I am happy to be here!

house sitting

2011-10-07T00:48:00.000-07:00

I am currently house sitting for a friend and it has given me the chance to be on my own again... the problem with this is that I again remember all of those things that I need to work on to be a better live-alone person. (You though you only needed to learn how to live with others but I think you need to have skills to live alone.)

exhibit a. I learned this evening that I really need to learn how to cook amazing food. Tonight I tried to make mac and cheese and I almost ruined it. I added way to much milk. One would think that after living by myself I would be a pro at making mac and cheese but I am not. But man can I make a mad bowl of cereal or hot chocolate or taco soup.

exhibit b. Some nights I get so wrapped up in a book that I forget what time it is and stay up way to late... This needs to be improved upon because I still have to go to work in the morning. Note to self set alarm that tells me to go to bed.

exhibit c. Although I like animals I'm not really a have-an-animal person. Although it is nice to come home to something I feel bad that I am gone and that they are home all alone while I am at work. Mom does remind me that at least I come home at night otherwise they would be home all by themselves always. Her logic makes me feel better.

exhibit d. I don't like bugs, rodents, or dead animals. No I have not seen any while I have been here but I still dont like them. Just a few months ago I tried to convince my dad to come over to my house to pick up the dead rabbit that the dog drug in. He refused and made me pick it up myself...(not that I blame him. I think it was about 12:30am and he was in bed asleep. but still.)

I'm sure that there are more examples but I haven't thought of them yet. more exhibits to come.

Taking a break on a Saturday!

2011-09-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

So today during a break in cleaning, doing laundry, and organizing Dad took Madie and I on a little trip over to Dad's latest project... now I'm not really sure what it is suppose to be but until it is in use we have our own little skate park! In the following videos Madie will show us her fearlessness as she takes on the concrete slope on her rip stick...

This is over behind the Lagoon.

On another note I'm sad to say that I did not try the slope on the rip stick because I was afraid for my life... and all the skin on my knees and hands, as well as all of my bones. But Dad and I went up everything on the 4-wheeler. (I don't know if that really counts.)

Home again....

2011-08-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

Exciting news!

So I have just moved back in with my parents. Aren't those the words every 24 year old wants to say...

Right now I am going through my things trying to make everything I own somehow fit in a room and part of a storage shed. I never realized how many things I have until I try and move them. Just talking with Mom about how I would love to just be able to fit everything I own into my little car... but now I am looking at my things and I realizing that I have way to many things. I mean the things I have for my kitchen could almost fill up my trunk.

So far I have gotten rid of 3 boxes of books and three bags of clothes and I still have an outrageous amount of stuff. Looks like more stuff will be going to good will or to others.

Time to reevaluate and recycle and let others reuse.

Jenga

2011-06-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

So I had my brother-in-law Jon's name for Christmas and I decided I was going to get him the funnest game ever... Jenga! But then I realized that he would have to bring it home on the plane and that Jenga weighed a lot so I got him a different game instead... So I ended up with the game instead and last night we finally played it.

The box said that some pros are able to make it up to 36 stories high! So with that being our goal we set off and after 4 stressful attempts were only able to make it to 32 stories but we were pretty happy with that! Doesn't it look so amazing!

If anyone wants to stack blocks I'm willing to play!! Just let me know!

Brent's Graduation

2011-06-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

Brent, Aubrey, and Sarah graduated this past month and it was amazing! So proud of you guys!
This is a clip of Brent walking across the stage getting his diploma. I love the hug/tap at the beginning between Dad and Brent. (Dad gave the benediction so he was up on stage.)

Mindy, now it is just like you were here but without all of the long speeches and waiting for everyone to walk across the stage. Enjoy!

This week...

2011-05-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

So this past week has had some noteworthy events...

On Wednesday Brent, along with cousins Ryan and Eric and friend Jacob, received their Eagles and they are now all Eagle Scouts. Way to go boys!!!

The second event was on Saturday when I came home (to the Wohle's house were I have been living for the past 8 months) and realized that there was water all the way up to the top of the driveway. At first I though that someone had just over watered the field but then I realized that it wasn't just the driveway but everything that was east of the house. The neighbors realized something was wrong when the water started flowing onto the road and stopped the water and started draining everything. The water in some places was up to my knees!

Turns out the ditch bank blew. For proof see the following picture.

It doesn't look that bad in the picture but it is about 6 feet wide! By now the water is gone from most of the dirt and we're working on drying out the bunkhouse that ended up with 3 inches of water in it. Thank heavens there wasn't too much that was ruined. Thankfully mine and Courtney's cars weren't at home because they would have been flooded because the water was 3/4 of the way the wheels on Brittney's Bronco.

Counting our blessings!

The last month or so...

2011-05-24T23:52:00.000-07:00

In the last month or so I have had many adventures that I am going to share with you...

The first adventure was a weekend trip that Madison and I took to Utah. First thing was to attend the wedding of one of my favorite cousins, Jacob, to his beautiful bride, Susan. (Thanks for the picture Aunt Beth!)

We left that morning and made it with 30 minutes to spare... we even got ready at a rest-stop! After the beautiful wedding Madison and I spent time going around temple square and then the next day we were able to perform baptisms in the Salt Lake Temple. Our trip then took us to St. George to visit my most amazing sister Melissa!

Where we were able to be for 2 days of fun and relaxation. If you will look at the picture again you will see that I have a wonderfully cute hair cut and color both done by Melissa! I think that I am really going to like having a beautician in the family. While Melissa was working on Saturday Madie and I went exploring St. George and we went to the temple and found the baptisty and were able to just show up and do baptisms. Two temples in two days and tons of time with two of my beautiful sisters!

Adventure two: Corinne, my wonderful, amazing, example of a cousin, decided to go to the temple for the first time and Mom, Dad, and I had the opportunity to be there in the temple with her. It was a wonderful experience and I am so thankful for the fact that I could be there! The adventure was in the fact that Corinne was living in Minnesota! We flew in on Friday, attended the temple on Saturday and then flew out a few hours later. One quick trip!

Now the most recent adventure was to the wedding of my best friend, Krista Stark (now Krista Zemp!) The wedding was down in LA and it was absolutely perfect. She looked stunning!

I was one of her bridesmaids along with her two amazing sisters!

Oh and last but not least: I finished my Pre-Cal class! So very glad that it is over.

While I had many more adventures while on my adventure these are the highlights!!!

Updates...

2011-04-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

I guess my life hasn't been tooo exciting because I haven't posted in about 2 months but I will repent and start again.

Number one thing to talk about in my life is work. I love it and the good news is that I finally got my Pharmacy Technician license!!! So exciting!

Number two would have to be my Pre-Cal Class that I am currently taking. A friend and I have been doing homework almost every night after work so that makes for some really long nights.

Number three is YSA. To see what has been happening there I will direct you to the Fallon Stake YSA blog where you can see the most amazing thing "Spud"wood derby car ever!! Her name is Tessie, the Tahoe Lake monster.

Number four is the repainting of the dining room and kitchen in Sue's house. So far I have removed the wall paper and the next step will be to wash all the walls and ceiling with TSP and then to paint the walls and the trim. Here is a picture of the dining room (although I don't have a picture of it with all of the wallpaper removed.)

Number five would have to be reading. I have been able to find quite a bit of time on my long drives to Fernley to listen to books on tape and have been squeezing in time in the evenings. The book that I am currently reading is Timeline by Michael Crichton. I found out about the book after finding the movie by the same name and realizing that it was based on a book... Highly suggest the movie! It is one of my favorites!

Now I am sure that there are other things that I have been up to but at the moment I can't think of them....

Whats been going on...

2011-02-24T23:43:00.000-08:00

(Pretty much this is all for Mindy but everyone else can enjoy as well!)

First of all here is a little teaser...
What is this? Just wait and see!
(Isn't this pattern beautiful?!?!)

What's been happening in the world of the Perazzos? Well one major thing that we have been doing is going to Brent's basketball games.

GO GREENWAVE!!

(Brent is #23)

Now here is what we are all waiting for...
my hobby for the past two weeks has been making a birthday present/apron for Melissa.

I know. I know. Isn't it soo cute!?
(But don't worry I'm not quiting my day job.)

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-04T00:05:00.001-08:00

The New Year is always a good time for reflection and starting a new. Although I set aside time each month to look over my goals that I make in January sometimes it seems that we are fighting a losing battle. This year I am determined to not fail but instead I am going to rise to a new height. "How?" you may be asking. I haven't figured out yet but it is bound to be the most genius discovery of the century! (I'll let you know when I solve world hunger too!)

december and may

2010-12-05T20:54:00.000-08:00

So at the beginning of each September and January I get really excited about the classes that I am going to take and then by the time it gets to December and May I couldn't careless if I never saw another textbook again. Seeing that it is currently December you can probably guess my feelings right now.
Yep that is right... If I never saw another math book for the rest of eternity I would be ok with that. At this moment I should be working on long division of polynomials but instead I am drinking hot chocolate and watching a movie and hoping, without actually believing, that suddenly my math will be done and then I can go back to spending my evenings reading what I want to read (mostly historical fiction novels) and actually getting some sleep.

2010-11-25T22:12:00.000-08:00

its been a while... so the highlights.
first of all...
**HAPPY THANKSGIVING**

in the previous month

**Halloween at Bob Tucker's Pharmacy**

Bob was very gracious and let us dress up! We all had a blast planning our costumes... My costume was made by Brenda (the one in the cowboy outfit) for her daughter when she was in high school. I am a court jester!

The girls at the Pharmacy all dressed up.

**November 16th**

my 24th birthday.

on another note.
almost done with classes for the semester.
ready to be done.

another month has come and gone!

2010-08-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

SO it looks like even after all of my hopes of blogging more often another month has gone by and it finds me with no additional blog posts. Here is a post to get you though another month of Megan silence...

This month was full of very large decisions, some followed through and some in the planning stage, and here is the current status of things:

Most important things first, on Saturday I had the most wonderful opportunity to go through the temple and take out my endowments. It was the most wonderful experience of my life and I cant wait to go again soon!
I have decided to start going back to school. "What in?" you might ask... that is still in debate but I have some ideas that I am throwing around. This going-back-to-school is actually just a math class that I have to take and then two fun classes, english and ceramics, but it is still a start.
I am going to be brave and start going to one of the singles wards in reno starting at the beginning of next month. This does not mean that I will not be attending Fallon YSA activities, on the contrary, it means that i will just be going to church there and maybe attending some of their activities, while still fully participating in fallon YSA. I can hardly wait! the only question lies in which singles ward in reno I will be going to?
An amazing family in my ward is leaving for a year (to live in Hawaii so dont feel too bad for them) and a few friends and I are slated to move into their home while they are gone! While I am sad that they are leaving I'm thrilled with the chance that it is giving me to move out of my parents house, again.
I am NOT changing jobs anytime soon, well that I know of, I am still working at the pharmacy and really enjoying it. While some days I come home completely exhausted I am learning a lot and enjoying my time there.

