Snow...and lots of it!!

So as you all have probably seen by the recent news coverage, my Christmas was WHITE! I didn't think the snow would ever stop! I just sat and watched it. All day long. Well, not all day, there were games to be played, food that was calling my name, treats to be ate, etc. But the snow kept coming!!! Here are some pictures of the entire process...Enjoy!

Merry Christmas Everyone!! I hope that you have all enjoyed this Christmas season, and takens a moment to reflect upon what Christmas is really all about! Hopefully you are all spending it with those that you love!

To my family: Sorry we are not together this year, but I am there in your heart, and that is all that matters. I love you all! Have a good one! Meags.

Karaoke

karaoke (kar-ee-oh-kee)

-noun

An act of singing along to a music video, esp. one from which the original vocals have been electronically eliminated.

-origin

Japan kara=empty + oke=orchestra

This, my fellow bloggers, is my new favorite pastime. Karaoke. As many of you might have known, I loved it before, but rarely had the opportunity to take part, since the STG just wasn't the happening place for it. But in the state of many lakes it can be found EVERYWHERE! They do however prounounce it differently. Some say ka-ro-kee, as if there is no e sound in it at all. It must just be the accent. To them it all sounds the same.

Out of all the various activites in the land o' lakes, why would I choose karaoke, you ask? Well, for starters, it is a sport that all can participate in. Yes it is a sport. It requires stamina, adequate breathing, at least a fourth grade reading level, and for some (sorry mum) rather large balls. However, other than those requirements, one thing that it does not require is musical talent. Trust me, there are some people that I have heard that sound like they are calling in their pigs, not trying to sing Carrie Underwood. But that my friends, is why it is so fun. For about an average of three to four minutes, under the glow of a bud lite sign and disco ball, it allows some of us to feel like the stars American Idol told us we could never measure up to.

So I challenge you blog readers in the upcoming 2010, pick up the mic, crank up the Michael Jackson, Billy Idol, Pat Benetar, Salt N' Pepa, ACDC, or whatever tickles your fancy, and follow the words that light up on that screen. Karaoke your little hearts out. You just might find yourself a new hobby.

Circle of Friends.

I got this from a friend/neighbor back in Utah. She posted an award on my blog and told me to pass it on. I normally don't do this sort of thing, but I figured, hey....it's Christmas! Why not!

First I have to tell you 5 things about myself, then I have to pass it along to 5 other wonderful girls!! So here goes:

1. I love to cook, or at least pretend that I can. I love to try new and crazy foods. I have eaten everything from octopus to escargo. I figure try everything once!!

2. I tell people all the time that my hair is naturally red. I have a lot of people that ask, and I got tired of that look of sadness, like I was breaking their hopes and dreams, so I just started lying!

3. I love to fish! It is so relaxing. I love just sitting there, talking to whoever you are with. I went fishing with my brother once for a whole day, and I didn't catch anything but a stick. I kept that stick until I moved out here. (it sort of fell apart).

4. I love to talk to strangers. I could carry on a complete convo with a stranger for hours. That is one thing I love about living here. NO ONE knows me! They are all strangers! I am not related to anyone, no one has ever worked with, dated, gone to school with, my dad, grandpa, cousin, or brother, or other relative somewhere along the line.

5. I Love to shop. Thats no secret, but I HATE to try clothes on. There is something about going in that little box, then staring at yourself at all angles, I just don't like it! I would rather buy clothes, then return it, rather than trying it on.

Dont forget the rules!

Grab the award. Post it on your blog, along with 5 things you like to do!

Pass it along to 5 bloggers you'd like to recognize.

*Don't forget to tell them about the award*

1. Kate. Everyday when I log onto my blog, I always hope that Kate has posted something new and exciting. Her blog always makes me smile. She and I are kinda on the same boat right now, both taking on a new adventure, and living away from the place we called home for so many years. She is also uber creative. Creative enough to have two blogs. Which I get even more excited about when I see that she has updated her second blog. I think that if Kate had lots of money and lots of time, she could be party planner/interior decorator to the stars. I love getting phone calls from her, and sharing complaints about patients and nurses at our jobs.

