i'm still alive!

this poor blog is so neglected. i've had a lot going on the past few months! it seems like this year is flying by. i kind of love it! so...an update on my life...

this summer i decided to register for some classes and go back to school. i cut back to part time hours (thankfully i work for a company that allowed me to do so), and started my new journey. it lasted all of 5 weeks. i hate school. i was not happy doing it. and then my uncle phil got really sick, and i started spending a lot of time down in st. george (like-every weekend). so i dropped my classes. and started working full time again. and i'm happy that i did it. something that i decided when i got divorced (and that i've mentioned on this blog before) is that i don't want to have any regrets. i'm glad i tried to go back to school. now i won't look back in ten years and wonder "what if?" sometimes you just have to try things to see if they're right for you or not. 

my sweet uncle phil. cancer is the worst.

i ran three relay races this summer! i did the wasatch back ragnar relay, the grand teton relay, and the colorado ragnar relay. each of them were amazing for different reasons. i love running relays, and i love building relationships with people that i otherwise wouldn't normally spend a lot of time with. 

the wasatch back ragnar crew. i only knew one person when we started.

teton relay was amazingly beautiful

colorado ragnar will always be special. i love my coworkers.

when i moved to SLC i bought season tickets to RSL. best decision ever. i've made some great memories at those games, and found my love for soccer again. i have become friends with the people that sit in front of me, and will for sure be purchasing season tickets again next year. 

one of my favorite scenes

a few weeks after i moved into my new ward i got called to be the primary chorister. it was terrifying. i hated it for the first few weeks and stressed about it non-stop. after i got my feet wet i started to really enjoy it, and came up with some really fun ideas. the kids were liking me and i was loving it! then, i got called into the bishop's office. they don't have enough piano players in our ward, so they had to release me and make me the primary pianist instead. i'm glad i'm still in primary, but it's hard to watch someone else do the job i loved so much! 

i've been on some interesting dates this summer. mostly blind dates. mostly not good. but there have definitely been some good ones sprinkled in there. nothing too serious yet, but stay tuned...we could be getting somewhere.

work is good. busy, but good. i like the people i work with very much. they're like family. it's refreshing to work for a company full of people that have your back. i mean, you should see these guys giving me dating advice. please keep in mind that i work with a bunch of nerdy programmers and developers. we have the most hilarious conversations, and sometimes even role playing (when deemed appropriate, obviously). it's the best.

practicing some of that dating advice on the edward cutout.

i've been able to spend good, quality time with friends this summer. i'm blessed to have so many good people in my life. i thank my heavenly father every night for the good people in my life. people that help shape me, that love me, and that want what is best for me. i probably spend at least 3-4 nights a week hanging out with mike and dasha. they are probably sick of me, but they don't show it.

friends and fans. idahomers4life.

the one and only sare bear

hello. duh. cubby. the cutest.

the family i rent from is amazing. i call her mama. i spend time with their family, and they've basically adopted me as one of their own. yet another thing i thank my heavenly father for every night. marianne and i have a special kind of bond. i think getting divorced at the same time really brought us together, and i seriously think of her as a sister. and that feeling has grown for her entire family as well. they're the greatest. well, second to my real family of course.

mama mcphie. and my adoptive sisters

hiking the wasatch crest. love this group.

mer

my mom and dad were both here for july 4th! it's the first time my dad has been around for my birthday in years. it was so good to spend time with them. i love my parents. they are my rock. they get excited about my silly dating life, and they get sad with me when i'm sad. they are the best. so are my sisters. and my brother in law. and those adorable nephews of mine that i just can't get enough of. my cousins are also amazing. i wish we lived in a convent so we could see each other every day. 

early mornign run with my pa.

the fam, minus molly. and parker...where is he?

the whole awesome clan! (most of them)

sister cousins. my favorites people.

there have definitely been down days over the past little while, but the good outweighs the bad by about a million times. so, i'm content. i'm happy. and i feel good about my life right now. i feel like i'm where i need to be, and spending time with the people i should be spending time with. i feel blessed. 

xoxo-meg

change is good

it's been a little over a week since i moved to holladay. i have loved every minute of it! i feel like a new person. isn't strange how changing one aspect of our life can make such a drastic difference? i feel a renewed sense of clarity living here. i'm not sure if it's because i'm living alone, so i have a lot more time to think and analyze things, or if it's because i'm making more time to do things other than work, but let me tell you-i haven't felt so good about something in such a long time. 

now don't get me wrong, i miss provo a little. mostly just the people. but hello! i still see and talk to them on a daily basis. sometimes we just need a change. and sometimes change is good. real good. 

xoxo-meg

to new adventures!