While all of these things are subject to change and could possibly fall through I am excited that I actually have some plans that are moving me forward in my life.

TO SUM UP: new spiritual high, new classes, new ward, and a new house, but the same wonderful old job with some new people!

another month!

2010-07-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

so another month has gone by and I am just another month older but I dont know about wiser....

summation of the month: busy and where has all the time gone?

since last month I have:

well i didnt, but Mom and Melissa got in a car wreck from which they are both recovering nicely... nothing major which was a literal miracle but also brought me to a realization of myself which was that I really have no sense of direction. I made this realization after it took me over an hour to get to the ER that was about 30 mins away.
the above realization prompted me to get myself a 1/2 birthday present of a GPS! (on a side note I have decided that if/when I start dating someone I am going to tell him that my family celebrates 1/2 birthdays so I can get to have a special day twice a year instead of just once.) Back to the point: this GPS was a lifesaver in my following adventure of...
going to Vegas for the 4th of July and had one of the most amazing weekends of my life! Thanks Krista and the guys!
came right home from Vegas and started house sitting for a lady in my ward. I enjoyed 2 saturdays of watering, tanning, and relaxing un-interrupted; as well as some carefree nights and I didnt kill any of her animals either. go me!
I realized that as much as I think that I want an animal I am better just imagining that I have one. I dont think that I would do well caring for something when I am gone so often. kinda sad but I think if I was going to get an animal it would be a boxer. They are just so cute and they dont really shed which will work out great with my hatred/phobia of animal hair...
wow, the above was really random but oh so true...
decided that I am going to stop waiting for other to show up for me to make plans so the plans are rolling
Also look forward in the next few weeks for a big announcement. (and ps since i'm not dating anyone its not that i'm getting engaged, guess again!)

dont know what else to say but june/july have been good months for me!

my car has been violated!

2010-06-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

SO today was interesting...

my car was vandalized and some horrible things were written on it.... like: GO UTES! and other blasphemous messages, like BYU SUCKS, tears! (pics to come...)

Thanks Brian and Tiffany; but sleep with one eye open!

I also discovered that I drove all the way home from Fernley with my car keys in my car door. how you may ask? well I opened my car and once I was inside I couldnt find my keys so I used my spare and once I was done with institute I discovered that my keys were still on the outside of my car.

go me! it was just one of those days!

a month in review!

2010-05-29T13:08:00.001-07:00

Really interesting month so for a few highlights in no particular order...

I now have a niece! Her name is Emily Ruth Scott and she is adorable!!!

Mom is in Iowa with the Scott rights now enjoying her new grandbaby, we are all jealous! More pictures can be seen on Mindy and Jon's blog.

I was called to be a primary teacher and I will be teaching the 6-going-on-7 year olds. There are usually about 3 of them so it shouldnt be too crazy except their previous teacher was amazing so I have some really big shoes to fill.

On a more serious note, cousin Jacob got hit by a car, had surgery, (the success of which we are all thankful!) and is now recovering at Grandma Lowes which I am sure includes lots of sports as well as Grandma spoiling, both of which are sorely needed. But he is excited to get back to playing and dating so we are thrilled for his speedy recovery.

The Alan and Carey Perazzo home is experiancing a change again, Grandma Lorelei, (my moms mom) is going to be moving in with us about June. This is cause for great celebration but also lots of moving. Grandma will be staying in the master bedroom downstairs with means a swicharoo for everyone else. As we are pro-movers these changes were made in about an evening, besides some of the furniture that couldnt make it up the stairs, that was left for a different day. The below armoire is case and point. After an unsuccessful attempt to bring it up the stairs, a window was measured and removed and after help from the neighbors across the street and a few acrobatic tricks by Brent (that it is a good thing Mom didnt see,) the armoire made it beautifully into what is now the parents room (again.)

I finished my two classes I was taking for fun at the WNC, History 111 The US Constitution and Art ?? Ceramics. I loved them both and was sad to finish but excited to have more time to do other things. one of which is in the works and I should be finishing soon. pics to come! and the other is reading. I love that now I have time to read books for fun again and the 45 min drive to work allows me time to listen to books on tape.

Also we have been having weird weather. Lots of wet stuff that is really foreign to those of us who live in a desert called Nevada. This is a prime example. This was two days ago and only lasted for about 5 to 7 minutes but look at what it did! (Side note: please turn off the volume before you listen because I just realized how weird my voice sounds on a recording. really odd.)

Another also: look at the great growth of my tomato plants. Dad was kind enough to keep them alive while I was staying with Grandma and Grandpa (thanks for a wonderful time btw. Loved it!) If all of this freak weather stops happening then I might actually be able to plant them outside. we will see.

I am sorry for the lack of posting and I resolve to improve.

so its been a while...

2010-04-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

The plants: as you may note there are far fewer plants here then I started with. This is due to me forgetting to water them and most of the plants have passed over to the other side. The ones that have survived are the endless and cherry tomato plants. We will see how long these ones last....

I'm ready for school to be over in one since but still want it to continue in another. I want to continue learning and having class discussions but want to be done with the tests and quizzes. Also want to have more time to throw pots on the wheel, right when I get started then we have like one more week that we can throw or something ridiculous like that.

Tired. not ready for another week. Will endure.

chow.

my garden grows!!!

2010-03-08T22:10:00.000-08:00

...or at least some of the seeds have emerged!

This is how my garden garden looked on Wednesday after I had planted the seeds...

Now look and see what I have! Little sprouts! Aren't they so cute?!!?
These are my tomatoes... roma and cherry are the only veggies that have sprouted, so far.

My herbs seem to be doing well. They were the first to come up! Yeah for hope!

Maybe something will grow in my garden after all... or maybe it is just because I haven't had to do anything too major to keep it alive. Whatever!

It is growing!

Lent...

2010-02-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

As I am not Catholic I do not really celebrate Lent in its entirety but I do like to try to work on a special goal in the time leading up to Easter and what better time to start then Lent? I try to focus on giving up a bad habit and spend that time with something more worthwhile.

My goal this year over Lent is to learn more about the life of Christ by studying it in the Scriptures and talks of the prophets. The thing that I am going to work on giving up is procrastination and I will continue with my plan of eating healthier.

Yeah for new beginnings!

So the new plan...

2010-02-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

First of all, I had no idea that so many people in my family read my blog. Second of all, thanks, it makes me feel loved!

Now on to the reason for the post... While this may not seem major to alot of people it is a big deal for me to decide on something, anything, so here is the decided on plan. (It is subject to change!)

To squelch two rumors that I have heard (Thanks Grandpa!).... I am not getting married nor am I going on a mission at this time. Although both are worthy pursuits that I plan on doing they are not for me right now.

The New Plan: I got a job at Bob Tuckers Pharmacy for which I am really excited. This means I will be in Fallon longer then I had originally planned, which was June. Why, I dont know, but here I am and here I will stay, for a while. Please refer back to my blog title: "I am happy to be HERE!"

I start work on Wednesday!

Prayers

2010-02-08T00:09:00.000-08:00

For the past about month/many months I have been debating about what I am going to do with my life now that I am old and graduated from college.

Being a firm believer that I need to study out a topic, look at all of my choices, and then bring to the Lord the idea that I feel is the best and see what He thinks. This has worked for me in the past and I'm not one to stop doing something if it works!

Today I finally decided on the path that I thought was the best and said a little prayer asking Him what He thought of my choice and where this choice might lead me...

The results of this little prayer were much too quick for me. Within 15 I had a completely different path suggested and lets just say I am still in shock trying to figure out how all of it will work.

I just have to look into ironing out a few kinks and then we will see where I am lead...

wish me luck!

baking day

2010-01-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

today was a baking day... 8 loaves of bread, 2 dozen cinnamon rolls, cornbread, and 15 bean soup to go with it. pretty good for a days work. and the house smells amazing!

Tired...

2010-01-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

SO the past week I have had this problem...

Once I wake up at night, like totally wake up, I can't fall back to sleep. Last night I was woken up by Melissa and Maddie, within about 10 minutes of each other, at about 2:30ish am. So guess who has been up since then, you guessed it. me. now I am tired and want to take a nap. maybe I will.

I was able to get alot done during that time. I read, almost done with Persuasion. I did dishes. Oiled the kitchen cabinets. Cleaned my room. Did laundry. Wrote in my journal. Read scriptures. So its not like I havent done anything. I think that I deserve a 30 min nap before FHE. maybe after I shower. and fold some laundry.

Happy Birthday to me... 2 months late!

2010-01-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

So you are correct. Today is not my birthday, but as my birthday was in the middle of my work week at amazon.com I never actually got to have a birthday or a birthday cake. So today I am proclaiming my substitute birthday day!

I know, sad right?!!?

To remedy this problem, no cake (because even though I'm now 23 does not mean that I dont want a birthday cake), I made myself a cake... it is a two layer round German Chocolate cake!

This was my first attempt at making a German Chocolate cake with homemade frosting and it turned out wonderfully! The cake was made last night but the frosting had to be made this morning so for breakfast everyone is having cake... strange I know but it sure is a mix-up of the breakfast routine!

What a sugar high so early in the morning!

Super Powers (well for two nights anyway!)

2010-01-13T05:53:00.001-08:00

So tomorrow is my last day working at amazon.com! Welcome back life!

So random thing happened today (which is my second to last day of work), they changed the type of scanners that we have to use from this:
to this:
Now instead of holding the above seen massive scanner instead I have my very own super power... wait for it... yes I now have the ability to shot a red laser out of my finger!

To bad that just as suddenly as I discovered my power it will be taken from me... at least I have one more night to laser blast every barcode in sight!

MLIA

2009-12-24T04:09:00.000-08:00

For some random reason I feel that I am kindred spirits with those that post on MLIA.com*. When ever I feel a little down all I have to do is read a few stories on MLIA and I am always left laughing. I wish things like that would happen to me... but then again maybe not, but I wouldn't be against seeing people dresses as crayons running down the street chased by a empty crayon box! That would defiantly make my hour, if not my week!

