Adding More To The Mix

Just more to choose from.

My Dad Works Very Hard

I came into work one morning last week to find this:

My Mom Can't Tell a Story Sitting Down

Cousins!

I have been blessed, not only with amazing siblings, but with incredible cousins as well. I have 30 cousins on my Mom's side. That means family parties are always noisy and a lot of fun! One of the best things about getting older for me is that my cousins get older too. This last January, while I was back in Sacramento for my Grandmother's funeral, I got to spend some time with my cousins. I am constantly impressed with how smart, beautiful, and fun they are!

This is my cousin Rachel Stapp and I. She's up at BYU-I studying art and photography. I love this girl and can always count on her for a laugh!

While in Sacramento, a bunch of us "older" girl cousins went out for lunch at Mimi's Cafe. Although the waiter was horrible, we had a great time laughing and reminiscing. From left to right: Allie Harris, Cecily Harris, Rachel Stapp, Katie Jensen, Julia Stapp, Ciara Jensen, and me.

Ciara & I.

Katie & Julia.

Allie & Rachel.

I am SO happy that I got to spend some time with my cousin Sarina. It had been awhile since we had both gotten together and it was so great to catch up. She has the cutest little kids!

Rachel, Julia, Me, Allie, & Cecily after church.

Now here come the boys (and a few girls too). You've got Alex Stapp, Samuel Stapp, Liam Jensen, Adam Harris, David Jensen, Nathan Harris, Kelly Jensen, Dana Jensen, and Dane Jensen.

These are some of the most talented girls I know! Rebekah & Eliza Blair.

And we can't forget Tyler Blair! He's such a cutie!

The Keys of OZ

The last time I walked into Grandpa Jensen's house, this is what I found.

I love it what all those keys symbolize. How many doors, homes, and cars that take us on amazing adventures do they open? How many memories and responsibilites come from a pair of keys? Looking at each grouping of keys, can you tell whose belongs to who? What does each keychain say about the person it belongs to?

As I walked into my Grandfather's home, I felt like on that ledge was an expression of the personalities, responsibilities, and dreams of my family. It is fitting that the keys rested behind my Grandma's Wizard of Oz dolls. Like the yellow brick road, the keys take us on amazing adventures. Like the Wizard, they bring us home agian.

So next time you look at your keys, take a moment and think about what they say about you.

Law School

I got in. Now the big question. Where should I go?

Grandma Jensen's Funeral

I have been meaning to post these pictures for awhile. My Grandmother Diane Helen Jensen was an inspiration to all who knew her. I hope from these pictures you can see how much we miss and love her.

Quote of the Day

My co-worker and friend Tasha shared this today and it made me laugh. Enjoy!

"Finding the right guy is like going to a pumpkin patch; they can all look good from far away."

~ Kaitlyn Roth

The Blogging Ball

Let’s be honest. I’ve dropped the ball over the last few months. The blogging ball. I let it slip right through my tired fingers and saw it roll away. I just watched it go. Sure I thought about going after it. At first it was only a few steps away and I knew I could grab it and only burn like 2 calories. But, the farther away the ball rolled, the more effort I knew it would take to get it. The few steps grew, and grew, and grew until finally it felt like I would have to run a super marathon of 100 miles, just to pick it up. Then I’d have to bring it back. 200 miles was just too much. So, I just gave up. Bye-bye blogging ball. It was nice knowing you. Sure, I felt bad that I lost it. I mean, no one likes losing something, especially when you could’ve just bent over a picked it up in the very beginning. You feel like a failure, a quitter, and a looser. Not that blogging is that imperative to my self-worth, but when it came to my role in the blogging sphere, I felt like a failure. Not only had I stopped chronicling the mundane hum drum of my life, but I didn’t even make the effort to write something witty or entertaining. I didn’t measure up to my dear friends and family who can whip out a master work of fiction, or an insightful discourse on some social topic. I didn’t measure up to the cute craft lessons, the amazing travel logs, or the picture montages. I just didn’t measure up.

And then I realized something.

My blog is MINE. Read it if you wish. Scoff at my laziness if you must. But my blog is MINE. And I have nothing to prove.

So what if I can’t write amazing prose or flowing poetry? So what if I miss a picture or two, or a month’s worth of pictures. SO WHAT.

I like who I am. I like what I have done. I am proud to be me.

Since my blog is merely what I decide I want it to be, I can be proud of that too. I can be proud of the fact that these last few months have been so full, so busy, that I haven’t had time to write it all down. I can be proud of the fact that I live.

So (as my sister would say) dear reader, there it is. If you want to read my blog, bless you. Just be aware that it will be as sporadic, spontaneous, and wacky as I am.

Oh, and just to make it clear, I won’t be running any 200 miler’s soon.

~Meg

25 Things

This is me caving into peer pressure.

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I used to hate going to movies because I would come home sad and feeling like my life was boring.

2. I love to run and wish I had more time to do it.

3. I’ve been to a bullfight in Spain and almost got sick from all the blood, but still thought it all was strangely beautiful.

4. I’ve had the same best friend since second grade.

5. I’ve vowed to never go back to the Eiffel Tower single.

6. One of the coolest days of my life was when a Scotsman called me Lassie in Edinburgh.

7. I’ve been in love and lost it.

8. I have a BA in English but still can’t spell.

9. I’m not very competitive, unless you get me in a game of Settlers.

10. I don’t have an appendix.

11. I feel the most loved when people do little things like make my bed, send me a card, or bring
me a surprise lunch.

12. If you start playing with my hair, I’m pretty much putty in your hands.

13. I like to rock out pretty much anywhere, but especially in grocery stores, in the gym, in
parks, and in the car.

14. I could spend all night gazing at the stars and be perfectly happy.

15. I hate suburbia…give me city or country.

16. Every time I go to the beach, the lyrics, “I hope you still feel small when you stand beside
the ocean” come to mind.

17. I love airports, flying, and my passport.

18. I’ve kissed a sting ray and snorkeled in the Caribbean.

19. I always wanted an older brother, but got lucky with three really cool younger ones.

20. You can tell how stressed I am by how messy my room, desk, and car are.

21. As a little kid I wanted to grow up to be “Asian.”

22. I love to cook for others, but hate to cook for myself.

23. I rarely have crushes. In fact, once one of my friends started praying that I would have one. It worked.

24. I can’t whistle. Trust me, I’ve had plenty of “teachers” and fail that course every time.

25. I think everyone has something of value to teach me, and find myself learning new things every day.