Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Wonderful Wednesday

Today was not too shabby. Here's why:

-I'm almost done editing the videos from last week's work convention. Lemme tell you, 6 days of hearing the same diatribes about policy, the mess that is California and the gubernatorial race non-stop is enough to make a girl crazy. Luckily, editing is still fun and challenging, so at least the work's interesting.

-I'm re-reading a favorite book of mine on how to be more like Southern Women. I always crave iced tea and a sweet-as-honey drawl when I read it.

-It's my movie night tonight, meaning I get to pick the flick and guess what? It will not be one of the following: IronMan, Spiderman, Batman...any of the "man's" really, StarWars or StarTrek nor will it be any part of any trilogy (I'm looking at you Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones and the Matrix)



And finally....and here's the really cool news:

I was contacted by a previous employer to do some freelance work for a lovely sum. I gladly accepted and am hoping it's just the start I need to bust into the magazine industry. Stepping stones, people. Stepping stones!



Now, the Dirty dozen:



1. Would you rather host party or simply attend a party?

Hosting would be more fun if I lived in a house. I would love to throw dinner parties, Barbeques and maybe a fun movie night but living in an apartment makes hosting a hassle of finding free parking spots and not enough kitchen/living space.

On the other hand, I do love a good party, are you hosting??

2. Tell us about the most memorable party you've been to.
Too many...my mom was always great at making sure our birthdays were memorable, from the cake, to the party games to the song she would sing us to sleep. But quite possibly the best party I've ever attended, was my wedding. The family was all together celebrating and supporting the huge step Danny and I were taking and the party lasted well into the evening. It was a blast and I have the pictures to prove it.


3. What is one thing you hope for in the after-life?

To see everyone I love in their happiest, healthiest state. To laugh and love and eat and drink and reminisce on all the good times and never have to say good-bye.

4. What do you enjoy most about sunshine?

The warmth....as someone who is always cold, there's nothing better than letting the sun warm your face or your back.

5. When you attend a bridal/baby shower, do you prefer to bring your own gift or chip in with others to buy a larger gift?
Bring your own and like I always say "go big or go home" I'll host my first baby shower for Big Sister this fall and I've already started getting ideas.


6. Would you rather have a FREE week of having your house cleaned or all of your meals cooked for you and your family?
Uhm....the meals cooked, duh! "What should we have for dinner?" has been a daily question at my house for as long as I can remember. It would be heavenly if someone would have dinner made and ready for me when I walked through the door.


7. What song describes your mood today?
Mr. Bluesky by ELO...it's my current favorite good mood song

8. What is something you received for your own bridal shower/wedding that you still own or use? (If you are not married, feel free to sub a gift you received a long time ago.)
Most everything, pots and pans, hand towels, bath towels, silverware....it's only been 5 years....on second thought, maybe it's time to buy new stuff....
9. Your favorite flavor of ice cream is?

10. When was the last time you felt "tested?"
Job interviews always make me feel like there's a right answer, I just have to find it. They feel like a pop quiz that I forgot to study for.

11. "[Fill in the blank] is a food that once I start eating I find really hard to stop."
Goldfish, Gummy Bears, Carrots, Ice, M&M's...just about anything bite sized and convenient and yummy.

12. "-----" is the best motivation.
Fear of failure and disappointment. The worst punishment to receive as a child was to be told I had disappointed my mom and dad. The same goes for any superior in my adulthood, I strive to please and exceed expectations.

That's all for now.....tonight's feature: Definitely, Maybe

Sunday, May 23, 2010

About a boy...

Ten years ago, I met a boy.

He was kind and friendly to a girl at a new school and although we didn't talk much that first year, everyday I looked forward to a friendly smile from the red-headed, freckled boy at school.

We became acquaintances.

The following year, the boy and I were seated next to each other in English.

We talked movies, we talked T.V shows and I helped him with class assignments.

We became friends.

After a few months of book reports, group tests and note passing in class, the boy asked me out on a date.

I said yes.

That date turned into a kiss, which turned into a relationship, which turned into love.

Five years later, we were married.

Three cities, four apartments, nine jobs and two cats later that red-headed, freckled boy has turned into a man capable of taking care of a family.

Together we've weathered the highest of highs and the lowest of lows; rough patches that have brought us to our knees and joys that have had us laughing 'till we cried.

And through it all, if there is one thing I've always known I could count on, it's been a smile from that red-headed, freckled guy I call Husband.




Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Random Wednesday

1. Please share one memory of your high school graduation.
Our commencement speech was amazing and one my mother continues to quote to this day. The speech centered loosely around Dr. Suess' book 'Oh the places you'll go,' which is a traditional high school graduation gift in my family, and the importance of wearing comfortable shoes because you're going to walk a lot of miles in this life. Truer words have never been spoken.