*MLIA: My Life Is Average is a website where people share stories about things that happen in their lives, most of them are hilarious but some are questionable. These things used to be about average things that everyone does like "Today on my way to work I noticed the "low fuel" warning on the dashboard. I pulled over and got some gas. MLIA" but now includes stories about things that happens to average people that are quite funny like "Today, I opened my garage to see that my car was not there. I freaked out for a few minutes until I realized that I was driving my car. MLIA."

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T03:04:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

So I'm very sorry that I have been slacking in my blogging...

I have been working 11 hour nights at Amazon.com warehouse and have been using every spare minute to sleep. Interestingly enough when peak season was over a few days ago both Mom and I were some of the few that were kept on for a little longer. We are excited for the money but the hours are exhausting.

Today Mom and I came home early and have been making cookies and bread for the last 5 hours... right now it is about 3:30am and we are up making goodies, yes we are crazy but right now is our day. Eventually I will be on a better sleeping schedule but for now 3am is a normal hour.

Right now Mom and I are on our third type of cookies... first peanut butter blossoms, second chocolate chip, and last, but not least, white chocolate oatmeal cookies. The bread has been started and we are on the way to shaping and cooking the loaves.

The smell of cookies and bread are spreading throughout the house! I guess this is one way of spreading Christmas cheer!

Our adventure of last night...

2009-12-11T05:19:00.000-08:00

So background info... I have been working nights at Amazon for the Christmas season so I have a tendency to sleep during the day and stay awake at night.

Well tonight we had a little adventure. While Mom and I were getting ready to go to bed at about 2:30am we heard the farm truck start. Mom went and woke up Dad and they called around but no one we know had the truck. Mom went out to start the car to go and look for our truck as she saw it drive by, as my mother is really quick she jumped in the car and started following it. Dad and I followed and along with our neighbors, who's drive they pulled into, caught them and after about an hour of statements we got our truck back and finally got home again.

Madison and Brent slept through the whole thing and are still none the wiser. So much happens when people are asleep!

Thanks friends...

2009-11-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for good friends who always just seem to know when I need to talk or just need to get out of the house to watch a movie. Thanks friends.

Craving Pizza

2009-11-15T00:54:00.000-08:00

All of today I was craving pizza...
So I decided to try my hand at making pizza dough.

The process was interesting and to tell you the truth I was really surprised that it turned out.
I guess the pizza turned out well because it is pretty much all gone!
Yeah me!

2009-10-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Nevada Day!!!

Today we finally finished with the grape jam and then I made over a pound of butter!

NCIS has been on all day, I haven't watched it before but after multiple hours of watching it I love it.

No trick-or-treat-ers came to our house. But then that was probably a good thing seeing that we didn't have any candy.

Photo of the day:

Thanks Dad!! Really enjoyed the good laugh!

Baby-sitting and Grape Juice-making

2009-10-27T23:28:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day baby-sitting two wonderful, little girls! After many trips up and down the slide, books read at the library, puppies and cows, and imaginary friends/stuffed animals I'm exhausted! One day we tried to make sugar cookies but the problem was that the dough was so sticky that it got all over... so instead while we waited almost an hour for the dough to become un-sticky one of the girls that I was watching played with a little piece of dough, a rolling pin, and cookie cutters. She has an amazing imagination!

I was ready to go to bed at 7 when I got home but I came home to the family getting ready to make grape juice. 3 and 1/2 hours, 7 gallons of grape juice, and 1 and 1/2 gallons of soon to be jam later.... I'm pretty much in a coma now. Here are some pics to prove that I am indeed becoming more domestic!

More Bread!

2009-10-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

Baked bread again today, this time there were 12 loaves and only two dozen cinnamon rolls. Go Mom! I still have not mastered the bread shaping so the credit must go to my amazing mother, although I was in the kitchen with her the whole time, does that count? She is a wealth of knowledge. There is so much that I can learn from her and I am starting with bread...

Thanks Mom!

This is what happens when...

2009-10-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

Mom leaves me to finish making the bread.

Instead of making perfectly lovely loaves like this:

The result was this:

Out-of-control amounts of cinnamon rolls.

One might ask "Why are there not 8 loaves of bread like there are suppose to be?" My reply is simple. I don't know how to shape the bread into those perfect loaves without my mothers help, so instead I decided to make cinnamon rolls because I DO know how to put butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar on the bread dough and create this outrageous amount of gooey goodness...

YUMMY!

Laughed so hard I cried...

2009-10-09T01:12:00.000-07:00

Say this video on Facebook and laughed so hard that I cried... here is it on youtube! Enjoy!!!

I cant figure out how to post in on the blog so here is the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xi4OsIdmn8

2009-10-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

In all of my spare time I have had a chance to finally read a book that I really wanted to read, The Magic of Ordinary Days. I really love the movie that was made by Hallmark and was shocked to find that the book and the movie are remarkably close. It is a Hallmark movie, so keep that in mind if you are going to read or watch it, but I love it! And I want to thank Danielle Duffy for lending it to me so I could watch it again!

Whenever I come home...

2009-09-30T13:28:00.002-07:00

I always seem to get a cold. Currently I am sitting in my bed with my Robitussin, Chloraseptic, water, blankets, and sleeping! It is giving me plenty of time to go through my things and work on my scrapbook. Hooray for time spent decluttering and getting better!

I'm coming to Provo!

2009-09-18T12:03:00.002-07:00

I decided about 20 minutes ago that I am officially going to Provo this weekend to see my fabulous best friend and my equally fabulous little sister (and meet the little sister's boyfriend!) It should be a wonderful time!

Locks of Love

2009-09-16T17:16:00.003-07:00

My hero for today is my little sister!

Maddie got her haircut today and she donated it to Locks of Love. Way to go little sister! I love your new sophisticated hair cut! Doesn't she just have the prettiest red hair you have ever seen!

Corn Silage

2009-09-15T22:57:00.006-07:00

Today was a pretty interesting day... cleaned up part of the house, sent a fax that took about 10 thousand years to actually send, drove with Brent, and most interestingly of all, saw pretty much the whole process of corn becoming corn silage. (For those of you who do not know what corn silage is I suggest that you look it up on Wiki (just like I did) and that should give you a pretty good, perhaps overly good explanation, of the nitty-gritty's of silage but my explanation will be short, dumbed down, and hopefully easy to follow.)

For multiple days every year the only answer to what Dad had been doing all day was "he was out packin' the pit." Although I have ridden in the tractor with him for many hours as he packed I had never been able to see the whole process of corn to silage until today. My day started out with a thoroughly frustrating experience with the fax machine and then a little jot over to see my daddy. This was pretty much the scene that met my gaze (although I didn't take the picture it is a pretty accurate representation of what was occurring on my farm.)

I rode with the "Pops" for a hour or two as he "packed the pit" and was about to head home when he trick/mislead me into seeing the rest of the operation at work. The Wadsworthswere doing the cutting and hauling of the corn and I was able to ride along and see everything first hand.

So first the corn is grown (this is the step that takes the longest and of course it is the easiest to explain... corn seeds planted, corn watered, corn grew.)

Next when the corn is sufficiently dry yet still yellow-green wet it is cut by this enormous tractor with lots of blades that turn the whole stock from the-stocks-of-corn-you-see-on-peoples-porches-in-Autumn to something that resembles confetti all in just a few seconds! The corn is then blown from the corn cutting machine into the truck that is following along side.

Once the corn is in the truck it is brought back to wherever the "silage pit" is going to be and dumped and that is where my daddy's job starts... He is the pit packer. He uses a tractor to push the silage into a pile and then runs over and over it to pack it down. (This job according to my father is mindless work and is when he gets to make a lot of phone calls and does his thinking.)

The last part of the process involves covering the "pit" with heavy plastic and tires... this part will probably be coming in the next few days!

Thanks Dad and Ben for a wonderful education even though I am no longer in school, well in organized school anyway!

(The pictures have all be stolen from different places on the Internet... I know I am in so much trouble!)

Monday Night means FHE!

2009-09-14T23:41:00.003-07:00

Tonight I attended was able to attend two FHEs, the YSA FHE and our family's FHE.

For YSA we drove out to Sand Mountain and climbed up (who am I kidding! Y'all know that I didn't climb all the way to the top but I did make it about halfway up! no mocking!) and then I made the traditional run-down-and-tumble and was pretty sandy but I did get a good look at the Nevada sky and realized how much I really love to look at the stars... if only I knew what I was looking at. Research before tomorrow night will have to be the constellations and the stories of their origin.

After the YSA activity I arrived home just in time to participate in the family FHE (but I did miss the annual "I AM HAPPY TO BE HERE!" from the whole family). For activity we helped make signs for Madison, she is running for West End Student Council Treasurer and the family wanted to make sure we helped out all we could, even if our creative juices weren't all we had hoped for. Today turned into a wonderful Monday Night!

I'm BACK!

2009-09-12T14:13:00.004-07:00

SO this summer I had a wonderful time nanny-ing for Auntie in CA but now I'm back in Fallon! I have no idea how long I am going to be here (I am hoping it's just long enough to make some money to move somewhere else) but I am planning on making the most of the time that I am going to be here. I have been home a week but it seems like it has been much longer than that.
I have:

been running my siblings around like a crazy person
helped my brother study for his driving permit (HE PASSED!!!)
cleaned out the play room and set it all up with the pool table, card tables, sitting area, and darts.
then I moved all of my stuff from my car to the newly-cleaned-and-set-up-play-room (now it is no longer clean... sorry mom!)
did a 500 piece puzzle... I dont really do puzzles so this is really exciting for me!
worked on my scrapbook a little (almost done with high school, only senior year left)
helping Mom feed, run, and play with dogs and the puppies
deep cleaning the closets. threw a lot of junk away (mostly dads) but also brought a lot to Good Will (mostly moms) and there is still more to go through.
went to the storage shed and looked at the tubs i have in storage. cleaning out those will be a few weeks chore in itself.
got the family news letter that Mindy put together and we all enjoyed finding out what everyone else in the family is up to!

Life has been crazy but it just make me remember how much I love my family and how thankful I am to be here with them!

With all the busyness/crazyness that happens in my life when I come home its wierd but I always seem to show up back home right when I need to. I believe that God has a hand in everything that happens to us, good or bad, and it is that helping, loving hand that gets us through and makes us stronger. Family, I LOVE YOU!!!!

its about time...

2009-06-17T00:39:00.002-07:00

I have finally:

organized my last box and placed it in the storage shed.
packed my car to go to Aunties for the summer.
read the 5th Harry Potter book...
got books 6 and 7 from the library. will start reading 6 tomorrow.
did my laundry... its been almost a month.
found my crayons and coloring books
started my jean quilt by cutting out all the jean blocks.
found that I have three coin jars and all are full. I either need to use the coins or get a new jar.
started a new journal...my other one was just not working for me, the pages were just too big.
found my contacts and my case.
emptied out and cleaned my purse.
realized that I still have not started the 1000 piece puzzle that it is my goal to finish this summer.
relocated my planner and my post-it notes.
blogged after a month and a half!

night!

