shelby senior fotos - part 2a

dear shelby,

we may need to do shoot part 2b when the lighting is happier.

these were the good ones.

but we can do more.

note to future self:
please know the forecast projection.
or it will kill 2/3 of a foto shoot.

though no one would mind if you used one from part one...
even if they are kind of wintery

-2 is the "give a crap" factor

don't care where the flowers go,
don't care where the chairs, or the benches, or the lights are,
i don't care if you wear ugly shoes or jewelry,
and i don't think i would even care if your mother showed up in periwinkle...


before the end of the week,
all of the kids in our family will have graduated high school,
and i will be married.
in three days.

in case you didn't know.

and that's all i care about.
unless you know how to make it come sooner...


coming soon....

pictures of graduation & bridals from today,
and
the new blog!

documented.

for a while there, 

we were not all that sure we would be able to claim we graduated... 

except that i have proof...

it finally posted and we (donelle & i) 

both have degrees!!

...seconds after we declared this, 

peg walked in with celebratory bubbly...

hilarious.

doesn't get more official than that...

gmail themes... i like em.

my new gmail theme knows.

it looked like this earlier:

now it looks like this:

so. i am basically done teaching for the week...
just working on my little directing project tomorrow and Wed
and then off for the weekend like the rest of y'all!

also, frantically trying to finish my last class
(independent study)
by tomorrow too...
yay for procrastinating just like every other IS-er that I talked to every day...
good times.

can't wait for my cute former roommates to come see me
TOMORROW
so we can eat naughty things and take more pictures!!

oh. and for the record, i just applied for 5 jobs and i'm not done.
you might want to employ your power to pray as well.

• happy monday to you! •

see... i really did graduate:

i would rather have this on a mug anyway....

just so there is no question..... it really happened.

22 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes.

{happy thursday}

math? i don't teach math... but i see a problem...

one larger-than-life project due tomorrow
+
one huge apartment full of 6 teachers
+
planning for 4 classes a week
+
just plain being ADD...

equals

our other "married" student teacher (doesn't live here)
showed up to "work" with us
and asked how we were doing...

friggen great thanks...
just great...

totally on task and productive...

...and yes, we are all in the profession of teaching students to be great students...

who's ADD...?

what?

is that... a chicken.... over there...?

someone's throwing stuff...

you gonna build a fire or what?

no... but i will blog about it... to prove how good i am at stuff...

...prize to anyone who can tell me the tallest building in the world!


hoping your weekend is more conducive to productivity than mine thus far,

p • E • a • C • e

side note: my roommates all just came into my room laughing...
so... you read the blog already...?
"of course, we are working on that teacher work sample...
aka blogging... and I was thinking,
if we were in the hospital right now...
would we still have to do this damn project?...
just wondering"

why is today already awesometown?

at least 2 reasons:

1) i set my alarm for 5:15 (normal) but for PM (which is not) which means i was way late and had to go get swigs as penance for my supervisor... I will admit I did get a small morning cocktail myself. otherwise yesterday marks 5 weeks off swigs... i have had about 2.5 in the 5 weeks-- all for medicinal reasons... that is no joke at all... i drink on average 44-50 ounces of water a day now... i awesome.

2) i just got off the phone with a man that offered to pay $50 bucks to anyone who would hand deliver his daughter's exam the Fedex location so she could graduate.... (we just have a cut off time to send them out, but they don't really "go out" until Fedex comes- with is like 4ish...i had told him that the time had passed but i would "see what i could do..."). they hadn't gone out yet so i came back and told him that I would "hand deliver it to the Fedex location" and he got my name to send me a check... "honestly you don't have to do that!" i said... "nope! it will be there tomorrow!!" this place kills me...

honestly...

which reminds me- i helped a girl a few weeks ago that flew in from alaska to take her exam... so she could could hopefully pass them this time and then fly right back to walk off of the plane and directly onto the field for graduation. she was clueless: didn't know that provo wasn't near salt lake, didn't have a ride back, didn't print out her assignments to submit them... which meant i spent the early morning hours figuring out files on a few computers, scheduling a cab, and then (unbeknown to the student) begging her instructor while he golfed to let her pass because she failed by one percent! she did, and i even had to drive her over to an atm to get cash to pay for the cab and we got breakfast cause she didn't feed herself... long story short, her mom called me back that afternoon and asked me my full name, shoe size and favorite color... still waiting to see if she delivers...

and believe me, blog, you will be the first to know!!

now i am going to waste away my evening at the BYU spring opera... just sitting here, all alone, getting credit with bloody q-tips...