2. Errin. This is another blog that I check out quite frequently. If my family ever gets together again, I would love for Errin to do our pics. She is freakin AMAZING!! Her sister Michelle and I went to high school together, and Errin has the most adorable little girl Ali. If you ever want pictures taken by an awesome chiquita! Check this one out!!! Who would have ever thought that all this talent was wasted all these years from yelling "free meal!"

3. Lyndy Lou. This girl has got it going on! I have no idea how she does it! She has two adorable boys, which is a feat in itself! But she also teaches piano and guitar to aspiring little rock stars in the St. George area. She herself is amazingly talented. She is one of those people that make you so jealous because musical talent comes so naturally to her. She has started a new blog, which I am so excited to follow. By the end of the year, she hopes to run a marathon, read the BOM, and start to rock n' roll again. It is gonna be freakin awesome. You go girl. You probably run a marathon a day chasing little Max around!!

4. Jessica. This creative girlie and I went to school together. But I didn't hear to much from her after that. Turns out she is a travel junkie, just like Kate and I!! She lived in London, and recently she lived in a little tiny apt in New York City!! How jealous was I when I heard this? Super!! She takes amazing photos, and has the most unique style. I love reading about her adventures at the singles ward. Trust me Jess, the same stuff has happened to me, probably all of us.

5. Last but not least, Brandy, the lovely miss that passed this post onto me. She lives just up the street from my parentals back in Utah. She has three adorable kids, JD, Tyson, and Piper, whose middle name by the way is Hermione. Whether you are a Harry Potter fan or not, that is just freakin cool. Brandy is from a small town of Marysvale, UT. But don't hold that against her. She has turned out great (so has her brother, I used to have a little crush!) She is UBER creative. We had a church calling together for awhile, and she was always coming up with awesome stuff. Now, she manages three kids, two blogs, one husband, and numerous other things! I don't know how she manages it all, but she does!!!


All right bloggers! Pass this on if you'd like!!

Christmas Party, VFW style

I have no idea why this picture is so small...when I tried to enlarge it, it went uber blurry. So just to give you the low down on the wonderful girls I work with, here they are, Back Row: Hannah, Me, Sue, Cathy. Bottom Row: April, Pam. On Saturday night I attended my work Christmas party. Good times. It was fun to see everyone outside of work. We were all in attendance, except Dottie, or "mother" as she is known by everyone around the whole Medical Center. She said "I go every other year, and I went last year..." It was Sue's last night with all of us, she just took a job in St. Peter, which will be a lot better for her, but sad for us. Sue has been so nice to me. She was the first PCC that I met when I came to St. James. I knew that we would get along great she complimented me on my hair, and I complimented her on her eye glasses. She has great style and loves to shop just like I do!! I am gonna miss talking about sales with her! Best of luck to you Sue, thanks for teaching me how to fix all my mistakes, and if you ever decide to clean out your closets, call me first!!

As for the party itself, the food was not the greatest, the dessert was super nasty. But the company was great. So I guess that is all that matters. Thanks for making me feel right at home girls, and fitting me into the group!!

Blizzard...

Well, the snow has come. People have talked about it since I got here, and it finally arrived. The first BIG storm of the year. It started snowing really bad yesterday, and we got the news that we were on blizzard warning late monday night. Due to the warning, and the snow, most of our patients cancelled. Since I live close to the clinic, I offered to stay and work urgent care. Lucky for me, urgent care was cancelled, because not a single patient had called in for an appt.

Since it is usually dark when I get off work, one of the girls that I work with was afraid that if she did go home that she wouldnt make it back for work the next day because the roads would be closed. So she decided to crash at my house! It was kinda fun to have someone here, someone to talk to. I think I scared her a little with my winter driving skills though, or lack there of! We ate pizza, and watched a movies.

When we got up to go to work, I thought that I would check out the situation to see how bad the snow had drifted. I couldn't even open the back door to my apartment! There is about three feet of snow blocking the door! We watched people from my front room over and over try to get their cars out of the snow. I decided I had better see if I could get someone to give us a ride to work. Just as I was doing this, I got a call from my boss to tell me that they were closing the clinic until 12:00. Sweet! Hannah and I went and got some doughnuts from the bakery, which is always delish!