Week-in-Review

2009-05-03T12:05:00.007-07:00

Well at least the exciting stuff in review...

Monday: We painted and cleaned and then for FHE activity we did face masks. Brent (my 16 year old brother) refused to have his picture taken and Mom was too tired so here are the pics of Maddie, Dad, and I.

Maddie and I

Dad and I

Tuesday and Wednesday: I cleaned and painted a bit in the morning but then crashed from exhaustion for a couple hours both days...

Thurday: I went to the laundry mat because the clothes were pilling up because we were working on the laundry room... did a rough estimate of about 20 loads of laundry and had them washed, dryed, folded, and put away by the time Mom got back! Also when matching socks I found 20 bucks, pretty good for a day's work.

Friday and Saturday: At about 7:30 pm dad and I started laying hardwood floor in the mudroom/laundry room and we worked until about midnight. This was begun after we had spent a good portion of the week tearing out a closet that was in the empty space next to the washer/dryer... Dad made the wall skinnier as well as removing the top portion of the closet which required him to re-tape and texture the walls as well. Beautiful! On Saturday I was awoken by the nail gun at 7am and went down to help dad for another couple hours (he nailed and I placed the wood, measured, and used the chopsaw to cut (I knew that semester in wood tech would pay off!) and the result is this beautiful hardwood floor... Sometime next week dad and I start on the study which is about 4 times larger but now that we have a method hopefully it wont take too long.

View from outside/View from inside

Later on Saturday: Melissa had senior prom and I was chosen to help out... I did her makeup and her hair (pictures of her hair are forthcoming) and was so sore from doing the floor and then helping melissa that I went to bed early... Man I am getting old, I cant even stay up late any more!

Melissa with her date, Bobby

2009-05-03T10:34:00.001-07:00

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Tally your total at the bottom.

(X) 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
(_) 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
(_) 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
(_) 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
(X) 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
(_) 6 The Bible
(_) 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
(X) 8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
(_) 9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
(X) 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
(_) 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
(_) 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
(_) 13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
(X) 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
(_) 15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
(_) 16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
(_) 17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
(_) 18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
(_) 19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
(_) 20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
(_) 21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
(_) 22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
(_) 23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
(_) 24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
(_) 25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
(_) 26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
(_) 27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
(_) 28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
(_) 29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
(_) 30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
(_) 31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
(_) 32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
(_) 33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
(_) 34 Emma - Jane Austen
(_) 35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
(_) 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
(_) 37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
(_) 38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
(_) 39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
(X) 40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
(_) 41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
(_) 42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
(_) 43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(_) 44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
(_) 45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
(_) 46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
(_) 47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
(_) 48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
(X) 49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
(_) 50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
(_) 51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
(_) 52 Dune - Frank Herbert
(_) 53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
(_) 54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
(_) 55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
(_) 56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
(_) 57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
(_) 58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
(_) 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
(_) 60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(_) 61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
(_) 62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
(_) 63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
(X) 64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
(X) 65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
(_) 66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
(_) 67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
(_) 68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
(_) 69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
(_) 70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
(_) 71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
(_) 72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
(_) 73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
(_) 74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
(_) 75 Ulysses - James Joyce
(_) 76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
(_) 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
(_) 78 Germinal - Emile Zola
(_) 79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
(_) 80 Possession - AS Byatt
(X) 81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
(_) 82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
(_) 83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
(_) 84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
(_) 85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
(_) 86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
(X) 87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
(_) 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
(X) 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(_) 90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
(_) 91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
(_) 92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
(_) 93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
(_) 94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
(_) 95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
(_) 96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
(_) 97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
(X) 98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
(_) 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
(_) 100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Total Read: 16

I guess my reading habits stack up ok but interestingly enough a lot of the books on this list that I haven't read are on my reading list! I will have to see how my habits stack up at the end of the summer!

DONE with COLLEGE!

2009-04-22T16:42:00.002-07:00

So I finished my last final of my college career about twenty minutes ago and now I am officially graduating! This moment has been a long time coming and now that its here I really dont know how to feel about it. My high school time was spent learning and getting good grades as well as learning how to interact with others and my college career was busied with classes from which I learned so much about the history of the world and different ways in which to view information as well as alot about myself and the person that I have become. As of Friday I will graduate and be forced out into the real world where I will be required to use all of the knowledge that my high school and college experiances have given me.

Real Life: this is going to be one great adventure and I AM HAPPY TO BE HERE!

Capstone: DONE!

2009-04-21T11:14:00.001-07:00

I have officially finished my 490 capstone class when I turned in my final draft of my paper at 11:32 am this morning!

Deep breath. I feel so free!

2009-04-20T04:27:00.002-07:00

Once I have graduated I WILL NOT miss having to wake up at really random hours to make sure that I have:

1. gotten all of my reading done for that quiz we are bound to have in class
2. studied enough for that test
3. finished that paper

Just a few more days and then I will have no reason whatsoever to wake up at 4 in the morning... except maybe a take a long drive across Nevada or insomnia.

This morning I am up to study for the two finals that I am scheduled to take at 11 am and 2:30 pm today. Boy am I excited to be almost done!

0 down, 3 (and a paper) to go!

2009-04-17T22:57:00.003-07:00

For all of you people almost done/done with finals already... Jon and my roommate Tricia... I salute you but am also extremely jealous!

I haven't taken any of my finals yet.

I have my capstone paper (sorry I know that everyone is sick of hearing about it. I am sick of writing it!) still to finish which I worked on today, two scheduled finals on Monday, and my stats final I'm taking on Tuesday still left to finish.

I just want to be done, graduate, relax, and get a tan.
Is that too much to ask?

Tomorrow I am turning in my capstone paper so wish me luck on my long day of writing/rewriting!

reading days

2009-04-15T11:04:00.003-07:00

hot chocolate + thesis + warm bed/study + words of encouragement = one amazingly written paper.

When I was younger... well in high school... I would stay up late to write papers (always putting them off until the night before.) Well my dad being the thoughtful man that he is always seemed to know when I had writers block and would come into the study with two steaming cups of hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles and words of encouragement.

I have continue my dad's tradition of hot chocolate many times over the past four years, most of the time it was just really boring hot chocolate with no whipped cream and not sprinkles and no dad, but still... its the thought that counts.

Today starts the last week of my undergraduate and I have just two more papers to finish. I just made myself a cup of hot chocolate, cozyed up in my bed, came up with a thesis statement, and just called by dad for his words of encouragement! All of the ingredients for the perfect paper!

amazing paper here I come!

Those with weak stomachs DO NOT READ!

2009-04-09T13:59:00.005-07:00

This morning I had class at 8am and as I was rushing out the door I almost stepped on the most hostile attack on my dinner group!

We had challenged all the other dinner groups in the Ward to an Easter Egg Hunt to which this was the response! My dinner group is so amazing...
We are totally going to win!

Springtime/ Easter Basket

2009-04-08T13:50:00.001-07:00

So I didn't realize that we had to bring a container to class today for our spring baskets so in between lecture and lab I ran home and emptied out a potted plant (I had killed it earlier this semester) and brought in it to lab and the green and white of the pot as well as pink were the basic colors for this arrangement. I love it! and am glad to have something to brighten my room! BTW this was my first time using floral foam and I have to admit that it is a bit easier then just water! This class has been one of my favorites this semester and I would advise anyone to take it!

Just want to sleep in...

2009-04-03T07:29:00.004-07:00

(Not me but what i want to be doing! (And look at that bed! doesn't it just scream heaven?)

With all of my papers and homework that I have to get done before I graduate sleeping-in is not something that I have done in a while... not that I did it very often before this semester but usually at least I had the option. On Saturday I think that I am just going to slack on starting my homework for a few hours and sleep-in... well at least until 9am!

Capstone

2009-03-31T15:31:00.002-07:00

So my first draft of my Capstone paper is due tomorrow and what have I been doing today? Oh ya working on my thesis statement so that I could bring value to the rest of the 20 pages that I have already written! Go me! But for all of you that are worried that I will not be done on time don't because I am turning it in tomorrow at 3:35 pm whether it is ready or not!

I love deadlines... and procrastination.

Why I love Road Trips...

2009-03-25T10:10:00.002-07:00

1. Roadkill... I saw a porcupine!
2. Drinking soda (and yes it was caffeinated.)
3. Port-a-Subs!
4. Listened to music for hours and not feeling guilty.
5. Maverick fro-yo.
6. Mike and Ikes, M & M, and pretzels.
7. Chatting with friends about life... solving all of life's problems.
8. Getting out of Provo!

Tax Season!

2009-03-22T00:12:00.004-07:00

I am home for the weekend and what do I do?

I file my taxes, help Brent with a geology project, and played Ticket to Ride with Maddie... I live a rather exciting life! And in about 10 hours I am headed back to Utah with almost none of my schoolwork accomplished. But I did get to spend wonderful bonding time with my little bro and little sis

I love you Brent and Maddie and thanks for hanging out with me all weekend!!!

2009-03-17T12:58:00.003-07:00

SO I realized that I had forgotten to post the picture of my floral cube that I made in floral design so here you go!

I am so proud of myself that I didn't use pink... I am branching out!

A year of hairstyles!

2009-03-02T20:51:00.003-08:00

I was looking over some of my pictures from this past year and realized that my hair has done a lot of changing!

Exhibit 1:I started off the year with long hair. This picture was taken January 2008 at my sister's baby shower, hence the diapers (it was a game).

Exhibit 2:
I went to the beautician for a trim and ended up with this! This pic was taken later in the month of January.

Exhibit 3:
Before I left for London I got my hair cut again, this time with more of an A-line but still pretty short. Taken in London some time in September.

Exhibit 4:
Taken this January after I had let my hair grow for almost 6 months and after I personally had cut my bangs.

But the real question is what to do NOW!?!?! Grow it out again? Cut it? Keep it? I guess I wont know until it happens, but you are more then welcome to voice your opinion!

Shout out to MINDY!

2009-03-02T20:38:00.002-08:00

So today is my big sister's birthday and I just wanted to let everyone know!!!!
She is amazing and I am am lucky to have her for a sister! She has taught me so much!

I love you sis!

Fat Tuesday (or in other words MARTI GRAS!)

2009-02-24T18:59:00.002-08:00

I'm definitely not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the Catholic holidays. Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent all have a pretty important significance to practicing Catholics so I felt that I should learn more about their feast days seeing that they are already fast upon us.

