Mental Preparation

It's officially been two years since I've been the 2nd Counselor in Young Women.

My first October/November/December was just a blur--a total blur. I had no idea what was going on and what I was doing. I remember it being insane, but I figured it was just because I was new and still adjusting.

The next October/November/December was awful. That was when I realized that, hey, this constant chaos happens EVERY year!

This October/November/December are no less busy, but I'm not posting blog rants about how much time I spend at the church or crying to Jon that I never get to see him. It's amazing what a little mental preparation can do for your attitude. Mutual Tuesday night, presidency meeting Wednesday, Stake meeting Thursday? No problem. I was totally expecting this. Surprise Leadership Training the following Saturday? Sure. Whatever. Coordinating 20+ girls with varying degrees of musical talent to sing a multi-part Christmas song? Why not? Seems crazy when considered all at once, but I don't feel overwhelmed this year. Counting my blessings, for sure.

I think the biggest relief is that I KNOW this insanity ends in January. If I had to keep up this pace all year, I would have burned out a year ago.

Of course we start all over again in February with the Girls' Camp Fundraiser, but I'm not going to think about that right now. It will just stress me out.

OH WAIT! No it won't! I'll be out of commission with a newborn. Excellent timing, Megan. (Pats self on the back).

Dear Blog,

You are being neglected. I am so sorry. But you know what? You're just going to have to deal with it for a little while. Every day I think of something clever I want to write, and every day I remember that:

• I have three Halloween costumes to make
• I have piano lessons to teach
• I have three cakes to make in the next two weeks
• I have a temple trip to get ready for
• I have a lesson to prepare for Sunday
• I have things to do for YW in Excellence
• I have a load of laundry (probably molding) in the washer
• I haven't dusted in two weeks
• I have to go buy a bed rail so we can transition Seth to his 'big bed' tonight

Plus, sometime in there, I'd like to see my husband. And so, dear blog, you will just have to wait patiently until I have time again. Which will probably not be until January, the way things are going with Young Women this time of year...

Good news is, our Halloween costumes are going to rock. Stay tuned.

I've never been so grateful...

...to be insanely busy.

To have 13 piano students.

To have the ward discover that I make cakes.

To have assigned reading for a book club.

To have a mountain of laundry left over from the wedding two weeks ago.

To have no food in my house, necessitating a two-hour-long Wal-Mart trip.

To have a toddler who begs every morning to see his 'friends', necessitating play groups.

To have at least 6 projects that I need to get done ASAP.

To know that on Saturday I have a temple trip from 9 am to 2pm, followed by a Stake Youth Fall Activity from 4:45 to (at least) 8pm.

Normally a list like this would stress me completely out. But this week I am incredibly grateful for such a long list of distractions. Because otherwise, the thought that our ultrasound is Friday or that my mom & sister get here Saturday for a week-long visit would be killing me with anticipation.

So I'm grateful that I haven't had time to think about it.


(Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about it.)

Compusive Reading

(Image from thecompulsivereader.com)

When I was in elementary and middle school, I both loved and dreaded the day the book orders would come in. Loved it because, of course, I was excited for new things to read. Dreaded it because it involved me juggling a huge box of books through the hallways and onto the bus. Yes, you read that right--a BOX of books. Every time.

Obviously, my parents are awesome. It's not cheap to keep up with a reading habit like mine, but they did it, figuring it would pay off in the end (I hope it did!). They probably would have killed to live someplace with a library bigger than a bedroom, but North Logan, Utah wasn't the kind of place to have a massive library. Or even a decent one.

I have read every book in my parents' house, with the exception of Beth's vampire stories, Marah's Mormon chick-lit, Kenna's 'true crime' books, and my dad's Clive Cussler-type books. Those just have no appeal to me. I have read every book in our house with the exception of Jon's ChemE textbooks and an autobiography of Khrushchev I gave him as a joke (he hasn't read it either). I read my old college literature anthologies for fun.

