Someday I'd Like to be a Part of an Inside Joke

Here's an example of what's important to the Jensen family. Yesterday at work, I was listening to a shared playlist, and what should come up on shuffle but "The Blue Danube" (which, for all you german speakers, should really be called "An der schoenen blauen Donau"). Even if you don't recognize the title, you ALL recognize the music. I like to regard myself as an arbiter of good classical music taste, so it's only natural that I should be familiar with this particular piece of music. But what exactly comes to mind, you may ask, when I hear this music? Is it the German countryside? Is it the Wiener Philharmoniker? French horns and violins? Lullabies? No on all counts. It's football. American football. How in the world did that happen?

When I was little, my family owned a particular videotape entitled "NFL's Greatest Hits". It had an amazing premise, too, with two janitors staying at NFL headquarters late at night to watch great moments in NFL history as shown by a computer named Felix. (well, at least harold was a janitor . . .) Anyway, there were certain clips that were composited together with classical music. And what was one of the pieces used to synchronize with the awesome and graceful movements of 300-pound men hitting each other? "The Blue Danube". So it was the first thing that came to my mind yesterday as I was listening, and I immediately emailed my parents, brothers, and sister.

This has since sparked an email thread that has shot up to 25 emails in the last thirty hours! It's been a combination of line-quoting and attempts at describing exactly how "The Blue Danube" goes (example from kelly's email: "(high voice) dot dot rest dot dot rest"). I'm quite renown among friends and family for having a crazy-good memory, especially for movie lines. They don't know my brothers. In one email in the thread, I asked, "I have forgotten. Who was 'Count Dracula in cleats'?" (a description of a particular player) Craig immediately responded with, "Jack Lambert. Relentless, and remorseless. He considered it his job to hit someone on every play, and there was no one more intimidating." Who knew that two such seemingly opposing forces in the world (classical music and american football) could co-exist so peacefully? And that my family can take part in a discussion quite easily that involves both? That is the beauty of the Jensens. Every time I have gotten another email about it, I just laugh out loud, exclaiming, "I love my family!" We are incredibly unique. It's awesome.

-Megan

"If you ever start feeling like you have the goofiest, craziest, most dysfunctional family in the world, all you have to do is go to the state fair. Because five minutes at the fair, you'll be going, 'You know, we're all right. We are dang near royalty!'" -Jeff Foxworthy

A Slight Modification

Okay, Dad. The font color is no longer blue. Can you see it better? And I'm not changing the picture, even if I'm not the one in the center.

All at Once, One Day it's Spring (some day soon, maybe)

So I've been pretty amazed lately by the awesome people that I am lucky enough to be in contact with: my roommates, my friends, my family. They're just all incredible, and I am very blessed to have them in my life. I realize that my circle of friends comes and goes in waves. Sometimes it feels like I'm surrounded by people I can hang out with and drop in on anytime, and then there are times when I feel like that circle has contracted. The people in the smaller circle are no less valuable to me; in fact, usually that is indicative that they mean more to me. But I am grateful when those times come that the tide is rolling back in and I'm able to make more friends and expand my circle. And then there's my family. A circle that never contracts, but grows and grows as time goes on. Yes, unfortunately, there come those times that we lose loved ones, but I'm at a point in life where my family just keeps growing: marriages, babies, all that. And isn't it awesome how quickly we can come to love the new additions to our families? It's great. We. Are. Great.

Esther likes to look sheepish for the camera

Times are pretty much going the same as ever before with work and life. Mainly my days shift with the people I see and what I might do with them. Last week I got to see my friend Bethany, and I was SO happy to see her! We went to the mall and made fun of stupid movies by mockingly pretending to want to buy them (and actually, i came really close to buying one . . . hahahaha). Then we got to talking and laughing and watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is another one of those things that reminds me that Bethany and I are basically the same person, four years apart from each other. All right, maybe not "THE same" person, but pretty dang similar. She rocks.

For some reason, the roomies thought my hair looked hot this night.
You can't see it, but they're right.

