crossing things off the list.

there are 13 days before my 26th birthday, so i thought it'd be fitting to cross yet ANOTHER thing off the good ole 30 things to do before i'm 30 list.

this past weekend i went to the blue ridge parkway to see the leaves with my college roomie.  i'm crossing number 12 off my list quicker than you can say really meg, another list?  she, like most humans growing up within driving distance of the parkway, had already done that.  however, i choose very gracious roomies.  we drove to her little town to stay the night on friday, and without really meaning to, met a few interesting locals. local townies are like nothing i've ever experienced.  not in a bad way, just in a "please stop skateboarding at me while i'm trying to walk downtown" way.

anyways, back to the adventure (but trust me, those skateboarders are on my list).  of course we saw the leaves, and trust me, they were all they were supposed to be, but we also went to an alpaca farm, stopped at a crafty tourist stop (really just for the bathroom), and walked a MILE HIGH IN THE AIR at grandfather mountain!

now our adventures weren't without some hyperventilating, but besides the brief "meg i'm not doing this!" freak out from b after i'd already started across the mile high bridge, everything went off without a hitch.  and goodness gracious it was breathtaking.  it was everything i needed to stop my stressed brain and appreciate the place that i live and the life that i have.

i'm blessed with kind friends, a nonstop fun job, and the best family.  and the cutest puppy around, let's just put it out there.  while i still have quite a few things on my 30 things list, it's nice to stop and remember that even if i'm getting grandma age, i've got more than enough to be thankful for.

updated list:
1.  visit a castle ... preferably in england or ireland, but i'd be willing to consider alternatives.
2.  SKYDIVE.
3.  camp out under the stars -- very different than the 'camping' that my family usually does in the hilton. **this one was ALMOST completed accidentally, but i slept in a tent instead. next time!
4.  swim with dolphins (in a controlled atmosphere, not because a boat sank and i was stranded in the ocean).
5.  go to a pumpkin patch and pick the perfect pumpkin.
6.  attend new york city's thanksgiving day parade OR new year's eve celebration -- i'm not delusional enough to think both are possible before i'm 30 ... just delusional enough to hope for one.
7.  get a dog and name him doodle her macy.  **completed 11/2011

8.  learn to cook something other than pasta that sticks together.  and have photographic proof of this accomplishment.

9.  find a shark's tooth all on my own ... not because i stole it from one my sister or mom found.
10.  read the bible.  and understand it.  and not the kiddie version that i read when i was seven.
11.  adopt a child for christmas.
12.  see the blue ridge parkway leaves during the fall.  **completed 10/2012
13.  FINALLY go out west.  i'm leaving that as unspecific as possible since every other westward plan has failed.
14.  actually get up in the early hours of the morning and experience the chaos that is the day after thanksgiving sales.  **completed 11/2011
15.  cruise to ... anywhere, really.  just go on a cruise.
16.  ride in a hot air balloon (and don't throw up).
17.  snorkel...or scuba dive, but let's start small with snorkeling. 
18.  fold 1000 paper cranes and make a worthwhile wish.
19.  go white water rafting without wetting my pants.
20.  travel by train.  not necessarily hogwarts style, but similar.
21.  learn to parallel park.  so so scary.
22.  get a massage. and enjoy it. because it IS possible to relax, right?
23.  watch all 7 (kind of 8 thanks to the two part finale) harry potter movies in a row ... spreading over multiple days if necessary.
24.  join a church.  not just attend one.  but join one like an adult.
25.  learn how to build and start a fire, all on my own. 
26.  hike in the blue ridge mountains.  or any mountains, but i prefer the blue ridge.
27.  learn more than just the harry potter theme song on my guitar.
28.  experience a true sunrise.  maybe on the beach.
29.  become a vegetarian for a month.  and people, there has to be a limit on this because of my extreme aversion to vegetables.  it's just something i want to try.
30.  kiss in the rain. 

blown away.

