simple happiness :)

Hey, reader!

I didn't make that singular to "personalize" it. I said that because, literally, I have probably one reader. If I'm lucky. God bless you.

soo anyway.

i realize my last couple of posts have been quite serious. sorry about that. my writing reflects my mood. and, well... that was my mood: sentimental, with a little bit of darkness and sadness to go along with it. last week was a rollercoaster.

but it's a new week, and boy oh boy i am happy! boy oh boy oh boy.

and you know what's so great about it? most people who know me well are probably thinking i'm going "boy oh boy oh boy" with such glee BECAUSE of a boy. but guess what? i am this overjoyously happy for NO REASON AT ALL. I'm just... happy!

why am i so euphoric, you may ask? well, one thing I absolutely know i will have gotten out of college, if nothing else, is my new appreciation for anything and everything; big or small. And THAT is why. It's because there are so many little and big AWESOME things. And I've come to notice them in a new way-- a way that makes me notice them on a daily basis, which inadvertently overpowers anything possibly bad in my life!

so let's take a moment, and look at these simple pleasures of life, shall we? (these are numbered in no particular order of importance.)

number one: MILK. 

Weird, I know. Honestly, I was never one of those kids who loved milk and drank a ton of it. I had it with my cereal and of course with the Oreo Cookie, but basically that's about it. now, I drink milk ALL THE TIME. I'm addicted. I have to have my fix. And do not even get me started on chocolate milk. Like seriously. I just bought a gallon and a half of chocolate milk at the store yesterday. I literally, cannot sleep if I don't chug a few sips before bed. oh, speaking of, that's another thing: i get to drink right out of the carton! college, baby. it's somethin' else.

^the above photo applies to the next on the list: 

number two: footy pj's. 

Two weeks ago, I get a call from my mom. And boy, she's excited. she goes "guess what i just bought you?" I guess "scarf" (because she has sent me two in the mail now.) "Nope. I got you footsie pajamas! Haven't you been looking for a pair for awhile? because i just got you some!" 

No. Fetchin. Way. My mom is seriously, the coolest human being. 

"They're not zip up, they're button-up. And they're red, and they have Mickey Mouse on them." 

A week later, I get them in a package in the mail. And they're even better than I could have possibly imagined! They are the most comfortable item of clothing I own... and I mean, just look at them! They're magnificent! Unfortunately, it's not quite cold enough to wear them without dying of heat stroke. Luckily, though, the night I got them was a colder one, so I of course was elated to wear them that first night! and I wear them during late night study sessions, because it's a little bit chilly around then, plus they just make studying easier. 

These babies are sitting on my bed under my pillow, just aching for the time when I wear them on a nightly basis. And every time I look at them, it brings a smile to my face. They are just too awesome. 

this brings me to number three: my mom. 

Now obviously, I love my mom. And obviously, I always have. However, I'd be lying if I said I didn't go through the angsty teenager-must-always-disagree-with-mom-even-if-she's-right phase. And I definitely didn't always appreciate her the way I should have, even though despite that we had a good relationship. But since being away, holy cow my mom just makes me so happy. I mean, how could she not, when she's a person who sends me footy pj's in the mail, am i right? I enjoy our phone conversations, even if they're short, and i am CONSTANTLY calling to ask a question about how long it is until this food is bad, or what's the best way to get a stain out, or whatever. or sometimes it's just to rant about something. but yeah. momsie is a big one. our relationship has grown and become gloriously strengthened through this whole college experience. people always tell me how i look just like her, just like a Poulsen, and I love that. She gave me my smile (and as you'll see, my "excited" face) she's the best! i love my mommy! 

number four: priesthood. 

Ah, i love my college guy friends. now, like with my mom, i've had a pretty good appreciation for something far from simple, but often overlooked. every year i've looked forward to my Father's Blessing before school starts, and i've always utilized its power the night before a test, or with a big assignment, or before big competitions by asking for a blessing from my dad. the true power of the priesthood manifested itself in spring of my junior year, on choir tour. i had a hypoglycemic attack, because i hadn't really been eating much throughout the trip (not because i was trying to starve myself, i swear. i just wasn't hungry. which is still a mystery to my friends how THAT happened, because i'm always hungry.) anyway, we were in Las Vegas, about to see Phantom. We were in line waiting for them to open the theater so we could take our seats, half an hour before the show began. First thing I noticed, my arms went numb. For real. numbness, shot up both arms in almost perfect synchronization. I started shaking, hard. and then, suddenly, i just couldn't breathe. my friends were doing their very best to help me on their own, because i was too stubborn to accept the aid of a chaperone and didn't want that sort of attention. their way of finally convincing me to let them go get one was by saying "megan, do you think you want a Priesthood blessing?"