Speaking of stupid movies, I went with my friend Megan to see Twilight in the dollar theater last Monday. We were actually shushed by a movie usher for laughing too hard at and making fun of the previews! I don't know exactly what Megan thought of Twilight, because it was her first time seeing it (my third, everyone . . . golly . . .), but if it was anything like I thought of it, she won't be anxious to see it again except to mock it and giggle. (okay, okay, i'll admit it. there are parts of it that i like. but after a third viewing, those parts are getting to be fewer and farther between.)

Last weekend, Esther went to DC . . . for a very fun reason and weekend which is not my place to blog about. (dang it.) But when Esther leaves, I feel like my social life is completely gone. Total exaggeration, obviously, but it's actually harder for me to find people to see and do things with on the weekends than it is during the week! Something just isn't right about that. Fortunately, Saturday night came along and Jeremie came over! I was so happy to see him after a month of him being away, and he could be leaving again for good this coming weekend, so I'm glad he made the time to come and see me (well, he comes over to see all of us, but i was the only one actually home at the time). And he showed me a video that has made me just want to smile and be happy all the time, and I've watched it once every day since then, and it's awesome. I have since shared it with co-workers and other friends, and I think we're all feeling a little more validated. Jeremie also came over on Tuesday night (once esther was back), and we spent more time just being our silly selves that we are. Hooray for us!

Dallin takes joy in the discovery of a tricycle in the bishop's office.

One last thing: There are two things I don't like about Daylight Saving Time.
1) I lose an hour of sleep by putting my clock ahead on that night.
2) It goes back to being dark in the morning when I leave for work.

However, there are two things that I REALLY like about Daylight Saving Time.
1) It's bright outside later in the day and I get to enjoy that.
2) It's a sign that SPRING IS COMING!!! Woohoo! Come on, we're all happy about that, aren't we?

-Me

"A friend is someone who will help you move. A real friend is someone who will help you move a body." -Unknown

Social Quarantine

And once again, the Halfway House has been hit with sickness. We've considered putting up a "Quarantined" sign on our door to keep unsuspecting visitors from entering and contracting this disease that has hit not one, not two, but all three of us lovely and victimized young women. I think we're all on the mend again, but none of us have been very happy campers in terms of health this week. Please, let it end!

Surprisingly, this is Becky healthy. ;)

Last Saturday, when I was still healthy, I got to see my cousin Stephanie! She dropped in to Provo and gave me a call, which was really unexpected, but also fun. I was glad that she thought to call me, because I had a good time catching up with her, etc. That night, Becky and I went to a free concert in Provo to see our friend Rick's band (about which has already been posted, I know . . .). I think what really made the night, aside from the rock star-esque mannerisms employed by our fellow 227th-ward-member, was the foosball table! Now, I don't profess to be an expert at foosball. In fact, I stink at it. But when it became available, I dragged Becky over there with me, where we had a good time making fools of ourselves trying to play the game and remember to spin the players in the correct direction.

Kaila and Alecia. Hooray!

Sunday was, as ever, a good day. I sang in sacrament meeting with Lindsay, Dallin, and Mike for the special musical number. For having been thrown together twelve hours earlier, it turned out really well, so kudos to my fellow singers for that. Hooray! After church, Kaila and Alecia invited us over for cabbage soup (excellent!). Is this sharing meals at 777 becoming a trend? I think it is! (It also inspired esther to get the soup recipe and make it herself later this week . . . would have been a good addition to the meal plan if all of our health issues hadn't reacted badly to the smell . . .)

Roommates (oh, becky) and our favorite part of a meal

I went out for dinner with my old friend Chris on Wednesday evening. He is one of my Oregon buddies, and I haven't seen him for over a year. Not good! Unlike the food, which was good. (wingers) And Chris, while he has changed in some ways, really hasn't changed at all. Total flirt. But then again, so am I. Good fit. It's always nice, though, to be reminded that there are guys in the world who are gentlemen. Chris is flirty, yes, but he really knows how to treat a girl the way she deserves, even if it's a girl that he's not necessarily trying to impress (i.e., me). Hope in men is restored!

