post-final update.

After being stressed and overwhelmed for the past few months, spending countless hours in the darkroom, eating pan dulce in Spanish class, and getting through four finals, I can finally say I'm done with school for the rest of the year!
It's weird; whenever I get on the computer, or do something that's not really productive, I tell myself, "You need to be doing homework." Then I remember that I don't have any! Oh! The feeling is wonderful.
My family is going to Las Vegas on Monday, and I'm pretty excited about that. For Wednesday night, my dad bought tickets for all of us to see the Blue Man Group live. Since I'm a drummer, I am fantastically excited. I'm also excited to take pictures of Vegas. I'm not as good as I want to be, but I feel like I'm slowly getting better at being a photographer. I went to the OK Go concert last week (BEST CONCERT EVER!!!), and I took somewhere around 600 pictures, all shot in manual mode. I couldn't do that before my Photo II class. And most of them turned out really well, so I'm satisfied. I'll post some of them later.
Tonight Zac is taking me out to Cafe Rio (I swear, if he could eat there everyday of his life, he would. But I'm not arguing.), and then we're going to go ice skating with Levi, a guy Zac works with, and his girlfriend. I haven't been ice skating since February, when I met Logan and Jason, so I'm pretty happy right now.

A part of me wants to become a great photographer (actually, all of me wants to do this part), move to a foreign city with great sights (like Rome, Madrid, France or London) with one of my best friends, never get married, never have kids, and take beautiful pictures for the rest of my life. That would be my dream! But then I remember that as much as I want to live that life, I want even more to have an amazing man by my side who will help my raise my children I've always wanted. Yeah, that rules out moving to Italy anyday.

I'm still going to become one of the greatest photographers of all time though. :)

ten things i'm thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving! This morning I woke up at 6:00 am, got ready, and left the house with my family at around 7:00 am to meet my dad's side of the family for breakfast at Village Inn--a tradition that's been going on since I can remember. Now we're all home, waiting until we can leave to see Harry Potter at 12:40. After the movie, we're all going to come back up to my parents' house and eat our Thanksgiving feast!
Since it's Thanksgiving, here is a list of ten things I am thankful for.

1. My family, especially my parents.
2. My boyfriend, Zac.
3. The scriptures.
4. My happiness.
5. Love.
6. Christmas music.
7. The Spirit.
8. Warm clothes, blankets and heaters.
9. The temple.
10. My knowledge of the Plan of Salvation.

Happy Thanksgiving! :)

50 things i love about zachary max.

1. He went on a mission. Did you know that only about a third of guys who were baptized into my church go on missions? And did you know that less than 1% of the world's population is LDS? That's less than 0.3% of people in all the world who go on missions, and Zac was one of them. Amazing.
2. He's funny. Both of our senses of humor are really similar, and so we laugh at a lot of things that other people don't laugh at. Like he'll add a "Z" to the ends of words, like, "I gotta do my homeworkz," and I think it's freaking hilarious. I like that we can laugh at the same things.
3. He's nice. Like, super duper nice. Even when he's in a bad mood, or pissed off, he's really nice. And when he's in a good mood, he's unbelievably nice. You'd just have to know him to really get what I'm saying, because I can't stop saying "nice."
4. He's a wonderful listener! One of my pet peeves is people who don't listen and interrupt me when I talk. He doesn't do that. He makes eye contact and tries to understand what I'm saying.
5. He's a gentleman. He opens all my doors, and has been since back in September when we met. He treats me how I should be treated, and I like that.
6. He talks about poop and farts. I know this one's weird, but I couldn't date a guy who doesn't, because I do it all the time, and so does my family. It's just part of my life.
7. He has warm hands when mine are cold. And when his are cold, mine are warm. We take turns warming up each others' hands.
8. He is a hard worker. Even when he doesn't necessarily want to do something (like homework), he still does it anyway. I admire that about him.
9. He's a good kisser. Enough said.
10. He can grow a beard. Before I dated him, I didn't like beards at all, but for No-Shave November, he grew his out for a couple of weeks and it was hot! I like beards now because of him.
11. He is very receptive to the Spirit. When he gets promptings, he never doubts them; he just acts on them. He's also very faithful.
12. I can trust him. I really can. I'm never worried that he'll lie to me.
13. He tries new things for me. One time I wanted him to go to a dance with me, and he did, even though he didn't want to. He even danced with me!
14. He gives the best, longest hugs ever. One time we decided to give each other the longest hug we've ever given. We ended up walking over to Erica's desk, stealing two of her carmels, opening them behind each others' backs and eating them--all while hugging. It was special.
15. I can talk to him about anything.
16. He not only knows how great I am (because, let's be honest, I am pretty great...), but he also knows all my weaknesses and faults, and still loves me for exactly who I am.
17. He tells me I'm beautiful, and means it.
18. He's a techie, and everyone knows techies are awesome. He's so smart with technology, it amazes me. He can fix anything!
19. He always smells really good, even when he's not wearing cologne.
20. He compliments me every chance he gets.
21. He's not afraid to be himself, and tell me what's on his mind.
22. He understands me, and how my brain works, and how my PMS affects my logic.
23. My period doesn't freak him out.
24. When I get embarrassed, he cheers me up. He also cheers me up when I get sad or frustrated.
25. He is clean. This is a big deal for me, because I can't stand messy people.
26. He can play "Black Bird" by The Beatles on his guitar, and he's really good at it.
27. He can play a lot of hymns on the piano, and I love watching him play, because he's so focused he doesn't even realize I'm watching him.
28. He can sing. Sometimes when we ride in the car together, he'll sing along with the song that's playing, and I love just listening to him, because sometimes he'll harmonize with it, and that's my favorite.
29. He has double-jointed thumbs, which crack me up. Sometimes I'll bend them back and forth when I'm bored.
30. He holds the Priesthood and honors it. That's just as attractive as one man can get.
31. He's friends with my friends, and we all form a posse.
32. He makes me truly happy.
33. He makes me want to be a better person.
34. He is always the one who remembers to read scriptures together every night.
35. He comments in Institute. I don't know why, but I've always admired the guys who paid attention enough in Institute to comment on the lesson.
36. He's taller than me. Thank you, but I do not want to be one of those awkward couples I see every now and then at the mall where the girl is taller than the guy.
37. He is my very best friend.
38. He's quiet, because he's always thinking about something, and it's cute.
39. He has pretty blue eyes, and his pupils are always really big, which make his eyes even prettier.
40. He gives me the butterflies... still!
41. He can rock a fauxhawk.
42. His big chin fits perfectly in the dent in my head when we hug. It's a sign...
43. He likes Spongebob and The Office.
44. He long boards, and he teaches me how to long board, too, so we can look cool in front of all of our friends.
45. He also snowboards and wakeboards, and has amazing leg muscles from it.
46. One of the first times we hung out, we sat in his room and watched Invader Zim. It just doesn't get much better than that.
47. He visits me when I get out of class. It's like middle school, only cuter.
48. He lets me wear his jacket when I'm cold, and even keep it sometimes.
49. He's patient. I've given him so many reasons to lose his temper, but he hasn't. He's incredible when it comes to patience!
50. We want the same things, and we have the same goals. And we love each other. :)

two roads diverged.