it's official: i'm an occasional blogger at best, a sporadic blogger at worst.  however, over the past month (specifically the past week) i have been blown away by the kindness and generosity all around me and i absolutely have to share it with you.

i'm not ashamed to admit that at times (or many times) with my new job i've felt overwhelmed.  i'm a little baby teacher and i often lack the confidence needed to execute everything i want to execute.  it's been quite a test of patience to develop long term goals -- i'm such an instant gratification type person that i've really had to take a step back and pace my tasks.

this past week was my FIRST BOOK FAIR EVER (besides the last one i went to when i was 10 years old) and i SURVIVED.  there were 100000 things i could've done better, but there were at least a couple things that i did right.  i'm calling it a success, even if my financial form isn't filled out just yet.  it was one of those mental successes.  i had to get through it to know that i could get through it.

and speaking of getting through it, i could never in a million years have survived without the generosity of my volunteers (and my dad who was manipulated into spending TWO ENTIRE DAYS with me at my book fair).  these are some of the most selfless people i have ever met and i am truly blown away by their kindness.  they gave up hours upon hours to sit at cash registers, straighten books, or offer a warm smile.  there were also so many teachers (who are BEYOND busy with their own things) that stopped by to lend a hand during planning periods, pass along words of encouragement, or just remind me to breathe (or share a halloween cookie with me).  you can't find those types of people these days.

and besides that, my precious college roommate, who happened to get married this past weekend, took the time out of her week-before-the-wedding-crazy-time to send me words of encouragement about the book fair.  (and side note: the wedding was amazing, no one tripped down the aisle, AND i got to spin around in circles in a field during photographs ... my kind of party!)

so what have i learned the past week (and month)?  there's good all around me.  good moments, good learning experiences, and most importantly, good people.  i'm a blessed baby teacher.

public school rocks.

by no means is this actually going to be some kind of detailed and intelligent post on how i came from almost a completely public education and i'm doing alright (except that sometimes i can't boil eggs and i occasionally forget to feed my dog).

however, i've started a brand-spanking-new public school job and the kiddies come in one week and i'm stoked.  like really stoked.  because the way i see it, i have 9-10ish months to convince each of the kiddies i meet that they are rockstars.  they are rockstar readers, learners, researchers, athletes, siblings, spellers, attendance-takers, noise monitors, etc.  whatever it is they want to do, they can beast it.

and because my blog serves as some self-expression-time-capsule-place-where-i-can-hopefully-find-things-later, i'm posting john green's video about public schools starting up again.  amazing.

playing catch up ... and the OLYMPICS!

okay, so there's no point to beat around the bush: i've been absent.  i didn't even think about posting anything in july, despite a few post-worthy moments (ie: 4th of july dog outfits).  however, for the last week i have a really good excuse.

THE OLYMPICS!

i'm completely obsessed with the olympics.  i've always loved them, but i realized during the last winter olympics that i can't get enough of these international competitions.  the butterflies i was having and the tears i was shedding were evidence enough for me: i'm a goner.

this year i've successfully developed what i like to call my olympics eye bags, but i know they'll be gone in another week or so.  it'll be worth it since i'll have 2 years to put concealer on my eye baggies before the next winter games.

anyways, as a hardcore phelps fan (bong or not), i was extremely excited about seeing his beautifully awkward self again.  if you want an update on how he did, feel free to google him. or pick up the paper. or turn on the radio/tv/internet.  he's everywhere.

but whenever i got a glimpse of precious mikey, there was this annoying little gnat hanging around.  it was like that third-wheel kid sister who keeps saying "look at me, look at me!" in that obnoxious whine (i know because i'm still that sister).  and that gnat is named lochte.

now don't get me wrong.  i'm sure he has a beautiful soul (shout out to jesse mccartney!) and spends his free time packaging materials for operation christmas child.  and i, by no means, am one to point fingers considering i myself felt super awesome for donating ONE DOLLAR to some group outside of walmart today.  i'm no mother theresa, after all.

