sure.
Holly Golightly: Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!>

I had the mean reds today. I'm not mad at people. I'm mad at myself for letting myself get emotionally involved. The thing is I suck at being with people. When I don't suck, they end up loving someone else anyway. So today I have the mean reds, because I'm afraid and I'm not really sure what I'm afraid of. Today I needed a Tiffany's to run away to but didn't have one. But instead, I found something better. I got a letter from one of my sweet missionary friends today and didn't get it until about 11:00 P.M. I already knew it was going to be awesome because on the outside of the envelope was written "Remember to smile!!! xoxoxo". Ha ha ha. How I love my friend. He always knows exactly what to send when I'll need it. Here are just a few things from Josh this time:
-Remember, boys have germs, so stay away!!!
-Stay out from under the basketball hoop as well as jeeps. Those spots are saved for me. [There have been lots of kisses under that basketball hoop from different guys. What is it with guys and basketball hoops?]
-I know you will always be there for me, especially to get me back into shape lol. Yes, we need to go running! Can you help me with that?
-Remember to plan me in [when he gets home].

I'm so grateful for the people in my life. Sometimes I forget how truly loved I am. This was an amazing blessing and reminder.
Thanks, Josh.
<3!

I AM LOVED!!!

2011-06-29T11:17:00.008-06:00

So this morning I was kinda getting down on myself about the things that I have become aware about. But I think you'd do the same thing if you'd heard what I'd heard. But it's okay, I need to be strong and not let things get to me. Anyway, so my swing buddy has this magical power that when he says, "Watch, your fish is going to be floating belly up at the top of the tank in the morning," that a fish of choice ends up dead the next morning. So after Ashton woke me up about that :(, I went back to sleep (it was 8 am and I wasn't in the mood to watch Curious George. It'll come on later anyway). An hour later Dallin and Ashton woke me up saying, "Megan, your college friends came and left you something on the driveway. You have to come see this." So I got out of bed looking less than glamorous to a huge montage of notes from Abby, Emily, and Mia&Theo Konsopolis aka my crew (a couple of Emily's friends that have been dubbed my crew since they follow me around at random events like an entourage. It's pretty sweet. They keep me totally entertained). I almost started crying and feel extremely loved. There was an NCIS crime scene spread and description stating that I died while watching my absolute FAVORITE show Fondue For Two and had a spaz attack ha ha ha.

Buggy (Emily) can see my soul. Which isn't creepy at all. Ha ha ha. While watching Avatar in the Benson's kitchen one day I couldn't help but laugh at this line as Emily turned to me, looked straight into my eyes and quoted, "I see you. I see your soul," and I laughed so hard I thought I was going to cry and replied, "which isn't creepy at all." And now it's our joke. I love Buggy.

Cadabby loves me! I was so happy to see this. I love Abby so so so so much! She's such an amazing young woman. She's dedicated, smart, funny, loving, and overall just an amazingly beautiful person. I've learned a ton from her and she always keeps me smiling. I <3 you, Cadabby!

Oh and my car's new name is Finchell and I LOVE it! I think I laughed so hard that my head may have had a happy high.

And apparently one of my neighbor kids joined them. We're not sure who or why they love Jimmy, but it makes me wonder if Jimmy is code for James Nish and if we have a common interest ha ha ha. Totally kidding there. Actually, he should hurry up and reply to my letter. Get on that 60!

James and Elder Luke. Elder Luke is an MJ (me) fan. Ha ha. I'm glad to have his approval for whatever I'm approved for considering he's James' best friend in Peru.

So today I'm grateful for my real family and my Benson family because today I feel really and truly loved. I love you guys!

P.S. I totally didn't snitch on my brother and he STILL got busted! That's right. I didn't get in trouble either for knowing he was out with his little um...friend. Just thought I'd update you on that.