This is my dad's favorite poem. Well, it was when I was younger. I don't know if it still is, but maybe. When I was about 12 years old or so, I was homeschooled with my older brother, Daniel, and my two younger sisters, Rachel and Sara. My mom made the four of us memorize this poem for my dad's birthday, and recite it to him. And we did just that. I've long since forgotten it now, but I still like the poem.
I feel like this poem has a great meaning for me right now, as I'm forced (trust me, if I could, I would choose to never make a hard decision ever again as long as I live) to make decisions that will effect my whole entire life. It's quite stressful. Add a few tough classes on top of that, and you've got yourself a stressed-out little Megan.
But anyway, here's the amazing poem.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

flashback from the 40's.

Last night, Zac and I went to a 40's themed party at Brittany's apartment. Actually, it was 40's-60's themed, but I didn't have any clothes that looked enough like the 50's or 60's, so Zac and I dressed up as a 40's couple, which ended up being a good thing, because everyone there was dressed up in 40's outfits.

When I went home on Friday, I asked my mom to help me pick out some good costumes for Zac and me, and she got really excited about it. She said that Zac could wear my dad's old Navy uniform, and I decided to wear my black dress. We went to the party as a Navy Seal and his sexy girlfriend. Think Rafe and Evelyn from Pearl Harbor, except switch the Air Force to the Navy.

When we got there, Brittany had [fake] alcoholic beverages set out for drinking, and snack foods like pretzels, nuts and shrimp. Forties music played in the background while everyone talked about sophisticated things (like politics and the death of John F. Kennedy) while drinking martini's (sparkling apple cider), wine (grape juice) and beer (root beer). We even had a shot glass competition to see who could down 6 shot glasses of apple juice the fastest. It was great! Later into the night, Brittany broke out the [fake] cigarettes, and people were smokin'!

Oh, and yes, Zac, the Navy Seal, has a beard. Hawt.

halloween.

Today is Halloween, but since today is also Sunday, the majority of the state celebrated it yesterday (and Friday, too, because Halloween is best celebrated as a weekend of events). I didn't celebrate Halloween this year like I usually do. I think this year was the first year of my life that I didn't go trick-or-treating, which kind of bummed me out, because trick-or-treating is the best thing about Halloween. But instead, I spent the weekend doing awesome things, such as...
On Friday, after I got out of class, Zac told me to meet him in the library where he works because he had a surprise for me. I was talking to Emily while waiting for Zac to get off work, and I told her that he had a surprise for me, and she said, "What if it's an engagement ring?" I told her I was pretty sure that it wasn't going to be a ring. Zac finally got off, and surprised me with cake (YES!) that the secretary had brought in. I decided to play a trick on Emily and send her a picture of a diamond ring on my finger (sometimes I'll go to the mall with one of my foster girls and look at rings, and she'll pick one out for me to be my engagement ring). It was a funny trick, but I told her I was just kidding a while later.
In the afternoon, Zac and I went long boarding in a church parking lot because the weather was so nice and warm (seriously, it was great). In the middle of our long boarding, Zac's mom called to talk, and Zac found out that his mom and dad were going out to eat, so he said, "Hey, you should take me and Megan out to eat, too!" Twenty minutes later, we were in the car with his parents on our way to Applebee's. The food was delicious, even though I was the only one who didn't order a steak.
On Saturday, after Zac got off work, we headed back over to the church parking lot and went long boarding again (because Zac has me addicted to it, but only when it's warm). He taught me how to carve, and I also got brave and long boarded down a steep-ish hill, only to freak out, jump off and trip over myself. But I got back on and did it again--without tripping over myself! There were some other guys there long boarding too, and when they left, one of them backed into a tree, completely knocking it over. Zac took a picture (because I didn't bring my camera... DANG IT), so I'll have to get it from him. It was pretty funny. It started to rain a while after that, so Zac and I went back to my apartment and made a late lunch before reading a wonderful talk by Elder Holland.
That night, we went over to Zac's parents' house for homemade chili and to spend time with his family. His mom not only had chili, but also corn bread with raspberry honey-butter, bean dip and chips, cold apple cider, veggies and apples with carmel dip. It was amazing! Every time I go over there, his mom has a whole feast prepared. She is wonderful. After eating, we played Mad Libs, watched Robin Hood, and then played Scum. It was so much fun; I absolutely adore my boyfriend's family. They had me cracking up all night. His little nephew, Lincoln, was dressed up as Cookie Monster, and it was so cute! Sadly, I didn't take ANY picture of anything this whole weekend, which I'm really regretting right now.
Today, Zac and I are going to drive up to my parents' house for dinner and to hang out with my family. Matt just moved back from San Francisco a week or two ago, and I haven't seen him since August (unless you count yesterday when he stopped by with my dad), so I'm really excited to see him! I also really want to watch Young Frankenstein today, so we'll probably do that, too.
Even though this Halloween was a little different, it was still really great, because I got to spend it with awesome people. But next year, I'm going trick-or-treating. :)

top ten on gloria.

The top ten most played songs on my iPod are...

1. "5 Years Time" by Noah and the Whale
2. "Steps in My Fade" by Love You Long Time
3. "Spectacular" by Graham Coxon
4. "She is Love" by Parachute
5. "Steady As She Goes" by The Raconteurs
6. "The Garden That You Planted" by Sea Wolf
7. "Nothing To Do" by Sherwood
8. "Sunshine" by The All-American Rejects
9. "Golden" by Allred
10. "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor

red roses.

To all of you who didn't know: I have a boyfriend named Zac. We have been official for five days now, so it's the real deal.

Yesterday morning I was having a hard time. I was frustrated and confused about a certain situation in life. I texted Zac that morning and he knew something was up, so he asked is he could come over after I got home from school and talk to me. I said yes, and waited until 2:30. As I was eating my mom's delicious homemade cheese and broccoli soup, my doorbell rang. I answered it and there was Zac, holding a beautiful bouquet of red roses and some chocolates for me. My heart melted, and I gave him a great big hug. We talked for about an hour and a half, until I had to go to work.

My boyfriend is sweet. I like him.

The roses Zac gave me

Zac 10/1/10

first date.

After spending every night together for the past two weeks (with Erica and Wes, of course), Zac took me out on a date last night. It was our first date, and it was special.