Later on they told us that the clinic would be closed all day. It looked as though the roads were pretty clear, so we decided that we had better see what the situation looked like with my car. The above picture is what we found! If you look close, you can sort of see the stairs going up to my apartment. Trust me, it could have been a lot worse. I just backed my car out, cleared the snow off, and everything was fine!!

We are in for more snow, and the windchill is supposed to get down to -30 tonight. So I am trying to stay inside as much as I can! It is a good thing that I have groceries!! This is so exciting!!

Happy Birthday Chasers!!!

This is my man Chase. My nephew. It was his birthday today. He is one of the coolest little kids I know. He has the sense of humor of my dad. He comes up with the funniest one liners and he doesn't even know that he is being funny. When I was back in Utah, he would always play guitar hero with me. I bought it for my nephews a couple Christmases ago, and he is pro at it!! And look out girls, he is already a ladies man!! Last year after a pep rally at his elementary school, he asked a high school cheerleader for her phone number, and she gave it to him!! He turned 8 going on 28 today and I just wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY Chasers!! Hope you had an awesome day! Love ya and miss ya! Aunt Meagie.

Oh Christmas Tree....

Here is my current Christmas tree. This lovely pre-lit and pre-decorated wonder was given to me by Dottie, a fellow PCC, at STJMC. This glorious spruce stands just over an astounding two inches tall. Clean up is so easy, and it needs little storage space. I know, I know, you all must be SO jealous right now, but please, try to contain yourselves.

I thought that this little wonder would do the trick, until a package arrived at my door stuffed full of presents from my mum!! Now I really might have to get a tree!

Saturday Morning Breakfast

Every Saturday lately this has become my new tradition. I run downstairs in my jammies and purchase for the low price of $1.10, this yummy goodness, a cinnamon roll and a coca-cola. Life doesn't get any better than this. Sometimes, I can get there just after they have been iced and they are still warm. I know it might not be part of a complete balanced breakfast. But you only live once right!

R.I.P. Mr. Squirrel

Dearest Mr. Squirrel,
Sorry that I hit you with my Neon today on the way home from chuch. My dad always taught me not to take drastic measures to swerve to miss hitting small creatures like you. I hope you had all your ducks in a row, or should I say acorns...Maybe you should have been at church on a sunday instead of frolicking across a busy highway? Oh well, you are in a far better place now. If not at least warmer. Maybe your little friends will learn from your mistake and look both ways before they cross the street!

Starting to Feel Like Home...

Late Sunday night I had my first house guests! These two hunks came to move in all my junk! Minus the baby hunk in the picture, he is a lot bigger now, he stayed home to druel and torment his big sister. Anyway, even though they were only here for a little while we had heaps of fun! I wish that they could have stayed longer. With the help of some ward members and the missionaries (THANK YOU!!!) they got my stuff in my apt within about a half hour. Which was good, because while I was at work, my dad's truck had what he called a "failure to start." One of my home teachers drove him all over St. James trying to find a part. They ended up finding a part to make it work and duct taping the rest of it. These two mechanics can make anything work!! Andy picked me up from work and we stopped by the "fleet and farm" to look for a few things. When he asked the sales clerk about the location of and item, she said in a very Minnesota accent, "Oh gosh, gee, I don't know, you know, try the back wall," I thought Andy was going to lose I right there in her face. It was so funny. I told him that was one of the best reasons about living here. Just so that I could hear people say "oh gee" or "you bettcha", and "don't ya know" For dinner that night, Andy cooked the best stir fry I think I have had in a long time. I could keep him around just to cook for me, and my dad for the comic relief. He somehow swindled the old ladies dowstairs at the bakery into giving him free pasteries. I don't even get that! And I pay rent!! Anyways, I was so happy to have them here. Maybe when they come back they won't have to sleep on the floor with their sleeping bags, and there won't be as much work envolved!! But at least they know how to get here now. Thanks so much for all your help guys! Love ya! PS...here are some pictures of my place, before and after. It is slowly starting to come together. It actually looks like someone lives here now!

Kitchen with all my coke stuff...

