Septiembre

Hello everyone!

Most of the time I forget I live in Utah. College becomes its own little world and you forget what's out there. Happy October! It truly is my favorite month, and this year, I should hopefully not have to worry about it snowing. I have good intentions of blogging regularly, but assignments and procrastination get in the way. Here's a small recap of my first month of college:

 I saw this magical dance concert required for my tap class. There was a caberet piece that blew my mind. The concert was comprised of pieces performed by all of the BYU dance ensembles. The concert left me again longing that I was a ballerina. 

 A few Fridays ago I went to see my bcf Maddie cheer at her homecoming game. There's nothing quite like Friday night lights.

 (ignore my ridiculous face and focus on the majesty of the coat)

 The following Saturday morning I found myself up at 8 am to go to a yard sale called the Collective that exceeded my expectations. I came back with Mindy Gledhill's tea chest, a perfect grey vintage coat, a floral romper, bow, and ring. I celebrated my success with breakfast at Guru's.

 Not having class until 4 pm on Fridays makes for prime opportunities to go to the Provo temple, where I was in and out in two hours. 

 A new exhibit went up in the HFAC (Harris Fine Arts Center)

 The leaves are turning and it is magnificent!

 One Friday night I decided to hike the Y for the first time. It's about two miles straight up the mountain. The view on top of the Y is beautiful, and since I was there at night I could see the whole city as well as the stars. I'll hike it again before it snows, and this time with other people.

  I got to spend time with these munchkins and saw Finding Nemo 3-D. I love, love living close to them!

I had to write a 7 1/2 minute play for my theater class. I wrote a story based on my grandfather. An elderly man with dementia who recently lost his wife has to relearn that she has passed away. It's a tragic but sweet story and I'm really proud of it!

 I finally got to see the exhibit at the Museum of Art. It was a brief walk through, but I love the focus BYU has put on learning about Islamic culture. I recently read and saw a play called A Second Birth that is based on the culture in Afghanistan. 

Last Friday night's football game against Hawaii was a blast since I got to sit by my friend Michael in a section right up close to the end zone. Also, getting on the jumbotron and winning 47-0 made it the best game yet!

I have plans to post sooner than later. Life is swell and I have 17 days left of being 18 before I turn 19!

Love,

Megan Marie

But there are dreams that cannot be

   Lately, I've really been struggling within myself. The major here at BYU that I have always dreamed of is called Music Dance Theater. The thing about this major is every year, they only let 16 out of 150 who applied into the program. Freshman here applied for the program before they even applied for BYU. It's very rare to be admitted the first time you apply. I didn't apply last year because I needed more dance experience first. Now that I'm here, I enrolled in contemporary dance, tap dance, voice lessons, and intro to theater. I went to my first voice lesson on Monday and afterwards, I was so overwhelmed and confused. She said I needed to practice an hour a day in order to be on track with my goals (to apply and have a chance to get into MDT). I went to my contemporary class right after and the whole time I was debating with myself. Can I do this? I was freaked out. 

  What do you do when you are freaked out? Call your mom. So I did as soon as I could. We discussed it, and at the conclusion of that conversation I decided not to apply and to drop my contemporary class (which was actually the more advanced level of the style and not the beginning level). Ever since I've been going back and forth. The main reason I'm not applying is my voice teacher said the most important thing the judges look for is acting, and they already assume you can dance. I do not have enough dance experience so I know I wouldn't get a call-back. It's a difficult decision to make because I know I can't apply next year because I would be applying for my junior year, and they want students that can complete the program in four years total (I would be in school for 6 years, etc). 

  So, why is this so difficult? I feel like I'll have no chance to excel in this area in my life without this major.  I say I love musical theater, but do I really love it? Am I any good at all? I can hardly handle the stress of trying to audition so therefore I probably couldn't handle the actual program. What should I do with myself? And on a more spiritual side, what does Heavenly Father want me to do with my life? 

  In my theater 101 class today we had a discussion with three directors here at BYU. One is the head of the MDT program and he was saying that they are most likely going to be able to do Les Miserables in the future. Everyone was so excited, but I was more depressed than anything. If only I could be a part of that production, which is  one of my dreams, but that doesn't look like a possibility. I know I picked a university that is extremely competitive in all areas, and it's hard to handle. 

  I hate the notion of giving up. By not auditioning, there is a 100% chance of me not being accepted. But without a strong dance background, it's not possible. Plus I really haven't had an extremely strong acting background. I've been involved with lots of productions and classes, but I haven't done a lot of strong solo dramatic work. So the same question arises, what can I do with my life?

  I have a few other dreams besides performing. I'd absolutely love working in the product development at American Girl, and I'd love working for ModCloth. I dream of living in San Francisco and New York City, as well as Southern California. Having a successful blog is also on the list, as well as writing and performing my own songs. But the idea of never being successful in musical theater is really hard, since I've dreamt of it for a long time. I know I'm only 18 and I have my whole life ahead of me, but it's hard not to feel like a complete failure for deciding not to audition. So alas, the title of this post is dramatic, but that is expected. Thank you for reading this far. Until next time,

Love,

Megan M.

The First

Well, can you believe it? I'm officially a BYU student! I arrived on campus on Wednesday afternoon. I was so excited to see Shannon since I hadn't seen her since June. I spent the day unpacking and shopping with my Mom. 

The initial result:

(I have the top bunk. It's cozy up there.)

Thursday was full of freshman orientation. We checked in at  Helaman Field which was packed to the brim with students. The whole situation was very EFY-esque.

(Our first impression)

We spent a lot of time at the Marriott Center and touring the campus. We also had a pep-rally and took the Y-photo.

(My view from the photo)

Friday I:

Walked around campus and learned more about my major.

Learned about a fabulous product that I couldn't imagine my life without.

(sarcasm)

Saw a small fire on Squaw Peak that was soon under control! It was amazing to see the wind pushing the flames up the mountain as to avoid the homes and nearby temple that are at the base of the mountain.

Later I came back to my room and decorated some more.

I got this free sketchbook that was full of student and faculty artwork and used them to decorate the wall.

Sunday was my first day at my student ward. We are lucky to have our church building be next door! 

Then it was time to get down to business! 

School started yesterday, and it was exhausting! I ended up riding my bike which was easier than trying to find a parking space. My first class was contemporary dance- theory and technique. Online it said there were no pre-requisites but almost everyone in my class has been dancing since they were 3. I hope I can keep up! Then I headed over to American Heritage and surprisingly I am excited for that class. Next was waiting in the Jamba Juice line for lunch and then I had Intro to Theater. Then it was time to make my way back to my bike and then home. Last night we had Family Home Evening and then I did my first round of laundry at the laundromat. Today is a new day full of new classes so we'll see how it goes!

Love,
Megan Marie

Utah- Part II

I returned home from Utah last Saturday. The second week of my trip was spent with the grandkids! We played lots, and I love spending time with my little loves. I'm even more exciting to be moving back to Utah where I can see them way more often!

We jumped on the tramp with the new sprinkler:

We went to Gardner Village and fed the ducks.

We went to the Gateway where they were having a celebration for Union Pacific. They had a free train ride that the girls were stoked for.

We also went to the Hill Air Force Base.

After we drove tot the Treehouse Museum in Ogden.  

Then we went to my mom's cousin's house where she has a few horses. The kids were in heaven!

We went up to the outlets at Park City.

 and rode the Alpine Slide.

 
and we played at the park with cousins!

We came home tired but I love spending time with these kids!

Love,

MM

P.S. Happy National Best Friend's Day! Here's a little tune to help you celebrate.