I got off an above-average day of work at 7:00 pm, and about half an hour later, Zac picked me up in his sweet '08 red Eclipse. (I feel like a rock star every time he takes me for a ride in that thang.) We were both kind of nervous at first. I don't know what it is, but every time I go on a real date, I freak myself out and get all nervous.
We listened to Copeland on the way over to Subway (he told me we'd get Subway on our hawt date, and I was looking forward to it all day!). We ordered our sandwiches, and took them with us to Bridal Veil Falls, where we sat on the bridge right in front of the water fall and ate and talked. It was dark, and people kept shining their flashlights on us, and we kept hearing explosions from down the trail from people who had giant yogurt containers. It was pretty chilly, but thankfully we both brought jackets, and we took turns warming up each other's hands. The stars were out, and since it was so dark, you could see them really well. It was gorgeous up there.
When we finished our sandwiches, we walked back to the car (but not before I tripped over some holes in the trail a few times) and we headed further up the canyon to Sundance to ride the ski lift together. We rode the shuttle to the lift, and got on as unawkwardly as we could (which turned out to be not so awkward) and were lifted up the mountain.
The full moon was out and was shining down on the mountain, making it just beautiful. Zac and I talked about everything that was on our minds, which turned into some pretty deep conversation, which I love. We sat there on our little lift just talking and holding each other's cold hands, our feet dangling above the steep, steep mountain. At one point, on our way back down the lift, we were going down one of the most steep mountains I've ever seen, and I got a little scared, but Zac held onto me really tight and told me not to be scared. It was sweet.
When we got off the lift, we decided to take a picture of the both of us, because we'd regret it if we didn't. So we got a really nice and funny couple to take our picture on Zac's iPhone, and then we boarded the shuttle back to the car.
On the way home, I was the DJ, and we listened to slow songs (except for "Fit, But You Know It" by The Streets, because it made me laugh that Zac had that song on his iPhone, and I just had to listen to it). When we got out of the canyon, I got a text from our good ol' friend, Rachel (pronounced, "RAY-CHEL," in an obnoxious voice) that said, "I miss your beautiful face!" Zac and I decided to stop by her apartment and surprise her with our presence. After hanging out at her apartment for a few minutes, we all piled into Zac's car (Rachel laid down in the back seat because it's small back there and that's the best way she fits) and drove the half block to my apartment, where we watched TV until Wes, Erica and Ryan came. While everyone else watched Freaks and Geeks (I highly recommend that show), Zac and I fell fast asleep (seriously, we were out cold).
Wes and Ryan woke Zac up (I was too deep in sleep to be woken up at that time) and they left. I woke up this morning at 4:00 to find out that I was still in my clothes, so I put on my pajamas and went back to bed.
All I can say is this: That was the best first date I've ever been on.

Me and Zac at Sundance

ten things.

I stole this idea from Emily, who stole it from her sister, Carlee. A list of my ten favorite things.

1. Institute
2. Good music
3. Holding hands
4. Photography
5. Butterflies (the feeling, not the insect)
6. "One Tin Soldier" by Coven
7. Men who honor their Priesthood and respect women (I cannot tell you how much I LOVE this)
8. Doing stupid/fun things with friends that you know you'll remember in twenty years
9. Clothes/getting dressed up
10. Reading amazing books that suck you in

Buildings at Chinatown in San Francisco

to mom.

Dear Mom,
I miss you. I am doing fine here at school. Erica and I made new friends last week with some guys named Wes, Zac, Nick and Ryan. We mostly just hang out (every night until midnight or later) with Wes and Zac. In fact, last night they came over and the four of us had a four-way spooning session while we watched Moon Struck. It was awkward, and I didn't want to do it at first, but they talked me into it, and I fell asleep while spooning (and twitched).
I signed up for a Mission Prep class in Institute last week, and made a friend named Mark, who is hilarious, and, after meeting him for the first time on Monday, he gave me a huge hug today and scratched my back, too! He's 18, and has white chucks, that I very much approve of. My Mission Prep teacher is Brother Lewis. He remembers me from last year when I took Book of Mormon from him. Today he made me direct the devotional, and also "let" me give the spiritual thought. I'm coming out of my shell! Are you proud?
My roommates are all pretty awesome, and our kitchen has stayed decently clean for a few days now, which amazes me. I still have to clean it up everyday or so though. Remember how I hate cleaning up in our kitchen at home? I think it's because that kitchen is HUGE, and the one down here is pretty small.
I have a sore throat from staying up so late with Erica, Wes and Zac, so today I plan to go to the grocery store with Rachel (I worked with her in the summer. She's a staff--not a foster kid) and buy some Simply Orange, because any other orange juice is pretty gross compared to Simply Orange. Oh, and I'm gonna get some cough drops.
Today in Photography, I took photos on a whole roll of film just to find out that the roll of film couldn't be developed at the school, because it was "Color Black & White." It made me mad, but it's okay, because that roll of film was a test, meaning I only took pictures of a black sheet and a white wall. And I wrote all my shutter speeds and aperture settings down, so when I get new film today, I can just do it again, probably in 5 minutes or so. I'm learning so much in Photography, and I love it, even though it sometimes makes me want to shoot someone. Did you ever learn about the Zone System? It's pretty awesome.
Tomorrow night, Erica and I are having a Pie Party. We invited most our Orem/Provo friends. We're going to make some pies before everyone comes, and have other people bring some too, and eat pie all night long, and probably play some board games I stole from the house. (Don't worry, I took the ones you guys don't play that much.)
Thanks for all you do for me, like making me really good and healthy dinner and cutting my hair. I'm taking care of myself down here, and haven't gained a pound yet, which is sa-weet. I'm making friends (like the ones I met today named Steve and Tyler) and I'm enjoying myself. Happy early birthday (on Monday!). I love you a lot, woman.

Love, your favorite daughter who makes good choices and doesn't drink, smoke, have sex, run away from home, kiss hot Turkish models (even though they're really attractive) or have bad friends, and listens to good music, Megan :)

college.

I've been living here at school for almost two weeks now, and I thought it might be a good idea to update.

On August 25th, after the first day of school, I went to my Stake Social with Asian Dave, and later Derek showed up. The bishops from each ward were handing out questionairres for us to get to know the opposite sex, and slips of paper that said, "Hi, I'm ________. (___) ___-_____" I asked one of the bishops, "Are you guys trying to get us married off?" He looked and me and said, "Well, yeah." I laughed and walked away. I met up with my roommates from last year, and Laura gave me a slip of paper with her number that said, "Hi, I'm interested in you." Yusss.

(Laura's slip she gave me)

Later, when Derek got off work, we headed over to the shell and watched a variety show put on by members of the stake. Then every bishop from each ward did a Q&A, and answered [made up] questions [about marriage] in lip sync form, while dancing to the songs that played. It had me cracking up.

(Derek, me and Asian Dave at the variety show)

On August 28th, Erica and I headed over to Brittany's apartment for a ballin' (still don't know what that word means) party. I invited Ceyhun and Derek, and we all played Twister (okay, so really only Britany, Braden, some other guy and I played Twister while everyone else watched), talked and ate cake. When Justin got there, he gave all the girls a white rose, which I thought was pretty dang sweet. But then he lied to me about there being a guy who shot himself in my bedroom a few years ago. We also met a guy named Tyler Long-Partei. Sweet. Later, Erica, Ceyhun, Derek and I went back to my apartment and watched Big Daddy.