"thanks, you're a peach"

what?!

why have i heard that like 25 times in the past week?

i realize i may have just helped your son or daughter or grandson or step neighbor or boyfriend's cousin to graduate, which may just save him from years of ridicule and snide grandma comments... but that gives you no right to call me a peach!

how is that even an endearment?
lets rate peach on the endearment scale:

sweetheart— referencing the organ to which we attribute love and sweet... which is sweet... used mostly in romantic situations.... or might easily be induced by a loving hand from a stranger... usually used by classy middle-aged women. "you are such a sweetheart... thank you so much... what is your shoe size?"

honey— a sweet gooey substance that makes all recipes better and is usually the healthier option... and catches more flies... usually only used in marriages... and apparently in old lady to young female service representative-type relationships as well.... oh- and basically any woman in the south...

"the best"— "hey thanks, you are just "the best". really? am i? ok. then why am i still single and living in provo and getting paid not enough to help people that stress me out like you?

baby—not my favorite. but i guess a kind thought: "you are the one i like to coddle and play with, but you poo in your pants... and make me take care of it..." maybe not the choice- at least not from a stranger...

doll— by itself, it reminds me of the creepy doll my mom still keeps on the top shelf of her closet... one eye missing and wearing a pinkish corduroy shirt so she looks like the new model of the "one night stand skank". if used in a phrase such as "you are a doll and a sweetheart" (which usually comes in a chain smoker NY accent) than just hang up. they don't mean what you think they do...

peach— in the rare occasion that you might be "ripe", you could also be sweet... on the inside...but otherwise you are all fuzzy on the outside. oh and we can only eat you after we have successfully matted down that fur to look like a wet dog.

eww. a simple thank you would do.

hope graduation for you and your godson was a hoot.

who taught me to

...choose with no regret....

or to reach for the gold ring

who made me fall in love with writing

and reach for my dreams

who taught me how to appropriately cook my starbursts

and to appreciate all things vintage
(and even supplied me with the most perfect vintage dress for a formal!)

Jeremy Lindblom- and the dress of awesomeness- wish you could see the back!

who let me into her family

Jake and i with Craig the day he returned from his mission. Me=ecstatic.

and with whom did i share a common obsession of caffeine

who taught me to see myself as who i could be...

when i had to write about going to college and becoming a teacher in your class,
i guess i never really thought i would get there...

and taught me to be about the journey...

Craig Marie Smith: i aspire to write, to love, to live, to share, to be, to teach, and to become...

...because of what i gained from you

love, Megoryan Marie Smith (Meg Ryan)

Mesa High will miss you.
When my mom asked me what you were going to do now I said, "Chello! She is going to go shopping and buy all the cool stuff she ever wanted and turn it into other cool things and then maybe sell it, or maybe just keep it... or maybe she will hang out with her awesome husband or a-freakin-dorable daughter... i don't know! Duh..."

as a side note/post script: i just saw "The Miracle Worker" (about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller). It was beautiful and by the end, my show-going buddy (Jared Cardon- duh, who else to see shows with?!) and i were in tears. it was a compelling performance (Stephanie Brinholt) and i reveled in the idea that this woman will forever be remembered by the retelling of her story. Helen- you were an inspiration and went on to do beyond incredible things, include perform in vaudeville, write 14 books, and be the first woman to get an honorary degree from Harvard...
but Annie- you were her teacher.
as sappy as that might sound,
i love it.

Did it!

we both did actually...

i refuse to lie. there were some tears shed and some
major sibling bonding time.

and after I got the most amazing gift...,
(thanks dad... gee I might be spoiled just a bit)
i put it to use immediately...

foto by meg

foto by meg

maybe if i hadn't
hacked my hair off
just days prior to gradumation,
then i would look as hot in my cap as as this chick.

(a moment to view the 8in shorter-haired me... and no- I am not counting that 3lb weight loss...)

