Wicked!

I've been thinking for the last couple days that I need to report on the fabulous production that I got to see in Salt Lake. I just couldn't figure out the right way to do it. I could go on about how Elphaba was amazing, the dancing, the set, costumes, and the fact that Glinda stole the show with her airheaded blonde comments; however, as I revisited the music I decided to list a few of the lyrics from different songs that I loved.

You really don't have to do that... I know, that's what makes me so nice.

Wishing only wounds the heart.

And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free!

I believe I have been changed for the better. And because I knew you I have been changed for good.

So it was either quote everything, or only quote a few things so I'm going with the latter and not spoil it for you if you plan on seeing it sometime. It really was a blast to be able to go and see this with my family. Kudos to Lisa for getting us all together! Loved it :)

Home

So you're probably super sick of hearing about my family, but this is my blog. So get over it. I have an awesome family. Usually I would write this out in a list; however, today is a spotlight moment.

Stanley Morgan is my mom's dad. LuJean Despain is his wife. And they are my grandparents. I realized this weekend that I haven't heard much about their lives. My dad's parents have a knack for going over their own history, and it's a great one. My mom's side is a little more reserved. I had the opportunity to hang out with my grandpa for a little while the other day and it just made me realize just how wonderful these two are. My grandpa gave me a short history. He told me how he met my grandmother, when they were 15. He was going on a date with her cousin, and she was with his friend. The couples ended up doing a little switch-a-roo and that was that. My grandpa also told me how he and my grandma were married in Hawaii and had a 30 day honeymoon on the Hawaiian Islands, can you say dream come true? I told him that I wanted to hear more about his history and I'm bound and determined to help him record it. My grandpa loves finding his ancestors and timelining their lives. I think I would love to help him do this with his own life, his and his wife's. There is so much to be learned from the past, and what better way to learn it than from someone who loves you?

And Love Like Crazy

I heard this song on my drive back from South Jordan and it just made me think of a few things that I love like crazy. Oh you knew it was coming... A list!

I love asking my Grandpa Morgan how he is doing and having him answer with "Oh, pretty good for an old guy." Sometimes I ask just to hear him say it.

I love that my Grandpa Leavitt slips me a twenty to pay for gas to get back to Logan. I also love that he sometimes gets a little teary when he tells me to drive safe.

I love that my dad would rather round up the kids and create a birthday spanking machine than hang out in the house with the grown ups.

I love that my mom would rather help her youngest granddaughter fall asleep than eat dinner.

I love that my brother-in-law can win over any of his nieces and nephews. Carlie refused contact with anyone except her parents and uncle Jed. I also noticed that he passed this ability on to his kids, Logan was so sweet with Carlie also.

I love that the phrase "Megan, you look so cute-just like Mindy" is bandied around. Mostly cause it's true. Cute is equivalent to Mindy. Mindy synonymous to cute.

Really, I just love my family a lot.

Who Needs Friends...

When you have siblings?
So I may or may not have written this and then forgot to actually put it on my blog, but it's still pertinent. My siblings are awesome, and literally have become my best friends. So here it is, you guessed it, a list.

Over the break I got...
A new beautiful niece.
To just sit and read with my siblings. I dont think there are very many people who would do that, but I love it.
Watch movie after movie with them.
Talk endlessly with them.
Five words: Silly string New Years Eve.
To play Scategories.
Ice skate till my ankles were about to fall off.
Laugh every time Gavin would say something funny at the very moment that liquid entered Mindy's mouth.
To plan a trip with Mindy.
To contemplate moving in with Mindy next semester. We'd definitely be the cutest set of sisters in Provo.
To have good conversations about the books we were all reading. Or just scratch each other.
To just enjoy the fact that I really am friends with the people I was forced to live with for the first 18 years of my life. Turns out I really do like them and we can get along. Love it.

Paisley Sue Noelle

This is the newest member of my family. Paisley Sue Noelle Crookston was born December 30, 2011 at 1:09 PM at the Riverton Hospital. She weighed in at 7 lbs 4 ounces and was 19.75 inches long. This little miracle has been greatly anticipated as the third niece/granddaughter and much anticipated sister. I was privileged enough to be able to spend an exceptional amount of time with this beautiful little girl (my mom, aka the grandma, would say that I got more than my fair share, but I'm ok with that). I loved begin able to simple hold this tiny piece of heaven and watch. Something that I have learned from this little one is that children really are precious. They are so pure and innocent, I think they even smell like heaven, but that's just my own opinion haha. Anyway I thought I would brag a little about how cute my family is :)

That's NOT Fair

This past week I have seen a lot of my niece and nephews. I love these kids. In the course of my time spent with them I have come to learn a lot about things needing to be fair. Like for instance it's not fair that Logan didn't go to school (even though the poor kid spent most of the time in the bathroom. I think he would have preferred school). It's also not fair for someone to get more or less than they deserve. This is usually quantified by ages. For instance Logan needs five of everything, lets say cookies, because he is five and that is fair. I can usually counter this argument by saying "Well, I'm 21 Log. Do I need 21 cookies because I'm 21? That would be all of the cookies!" I don't think this really does any good, cause the kids just say that it doesn't count because I'm old, but regardless I have learned something from these small cries of "That's NOT fair."

