Reach for the Moon

... even if you miss you'll land among the stars.

I hate this saying.

If I'm going to reach for anything, it will not be the moon. It will be the sun. And I will not miss.

Reaching for the moon is settling for less. I refuse to reach for the moon, and the stars are unacceptable as well.

I want the brightest and the best. I refuse anything else.

P.S.

I'M 20! I can't quite wrap my head around it. I think I will always think I'm 17, but now I am no longer a teenager. There are probably deeper and more profound things to come of contemplating this, but for now it's just weird to me.

My mom asked me how old I was today. I'm pretty sure it was a test, cause for the last three years I've said "Seventee... I mean [insert appropriate age here]" Today, however, I proudly said "Twenty! No longer a teenager." This is how I figure things are:

My technical age is 20.

In my head I'll always be 17.

In real life I'm 6.

I think I may be confused :) Haha but still not a teenager!

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

This is Me

(I found this scribbled on a piece of paper and shoved in a random place, and when I re-read it I liked it a lot. It's short and sweet and to the point so... enjoy!)

This is Me

Awkward, quirky, imperfect to the max, emotional, sometimes silly, and often scared, but that's me. I believe in loving people for who they are, but more importantly for who they have the ultimate potential to become (if this wasn't the case my younger brother would be dead ten million times over- well I guess that and the whole against the law thing, but whichever haha). I ask for forgiveness, but only as freely as I give it. I work for what I want, which is always what I love and I work to be my best.

It's just like riding a bike

I like this phrase. For some things it's true, you just don't forget how to do them. Riding a bike is definitely one of them. However, I think the phrase "It's just like playing the piano" should also be a phrase, but it should be for things that are not easily remembered. I've found that going two plus years without a piano has really limited my piano playing abilities. I can't remember a lot of the theory and the actually execution for me has become nearly painful. Now, don't take this the wrong way, I was never proficient in playing the piano, but I could definitely hold my own. Sadly, I have tried my hand at the piano this summer and it hasn't gone over too well (I think my little brother is close to issuing a written plea for me to cease and desist).

That's why I think there should be the phrase "It's just like playing the piano" for things that are easily forgotten, or I suppose things that need to be constantly practiced.

I found myself relating this to the gospel. I think the gospel is just like playing the piano. It is easily forgotten without the hours of practice that parents may at first have forced us to complete. It's far too easy to forget how to pray without actually praying, or fall further from the scriptures without actually picking them up on a regular basis. This was just a tidbit that I had in my head.

The gospel is just like playing the piano. Who would think you'd have to practice and persist?

Dear Jackson Hole, Wyoming...

I forgot how much I miss you!

So this past weekend was pretty great. I took a trip with 20 people, only two of which I really knew. I think one of the biggest reasons I had so much fun was because I was out of my comfort zone. I went and had a blast with a bunch of people that I didn't know at all, and I loved it. Usually I don't like being in a group with people I don't know, but this was different. I feel like I met people that I could be friends with, and not just for that one weekend of whitewater adventures.

Anyway, I love Wyoming and I think this was a growing experience for me (which is always a good thing) and Wyoming is never a disappointment. A fantastic weekend all around :)