i love.

aaahhhhhhh fall.

i love fall.

i love the colors.

i love the smells.

i love the holidays.

i love the clothes.

i love the traditions.

i love the crispness.

i love the decorations.

happy fall everyone :)

words of wisdom.

ahhhh. conference weekend. two of the best weekends of the year. i really love october conference. it seems like it just kicks off one of my favorite times of the year.

i love fall! and what a better way to start it out by receiving guiding words from the leaders of our church. i loved how back to basics this conference was.

{pray} . {study the scriptures} . {keep your covenants} .

{keep your standards high} . {follow the commandments}.

these are just a few of many great things that were spoken about during conference. my ward had ward conference last week, and our wonderful stake president asked that we pray specifically for questions to be answered. to go into conference with a question in our minds and hearts. to pray for an answer. he promised that if we did this in faith, our questions/concerns would be answered and our testimony of Jesus Christ would be strengthened.

i did. and did i receive an answer? you bet.

what a blessing it is to have such incredible instruction. here are a few things i loved from conference. please feel free to share your thoughts as well :)

{this is a very condensed list. too many great things!}

{1} scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate our minds that give way for guidance and inspiration from on high...elder richard g. scott

{2} our work knows no boundaries...elder l. whitney clayton

{3} do the right thing, at the right time, without delay...elder jose l. alonso

{4} take hold of your life and order yourself to be valiant...president boyd k. packer

{5} motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling...elder neil a. anderson

{6} let us be as quick to kneel as we are to text...elder ian ardern

{7} we must be bold in our declaration of Jesus Christ...elder l. tom perry

{8} deal with, learn from, and overcome storms through Jesus Christ...president thomas s. monson

{9} teach people, not lessons...elder matthew richardson

{10} it is never too late to choose eternal life...elder randall k. bennett

{11} lead the world in a return to virtue...sister elaine s. dalton

{12} be loyal to the royal within you...sister elaine s. dalton

i love my Savior. i love His church. we are blessed!

right where i need to be.

life's been a little hectic lately, therefore blogging has nearly stopped.

week number three has just started for my first school year as a real live teacher. it's been an incredible few weeks and i have come to the conclusion that i'm about as happy as a clam. {i never understood that phrase...like we know how happy clams are...} but still...i love love love my job. my kids are great. my co-workers are great. i cannot imagine being anywhere else right now. i have learned a few things in my short time surrounded by 7th graders, freshmen, and high school kids.

1. kids get restless come 1:00 in the afternoon

2. twelve + hour days are not uncommon as an ag teacher

3. twelve-year-old girls are not the twelve-year-old girls that i remember. they're more like twelve going on twenty-five.

breaks my heart.

4. high school boys are surprised when they find out that a girl knows how to use power-tools.

5. kids are kids. they need someone to love them.

i'll try to update at least once a week. if nothing else, it will be good for me so i don't ever forget this time of my life. being a brand new teacher is hard. it's time consuming. it's stressful. it's busy. but it's rewarding. it's satisfying. it's a blessing. it's exactly where i know i need to be.

oh and p.s. i have decided something.

patience=trust. trust=patience.

someday.

someday, everything will all make perfect sense.

so for now, {laugh} at the confusion,

{smile} through the tears,

and keep {reminding} yourself

that everything {happens} for a

REASON.

nothin' to complain 'bout.

why this week is good:

1. spent time with long time friends-some old, some older.

2. saw the hand of the Lord in my life too many times to count.

3. i get to see my bestie lisha after ten long weeks of waiting.

4. i get to see two of my best friends get married...to each other!

life's good.

love me some weekend.

don't you love those sundays that are just good?

today was one of those sundays.

i was sustained and set apart to be the secretary in my wards relief society presidency, and although an overwhelming responsibility, i accept it gladly.

this will be the third presidency i've been apart of and the previous two times were very humbling learning experiences and i feel blessed that i've been given the opportunity to serve again.

i'm just grateful for the tender mercies and simple things that we have in our lives.

...........

now i'll backtrack a day.

yesterday i spent the day up in burley, and it was so fun! 2 of my best friends, basically sisters, are from up there, and one of them, aspen, is getting married soon. we had a shower up there for her and then spent the rest of the day having fun!!

we went jet skiing on the snake river and later that evening went to a nearby town's pioneer day rodeo and fireworks. all in all it was a jam-packed, very fun saturday!

hope you all enjoy the week ahead. those of you in utah, hopefully you'll be able to do something fun tomorrow if you get the day off for the holiday!

peace and blessins'.

miracles.

so i'm typing up this post, sitting on my bed, with the air conditioner blowing from the ceiling down on me and i think to myself "brrrrr i'm cold!!"

with almost a slap in the face, i instantly think back to about 3 hours ago while i was sitting in a movie called "17 miracles". i should be grateful i have plenty of warm blankets to snuggle under in my climate controlled home. "cold"? let's be honest here...the house is a cool 69 degrees. i bet the pioneers would have been thrilled to pull handcarts in that temperature.