In my Multicultural Diversity in the Classroom course I learned a pretty good definition of what fair is. Fair means that everyone receives what they need, in the manner that they need it, at the appropriate time. This was given while speaking about students with special needs within the classroom and making a "considerable accommodations" for those students. I filed this piece of information away in my "This is something I'll use when I'm teaching, but for now won't think about it" part of the brain; however, I think it should be reexamined. I think this is a fairly accurate definition of what fair is for life. Heads up, gonna get a little churchy, but I think this is how Heavenly Father works. Now I'm not saying Heavenly Father is an angry God dangling us like spiders over the fire, saying "You'll get what is coming to you." Quite the opposite in fact.

Heavenly Father hears us loud and clear when we believe something in our life just isn't fair. It's not fair that my roommate is graduating and I still have one entire semester after that. It's not fair to have loved ones torn from their mortal existence. It's just not fair. He hears those, but He knows that everyone is getting what they need the most, in the manner that they can receive it the best, at the time they need it. We may not see it as fair, but Heavenly Father sees it as best. He knows everything.

I had an institute teacher once tell us that Heavenly Father did not send us to Earth hoping we would succeed in all that He sent before us. He sent us here having seen what we would do with those moments in life that we don't think are fair. He saw us succeed. Perhaps we just need to redefine fair.

Mindy Anne

In my series of visits, I was able to visit my sister Mindy. Even though she lives in Provo and goes to BYU and I live in Logan and attend USU I was still extremely excited to spend a night at her apartment. Aside from a couple awkward moments with roommates and old mission buddy parties, the weekend was a success. Plus I was reminded of a few things about Mindy. These things I will share in yet another list.

Mindy puts things in perspective, but at the same time helps keep the focus on what really matters.

She has the greatest laugh bar none. It just makes funny things funnier, and not funny things better. I'm not sure how else to describe it, but it's the greatest.

The only downside to the possibility of living with Mindy would be that I would have to compete with her all encompassing beauty every day, which would be exhausting and unrealistic.

She's gorgeous. I make a certain effort to look good when I come home to keep up with my sisters; however, it doesn't always work out. And on a daily basis would fail consistently.

Her roommates still lover her, even though those roommates may not be perfect (hehe).

She really is lovable. I think Gavin and I always make her sit in the middle when we watch a movie for a reason- we both can't get enough of her.

U-turns & Low-tech

So I lack the appropriate skills to fully document the trip I took with my siblings to Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Instead I'm going to recount the journey with some quotes.

Day 1 : Thursday, July 28th

"Is that close enough!?" -Megan

"YES" -Karen (aka the GPS)

"Did you know that they don't have sales tax in Oregon?"-Mindy

"Maybe it's the fish" -Megan

... Two minutes later

"Did I just say 'Maybe it's the fish'!?!"- Megan

That's all we remember from day one, but the drive at 2 am nearly reduced me to tears.

Day 2 : Friday, July 29th

"Hat drinks" -Megan

"Turn the air on. Turn it warm. And turn it towards my pants!" -Gavin

"The shadow of the necklace scared me..." -Mindy

"This is not an OK hill!" -Megan

"I thought there would be grass" -Mindy (in reference to a Portland festivity entitled "Flicks on the Bricks")

Day 3: Saturday, July 30th

"There's a kid in my ward named... From Bremerton" -Mindy

"That guy's shirt has a picture of a giraffe and it says 'Moo, I'm a goat'"- All of us

"I'll just make a square turn..."-Mindy

Saturday was a rough day, so we didn't have very many funny quotes...

Day 4 : Sunday, July 31st

"That train is going like 2 inches a mile" -Megan

"Squish fishing!" -Mindy

"Oh, it just blew away" -Megan (in reference to a bird)

Day 4: Monday, August 1st (The day of my birth, in case you were wondering)

"How would you reuse toilet paper?" -Megan

"How many presidents signed it?" -Megan

"That music helped keep me awake on the drive home."-Megan

"That music helped keep me asleep on the drive home." -Mindy

"I think a screaming pterodactyl would have helped keep you asleep" -Gavin

Day 5: Tuesday, August 2nd

This day was mostly sleeping or watching movies in the car; however, this is just the list of quotes we remembered/documented. Needless to say there were countless more that were forgotten from the sleep deprivation accompanied with the smoke of Seattle. If we remember more amendments will be made to this post. And the running gag of our trip? "If only we had a smart phone..."