2. What is one "Emergency Use" item you keep in your vehicle.
I have a warm blanket, anti-bacterial hand gel, a reflective sunvisor and umbrellas...oh, and a granola bar in the glove box (just as much for actual emergencies as it is for hungry, cranky husbands that need to eat)

3. In your region, do you celebrate graduation open houses? If so, how many open houses, bridal showers, weddings, graduations are on your upcoming events calendar?
For all of our graduations my mother held an open house and displayed our academic achievements for friends and family to fawn over. For my high school graduation I had racks upon racks of dance costumes, a heap of used pointe shoes and my dance photos. It was also my mother's brilliant idea to sew us each a quilt with pictures from childhood up to graduation coupled with quilt squares that relatives wrote encouraging/loving/congratulatory notes on. Mine is and will always be a treasured keepsake and memory of the love and support I have from my family.
This summer, surprisingly, I don't have any graduations, bridal showers or weddings to attend...guess my fun party dresses will have to keep each other company in the back of my closet....
4. Tell me one truth you believe about motherhood.
Being the best mom is a choice, and not necessarily the easiest choice to make day in day out. I remember my mom once said to me "I don't feel like being a mom today." That may sound like a horrible thing to say, but actually, it made me realize that the things my mom did/does for me and my sisters is not required of all mothers, it's a choice and some mothers may choose not to do them. My mom wakes up everyday and makes the choice to be a good mom, to do the things she may not want to do but does anyways because she loves her kids.

5. What was the last thing you broke.
I don't remember the last thing I broke, but I do remember the funniest thing I broke and how I broke it! Husband and I were having an argument about something (obviously not anything too important,right?) I was standing near our cluttered counter where there was a lint roller brush standing up on its end. I got so mad that mid-argument I grabbed the handle of the roller brush and BANG!-BANG!-BANG!- smashed it to smithereens against the counter. I imagine it replaying in slow motion, me hollering about whatever, hair gone amok, maybe some spittle flying out of my mouth and shards of plastic and tape flying about my head as Orff's O Fortuna plays in the background. (click the link, picture the situation and laugh 'til you cry....that's what I do!)

6. On average how many pieces of junk mail do you receive daily?
Usually 2-3, without a doubt a credit card offer, a couple of grocery ads and an insurance offer from Geico or the local State Farm branch. Luckily we have a trash can near the mailboxes so they never make it back to our house!

7. Do you like to shop by catalog?
I like to window shop by catalog and then check it out in person. I have a *difficult* (to put it nicely) body to shop for so trying things on to see how they fit/drape/lay is a necessary evil. I would love to be one of those types that can flip through a catalog, shop in a store or browse online and pick things up without a worry at how they'll fit.....sigh, it's just not in the cards for me and never has been.

8. Is lawn maintenance at your house a "his job," "her job," "his/her job" or a "that's why we have teenagers" job?
No yard! Things that are "his job" at our house is litter boxes, taking out the trash and dishes (apparently I don't load the dishwasher to his liking, fine by me!). The rest (laundry, cooking, cleaning) is up to me.

9. Which room would you like to redecorate in your home?
All of it! I'd love to be able to paint or buy decorative things like a mirror and knick-knacks, but I lack a single aesthetic to stick to... Ican see it in my head, I just don't know what to call it. Oh, that and I'd so much rather buy clothes and shoes than house stuff. Clothes and shoes I know, paint swatches and knick-knacks? It's all greek to me....

10. Do you read a newspaper regularly or do you read most of your news online?
Our office gets the Sacramento Bee daily, so I try to pick one up in the morning but for my hometown news and hyper-local coverage, I go online as they don't deliver out of their areas.

11. Do you believe everything happens for a reason?
How could you not?! I also believe that God never gives you more than you can handle, and on that note, some people can handle more than others. (A pearl of wisdom from good ol' Dad)

12. Are you worried about doing things right or doing the right things?
I feel like I have a pretty solid moral compass so doing the right thing has never been difficult for me to do. However, as a worrier and a bit of a perfectionist, doing things the right way, the first time has always been something I struggle with. I demand some pretty lofty expectations of myself and have been told to not get so caught up in the expectation that I lose sight of whats realistic... I'm a work in progress!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Because of you...


I am my mother's daughter.

There, I said it. For most daughters, this realization is tantamount to finding her first grey hair or...something else equally earth-shattering. It is enough to drive a girl off a balcony, because well, who wants to become their Mother?!

