IT'S FUN TO PLAY AT THE.....

RANDOM TIDBITS

1. My last day of work is in a week. I don't know if I'm excited, or sad, or a combination of everything. I'm just taking the emotions as they come. I still think my job is awesome.
2. I DESPISE the wind. They said the gusts are supposed to get up to 65 mph tonight.
3. I went back to my natural hair color. Sort of a light, semi-blonde color. Not an extreme change but somewhat different - It's time to get back to basics.

4. My parents are both coming into town this Sunday. I'm pretty excited. I'm feeling a tad bit homesick.

5. I'm starting my running project. It's time. If you wonder if I'm surviving you can catch up with me HERE.

AND IT BEGINS

I'm in the middle of this book, hoping to get some inspiration on what it takes to LOVE running. I think I've mention this before, but I've always been incredibly envious of people who are able to effortlessly hit the road and run a few miles to 'clear their head.' Running a few miles for me requires a 30 minute, schizophrenic conversation to talk myself into going out there in the first place, trying to figure out how to let people know where I live when they find me passed out in the middle of the sidewalk, and understanding the correlation between an increased heart rate and a collapsed lung. It's not a pleasant experience.

Still, despite the reality of it, I want SO BADLY to make it a positive experience. I've been talking to and getting tips from people that are runners, reading books on running, and coming up with a plan to become 'a runner.' Yesterday as I was thinking about it I decided that I was going to set a goal for myself to get out there until I DO learn to enjoy it. Starting April 1st my goal is to run 1000 miles within the next year. Totally doable. That's roughly 3 miles a day, 6 days a week. A couple of years ago I was doing that twice a day. The weather is cooperative right now and the goal is easy to accomplish.

So as of Thursday if you're wondering where I am, you can find me running (well, gasping and trudging at first) down Elkhorn and back up Sunny Springs. You may even find me in a gym one day. Don't hold your breath, but perhaps. If any of you feel like coming along, give me a couple of months to get on board with it and then feel free to meet up with me. If any of you have any tips or pointers, PLEASE share them with me. This is something I have always wanted to accomplish, and I need all the help I can get!

PROM

Oh yes, today's the day! Pictures to come....

CAKE BOSS

I LOVE this show!! I don't know if it's because of their strong italian accents, or maybe because they have a way of making it look so easy to do their jobs, but each time I watch it I yearn to be a fabulous cake decorator. Perhaps that will be my new goal.....

CBT

Yesterday I went to a conference on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I won't go into the details of it (for those of you who don't get excited like me about things like this), but I will say that everyone would benefit from understanding it. It basically teaches that when we become aware of a situation in our life that our thoughts regarding the situation leads to our emotions, which can lead to our actions. Pretty simple. If something horrible happens, we can't control what has happened, but we can control our attitudes towards it. Duh. It's easy to get, but when in a crisis people are so wrapped up in their emotions that they miss it. I love that I had an 'aha' moment yesterday when listening to the speaker, and I love that it's something I can implement in my own life, with my own experiences. Thanks, Dr. Punni, for sharing your insights.....

TRUE JOY

One of the best parts of being a missionary was not only being able to share the gospel, but to be part of a team of such fantastic people doing it with you. I loved the missionaries in my zones! We worked hard, and we played hard, and we took advantage of the time that we had as missionaries.When I got back from my mission I kept in touch with a lot of the missionaries I served with, and thanks to Facebook I've been able to reconnect with those who live pretty far away. A few months back I reconnected to an elder from Uruguay named Gustavo Garcia. He was hilarious! He was ridiculously tall, and always positive, and sometimes a bit of a clown. I loved his outlook on life and as missionaries we became fast friends.
Several weeks ago we were online at the same time and we ended up talking about the gospel. We were talking about how Alma felt when he saw his brothers, and he knew that they were still strong in the gospel. We discussed how we felt that same joy when we reconnected to people and knew that they were still faithful in their beliefs, and specifically each other.

Last night I went online to see if Gustavo was there, and decided to send him a message. When I saw his page I was shocked to see that the week after we had spoken, he passed away. The sudden impact of it left me heartbroken, but I think the majority of the tears last night were tears of joy....and of understanding....and of gratitude that he DID stay strong in the gospel and knew the truthfulness of it.

I am so grateful I am for the plan of salvation, and for the blessings it brings. I am thankful that when I see him again, if I do my part, I will be able to feel that same joy that was felt so long ago by those other missionaries. How I love little Elder Garcia and oh, how I LOVE the gospel!!!!