No Players on Deck or at the Aquarium

2011-06-29T00:32:00.004-06:00

Today Ashton and I went on a sibling date to The Living Planet Aquarium. Yesterday he told me that he didn't like school because they don't do things that are fun. So I decided to take him to one of the funnest yet most educational places I know, the aquarium. If you know me you know that I LOVE everything about the ocean even though I have a totally irrational phobia of Orcas. He really enjoyed being in charge of the camera and loved the sea turtle, penguins, and sea horses(and he thinks it's totally cool that I may go spend next summer saving sea turtles in North Carolina). It was awesome to see him smiling about Climbing Tree Frogs and his 19 year old sister acting like a little kid in a candy shop while petting the stingrays. He loved it and we ARE going again :D. I love my brother.

I spent the rest of the day with my country swing friend. He's an HR major and reads people for a living. Being in a new ward, you hear things about people. The things he had heard about me were that I was a drama queen, player, liar, and annoying. It's hard to hear things like this being said about you but it's nice to know too. Luckily for me, he gave me the benefit of the doubt. We spent the day playing games, making dinner together, and watching the sunset and star gazed on his deck. It was nice to know that after spending a day together that he decided that people really just haven't gotten to know me and that I most definitely am NOT a player. As long as I keep working at it, there will never be any players on "deck" or at the aquarium.

P.S. My fifteen year old brother snuck out of the house to hang out with his um....crush aka my neighbor at midnight. Granted, I can bet you ten bucks that they're having a lengthy discussion about the gospel, I can't help but want to rat him out but I'm so proud that he's actually breaking a rule that I can't help but be proud of him that A)he broke a rule and that B) my brother is a normal teenage boy after all :). Way to go Tan! Lock the door when you come in please :).

Country Swing

2011-06-28T02:18:00.003-06:00

Today was amazing. My brother and I took my friend a Slurpee while he was working on a car. Then Ash and I got star stickers for Angie and I to wish on at work (because it's never dark when we get out of work), and new goldfish :D. So Angie and I wished for things...normally you're not supposed to tell people what you wished for but since mine came true...and there's the whole thing where we wished on STICKERS that I have to tell. I wished that my mechanic friend would come visit me at work. As embarrassing as it is, I'd gone to the restroom and when I walked out saw Angie, my coworker/friend beaming at me mischievously. As I turned, BAM! He was there. WISH COME TRUE!!! Except see...I was so flustered I'm pretty sure I made a fool out of myself, until he asked me to go country swing dancing with him at Studio 600. He came all the way to FREAKING Quiznos to ask me on a date in person!!! Angie even answered for me before I could. Ha ha ha. I'm so glad she was there to help me with this. So I literally got home from work, changed, and left. It was wonderful, fun, and I really got to know my friend more. Of course, you see, I think I could like him. I can tell this because my face really really really really REALLY hurts from all of the smiling I've been doing all day and I can't wipe it off! So after going for a drive after dancing, where he taught me the different gears of a stick shift, and talking for more than an hour, I realized that I DIDN'T have my keys with me and that my OCD brother had DOUBLE locked ALL the accessible windows and doors. Every SINGLE one of them. So I had to call my mom to let me into the house. It was hilarious. I'm not sure what will happen between my friend and me but I'm glad we had such an adventurous night together. Besides, who gets asked out in person in a QUIZNOS on a Monday? Nobody...except for me :).

Parking Spot Stealer

2011-06-26T00:31:00.005-06:00

Tonight I went to Sunset City Days to watch my friends' Pirates of Shipwreck Cove production. It was pretty legit considering that it was created, rehearsed, and performed in a total of two weeks. I'm so proud of Aust (the director/producer/everything...?) and his hard work. He's always doing something awesome. Well...here's the thing, sometimes in life you get scared of falling for people. I left, saying goodbye to my good friend, we'll call him B/Boots, thinking that was all I needed to do. As the fireworks were going off and I walked to my car, my gut told me to turn around and go kiss Boots. I pulled away. Eventually I turned around and couldn't find any other parking spots cuz mine had been taken! There was no kiss under the fireworks. There was no cuddling in the pirate ship nest. There was just a voice-mail sent with a few words I'll never be able to take back. Maybe not romantically, but I love my B and I'm glad he's my friend. Stupid parking spot stealer!!!