I, for one, have been hearing about how alike my mother and I are for years and have only recently not followed the comment one of my trademarked over the top eye rolls. Probably because it's true, I am just like my mother. How am I like my mother? Let me count the ways

Folding towels and washcloths:
When I was young and "the chosen one" to fold towels and washcloths for Mom, there was hell to pay if you didn't follow protocall for the folding and storing of clean towels and washcloths.

There was a correct and an incorrect way to folding and if you happened to fold the incorrect way you were rewarded with a Mommy Dearest-esque performance of throwing the towels and washcloths on the floor and a request to do it again, this time the correct way.

I always swore when I grew up I wouldn't care how in the hell the towels were folded. That is, until I got married and Husband tried to fold the load of clean linens. Without blinking or hesitation, I threw myself a little Mommy Dearest-esque performance of my own and proceeded to instruct Husband on the correct way to fold our washcloths and towels.

That was 5 years ago and Husband still refuses to fold towels and washcloths, not because he doesn't know how, but because I always redo them in accordance to Mom's standards.


Note the clean lines, the precision folds all pointing in the right direction for easy plucking from the linen closet. This, my friends, is how towels and washcloths are folded.

Love of books and reading:
My favorite place in the world to be? Libraries or book stores. I never feel guilty about spending money on books. I have 4 bookshelves in a 2 bedroom apartment stuffed to capacity with books. Like my mother, I have a stack of books by my nightstand all of which I am in the process of reading. I love the smell of books, the feel of the pages between my fingers and the comforting heft of holding a book in my hands. My mom and I have both agreed, Kindles are not for us, nothing can replace holding a book in your hand.



PINK!
I remember asking my mom what her favorite color was when I was little, the answer then, and the answer now remains the same.

Fuschia or Magenta, depending on the box of crayons (that's also where I get my love of coloring, even as an adult)

Not just any shade of pink for my mom, but bright, vibrant, smile-when-you-look at it Magenta. And for those of you who know me at all, I love anything pink magenta.

The list goes on and on, but the older I get, the more I notice, and the prouder I am to be turning into my mother.

After all, who wouldn't want to turn into this?



Love you Mom!





Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Random Dozen!

Keeping it simple today...Enjoy!

1. What was the last thing about which you procrastinated?
Laundry, and I'm paying for it now....Hello 2 and 3 loads of whites, darks and towels. :( Before that it was de-cluttering the kitchen counter and kitchen table. Why is it that those are the two spots in my house that are CONSTANTLY covered in crap?

2. How long does it take you to fall asleep and do you sleep through the night?
Depends on how tired I am and how tired Husband is. I am unfairly sensitive to noise and require absolute silence to sleep (but only if I'm in my own bed... anywhere else and I can sleep through anything. College lectures, Airports and the San Jose light rail) If we get in bed and Husband is immediately snoring, it can take me upwards of 20 minutes or a swift kick to Husband's shin in order to drift off. Once asleep though, I'm down for the count and can stay that way for up to 10 hours. I love to sleep.

3. Which decade would you choose to exemplify your favorite fashion styles?
Oooh! I've always said I was born in the wrong decade and if I could choose it would have to be the 40's or the 50's when people still dressed up for simple things like going to the grocery store, going to dinner and Sunday drives. That and people had full blown outfits, hats that went with scarves that went with gloves that went with shoes that went with skirts etc...

4. What is your personal best dish to feed a crowd?
Goulash, from my days as a kid. Think Mac and Cheese with spaghetti sauce and ground hamburger. Soo not glamorous, so not appropriate for a dinner party but comfort food 100%.

5. Are you an impulse shopper? What was the last thing you bought on impulse?
I'm a serendipitous shopper. I have a list I keep in my head of things I want/need/have been looking for that, at one time included items like an anniversary ring, a butter dish, ottoman tray and a denim skirt, all of which were stumbled upon (or in the case of the butter dish, given to me as a gift) when I was shopping for something else. If it is aligned with my needs and is at the right price it doesn't matter what I was originally shopping for, I'll likely buy it.

6. What's one wish you have for your funeral?
The only wish I've ever really had is for the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to be played and for there to be lots of happy pictures of me and great stories being told in my memory.

7. If it's true that joy is found in the simple things in life, what does your joy look like today?
Riding home from the grocery store with brie cheese and french bread tucked in my bike basket (I felt so European!), the sound my shoes make walking across my building's lobby ( I feel so grown up!) and sitting on the balcony reading while the sun goes down.

8. What is your favorite type of bread?
French Bread! My favorite quote in the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood where Vivi describes tasting a good nap like a fresh BLT sandwich on hot french bread. That quote always makes me hungry for a BLT and a long nap.

