Out with the OLD, in with the NEW!

This has been the theme thus far for 2016.

#OLDJOB --> #NEWJOB

This has by far been the best change that I didn't really know I needed. It all started when I was on my 3rd boss in 3 1/2 years. Turns out three times was NOT the charm. And I had to get out. I had never been so unhappy and miserable in all my life. I was making plans to bail out of Logan and move into my mother's basement at the second I could- I was totally desperate.

This is story is evidence to me that miracles happen and prayers are heard. When I got my old job on campus, the process from applying to hiring was THREE MONTHS. It took forever. And to be honest I've applied at other jobs on campus since and didn't even get a response that they got my application, let alone an interview. I gave myself a month to get a new job on campus, then I was bailing and moving in my mom's basement. And based on my past experience with jobs on campus, I was saving boxes to start packing.

Well, there was only one job on campus I applied for that would be in my realm of knowledge. A week later I had an interview! Which turned out to be one of the BEST interviews I've ever been in. I just felt so much peace after I left and knew that even if I didn't get the job, I was going to be okay. 3 days later, I was told they wanted to hire me! I was over the moon that the impossible had worked out. And I was making more money. And I was getting off 30 minutes earlier every day. And I could park in the same parking lot as the building I worked in. Win-Win-Win!

#GRADUATION --> #GRADSCHOOL

Dan left for New York City two days after graduating with the Business School to tour different companies and get his feet wet in the big old world of finance. He had an awesome time and I'm really thankful he was able to go. Neither of us come from families where our dad's went to college and earned a degree-- and Dan getting a degree is something that is really important to us.

Since returning, he has been studying hours and hours every day for the GRE. As luck would have it, his hard work paid off and Dan will be starting his Master's degree at Utah State this fall in Financial Economics. I am SO PROUD of him for how hard he's worked! It's truly been such a journey for both of us to get to this point. Thankfully- the program is only 1 year. He'll start August 2016 and end in August 2017. So this summer we are living it up before school becomes all consuming for the next year!!!

#OLDWARD --> #NEWWARD

We'd been in our previous ward for almost FOUR years! I love all the wonderful ward members we met, loved, and became friends with! But I'd been feeling the need for a change for months... which is really weird because if there is one thing I don't like-- it's unnecessary change. But after months and months of just not feeling quite right, we made the jump to a new ward! The first week, we were both a little nervous, but now that it's been about a month, we're feeling more at home every week.



#AGE26 --> #AGE27

So I Googled, "articles about turning 27" to see what ridiculous expectations there were, advice, etc. Turns out you can't shop at any sort of young adult clothing store, or wear nail polish with glitter once you're 27. As fate would have it, I found some killer deals on OPI glitter nail polish on the last day of my 26th year of life and got a new outfit at H&M the day of my birthday. Call me a rebel.

I'm officially in "my late twenties" which is awesome. I have loved my twenties. It's a little bit freaky to think about being on my way to the thirties- but really when I think about it, the older I get the more I am happy with the path I'm on. I like the feeling of progression. I like looking back and seeing how my life is nothing like I expected-- but that it's oh so much better.

The One With The Student Wife

I was recently in a meeting where I was the youngest person in a room of ten people by at least 20 years. During this discussion one person was of the opinion that a generation of wimps have been raised. That college kids don't know how to handle failure, or challenges. That now every kid gets a trophy or an award growing up, and when adulthood hits, they can't cope with reality.

I think this person had a point. I think to often we don't talk about the hard stuff. We can easily see all the good stuff in people's lives, and feel like things come easy or are given to people. We don't know the challenges behind getting to the good stuff we post on Instagram. I'm a big believer in reality. I've considered myself a realist for several years, but in the past year especially-- I've decided it's important for me to be a positive realist. So that's how I'm going to write today when I document my experience as a student wife- with a positive reality.

Dan's graduation was easily one of the best days of my married life. I can't tell you how long I've waited for this day! For a day when I didn't feel like every night of my married life was determined by the amount of homework Dan had. For a day when I knew our savings account wouldn't be siphoned by a ghastly tuition payment every 4 months. For a day when we could move on from living like students.