ROOT CANAL

I've had horrible experiences at the dentist before, and I'm not afraid to admit that I intentionally avoid going. I once waited almost 4 years before I went in for a check-up. So you can imagine how EAGER I was to find excuses to not get a root canal taken care of. The excuses lasted as long as the Tylenol took care of the pain, but these last few weeks have been rough. So today was the day. Special thanks to Dr. R for understanding when I let out a yelp of pain during the shots (just like the 7 year old in the stall next to me did). And kuddos to his little helper for being so quick to retract her instruments when I would gag. I wish I wasn't such a sissy, but last time I went to the dentist actual tears were rolling down my face, so it's fair to say I am getting better with time. Baby steps, Megann. Baby steps!

NEW JOB

I've worked in the same job for almost 6 years now, and I've loved my time there. Still, I know the itch for change has come and I'm not fighting it anymore. My last day at my current job is going to be April 7th and then on April 12th I begin as a social worker for Creekside Hospice. A lot of people have asked why I would want to do something like hospice, and isn't it depressing? I don't know why but I've always wanted to be a part of it. After I graduated from college it was added to my list of things to do before I die. I think it's because providing comfort to others allows me to feel the Spirit, and specifically when dealing with death, it reminds me how precious life really is. I'm excited for this change, and nervous, and a little sad to let go of the past, but mainly I'm just grateful that I'm going to be working in another area that I know I'm going to love. Three cheers for Social Work!!!

GOT THIS COUCH

Today I bought my first official piece of furniture for my house and I love it! To see it click HERE. These are my favorite things about it:

1. Microfiber = EASY to clean
2. I'm a fan of the color (Celedon, which I have never heard of before)
3. Hide-a-bed in the middle section so I can sleep downstairs and watch TV when I'm alone and scared
4. Lots of sitting room
5. On SALE! I saved almost 50 percent
6. Buying it makes me feel like an adult - and I figure it's time to start being an adult :)

ANNUAL TRIPS

Every February me and Larcha head to San Diego for a little getaway from our lives. Last year it was a massage weekend and this year was an Old Town and SEA WORLD weekend. You can't have a girls weekend without LOADS OF junk food and girl movies!!The park was practically EMPTY so me and Larch were able to go to all of the exhibits, stand in the same spot and take as many pictures as we wanted without worrying about cutting in on others, and never have to wait in a line!!
I really liked the Polar Bears and the fact that they looked so cute when they were all spread out and just soaking in the sun.

So this is how Charla reacted when she was walking through a polar cave and there was a bear 'roar' from the speaker. This was not a re-enactment!

Even though I've been here before, it's still fun to see the different animals - we watched the sea lions for a while

Pretty much I've decided that penguins are AWESOME! They were suprisingly entertaining to watch!This little guy struggled for a while to make it up the wall. He had an entire audience on the other side of the glass cheering him on!

Charla bought a churro and a killer whale pretzel. About 2 bites into her churro there was a swoosh from behind and a nasty sea gull came and took it OUT OF HER HAND!! I screamed like a little girl and she was confused..and then sad....and then annoyed. It was really good churro!

I love this picture. If only I was better with photoshop I'd find a way to get rid of the girl's head that this dolphin obviously considering eating....

This was Charla's favorite exhibit. The rays were slimy and hard, but it was just cool to play with them. They would come in swarms for you to pet them.
Oh fake Shamu! Why did your friend in Florida have to kill that trainer, making it impossible for me to see your show?!I was admittedly disappointed when I found out the shows were still cancelled. That is one of my favorite Sea World memories from years ago. Sigh. Maybe another year.....

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE AIR

I don't know if it was 'El Nino' blowing in, or the fact that I've started to feel a little restless, but there are some big changes coming my way within the next month. I'm facing a new job, my roommate moving up north, and hopefully a much healthier lifestyle. Some good, some emotional, some necessary. It's time to let the wind blow me where I need to be!

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!

I feel like I'm LOSING my mind!! Already twice this week I ran into pre-scheduled, long awaited for, significant things that came up that I had completely forgotten about! So this morning I was determined to not mess something up again and called a woman from my ward about some food I wanted to drop off before I came in to work. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: Hi! Is Teresa there?
Husband: She just stepped out a couple of minutes ago. Could I have her call you back?
Me: I actually just wanted to get your address so I could drop off my food for the ward party tonight.
Confused Husband: Is there another party tonight?
Me: Another party? Wait...was the ward party last night?!
Husband: Yep.
Me: Awesome.
Husband: (Reassuringly) I guess you won't have to worry about food for a while! That's a good thing!
Me: (Sighing and shaking my head) Please tell Teresa I'm really sorry about this!
Husband: (Laughing) Don't worry about it! Have a good day!

I think I've been working with Alzheimer's residents for too long