Summer Fun

2011-06-23T15:17:00.002-06:00

So this summer instead of doing a traithlon (because my relay team quit on me), I'm training for a 10k. Crazy, right?! I know. My friends talk me into the weirdest things. We're training for the Dirty Dash 10K on September 24th. It's a 10K obstacle course/run in the mud and it's going to be a blast! I'm stoked! Today I got to thinking about all the stuff I want to do this summer so here it goes:
1)Go flowriding. It's a new sport similar to surfing but on a machine which allows for stunts that would be performed on skateboards or snowboards. It looks legit. Come on Friday Jam session! I don't want to wait anymore.
2)Kayaking:Hoping to take them out on Saturday with Kyle or Mark. We'll see what happens.
3)Go hiking...a lot :)!
4)Flirt me up some dates...I really need to work on that part...
5)Find a new/another job. College isn't paying for itself unfortunately.
6)San Diego trip with the fam :).
7)Being a bridesmaid at Steph's wedding. Can't believe she's getting married :).
8)Perfect my volleyball serve.
9)Figure out how to transfer to BYU for Marine Biology major
10)Don't get engaged...I'm not ready to get married yet.
11)Bonfires with the Pirates
12)Go wake surfing. I love wake surfing!
13)Create indoor soccer team with friends. THIS MUST HAPPEN.
14)Attempt to tan. That's right, attempt!
15)Watch Pretty Little Liars all season long!!!
16)Play as much soccer, football, and volleyball as possible.
Welcome to summer!

Last Friday Night T.G.I.F.

2011-06-17T13:21:00.005-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlyXNRrsk4A
I'm having trouble posting the video so copy and paste the link to your URL to watch :D.

"Uncle Kenny told me that you guys used to be FUN on Fridays." Ha ha ha. I absolutely love Katy Perry. Sure some of her music vids are a little crazy but I love this one! Yes, that IS Kenny G in there as Uncle Kenny. I had to rewind it to make sure it was him because I haven't seen him around since I was a little kid. Yes, I am a product of the 90's. Seriously though, this makes me want to break out my neon stretchy pants from kindergarten (even though I don't have them anymore), watch something like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and hit the pool party down the street that I wasn't invited to again...:( totally kidding about that last part. I don't want to hang out with my brother's friends :/ *shudders*. I love Kevin McHale in this. He's brilliant as Artie in Glee but I can't get enough of him in this. He's hilarious! Check it out, peeps. And happy Friday night partying!

Aquamarine Hair!!!!

2011-06-16T17:11:00.000-06:00

So today Laura and I decided to get color extensions at Claire's because we both wanted to have blue streaks since watching Aquamarine. I love it. I've got figure out how to make it look decent but I'm excited. I love it! I'll post pictures soon!

No Troy Bolton :(

2011-06-15T13:42:00.003-06:00

Dear Disney,
Please stop writing scripts about playing in tree houses, having picnics on the golf course, and dancing in the rain.
Sincerely,
Living in the desert without a Troy Bolton

This is something I came up with after watching HSM 3 this morning. I'm not going to lie, I kinda like him. Troy Bolton treats Gabriella pretty well and they're always having fun together. They go for late night swims, adventures in his truck (well I made that up because I'm pretty sure that they would and I'd want to do that too), have picnics on the golf course and late at night (with Margherita pizza and chocolate covered strawberries which are my favorite foods in the whole entire world), they sing together (I miss that Stripes. We MUST hang!), dance in the rain, play in his tree house and as cheesy as it sounds, I want that. And come one, how many of us went through a Zac Efron phase?! We all did! In fact, I still am going through that phase a little. But he's a different Zac Efron. He's a cute little Toy Yorkie that will be mine when Haley and her mister right get married (so hurry up and find her Mr. Right! I want my puppy!) Either that or a German Shepard puppy named Zeus (named after the dog from "The Lucky One" which also stars Zac Efron ironically). So today, I'd like to thank the Disney company for putting stupid ideas about stuff I can't do because my tree is too small for a tree house, it's not raining today (not that I mind cuz I love the sun), and because...well Troy Bolton does NOT exist. Please, next time, just send me a puppy.

