Overdue... again.

Welp ... here I am again 6 months later! I have got to get this straightened out.

Summer is almost over- how sad. What a crazy couple months it's been! Tommy & Kandice tied the knot in June (see below for pic!) So I was home for the bridal shower, bachelor/ette party and wedding! I kinda got used to going home every two weeks! CONGRATS T&K!

Some of those trips were add-ons for work (went to NJ twice and NY once!). I also went to Miami at the end of June for another wedding - Marcus and Mirna! And then went to Dallas for a couple days for work. Phew! Feels weird to not have anywhere to go in August. Well.... might be making a St. Louis trip with Kristy to see Erik & Meghan! And then heading home for Labor Day. =)

I am kind of looking forward to fall. It has been so crazy hot here that I am excited for cooler temps, jeans, sweaters and boots! Thinking about a pair of black booties (the cute high heel ones)... not sure I can pull the look off. Also thinking about cutting my hair, but I probably won't anytime soon. I think I'll let it grow as long as possible, love it until I get sick of it, and then donate to locks of love.

Oh yes - new tattoo? eh? We are supposed to get some done for labor day (with Kristy & Sar), so I really gotta start thinking about it. I want it on my wrist, but I'm fighting it. And I can't decide exactly what I want. I'll figure it out.

Not a whole lot going on here other than the traveling - though it has slowed down for a bit. Just hanging out. Getting by. Livin the dream.

Fave song lyric of the moment: "Like Frankie said, I did it my way." - bon jovi

Some more pics for your viewing pleasure:

Table 2 @ the wedding.... all of my faves.

Justin and me and the city!

Overdue

Hello friends! Have any of you even been following this?? Dang... it's been over 6 months since I've written a blog. And I don't even know what to report!!

Welp ... I turned 25 (in October). It didn't feel special, but now that 26 is on the horizon, I'm starting to freak out. Never before did I not WANT to get older. I am really torn between wanting to be all growed up and adult-like and being young and stupid. Sigh.

I got promoted in December! Well.. sorta. I got "hired on" and I am no longer a contractor. Thank the Lord. A very positive change.

Winter has been super mild here. Yeah we got some snow here and there and it was pretty cold for a while. But honestly, it was a cakewalk compared to last year. I'm just hoping to have a spring. And summer!! Oh man, I am sooo looking forward to brats on the grill, bags games, sunshine and street festivals! (Maybe I can find that guy who made wire jewelry and I can get him to make me a new black onyx ring! I lost it somewheres and it was a huge bummer. LOVED that ring! Oh - also looking forward to enjoying a beer on the patio!

Humm.. what else? I resigned my lease with Elise. Another year of craziness. =)

The holidays were pretty good. The family bought me a plane ticket to come home over Thanksgiving. (Sooo blessed!) which was amazing. I got to spend almost two weeks at home for Christmas too. I did a little bit of running around - went to Virigina to visit Andy with Bill and Boober. It was only one day really that we got to spend together, however it was fantastic. Those three just know me more than anyone else on earth. I just LOVE them.

I also got to spend a ton of time with the family and Sara and Kristy. NYE was a hot mess! Sara has a ton of incriminating photos posted all over facebook. (This is what I mean about being young and carefree - just love every minute of it.)

Holy moly - several paragraphs in and haven't mentioned Justin yet! He's doing well - just rolled off his busy season. For three weeks in January, he was in Sandusky, Ohio from Monday-Friday. That wasn't a very fun month! The holiday season is always tough and we don't get a ton of time. December 15th we celebrated our whopping 2-year anniversary! Yeah, it's been that long!

Lately, everything has been quite standard. Nothing exciting to talk about. I've been reading a bit - The Hobbit, Have A Little Faith and working on The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. I still have the Lost Symbol to read. Neither Marley or Justin were quite impressed, so I'm not super eager to get on it.

Well - that's all I've got for today. Until next time...

Jet-setting

Hello friends!

I am just a regular jet-setter these days! After I got back from Memorial Day at home, Justin and I went to Houston to visit my friends. Melody, Will and Lawnchair live there, and CEV and boyfriend flew in from Cali. It was a great weekend. I love the family reunions! Really, all we did was hang out, eat and drink! Oh, and reminisce, which is one of my favorite things to do! I will include some pics below for you.

Family photo:

Justin & I at Monkey Bar:

Mel and I at the Roof:

Justin & Will at Outpost:

Always good times!!!!

And tonight, I am headed over to New Jersey to see Boober for the weekend (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) and I am working there Monday through Thursday. But seriously, after next week, my traveling comes to an abrupt end. No mas.

Justin is going to put together a budget for me. Ugh. I guess I have to pay all this damn credit card and student loan debt. I will be living like a pauper for a while. Honestly, though, I don't spend THAT much money. Well, lately I have with these trips, but normally I don't. I just need to put together a payment plan/schedule to get it all under control. This adult thing really sucks.