17 miracles is a movie about the james g. willie handcart company, who suffered so much heartache, pain, devastation and loss.

we had seen previews and heard great things about it, so mom, dad, krista, jason, and i decided to go check it out. so glad we did.

if you get the chance, watch it! it tells the stories of 17 different miracles that happened to people in the handcart company, both in their homelands as well as on the trail. it was such a strong reminder to me of everything those early saints went through just to get to the salt lake valley.

ironically enough, here in utah it's pioneer day weekend. what a great weekend to watch a movie about the pioneers! but be forewarned-it is not a movie for anyone who doesn't like to cry :)

sure, i was expecting maybe two glistening tears to roll down my cheek. but i wasn't prepared for the niagra falls that happened. i literally had tears in my eyes for 95% of the movie. there's something to be said of the spirit of the pioneers, that's for sure.

so today...i'm thankful. thankful for the foresight that the prophet joseph smith had to send saints to utah. thankful for those who sacrificed EVERYTHING to follow the prophet. thankful for my great-great grandmother, ellen showell and her sister harriet who made the trek across the plains with the willie handcart company. thankful for the opportunity i had to pull a handcart through wyoming and camp at independance rock and rock creek hollow, where the willie company took cover during a blizzard. thankful for the faith of those who came before me. thankful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

a word to the wise.

when purchasing razors...

don't 'cut' corners

just fork out the extra couple bucks...

and save yourself a band-aid.

no such thing as too much fun.

talk about time flying while you're having fun.

i can't believe that it's already the middle of july...which means before i know it i'll be takin' roll and making seating charts.

here's a few highlights.

{1.} starting a new job.

coolest thing ever. i'm working with great people, great kids, and in a great community. who knew work could be so fun? my days in the summer are filled with visiting student's supervised agricultural experience projects...i.e helping them with their fair animals, checking out their crops and gardens, and even helping restore an old tractor. highlights from my new job:

{summer ag teacher conference.} eighty-something ag teachers in one place at one time=lots of learning. even more laughing.

{chapter officer retreat.} jason, wayne, and i (the other 2 ag teachers at box elder) took the 8 chapter officers on an overnight campout up to cinnamon creek for a leadership retreat. it's a camp ground owned by the church and operated by senior missionaries couples. we managed to have a lot of laughs and good times and i'm so excited to work with these kids that i already love so much!

{chapter officer leadership training (colt).} i have a lot of fun memories from colt after being a state officer and national officer candidate. it was fun to sit back and relax and let the state officers do the work. hey, i paid my dues! there were about 15 chapters at northern colt and the sitting around and chatting with other ag teachers was definitely a highlight. i left the camp feeling so unbelievably right about where i was in life.

i can't imagine doing anything else.

{2} family vacation.

each year, our family takes a trip up to alberta (usually) and glacier national park in montana. it's easily one of my favorite places on earth. for as long as i can remember we've been going on trips to glacier so it has become a very important part of my summer :). this year, every

one was able to come except for angela, john, and clay. hopefully everyone will be there next year!! we camped for a couple nights at our favorite campground, apgar, at lake mcdonald, and then headed over to the whitefish lake lodge, also a place we grew up going to. this year, as we all know, was record-breaking in the snow department. glacier was obviously not overlooked by mother nature. we arrived in west glacier and much to our dismay, read a sign that said, "logan

pass closed. going-to-the-sun road open 16 miles" what?? it was July 9th! that is unheard of! the pass had never been stayed closed this late before. fortunately, we were able to stay until it opened on July 13th. our family has been there for 2 pretty historic days. first, in 2003 when the largest forest fire hit glacier and we were pretty much caught in it. and now

this, going over the pass on the latest open-date in history. the snow was still covering the restrooms at the visitors center at the top of the pass, meaning it was still at least 10 feet deep!

{lake mcdonald on a beautiful clear morning,

and again later that everning}

{dylan becoming a junior forest ranger}

{the family at the lake}

{ella and papa payne at whitefish}

{at the top of the pass...lotta snow}

{3.} life lessons.

this summer has proven to be one of the most interesting learning experiences of my life. i have learned so much about myself and who i want to be. maybe graduating from college flipped a switch on me. i have always known who i want to become, however it has all really been solidified over the past few months. prioritizing what is most important and focusing on how to get there has really helped me understand the perspective that i need to have.

happy trails.

New Strings

After all the waiting and patience....I finally have some news!

I am officially Box Elder School District's newest employee :)

It's going to be a bit of a crazy first year....But I am SO excited!

Box Elder may or may not have been my first choice of employment, and I was lucky enough to be offered a job.

Here's why it's going to be a bit crazy:

In order for them to make this offer as close to full time as possible, I will be teaching ag classes between three schools in Brigham. Here's a glimpse of what my schedule will look like:

One section of 7th Grade Introduction to Career and Technical Education class at Adele C. Young Intermediate School. (Intro to CTE is just a basic intro class that goes over the very basics of things like woodshop, computers, business, basic ag, general shop stuff etc.)