Before.....and after, the chair is my couch for now. Its an outdoor lounger. Whatever works! My dvds and books. I guess you could call that the library, ha ha.


My bed before just full of hot air...and after. So nice and warm!!!

Fireplace before and after. This is my favorite part in the house. I can't wait for Christmas to hang decorations off of it!!

Think of me when you turn on your a/c!

This week is my friend Kates birthday week. Since we keep missing each other via phone, I decided to give her a blog shout out!! (I stole this pic from your blog. Kinda funny I took mine last week, they are sort of the same)Growing up we used to get super excited about fall and winter. We would pull out our hoodies and sweaters in hopes that just maybe St. George might get cold enough to be able to wear them without looking crazy. We would flip through various fashion magazines and see the models wearing their adorable winter hats and scarves all bundled up just wishing we lived somewhere that provided us with four seasons. Since Kate was older and got her license first, sometimes we would drive to Cedar City and spend the weekends with her Aunt Carolyn. That way we could get a taste of fall or winter. Sometimes a taste was all we needed. Then we could go back to the sun and jacket weather of St.George.

Well, years later, I find myself sort of living out the dream Kate and I had. No, I am not frolicking through the leaves of Central Park with a hot Ralph Lauren model. But I am experiencing the four seasons. I drive to work everyday and see people raking their leaves, secretly wishing I had my p.i.c (that would be partner in crime) Kate with me to jump in the strategically placed piles St. James residents have throughout their yard. If you know Kate, you know she would, she was always the first one to jump in the lake, no matter how cold it was.

What am I getting at, you are probably thinking? Because yes, sometimes in this blog I have a tendancy to ramble. I was recently reading an updated post from the spoken bff's blog. This is a direct quote, "I'm still eating sno-cones. It was 93 degress today..." Well Kate my darling, it was 43 degrees today, and as I type this, it is 29 degrees. So, as I am bundled up in my long underwear, scarf, gloves, hat, and coat, I have but one request....Will you please eat a sno-cone for me? Because it is only gonna get worse here, and this cold weather business is nothing like what it looks like in Harpers Bazaar!!

Welcome to Church..you must be NEW in TOWN!!

So I went to church today. That was interesting. I knew I was in the right place because the parking lot was filled with Suburbans and Mini-vans. First of all the building was super small. To the right is my artist rendition of the building scale. The Utah church looks more like a wedding cake than a church, but you get the jist. You could probably fit the whole thing in just the chapel of one of the wards in Utah. I was greeted by the missionaries. One of the missionaries was from Provo. He said to me.."oh southern Utah, so you must be freezing!" I said, "not quite, but I will be!"

I proceeded into the chapel, and as the service started, I couldn't help but notice a couple of things. A) There weren't more people coming.... This was it. The slim 20-30 people that were there, were all that were coming. They made up the branch. There was no bus that was going to drop off a bus load of screaming primary children, or a family that would walk in late, children crying, dad still attempting to tie his tie, moms hair still half wet and B) Everyone was looking at me. It was as if someone had alerted the press that there was a new member in town. They were like those cute little beagles that sniff your bags at the airport. They could smell something different on their home turf.

Well, lucky for me. It was testimony meeting. For those of you who are unfamiliar, its like the Mormon version of open mic. You are your own m.c. J.k. Just a little Mormon humor for you. Anyway. I thought to myself, lets just get this out of the way now so that I don't have to do 30 times later. So I stood up in front of the whole congregation, and introduced myself. I told everyone that I wasn't sure exactly what I was doing in MN, that I left a super great job to come here, and that I knew it was where I was supposed to be.

After the meeting, you would have thought I was Brett Farve at a press conference or something. Holy buckets!! I was surrounded!!! It was questions right and left! Where I was living, if I knew so and so in St. George, where I was working, what I was doing, what callings I had had, if I lived by myself, among so many more. I shook hands with so many people today (which is against my personal belief right now with this whole H1N1 thing) and got so many names thrown at me....I hope they don't give me a pop quiz next week.

A very nice gentlemen said that he would be my home teacher, and wanted to know when would be a good time for he and his partner to come visit. I told him nights are best, but they would be sitting on the floor, or fighting over my one folding chair!!!