(this last week, rob took me to this awesome frozen yogurty place... num. This is to see the hair though- needed it.)

back to fun pictures...

foto by meg

foto by meg

foto by meg

stay tuned for more... (i did post a few on my foto blog though...)

oh- and today marks the day I am starting my healthy track...
which means i may have some ddp withdrawal headaches soon...
stay tuned on that too. cause i know you'll all want to know- i will update the weight loss each week. barf.

don't you worry- my brand new freaking cute swimsuit
from shade® is hanging on my wall... just in case i forget...

still FREAKIN excited...

that's why.

oh, and because being with family is 

so much better than chillin in p-town.


and dear angie-
i am not being as healthy this week as i wish i could be.
i will try to blame it on rob's schedule... or lack of.
when family gets here this weekend i am graduating and eating steak. period.


oh- did i have a rockin voice lesson today with ROB's voice teacher?
yes.
did i get to lay-out and get some real Vitamin D?
yes.
am i halfway through a phenom book that i will tell you all about the second i am done?
yes.
am i getting more sleep than i will ever in a long time?
yes.
am i more glad today that families are forever?
uh, yeah.

almost paradise.... but not quite....

just keep swimming,
just keep swimming,

just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...
swiiiiiiming, swiiiiiiming...

i have only a few finals left and i am not so worried about them.
my body is a little sore from the gym-going and dancing (thanks donelle, my calves are still screaming) that i have done in the past few days, but hopefully it will be worth it
(weigh in is on Tuesday... I will post results-as if you cared).

it really is too bad that i complain about my body being sore when poor dad and rob are in pain for real things.
love you guys... hang in there

just keep swimming, just keep swimming...


which reminds me.... swimming sounds like fun these days...
and almost possible in the weather....
time for a new suit,
i think so.

side note: can it be next weekend
so my family can come play wif me?

my own spring break...

foto by
josh dalton










foto by
some other random asian










i needed a minute to breathe
and because of people who love me (namely this one)
i got one.

DC. was just what i needed: sleeping in, conference (which was great...), good movies, great food, good company... and not a whole lot of even remembering that i am in school... which is what a real spring break should be able to provide—true forgetfulness.

i got to play with josh's camera too, and came up with some fun things... i didn't know which to showcase on the blog for the 2 who care, so here is the link to see most of the pictures if you are interested to see em or comment...

i have to say- some of them look quite awesome. that is partially because that kid is so dang photogenic and partly because he has the nikon D80... the "man" camera... i think i am going to go with the nikon D40 (basically a "his and hers" set when together). that way when i get there we can go "shoot" together and swap lenses... in the clean way...

the people in the land of DC are fun and inviting and i had a great time meeting new people and letting josh show me around and quite frankly—spoil me. we watched a few movies: "stardust" and "freedom writers"— both good ones, although I will admit that freedom writers gave me a gut feeling that resembles complete terrified paranoia about teaching in a similar environment...
it's fine, really it's fine.... just fine.

no, but really—teaching in the city will be fine- i can do it.

bring it.

we also cooked, made an awesome bread pudding and homemade pizza one night, and then for the big game night, he whipped up some burgers and brats- so el yummo...

as for now, i have to write:
—Play reviews for two classes
—Classroom Mgt. Case study
—Disclosure doc- English
—Grammar examples and lessons (about 30)
—Rewrite the 8 pg crap paper for Monday
—Classroom Management handbook
—Grammar in context paper

...all by the last day of class which is tuesday!! and then i have a few finals left and then I get to graduate!!! (well...technically, cause then I have 4 classes I am taking this spring)

pray for me— this has the potential to murder me in the end. it might be better if i had time to sleep at all in the past 5 days or in the next three... but it doesn't look like that is going to happen...

...OH- and as a necessary side note: I sure love running into my old girl friends after they return form their missions. Namely Ali Bray and Lena Noble... it makes my day every time to see RMs ... especially if it is completely difficult to grasp the fact that they were not around for the past few years of my life because we can just fall back into being great friends... both meetings made me smile all day long!
AND, Lena will be here to play with all summer (sing) love it!

social suicide?

i guess i like it.

maybe it's good for me...

yeah- i should work this summer.

hi old boss, how do you feel about me
coming back to annoy you in the office?

and just like that- job back...

40 hours a week!!

and 6 credits (5 for fun)

hey meg, how's your summer looking?

talk to me in august!

i guess they can't not let me back... as i am free advertising...

Get-r-dun-er

foto by meg

I pulled no prank, but the rest of those I am working on quite diligently...I have no reason to be writing right now... well I guess I do, but not here. As you see, I have pages and pages of things to write and even more tertiary tasks I needn't really worry about but do, and none of them involve this here blog...but seeing as I am just waiting for my sleeping "medication" to kick in appropriately I am just biding time. I did go to my meeting today about my DC student teaching. I am going to be there on August 28th! I can't wait, roommate and I are stoked and ready. When we go this weekend, Josh and I are going to go visit my school and the place that I am going to live... I honestly can't wait- I think it will be so fun! Oh- and good thing I get to go right in the middle of the Cherry Blossom Festival!! Rock it.

