Harry Potter World Cup

My friend, Kailee, posted this on her blog. And I just had to share.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog


Can you say totally awesome? Because it is.

It's like March Madness but with Harry Potter! Potter Madness.

Here's the bracket. And you can vote here.

The voting for the second round ends tonight at midnight!

But let me tell you, some of the duels are a little cruel this round.
Like Sirius vs. Tonks.

Or Fred Weasley vs. Arthur Weasley.

Or Neville vs. McGonagall.

And it's not gonna get any easier as the game continues.

Once Upon a Time

I lived in Cambridge. 

And it was like living in a dream of a fairytale. 

And I met some of the best people ever. And they became my friends.

Living there changed my life.



. . . a year ago today I walked in the gate of King's College for the first time. And I unpacked my bags in apartment V2 of Bodley's Court. And I walked by the River Cam.

I remember being hot, sweaty, disoriented, wide-eyed, excited, nervous, and dreadfully homesick.
 . . . Now I'm homesick for that Cambridge place.

God knows what's best for us. And He tries and blesses us in ways we can't even imagine.

Two years ago, I wouldn't have even dreamed that I would study and live at Cambridge.

But I have. And it's exactly what I needed.

They seek him here, they seek him there

Those Frenchies seek him . . . everywhere!

Yesterday I got to see "The Scarlet Pimpernel" at Murray Arts in the Park. I've been wanting to see the show ever since one of my roommates introduced me to the songs in March. I was hooked.

Just listen to these two songs and you might be hooked, too:

"Into the Fire"-- one of the most inspiring, take-charge, let's-walk-into-the-jaws-of-death-for-freedom-and-justice songs I've ever heard (ignore the subtitles):



And this song, "Falcon in the Dive," sung by the incredible Terrence Mann. Ohhhhhhhh my. Gives me chills. One of the best villain songs I've ever heard:

Sad news, bears. I can't get the music onto Blogger. But here's a taste of it.

Also, here's a full Youtube version. It's not Terrence Mann, but this guy's still pretty good. The video quality isn't, but oh well.




Doesn't he look like Dracula? Yeah. I think so, too.

Anyway, I was really excited to see the musical, and I convinced my family and my best friend, Sharisa, to come with me (the free tickets I won definitely increased my persuasive powers).

Photos before the show:

The best friends.  

The fam (sans sisters). 

Obligatory pre-show silly pictures.  

My favorite.  

The show was . . . pretty good. It wasn't as good as I hoped it would be, to be honest, and I think that was in fault to some production issues and a few plot devices that bugged me. But I enjoyed the play for these reasons:

1. The music is amazing. Seriously.
2. The story itself. Intrigue, drama, love, humor, and suspense. Ah, I love it and never tire of it. (Really. If you're having a Scarlet Pimpernel party, please invite me.)

Photo courtesy of my friend, Wikipedia. 

. . . and, I'm kind of in love with Percy. I mean, he's the original super-hero with an alter ego. Brillante, non?

Delving into the Depths of My Psyche

Do you know why I'm writing this blog post?

because I'm afraid to check my e-mail and this will take up more time before I actually have to get up my courage and just look. 


Yes, my friends, I suffer from What-Megan-Doesn't-Know-Won't-Kill-Her Syndrome, or WMDKWKHS for short.

It most often occurs when I send an important e-mail that usually deals with:
A) A prestigious study abroad programme
B) Internships
C) Sending papers to TAs/professors

This is usually the procedure*:

9:10 am--Write an e-mail to director/employer/TA/professor.

9:15 am--Revise e-mail to director/employer/TA/professor.

9:20 am--Proofread e-mail to director/employer/TA/professor.

9:25 am--Look over e-mail again. Take out cliche phrases.

9:30 am--Send e-mail to director/employer/TA/professor.