Hope you enjoyed our montage of quotes from our trip. If you're dying for pictures, click here.

Not just Mindy

I had to share this. Mostly because it made me laugh so hard.

The other day I called my mom. We had a pleasant conversation, discussing school, work, and other such things when she asked "Have you talked to Mindy lately? Do you know how she's doing?" I told my mom that I hadn't and then we talked about how we feel like she's fallen off the face of the planet a little bit (don't worry Mindy, I don't think it's necessarily your fault, BYU does that to people ;)).

The next day I talked to Mindy, and proceeded to tell her that our mother had inquired about how she was when I had called. Of course I exaggerated for effect. I said something along the lines of "Yeah, I called mom and she answered and said 'Oh hey Megan... How's Mindy?'" Which wasn't really the case, but made for a good laugh all the same.

So as it turns out, Mindy ended up talking to my mom who then heard about the conversation between Mindy and I and the result? An e-mail titled "Not just Mindy." In which my mom explained that she loved to hear from me, and was simply wondering if I had caught Mindy because she had been unsuccessful in doing so. To this I laughed a lot.

The moral of the story? I love my parents. I like that my parents (especially my mother) loves each one of her children uniquely (despite the rumors that Mindy is the favorite). Anyway, thank you for letting me know that it's not just Mindy, even though we still love Mindy lots :D

Dear Family,

I am missing you terribly this weekend!

From going to the new Harry Potter movie at Midnight with you guys, to the Bingham Miner's football Final against Fremont. This isn't even to mention the kiddies growing up right under my nose, or the prep for Thanksgiving (which I actually really do like). At any rate, I am feeling particularly homesick at the moment. Hopefully, if I can plan well enough I will be home Wednesday, Thursday and then again Saturday and Sunday :) I am ridiculously happy that I get to be there for Thanksgiving (if only for the actual dinner part). I thought I would let all of you know that I love and miss you. Two and half ish years of being at USU has taught me a tiny bit more about appreciating things that mean the most. And my dear family, you mean the world to me. I hope you know this, but in case you don't I'll say it again. I love you all so much! So this is for my family.

Jeremy
Chelsea
Jacob
Cohen
Carlie
Lisa
Jed
Jayna
Logan
Lucas
Heather
Mindy
Gavin
Mom
Pops

I love you.

Dear Halloween,

When I was younger you and I were pals. I always had a fantastic costume (thanks to a fantastic mother who made them year after year) I had siblings or friends to go trick-or-treating with (and the option to do so without feeling completely dumb or looking like a creeper) and of course the free candy that always came from said trick-or-treating adventures.

Nowadays those times are pretty much over, except for the costumes that I have swiped from home, the warm and fuzzy feelings you and I once shared have in a nutshell disappeared entirely. This makes me sad. I feel like I've lost a very important moment from my life from not experiencing Halloween like I used to.

I think next year I will go home just for you and have a grand time with my family.

I think I should have learned this from my first Halloween in Logan (which was probably the lamest most uneventful holiday of my life- my roommate and I played blockus the entire night...)

Dear Lisa

How's this? I changed it just for you so let me know what you think. Still squinting at the page? Let me know :)

Sincerely,

Megan

I Just Can't Resist

I know I talk a lot about my nieces and nephews on here, but I can't help it. They're pretty much the greatest. I was babysitting my sister's kids the other day and we were playing outside and the kiddies were on the swing set. The youngest, Mr. Lucas Jeffery proceeded to try to climb up onto the swing, without much success. So I put him on there and went back and sat down. I was seriously tired and couldn't seem to wake up properly, so I wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to get up and do much, but there are a few things I just can't resist:

A big hug.

A piece of chocolate.

And a two year old with the deepest blue eyes looking up at me and saying "Push me Meggie!" So I went over and started pushing. Another thing I can't resist "Higher Meggie!" Of course I push him as high as I think is safe and then comes the sugary sweet cherry on top. The biggest toothy grin and... "Thank you Meggie!"

And then repeat. For probably twenty minutes.

I really do love kids, and I've had so many opportunities to witness what little miracles they are.

If you didn't already know, I've been teaching swimming lessons to 3-10 year old kids. I gotta say that lately it's been trying my patience. A lot. But there are always brilliant shining moments that reminds me that I really do want to be a mom someday. I'll share one with you.