In other news ... well there really isn't much other news! I think I've done pretty well in making my rounds to visit people. The only area I'm missing is Central PA. I need to see Bill, Angie, Marcie, Kate and others. I'm actually WIDE open for the 4th of July, but I don't think that is happening. I should embrace a boring/relaxing weekend watching movies, right? It is just crappy because Justin and Elise are both going to be gone. Who wants to watch fireworks alone?!

I really want to go to Cali too. I've never been there and I hear wonderful things!

The weather here has been super crappy here - rainy and cold. Summer anyone?

Memorial Day Festivities

Hiking with Marley:
Dinner @ Jones:

Outpost:

Camping:

Ahh, how nice it was to be home! Justin came along and our weekend went like this:

Friday - dinner with Tom, Kandice and Dad at Jones in Philly. Very yummy! And then we went out with Tom and Kandice.

Saturday - Tom, Justin and I drove to NEPA. We went hiking/kayaking with Marley at Francis Slocum. Then got dinner with Mom at Patti's Sports Bar (naturally). Then we met up with Sara and Kristy at Lake Silkworth. And those stories will come later.

Sunday - drove to Bethlehem to see Dad, grilled out with Dad (his steaks are scrumptious) and then back to Philly.

Monday - Justin and I got breakfast with the Boob near the airport and she dropped us off.

Soo ... Lake Silkworth. We had a couple at Matt's lakehouse, then walked down to the neighborhood bar, the Outpost. I'm in a pissy mood, so Tom immediately buys me a shot when we get there. My friends start chanting my name, and all the redneck hicktown people in the bar are like, "Who is Megan?". So they start coming up to me, welcoming me to the area and buying me shots. Then, Tom buys me another shot, to which my friends start singing Happy Birthday and telling people that it's my 21st birthday. What a mess.

Continuing on, the bartender (small, trashy white girl) is dancing, and I proceed to bet Justin that I could get her to dance with me. This proved all too easy when she agreed to dance with me, pulls a chair over and gives me a lapdance. God bless america.

Afterwards, bartender plays Soulja Boy on the jukebox, sooo Tom teaches an old lady (roughly 60-70 years old) how to do the Soulja Boy dance. Lovely.

Let's just say I was moving pretttty slow the next morning.

Update

Life of Megan Update:

Okay ... well I moved last weekend. Ask for my new address if you need it! I got a U-Haul van and Justin helped me. It went pretty smooth, although I am still not unpacked. I have so much crap that I never use.

I am trying to figure out when I am coming home for the summer. My original plan was over the 4th of July weekend, however Justin's future brother-in-law is having his bachelor party that weekend. So I'm thinking about maybe coming with Justin over Memorial Day, and maybe Labor Day? I'm not sure. I just really want to buy tickets so I have a plan! I will be sure to keep all of you Pennsylvanians updated.

I seriously need a wardrobe makeover. Some of my tank tops (I wear a tank top everyday) and my shoes are just getting worn out. My tanks have holes in them (no worries, I wear them under other shirts) and my shoes are just a mess. I just want to throw everything away and go shopping. I have a bag for the goodwill that I need to pick up from my old apartment and drop off there.

It's Friday, and I think I'm going to get a salad for lunch. I want to go to the Field Museum this weekend to see the new pirate exhibit. Justin bought a sweet DSLR (digital camera), so maybe we can wander around the city and take pics. Other than that, my weekend is lame/boring. Maybe I should really unpack and clean up? Nah.

Can't believe it is already MAY. And I really hope the summer doesn't escape me. It's so hard when you work full time because you can't get out during the day. The weather has been warm, teetering on hot, but not really sunny. I should just move to Cali. I haven't given up on Hawaii just yet. I'm destined to be there for some amount of time.

I'm wearing make up quite a bit now. Weird!

Spring Snow

Hello all. It snowed yesterday and will snow some today. That just isn't right! It's APRIL! However I expected this lingering snow storm, and at least it won't last for long. I was just starting to think how nice it is to walk on the sidewalk not like a granny. I would like to point out that I survived my first Chicago winter without falling on my ass. ::knocks on wood hoping that I didn't just jinx myself:: Although I have had a couple VERY close calls. Once I had to grab onto fence to keep myself from hitting the ground (I had groceries in hand!). It can be very deceiving with the layer of solid ice underneath the snow.

I don't have very much to update. I am planning my trips home for the summer. I am thinking that I will come during Memorial Day and the 4th of July. That just seems to work best with my work schedule since my office will be closed for the days surrounding the holidays. So, for those who care: I will be in the PA area on May 22-25 and July 2-6.

July: I am hoping that J-Bird (as Marley calls him) will come along for the 4th of July trip. I am expecting to spend most that time in NEPA and Philly with the familia.

May: I don't think Justin will be coming along as I am just sticking around the area after working in NJ for the week. I am up in the air with this one - not sure if I will be in Philly with Tom & Kandice or visiting Bill/Kate/Angela in C-burg.

*Note: these trips are tentative and not 100% planned yet. So don't mark your calendars just yet.