(Me and Erica with our roses Justin gave us)

(Brittany and Braden thought it would be funny to make a doggy pile on me)

(Megan V., Erica and me with Tyler Long-Partei)

On August 30th, I found out that my next-door neighbor, Jared, plays the drums like me, so I showed him my drum machine and we played with it for a while. Amanda watched.

(Amanda, me and Jared with my drum machine)

On September 1st, I went to my Ward Social with Rachel (I worked with Rachel over the summer and convinced her to move to my complex) and Annie (one of my roommates). We were amazed at how much amazing food there was--really. It blew my mind. After eating a ton of food, we met up with Jordan (he lives on the bottom floor of my building) and jumped on the tramp and had a dance party with the other wardies. I met some girls in my ward who are from Queens, which is awesome, because that's where August is serving.

(Jordan, Annie, me and Rachel at the Ward Social)

(The girls from Queens!)

After the Ward Social, Erica was at Derek's, so Rachel, Annie and I thought it would be funny to walk into Derek's apartment and sit on his couch. We sat there for about 5 or 10 minutes, telling each other how bad we all had to fart. He finally realized that we were on his couch, and we all started dancing and playing with his soccer ball and putting stools on our heads. Derek was annoyed, but I thought it was funny.

(Me and Rachel: stool heads!)

(Dancin' it out at Derek's)

On September 3rd, my complex had a BBQ. It wasn't very exciting, but I thought I'd show this picture of two of our next-door neighbors. This is what I have to look at everyday.

(Alex, Jared, me and Annie at the BBQ)

On September 4th, I drove home and went to Cherry Hill for a family reunion. I hung out with my two sisters, Rachel and Sara, and three of our friends: Kim, Shanny and Ashley. We went down the best waterslide in the world about a hundred times, ate dinner, went rock climbing, hit up the batting cages and played mini golf into the night. When we got back from our activities, we saw some dutch oven peach cobbler that my Aunt Marsha had made. We stuffed our faces (literally) until there was almost nothing left. As we drove home, we realized that Aunt Marsha was probably just letting the cobbler cool off. Whoops.

(Clockwise: me, Shanny, Sara, Ashley and Kim)

(Me at the batting cages)

On September 8th, Erica wanted to convert me back over to her Vegetarian ways, so she made Vegetarian Lasagne for me, Rachel and Asian Dave, and I made carmel popcorn. We cooked and baked together in the kitchen in our skivvies while listening to Belle & Sebastian. The Lasagne was delightful, and after eating it, we all hung out in my living room and talked about Sandy and how good at maths she is.

(Erica and me making lasagne and carmel popcorn)

Later that night, we went over to our new friends' apartment who live two miles and a moutain away (they live in the furthest building from us on the bottom floor, and we live on the top floor of our building). Their names are Nick, Wes, Zac and Ryan. We played Rock Band, and then watched YouTube videos. I don't know who brought it up, but we all pretty much decided that we needed to have a 7-way spooning session. It's yet to happen.

On September 9th, which was yesterday, I decided to make homemade pizza for our new friends. They came over when I was still cooking, so we all just hung out in the kitchen and talked while the pizza was cooking. After we ate, we all watched YouTube videos (again) and then decided to walk the two miles and a mountain to their apartment to watch Troll 2 (best movie ever). When the movie was done we all ate candy corn together, and then us girls walked home.

(Rachel, me and Erica)

(Left to right: Zac, Wes, Ryan, me, Erica, Rachel and Nick)

just to clear the air...

I did not kiss Ceyhun. I turned away. Just so's ya know's!

urgent roommate meeting.

Regarding my last post:

Two nights ago, I had my friend (who's a Turkish model and professional soccer player with a killer accent), Ceyhun (pronounced Jay-hoon), over for a college party. We went to Brittany's place and played things like Twister and Twilight Trivia (The teams were those who knew and loved Twilight and those who didn't know and hated it. I was on the latter team. Guess which one won? We did!). After a few hours of talking, playing games, and eating cake, Derek, Erica, Ceyhun and I decided to go back to mine and Erica's apartment and watch a movie all by ourselves.

Within the first ten minutes into the movie, Ceyhun and I were holding hands. Later, he put his arm around me. After the movie, we all sat and talked for a little while. When my roommate came out and asked us to be quiet (it was like, 2a.m.) we decided that the guys should probably go. I walked with Ceyhun to the door and said goodbye, and you could tell he wanted to kiss me.
The day after that, I felt bold (like I almost always do) and texted him the question, "Did you want to do more than just hold my hand last night?" He admitted that he wanted to kiss me, and I was kind of shocked, even though I could see it coming. Right then, I called for an urgent roommate meeting, explained to Erica, Kassidy and Tristyn what was going on, and asked them for advice on what to do, and, after seeing pictures of him, they said, "Are you kidding me? He's hot. How can you NOT say yes?!"

I kept telling them that I didn't really know him, and bringing up really good points as to why I shouldn't, but they had some pretty good points of their own. Later, in the bathroom, Erica and I were talking about it alone, and she said, "...I mean, you wouldn't want to be slutty, but, it's Ceyhun..." It made me laugh so hard.

After much thought, I think I've made my decision. I'll let ya know how it goes!

(Me and Ceyhun, 8/8/10)

quote of the night.

"...I mean, you wouldn't want to be slutty, but it's Ceyhun..." -Erica

[story later] :)

memories: crazy roommate.

It was a day like any other, one fine Spring afternoon while living with my roommates last semester. The apartment was quiet as usual, and a few of us were already home from school. Just then, Celeste swung open the door like she usually did, scaring the bejeebers out of us for the millionth time, and stomped to her room. A few minutes later, she came out into the kitchen, and started to unload the dishwasher. Like no normal tempered person, she banged pots, pans, dishes and cupboards really loud, apparently letting us know that she was angry about something.
Lindsay and I were in the kitchen also. Eventually, after wondering if our dishes and cupboards were going to live to see another day, Lindsay asked ever so sweetly, "Celeste, are you okay?" With that, Celeste completely blew up. She started yelling (I thought her talking was loud, but her yelling... yikes) about how our apartment was such a mess, and how she was the only one who ever cleaned up (even though I'm almost positive that I had cleaned the apartment single-handedly several times), and how she just "didn't understand" what was so hard about cleaning up.
I wanted to laugh, and get my camera so I could record this horrible rampage. But regrettably, I didn't. After about 3 or 4 minutes, I got tired of listening to her crazy yelling, and I thought about going into my room, but then I remembered poor little Lindsay being targeted by Celeste, even though Lindsay wasn't the whole problem, so I stayed by her side, embarrassed for Celeste. After about 5 or 6 minutes of the intense screaming (I really wish I had recorded it. It was like nothing I have ever experienced), Celeste finally stopped, and Lindsay said, "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. I've gotta go to work, though," and walked out the door. I wanted to laugh uncontrollably, but I didn't.
After that, Celeste went into her room and cried for about twenty minutes while talking to her mom on the phone, probably telling her what awful roommates she had. I was still in shock, thinking, "Did that really just happen? Is Celeste really crying to her mom? How old is she?"
It was probably one of the funniest days of that school year. Every time I think about it, I just have to laugh.
Did I mention Celeste is majoring in Communications? I guess she still needs some work in that area.

the latest.