I did not celebrate Fat Tuesday, for which I am sure my old roommate Paige would be extremely disappointed, but I do plan on giving something up for Lent. I talked about this with my mom and she said that she already knew what she was going to give up and that was despair. I am by no means that profound so I am going to give up something physical, sugar treats, and also something mental, saying negative things about myself. While both of these things are going to take a lot of conscious effort on my part in the end it will be worth it. Isn't the idea behind Lent that by giving something up in preparation for the celebration of Easter one becomes closer to God?

I want to encourage everyone to get ready for Easter in their own way, weather it is giving something up for Lent or just reaffirming their goal to read about the life of Christ in The Bible and/or The Book of Mormon. I am!

2009-02-23T16:41:00.003-08:00

I just discovered that I was born on a Sunday!
I knew Sundays were my favorite day of the week for some reason!

(I know its kinda weird that I am making this discovery on a Monday but that's not the point, Sundays are still my favorite day!)

English 291

2009-02-18T11:56:00.002-08:00

The poem that I am required to memorize for my English 291 class.

George Herbert:

Jordan. (I)

WHo sayes that fictions onely and false hair
Become a verse? Is there in truth no beauty?
Is all good structure in a winding stair?
May no lines passe, except they do their dutie
 Not to a true, but painted chair?

Is it no verse, except enchanted groves
And sudden arbours shadow course-spunne lines?
Must purling streams refresh a lovers loves?
Must all be vail’d, while he that reades, divines,
 Catching the sense at two removes?

Shepherds are honest people; let them sing:
Riddle who list, for me, and pull for Prime:
I envie no mans nightingale or spring;
Nor let them punish me with losse of rime,
 Who plainly say, My God, My King.

I dont know about anyone else but I have never of George Herbert before... and now I am forcing his great words into my memory for the rest of eternity. Couldn't he have at least written a less bitter poem?

Gift Basket!

2009-02-17T09:07:00.002-08:00

In Floral Design I learned how to make gift baskets. Although it took a lot of work and patience I think that I succeeded (and its not pink! I'm branching out!). This basket it a movie night basket and I have to say I enjoyed myself... It came right in time for the long, lazy weekend.

St. Margaret is my Day Saint

2009-02-13T10:15:00.004-08:00

Today in my History 201 class my teacher decided to give a lecture on St. Valentine and happen to mention that everyday during the year is assigned a saint. Me, being the curious person that I am, decided to stop listening in lecture and instead go on a search to learn who my day saint was. I was soon to discover that the day saint of November 16 is St. Margaret! I thought that it is kinda cool that my name Megan (which is a pet name of Margaret) and I happen to be born on her day!

History 201

2009-02-13T10:11:00.003-08:00

History 201.
Yes, I am a history major that is graduating in April.
Yes, I am currently taking my 490 capstone
but I am also currently enrolled in History 201!
Yah thats right... 201. Go me!

5 am texts and questions? NOT OK!

2009-02-11T22:49:00.005-08:00

VENT
(just give me 10 min so I can sleep well tonight)
(The smaller words are tangents... too bad this program doesnt have footnotes that is one good thing about turabian writing style)

Question: So thinking of the text from "Guts" (and this is not just some mean name that I came up with for him but what he introduced himself to me as. I have no idea what his real name is.) I was just wondering what possesses people to text mere acquaintances at 5 in the morning?

Answer/Feelings on the Topic/Story: I was thinking that maybe he just thought that I get up that early, which I usually do but this week has been a week that I have been able to sleep in til at least 7:30 am, so I ignored it. I guess he didnt get the hint because he sent me another one at 6:10am. These texts were not about anything important but things like "I am leaving for work now" and "So are you going to BYU?" I mean come on! 5 and 6 in the morning?!?!? So I sent a text that said "I'm sleeping!". What does this get me but a text the next morning at a little after 5 saying about the same thing... "going to work it snowed" things like that. So I sent him another one "Sleeping til after 8" and what happens the next morning... I bet you cant guess! I got another text, same time and I was in the same place, my bed... "Awake and headed to work its cold outside" ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?! We are not dating, I dont really even know you, what makes you think that I care when you go to work or when you get home? If I were dating you that might be a different matter but still I would probably run the other way because just the thought of someone always letting me know where they are makes me feel claustrophobic because then they ask what you are doing and I value my independence too much to want someone to constantly know where I am and what I am doing. Come on, we have meet once and didnt really even talk, I did not give you my number and you are making me leave my phone on silent and leaving it places just so I have an excuse not to text back. (I have never really be a big fan of phones except to talk to my parents and family. A phone just means that you are never alone... I dont always return text in a timely manor, there is a reason that you text. It is because you dont want to call and that is ok but just dont expect me to get right back to you.) You are an acquaintance that I will probably never see again and am not interested in so sorry if I dont have the time to learn everything about your life because I am focusing on school and being in pain and my friends and my responsibilities. That may be a little harsh but if you want to get to know me I amok with texting but if you purposely wake me up at 5 am (interrupting my few hours of sleep) to ask me trivial questions about myself then I am sorry but as a warning I might be tempted to be a little rude.

Bad Luck Comes in Threes

2009-02-11T22:02:00.006-08:00

So far since I have been in Provo I have been sick with a cold two weeks ago and been to the hospital with a possible burst cyst yesterday, I am thinking that this means I have bad luck in Provo. I have heard that bad luck comes in threes and this makes me worry because so far I have only had two, count it two, bad things happen to me and that means that one more thing is coming! So I have decided that because all of this bad luck has happened in Provo I need to get out. I am going to spend the extra long weekend in Rexburg with Mom and Melissa in hopes of counteracting the bad spell...

(I just remembered that I for the last four mornings I have been getting 5am texts from "Guts." Does that count as bad luck? Because if so then I have hit three and then my trip to Rexburg can be for R&R instead of to break a curse...)

chocolate chip pumpkin cookies

2009-02-09T19:43:00.004-08:00

so last night I made chocolate chip pumpkin cookies and they were so good, well at least I thought so! I added more chocolate chips and pumpkin and added less oil and cooked them for about 10 more minutes then it called for but they turned out wonderful!
Go ME!

Floral Design Again: Boutonnieres

2009-02-07T15:03:00.004-08:00

So I went to floral design this week and the focus of the lab was boutonnieres. We made four different kinds: the rose, the carnation, the daisy, and the wildflower. They were so easy to make even for a perfectionist like me. You just take the beautiful long-stemmed rose and chop it into a very small-stemmed rose and the you wire it and wrap it, add the leaf and baby's breath and wrap it again, curl the stem and you are on your way to a beautiful rose boutonniere.

The Rose Boutonniere

The Carnation Boutonniere (aka the funeral boutonniere).
On this one we had to wire the leaf also which is a little tricky but it turned out beautifully.

Picture of all four types of boutonnieres, yep I'm going pro!

2009-02-04T17:47:00.002-08:00

So in the past week I have taken three tests and written a paper but I still have one more test and paper to go before the weekend... will I make it? Right now that is debatable because I have no desire to write my English paper and it is due in 13 hours exactly. Must be in her hand by 8am or it is late. The pressure is on and the only way to make it go away is to start writing. (unspecified amount of time later.) Ya still havent started writing but now I am seriously thinking about starting... or maybe I will take a nap. Oh the difficulties of being me!

(Another unspecified amount of time later.)

So I have thought about what I am going to write my paper on and this is what I've got. The Wife of Bath's Tale as it compares to the Arthurian culture within Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This should be good as I have read both of them and we talked about what was in them in class. Ya now that I have done all of this work I deserve a nap.

Night!
megs

I am sick (but not in the British sense of the word)

2009-02-01T07:47:00.003-08:00

I have felt this cold coming on for about the past week but have been doing everything in my power to fight it, drinking lots of water, taking vitamin C and a multi-vitamin and trying to get more sleep, but it seems that it didnt work because here I am on a Sunday morning sick in bed. There are definitely better ways to spend a Sunday... but then again sleeping all day can be good too.

Floral Design

2009-01-28T16:32:00.004-08:00

I went to my first floral design lab and I loved it! Flowers bring happiness to everything and they are pink which makes it like 100 times better! Next time I am going to try and branch out and pick something that is a different color... although I do love pink! I made the mistake of picking out pink flowers when I was already wearing a bright pink scarf and my pink backpack and with the pink of the flowers and the wrapping I was getting some interesting looks... Oh well I am happy! Here are some pictures of my happiness!

On the kitchen table... ya the arrangement is a little weird but I will get better. She hasnt shown us how to really arrange yet, just how to wrap, that is why the wrapping is beautiful!

Abstract Writing or Writing an Abstract

2009-01-20T22:29:00.002-08:00

For tomorrow I have to turn in an abstract for my 490 class on one of the dullest articles of all time and if the professor hadn't removed all of the tracking information I would have added a link on here so everyone could enjoy reading it as much as I did.

It is a study about the Dutch shipping merchants during the reign of Charles V and the effect they had on warships and the Government in general. The author states that the reason the Dutch merchantmen lacked naval protection was because their backers were to stingy.

Above is the really rough draft of what is soon to be my abstract. It only has to be 250 words... but I had better really know and address that thesis and arguments. Dang it. That means that I have to read the article again, all 24 pages of boringness.

Wish me luck!

Back in PROVO and the SNOW!

2009-01-06T17:25:00.002-08:00

So I have been back in Provo for almost 4 days and it has been snowing for almost 3 of them. This does not inspire confidence in the upcoming semester but I still am trying to keep a positive attitude! I am still trying to figure out what classes and everything I am doing so it is a bit stressful... but I have a few days to figure it out. Last semester! Yahoo!

Traveling the UK!

2008-12-17T00:06:00.002-08:00

We have had a wonderful time so far. We dropped off my stuff after repacking it and smashing almost everything I own and most of the things that Mom brought into two bags that we are storing while we are traveling. We took the train to Oxford and wondered around for a bit before we rented a car and traveled over to Woodstock... the town right out side of Blenheim Palace... and stayed in this wonderful 14th century coaching inn that was cozy, sweet and perfect for the night! Today we are going to head to Blenheim and go through the palace and then through the Cotswold and will end up sometime tonight in Liverpool! Mom is a wonderful driver and we are just enjoying our time together and seeing all of the places that we can!

The "How BYU are you?" Survey

2008-12-11T11:40:00.000-08:00

So I stole this from my Provo roommate Jessica's blog... And me and my roomies here in London really enjoyed taking this survey! Take it and tell me how you do!

77 questions.