Two sections of 9th Grade Intro to Ag Science at Box Elder Middle School. I taught 3 sections of this during student teaching and LOVED it. We cover a little bit of everything. Units on Plant Science, Animal Science, Wildlife and Natural Resources, Ag Business, Ag Communications, Public Speaking and Leadership and FFA stuff.

My courses at the High School haven't been decided yet, but it will be 2 courses of either Greenhouse Management or Woodshop.

It's going to be such a great job and I am so excited to get started. June 6th is my first day because ag teachers work through the summer. In Ag Ed we have something called a Summer Ag Program where we take the FFA chapter officers on leadership retreats, visit student projects, help with the fair and do inservice. I will be working with great people and I couldn't be happier :)

On My (our) Way.

So here's the thing. I'm a college graduate. From quite possibly the best university in the United States :)

And Landon is now a Seminary Graduate, soon to be Sky View High School Graduate. So here is a post dedicated to him and everyone else who made it to the end in this great year of 2011 :)

So here's a little somethin-somethin that I love...in honor of all graduates, from the late and great Dr. Seuss.

Oh The Places You'll Go

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You have come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

Simple Things.

Just a simple thought from a guy I'm a pretty big fan of.

"God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic);

He expects you to embrace and shape the future--to love it and rejoice in it

and delight in your opportunities.

“God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has.

But He can't if you don't pray,

and He can't if you don't dream.

In short, He can't if you don't believe."

-Jeffrey R. Holland-

Welcome To My Morning

Today is one of those "I feel so blessed" kind of days. I moved home about a week ago as I'm not sure what my plans are as a post-college graduate (I'll be sure to blog about graduation day soon) One of the cool parts about being home is this:

It's a beautiful day and I'm sitting out on the back patio, blogging and listening to John Denver. So I'm a John Denver nerd. Go ahead, make fun. But it's one thing that takes me back to some of the happiest memories I have. Listening to John Denver while driving over the Logan Pass and spending time in Glacier with the family have really been some of the happiest times of my life. So although my future is a bit uncertain, I'm content sitting here today. I smell summer...and that alone makes me pretty darn happy :)

For one who has always had a plan, I will admit, it's made me nervous to not have a plan for the fall yet. BUT I resolved last night to look at things positively and follow the counsel of Elder Nelson's most recent conference address.

First quoting President Monson, then continuing:

"President Monson continued: “My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.”

To President Monson’s powerful declaration I add my own. I testify that God is our Father. Jesus is the Christ. His Church has been restored to the earth. His truth, covenants, and ordinances enable us to overcome fear and face the future with faith!"

So facing the future with faith is what I will do. No more worrying. I'll do everything I can, and the rest will fall into place.

Pray always. Embrace change. Have faith.

Unwound.

It's official.

I'm the world's worst blogger.

August Megan? Really?

My last post was a fun memory....but let's be honest...8 months later?

This is my problem: I have good intentions of keeping a blog and a journal, and I honestly think about it often, but for some reason there is a miscommunication between my intentions and my typing fingers.

So let me quickly catch you up on the happenings of Megan Savannah.

Here are a few words that describe my school year and the things I have felt for the past 8 months.

Busy. Crazy. Hard. Sad. Frustrating. Long. Scary. Unsure. Inadequate. Confused. Fun. Happy. Content. Excited. Ready. Lucky. Joy. Blessed.

Talk about a wide range of things to feel, right? The beginning of the school year proved to be....a little rough. Ok, a lot rough. But thanks to some amazing friends and my incredible family, I made it through just fine! We learn from every experience, and I know this experience was something that will shape the way I think about things and has made me a stronger person!

I got through Fall semester without much of a hitch. Student teaching preparation and busy classes made for a jam packed semester, but I was glad for the work I accomplished in order to make actual student teaching run smoothly.

Spring semester was....in one word....unforgettable. Although student teaching was undoubtedly the most time consuming, trying and busy time of my life, it was also the most incredible, enjoyable and fulfilling time of my life. Without question, I am excited to be an ag teacher! I had the best students ever and I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. How I landed into such an amazing career, I don't know, but one thing I know for sure is that this is where the Lord wants me. Everything in my life has led me to this point and I couldn't feel better about my decision to become an ag teacher. The community that we have here in Utah is so incredible, and I will be so lucky to teach with these incredible individuals and to teach the awesome kids.

I am also so lucky to have been able to graduate with 12 of the coolest kids on the block. We went through a lot together over the past year and a half and I am proud to call each of them my close friends.

Although I'm still unsure of where I'll be in even a month, I know things will work out the way they are supposed to! If there is one thing I have learned, it's to have patience and faith. The rest falls into place as it should. It gets hard not knowing...but this is all I can do: