Giving Thanks

I better post about my Thanksgiving or it will be February before I get around to it, and by then the magic of it all will have passed. Thanksgiving is an interesting time for me. It's been several years since I've had the traditional Thanksgiving that I was accustomed to as a child. That Thanksgiving consisted of a HUGE family gathering in Sacramento with my mother's side of the family. Food, children (read babies), and spontaneous singing were always in abundance. One either sat the the adult table, the teen table, the kid table, or in the baby circle. I had moved up through the ranks and made it to teen table before my unique Thanksgiving adventures began.

2002 was the first time I didn't have a way to get home for Thanksgiving. I was a sophomore at BYU and just didn't have the money to get back to California for those three days. Luckily my Uncle Darren was studying in Provo as well so I wasn't alone. I remember having a great Thanksgiving meal with him and my Aunt Rachelle and their three boys who had come out to visit. Thankss Andersons, for making that Thanksgiving special!

My next Thanksgiving I found myself in Rome, Italy. I was doing a study abroad in London a the time and took a trip over the holiday break to see the Colosseum. It was a fabulous trip. I learned so much and saw things that I had dreamed of my whole life. As for food, that Thanksgiving was filled with gelatto and pasta. We didn't actually celebrate Thanksgiving with a feast of any sort, but I can tell you that gratitude for my blessings was certainly in my heart.
My next Thanksgiving (in 2004) found me in Burgos, Spain. I was in my first area as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a great Thanksgiving that was. We took that day as our preparation day and had a great feast with all the young men, young women, and young single adults of that city. With us six missionaries, there were about 12 of us there. We ate potluck style and I got to try all sorts of new foods. We had no turkey, but still got a little American flair in the meal with Elder Lewis's homemade chili.

By Thanksgiving of 2005 I was still in Spain, but this time in Vigo, a city on the country's west coast. It was a great day. A member if the church invited us all over and made us a feast fit for a King. She even found turkey which was a miracle. We watched a Disney movie (A Shark's Tale if I remember correctly). It was in Spanish and I understood most of it.

By 2006 I was back in the states and ready for a Thanksgiving full of California goodness. I remember driving with Cecily and Allie back to Sacramento for the great event. It was great as it was the first time I had seen many of my family on that side since I went to Spain in 2004. I also got to catch up with some good friends. The ride back was a little too eventful however. It was snowy over the Donner pass and we spun out at the summit. Needless to say, I cried all the way to Reno and decided I would never drive home for the holidays in the snow again.

2007 was one of my favorite Thanksgivings. To celebrate my Grandparent's Harris's 50th wedding anniversary, our family rented out a beach house in the Oregon coast and we all spent a week out there. The weather was beautiful, the company pleasant, and the food delectable and plentiful (I think I seriously gained 5 pounds that week). It was so nice to just get away from everything for awhile One on my favorite memories from that Christmas was our Thanksgiving wall. Each member of the family got three post-it notes and wrote something that they were grateful for and then posted it on the wall. It was so touching to see what everyone was grateful for and a tradition I want to carry on my my own family some day.

Now we come to this year. After much deliberation and prayer, I decided to forgo the trip to California and stay here with my Dad. No one should have to be alone on Thanksgiving and since he had to stay behind and work, I though I'd use the time to work on my law school applications and get some much needed rest. I felt so loved through. As soon as many of my friends found out that I wasn't going to California with most of my family, I got numerous calls asking me if I wanted to spend Thanksgiving with them. It makes me feel good to know that I have good friends who want to make sure that I never have to spend a Thanksgiving alone.


So my Dad and I went to my Aunt Melanie's for the big feast and it was awesome. There were only 9 of us there, but we had a great time. I was told that I was in charge of the pumpkin pie, so my friend Sarah and I spent an evening making some pumpkin goodies. She is amazing at rolling out the dough.

My two crusts are the empty ones. And you better believe that we only use Libby's. It's the best!

We had some extra dough, so we made some pie crust cookies. Just roll out the dough, cut into fun fall shapes, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Sarah really like cinnamon!

Bake until golden brown. Then heat up some apple cider and you have a delicious treat to eat while your pie is baking! Sarah got some Martinelli's cider spice bags (they look like tea bags) and it made the best apple cider I have ever had. When you dipped in the pie crust cookies it tasted like apple pie!


YUM!

And then our pies were done, including the pumpkin tarts that we made with our left over batter. Why wait for Thanksgiving to eat this?

It was great and we had a lot of fun. Oh, we also made pumpkin pancakes for dinner and they were amazing as well (after the second try;).

It was a great Thanksgiving. I have truly been blessed in so many ways. I am grateful for my family, for my wonderful parents who always believed in me and pushed me to achieve my dreams. I am thankful for my dear sisters, Cecily and Allie who bring so much sunshine to my life. I am grateful for my brothers, Kyle, Adam, and Nathan, who are truly righteous examples and make me so proud. I am grateful for all my dear friends who teach me so much and fill my life with smiles. I am grateful for my education, my ability to work, and my good health. I am grateful that I was able to go on a mission and teach about the One who made all things possible. I am mostly grateful to my savior Jesus Christ and to my Heavenly Father, who has allowed all these wonderful things to come in my life and have provided a way that I can return to them.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that the gratitude of the season stays in your hearts.

Now...Bring on CHRISTMAS!!

2 Hours 22 Minutes...

...till I can get OUT of here! Five o'clock, can you come any faster?! I am sick of being in this office doing mindless paperwork. Let me go HOME!!

Mom, come back soon. The office is just so dull without you!

Picture Tag

For my parents 25th Anniversary we went on a Caribbean cruise. It was fabulous and certainly one of the best family vacations we have ever had. This pic of from our visit to the Chacchoben Mayan ruins in Mexico. This was just one of the smaller temples, but still oh so cool. And as you can see, it was warm and beautiful weather, even in February!

I tag anyone who read my blog and wants to share!

Rules: Go to your picture folder - go into your 4th folder - grab your 4th file and post it with an explanation. Have fun!

Seven Things Tag

My dear Stephanie tagged me. So here we go!

7 Things That I Can Do:

1. Write a literary analysis

2. Make lemon meringue pie from scratch

3. Play a few hymns on the piano

4. Be blunt/strong

5. Speak Spanish

6. Look of the positive side of things

7. Follow through

7 Things I Cannot Do:

1. Whistle

2. Keep up in my journal

3. Ask a guy on a date

4. Get through the day without texting someone

5. Be a hermit

6. Work out every day

7. Go a day without misspelling something

7 Things I Say Often:

1. The thing is...

2. I know!

3. Come on guys.

4. I love you!

5. It will be alright.

6. Mira!

7. ActionCOACH of Oregon this is Megan.

7 Things I Plan To Do Before I Die:

1. Run a marathon

2. Have a child

3. Get a law degree & pass the bar

4. See the pyramids

5. Walk the Holy Land

6. Make a difference in this world

7. Go skydiving

7 Things That Attract Me To My Man:

That would require HAVING a man :)

7 Favorite Foods:

1. Chocolate almost anything

2. Pumpkin anything

3. Hazelnut anything

4. Mint Chip ice cream

5. BBQ Veggies

6. Peaches

7. My Grandma's Orange Sherbet

7 People Who I Would Like To Do This:

1. Cecily

2. Brittani

3. Amanda

4. Sarah

5. Rachel

6. Brandy

7. Adam

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean...

I love the beach. There is just something about standing on the sand, feeling the wind rushing over you and gazing and into that deep blue that makes me feel alive. I guess that's why I try to get there as much as I can. I'm so grateful that I only live one hour away from the ocean. This weekend Jared invited a bunch of us to hang at his beach house for the weekend. It was a much needed break and so much fun.

Thanks Jared!
I found a whole bunch of muscles shells. I had never seen so many in one place. You can't really see them in this picture, but I am holding up a whole string of them. Oh, and I really love my new blue jacket :)

Joe vs ocean.

Daniel, just looking around.

The gals.

Just close your eyes and imagine the sound of crashing waves. Take a deep breath.

Walking the Red Carpet

I walked the red carpet....

Yes...that's right. This weekend our Relief Society had an Academy Awards Enrichment Night and we all dressed up for a lovely dinner and awards. It was really too cute and so fun to get out those old prom dresses that have been hanging in the closet for years. Basically everyone came in what they felt most beautiful in. The men served us dinner, and awards were handed out. For the past month we have been nominating each other for awards. I received "Most Expressive." It was a blast and the enrichment committee did a fantastic job.

Melanie, Lindsay, Anna & Cec

Jackie & I

Jilyn & Amanda

Me & Stephanie, the coolest Relief Society President.

Isn't Cecily just gorgeous?

The guys were saints and took care of the kitchen for us. They were true gentlemen.

I wish I had a crown!

My Rubies

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."

~Proverbs 31: 10

My Mother

My Sisters Cecily Jane & Allison Margaret

Grandma Jensen
Grandma Harris

Great Grandma Jensen





I am so blessed.

Val is a Quarter of a Century!

Friends are one of the great blessings of life. I truly believe that every person that comes into our lives has something to teach us, if only we will take the opportunity to learn from them. While some friends come into our lives only to leave it, if we are really lucky, we will gather a few friendships that will last a lifetime.

I have been very blessed, not only with a wonderful family, a full life, and faith that sustains and uplifts me, but also with many dear friends that teach me, support me, and make me smile.

One such friend has been there almost from the beginning. In fact, our families have a long history of friendship with our grandfathers working together and our mothers going to the same stake activities in their youth. I met Valorie Summers in second grade on the tether ball courts of Frontier Elementary School. She beat me at a game of tether ball and we have been friends ever since. Now, don't get me wrong, our friendship has not always been a bowl of peaches and cream, but as we have grown, so has our friendship. She is truly like a sister to me and I am so grateful for that.

Now, Val lives in Utah, I live in Oregon, but that was not going to stop me from celebrating her 25th birthday. She is so good at making others feel so special on their birthdays, that I wanted to return the favor. So, after careful planning, I boarded a plane for Sacramento to surprise her for her quarter of a century mark. She was there visiting family and had no idea I was coming.

Watch the video below to see her face as I showed up on her doorstep. Beware: I have a really annoying laugh in this video.

Needless to say, she had no idea I was coming. It was great. The first night, Val wanted to go rollerskating. Now, you may not know this, but Val is a rollerskating extraordinaire! She even took lessons as a kid. I, on the other hand, just try and make it around the rink without falling down and making a fool of myself.

Here's Val, Stephanie Summers, and I as we ride to to Foothill Skate.

By the way, doesn't Sacramento have the most beautiful sunsets?

Val and Steph rock the rink.

Steph can do some tricks.

Here's proof that I did make it around the rink. Actually, by the end I was feeling pretty confident.
Hasn't Steph grown into such a beautiful Young Woman? And Val is beautiful as always.


Although she is amazing on eight wheels, we all have accidents. Here's Val icing her elbow after a small tumble. I took a dive of my own an hour later.

We got a bit tired and decided to play with my camera a bit.

It was a fun night.

The next day we took my rental car back to the airport (Yes, I got my first rental car. It was amazing!) and then headed out to the Galleria Mall in Roseville for some shopping. I love this sign that we saw along the back roads in Roseville.

Larry, Steph and Kim Summers joined us.

In El Dorado Hills, where the Summers live now, there are these boulders that everyone paints for fun. Brianne painted them for Val for her birthday. She did a great job and Val was surprised.

Larry with his camcorder, always ready to catch that great memory on film.

Yeah, we rock.

The Summers girls minus Sharlene who is living in Utah.

Best buds.

Here's the back of the rocks. They have been painted over so many times that there is an inch thick layer of paint over them.

I loved Bri's Jackie-O sunglasses.

Another beautiful Sacramento sunset as seen from the back porch of their house.

Val really loves her dog Bear. She can't stop giving him kisses! I love this pic :)

A girl and her puppy-dogg.

I made Val's favorite, "better than almost anything cake." You can get the recipe off the back of any Betty Crocker German Chocolate Cake mix. It's so yummy with caramel and sweetened condensed milk poured over the cake before you frost it.

She blew all 25 candles out, and you know what that means. Her wish will come true!

I feel very lucky to have a true best friend and it was so fun to go and visit and celebrate with her and her family for her birthday. I know that the next 25 years will be even more amazing. What do you say Val? Shall we go on a European cruise for our 50th?