Last night, Esther and I took advantage of our fleeting benevolent moods and made dinner for Becky and Noah, then left them alone to enjoy the rest of their evening together without any fear of us bugging them or them bugging us. We basically ordered Becky to not arrive home before 6 o'clock, so I'm sure that her suspicions informed her we were doing something that involved dinner, but I'm sure she didn't suspect rose petals strewn across the living room floor (a last-minute addition so that they'd know they'd have to go to the kitchen). It was excellent timing, actually. We had just set everything on the table, lit the candles, and gotten the dishes put away when we heard Becky's laughter, so when they walked in, we just walked right out. After which we went to Carabbas. Mmm. And we all know how I feel about Carabbas. Scrumptious.

-Me

"It's no longer a question of staying healthy. It's a question of finding a sickness you like." -Jackie Mason

I Wanna Be Sedated

Sometimes I wonder if everybody has multiple personalities. Some are just better at masking them, so they're not clinically diagnosed. Becky and I went to a concert on Saturday night to see our friend Rick's band play. I wouldn't ever describe Rick as being shy, but he does come across as a bit reserved. But to watch him sing up there with his band was so fun because he suddenly became a rock star! It just seemed so out-of-character. But as I reflect on my friends, he's not the only example I can think of about a person who has seemingly become someone else. Case in point: Esther Morris. She's the nicest person in the world, and you think she would never do anything at all "mean" to others, when, at the moment you least expect it, she gets this mischievous glint in her eye and "Ishtar Morrisse" emerges. Before you know it, she's jumping on people who think they're all safe and sound in their beds. Not only that, she's laughing this evil chuckle, reveling in the destruction of someone's rest. (Or when she orders someone to do something. Esther doesn't give orders!)

Take me, for instance. I like to think that I'm a pretty normal-ish adult-esque young woman. But put something that relates to Disney or the Muppets in front of me, and I'm five! Like when I got Beauty and the Beast, and I leaped around in joy about it; or that I chose to watch The Muppet Movie on Thursday night when I was in a movie mood; or that I bought a Disney songbook and was laughing myself silly while playing "Under the Sea" and "Be Our Guest". Who does that, really? Some bizarre five-year old personality of me, that's who. She just takes over. I don't know what to call that version of me. And then there's "Gan Nelson", who's like my evil twin and is responsible for all the strange occurrences in the Halfway House, like all the cookies going missing (although I think the several personalities of Esther and Becky help out in such instances, too).

So how many personalities do I actually have? Hmm . . . who knows, really? I can think of several. And there's no telling when which one will surface. There's shy Megan, loud Megan, diva Megan (believe me, diva megan is conceited and a total drama queen . . . I'm really trying to suppress her) . . . Too bad there's not a kind, fun, talented, charming, just-the-right-noise-level Megan personality. Although, she would be a pretty unstoppable force. So maybe it's good that all my different personalities have only a few good qualities. That way, I don't have a personality that's so incredible that people are intimidated by me. (hahahahahahahahaha)

-Me

P.S

Hello everyone! This is Esther (for reals, not the personality of Megan that thinks she is Esther) I just wanted to verify Megan's theory that we may all have multiple personalities by letting you all know that just a few moments after she read me this latest post I found myself cowering under a barrage of pillow beatings from Gan Nelson. She came out of nowhere! One second I was chatting with the wonderful, sweet Megan-who despite what she may think, has so many good qualities I can't number them-and the next minute Gan was upon me with the pillow beating. No harm was done, even Gan does not try to maim people, but she is definitely proof that there are, at least in the Halfway house, too many personalities and too few people to contain them all:)

Back in the Saddle Again

Shock of all shocks, I didn't do anything overly special on my day off for President's Day. Not terribly surprising. On Sunday, Esther made enough stew to feed an army, so we invited Alicia and Kaila over for dinner, and we had a good time eating with them. I think Esther and Kaila are kindred spirits. If they weren't Mormon, they'd be Jewish. That's all there is to it. Once we were done eating, Alicia stuck around and helped me listen to Esther play her viola. I'm not sure when the last time Esther got it out was, but I was glad she did, because I got to play with her a bit, and I really like being able to do that. It's always really fun. We also danced around to "Hava Nagila" like idiots. It was cool. Nerdy, but cool. (wait, is that possible? being nerdy and cool? hmm . . .)

Esther and me with the Valentine's Day flowers . . .
we bought ourselves.