Well, I arrived back from California two days ago, and it was fantastic. We drove there, with six people smooshed into our Toyota Highlander. The car rides were my least favorite part. We got to San Fran and hung out with my brother, Matt, his wife, Stephanie and their almost-one-year-old son, Aiden. We rode the trolley to Chinatown (my favorite part), toured the Winchester Mystery Mansion, and drove down the Golden Gate bridge.

After a few days in San Fran, we drove down to Cambria, which is a little town right on the beach, about three hours south on San Fran. We took Highway 101, which is the road that goes along the beach. The views were AMAZING! I kept wanting to pull over ever 2 minutes so I could take pictures. Instead, we only pulled over about three times. I got some really great shots.

Our hotel was right on the beach, and that's where I spent a lot of my time--taking pictures! We didn't do much in Cambria. We pretty much just relaxed the whole time, which was nice.

On the way back, the highway that led us home was closed due to a chemical spill, so we had to drive two hours out of our way to go around it. Awesome. Especially when your two little sisters are going nuts.

It was a pretty fun trip. I took over a thousand pictures, but I've yet to get all of them edited. So, in the meantime, enjoy these two pictures that I edited a couple of days ago.

In other news, I moved out yesterday with my friend, Erica. So far, it's great here! I love it. Our roommates are awesome; we just talked and talked last night. Their names are Annie, Amanda, Tristan and Cassidy.

While Erica and I were unpacking all of our stuff yesterday, we managed to play two pranks, which we think are hilarious.

The first one happened when Brent and Jared (friends from last year) were over, and Brent fell asleep on Erica's bed. Erica decided, "Well, if he's gonna fall asleep on my bed, he's gonna have to pay the consequences." So Erica put eye shadow and blush on one half of Brent's face while I took pictures. We didn't tell him about it until a few minutes later, even when he talked to our roommates and their mom.

The second one happened at night. Basically, this is how it went down: Erica and I were on our porch carrying in boxes, and I saw that our across-the-way neighbors had a welcome mat, and we didn't. So I whispered, "Erica, should we steal that?" and she said, "Uh-huh." It now sits in front of our front door. It's a lovely addition.

That's all for now. I will share more funny stories as soon as they happen!

goin' to san fran.

I will be in San Francisco all week until next Sunday, the 22nd. So to make up for my lack of posting in advance, here are some really cute pictures of me and some of my foster kids. (I know that has nothing to do with going to San Fran.) I'm going to miss them!

PS: I'm bringing my camera, all of my memory cards, and all four of my lenses. You can count on some pretty cool pictures when I get back.

nate.

I work at a foster care place. At work, I hang out with foster kids. I've been working there for over 2 years, and I've worked with ol' Nate ever since I began, except for the 8 months I was living down at school last year.
Nate and I are buds. Since I've been working with him for nearly 2 years, we've become brother and sister practically. He even knows my family, and calls my parents "mom" and "dad." Since Nate and I are brother-and-sister close, we (get this) act like a brother and sister would. We laugh and sing at the top of our lungs, and even dance together in public places, but we also argue and get mad at each other. Sometimes he gets mad at me when I won't take him to the Nickelcade everyday, and I try to explain to him that we don't have money to do anything. We go off at it for a while, but it usually ends with me ignoring him because he won't listen to me. We always seem to brush it off in the end, though.
I've also just recently noticed that I am probably a bad influence for him. I noticed it two days ago, when he was telling me that he might have school today, and if he did, he wouldn't be able to go to the water park with the rest of the group. I was really looking forward to going to the water park, and so I said, "Nate, when you have a choice between going to school and going to a water park, you ALWAYS choose the water park."
Later that day, I was eating cantaloupe, and he asked for a piece. I gave him one, but it fell on the floor. I said, "Eat it anyway!" He did.
Today, while at the store, he was buying his lunch, and I let him get whatever he wanted, which was Lunchables and Corn Nuts. Awesome, and healthy!
It's okay though. Because today was my last day of work, and right before he shut the car door when I dropped him off, I asked him who his favorite staff was, and he said, "You."
I've trained him well.

(Me and Nate, 8/9/10)

trials and forgiveness.

This video makes all the hard parts of my life seem so small. I am so blessed! Just thought I'd share it.

the canyon.

A week ago, I got to drive up the canyon behind my house. On my drive up, it was sprinkling a little, and I had my window down so I could smell the pretty, wet trees that lined both sides of the road. Bon Iver, a folk band I recently discovered, was playing in the CD player, and I was loving life. I brought my camera so I could get some cool shots. I found the perfect place on a cliff overlooking both the tree covered canyon and the valley in which I live. It started to rain a little harder, but I didn't mind. I got out my camera, put the hood up on my black jacket, and walked over to the cliff and started shooting. I didn't get a lot of photos, because a few minutes later, it started pouring rain, and I didn't want my camera to get drenched. I got back into my car, and enjoyed the ride down, even though my window was up this time. I was wet, and the heater was blasting warm air on me. It was lovely. The sights were amazing, and I couldn't remember the last time I saw such gorgeous scenery. I plan to go back up before (and most definitely after) I move down to school.

stormy weather.

Today, it was sunny. Then rainy. Then haily. Then rainy. Then sunny. Then rainy. Then sunny. Then rainy.

I loved it.

Most people don't know that I absolutely love the rain. I guess I just never bring it up. But it's my favorite kind of weather, hands down. Not cold rain, but warm rain, in the summer. I love really dark rain clouds, and I love getting soaked in the pouring rain, and still being able to be warm, because it's summer.

Along with rain storms, I also ADORE thunder/lightning storms. When I was little, I'd sit on my front porch and watch the rain drizzle from the roof, look at the bright lightning and listen to the booming thunder, and smell the amazing smell of wet trees, wet asphalt, and wet dirt. Up here in the mountains, the smell is ten times more incredible. Especially because we have Juniper trees here. They smell wonderful!

Today at work, I was driving Nicole home, and Sophie was with us too, because after my shift with Nicole, I was scheduled to work with Sophie. On the way home, we were listening to Regina Spektor. (I'm currently going through a phase where all I really want to listen to is her and Ingrid Michaelson.) It was raining, and the dark clouds were the perfect background for the whiter-than-white lightning that was striking almost to the ground. The windows were down, and every time the three of us would see a lightning bolt, we'd say, "Ohhhh! Did you see that one?!" It was quite a lovely drive.

