Day 20 & 21

Day 20-Nicknames
wow... nicknames... I have an unreal amount of nicknames. They range from weird, but make sense, to don't make sense at all for why I've acquired them. So here we go.. list time.
-Meg
-Meg-o
-Meggie
-Megs
-Yoda
-Yodi
-Yo Yo
-Yodenski
-Jod
-Jodie
-Meggers
-MY
See... some are weird. But they are mine, and only certain people call me those nicknames. So they're kind of special. My heart gets all happy when I hear those certain friends call the nickname. I know. I'm weird.

Day 21-Picture of yourself
How many pictures of ourself are we going to put up here?

I just too this last week for Halloween at work. We were convicts. Have I mentioned I work at a bank? It was a lot of fun. We took a mugshot. One serious one. Then one like this. :)

why do i suck at blogging?!

The truth is I really enjoy blogging. it's therapeutic to say the least. I blame the past few days of not blogging on having the sickies. Major throat infection had me down for the count. Not to mention I've been so busy I can't even see straight. Tomorrow is the light at the end of the tunnel though [until January hopefully] because TOMORROW I take the math test that makes or breaks my admission into the LPN program at ASU. I'm basically at the top in the 200+ applicants, BUT I'm not being cocky because even if those other applicants have a crappy transcript or didn't do any volunteer work... if they make an 85% on this test and I make a 79% I'm out. Period. I HAVE to make an 80% to even be considered. Pressure much?

So here's me catching up... again. My apologies to what I can only assume are my only two readers [Aleasa and Amy]. I know your day isn't complete without reading my newly updated blog. :) And even if it IS complete without reading my blog... don't tell me. Ignorance is bliss in this case.

I am LOVING that these three things can be in list form. I love lists. A lot.

Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
- this LPN test being finished.
-Aleasa and her hubs coming home for Christmas. I haven't seen her since January. I didn't know I could miss a friend the way I miss Leasal. She's basically the best.
-Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's lots of good family time, AND I get to buy gifts for people without having to find an excuse. Buying random gifts for people is one of my favorite things to do and more often than not gets me in trouble with whoever receives the gift.
-watching my friends kids grow up. I love investing in their lives. They're just a blast to be around.
-going back to school [Lord willing] believe it or not. I thought I'd NEVER want to go back to school. Apparently God has a sense of humor.

Day 18-Something you regret
Okay. Here's the thing with this... I DO regret some things. Some simple things like not being as outgoing in college as I could have been. Other things I regret I'd rather keep between me and God. But, and there is a BUT, I realize that all of those things, big or small, that I regret doing or not doing have made me who I am today. I've no doubt that it's because of some of those things that God has brought certain people in, and out, or my life. So therefore I don't regret much.. or at least I try not to regret them. It's more learning experiences... CHARACTER building exercises. And that's what I'll say about regrets.

Day 19-Something you miss
-high school homework. It was WAY easier than I orginally believed. College work was a definite slap to the ego.
-Saturday morning cartoons
-TGIF. Best night of t.v. hands down.
-not caring what others think of me.
-college and the friends that go with it.
-innocence
-every single small group leader I had from middle school until high school. They shaped me in ways they can't imagine.
-K-Life
-Kanakuk
-summer city softball league
-random games of basketball
-late night dorm room chats with Aleasa [and more often than not Kolby]
-high school choir. It was awesome.
-not having a cell phone. I loved those summers at Kanakuk because I was completely cut off from phones, t.v. and internet.
-Tiger Tunes
-my classes at Ouachita
-Dunkaroos [they were this cookie that you dipped in chocolate icing goodness. yum]
-walking everywhere, and playing all. day. long. only coming in for a drink, and that's just if there wasn't a hose around.
-not having bills. Being an adult sucks sometimes.
-simplicity

Okay now that I'm caught up for the billionth time, maybe tomorrow I can do my next challenge day. What's really said is that Ihave things that I want to blog abount,

more ketchup

Okay. Even though I'm sick. And miserable. I'm sucking it up to do these blogs. They may not be great. But I'm going to do the two I've behind on. So it continues...

Day 15-Bible verse
I have several favorite verses, but my two that I'm going to put here are:
1st Corinthians 15:10-But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. Grace is a big thing with me. There is more to the verse, but I love that line. I am only where I am today due to God's crazy amount of grace. If I ever get a tattoo I want "grace" in Greek on my wrist.

Philippians 1:3-I thank my God every time I remember you.
I love this verse for the simple fact that it applies to a lot of important people in my life.