9. What trait do you fear developing the most?
Apathy. My dad used to call me switch because I could change my emotions to the extremes with the flip of a switch. The name never bothered me, but I was never more proud of the nickname than when Husband said that what he loved most about me was how important everything was to me, even the smallest of things. I've always felt that it's not just the big things in life that deserve passion or energy, often times, the little things are just as important and what people remember most.

10. What trait would you most like to develop?
Patience. I can be awfully impatient at times and it usually causes a case of the cranks and a side of worries. I must learn that not everything happens on Megan-time.

11. Whcih room in your house best reflects your personality? Why?
My bedroom, neat and tidy at first glance, but open the closet, look under the bed or open the dresser drawers and there's clutter. Outwardly I may seem like I have it all together and can play the part pretty well, but underneath there is clutter of worries and insecurities.

12. How do you maintain balance in your life regarding work, family, church, other organizations and activities and blogging?
I leave work at work and home at home. And now that I'm not bogged down by words and phrases at work, I make time to blog, and exercise and relax.

And with that, I'm off to unwind with a movie before bed.


Monday, May 3, 2010

I love it when we're cruisin' together...

Cheesy name for a post, I know, but it was either that or the fortune from tonight's fortune cookie (yum, Chinese for dinner!) which also happens to apply to my life right now. Everyone has always said "You'll know you've found the right fit when it's fun."

I'd better clarify that statement or this post could go south real fast, but I digress, what I'm talking about is excercise.

In high school excercise came in the form of dance. 4 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Modern. You name it, I danced it. After high school, like most adults, I struggled to maintain my svelte, trim figure despite dorm food, college classes, late night study sessions and the stress of working two jobs and being married.

How do you know someone's in love? They gain 15 pounds and they're still happy.

Thus began the year in, year out, monthly new work out regime.
"I will go to the gym everyday and run on the treadmill" - except I always felt like there was no point because I wasn't going anywhere. Ironic? I think not.

"I'll get a personal trainer" (Courtesy of a co-worker whose wife offered a nice discount)- except I felt like she wasn't working me as hard as she could have.

"I'll do the couch to 5k program"- except we started in the fall, and it got too cold, and too rainy to continue. Oh, that and I HATE running.

"I'll look for an adult dance class"- except thanks to DWTS all I could find was ballroom dance, Zumba (wtf?) or aerobic pole dancing (don't get me started..)



That's when I remembered this little beauty rusting and fading in the sun on my back patio:
Add a cute white basket, and you've got my newest hobby!
Husband also has a new ride and together we head out for 3,4, and 6-mile rides around lakes, parks and just around the neighborhood. It's fun, I'm going places and the best part is, I feel strong. Since, as you'll notice, my bike doesn't have gears, that means any hills I go up and over are 100% me powered.

So, share, what do you do to exercise that's also *fun*?

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Blog?! What Blog??

Yeah, yeah....I haven't blogged in more than a year. Let's just forget about that little fact as there are no words to excuse the absence, mmkay?

Update time!
My life in one sentence? New apartment, new job, newfound desire to blog as said new job doesn't include writing. That and the fact that I've been reading several other blogs and wanting to have a similar outlet to rant, rave and generally remember life as a twenty-something.
Now, to ease back into things how 'bout a quick "What I love about Spring" post?

-Strawberries!
On sale at Safeway 2/$5 this week. Purchased? Thursday, with the intention of topping vanilla ice cream with Strawberry halves and enjoying fresh fruit in my lunches. And today? Gone! I ate one carton by myself on Friday afternoon and this evening the husband and I shared the other. And by shared I mean I ate 'til I was sick and gave Husband the rest. Now I have a quart of vanilla ice cream in the freezer with no Strawberries to enjoy it with. Oh well!
-Warm, not hot, days. Cool, breezy evenings
Is there nothing else quite like sleeping with the windows open, screen doors open during the day and driving around town with the windows rolled down?

- Sunglasses, Sandals and Sundresses
Despite me not liking the hot, humid days of summer, I have more than my fair share of the three S-es.

How cute is this one? I love the sweet bow and can totally see myself wearing this with a big pair of sunglasses and a cute tote.

- The floral spring scent in the air
From lilacs and roses blooming at the apartment complex, to the jasmine bushes en route to work and the orange tree blossoms that surround the capitol, I have constant sweet-smelling reminders to slow down and take a deep breath.

-Grilling on the patio
Does dinner get any easier? I defrost the meat du'jour and marinate, if necessary, and then sit on the patio with a margarita while Husband does what he does best; gas up, light and flip.

Happy May day everyone! What do you love most about spring?