Now, WMDKWKHS usually doesn't manifest itself for at least an hour. If the director/employer/TA/professor e-mails back within an hour, there is no time for WMDKWKHS to take effect, because worry doesn't set in. But let's be honest. Worry's going to set in. It's me we're talking about, people.

9:30 am to 5:30 pm--Life. Mull over e-mail during the day, worry over possible replies:

A) NO! You are not allowed to come on this amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Now go to a corner and cry!

B) NO! We'd rather hire a monkey than you!

C) HAHAHAHAHAHA! This was the worst paper I've ever read in my life! And you call yourself an English major?!**

5:30 pm--Go to the computer and wonder if I should check e-mail. Decide against it. Could be bad news (see above). 

5:31 pm--Go on Facebook instead.

6:00 pm--I really probably should check my e-mail, just in case they've written back. That way I can deal with it . . .

7:00 pm--Really should check that e-mail . . .

7:15 pm--Let's watch all of the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings, instead. Yeah, that's a great idea.

6:45 am--Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz *Music in the background: "Grey ships pass into the west. . ."*

7:00 am--Wake up from a nightmare about orcs forcing me to eat computers with BBQ sauce.

7:01 am--Oh yeah . . . e-mail.

7:02 am--Go to computer.

7:03 am--Slowly type my username and password. Close my eyes, bracing myself to read the incriminating response from director/employer/TA/professor . . .

G-mail Inbox: You have 0 new messages.

Me: ARRRRGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After that, the cycle continues indefinitely until I finally get a response.

And usually, it isn't bad. And if it is bad, I deal with it quickly and well.

It's just getting to the e-mail that's hard for me.

But here I go. I'm going to check that e-mail now.

Maybe.








*This is an exaggeration. Most of the time.
** Again, exaggeration. I don't really think anyone would write something like that. Unless they're sadists.

Life Goals: Check Off #5 and #31

Have you ever heard of John Goddard? When he was 15, he wrote down 127 life goals. And these were legit goals. Not just, "Get a C in Geometry," or "Learn how to make mac 'n' cheese." No, these were incredible, life-changing goals like, "Circumnavigate the globe," and "Swim in Lake Victoria," and "Ride a horse in the Rose Parade." 

127 goals. He has achieved 110. 

About a month ago, I wrote down 103 goals for myself. Some will be easy to achieve. Others . . . I don't even know if they'll be possible. But a girl can dream, right? 

On Saturday I completed two of those goals! 

Life goal #5: Read the entire Bible--from Genesis to Revelation--in continuity. 

To be honest, I made the goal to read the entire Old Testament last June. But in March, when I got to Zephaniah, my roommate suggested that I might as well read the whole thing. So I did. And it is very fulfilling to have finally read the entire Bible. I love that book. 

Life goal #31: Bake a cake from scratch. 

It sounds silly, but I had never baked a cake from scratch before Saturday. My friend Natalie helped me achieve this life goal. We made a delicious chocolate cake with caramel frosting. Mmmm. :)

Here's a picture of some pieces of the cake: 

Not a very pretty picture (or a pretty cake), but it's homemade and delectable! 

P.S. My friend Marina has a fun bucket-list that she posts on her blog. Check it out!  

 

There is nothing like a Utah sunset.

Summer

Sounds like fireworks.

Looks like a pile of books waiting to be read for pleasure.

Smells like a barbeque.

Feels like running through the sprinklers.

Tastes like a tiger's blood sno-cone.

This. Is. It.

GUESS WHAT I JUST BOUGHT TICKETS TO?!!!?!!!?!

Bah! So excited! July 15th at 12:01 a.m., here I come!

I wish I had real pictures for this blog post . . .

but I don't. I forgot my camera.

But this is my rendition of my dear, dear friend Emily and me:

Aren't we cute? 

Emily and I have been friends since 6th grade. It's amazingly awesome, actually, that we've been friends for so long. Here's another picture of us (this one's for you, Em):

(Pictures courtesy of squeetus.com)

But really, even though we've been friends for more than a dozen years, I still don't have any real pictures of us! What is this?! (Emily, you'd better fix that.)