[X] You have been kissed at least once
[_] Your first kiss was on campus
[X] You've had a boyfriend/girlfriend
[X] You lived in the dorms your freshman year
[_] You went to Homecoming or Preference
[X] You hiked the Y
[_] You've taken a social dance class
[X] You regularly attended FHE for at least a semester
[X] You've participated in Choose to Give
[X] You've been to Liberty Square for a party at least once
[X] You've driven around south of campus for at least 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot
[X] You know the cougar fight song
[X] You've crossed the crosswalk without using the flags or biked through a red light
[_] You've been to Friday Night Live
[_] You've performed or witnessed an act that made it onto Police Beat
[X] You've been on a "date" to the bell tower or duck pond
[_] You've been to the Bean Museum for FHE
[_] You've been to Divine Comedy
[X] You've been to International Cinema
[_] You are engaged
[_] You are married
[_] ...in the temple
[_] You were previously engaged/married
[_] You have kids or are expecting kids
[X] Your birth parents are still married
[X] ...in the temple
[X] You have at least three siblings
[X] You've taken a marriage prep or relations class
[X] You've taken at least one religion class that is not based on the scriptures
[X] You have slept on a couch in a restroom
[X] You have been to the BYU Creamery
[_] You have been in one of the BYU choirs
[_] You've been on a date to Fat Cats
[X] You have read Twilight
[X] ...book 2
[X] ...book 3
[_] ...book 4
[_] ...seen the movie
[_] ...more than once
[_] You've waited in line at the Bookstore for the Harry Potter or Twilight book premiere
[X] You have seen The Singles Ward or Sons of Provo
[X] You have walked out of a movie you found morally reprehensible
[X] You know where the "chastity line" is (??!??!??)
[X] You can finish the phrase "Nothing good happens after ______"
[X] You read the Daily Universe at least 3x a week
[X] ...and it's the only newspaper you read
[X] You've personally known someone who was reported to the Honor Code Office
[_] You've participated in or watched a Mr. BYU contest
[_] You've received personal revelation that he/she is "the one" (or been told this)
[_] ...and told him/her about your revelation (or been told this)
[_] ...and then they rejected you (or rejected them)
[X] You've been to the Nickelcade
[X] You've been to Classic Skating
[X] You've ignored your parents' phone calls for at least 3 days
[_] ...and then they called the University Police
[_] You've been pulled over by the University Police
[_] You watch The Office religiously
[X] You mostly wear jeans and t-shirts or plain fitted shirts
[X] You own at least 3 things from American Eagle or Hollister
[_] Your sacrament meeting is a fashion show/scam session
[_] You've been on a date to the Provo River
You've kissed in a...
[_] ...campus parking lot
[_] ...Provo Canyon or Squaw Peak
[_] ...on temple grounds
[X] ...on a couch as soon as your roommates left the room
[X] You think UVU is not a real university
[X] You hate U of U with a passion

FOR GIRLS (don't answer if you're a guy)
[X] You own knee-length shorts
[X] You regularly wear camisoles/undershirts for modesty reasons
[_] You are a MFHD, RMYL, Elementary Education, or Exercise Science Major
[X] Your major crush ended up dating a MFHD, RMYL, Elementary Education, or Exercise Science major
[_] You have had at least one roommate who is in hair or dental school
[X] You own The Italian Job or The Princess Bride
[X] You wear makeup at least 3x a week
[X] You do something with your hair (other than brush it/ponytail) at least 3x a week
[_] You went or plan on going on a mission
[_] ...because you couldn't get married

FOR GUYS (don't answer if you're a girl)
[_] You shave every (or almost every) morning
[_] You know when your hair is "too long"
[_] You know what the "divide by 2 and add 7" dating rule is
[_] ...and you follow it
[_] You've dated freshmen girls as a RM
[_] ...when you already knew better
[_] You've used the phrase "On my mission..." to a girl
[_] At least 3 girls have baked cookies or meals for you
[_] You went or plan on going on a mission
[_] ...because you wanted to get married

TOTAL: 43

A: 68-77
B: 60-67
C: 53-66
D: 45-52
F: 44 or below.

I just barely got an F (dang it!) Maybe I can do better this upcoming semester!

Two down... One more humanities essay to go!

2008-12-09T16:05:00.002-08:00

Finished Shakespeare and Mystery papers and turned them in early! Yahoo for me! And then for a break I watched Love Actually (the edited version) and now I am starting to read for humanities!

I love how I am giving you a moment by moment run down of my life by it is finals week and without Mom and Mindy to cheer me on I am trying to keep my sanity by writing... on a blog... instead of a paper.

Here is my list that I am sending to Mom-- things that she need to bring when she comes. Can you think of anything else? If so message me!

my cell phone
a straighter
crayons and a coloring book? (I am still a child at heart!)
large bag and little bag + whatever little bag you are bringing
your camera?
any snacks that you want in the airport
your airsickness pills
your guide books with all of the things marked that you want to see!
peanut butter! (Mom I forgot to put this on the previous list so please take note!)

Finished Shakespeare: Two more to go!

2008-12-08T14:34:00.003-08:00

So I finished my Shakespeare paper at 9:45pm and then proceed to celebrate finishing my paper with a walk down to the local Food and Wine and got a Magnum! This time I tried almond and it was really tasty but not quite as good as the double caramel or the mint but still worth finishing my paper for!

Now I am starting mystery or maybe I will start it tomorrow...
I know decisions decisions. But this one will be done by tomorrow at 11:59pm because that is when it is due! I love due dates they force me to get things done.

Now the real decision is weather or not I should read over my Shakespeare paper again before I send it in...

One More Week, Three More Papers

2008-12-07T10:55:00.004-08:00

So right now I am sitting in the classroom trying to be inspired on what I should write my Shakespeare paper on and I am really not being inspired and I lack motivation because once my papers are written that means that the week is almost over and then there is finals and then the program is over! I just want to halt everything!

I have just decided that I am going to finish one of my papers tonight no matter what! Here I go and I will blog again when I am done... I hope that it is sooner rather then later.

Megs

Two Weeks!

2008-12-03T00:44:00.002-08:00

Today is one of those days... The one that you look at the calender and realize that I have exactly two more weeks of the program and then it is over. Done. Finished. And experience that I can not repeat in exactness. We are trying to make the most of our time here but with four papers it is at times difficult to be out having fun and in writing at the same time. I will have one of the papers done in about half hour (only need to add the conclusion) so then it will be better but I still need to figure out what I am writing about before I can discuss it with my teachers but I need to discuss it with my teachers to figure out what I am writing... which I have to do soon or it looks like I am slacking- this never ending cycle! I have to get back to writing but just wanted to say that I am still alive and loving my last little bit of London!

Wicked!

2008-11-29T11:49:00.004-08:00

Today I went to Wicked and wow was I impressed! The story was nothing like I expected, but I really liked it! It was really excited about the play and I have loved the music for almost three years but I never knew that the story ended the way that it did... Dun Dun Dun. The play was spectacular!

High Tea at Kensington Palace and Thanksgiving in the Centre

2008-11-27T07:25:00.009-08:00

On Thanksgiving day we did not have class and instead first went to a local synagogue to learn about the Jewish faith. The synagogue was beautiful! I had never seen inside one although I have learned a lot about them. We were shown the building and also were told a lot about the faith for one of the local Jews. He showed us a beautiful Torah that had been handwritten and was perfect. The synagogue was beautifully placed on the street right next to ours and the whole time we were here I didn't know that it was there, it was hidden behind tall red brick walls but the windows can be seen if you know where to look.

After the visit to the synagogue we went as a program to have tea at The Orangery in Kensington Palace. Yes you read that right, we had tea where Princess Diana and other royalty (aka William and Harry!) had tea when they were living at Kensington and sometimes they still have parties there.

We had a proper English tea that included:
Rose hip tea
Cucumber sandwiches
Scones with clotted cream and jam
and Cake

Talyn, Me, Kelsy and Sabrina at our table having a proper English tea.

Later that night we had a proper American Thanksgiving dinner and part of our room was on Kitchen Krew so we were there an hour early to set up and help out.

Dinner was heavenly and included:
Turkey
Stuffing
Fruit salad
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Veggies and dip
Green bean casserole
Rolls
and pumpkin pie with plenty of whip cream)

The pumpkin pie was a surprise to us because up until that morning Terri and Dave (our amazing centre directors) had not been able to find anything that had pumpkin in it. I guess that they don't have anything here that is remotely close to pumpkin pie. Terri searched out 5 or 6 stores before she found them but they were some of the best that I have ever had. Thanks Terri!

(Pictures courtesy of girls in the program! Thanks girls!)

Paris... The Food!

2008-11-21T15:20:00.004-08:00

These are pictures of food that we at on the way to Paris and in Paris! As it has taken me so long to post these I hope that you understand that there is not a long explanation.

Classic Field Trip Lunch.

Our Kit-Kat shakes from McDonalds in Paris! They don't have Kit-Kat shakes in the States!

Natalie and I with our savory crepes!

Our cake-brownies from a patisserie, they are all over Paris and have the most delicious treats.

Sweet dark chocolate crepe.

Apple Tart.

Natalie and Kelsy outside where we got our tarts.

The most amazing waffles that we found along the Champ d'Elysees.

Baguettes, French ones!

I am 22!

2008-11-15T16:14:00.003-08:00

As of 12:06 Fallon time I am officially 22 years old! Here in England I am already 22 but I am going by Fallon time so I still have a few hours left and I am spending them washing my clothes and sleeping for the night. I am really exciting!

I am leaving for France on Monday and I am thinking that it is going to be one big birthday party for ME! I am thinking that this is going to be one of the best birthdays ever so I dont know how I am going to top this next year... maybe the moon? Any one want to join?

Yahoo! Something really exciting that happened to me today was that I wrote a humanities paper and took and humanities test and then as my reward for finishing I went with Alex and Jordan to this bakery called Hummingbird where I got a red velvet cupcake that had the most delicious cream cheese frosting! Mom you have to try them when you are here! Come to think of it that is like my birthday cake... I fully expect a birthday pumpkin pie when I get home with all 22 candles on it. (Maddie and Mindy take note!)

42601

2008-11-12T15:44:00.006-08:00

Tonight I went to Les Miserables and it was fabulous! If I had a leader like Enjolras I think that I too would join the French Revolution! Their voices and acting was fabulous and I dont know what I was expecting but I was blown out of the water!!! This is one that I want to see again and I am stealing the music from you, Melissa, when I get back!

We arrived at the theater just an hour before and happened to get perfect seats... We were in the dress circle which was perfect as we could see everything that was happening on the stage beautifully. I love this play!