YES i want a priesthood blessing. Obviously, since none of the boys in high school could do so, they had to get a chaperone.

so, right there in the Venetian of Las Vegas, two of the dads on the trip brought me into a corner and gave me a Priesthood blessing. one of my best friends had come with and was holding my hand, and she said she remembers how violently i was shaking, and how i suddenly went calm the second they put their hands on my head and gave the anointing. gotta love growing up in salt lake. only there could you go on a trip with your  choir and have that happen in Vegas, of all places. but anyway, from then on i knew the importance of the priesthood. but... never fully appreciated its power in my peers, guys my own age.

well, last friday that changed. i was hanging out with the boys upstairs (all of my girlfriends had gone home for the weekend, so it was just me and the boys.) We were watching How I Met Your Mother, of course. For like, three and a half to four hours. No joke. one of their roommates was in his room the whole night, super sick, throwing up, in the doubled over position. one of the guys asked him if he wanted a blessing, and he said yes. since three of the guys in that room are now elders, they were able to do so. so, i watched three of the guys I just met a month ago but love to hang out with, give a blessing to their roommate. and the Spirit in his bedroom was so powerful I started to cry. It was simply phenomenal. love those boys!

anyway, i always look at them differently now. and that experience... just fills me with joy! no pic for this one, but whatevs.

number five: my fish.

this one doesn't really have a very long explanation. i brought a Beta fish up with me to school, since those are the only pets we're allowed. my friend and i each bought one the day she turned 18 (so she could be allowed to get them in case we were ID'd. did you know you have to be 18 to even buy a fish? lame.) she named hers Bubba and I named mine Bosco. Bubba was viciously murdered by her stupid cats, but Bosco still stands. That's why you buy a dog, people. Charlie Bear would have never attempted any such heinous crime. He sits on my desk... and i just love him. every morning, i greet him with a "hey, Boss!" and he swims over to the side of his little bowl once he sees me get out his food. he is so smart! and the prettiest fish i ever saw!

number six: my bike. 

i have the cutest pink beach cruiser around! i love her. yes, her. i named my bike a couple of weeks ago. her name is Betty, and she is just hawt. I never rode her a lot at home, i admit. but now, seeing as i live in a place that shouldn't even be considered "on campus" because that's how close to campus it even is, i use her all the time. most people have to leave for class at least half an hour before to walk or take the bus, but not me, sir! i leave five minutes before and get there on time. thanks to sweet Betty. Plus, I just love riding around campus on her. Utah State Campus is so unbelievably beautiful, and it's like drinking a bottle of instant happy when i'm riding around, on my bike, with my headphones in (usually listening to Imagine Dragons. Which just IS happy music.) Logan is so beautiful, and i've come to notice that while using Betty. It is going to suck when winter rolls around and i can no longer use her, but she will be around every spring and fall (and summer in salt lake... because i really am going to ride her more often in salt lake (don't make that statement dirty)). I love, love, LOVE my bike! I finally got a picture of her up! Look at her... she's magnificent.  Also, everyone always seems to know where i am because of how noticeable she is. I get at least on text a day on average saying "Hey, i saw you at this place! you were on your bike!" Yep. Betty's an eye-catcher, that one. 

number seven: the mountains. 

this one kind of goes along with the last one. but riding around, i really have noticed the beauty of this place that we live in. I've decided that I think I want to live in Logan, first off. I have absolutely fallen in love with it. But seriously, the mountains. They always look a different sort of beautiful. I particularly love it now, as red and orange are slowly creeping their way over the green as autumn approaches, creating a patchwork quilt of colors and textures. They sure are beautiful. I literally catch myself smiling while I ride to and from school sometimes as I look up at them. It's kind of sad how much we all complain that we want the beach and the ocean, when we've got all this beauty right in front of us. God sure does love us to give us those mountains. He gives us all this beauty to look at in a day, and then to end the day, he gives us a sunset. A sunset which sets fire to the gray-blue sky, turning the mountains anywhere between a scorching red and a gentle pink. Wow, that is love. And looking at it? That is happiness. 

number eight: family. 

I miss my family. I miss my dog. I miss my nephews. Seeing pictures and Facebook posts and getting cheeky texts from my brother just make me smile. My family really is the best around. 

Alright, kids. It is now 4:00 in the afternoon and I have yet to eat anything at all today. And for those of you who know me well, you know that is way too long for me and the second anyone talks to me i'll probably bite their head of due to the beastly qualities i possess when in a state of hunger. so.... i must go. i will surely add the list as things come to me, but those are the main things. 

don't ever forget the simple joys in life. it's these things that are making me so freaking incredibly happy, even while single and getting over a break up. just... purely, simply, happy. 

i'm back to the old happy-go-lucky meggers now, don't you worry! I'm back to being just like Barb, doing what we always did best. 

and happy is what we do.

 peace

~just megsie