Being a compulsive reader definitely has its perks, especially when it comes to academics. I always scored ridiculously high on the language/reading sections of standardized tests. I also had knowledge on a wide array of subjects that I would have never gained in school (I went through a long historical fiction phase followed by a long Holocaust literature phase in middle school. Oh, and a Communism phase about 6 months ago).

But it also has its dark underside. I'm not joking when I say I am a compulsive reader. If there is something to read, I have to read it. I'm the sort of person who actually reads the quotes people hang on their walls. And I know what books are on their shelves.

The worst is when I'm bored and there is nothing decent to read around. I have spent more time that anyone should reading every piece of writing on cereal boxes while eating breakfast or toothpaste boxes while brushing my teeth. I am not the type of person who can just enjoy not doing anything--I need to read.

My mom used to hide my books so I would do my homework/go to bed at a godly hour. Jon will take my books away at night or just turn off the bedroom light on me. Otherwise I have absolutely no self control. I hate watching the news on TV because I get motion sickness from trying to read all the information that gets splashed across the screen. But I can't stop myself! I have to know what it says!

Bless you people who keep something to read in your bathrooms. And forgive me if I disappear in there for longer than is proper--I probably just got sucked in by your three-year-old Reader's Digest. I can't help myself.

Taken Care Of

Turns out I had a picture linked on this blog that got hijacked and was sending people to a shady website. (Actually, it was the Minerva Teichart 'Mary and Martha with Jesus' painting, which I find very funny). I deleted the photo, the malware code, and all other pictures that I hadn't personally uploaded. So if you notice some pictures missing from some older posts, that's why. Better safe than sorry!

All passwords have been changed, all security has been updated, and my computer was reset to a point before the attack occurred, just in case something vicious was lurking in my files. Jon & I did a thorough history search and are pretty sure we know when it happened. I won't be letting other people have unrestricted Internet access on my computer anymore...

Basically, you're safe to be here. I've requested re-evaluation from Google, but it can take several weeks. Hopefully the 'attack site' label will be gone soon, but in the meantime you can just ignore it.

Sorry!

Curse you, Russians!

So...someone from Russia has inserted malicious code into my blog. Fantastic. I'm working on getting it fixed and keeping it from happening again. In the meantime, I'm doing some experimenting. Forgive any weird happenings...

Thoughts on an Inconclusive Ultrasound

I have several crazy friends who have decided not to find out the gender of their babies at the 20 week ultrasound. They like the idea of being surprised in the delivery room. You know, how it's always been done before about 30 years ago...

I have no desire to be surprised. I figure you can either be surprised at 20 weeks or surprised at 40. Why not be able to do some planning in advance? Besides, with Seth we needed those 20 weeks to come up with a name we agreed on.

We had every intention of finding out the gender of this baby last Friday. Any time those little legs came into view, all three of us (me, Jon & the tech) were peering intently at the monitor trying to see if there was anything to see.

Nothing doing. Despite a sugary breakfast and three laps around the office mid-ultrasound, that baby would not budge.

Luckily for us, the stubbornness was not just limited to gender discerning. The tech told us she didn't get almost half of the measurements she needed. "You'll be back," she said as we walked out.

My first phone call as we walked out of the office was to my mom, then my dad, followed by a massive text to various sisters, friends and relatives who were waiting anxiously for the news.

Several of them were really worried about me--was I okay? Did I need an ice cream date? (thanks, Sommer!)

But the funny part is, I wasn't really upset. There was no sadness--just a sort of funny frustration. Like when your kid is doing something you don't want them to, but they're so funny that you can't help laughing at at them. That's all I could think to myself. "You little stinker!"

Good news is that we will be going back--next Friday (the 8th) to be exact. At 10:00 am. Cross your fingers for us!

Here's what we did get:Little stubborn baby


Little nose and lips


A foot



Little toes


A little wave 'hello'