Confession...

2008-11-10T14:26:00.002-08:00

So I am sitting in my room in London listening to Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and I was beginning to think that I was pretty cultured and cool and then I realized that I am suppose to be following the themes and the form... we have a problem! All of you probably remember that I am not musically inclined for one main reason, if it is just instrumental I have a hard time telling the music apart. I think that it is really pretty but that is about as far as the following of the themes goes. I do know that the first movement is fast, second is slow, and third is fast but that is about as far as it does... Prof. Benfell was explaining that a symphony follow the same basic pattern of having a theme, bridge, second theme, a development of the themes, then a recapitulation and the coda but I have the hardest time telling the different parts a part. This pattern is followed in each of the four to five movements. But I am trying to understand so I appreciate the live performances when we see them!

Yea for being cultured!

The North Trip aka The Lake District

2008-10-31T11:02:00.008-07:00

The North trip was so beautiful and I love going to the church history sights! These are some pictures from the trip and that is about all I can do right now! Lots of love!

A view from our walk in the Lake District. It was so green and beautiful!

On the banks of the lake where our hostel was... This was our view both mornings.

The River Ribble where the first saints in England were baptized in Preston.

The Missionary Tree that is in the River Ribble valley that was planted by the saints in the area for all of the missionaries that have served in the British Isles.

The Cotton Mill that we go to go inside of! It gave me a whole different perspective of the mill life.

A rock that I found on our walk in the lake district.

The Preston Temple.

The Preston Temple.

The Liverpool docks and the monument that the Church was asked to place there. It is a beautiful place.

LIVID... Vent Time!

2008-10-30T01:41:00.006-07:00

Livid!

I am so mad! So I made a scheduled for the classes that I need to take and the times and teachers worked out perfectly... I am suppose to register for classes tomorrow morning and so I checked out my classes to make sure that there were still openings and such and see which ones I should add first and I realized that they canceled my History 490 from the teacher that I really wanted and for the time that fit perfectly in my schedule! I am LIVID!!! Now I have to rework my schedule and change a bunch of classes around and take classes from teachers that I dont want and I am so mad!!!!! I just want this whole situation to be gone and done... it is so upsetting!

Now instead of writing one of my papers that are due Saturday I have to figure out my schedule, again.

And I have to go and buy another bottle of laundry detergent because someone in the Centre used like half of my bottle that was suppose to last me all semester so now I have to go and buy another 4 pound bottle before I can do laundry that I havent been able to do in about 2 weeks.

Really frustrated and dont want to go to class... If we have a quiz that will officially make today my worst day ever!

Midterms: A very slow and painful process

2008-10-26T09:50:00.005-07:00

Midterms test are mostly over but in the upcoming week I have 3 papers that are due, a book to read, old manuscripts to look at, three required performances to attend, and a required movie to watch so life is still going to be really busy.

I have almost caught up on my journal writing which was my goal for the weekend and it feels so good, like a weight being lifted off, at least partly lifted.

Our room was clean for like 5 min yesterday before we all got home but with unpacking there is no hope... it is a pig pen! 14 girls in one room is too many. I can't wait to get back and have my own room! Too bad I still have to live with people who are really messy... and want to get a cat.

Change is good

2008-10-26T09:45:00.002-07:00

I was getting really sick of my blog so I decided to revamp and voila! I have to admit that I have been blog stocking trying to see what I liked and what I didn't and I am quite pleased with myself! I am sorry for everyone that just looks at my blog once a month because I change it at least that much so it looks really different every time but I really cant help it... read more often and then the change wont seem so sudden!

Midterms!

2008-10-20T16:43:00.002-07:00

I might not be able to blog this week... it is midterms, a couple of papers and on Thursday I am going to Ireland! I will catch up on Sunday!

Oct 3rd

2008-10-17T14:55:00.011-07:00

Almost caught up....

October 3rd was a very busy day! We started with a London Study to the Tower of London which I have to admit I have heard a lot about and yet did not know a lot. For instance I did not know that the Tower of London was more of a town then just a bunch of towers. So I was shocked to find that there was grass and gardens that the prisoners were usually allowed to go down and walk in during the day. And that prisoners were not the only ones that were brought to the tower but royalty before they were crowned were brought there to protect them before they were crowned. The Crown Jewels are within the Tower and I have to say that I "walked" past them multiple times on the conveyor belt that they make you stand on and have to say that they are some of the biggest jewels that I have ever seen in my life and I have pretty much decided that I want to become the Queen so I can wear The Crown! I also really enjoyed learning about those that had stayed in the Tower: Mary Queen of Scots, the two princes and Henry VIII's wives and how much liberty they had in their day to day lives as long as they stayed within the Tower and were in their cells by curfew. The Beefeater that showed us around were very entertaining and had some good stories to tell. And last but not not least, England will not fall! (We saw the crows!)

After the Tower we practically had to run to The Globe to make it in time for our second play as groundlings... The Merry Wives of Windsor! The play was very amusing and I have to say that I was laughing from the very first lines and continued to laugh until the play was well over. The characters and the play itself were hysterical and so well done! Even though I loved A Midsummer Night's Dream I thought that Merry Wives was so much better!

Sept 22 through Oct 1st...

2008-10-17T11:10:00.011-07:00

Recap continued...

Monday Sept 22 was our London Study day and we went and toured The Globe, as in Shakespeare's Globe! Well I guess that it was not exactly Shakespeare's Globe because it was burned down but it is the one that was rebuilt in 1997 in the way that they think the Globe looked. We had the chance to walk around inside and hear about how plays would have been done in Shakespeare's time. The stage is interesting and different because it is a thrust stage instead of a proscenium stage and there is not a backdrop or really any stage setting. It was really interesting to hear what they had to say about Shakespeare and about theater in the 16 and 17th centuries. Also there was an Exhibition that told about theaters, plays, life and London during the time of Shakespeare. I love The Globe!!! and of course Shakespeare's work!

On Sept 24th as a program we went to a matinee of A Midsummer Night's Dream! This is one of my favorite plays and is a very entertaining comedy with some very witty wordplay. We were what they call groundlings... those that stood in the yard around the stage. It was a great place to be because you were really a part of what was happening on the stage but it was really exhausting to stand the whole time but luckily the weather was really nice with just a little cloudburst and it wasn't too cold. The stage had extensions to it so that the actors could move around more then just on the square stage. The stage was empty except for some flowers that were set up to symbolize the woods but the costumes and words that Shakespeare wrote are really what set the scene and made the play. The actors and actresses were spectacular! My favorite had to be Helena and how the actress that was playing her did it so well... it didn't seem that she was as pathetic as she is usually shown to be and that was almost refreshing. Anyone that has a chance should go to The Globe and be a groundling for a show!

On Sept 25th there was a annual mystery conference in which one of the lectures was on Victorian thrillers. We attended because we have a class that is based on British mystery novels and one of the authors that we are reading, Anne Perry, was speaking on why she chose the time period that she did and why she wrote mysteries. It was an interesting lecture and it made me almost want to write... mysteries or historical... either would be fascinating to research and put together.

Saturday Sept 27th was one of the highlights of the program so far... The country walk with Brother Chittock! Brother Chittock is a member of my ward that I am attending and is also the one that is in charge of placing the BYU students in their wards within London.... and by providence he happens to know Bishop Connell because his son was taught and baptized by the Bishop when he was a missionary! Our walk in the country started with a train ride into Kent where we meet with Brother Chittock, his brothers, son and grandson who were going to be our guides for the day. The area that we walked was beautiful! We went through towns, fields, and country roads... along which there were blackberries that were ripe and ready to eat! We stopped at a Norman castle that had be built in the 1000's for lunch. It wasn't very big for the amount of people that would have lived there but the walls were really thick and tall and were about the only part of the castle that survived. After lunch we walked along a stream and through lavender and hops fields. We went about 9 miles so by the time we had made it back to the train station we were all really tired and I must admit that I fell fast asleep during the ride back to London.

Our second day trip occurred on October 1st and was to the great college town of Blenheim Palace and OXFORD! Blenheim Place is not really a palace in that it is not a royal residence but is what they call a "country house." Blenheim was built for the hero of the Battle of Blenheim, the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Blenheim was also the birthplace of Winston Churchill. The grounds were beautiful but quite confusing... instead of going to the Secret Garden Danielle and I ended up on the opposite side of the property at the Rose Garden.

The next stop was Oxford... we were dropped off at Christ's Church and walked around town until we stumbled upon the tower for Magdalen college. Magdalen college was founded in 1448 and about then the construction on the tower was begun and ever since the tower has been an important part of the sky scape of Oxford. After touring Magdalen college we, Me, Danielle, Jenny, Natalie, Dasily, Ashley, Lindsey and Rebbecca, went down to the river and hired a punting boat and a boy to punt it for us. His name was Humphrey, in the classic English fashion, and he was born and raised in Oxford and was getting ready to attend college. This was his first time punting and he wasn't very good but he was really nice and it was an enjoyable time... I love punting!!! After punting we looked at some of the other colleges, the library and The Eagle and The Child (were J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis went when they went to Oxford). The last thing that we did was go to Evensong at Christ Church College, an Anglican service. It was an wonderful experience to have but half the time I really didn't know what was going on but it was really pretty singing by the choir.

Update from Sept 10 through Sept 18: Trying to catch up!

2008-10-14T13:42:00.010-07:00

I am sorry that I have not posted... Life has been crazy with school, field trips and LONDON!

We have been on quite a few trips...

The first was to Stonehenge and Bath on Sept 10th. I have wanted to visit Stonehenge since I saw it on the screen saver on our computer and of course I have wanted to visit Bath ever since I knew that Jane Austen had lived there... There have also been quite a few movies in which Bath has been used like the BBC version of Persuasion. I have decided that Stonehenge is beautiful and I am really interested to find out one day what it was used for and how it was built. When we were in Bath I visited Bath Abbey which has a beautiful example of fan vaulting. Then as a program we visited the Roman Baths and "partook of the waters." The waters was horrible and tasted really strongly of sulfur and minerals but I did taste it but I have no idea how people could come to Bath just to "take the waters." We also visited the Royal Crescent and then went into Number 1 Royal Crescent which is set up how it would have looked in the 1800's and saw The Circus. Both of these buildings were designed by the great John Wood and John Wood the Younger. We also visited Jane Austen's home and learned a lot about how her stay there influenced and appeared in her novels. In all it was a wonderful experience!

The next day, Sept 11th, we went and saw 39 Steps. The movie by Hitchcock, of the same name, is based on the play. This play only had 4 people that played over 50 different characters and man was it entertaining!! I have to suggest that everyone should see this if they happen to be in London!