Charred Flesh, Shark Bait, and a Tippy Wall Canoe

2011-06-12T00:49:00.003-06:00

This weekend was our ward summer activity. After taking down chain link fences and being part of the chain gang, transplanting plants, pouring graveling, and burning, we went to the Peters' for rock climbing, zip lining, minute to win it, and some amazing bbq. I learned that I can't balance ding-dongs on my forehead and that if you get thrown into a water fight that patience and plotting will allow for the best revenge. Friday and Saturday we went to Heber Valley Camp and it was amazing!!! Nothing explains a YSA camp out better than charred flesh, sleep deprivation, and a sugar hangover! I even got a new nickname: Shark Bait! We completed a high ropes course and other group activities that were focused on bonding. It was my third time up there and I've never failed to feel the Spirit there. As a new ward, we bonded in ways I didn't think were possible. A member of our ward said in his fireside presentation that you can see light and love shining in our countenances. He's right. I never fail to feel loved in my ward. Today on the lake, Mark, Sarah, and Steve decided they'd start a splashing war with Becky and me. HVC has some pretty strict rules but as Mark and Reese say, "Rules are meant to be broken right ;)?" They tipped their canoe and went for a freezing swim :) but were rescued by the missionaries. I'm pretty sure it made my entire weekend. After lunch, we hiked back to camp where I decided we should lay in the snow. So we did! I waited for Mark to white-wash me, but he's really a gentleman and didn't...even though I probably deserved it. After we changed, came home, and I crashed in my bed. It's a weekend I'll never forget. I'll get pictures up soon.

Moab and stuff...like hair.

2011-05-31T21:20:00.007-06:00

So I'm back from a fun filled weekend with my family in Moab. There was waaayyy too much food, lots of sun, and hiking. Of course, there were TOTALLY awkward questions like, "Do you think that you and Seth will get married?" Really, I don't make this stuff up. Oh well. Ha ha. It's nice to know they care. It was great to catch up and play around in the red sand.

Hay's gone to California as she's on to her next adventure and all I can say is that I love her and am eternally grateful to have such an amazing friend in my life. She really has been the biggest blessing in my life these past two years.

Today....I did something EXTREMELY STUPID. Not just stupid. But STOOPID. I cut 3 whole inches off of my hair. And then I let Julie, the stylist from my ward, put layers in it. Now it isn't my Bridget Vreeland hair. It's like....flippy :'(. And just thinking about it seriously makes me want to cry which is why I've been sitting here eating cookie dough out of a tub. I know...so not healthy for me, right? Oh well.

OH! So one of my best childhood/present friends, Steph Chase, is engaged!!!! AGGHHH!!!

I'm so happy that when I found out I literally ran around my house jumping up and down. I'm so so so excited for her and her fiance, Dan. They're so uberly cute together and he treats her so well. I'm so so so thrilled. It really is icing on the cake to life today.
Oh! And what is up with my curse for falling for guys who go to BYU?! This HAS to stop RIGHT NOW!!! Seriously. Dear Ute men, where are you?! This highly available bachelorette is patiently waiting and your "rivals" are ready to beat you to the punch! But they are ever so charming...:)...curse you Cougar men. Curse you and your oh-so-charming demeanor. I won't give in...maybe.