Also on the trip radar: Justin's friend from home is getting married in Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) in December. I really want to go, however it's like $900 for the trip and it's right around the holidays. I don't think I will end up going. I've never spent $500+ on a vacation. I just don't have that kind of cashflow.

In other news, Justin surprised me with RENT tickets! The show was only in Chicago for two weeks and it was going off broadway. It was awesome and Justin actually liked it. We only got a couple pics on Justin's camera, so I can't share with you today.

Work has slowed to a crawl. Our schedule is cyclical and it gets a little slow at this time. It should pick up soon as we are planning summer activities for the interns. I'm getting a little spoiled though leaving early and signing on at home. I don't think I could really enjoy working from home all the time, at least not at age 24. The office has gotten eerily quiet, and I don't like it!

I'm bookless at the moment - waiting for A Clockwork Orange and Brave New World to arrive. I ordered them from Half.com. Still obsessed with American Idol, though it feels kinda crappy this year. Eh, it gives me something to look forward to. Have any of you watched Lie to Me on Wednesdays before AI8? I actually REALLY like it!

Justin will be in Miami this week for work (again). But he will be back for Easter and I think we are going to cook a big dinner. God bless, I'm sure you guys never saw this one coming ... me cooking a holiday meal! (This is kind of a big deal, even though it's only for like 2-3 people! Justin's roommate might be joining us.) So wish me luck, or send suggestions! I want to do a ham and mashed potatoes. Justin does not like creamed corn (how, I don't know), so I'm unsure for veggies. And, to make it a real Easter, I'm baking a pie. Hallelujah this should be interesting. ...Take me back to junior year of college and Kristy always reminding me to "check the meat".

Speaking of which, I'm considering going back to vegetarianism. I like the taste of meat, don't get me wrong. But lately it has been grossing me out. Chicken sub from Subway and wings, in particular. And they tasted good. I'm not sure. I think Justin has been loving it that I eat meat again. Maybe I will just not eat it as much, or only eat it when I really want it. Thoughts about dinner tonight: tuna cakes!

Wow - so this post became surprisingly long after I thought I had nothing to update. I hope people are reading this! If not, I will just use it when I write my book. ;-)

Directionally Challenged

Hello everyone. It's been some time again since the last time I wrote. Typically I think of something to write, and then I'm too tired. Or I have the computer up and in front of me, but I just can't think of anything important going on.

Currently: eating minestrone soup and drinking pepsi (lunch). Wearing gap jeans and a blue sweater (Kohls, one of my fave sweaters).

Just went and signed a lease for May 2009-April 2010. I was having serious commitment cold feet, but I figured that I should just do it (you know, like Nike). I mean, that was a pretty big thing for a place that I've only seen once and a roommate that I've only met once. But as soon as Elise (roomie) picked me up, it began. We were yapping (she's a talker) and she likes country music! We really have a lot in common - I think this is going to work out beautifully. Fun facts: Elise is 27, has two cats, works full time and goes to grad school. She's from Michigan and is a Packer fan.

And I think it's more than irony that we got together to sign the lease today. Last night I was having worrisome thoughts wondering if Chicago is the place for me. I mean, I haven't met a real friend yet. I feel like I miss out on so much back home, just not being with the fam or friends. Which is why God has set it up so that Elise and I would be together today.

Speaking of which ... I just finished the book, the Shack by WP Young. Bill had suggested it to me a while ago, but you can never really trust Bill's book judgement (especially since he hardly ever finishes them). But I saw it was a best seller or something from Barnes and Noble, and thought I should give it a try. And I am glad that I did. It was under the "Religious Fiction" section, so that should tell you a bit about it. It didn't "get" me until the end, and it was about forgiveness and righting the wrongs in relationships. This has made me want to go back to every person that I thought has ever wronged me, and forgive them. Or apologize to those who think that I have wronged them. It made me really think about how I treat people and how I act. This is a little deep, and it's probably hard for you to believe this. Especially if you knew me in my "Cold-Hearted Bitch" and "Honest Sunday" days. I think I've really grown up a lot, and learned a lot about myself and this ugly/beautiful world.

Now, back to the everyday, there have been layoffs on my team. YIKES. I made the cut, thank goodness, but I'm sure this isn't the end. We think they are going to wait until late summer and if things haven't improved, do some more. I still stand by the fact that it is completely out of my hands, and the best thing I can do is do my job.

I guess my biggest flaw is that I'm not really a proactive person. I like to sit around and wait for something to happen, and then react to it. I like someone else to make the decisions. You can spin this to a positive by saying it's being relaxed, laid back or easy to get along with. But what really am I going to get done by waiting on others? I don't like to make big decisions, but I'm terrified of the outcome if I don't.

Happy Birthday, Marley! She's 19, holy moly. I didn't do anything for St. Patrick's Day. That weekend Justin and I went back to Wisco to see his friend who is home from Afghanistan. It was pretty uneventful. Maybe I will add some pics on this from the weekend.

Yep, so that's all for now. See you next time, same bat time, same bat channel. <3