But let's get to the important part.

On Saturday, Emily got married to her best friend, Chris!

And I am so happy that I got to be a part of her day.

Emily, I'm so happy for you! I truly wish you and Chris every happiness and blessing in life.

Let's be friends forever, yes?

Okay. :)

In Which I Hike Rock Canyon and Meet Clifford the Big Red Dog

The hiking adventures continue.

Last Saturday, Sharisa and I hiked up Rock Canyon. It's one of my favorite hikes because:

1. The rock formations are incredible.

Beautiful! Yes, I am definitely a mountain girl. 

2. There are cool, natural spring drinking fountains:

The water is soooooo cold and good.

3. There is a Noah's Ark rock. I'm serious. (Or a Jaredite barge, tight like unto a dish. Whichever floats your boat. Oh dear. No pun intended. But it's staying there now.)

                                                              Can you see the ark?

On the Noah's Ark rock. 

4. There's a rushing river along the trail. 

The river was a LOT higher than last year. 

 A little too excited to take a picture with the water. 

 5. There are bridges along the trail. I love bridges. 

Senior picture, anyone?

After our hike, we headed down to the Festival of Books which was happening on campus. And guess who we saw?!? Clifford! My favorite big red dog!

We also ran into a Stormtrooper (not pictured) and a frog. I don't know what character he was supposed to be (the Frog Prince, perhaps?), but I had to take a picture with him, too.

Another full weekend. And, it's finally warming up! Life is good.

To make an end is to make a beginning . . .

Today, my little sister Sarah graduated from high school.

Now, since this is my blog, I get to brag about her for a bit.

Sarah is an incredible person. She is one of the sweetest, smartest, coolest people you will ever meet. She is a National Merit Scholar. She spoke at graduation. She serves others on a regular basis. And she can quote any Harry Potter book or movie at the drop of a hat.

But most importantly, she's my sister.

So, dear sister, here is a letter for you on your graduation day:

Dear Sarah,
        Congratulations! Today you graduated and dipped your toes into the "real world." Can you believe that you finally made it? I knew you would. It wasn't even a question. (Except for those few days when it looked like you might not complete your EHS health class . . . but that's over now, too.)
        But here you are, in your white cap and gown, looking like the angel you are, and eager to explore the world, yourself, and your dreams. There will be time for your dreams--a lifetime for them--an eternity for them. In four years from now, you'll be astounded by how far you've come, yet humbled by how much farther you have to go.
        But oh, the places you will go! Believe me, sister, you will move mountains. Through your faith, goodness, and dedication, you will change lives. You've changed mine.
        And it's hard for me to fathom that you're leaving and coming. Leaving home, and coming here. In a way, coming to me. For in two more years, you'll find yourself where I am--looking behind, but always looking forward, moving in the direction of your dreams.
        Who knows exactly what the next two years will bring? Two things are certain: you'll learn that change is part of life, but that there is more in store for you than you could ever dream. I'm excited for you, dear sister--dear friend. You have so much joy ahead of you. Never forget that.
         And never forget this: I love you and am prouder than proud to call you my sister.

         Love,
                Megan

Climb Ev'ry Mountain

Last Saturday, my roommates and I decided to hike to the Y from our apartment. No car transportation to the base. Just us and our feet.

                                                                Walking up to the base.

Still walking to the base. 

Let the second half of the hike begin! 

                                                               Typical exhaustion face.

                                  View of campus from half-way up the mountain. Schön, oder?

Okay, Sharisa, really. Stop taking pictures of us! 

                                                      Sharisa and Erin on the Chair Rock.

View from the top of the Y!

Eating fruit leather on top of the Y. 

                                                                        We made it!

Yep, that's right. We started from here. And totally conquered that Y. 

Yeah, we felt pretty legit.