The Softest Feet Ever

2011-05-23T08:54:00.005-06:00

A lot has happened since my last post. I found a movie buddy, a new volleyball team, and indoor soccer every Tuesday and Thursday :D. Could I be more in heaven? Probably not! I mean, how lucky am I that I get to play volleyball at 7 in the morning with four of the world's coolest guys or to play soccer twice a week with 10-15 of the most talented soccer players I may ever go up against, who are indeed, also all male. So I start indoor tomorrow and I'm pretty stoked, I mean, soccer's pretty much my life right now. If I could live on the beach, save sea turtles, surf, and play soccer for a living I would. I REALLY would. So what is this about volleyball at the crack of dawn?!
I have made two new friends, Connor and Braden, who are determined to compete in tournaments this summer. They joke about becoming Olympians, but I don't have the heart to tell them that if they're going to compete that they've got to actually focus. They're sort of serious too though with talk of finding sponsorships, practice techniques, and "pep talks" about assets and liabilities. So now Connor (the swimmer), Braden (the smart one), Lee (the musical soccer enthusiast), Jeff (soccer player), and I (soccer addict/sports enthusiast) practice...as long as the net is up, at 7 a.m. Why am I staying? Really? I'm the only girl with four unfocused guys who want to become pro-beach volleyball players! No, I don't like any of them romantically. But they do make me laugh. So maybe I'll be their number one fan...but either way, I'm going to have the strongest, yet softest, feet ever!

H&M and S&B

2011-05-14T14:52:00.008-06:00

Welcome upper-west siders to one of your only reliable sources into the not-so-scandalous lives of the Bountiful Bubble. It's no secret that my best friend is Haley or that I have a not so secret love for the Gossip Girl series. While catching up on he last few episodes, I couldn't help but notice the similarities between duo:Hay (East) and Me(West) vs duo:Serena and Blair. So I thought I'd blog about it...mostly because I'm bored but because I can't get it out of my head.

Some of S&B's most serious conversations happen on the steps of the Met Museum with coffee. Hay and I love Starbucks and Orange Leaf. At Starbucks I always get a Caramel Apple Spice and she usually gets a Vanilla Steamer. We stopped going there when my favorite latte boy, Ammon, quit to become an assistant manager at some game store. Orange Leaf, however, is a place to discuss everything and anything just like S&B do on these steps. Another thing about this picture is their outfits. Like Blair, Haley's style is very classic and she always has a headband. While packing to leave for home she discovered that she owns 46 (I think it was 46) headbands and flowers as hair accessories.I like more muted colors and city chic things as well as my ever present Hollister collection. Seth, however, has started introducing me to the word...um...color. It's going well.

This could be a picture of us if it weren't Blair (Leighton Meester) and Serena (Blake Lively). Hay's feminine side balances out my sporty side. Blair's ruffles would be something strait out of Hay's closet and I actually own a light blue v neck just like that. Hay's brunette and I'm the strait blonde haired one. It's how it goes.

I'm always making weird faces and doing crazy stuff. It's kinda like this picture of Serena and Blair. It's reminiscent of Haley and myself goofing off or just being together. Haley's hair is always neat and mine...well, I try to make it look like i tried to do my hair. Serena's jacket is very much like my motorcycle jacket by LC (which can be seen in my profile picture). Haley loves gloves and vintage things which reminds me very much of Blair's outfit here.

But there's more than looks, outfits, and funny faces. Blair and Serena love to watch Audrey Hepburn movies together with pastries. One of our favorites is Breakfast At Tiffany's. It's our go to feel better movie. Although you'd think it's sad because it's about an escort and a gigolo falling in love, it always cheers us up because Holly finally realizes that people belong to each other and that love is real. Of course, we love it for other things too. I love that the cat's name is "Cat" or that the telephone is kept in the suitcase to muffle the sounds and that ballet slippers are kept in the fridge. I'm certain another reason that Hay loves it is for undying love for the jewelry store, Tiffany's. She's "crazy about Tiffany's". I'm sure if she could she'd live right in Tiffany's itself. Someday we're going to eat scones and sip hot chocolate outside of Tiffany's at 6:00 A.M. so that we can say we had breakfast at Tiffany's.
Sure, our arguments and disagreements aren't even half as bad as Serena and Blair's, but we're always there for each other. Me, never being able to decide who I like, and I, advising her about her love. Whether we're eating cupcakes, buying Trent goldfish named after Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, shopping, or drawing on James' driveway with chalk we'll always be there for each other and I'm grateful to Serena and Blair for reminding me of that. I <3 my sister, Haley!