I'm not going to lie, being a student wife has been hard.  I remember about 2 months after we were married, Dan came home and told me that instead of Spring 2014 being his graduation date, it was now Spring 2016. I remember being completely devastated. I remember thinking my life was over. I remember being so bitter and so angry about the situation. I remember thinking I would be almost 30 before Dan graduated (talk about dramatic!)

Even though the last 3.5 years are not how I planned them to be, I can see I was learning lessons that only a life experience such as this would teach me. And boy did I need to learn them.

#LESSON1: ATTITUDE

I decided to be kind of miserable and cranky about living in Logan and Dan being in school for the first half of our time here. I was mad. I wanted to be mad. I hated people talking about how you can choose to be happy no matter what situation you were in. Because I was choosing to be mad.

I'm trying to pin down the turning point for me in my attitude adjustment. It was a slow, painful process for me. As with every phase of my life, my friends made the huge difference and impact. However, the biggest change came due to one of my New Years Resolutions for 2015. It was to right down a miracle in my life everyday. It was through that experience that my attitude changed A LOT! I saw just how much the Lord was involved in the littlest details of my woeful, Logan life and was trying to make me happy. I realized how full and rich my life was. That we have been provided for a thousand times over. That my life just wasn't that bad, but it was just that good.

#LESSON2: ENJOY NOW

Dan and I made some of the greatest friends while being in our Married Student Ward. I think that has been one of the biggest blessings for me while Dan has been in school. You can't go to a student ward without being married to a student! And I can't imagine my life without my dear friends- you know who you are!  Along with life-long friends, we've had opportunities to learn and grow in callings that we would NEVER have had in a family ward. Our callings have been HUGE blessings in our lives, in ways I never imagined.

I love our apartment. I love that within a 3 block radius we have the Logan Temple, Smiths, Instacare and our Doctor, a gas station, and the post office. I doubt will ever live this close to all of these things EVER again! I love that we live on the third floor of our apartment building. That everyday I am looking in the treetops and can see the temple. I love that I can clean our apartment in a half a day.

We live the perfect distance from our families. We are close enough to go see them a couple times a month, but far enough away that we have our own lives without interference. Logan is safe. I feel safe all the time here. That is something we may not always enjoy and I've really appreciated about living here.

All of these things will change. I've learned to enjoy the simple nature of our poor student living. Our responsibilities are minimal. We don't have a yard to take care of, we don't have kids. I already know I'll look back at our "Logan Life" and think how big of an idiot I was not to enjoy it more! I'm so thankful Dan and I have been able to spend so much time together. We have been able to lay such a good foundation in our first years together.

#LESSON3: HUMILITY

This was probably the most empowering lesson I've learned. That the Lord's plan for our family was not my plan. And that no matter how much I gripe and complain- my plan isn't going to change what's best for us. I've learned to be humble and flexible.

I've learned that there isn't a set timeline for every person. Ours is our own. The Lord is in charge. He knows what we need. He knows what will be best for us. Just let it be. Accept it. Be happy with it.

I'm so humbled that I married such a hard working guy. Dan has worked his booty off to get where he is, and I know it is going to pay off for our family. Hard work is a humbling thing to learn and I'm glad we're learning it early in our marriage.

#THENEXTSTEP

I'm so thankful that this chapter of Dan's schooling is over. However I think it may not be the end... and I'm pretty proud I haven't had a melt down over the idea of Dan doing more school.

So to all you wives who have been so patient and so diligent while getting your hubbys through school- we got this.

The Least Funny April Fools

One of my favorite songs in High School was "Ironic" by Alanis Morisette. Sometimes life is just a little too ironic, especially this day. You should probably listen to it.

I woke up and went to the bathroom and knew I was in for a long day.  I was pretty sure I was starting to have a miscarriage. I had no idea how long this would take, if I should go to work. The doctors office didn't open until 9:00am, so I decided to go to work and see how things went.

As Dan dropped me off at work, I took 5 steps and felt a rush- I knew I had to get to a bathroom immediately. I'd only been at this job 4 weeks, and this was not how I envisioned celebrating my first month. I made it to the bathroom and had one of those moments where I thought "This can't be real life... I can't be having a miscarriage in the bathroom of my new job... and on April Fools day..."