Oh- and remember how I thought that it was really spring that one time because it was all sunny and yummy? Well it wasn't. It snowed and was retarded cold this weekend.... for no reason whatsoever. I wanted to yank my eyes out with hangers and make mother nature eat them... but now my friends, now I think it really is spring. Don't go away now, Spring, I am just getting to know you... Lil G (my lil green ipod) and I are just waiting to use you for all you are worth... so don't go anywhere just yet. I am ready for the sweaters to hide in my closet for another 4 months.

Dear Blog,

the show went great, and my wonderful family was so supportive to come. cute cousins were here to play with this weekend too—it was good to relax a bit and spend time with my people whom i love so much.

but now that the show is over, i have much to do.

i will report on this past weekend shortly, but first i have to:

• write the first 3 pages of my 10-page beast due on thursday,
• write up reviews of all of the collaborators of my show,
• write a poetry unit for english on thursday,
• write a disclosure document,
• prepare a classroom management handbook,
• read lengthy things and write up reports on them by wed and thurs, and friday,
• do my laundry...,
• pull a prank of some kind,
• get the much-requested bread pudding recipe,
• pack to go to DC this weekend!!

and then, blog, will i refill you will all of the joy and useless updates on my happy little existence that you may never want... or need.

keep it positive...

My brother says that sometimes blogs are a mis-representation of how our lives are because we only dwell on the positive things. i am sometimes a negative person, but it is just hard to be this week!

i guess i am just grateful at the moment— maybe its because of:

Easter
green + pink= awesome














sugar cookies/experimenting with baking goods
matching dresses on little girls
the Savior
the atonement
music
inspiring words
bishops
crepes (pink & green)
cute roommates
sam's club
pita chips
wedges of cheese
moms
hulu.com
lil singing asians
singing americans
shows about pee...;)
great friends
blessings
prayer
the sun

the sun, i have decided, is like a big brother. a big, older brother. like the ones that know you are 7 and ask, "how old are you?" i am 7, "oh, well you have to be 8 to play..." that kind of brother.

after a few months of dark and cold and snowy ickyness that is everything that AZ isn't, the sun decides to pay a visit. usually he only stays a while as a teaser... then it snows a bit more like he's laughing at the little toy carrot he just dangled... and then after his mother makes him because of the official season change, he just stays.

in utah, i am never happier than when that day finally comes. i can distinctly remember the day last year that i felt like i could lay out on the grass in my flowy white skirt and just take in the vitamin D and listen to "Then I did" (Rascal Flatts) on my green ipod. this year i think that day was yesterday. i was listening to something peaceful like "Magic" by Colbie Caillat maybe and feeling the afternoon cook me at an almost unnoticeable rate. i thought about easter and how the sun eventually comes back out and touches everything. happy things.

speaking of happy things:


this thursday is Urinetown. a show i directed... yeah, its kind of a big deal. did i just recast my narrator a week ago? yes. am i stressed? no. are the parentals and brothers coming because they rock? uh, yeah. and rock, it shall.

your mini grammar lesson for the day....

this morning i awoke an had the glorious realization that i could do nothing today if i wanted to. why? well- cause it is "president's day". now i want you to notice something about this title:

president's day

hmm... so we only care about the one president then...? are we all supposed to send Bush flowers or something on this government subsidized day off for the country? shouldn't it be:

presidents' day
—for ALL presidents ever?

And if it was really for G-Wash... then just say: "today is washington's b-day..."
(i guess wikipedia says it is both...maybe my calender should be on board...) whatever. i still appreciate the day to sit and think how great my life is.

speaking of presidents, i get to be all up in that biz this fall, as it is official: i will be teaching in DC!! at this school:

Duke Ellington—performing arts high school

bring it on east coast- i am ready for your rad schools and political season...

oh and for those who don't know: in 2004 i "walked" with my brother here:

Mac (27)
we were right next to each other in line and even decorated our hats with "m's" on them. awesome.

and this april i get to do it again, with this brother here:

Jake (25)

again—cause we are in the same college, we get to walk together too...

sure love that.
april 2008—double grad party anyone?

admittedly, i will miss the time spent with my brothers in college—the lunch dates and shared projects and friends and classes has made up for all of those years they would lock me out of their rooms to do "boy stuff". good to know that they found a use for me along the way, huh?