Earlier today, while Nicole and I were hanging out at the park with other staff and kids, it started to hail. Big ones. So big, in fact, that I was legitimately worried about my car being dented. The brave kids went out and ran through it while the rest of us stayed safe under the pavilion.

After months of hot, sunny weather, I am so thrilled to finally see some storms. Love 'em.

The parking lot was covered in hail!

Look at the size of that hail!

a typical thursday night conversation.

WARNING: Some material may be considered graphic and inappropriate for young (or normal) readers.

(Rachel is on the toilet in her bathroom, and I am in my room on my bed)
Rachel: "Megan! Can you get me some toilet paper??"
Megan: "Why? You're so needy."
Rachel: "Dude, I just had pure liquid come out of my butt. No chunks or anything!"
Megan: "I love that!"
Rachel: "Just go get me some toilet paper, and plug your nose when you come in."
(Megan goes and gets two rolls of toilet paper, plugs her nose, and puts them by Rachel's bathroom door)
*2 minutes later*
(Rachel sticks her head in Megan's room and points at her)
Rachel: "Thanks."
*3 minutes later*
(Rachel is running from the living room to her bathroom, probably holding her butt)
Rachel: "OH NO! OH NO! OH NO! OH NO! OH NO!"

Wanna come over and join in on our fun?

texts from my lover.

I believe I've mentioned this before, but every Monday morning, while August emails his family, he sends emails to my phone number, which I receive as text messages. We text back and forth for an hour. About 80% of all the texts I get from him are really cute and sweet, but if I get one that is above average, I will save it in my phone. For fear of breaking my phone and losing all of them (and because I think they're just way freaking cute--and sometimes way funny), I will share with you all the ones I have locked in my phone.

12/21/09: "Megan, you're cute."
(This was the 2nd week he texted me, before I knew he loved me.)

1/4/10: "I love Heavenly Father so much too. He is amazing. I love you second most. :)"

3/29/10: " 'Put your little hand in mine. I've got yours and baby, you've got mine! Babe. I got you babe.' "
(Often, August will tell me about a song that reminds him of me. Then he'll quote the lyrics.)

7/5/10: "I love you Megan Marie. You're perfect for me. Outie bellybuttons are hot. :)"

7/19/10: "Bye bye Love. You're my favorite flower. :)"
(At the beginning of this conversation, I sent him a picture of some flowers, asking, "Are these your favorite flowers?")

7/26/10: "Dang, you're smokin' hot!!! RAWR! :)"
(He sent this right after I sent him a picture of me when I just woke up, haha.)

7/26/10: "I love you bunches, baby. Have a great week, and keep looking hot. :) You're the best. XOxo"

Shout out to my boyfriend! He's cute, eh? I like him.

brooke's diaper.

Just a quick post about the most exciting part of my day yesterday...

My mom usually tends my one-year-old niece, Brooke, a few days a week while her mom works. Well, my mom was tending her yesterday, but had to leave somewhere, so she asked Rachel to tend Brooke until she got back. Rachel agreed, and my mom left.

When Brooke woke up from her nap, her diaper was just about to burst from all the poop that was inside, and she stunk a most terrible stank. Rachel asked me to change her diaper, because I "knew how to change a diaper," but I refused, telling her that she needs to learn how to so she can do it when she has kids. We argued about it for probably 20 minutes. Rachel was practically begging me to do it. "Megan, PLEASE change her diaper. I don't know how to. Are you going to make Brooke suffer?!" "Rach! How are you ever going to learn if you don't do it?" "Megan, I CAN'T. I just.... I just can't."

After arguing, I finally just gave in, but I told Rachel that she had to take off Brooke's pants (because they had poo juice all over them) and take her diaper out to the garbage when I was finished. Rachel nervously attempted to take off Brooke's pants, but ran out of the room, yelling, "I can't do this!" I laughed, and took off Brooke's pants. When I opened her diaper, I almost gagged. Rachel actually did gag, and went into the bathroom and threw up. Yes, it was that bad.

I started wiping the poop from off of Brooke's privates when all of the sudden she peed a huge puddle of pee on the changing pad. As she laid there in her pee and poo particles, crying and getting bodily waste all over the bottom half of her body, I stood up and yelled, "Rach! I can't do this. I'm leaving. Come finish this." I walked away, and Rachel came out. We just stood there, not knowing what in the heck to do. Thankfully, my mom pulled up right then and took care of everything we left. It was the most disgusting diaper change I've ever experienced. And the most dramatic, too.

(Brooke, 9 months old)

thursday night activities.

Last night, I went to a party that some of my co-workers were having with Erica. A lot of people showed up, and I didn't know half of them. The other half were people I work with. When Erica and I got there, they were all playing Capture the Flag, so Erica and I joined in. We mostly just stood around, not really wanting to play because we didn't feel like it.

While at the party, Erica and I realized that Sean was there. Sean was in love with Sandy for a while, but now he hates her, and even blocked her on Facebook. Every time Erica and I saw him, we just laughed. We also laughed every time we saw this tool with really (and I mean really) short shorts.
A few games in, Erica and I decided to casually walk over to the other team's side, so we did. No one noticed until Matt, the guy on the other team who was guarding the flag, saw us walking up the hill toward him. "No! You guys stay there," he told us. But we kept walking, telling him that we weren't going to run if he tagged us. Just then, Carl came up behind us and tagged us both. "We told you!" Then we sat at the top of the hill and talked to Matt about lots of things, including one of the foster kids I take care of, and how hilarious he is.
Eventually, someone from our team came up behind Matt and stole our flag, so Matt left. Erica and I decided to go down to the jail where we should've been anyway. When we got there, we saw fireworks (because it was dark by this time), and sung "Fireworks in the sky!" A few minutes later, the tool with short shorts got put in jail, and I took a picture of him and Erica. Then I realized that my flash was bright, and so I used it as an emergency flare to get my team to come rescue us. As I used my flash, Erica yelled out, "S.O.S.!" When one of our team members finally came to rescue us, we stayed in jail because we didn't really want to play.

(Erica and the tool in jail)

Then we realized some guy, who turned out to be Danny (aka: Stripes) looking for some keys in the grass with his cell phone light. We went over there and I offered to help him look, because my flash was super bright. He accepted my help, and I said, "Okay, I'll flash; you look." He probably thought I was a pervert, because he made a funny comment about what I had just said. The game ended, and another one started. Erica and I went over to where our team was guarding the flag (also where Sean was), and talked and sang. Two of the girls who were guarding the flag asked us if we would guard it, because they wanted to play the game. We agreed, and Erica said, "Don't worry! You can trust us!" Then we moved the flag into the middle of the trail in the park. A little while later, some random kid who was strolling through the park walked past us, and we said hi to him. Then I told him to take our flag, and run to the other side with it, because it would be funny. He did, but he walked instead of ran. The Latino girl who had been guarding the flag before us took the flag from him, and came up to us and said in a pissed off voice, "Okay girls, guard the flag means guard the flag." Erica and I laughed at that

(Me and Nathan, the random guy who stole our flag)

(Me and Erica guarding our flag with all our might!)