For kids that are three years old they have a half hour long class. There's usually three kids in the class and they are usually pretty good kids (there is always the occasionally crier, and there was even one little boy that threw a full on tantrum in the water... but that's another story) anyway, a couple days ago for one of my half hour classes we had a fourth student and it was her very first time swimming. She was not excited. She was so tiny for a three year old, and very vocal about the fact that she did not want to be in the pool. For these overly vocal students we pull out the big guns. Distraction. Water toys. So each kid got a toy and little Ashlynne (the screamer) calmed down. When we got to Holland's turn to go (a little girl that has attended swimming lessons for the entire summer- along with her cute siblings; I taught her older sister, anyway), she quickly hopped up, offered her toy to Ashlynne and proceeded to tell me how cute she thought Ashlynne was. When Holland's turn was over, she proceeded to tell Ashlynne herself what a cutie she thought Ashlynne was. I dunno why, but this almost made me cry. I've never wanted to hug one of my students so much. Holland has always been super sweet, but this was such an accurate display of that sweetness that I was blown away.

So in a nut shell, I guess I just can't resist these little kids. My running joke for the summer has been to say that hanging out with all these little kids is making me change my life plan. I think it's a true statement. It's made me want to be ready to have my own kids, and know how to take care of them and help them become as sweet as the kids I've gotten to play with this summer. It's also made me rethink the number of kids I want- haha the number went down instead of up in case you were wondering. Anyway, I do love kids and I'm glad I get to play with them for another couple weeks before I go back to the grown up world.

Megan's Fun-O-Meter

I think I have funny outlooks on things, and this is one that I've thought a lot about. I think you can guage how fun something was based on a few simple things.

First: how big of a freakout after said fun thing. Mostly this applies to little kids (but some adults do this as well). The more tears they cry, the harder they fight to stay and do whatever fun thing they're doing, the more fun the activity was.

For example: Parents tell kids it's time to go home from the park, the kids whine a little, but they go willingly to the car. Therefore the park wasn't that much fun. On the other hand, when parents say it's time to go home after a sweet awesome day of hanging out with their favorite aunt and they scream and cry and break down, this means It was an exceptionally great day.

Second: how good your chaco tan line is. Haha I think this one is just funny. It doesn't mean you need chacos to have fun, but it means that if you have them, and the tan line you have from playing outside in them is good then you've had a good time.

For example: Spending a weekend in Moab, Utah with my favorite person and going down the river means a better tan line, which means a ton of fun :)

Third: how well you sleep after a fun activity. If you hit the pillow and are out, this means you've had a great day.

For example: After a weekend of river rafting, laughing, eating, driving, and a little bit of swimming and you're out before you know what happens... this means a ridiculous amount of fun (not to mention happiness).

So far those are the only ones I have, but it's been fun to think about these. Now you know how to figure out if you've had a good day or not! Haha

Spring Break #2

Last year I wrote about Spring Break and how literate my immediate family is. For this post I will once again spotlight my family. I guess I'm pretty boring for not doing anything for yet another Spring Break, but at the same time I'm really happy that I got to go home and hang out with the family (especially the shorter ones in the family, and I don't just mean Heather hehe).

Anyway, I like my family. In all reality, I love my family. Each one has something to bring to the table and it makes life a wonderful meal, so to speak. This post, however, is a tribute to my niece and nephews (as if I don't gush about them enough, but I really can't over them!). These five children (soon to be SIX! Congrats Chelsea!) are amazing, in a nutshell.

So, here is to Jayna, Jacob, Logan, Cohen, and Lucas (and soon to be baby GIRL Leavitt!) I love them all so stinkin much :D

This is usually where I would put in an adorable picture of me and these kids, however I forgot to take one. So in your head imagine 5 crazy little kids and an ultrasound picture haha

Oh Daddy-O!

Here are a few pictures from my most recent adventure. I flew down to Texas to visit my dad who has been working there for nearly a year and a half. I needed a vacation and the very first thing that came to my mind was my dad in Lack Jackson, Texas.















I was thinking about it as my dad and I frantically tried to fit in every possible thing and I came to the conclusion that I have a ton of memories of my dad and I at zoos and galleries and other field-trip esque places. You might ask why. Well it's because I'm pretty sure my dad was there for 100% of my field trips from grade K-10. And it only goes to 10 because I didn't really go on field trips in high school - I went on tour and I bet my dad would have been to those in a heartbeat as well if finances had allowed. Anyway, my point being that my dad was always there. Perpetually. And I loved it. I never felt like he was overbearing and my friends generally felt comfortable around him (or at least they seemed to be, and they never said anything otherwise). What I'm trying to say is a great big thank you to my dad. For always being there pops. I love you.

Things that I have missed!

Here is a list of things that I have missed about my dad while he's been gone.

- The way he whistles no matter what he's doing
- His sneezes that you can hear from across the street
- The way he smells, its just good and comfortable
- His smile, and his fangs haha :)
- His witty, if not somewhat inappropriate remarks... which may or may not include profanity. Oops
- His easy-going-ness
- Basically anything and everything, but these things that I've listed in particular.

Things Left Unsaid

I find that I've been thinking a lot about this lately. I attended a funeral on Tuesday and it was beautiful, the flowers, the singing, and the spirit and I decided that I should not leave things unsaid. So this is me saying things I should have said a long time ago.

As I sat in the service for Kenna Smith I watched as her grandchildren stood up to sing a beautiful medley and felt a love so strong I couldn't help but cry. This family had unequivocally and irrevocably accepted me into the fold of this love at a time when I don't believe they knew how much I needed it. I sat there, almost floored at how unbelievably blessed I have been to have any association with this family, with this love, and this bond of friendship. There was a peace there that I could not describe and a love that was unmistakable. So this is for you.

To the Spencer family, the Smith family, the Bintz family, the Huntsman family. You have been the greatest friends and an awesome source of support and love in my life that could only be equaled or rivaled by my own sweet family. For a long time I could not understand how every one of you could accept me so fully and so completely into that fold of love and family, but learning more about the two that started this family it was easy to see why and how. I hope you all know that you have taught me the truest meaning of charity, that pure love of Christ who died for all of us. I hope with all my heart that I can share that in some way with every person I meet, and in my own family one day.

Shannon has always told me that no matter where life takes me she will always see me as one of her own, and I find it a privilege to be thought of as an honorary member of this family- and no matter where life takes me I know I will find love and friendship within this unit.

I guess in a nutshell I am thanking you for every moment that you have shared with me, and for the love and kindness that you continue to show me. You have been a shining example in my life. Thank you once again.

The Meaning and the Reason

There have been a few select questions on my mind lately, most of which I won't divulge here, but one in particular that I will.

Saturday was my 19th birthday, and it was a day full of family and friends. I had the opportunity to attend the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, which I was very happy about seeing as it was the last day to do so.

I went with two of my best friends and literally hundreds of others. As we walked through towards the first flight of stairs my mind went to one of those questions. What is eternity? This question has been itching my brain for a while, and I've spent many an hour puzzling over this (usually while I'm at work and should be doing something productive). But this question came to me and I looked towards the myriad of people and a little girl cried out, and it echoed through the entrance. This drew me out of my reverie only to take a better look at the entire room filled to capacity with people from every walk of life, but what caught my attention most were the children.

And it clicked.

There was eternity. With each child born there comes the hope of moving forward. It seemed to me that there was an abundance of small children populating that particular session of the open house, and every one look more precious that any one thing the world could hold. There was eternity.

The realization of what eternity means to me (because by no means is this any sort of text book definition, just the ramblings of a teenager) was reaffirmed later that night.

My grandmother celebrated her 81st birthday in June and she came by to wish one of her dozen or so granddaughters a happy birthday. As she sat and visited with me and my family, she told us about the surprise visit she received from her oldest son (my dad's brother). she told us that each one of his children brought their own little family and how they had ten small children running around their yard. She laughed and said she couldn't quite believe it- Ten great grandchildren, and that was just from one of her three sons, not even to mention her two daughters, and it hit me again. There was eternity. It shone in the hope of a young child, and in the love of this beautifully aged woman.

So I guess eternity to me is family, and never seeing the end of that family. To me eternity is the young and the old and the journey it takes to get there.

The meaning is family, and the reason is Christ.

Needless to say I cannot wait until I have ten great grandchildren from just one child, therein lies eternity for me.

You smell like Sunshine

To you, my dear reader this may seem like an odd phrase. Smelling like Sunshine seems an impossibility, but to me it certainly isn't.

My dad says this phrase all too often and I adore hearing it. When I was younger he would pick me up after playing outside all day, give me a hug, inhale deeply, smile hugely and say this quick phrase with all the love of that fatherly voice, "You smell like Sunshine." I've loved hearing this beautiful little phrase continue as my dad picks up his grandchildren and makes the same exclamation "You smell like Sunshine!" and then to hear my niece and nephews run around hugging each other and making this same exclamation "You smell like Sunshine!"

So to you my reader, hopefully today you smell like Sunshine because it is a beautiful day and a beautiful phrase to share with someone special.