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?


Saturday, January 10, 2009

New Year's Resolutions

We're not even going to begin to discuss where I've been for the last two months. Suffice it to say work has kept me super-busy....so! 

Let's talk New Year's resolutions, shall we?

Instead of just making a list of things I want to complete this year and then becoming completely overwhelmed by 'the list,' I'm taking baby steps!  I chose one thing to work on for each month of 2009. 

Here's the next 6 mos:
January- Start exercising regularly
February- Drink only one soda a day
March-  Clean out my closet and organize my life 
April- Eat breakfast regularly
May- Eat healthier
June- Start planning a trip to New York

I'll try to keep you posted on how it goes. 

I'm off to a good start on January's resolution, working out with a personal trainer two days a week. I also have access to the gym during the week so I'm sure I'll take advantage of that too. I started last week and have been sore since Tuesday. It's a good sore though, because I know it will only be a few weeks before I start seeing results!

A girl at work shared her NY resolution with me and although it sounds silly, it really is something many people (i.e girls) tend to forget about. Lips. She's decided to start paying more attention to her lips when it comes to her usual make-up routine. I know exactly what this is all about, I will do my eyes with so much precision as with the rest of my face and then a few hours later look in the mirror and wonder why I look like death. Well, when all you wear is chap-stick and not regularly at that, it's no wonder my lips are constantly flaky and pale. So to add to the rest of my 12 resolutions, I'm going to try to start wearing more gloss, color or balm. Whatever it takes! 

So...What are your resolutions??
-Meg

Monday, November 3, 2008

The Last Month in a Nutshell

Oh there is no possible excuse for the way I have abandoned my blog for stupid and painfully long, meaningless Myspace surveys. The last month has been so outrageously busy that my life has practically done a 180 including new jobs(!), new loves, and new endeavors.

First thing's first, four days after my last post I was offered a full time job at one of the newspapers I had been freelancing for. I started on September 29 and it has been a whirlwind ever since, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have gotten to write about both the redundant, the exciting and everything in between. Some of which have led to amazing experiences that I would not otherwise have been allowed (see new endeavors).

In celebration of my first 'Big Girl' job, I was allowed to use part of my first two paychecks on my this little beauty. Hello Lover!


I love it and it's quite possibly the absolute LAST time I will spend that much $$ on myself. But it's pretty...

On to the new endeavors, one of my first stories for the newspaper was on a woodshop program at a local middle school that builds electric guitars as part of their curriculum. As a thank you for writing the story, the teacher asked me to come in on weekends and build my own guitar. For the last three weeks, I have been drilling, sawing, routing and sanding my very own Les Paul electric guitar with my dad (it's his Christmas present). I'll post pictures as soon as their uploaded,  but next weekend we start the painting process. Check out www.woodshoprocks.com to see more on what I'm doing. 

Sorry this isn't more of an exciting post, I promise to do better in the future....hopefully

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Old Habits Die Hard

Yes I admit, I have been painfully remiss in my blogging as of late. 
In my defense, I have been freelancing for peanuts and making killer sales at the Crew in the meantime. See? Not completely lazy with my time!

I have also gotten a head start on my christmas shopping. How many people can say that? Yes, at the rate I'm going I should be done with Christmas gifts with plenty of time to hide them, lose them, have to buy new ones, and find them again in time for next Christmas. Do I know me or do I know me?!?

I, of perfume addicts anonymous, recently discovered a bargain version of my latest olfactory delight, Flowerbomb by Victor & Rolf. Anyone who hasn't had a whiff of this creamy floral needs to run to their nearest Nordstrom and partake in my love for this delicious albeit incredibly expensive fragrance. Must. Own.

D. are you taking notes?? This is on my christmas list and not the first time I've mentioned it....

Anywho, a customer I was helping at the Crew
 smelled absolutely fan-freaking-tastic and, being the top notch perfume detector that I am, guessed that she was wearing F.B. Imagine my shock when she said no, that it was Bath and Body Works' latest fall scent Black Amethyst. 
Will I accept this as a short-term substitute for my beloved F.B until Christmas? Sure. It smells similar enough although its top note is a bit muted in comparison to F.B and knowing B&BW other fragrances, will probably wear off by the end of the day unless layered with lotion. Oh, well. Any other F.B lovers, go check it out, and maybe save your bank account the $95 heft of F.B.

-Meg

*Happy Birthday Brother-In-Law P.W!*