Right when the game ended, we went over to where a few people in our group were sitting by a fire, because we wanted s'mores! When we got there, we roasted marshmallows in the huge fire place, talked and laughed, and listened to Benny and others play music. Benny found a huge bush, and put it in the fire, making it quite tall, because you could see the flames out of the top of the fire place. I told my co-workers about how one of my foster kids hit on me a week or two ago, and we all laughed and shared other stories.

(The HUGE fire)

Then this guy named Jase started talking to me and Erica, but mostly Erica. By the end of the night, he had asked for our numbers. Before we left, I gave everyone a hug. It was such a fun night. I love the people I work with.

(Allie, Jenny, me, Erica and Sarah)

betcha didn't know...

...these 25 things about me!

1. My eyes change from blue to green and everything in between.
2. I am 20 years old and sleep with a night light, because I am terrified of the dark.
3. I usually tell people what my "favorite band" or "favorite color" is, but the truth is that I don't have any favorites, because I like too many things. My favorites change on a daily basis.
4. I've never dyed my hair.
5. I don't wear mascara.
6. About 95% of the time, I only shave my legs up to my knees.
7. I peed my pants in Kindergarten.
8. I have double-jointed knees.
9. I looked just like my dad when he was around 13 years old.
10. I've had braces twice, for about 4 years total.
11. I am almost always tired (which I hate, hate, HATE).
12. I've never broken a bone.
13. I've tried escargot, and liked it.
14. I've known my best friend, Emily, since Kindergarten (when I peed my pants).
15. I have a really loud laugh, kind of like a hyena.
16. My family (myself included) thinks that any kind of potty talk, to any extent, is down right hilarious.
17. I am not really a daddy's girl or a mama's girl. But I am closer with my mom than my dad.
18. When people ride my butt on the road, I slow waaay down, even if I'm on a freeway.
19. I think tans (fake and real) are gross, and have no problem with being white.
20. I have an inch-long scar on my forehead that no one ever notices, even before I had bangs.
21. I am passive-agressive, which basically means that I like to get revenge instead of talking things out.
22. In a two-year period from 2006-2008, I went through 4 cars.
23. My first real job was at Taco Time.
24. I met my boyfriend in an art class when we were both 13, and we wrote love notes back and forth the day we met.
25. I like cats more than dogs.

draper days.

On Saturday night, my family left me home alone, and I was bored. Thankfully, Kim called me and asked me if I wanted to do something. We decided to go to the little Chinese diner Sara works at, and wait for her to get off so we could get the night started.

When I arrived, Kim had finished her dinner, and we sat at the little table, talking to Sara, who stood behind the counter, until she got off. Meanwhile, I met Sara's co-worker, Chuck, who apparently hated everyone named Megan, because his girlfriend, Megan, had just broken up with him. After a few minutes, I realized why she did. Chuck was a TOOL! He was full of himself, and kind of rude. But it's okay, because we left a while later.

When Sara got off, we decided to go to Draper Days. When we got there, it was PACKED. I don't think I've seen so many people, except for maybe at Warped Tour. We had to park in a neighborhood and walk a few blocks to the park.

When we finally got there, we looked at a lot of booths. There were a ton of them, and we didn't even visit half of them. Then we decided to go sit down and watch people, because people do really funny things when they think they're not being watched. So we did just that, and we laughed really hard everytime we saw someone walking funny, or touching their wife's butt, or tripping over themselves. It was awesome. People watching is one of my favorite activities. Then Kim bought a little frog for her aquarium.

We were going to stay for the fireworks, but they were taking too long to go off, so we decided to walk back to the car and go somewhere else. As we were walking in the dark, we passed a car among a lot of other cars. I thought I saw something inside, so I looked closer. Then I yelled, "HOLY CRAP!" and pointed at the car. Inside was a guy with a hockey mask on, just staring at us. Kim screamed, and we all just stood there for about 5 seconds, not knowing whether to run or keep walking. Then all of a sudden we all just booked it the way we came. When we stopped and regained our cool, we walked back, and the guy was gone. It gave me the willies. As we kept walking, we noticed that the lawns in this particular neighborhood were very lush and nice, so we laid down on one! It was the best grass I've ever rested my head upon.

We ended the night by going to Harmon's and considering to have a dance party in the parking lot, but a certain someone (Saraaaaaaa) "wasn't in the mood." So instead, we went into Harmon's and bought drinks. Then we went home. The end.

bargain.

I am claustrophobic.
Today, I went to Plato's Closet with Erica and her two sisters, because they had an amazing deal going on: fit as many clearance items as you can into a plastic shopping bag, and get the whole thing for only $10. It was sweet! We got there just a few minutes before ten, not even realizing that there would be a huge, long line leading from the front doors. By the time we entered the store, it was already PACKED (literally). I felt like I did when I went to Warped Tour back in '08, when we were in the very middle of the huge, sweaty crowd of moshing people. It was awesome. I grabbed anything and everything I could that looked slightly cute, reaching over peoples' heads, sometimes even [accidentally] slapping them in the face. While going through the aisles of clothes, you would have to stand there for minutes at a time, because no one was moving. Then, when someone was passing through, you would have to cram yourself in between the racks of clothes to make room. At one point, Erica and I smelled pee. Kirsti decided that someone had peed to get everyone away from the clothes. We waited in line for probably twenty minutes. I was so relieved when I finally walked out of that store with all my clothes. But I've gotta admit, it was totally worth it.
Last night, dad took me and mom to Tucano's for dinner down in Provo. It was delightful. After that, he took us down to a city just south of Nephi, because he had to do something for his work there. It smelt like diarrhea, times 100. That was when mom told me what they did in the building: after butchers were done with animals' carcases, they would give the leftover meat, heads, bones, and diseased body parts to the people who worked here, and they would grind them up, cook them, and sell them to farmers to feed to their pigs and cows and other disgusting animals. Oh. Now I know why it smelt like death. It was nasty. We didn't get home until about 1'o'clock in the morning, so, even though I curled my hair and did my make up today, I'm going to take a nap.

memories: telifone pole phone calls.

Back in High School, I was the drummer in an all-girl band called TeliFone Pole. Emily was the guitarist and Erica played the bass. We only played a handful of actual live shows, but what made us better to perform at those shows was when we called people up on the phone and played a song or two for them, whether they liked it or not.
I had written a song for a boy named Tom, basically apologizing to him for something I didn't do. It was probably the worst song I've ever written in my life. But once we got all the parts down, we called Tom up and played him the song over the phone. Back then, I didn't feel weird about it, but now, looking back, I am so embarrassed for my High School self. The people we called had to have thought we were so dumb. But everytime I think about it, it makes me laugh.

memories: stake dances.