but my goodness ... every time he was interviewed all i heard was "wahhhhh pay attention to me! i have green shoes! no one knows how good i am but i trained harder than michael!"  i'm sure he said other things, but it's like the translation was messed up.

don't get me wrong.  he's a beautiful man (rather stunning to look at if we're being honest) and he's a beyond talented swimmer.

and phelpsy-poo?  he's no saint either.  but i only have room in my life for one swimmer tool.  and my heart belongs to mikey.

for 10 reasons that perfectly sum up how i was feeling, check out this hysterical article:  10 reasons why ryan lochte is america's sexiest douchebag.

summer update

HOW IS IT ALREADY JUNE 24th??  i mean, seriously.  where has the summer gone?

i know it's not exactly normal to start off a post in an all-caps-yelling-style, but for realz.  i feel like it was just the spring and my nose was constantly red and dripping.  now instead of my nose being red and dripping, my cheeks are red from the blasted heat and my body is dripping from sweat at all hours.  cute, right?

welcome to north carolina, where comfortable body temperatures come to die.

however, this summer has already been a summer of firsts for a few things in the life of megan and i want to share them with you.  for better or worse, here they are.

1.  the full-time job:  so i've had a full-time job since october, but this is the first summer that i've had one of these things.  working full days during the summer months has its tough moments, but when it's daylight outside until late AND i get that full-time paycheck in my account every two weeks, the tough moments have a way of not seeming so bad.

2.  no camp cheerio:  this is the first summer (minus the summer when i was 16 and i was on a mission trip ... regardless of what any of my friends may tell you) that i won't be going up to camp cheerio, even if for a brief visit.  i'm not sure how i feel about it i know exactly how i feel about it: it makes my heart hurt, but i make sure to live vicariously through the wonderful pictures posted on facebook.  thank god for social media.

3.  ballet class:  i took photography last summer and had quite a ball learning something new.  this summer i've enrolled in ballet!  while it's beginning ballet, it's actually quite advanced for someone that is as clumsy as i am.  however, every thursday i go and point my feet in unnatural ways and turn out my hips until i'm afraid they'll pop out leaving me disfigured.  and while i've been so sore (and confused) i've shed some tears, i do love it.  even if i don't get it.  and even if i fall over sometimes.  there's just something cool about learning something that some of my friends do so effortlessly, in addition to doing something that's graceful, elegant, and structured (three things i am not).  more power to those of you who beast the art of ballet.

4.  durham bulls:  if anyone were to ask, i would have told them i love the durham bulls baseball team.  however, it's a little known fact that until tonight, i hadn't actually ever gone to a game.  i love baseball so i knew i would love it, but this fact was finally confirmed tonight.  complete with reuniting with a few old camp friends, my introduction to the bulls was superb!


anyways, those were just four of my firsts.  i hope your summer has been a summer of wonderful firsts as well!  if not, don't worry. there are a quite a few so-humid-you-could-die days left in north carolina's extended summer.  go out and do something you've never done before.  you'll be glad you did.

the power of the four-way stop

every day on my way to work i go through the same four-way stop.  and every day i love it.

now let's get a few things straight.  no, i don't enjoy the actual drive to work.  in fact, i don't enjoy any drives.  i hate driving.  this girl was made to be driven, people.  also, my love for the four-way stop has nothing to do with obeying traffic laws.  anyone who knows me even a little knows that i've broken my fair share ... and then some.

so what is it about the four-way stop that makes my day?  it's what it represents.  it's how people (generally) behave.  it's how no matter how late i am, i chill the heck out and wait my turn.

and that, my friends, is how it should be.  wouldn't every day be better if we had four-way stops for us throughout the day?  those people that feel so entitled to belittle others could wait their self-righteous turns ... the awkwardness of the question 'when do i go?' would be fixed with a simple wave and a smile ... and we could all slow down once in a while because in the end we'd know that the extra 3 seconds of patience was worth it.