The next hour was a blur- I don't know how I stayed there. But I called the doctors office right at 9:00am, and spoke to the medical assistant. She was so sweet. And I was proud of myself for being calm. We set an appointment for me to come in Monday morning after I'd had a few days to pass everything. My boss had left for a meeting, so I emailed saying I wasn't feeling well and going home. 

That was 5 days ago. There have truly been over 100 things that have been so ironic and I could have taken offense to so many times in regards to pregnancy and babies. But somehow I haven't, and I'm not sure why. I thought I'd know how to feel about this by now- and once I start feeling like I have a grasp on how to handle this, my hormones take a plunge in a different direction and I'm trying to figure it out all over again. I'm sad but not devastated. I want to move on but I don't feel like doing anything. I want to cry but don't know what to cry about. It's all very confusing. 

Regardless, it's all going to be okay.

On the plus side, I get to add miscarriage to my resume of crap I've survived. I can now sympathize and relate to all those other women I've talked to in the past about miscarriages. I have discovered a new perspective on motherhood- though I'm still trying to understand it. I will NEVER again think that any kind of joke about people being pregnant for April Fools day is funny. The lessons of life teach you so much so fast.

I saw these flowers while I went on a walk during the late afternoon of the least funny April Fools Day ever. Somehow it was enough for me to understand that "though this grass is ugly, just like this experience, the good will still be enough to break through and I will find beauty in it"

Wish me luck on my search to find the good and beauty.

Wouden Christmas Card Blog

Here is a little update on the last year of the Woudens!

Our life in Logan has been charging full speed ahead this past year. We feel is has been our busiest year to date. We bought our first car together back in March and are enjoying the joys of adulthood and having a car payment :)  We are now teaching the Family History class in our ward, and as you can see from the picture below of our first week we taught, it's going really well (don't worry, a few people eventually showed up).

For our 3rd anniversary in August, we went to Park City for the day and spoiled ourselves at the outlet mall, got a couples massage (thanks John and Kelsey!), and ended with dinner at the Prairie Schooner in Ogden. We'd highly recommend it (both marriage and the restaurant).

#DAN

Dan had THREE surgeries this year. Yes, three. I blogged about the first surgery on his nose here, but he then had a small surgery near his eye in July, and then on his ankle in October. Goals for 2016, no surgery for Dan.

He officially had his LAST, first day of school! Honestly, I was definitely the most excited about this Dan was. Dan has been working all year as a facilitator for Utah State's distance education classes. This has probably been the biggest blessing for us. It's a miracle for Dan to have a job that he can go to in between classes, do homework during, and always have finals week + holidays off... best job EVER!

Dan is still a big Jazz fan, and I support this as long as they win and we get 50% off Papa John's pizza the next day. He also still loves Aggie football and can't wait to get into church basketball come January. Dan discovered a new passion during downtime with his ankle surgery... Pinterest. He's convinced his mom and designed a whole new layout for her kitchen. I'm just hoping Dan can stay focused enough to graduate while taking this project on...

#MEG

Besides playing nurse to Dan, I have been working tirelessly at 2 jobs for six months now. This summer I traveled to Helena, Montana + Bellingham, Washington for my job with Western SARE. Traveling with my coworkers has been a hoot + a holler, love them a LOT! Then in June, I started a second job at a call center 3 nights a week, and Saturdays.  It has been a pretty humbling experience and definitely made me prioritize my life with having such little time (see British TV shows below).

My big projects outside of work have been scrapbooking my life. The only scrapbook I have is one page of the day I was born, and I'm pretty sure the hospital made it and gave it to my parents. It took me almost a year, but I finally got my mission scrapbooked and consider this a HUGE achievement! Now I'll start working on my college days and high school, then work my way back. Wish me luck, 26 years is a lot of scrapbooking to catch up on...

I also have become obsessed with British TV shows. I am devastated that Downton Abbey has finished its final season, EAGERLY waiting for Sherlock to give us something to watch, and thoroughly enjoying Call the Midwife. My British accent is improving each month.

 

#BLESSED

We have seen so many miracles this year and have a lot to be thankful for. Wishing you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS, and leave you with this thought:

 "We discover he is more than the babe in Bethlehem, more than the carpenter’s son, more than the greatest teacher ever to live. We come to know him as the Son of God. He never fashioned a statue, painted a picture, wrote a poem, or led an army. He never wore a crown or held a scepter or threw around his shoulder a purple robe. His forgiveness was unbounded, his patience inexhaustible, his courage without limit. Jesus changed men. He changed their habits, their opinions, their ambitions. He changed their tempers, their dispositions, their natures. He changed men’s hearts."

