Life thus far

Ok, so it has been a while since I've written anything about actual life...

I moved at the beginning of this semester to a complex 2 blocks away from my old one (so of course I'm in a new stake). I have 3 roommates, Kadi, Leah, and Nicole, and they are wonderful.
(Ok, so this is my friend Victoria, who had her roommates trace her on a piece of paper for my 3rd roommate, because there is an empty spot in our apartment...and we named her Nicole. She is currently laying on my bed.) When I made the decision to move, I didn't really know why I did it but I felt like there were more people I needed to meet and learn things from before my mission or whatever comes next in life, and I definitely have already met some amazing people. And the other wonderful thing about my new place is that for the first time in a very long time, I jumped straight into things; confident, happy, and myself, and people are responding really well to it. I'm loving life...for the most part. :)

I love the progression in these pictures. Basically, we didn't know it was taking 4 in a row...so 1) funny face, 2) amused with ourselves that we pulled a funny face, 3) confused that it is still taking pictures, 4) OH! it's taking 4 pictures! :)

I went to the dentist yesterday to get a check-up for my mission and who knew it would be so much more than that? After 20 blissful years of no cavities (or any dental work, for that matter), my new friend Dr. Harding found 2 cavities! Grrr....I blame the bad water I brushed my teeth with in China. So today I went in to get the cavities filled. Needless to say, I had an incredibly numb left side of my face for about 5 hours...no joke. My speech was all slurred and I felt like I was pulling the dopiest smile you've ever seen, but my friends assured me I looked fine so...I don't know how much I believe them. :) luckily the numbness went away before my date this evening. Oh, and for other dentist news: I was told several years ago by a dentist that my wisdom teeth would not cause me any problems...then today Dr. Harding told me that I need to get all 4 of them out before my mission, and 2 of them are compacted. Yay for oral surgeons.

Basically, this all comes down to...if you have any tips for being able to handle getting your wisdom teeth out, they would be greatly appreciated. :)

And one day, I was walking around campus, and was greeted by this in the quad...and someone had made stairs in the back of it so you could climb it. We called it the Rameumptom. By the way, while I was up there yelling around like this, an unusual number of people I knew just happened to go walking by...coincidence? I think not.

Procedure for When I Pass Out

I put this together as a bit of a fun little project, and to calm my new roommates who are freaking out at the thought of having to help me if something happens. I tried to make it lighthearted and fun, but still very informational so that whoever is helping me will remain calm. :) And I will probably have to give this, or something similar, to my mission companions. :)

Oh, and by the way, the doctor has given me the 100% thumbs up to go on a mission!!! He said he will sign my papers but he doesn't need to see me for any more appointments until right before I go into the MTC this summer just to make sure I have enough medication for my mission! Woohoo! My biggest worry of the semester is now no longer worrisome. :) Also, he said the only limit on my mission call will be that I will have to serve in a 1st world country but I am ok with that. :) I will keep you all posted...

Info for the EMT’s:

• Full Name: Meagan...
• Birthday: April 30...age...
• Past diagnosis: Neurocardiogenic syncope
• Current medication: Fludrocortisone, 0.1mg tablets, 2 tablets daily
• Has this happened before? Yes, often

• Causes: Heat, altitude, physical exertion, standing for long periods of time, not enough salt, not enough food, not enough water, stress

Don’t freak out! It is usually not necessary to even call the EMT’s. Just follow this procedure and you and I will both be fine. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this or it is stressing you out or I am doing something you think is out of the ordinary, skip now to step 7. ☺

1. Get me in a laying down position.

• Note: Many times I can hear you but I can’t respond, so talk to me. It helps me recover quicker, especially if you say things that will make me laugh or make me angry ☺
• Anger raises my blood pressure, which is good…*hint hint*… ☺
• Also, while people are running around getting things for me/freaking out, make sure at least one person is staying with me and doesn’t take their eyes off me (I have been known to stop breathing for only a couple seconds but that can be prevented by someone keeping an eye on me).

2. Do anything you need to in order to keep my eyes open…shake me, slap me, do whatever but keep me at least looking around.

3. If I look overheated, put cool paper towels or something like that on my forehead. It may be wise to take off my sweatshirt if I have one on and/or my shoes.

4. Hold my hands and maybe massage them. It’s comforting to me and also keeps my blood flowing in my extremities, which is good.

5. Give me water/Powerade and something salty (chips, crackers, pretzels, etc). Chocolate also works if you don’t have crackers.

• If I seem like I’m not really alert enough to eat or drink, give it to me anyway
• Also, if you call the EMT’s, they will tell you to not give me anything to eat or drink…do it anyway, trust me. ☺

6. Once I start looking somewhat alert in my face, I may be really confused and ask you what’s going on. Just go with it and keep feeding me and making me drink. Oh, and I’ve been known to glare at the people helping me, deny that I just passed out, and/or try to get up to go for a walk. Don’t let me go for a walk. This may cause me to glare even more at you but that is a good sign. Glares from me are good signs; it means you’re doing the right thing and I’m getting better. I usually start glaring once I kind of realize what is going on because I am really frustrated at the situation, not you.

7. There are several people you can call other than the EMT’s who have been with me on multiple occasions passing out. They can help calm you and tell you if I am doing something out of the ordinary that requires other attention.

• Amy Dyer (friend, certified EMT) –(phone numbers are here on the actual thing...)
  
• Breanne Jensen (friend, nurse) –
• Holly Kovach (friend, certified EMT) –
• Kristen Bleak (friend, nurse) –

If after all this I am still not showing signs of improvement, then you have my permission to call the BYU EMT’s (801) 422-2222.
They know me. ☺

Oh, and no matter how much I glare at you, please know that I am so grateful to you for helping me out and/or getting me the help I need. THANK YOU!!!!!

My break in pictures

I love Christmas time! Here's a bit of the last 2 weeks of my life in pictures because sometimes words just can't describe...though I'll try. :)

Here is my brother, Chris, and his daughter, Tori, with their crowns on from their Christmas crackers.


The day after Christmas, I went to visit my friend, Holly, in Denver for the weekend...
...and while I was there, we surprised our friend Amy and her new husband Trent at their wedding reception!

When I got back, my friend Karen and her family arrived from Bakersfield to visit me for a couple days! This may sound strange, but Karen was my 12th grade English teacher. We have just developed a really close friendship since then and still keep in touch. We took her son sledding in the morning......and we went to Temple Square in the evening to see the lights.
To welcome in 2009, I spent the evening with my best friends Jackie, Scott, and Matt......and we got a little tired.