i don't even know where to begin with this post. i move to holladay tomorrow, and couldn't be happier about it. i know i need a change, i know that's where i need to go. while i know these things, and am excited to start a new adventure, this past week has been kind of a struggle for me. i'm filled with all these memories and emotions from my time in provo. i don't love it here, but it will always have a special place in my heart. you see, provo was my fresh start. it was my transition phase from married to single life. it was hard. i still remember vividly the day i moved there. i was terrified, humiliated, and really down on myself. but i knew i needed to pick up the pieces and move on. and provo helped me do that. not provo really, but the people there. i moved to provo on a wednesday, and spent the next few days wondering what the heck i was doing with my life. why was i here? what am i going to do? what if this isn't where i'm supposed to be? that sunday i went to my ward for the first time. all of my feelings of doubt and confusion disappeared. yeah, i didn't know anyone. and i didn't talk to very many people for the first few months, but it felt right. let me tell you...it was right. the friends i made in my ward and the bishopric there played an instrumental role in my ability to keep going. and the thing is-i don't think they even realize just how big of an impact they have made on me. it makes me emotional just thinking about it. thinking about where i was as a person a year and half ago and where i am now, and how i wouldn't be here if it weren't for the relationships i formed while living in provo. i know i'm only moving 30 miles away, but it still makes me sad. it's not going to be the same. and that's ok. to the friends i've made over the past year and a half-THANK YOU. you have no idea how much you've influenced my life, and how eternally grateful i am for you and your kindness. i'm leaving behind some very dear friends.

i can't forget to mention my amazing cousins that live in provo, who provided support and love in a time of need. i've said it before and i'll say it again...i have the. best. family. ever. i am truly blessed to a part of mine, and am so grateful to know that i will be with them forever. whether they like it or not ;)

and now...a buttload of pictures/memories from my time in provo.

byu sports!!

saturday morning walks around the temple with the best fam a girl could ask for

3rd row jazz game with my good friend and neighbor, geoff.

sar-bears first sushi experience. she didn't like it ;)

josh and whit, some of my faves!

me, tar, sara, leanne and thomas. go jazz!

don't know what i'm going to do without joe banditos. and these lovely ladies.

zion's trip with friends from the ward. so fun!

love this girl.

just a little catch in the park. nbd.

walking in the torrential downpour!

roasting mallows in annie and dain's backyard. some of my favorite memories.

going to miss these gals SO much.

golf in the park, cause we're cool like that

the time leanne and i bought matching jackets at wal mart. classy.

we LOVE somic.

gorgeous roomies.

karaoke nights!!

i'm looking forward to my new adventure. and hopefully making as many amazing friends in my new ward. peace out, provo. it's been real!

xoxo-meg

turn it around...

life has been a bit hectic lately. and pretty overwhelming, quite frankly. sometimes i feel like i'm going a million miles a minute, and still nothing is getting done. i hate that feeling. i've been trying to be much more conscious of the things that are making me feel like this, and determining how to stop feeling like this. i think i've figured out that sometimes we just go through times in our lives where we are going to feel completely overwhelmed, and that's just life. i don't know how long it will last, but i need to cope with it for as long as it's here. if that makes sense. in an effort to maintain some sort of balance and stay grounded, i've been focusing a lot on writing in my journal every night. each entry starts with something good that happened that day, or something that made me happy. it's kind of a good way to regroup. i find that writing down things that i did or felt during the day really helps me clear my head and puts me in a place that enables me to get more out of my nightly scripture study. if i wait until after, my mind is focused on a million other things, and my scripture study is virtually useless. this is just a method that i've found that works for me, do any of you guys have any other suggestions? 

i want to make sure and point out that just because things have been a little crazy, doesn't mean that i'm not still doing things to have fun. again-trying to maintain a balance. here are a few ton of pictures from the fun things i've done lately.

meeting parker for the first time!

funny faces with this cute little dude. 

90s dance party. mom jeans. 

superbowl sunday with the fam!

business trip to san francisco.

lumberjack monday. i won the costume contest, in case you were wondering.

the. most. awkward. date i've ever been on. ever.

always a good time with these gals. love my family.

laser tag!!

copacabana night (tracy-i need the picture you took of me and you!)

jazz game. third row. this will probably get its own post. coolest thing i've ever done.

i threw this in here for you, tracy. 44 oz. friday. before my week of no soda! :)

looking forward to a (hopefully) relaxing weekend. i have to play a musical number on sunday. wish me luck! have a great weekend.

xoxo-meg

life lately

three posts in one month? what is happening here?! a little update for you...

. i finished making the journal i started about two months ago. it turned out really cute, and i'm excited to make more. perhaps i'll do a little tutorial here.

. i went on a date with a guy i met on lds singles (not the painter..i know, disappointing). we went to dinner and the jazz game with my friends sarah and jordan, and had a pretty good time.

. i went on a second date with the above mentioned guy...it wasn't great. he's nice, but there is zero chemistry. and he kind of eats like a caveman. (i'm not being judgmental, just telling the truth)

. i chopped my hair. again. i don't think i'm ever going to be able to grow it out

hair=gone.

