Wednesday, August 29, 2012

How to pay the bills

...that is if I had any bills! [thanks to my parentals for free rent]

It's official! I have a job! Well, if we want to get technical: I have a couple of jobs! And I am pretty excited about all of them. It will get pretty crazy in the next couple of weeks, but I am ready to be busy!

So here is the run down. I currently have 4 jobs, with an agreement for a 5th job come November. Crazy, I know. But for some of the jobs I work less than 5 hours a week. Where are all these jobs? Good question. Here is a typical day for me:

Around 8am I head down to Grand Canyon University where I am an Instructor's Assistant for 2 classes. I am on campus until about 1 (sometimes a little longer) and then I leave. But it is not even close to being time to go home! Then I go on to job #2. This is working for a dance company that holds after school dance programs in the elementary schools. So I have 3 schools I am assigned to (one for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) and I just go teach dance for an hour! And then I go teach studio dance! This ranges for anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. Then one day a week after studio dance, I go back to an elementary school to teach dance for an acting/singing/dancing program. I get done with work at a different time everyday, but it is anywhere from 3 to 7pm.

My life is lots of teaching right now. And lots of driving. And lots of everything I love. I am teaching math, dance, and zumba and I absolutely love it! Let's just hope I can keep everything straight and get to the right schools and studios on the right day at the right time!

People think I am crazy with my long dance background, but then my degree is in math. Well, this is how I get to use both of them!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

My Best Friends' Weddings

So the last 3 weekends one of my close friends [all of them also being former roommates] were sealed in the temple to their best friend! I am so incredibly happy for all them - and they all couldn't have married a better guy for them.

The weddings started off with Camille.


Camille and I met our freshman year at BYU - she was living with McKenzie and Meredith, some of my friends from high school, but she was from Mesa! Small world! So then we ended up living together the next two years. We have had some fun adventures together and I am so happy for her and Riley!

The next wedding was McKenzie!


McKenzie and I have been friends since our sophomore year of high school, and room-roommates for the last two years. We have had so many adventures together (skydiving, DisneyWorld, Ragnar/San Fran....) and she has been there for me through some of the hardest trials I have had to go through. And hopefully I have been there for her as well. McKenzie is one my closest friends and I am so glad I got to be there for her on her special day. Her wedding was also one of the most unique weddings I have EVER been to: The bride got sick an hour before the ring ceremony and reception. The bride and groom never made it to either of those events, so the majority of us at the reception ended up swimming in the pool. Fully dressed. And the bride and groom spent their wedding night in the ER. No worries though, everything turned out fine and after two I.V.'s the bride was doing well and they headed off on their honeymoon! Something eventful and memorable would happen at McKenzie's wedding!

The last wedding was Alix! And I am so bummed cause after the reception last night I realized I never got a picture with the bride! So this picture will have to do.


Alix and I have known each other the longest out of any of these friends. We have memories of each other going back to like third grade, but we weren't really friends until 7th grade. And then we were freshman roommates and entered the scary world of college together. We have stayed friends over the years and I am so grateful for that! Alix married her high school sweetheart, Jake, last night and I am so happy for them and excited for them to begin this phase of their lives together! Congratulations to you both!

Now with all these weddings over, what am I supposed to do on the weekends?! :]

Sunday, August 19, 2012

That Moment Changed My Life!

Once upon a time [last year to be exact] I had a roommate named Meaghan. She was from Tennessee. And all 5 of the rest of us were from Arizona. So upon completion of the school year, she decided to come down to Arizona for a week before heading home for the summer. Well, seeing as how Disneyland and the beach are only 5 to 6 hours from the valley, a small group of us decided that she needed to have those experiences before she headed back on home. And so we went!