On Sept 12th we had a tour of The Houses of Parliament aka the building attached to Big Ben! We were able to go inside the House of Commons and the House of Lords and saw a lot of their common rooms. We were shown how the parliamentary system works and how the monarch fit in with everything. The history of the building and their traditions within it were so interesting to become aware of. I am really excited to see the opening of Parliament by the Queen in December!

Sept 17th - 19th was our trip to the West of England!

The first day we got up at about 5 am to eat breakfast, make lunches and be on the coach by 7am. From London we headed to Stourhead house and gardens in Warminster, Wiltshire. Stourhead is an example of Palladian houses and gardens. The gardens, the lake, and the Temple of Apollo are shown in the new Pride and Prejudice at the proposal scene and it was just as beautiful as it was in the movie except it wasn't raining!

The next stop on the trip to the West was Thomas Hardy's cottage in Dorset. Hardy is a English novelist, short story, and poet which set his stories in this setting. The land was beautiful but the house had really, really short doorways and Professor Benfell hit his head quite a few times... you think that he would have learned as he does have his doctorate but it was really funny to observe!

That night we stayed in Penzance, as in the Pirates of Penzance, (don't worry I didn't know the story either!) in our first hostel! The hostel was a YMCA and it actually was not as bad as I was expecting... the sheets were in plastic that had been steamed closed and surprisingly that made me feel better. We arrived at the hostel at about 7pm and then decided to go out and see the town but it was really sad because everything closes in small towns at about 5:45pm so we walked along the levee and I touched the ATLANTIC OCEAN for the first time and I ALMOST slipped on the rocks and fell in... The breakfast in the morning was the classic English breakfast... croissants, baked beans, eggs, fruit and cereal.

Sept 18th in the morning we went to the Land's End Beach and went on a beautiful hike along the coast and thoroughly enjoyed the cliffs and the ocean! Along the path was a ton of blackberry bushes that had the most luscious berries that I have ever tried! This beach is also the place where the telegraph cable is buried that goes from England to the USA and was also a place where England was attacked during WWII because of the cable. The water was a little cold but we still waded and a few in the group went swimming.

The next place that we arrived was at St. Michael's Mount in Penzance. St. Michael's is an island at high tide but is attached to to the land during low tide. St. Michael has a castle and a village just like it did during the 13th century! The Mount is stunning to see from far away surrounded by water with just the silhouette showing. On the walk to up the hill to the castle their is a stone in the pathway that is shaped like a heart and the story goes that their was a giant that was terrorizing the people that lived in the village but was caught by a boy in a hole. Because the giant died within the hole it became his grave and his heart is said to have raised to the path... pretty good story!

From Penzance we headed to Exeter and ended up eating at this really cool restaurant that was along the channel 'quay' (pronounced 'key') with a beautiful channel and boats in the background. Me, Lindsey, and Natalie shared a margarita pizza (don't worry it doesn't have any alcohol in it... just sauce and cheese.) The hostel that we stayed in was out in the middle of no where so we played card games, did homework and chatted in the hostel for a good portion of the night... what do you expect with 40 girls and 1 boy.

The next morning, Sept 19th, we headed to the Exeter Cathedral which was started back in the times of the Norman invasion in 1066 and it continued to have construction until the Victorian times. The Cathedral was massive! In my humanities class we are learning about architecture and it was really interesting to see all of the different types of architecture building on each other and forming the building.

The final stop on our trip was in Lyme Regis. Lyme, as it is commonly called, was where the wealthy in Victorian England would go to holiday and look for fossils. We visited because Lyme is a significant place in Jane Austen's Persuasion. In Lyme we walked along the stony beach and along the levee and pretended to act out the scene from Persuasion when Lydia falls and hits her head but we didn't have a Captain Frederick Wentworth to try and catch us... just a Michael and he can only be in one place at a time. While in Lyme I also decided that I was going to try FISH and CHIPS... the British way. For those of you that do not know I am not a fan of fish and so this was a real adventure for me to participate in. The Fish and Chips came in the classic way... wrapped in paper. I added ketchup, salt and a little bit of vinegar and dug in! The fish actually wasn't that fishy and was the best that Professor Wimmer said he had ever had! I thought that it was quite good but am almost scared to try it again somewhere where the fish is not as fresh. But I will admit that Lyme fish and chips are delicious!

Hannah Montanna in London

2008-09-15T06:33:00.002-07:00

Madison dont get to excited this does not mean that I saw her but just that I have been listening to Rock Star for like the last two hours while I have been studying... granted it isnt really studying music but it is still really enjoyable to listen to! Listen to it there for me and sing it as loud as you can!!! Lots of Love, Megs

Sunday in London...

2008-09-14T17:13:00.003-07:00

So I am still in London and loving it! Today we went to church in a ward that took us an hour and a half to get to... first by tube then by train and then walking... but the ward was really nice. There were about 50 people there and about 70 persent of them were of African desent although they almost all had British accents. I volenteered to help out in primary because the other girls really didnt want to but once I got there I began to think that it was a bad idea! The kids in there were out of control!!!! There were three girls that were all pretty good but the two boys were moving all over the place and I could hardly get them to stand still! I ended up trying to bring Samual the Lamenite to life but I dont know how well I did because I hadn't read the lesson at all but oh well I think that they might have learned something... I hope.

Riding the train was really fun but on the way home I was so tired that I ended up falling asleep on both the train and the tube. But there were girls there to wake me up and I made all of my stops! Dinner tonight like all of the food here is wonderful and there was a cheerly chocolete cherry cake for dessert but before you begin to worry they only serve dessert on sundays and we have been walking on average about 3 to 4 miles a day just around London doing assignments or trying to get were the fun is!

The rest of the night I did readings and wrote a field note. Not bad for pretty much not doing any real homework this week... (the reason I say real homework is because alot of our assignments are going places and looking at things or going on walks... for more info on the walks check out my class blog at http://meganslondonwalks.blogspot.com/ because I dont want to post it twice). It is getting late... so night and all my love!

Saturday on the Thames!

2008-09-14T16:37:00.004-07:00

Today I went and did the walk on the Thames (it is one of the walks that we have to do for class). The walk was a really nice one right along the river but I ended up getting lost quite a few times... (imagine that!) The walk brought me along all of the bridges from tower bridge to hungerford bridge. This Saturday happened to be the Thames festival and so there were a lot of booths set up and a lot of places to eat. We ended up getting three mini pies: meat, chicken and mango, and chicken, cheese and avacado. Michele and I split them so that way we each got a taste and they were actual really good!

Also along the Thames under a bridge was a used book seller... the picture is above... and it has got to be the coolest place that I have seen in a really long time! I ended up finding this really sweet looking copy of Pride and Prejudice and Love's Labor's Lost and bought them for a little under 6 pounds. After the Festival we meet up with a larger group and went to a concert in St. Martins-in-the-Fields where we listened to Vivaldi's Four Seasons and selections from Purcell, Handel, Mozart, and Bach perfored by the Belmont Ensemble of London with Helena Wood as the violin soloist. It has got to be one of the most amazing performances that I have been to! The whole situation was perfect although our seats were in the balcane and we couldnt see the performers but being in the church with the classical music made us all wish that we could be dancing in Pride and Prejudice or be transported back in time. It was a wonderful day!

The British Museum

2008-09-08T10:03:00.008-07:00

The British Museum was amazing! It was so large that it took us 2 hours to go through just the Greek, Roman, and Egypt rooms, we didn't even try to make it to the rooms that were devoted to England or we would have been in there all day and we had to leave something to do on other days! The classical exhibits were beautifully done with great explanations and examples. I saw the frieze from the Parthanon and another temple (below) that were transported here from Greece, along with statues from both Rome and Egypt! But the most exciting historical object that I saw today was the Rosetta Stone!!!! It was a lot larger then I thought but it was just as wonderful as I had hoped. Of course I couldn't read it but I enjoyed pretending and gazing! It was a wonderful day, but then everyday is wonderful when one is in London!!!

Shakespeare on the Street

2008-09-07T09:08:00.017-07:00

After going to church at the historic Hyde Park Chapel we went on a little walk around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The walk was beautiful but the problem was the shoes that I wore and the rain that was coming down. The combination of the two lead to some really nasty blisters on both of my feet, one of which popped on the walk home so now we are on the watch for infection. This is a picture of the blister that didn't pop but still really is sore. After church we walked home and took the round about way in Hyde Park and saw the outside of Kensington Palace and walked down Embassy way where most of the embassies are, except we didn't see the American Embassy.

After we had been home for a bit a few of us decided to head over to Regents Park where the Regency Festival was going on. To get there we took the Tube which was my first time being on it and I have to say that it is not a bad way to get around. It wasn't that confusing and we didn't have to wait for more then 5 to 7 mins for any of the tubes. We took the Circle line down to Regents Park and were walking over to the festival but were distracted by these two men that were standing on top of a Post office box yelling at this man that was holding a flag. At first we were worried because it looked like they were protesters or looked like they were going to cause problems but then we were told that they were a group of actors that did Shakespeare plays on the street and used props that the people in the audience brought with them. They also had people in the audience that played some of the really small parts that didn't have lines like the actors in the play and the ghost was a man from the audiance that played a toy flute. The videos give you an example of what it was like although you cant really hear it and the pictures below are the actors using the props of the pink flowers to hide behind during the To be or not to be speach by Hamlet as he dug through the trash.

After we went home, ate dinner and had a fireside a few people decided to go out and invited me and Emily on their way out. We said yes and we got on the tube and headed to Westminster. Along the way we got on a tube line that was called The Bond and Hilary, Michael and Laura decided to be Bond, James Bond and the Bond Girls.

Right out of the Tube station is Big Ben! My first glimpse of Real, Real London! I loved it!!! By the time we headed back it was about 11:45 and we caught one of the last tubes home and it was an adventure as we stopped and thought that we were stuck for a while, but in the end we made it home all in one piece! First day of class is tomorrow... Can't wait!

Finally HERE!

2008-09-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have made it safely to London and have been doing some housekeeping, making the bed, unpacking, going for walks, finding out where the stores are, and trying to stay awake so that the jet lag is not so bad... but it is almost 4pm here and they keep telling us that we just have to stay awake for a few more hours but as everyone knows when i am tired I really dont make alot of sense and there are alot of long pauses while I try and figure out what is going on around me. I am loving London!!! In the Centre I am in the large room with the 13 other girls. I will post pictures of what the rooms look like in just a bit... I think that I am going to go for a walk and walk up again... staying wake is really begining to be a problem.