. work has been insane. insane, i tell you! so busy, but still good.

. i'm going back to school this summer (yeah, i'm 25 and i don't have a degree...so what?)

. since i'll be finishing my associate's degree in salt lake, i'm likely moving to salt lake in june. 

. it rained death rain yesterday. (rain that turns to ice) i had no less than 10 near-wipe outs while walking to my car, into work, taking the trash out, etc. 

. i've been sick for the last three days and spent most of yesterday on the couch drunk on theraflu/nyquil, working, sleeping, and watching alias. 

. i slept through my alarm this morning and missed carpool. i am awesome. 

. my little sister had her baby finally, which means i'm an aunt once again! yay for babies! 

. tonight i'm going to see the. george. strait. in concert. with my ma, sister, kate and carrie. it's going to be a blast. george is the man. i love him.

. tomorrow i'm going to a hockey game

. sunday i finally get to meet baby parker! 

. i hoping to finally set my 2013 goals this weekend (yeah, i know. january is almost over. better late than never, right?)

that's pretty much all that's going on right now. i'm very much looking forward to the day that this stinkin' inversion goes away, and it starts warming up a bit! bring on the sunshine. 

xoxo-meg

one year.

yesterday was january 13th. one year to the day from when travis asked me for a divorce. a whole year has gone by! can you believe it? i can't. it's crazy. i've learned a lot about myself over this past year. i've learned that i'm stronger than i ever thought i was, but i've also learned that it's ok for things not to be good all the time. it's been so humbling. it's been scary. but it's also been good. i spent a lot of time yesterday reading through my journal entries from this past year, and i decided to come up with a list of things or people that helped me through this. it was kind of overwhelming. i want to talk about just a few of them on the ol' blog. 

the gospel: honestly...i can't imagine going through something so difficult without the gospel. i've learned so much about the atonement, about my heavenly father, about hope and love. i've come to more fully understand how much my Heavenly Father loves and cares for me. i've learned that when things are too hard for me to handle by myself, i have a Savior who has suffered my pains and who wants me to let him help. i've become part of a ward that i think has saved me. my bishopric is amazing. our stake presidency is equally amazing. 

my family: my parents have been out of this world supportive. heck, my mom dropped everything and flew out to be with me for a whole month just a few days after everything went down. my dad has spent so much time talking to me and helping me through things. i love my parents, and am so grateful for their example and their unconditional love. my sisters. i don't even know where to start here. i remember vividly the night travis asked me for a divorce. i called hannah and molly to tell them the news, and decided to drive to idaho (because travis didn't want me at the house, and i wanted to be with family). molly left a date to meet me in tremonton so i wouldn't have to drive alone, and when we got to hannah's she left what she was doing with her friends to be with me. i'm so grateful to have sisters that would do anything for me, and i for them. i love them. my extended family is so amazing. my aunts, uncles and cousins have been so supportive and so good to check up on me and make sure things are going alright. in particular, annie and dain, kate, mike, ian, and aunt carrie have been life savers. they're close by, so they get the pleasure of putting up with all of my emotional needs, and they have been so good to help me. i was blessed with the best family a girl could ask for.

my friends: for real. the night travis asked me for a divorce and i decided to drive to idaho, the meegans didn't let me leave without getting a priesthood blessing first. so grateful for them. mike and dasha have opened their home to me and spent many a night listening to me cry. they are my best friends, and have helped me in more ways that you can even imagine. my old friends in idaho, my stansbury friends, my friends in salt lake. the friends i've made in my new ward have been amazing as well. i'm not going to name names, because i know i'll forget someone, but you all know who you are. my roommates are so great, and have helped me through so much. those of you who read and comment on this little blog- your comments have meant the world to me! my co-workers are pretty much the best you could ask for. i'm so grateful for them. for the entire company. i am blessed.

it's really amazing to look back over the past year and see everything that's happened. all the people that have touched my life, and the little bit of progress i've made. i still have so, so far to go, but i've made it a whole year! i'm looking forward to even more progression in 2013. so, to all of you who have helped me this year, thank you. seriously, thank you. i would not be where i am without each of you.

xoxo-meg

it's come to this....

well, i've done it. i got myself an lds singles account. it's been pretty entertaining to see some of the messages people send on here. honestly, i hope to at least make some new friends and meet new people, but if nothing else, i will have good stories to share. please take a minute to read the latest message i received. i laughed so hard that i cried. 

"so i think we would probably be a worse off match than peanut butter and ketchup covered in fire ants, so, while i'm not interested in pursuing anything but a potential friendship, i think you're completely and utterly stunning, i'm an artist and i would be honored to paint you or at least show you my work. if that's not too off the wall, but, i'm sure you have gotten nuttier fan mail from others on here!"

what do you think? should i let him paint me?!

i'm sure i'll have plenty more like this. check back for more!

xoxo-meg