and of course, there's always that dip that cheats and goes even though you could have gotten out and cartwheeled before he even began to stop his car at the intersection.  life is full of four-way stop haters.  however, in my experience, the small amount of "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" that i feel when i encounter one of these dips is easily removed when i receive that encouraging smile and disappointed shake of a head from my fellow four-way stop rule followers.  that's right, dip.  we all saw you disrespect the sanctity that is the four-way.

so this summer, as life either gets insanely busy, begins to slow down, or stays pretty much the same depending on your profession, i challenge you to behave as though you were at a four-way stop.  chill out, smile, and heck, maybe even throw a wave or two.

time to get my pinterest on.

happy sunday afternoon, folks.  i hope it's been a good weekend for you all.  next weekend i'm heading to the beach with the fam to ring in the first of the wonderful red-white-and-blue holidays of the summer months: memorial day.  while the 4th of july remains my favorite holiday (naturally), i celebrate any excuse to deck out in some patriotic gear.

in order to catch as many rays as possible over the weekend, the 'rents are stopping by my apartment to pick up macy so that i don't have to double back once i'm already at work on the day we're leaving.  coming back to pick up the fluffy puppy would put me about an hour behind so they're really helping me save time (and gas!).  sweet of them, right?  right.  

HOWEVER, this means i had to do some major cleaning and organizing this weekend.  i was running beyond empty on friday, but after some much needed sleep, i was ready to tackle my mess.  by saturday evening, the layer of procrastination that was covering my furniture was gone, the bathrooms smelled like bleach once again, and the clutter was organized.  for the most part.

[side note: this organization does not include the second bedroom which i have dubbed as my extra closet. a girl needs a lot of closet space, okay?  and i need a solid week to make a dent in that room.  it can wait for now.]

anyways, one organizational headache that has been waiting since february is that of my jewelry.  i have the select pieces that i wear on a routine basis in accessible piles, but everything else was in a hot tangled mess.  after brainstorming what i could do (besides toss it all out), i decided it was time ... it was time to get my pinterest on.

and get my pinterest on i did.

just some of the tangled mess.

after photographing the hideous proof, i got to work.  not only did i separate everything so i could see what i was dealing with (and of course, take a few trips down memory lane as i came across the sentimental pieces), i hit the stores to gather materials.

supplies

i had seen a DIY jewelry organizer on pinterest using a bulletin board and i thought with some paint to match my bedroom decor, this could be an inexpensive solution.  i bought the paint (color: espresso), foam brushes, and board.  i have about a bazillion pins leftover from college so i was all set in that department.

who doesn't love a magnetic chalkboard?

while i was gathering these things, i found a magnetic chalkboard that i thought would be perfect for another pinterest project i had seen: the magnetic makeup organizer.  after buying magnets, some glittery ribbon (i couldn't resist ... i'm just not that mature yet), and the magnetic board, i was set.

step one: tape the inside

i made sure to put tape down inside the wooden part of the bulletin board in case my paint ran (which i was sure it would due to my lack of painting skillz) and then i slathered that thing, espresso style!  

chalkboard with glitter ribbon

while my paint was drying, i glued my ribbon to the outside edges of my magnetic chalkboard and attached the magnets to the makeup i use most often (ie: mascar, powder, lip gloss, blush, brushes, etc.).  

organized makeup!

once i was done gluing the magnets, i attached the chalkboard to a wall in my bathroom with only minimal holes in the wall (i'll deal with those holes another day) ... and then i stuck all my magnetic makeup on the board in an organized, easy-to-access fashion!

once that unnecessary-but-oh-so-fun! project was done, i returned to my jewelry bulletin board and touched up the paint with a few extra coats.  after everything was dry and i was satisfied with the color, i attached the board to the wall with much improvement (and fewer holes!).  when everything was secured, i pinned my sorted necklaces up on the board.  and while it only organizes the necklaces i'd actually wear and it doesn't even make a dent in the rest of my accessories, it's a start, right?

organized necklaces!

in conclusion, i hope you have a very happy, pinterest-style-organized, patriotic memorial day!  xoxo.