Towards the end of our wonderful day at Disneyland and California Adventures. Kaitlyn, Meaghan, and I split off to ride some of the little kid rides. Guess who we saw on our way to Fantasyland? None other than Mr. Mickey Mouse himself! And no one was waiting in line to see him! That is a rare circumstance at Disney and so we took complete advantage of it. We ventured on over and started taking pictures with Mickey. Earlier in the day, we had gotten Meaghan a pin that said "My First Visit" and it didn't take long for Mickey to notice that little guy. Well Mickey got super excited and gave Meaghan a huge kiss and the two of them were just awesome together.

After saying farewell to Mickey, we completed the journey to Fantasyland (grabbing some Dole Pineapple Whip Floats on our way) and got in line for Peter Pan. While in line, Meaghan was still on cloud 9  from having seen the magical mouse himself and exclaimed, "That moment changed my life!" I was dying laughing with how happy Meaghan was and I told her that I absolutely loved the picture we got of Mickey kissing her. She then informed me she was going to put that picture on a pillowcase and mail it to me for my birthday. I loved that idea and said please do. 

While still waiting in line for Peter Pan, I received a text from Meaghan. Confused, I started reading it and it said, "For Morgan's birthday send her a pillowcase with my Mickey picture on it and have it say 'That moment changed my life!'" I busted up laughing again, showed it to Meaghan, and of course she meant to send it to herself and not to me. But after all of that, I have wondered all summer whether or not I would get that pillowcase. Ladies and gentlemen, get excited. Last night, she gave me this beauty:


One of our other roommates {McKenzie} got married yesterday, and Meaghan came out for the wedding. All day she kept telling me she had a present for me. And all day I kept hoping it would be this pillowcase. Finally at about 10:30 last night she gave me the present and it was what I hoped it would be. I was estatic! I screamed, I jumped up and down, and {admittedly} I cried. I was so happy with this pillowcase. But Meaghan went above and beyond what she said she was going to do. She added this little beauty to the back: 


Yes. That is me. And yes. My shorts are hiked up as high as they can go and my shirt is tucked in. Upon arriving home last night, that baby went on my pillow. One of the best presents. Ever.

Friday, August 10, 2012

One year older. Wiser too?

Remember that post forever ago about how I was freaking out for my 20th birthday? I was already stressing out about getting older? Well that has completely flipped. I am so happy with where I am right now and feel like I am really at a great age!

Being an adult is fantastic. I am at the point in my life where I am working, but I can have so much fun too. I can do the traveling I want to do, go on crazy adventures, and just do whatever! It's so great. Although if something [read someone] were to come along and change that, I wouldn't be opposed to it. But for right now I am loving life!

I have had a pretty crazy year since my last birthday, so here are the highlights (many of which have been mentioned before...but it was a big year so deal with it :] )


San Francisco/Ragnar Relay


The greatest roommates I could have ever asked for! They helped me through some of the hardest times this year. And yes, we are all wearing matching shirts that have our faces plastered on them. We love each other.


Disneyworld!! With my 3 bestest friends :]


Graduated College! 


Disneyland! Truly the happiest place on earth - especially when you are there with fantastic people.


Six Flags! I love amusement parks :]


And then the greatest trip ever. A stop in St. Louis


The turn around point: Cedar Point Amusement Park. And yes, we waited over an hour to go on a ride that goes only straight up and straight back down. But it was completely worth it.


Chicago!! Love that city...I think I could live there and be one happy girl :]


Mount Rushmore - I love national monuments. There is just something about them that pulls me in.
Many people have asked so here are the stats on this trip:
5,207 miles driven
15 days traveled
18 states visited
7 nights camping, 7 nights hotel
4 nights camping in pouring rain
1 night camping in the most horrible windstorm of my life
1 night of sweltering humid heat
2 amusement parks
The best burger I have ever eaten in my life (I will go back to Denver just to eat at the Cherry Cricket)
I will need a couple of weeks of not being in the car for a minimum of 3 hours every day, and then I will be ready to plan our next roadtrip! Northwestern corner of the US maybe?