Lately I've been remembering a lot of funny things I've done with friends in the past, and I don't want to forget them, so I decided that it would be a good idea to post them all in a week (or maybe a few weeks, because there are a lot) so I can laugh at them later. So here goes!

When I was in Junior High and High School, my best friends, Emily and Erica, and I would always look forward to the monthly stake dances. Our tradition was to dress up crazy and to wear bright, neon colors (which I now am a little embarrassed about) and attend these dances every month.

The earliest memory I have at a stake dance was one night when I was about 14 years old. Earlier that day, I had modelled for Modest by Design, a company that makes modest prom dresses. My hair and make up were fixed up and fancy, and I had on a black shirt and skirt. Suddenly, the DJ announced that there would be a "Shoe Dance," and he told all the girls to put one of their shoes in the middle so a boy could pick one, and the two of them could dance. I put my shoe in, and the most gorgeous boy picked my shoe. I couldn't have been more thrilled. I went up to him, and he gave me my shoe back and walked away. As I stood there, not knowing what to do next, Emily told me to put my shoe back into the middle, and so I did. I waited and waited, but no one was picking my shoe. A few minutes later, a boy picked up my shoe. He held it up, and I walked over to him to get it. Instead of handing it to me like all the other boys did, he knelt down, and put my shoe on for me. Everyone clapped for us. Then we danced. When the dance ended and as people were walking out, I heard a few people call it the "Cinderella Dance."

Another memory I have is when Emily, Erica, Rachel and I snuck into the boys' bathroom to get a picture by the urinal. My boyfriend-at-the-time, Erik, was with us, and we told him to stand guard, and tell us if anyone was coming. We all ran in and took a few pictures, and were laughing the whole time. When we were finishing up, a man who was chaperoning the dance walked in and saw us, and got mad. We awkwardly walked out of the bathroom, and got mad at Erik for not telling us someone was coming. We eventually made "Boys Bathroom Madness" a tradition for every stake dance we attend.

One night at a stake dance held outside under the church pavillion, Emily, Erica and I were sitting in Emily's car, trying to think of something else to do, because the dance was super lame. Out of nowhere, two of the chaperones from the dance came up to Emily's car, rested their arms on the door, and told us that we needed to be in the dance, because we couldn't stay in our car and hang out in the parking lot. We politely said okay, and then drove off. On our way out of the parking lot, Erica shouted out the window, "Vote for me!"

Another time, after going to a stake dance, we decided to call up Birdsley and Peter and hang out at the local Smith's with them. At that time, I was texting a boy named Dakota, but we called him DK for some reason. I hadn't before met Dakota, and for some reason, he wanted to meet me that night, so I told him to come to the Smith's we were hanging out at, and he agreed to meet me there. As he was on his way, someone had the idea of making Erica pretend to be me when he came. She agreed, and a few minutes later, he arrived. Erica said hi, and started talking to him while I sat in a chair facing away from them, laughing my head off with Emily, Birdsley and Peter. Erica just went along with what DK was saying, because he was talking about what he and I had talked about, and Erica was clueless. What's even more funny is the fact that DK had seen pictures of me, and Erica and I don't look alike at all. But he bought it. When he left, I texted him and told him it wasn't me he talked to. He got all mad, and swore. I haven't heard from him since. After he left, Birdsley randomly pulled out a phone that was missing the screen, and started to "talk to God." He could carry on a long and deep conversation, too.

My last memory of stake dances was when Erica and I decided to follow this one guy around everywhere he went, just for the heck of it. Everytime he would turn around to look at us, we'd pretend to do something else, like dance or talk. We kept it up for probably ten minutes, and eventually started to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" everytime he would turn around. Eventually, when it was more than obvious that we were following him, he said, "Will you guys please stop following me?" We just walked away.

Stay tuned for more funny stories about my past. I've got a ton more to share. :)

my mom raps?

Today was a good day.

At work, I split up two teenaged boys fighting. I work with troubled foster kids, and this happens more than you would think. After work, I went to Emily's house and made fruit pizza with her. I have decided that is my absolute favorite dessert. But what really topped my wonderful day off was something that my mom said.

Dad, Mom, Sara and I were at the drive-thru at Iceberg, getting shakes, and Sara leaned over and whispered to me, "Hey, I'm gonna start beat boxing, and you rap, okay?" I excitedly agreed, and so we started. We both sucked. That's that.

Then Mom chimed in, with a head bob and a hand wave, and said, "Slow down the beat a little bit and let me give it a try!" Sara and I bursted out laughing for probably a minute or two. It was the funniest thing I've ever heard come out of my mom's mouth. The best part, though, is that she wasn't even trying to be funny--she was dead serious. Ahh, my mom.

She's going in for surgery on her sinuses tomorrow. She'll (hopefully) be loopy from the drugs, to provide us with even more laughter. I certainly do love that woman.

best buds.

This is my very favorite picture I have of my best friend, Emily, and me, and it was taken about a week ago. My camera has a self-timer/multiple shots setting, and we used it to take pictures of ourselves moving around. I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing.
Emily and I have known each other since Kindergarten, when I peed my pants because Caroline told me there were clowns in the drains in the bathroom. I guess I was afraid of clowns. Our dads work together, so we've become pretty tight over the years (15 to be exact).
This summer, Emily and I have spent a lot of time together doing things, like taking pictures of each other, talking on skywalks and bridges at the lake, and making delicious smoothies and cute headbands.
The other night, after the carnival, we discussed matters of our future photography business. We decided only a few days ago that, because we both really love photography, we're going to start a business together. It makes both of us really excited. As we were sitting on the steps at the park, we came up with a lot of ridiculous names. Some of my favorite were "Pockets Photography," "Smiles Photography," and "Blind Photography." Awful!
In a matter of weeks, Emily will be going to India for the remainder of the summer. This makes me sad, because she is ultimately the only friend I hang out with during summer. I need to get out more and make new friends, and hang out with the ones I already have.
I think the biggest reason why Emily and are best friends, besides the fact that we have similar interests, is the fact that we can talk for, literally, hours. It's just easy for us to talk about anything, and I love it! One time, when we were about 14 or 15, Emily called me while she was babysitting, and we talked for 3 1/2 hours, I think it was. It was awesome!
Shout out to Emily, my home dawg from the hood. You are very thought-provoking, and I'm glad you are my best friend. Hollar!

one summer night.

On Saturday night, Emily and I spent some time together going on a photoshoot in a church park, buying cute belts at the DI, chatting about our future wedding plans on a skywalk, and watching fireworks at a park. We both realized that if one of us was a guy, we'd go on some really good dates, because everything Emily and I do together is a lot of fun. Plus, we can keep the conversation going for hours. There's a reason we're best friends.

What I'm listening to: "This Too Shall Pass" by OK Go