To say the least, it was a very eye opening experience. Relief society was made up of seven ladies, including me. I was the youngest one. In fact I could have probably been most of their granddaughters! That's ok though. It was nice to feel so welcome in my new ward/branch. I look forward to going next week! Hopefully they don't try and give me a calling. I am fine with saying the opening prayer every week!

HaLLowEeN

Halloween.

Yes. I bought the costume. Yes I went to the parties. Not something I normally do. But I have to admit...it was pretty good times. I may even do it next year. I even surprised my friends with a karaoke rendition of Salt N Pepa's "Shoop" Yeah that's right. Kate B, you would have been brought to tears you would have been so proud. Thanks everyone for a wonderful evening. And thanks Melissa and Jamison for letting me crash at your house so that I didn't have to drive CLEAR back to St. James!!

UGH....Halloween

Halloween....I do not heart you as much I used to....

Since when did Halloween give girls the ok to dress like (sorry mum) whores are parade around with their knickers hanging out? I loved running around as a kid and even into my teenage years picking up candy from whatever neighborhood or house my friends and I could find. Truth is, I wouldn't even eat the candy. I would trade a lot of it with my brother, then when I got older, I would give it to my dad, then stash the rest in my room. Christmas would come around and I would be tossing it out just before Santa came with my goodies from my stocking.

Now, a few days ago...it came. The dreaded invite to a Halloween party. Not that I dread the invite, just that I knew that costumes were to be the assumed attire. Of course I accepted. How could I not? Number one, there will be kareoke, that which I never turn that down. Number two, its Saturday, I'm not gonna sit here alone. No thanks. So I click to internet bff's in time of need. Google and yahoo in desperate search trying to find some sort of idea. Try clicking on adult costumes, and you either get boring, or something that looks like it should be worn in the bedroom! I would be happy going as myself in a t-shirt and jeans. But no one wants a party pooper right? Maybe if I was back in SGU, where there were numerous stores, and my dresser was full of my things, and wasn't a suitcase right now I may have more possibilities for a costume.

I guess what I am trying to say is any ideas for a quick costume? I thought of maybe goign as Wilma Flintstone. Since I already have the red hair. But I am not quite sure how to execute the rest.....

Happy Birthday Old Man!!

This is my old man. Dan the Man, as he is referred to by many. Today is his 60th birthday. I know. He doesn't look a day over 19. Trust me, he doesn't act like it either. Thats one of the things I love most about my old man. He has the best sense of humor. If I could listen to my dad laugh everyday for the rest of my life, I would be totally content. He is able find humor in even the biggest of life's trials. The picture to the left is of him when we bought that hat together. He was super excited about it. He wanted me to take a picture of him in it and send it to my brother and sister. He also wanted me to make sure I got his black eye in the picture. The black eye he scored from skateboarding with the grandkids the weekend before.


Thats another thing I love about my dad, and a trait I am so glad I picked up from him is his sense of adventure. From skate boarding with the grandkids to taking a weekend adventure with my mum without any idea of where he is going!

My dad also has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. He would give you the shirt off his back, even if it was the last Hawaiian printed shirt he owned. He would just make himself a new shirt out of duct tape and stuff he had lying around! He is super creative.

Last but not least, "Dan the Man" is able to see the beauty in all things. If you would take a look at his garage, you would see what I mean. He is trying to pass this skill onto my nephews by teaching them how to dumpster dive for what he calls "treasures" and I would have to say they are catching on quite fast. I remember as a child him telling me that it didn't matter what I looked like on the outside, that it was on the inside that really mattered. That is something that I have remembered 20 years later, and continue to take with me.



Dad, I hope you have a great birthday. Keep making me laugh! I hope I can keep you around for another 60 years! Even if I do have to wipe your bum!


Love ya,

Awe...thanks Mum

Yes, this is my Mum. She will possibly kill me for posting this picture. She is sleeping on what is now my bed/couch/dining room table/office. I wore her out with the driving we did then hauling everything up stairs, then I made her clean. But I had to bid her farewell on Monday. So thanks Mum for helping to get me all settled into my new place, and for making sure it was "mother clean". You can crash on my air mattress anytime! Love Ya! Meags.