Released!

#RELEASED

Well it happened. After 2 1/2 years I was released from being the Relief Society President! I have some mixed emotions about it. Next to being married to Dan, this is longest commitment I've ever had in my life! Longer than my mission (and that felt like a long time)!

Being a Relief Society President is a weird thing. And I have to admit, I hate the title of that calling. I don't like the idea of being "president" of something. I feel like people instantly develop this stereotype about you. To be honest, when I think of someone being a relief society president, the image that comes to mind is this: bad haircut, ugly clothes, annoyingly spiritual. I hope I broke one or two of those stereotypes.

#BLESSED

I'm so grateful I had this calling. Holy guacamole have I learned SO much and been so inspired by the women I've met. I've seen miracles and heartache, laughed and cried, and made some of the DEAREST, most wonderful friends!!!

 

Jess, Meg, Monica and Melissa

 Becca, Shan, Meg and Jess

 Shan, Becca, Meg and Court

 Court, Becca, Meg and Jess

#WORRIES

My biggest worries about being released were:

•  What am I going to do with all my time now? Before I got this calling, I was really struggling with being married to a student. I hated that I got home from work and was ready to play and spend time with Dan, and he was just getting started on spending the next solid 6 hours doing homework. I watched way too many TV shows, and was bored. This calling changed all of that! I really didn't want to fall back into this meaningless way of life. Cue working a second job! I'd way rather have the calling, but it's nice having the added income.

• What will my next calling be? I always complain about Sunday School. I feel like the lessons are SO boring. So I always sort of hoped Dan and I would be able to teach a Sunday School class and try to make it something more exciting. Welp, say hello to the new Family History Instructors! So far it's been a lot of fun, trying to come up with ways to keep peoples attention in a class that definitely has a stereotype for being BORING! And it's nice we only have to teach once a month :)

• Who are they going to call that I could feel confident in handing over the lives of all these wonderful friends and women I've spent so much time with?! This might sound a little conceited and like I'm the only person who could do this calling, but it's not like that AT ALL. You want to know that you've left the ones you love in good hands, that the new person will know what they need and make sure they get it. That they'll be involved in their lives and be there for the good and bad. Well thank the high heavens, I can rest assured! The new relief society presidency is just that! I have no worries whatsoever and I think that was the biggest relief of all.

 

No Chocolate For A Year- DID IT!

Just some follow-up thoughts on my "not eating chocolate for a year" challenge...

Was it hard? Yes!

Was it worth it? Yes!

Will I do it again? No! Life is too short to live without chocolate!

The whole experience really ended up teaching me a lot. A few things include:

• I can do hard things!
• I can have self control, especially when it comes to my appetite.
• The feeling of improving my self discipline was pretty awesome! Self discipline is SO hard. But honestly, it's helped be more disciplined in other areas of my life besides not eating chocolate. This has probably been the biggest benefit of this challenge
• I have so much more empathy for people who have severe addictions and are trying to quit them.  I had dreams at least once a month, usually twice about eating chocolate. A lot of times I would eat a whole plate of chocolate chip cookies in my dreams! It was pretty ridiculous. The addiction was/is REAL people.
• Doing something like this really makes celebrating your birthday way more fun! I was way less focused on getting a year older, and way more excited about the prospect of eating chocolate!

What was the first chocolate I had after the challenge?

- Dan made me chocolate chip pancakes for my birthday. I had told him that's what I wanted the morning of my birthday, but it was interesting that when I sat down in front of those giant chocolate chip pancakes, the first thing I felt was fear! I was not expecting that! I had just told myself no for so long, that it wasn't so easy to switch to yes. Which surprised me! But I did eat the pancakes, and they were delicious!

Do I still like chocolate after not eating it for a year?

- You betcha! But it's definitely not in the same way. I can taste the wax WAY more than I ever could. The only "cheap" chocolate I've liked is Kit Kats. I ate a Reese's and it was NASTY! Which is shocking because I LOVED Reeses before. Apparently I'm a bit of a chocolate snob now and can only eat Ghirardelli and Lindt truffles...