Monday morning brought Alicia and Kaila over to our place once more for a yummy breakfast (hooray for bacon!) and watching Everything is Illuminated, which Esther immediately fell in love with and promptly ordered once we finished. I really liked it, as well, so I'm glad that Esther bought it and I live with her so I don't have to buy it to watch it.

More pictures of us lovely women

Esther also got the "Spruce Moose" from her sister, so that now means that come Wednesdays, I don't have to drive her to and pick her up from the temple anymore! It was kind of weird to not have to do that when Wednesday rolled around this week. I've gotten so used to it. Now I don't have to be the constant chauffeur. Well, at least for Esther I don't. Although now we get to play "musical cars" in the morning when I leave for work, because it's usually the Moose that parks behind Douglas in the driveway rather than the other way around.

When I left the temple on Thursday, it was just too beautiful a day to not take a couple of pictures, even with my wet hair that didn't look terribly attractive

I resumed running this week. Now that it's no longer ten degrees outside, I'm willing to run outside again (which is the only way i run, so the last time i went running was probably in november . . . oops!). Don't get me wrong; it's still plenty cold. But it's warm enough that I'm willing to brave the coldness of it (which sounds a little oxymoronic, but it makes sense in my head) to run once more. I just need to make sure my ears are sufficiently covered, because cold ears is usually the most excruciating experience of running in the cold for me. (although, my lungs wanting to explode on me yesterday was no picnic, either.) But I'm feeling good about getting back in the habit. Hooray for good habits! (especially since i have so few of those . . .)

-Me

"The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired in the first half." -Fyodor Dostoevsky

What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love

My amazing roomies whom I love.

So, in honor of this totally overblown holiday (says the bitter single girl), I have decided to make another list of those things that I love, just as I did last year. So here goes:

1. My family
2. Heavenly Father
3. Jesus
4. My roommates
5. Grover/Douglas/Old Faithful/Compy (all inanimate objects, mind you)
6. My friends
7. Really good books
8. Really good movies
9. The hope for spring
10. Sunshine on snow (because it looks pretty, and it also makes the snow melt)
11. Laughter
12. Music
13. Simple pleasures (avocados, sleeping in)
14. Ways of saying "I love you"
15. Food
16. Mom's annual package of sugar cookies shaped like hearts

Once again, there are several things that could make this list go on and on, but I will stop there to save you from an overdose of sweetness. Clearly, despite my comments of Valentine's Day being an overblown holiday, I am still a big fan of love. I hope to do better at expressing it every day, and not just once a year. (really, it's me, the biggest sap in the world . . . how could i not be a fan of love?)

Crazy people; crazy hair.

In terms of actual events, I still remain a pretty boring person, despite all my hopes to be more cool. However, last week I experimented at Esther's suggestion (meaning, her "force") and made German food! Spaetzle, Rotkohl, a roast; I was a bit nervous about how it would turn out, but it actually turned out well, which was a relief. So Dad's jealousy that he couldn't partake was well-founded (although he paid me back this last week, sending me pictures and texts from him and mom in hawaii . . . how rude).

The German spread
(and yes, i know the spaetzle looks like scrambled eggs)

I also had my Kelly cousins over for dinner on Sunday, which ended up being totally fun. It kind of is stinky of me that I don't do very well at keeping in contact with the family that's even in Provo. So I determined to change that and invited them over, and all was good. Especially when Brett started doing the dishes without even being asked (which is occasionally more than my roommates will do . . . j/k, j/k, j/k!). But good times to be had all around.

Big news on the Megan looks department: I got a haircut last Saturday, and I'm pretty excited about it. I am such a wimp when it comes to my hair, and I don't remember the last time I had it up to my shoulders . . . probably four or five years ago. I still value my long hair, and it was kind of amusing when Alesia (the stylist) had combed out my wet hair and asked me, holding the scissors before the first cut, "Are you ready for this?" But I tell you, I should get drastic haircuts more often! Everyone (well, every girl) in my ward that saw me last weekend at stake conference (which was a fair amount, considering i was an usher for the sunday session) told me how cute my hair was! Boosted my confidence about five levels. Maybe even six!

Before


After!

And now it's President's Day weekend, and I still have yet to figure out what I'm going to do with my day off. Hmm. Must think.

-Me

"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow man, and I hate people like that!" -Tom Lehrer