Did eating chocolate make me sick?

- Yeeeeaaaahhhh. It did. So after my mound of chocolate chip pancakes, I came to work to find a bag of chocolate doughnuts on my desk, and two packages of brownies. We had chocolate cake with lunch. By about 3:30, I was SICK. Mind you, I didn't eat any of the brownies, and only had one doughnut, and tiny slice of cake. But don't worry, I still had my birthday party with a chocolate fondue fountain and a 16 layer chocolate cake to go home to :) Yeah it was delicious and awesome and feeling like crap was totally worth it!  But I still have a pretty low chocolate tolerance.

My friend Shan made this cake. IT WAS DIVINE. Anything she makes is heavenly! In fact, if you live in Cache Valley, you should check out her blog and order some meals from her! You'll never go back! http://mealsbyshan.blogspot.com/

I think every person should try doing something like this once in their life. It really was a fun, challenging experience and I feel like a stronger person for doing it!

Dear 18 Year Old Me,

I've been seeing a lot of pictures posted on social media of college and high school graduations in the last month. Also, for some reason after 8 years of being graduated from high school (wow 8 years sounds FOREVER ago), someone finally took the initiative to create a "Morgan High Class of 2007" Facebook group... talk about a blast from the past! The combination of these things has caused me to reflect a lot on my life since that momentous occasion of being 18, newly graduated, and thrust into the world. I thought I would be fun to write a letter to my former 18 year old self, now that I have a little perspective :)

Dearest Meg,

Congratulations on graduating from Morgan High School's class of 2007! It will be a whirlwind of feelings for the next few months, but don't worry- life is really only going to get better, and busier. There are so many things I want to tell you about our life, but first I feel I should tell you the things you definitely did right!

It was definitely the best decision EVER to never kiss a boy in high school. Trust me, you'll never regret it! Also, even though the summer before senior year pretty much was the worst thing ever when you took those summer classes, it was totally worth it because you'll graduate from college when we're 20. And not paying tuition or having to study for one more final, will be the best thing of your life! So good job and way to power through. 

So nobody ever told you when you decided to moved to Logan and go to Utah State, that it was winter 9 months out of the year there. Just drop the money up front and buy a full body parka, similar to the picture below. Because the inside of your nose will actually freeze, your boots will never keep the snow and water out, and you should be aware of seasonal depression because the sun never shines. Just go to the Rage Salon on Tuesdays and Thursday when they have $2 tanning, and remind your body what warmth and light feels like. You'll survive. (Because you're not just going to live there 3 years like you planned, it's going to be more like 6.5 years.... yeah I know... mentally prepare now)

Also, even though you really like your major in Public Relations, you may want to seriously consider teaching kindergarten. Because we really didn't think through how completely awesome it would be to have summers off... just saying. But you will meet some of the most amazing people in your PR major who will be life friends... so the choice is yours! (But seriously... summers off... think about it...)

Now this part is very important, so PAY ATTENTION! The best things that will ever happen to you will come from making your own path. Without spoiling too much, you're going to be living in Atlanta and going on a mission, and you will be changed so much for the better. So don't be scared! Also, your second year of college you are going to live in an apartment with 5 girls you've never met before. Again, one of the best things that will ever happen to you. Venturing into the unknown, really seems to work out for us! (also, can we talk about how hilarious this picture is please?!)

Our leadership skills will really be awful... you might want to read more books about that kind of stuff and save us some grief (because I still haven't read this book...)

Make sure you become a true Aggie, and become one with someone you don't know. It makes a way better story! (and no, this isn't a pic of us!)

But seriously, whatever you do, GO ON A MISSION! Go on a mission, go on a mission. Did I mention, GO ON A MISSION!

I'm sure you're dying to know when and who you marry, but trust me, you wouldn't even believe me if I told you!  Just know that he's even better than you imagined. And that you'll finally get the sisters you've always wanted. 

Well this is probably enough to overwhelm your 18 year old mind for now. And to tell you the truth, this is about all I've got figured out. You know what to do, just make it happen!

Don't forget to love ourself.

Love, Megan

PS- this is our favorite show. Love it. Cherish it. Get all seasons of it.