Day 16-Dream house
I'm pretty simple. I don't need anything huge. Considering the fact that I'm in a house less than 900 sq ft right now... I'd prefer a house a wee bit bigger... but not so big that I don't have stuff to put places. Make sense? Not a fan of too much house, not enough decor.
I need bright colors in at least the bathroom and kitchen. I like neutrals for living room and bedrooms. It's easier to redecorate when you have a neutral color.
Bathrooms. Large bathrooms. My current bathroom is about the size of a handicapped bathroom stall. In fact, it's probably 3/4 of that size. It's teeny. So I would like at least a full bath of each room. It's just good sense.
Bedrooms. I'm currently in a sardine box. I'm fairly sure I had more room in my college dorm. Rude.
I'm a fan of older houses, BUT I love these new funky houses with cool floor plans.
This will be strange... biggest necessities for future home: not a ton of windows. Fenced in backyard. Backdoor that goes from inside the house out to the backyard [I don't have that right now and it is a PAIN]. Laundry room [with a mud area for gross clothes]. Pantry. I don't feel like that's a ton to ask.

So I'm going to bed. Me= feel like crap. I've got sore throat, stuffy nose... and ears, coughing. Fairly certain I've got a touch of bronchitis going on. Go me! Thinking healthy thoughts, and praying I get better fast. Haven't missed work, but I can't play with babies when I'm sick, and I miss my friends kids! Plus I have a really REALLY important test on Saturday for a LPN program I signed up for, and I would love to not be sick so I can have my full attention on this thing.
Until tomorrow- Love Love

slacker

So I'm sick. And as much as I was going to keep up and do Day 15 of the Challenge I'm not tonight. I'll do it tomorrow... along with 16. I can't get my mind focused in to find my verses. I have them. I just don't have them ready. I'm just hoping this sickness goes away before my math test on Saturday. If I don't pass this test with an 80 or better it means no nursing school. Period. It doesn't matter if I was a top ranked one of not. Plus the longer I'm sick the less time I get to spend with my friend's babies. I miss them on a daily basis. This is why I don't need kids. I love my friend's children too much as it is. Random. I know. I'll blame it on the medication. SICKNESS GO AWAY!

Day 14: A Picture You Love

These are my maternal grandparents. Sidney and Shirley.


I have a lot of favorite pictures. This one is one of my favorites. I took this picture my last semester of my senior year of college [fall of 2008]. I was doing a photo story for my photograph class, and my topic was "What Does Love Mean to You?". When I think of love I think of these two. That look on my grandpa's face... he absolutely ADORES my grandmother. Not just a "we've been married for 57 years kind of way"... it's like he wakes up every morning looking at my grandma for the first time as his wife. He's smitten. And it is precious. Have I mentioned how much I love my grandpa?

Day 13: Goals

I'm gonna need to do these in two different categories. Short term. Long term. I'm going to attempt to make these short and sweet. No explanation. We're going to take a "be raw with your blog" break. I don't like opening up... too much.

Short Term:
-get into nursing school
-lose 5 more pounds [which will mean I've lost 50 since May 12th]
-save enough money to not have to move back in with my mom while in nursing school
-fast for a day
-not be 40 when my student loans get paid off

Long Term
-finish nursing school... with good grades.
-lose 100 pounds
-get married... scratch that... DATE
-have A kid
-adopt the rest
-buy a house
-make a difference
-be who God wants me to be

Day 12- I Believe

What I believe? In a theological sense... sometimes this question can stress me out. I 'm still digging out of a time where I questioned my faith in the most ridiculous way. I pushed, shoved, back talked, and deliberately did things I shouldn't because I felt like my faith was more trouble then it was worth. It was a time in my life where I felt like everything around me was tumbling out of control. Therefore the ONE thing I could control [well... thought I could control] was my faith. I was basically a bratty little five year old that crossed their arms, stomped their foot, stuck out that lip as only a child can, and told God I didn't have to believe in Him because I didn't have to. I didn't feel like following Him because it was too hard. I didn't like it anymore, and I was better off. And He let me do it. He let me beat my hands against His chest and yell and scream. He let me throw my tantrum. Then... when I got tired, and realized I was acting like a complete fool... He kind of just wrapped me in my arms and let me rest. It's been a slow process... but I'm slowly figuring things out again. So without getting really deep into theology I believe this... God is good. All the time. We may not understand His process, but we will in HIS timing. Not ours. God isn't a child with a magnifying glass trying to burn us on our little ant hill. He allows things to happen. I believe that He is the only Savior. He is the One I choose to follow. I think that at the end of my life if He doesn't exist I've lost nothing by living for Him, but if I don't live my life for Him and He does exist... at the end of my life I've lost everything. I'd rather take my chances and live for Him. Now let me step into things that I believe that aren't on such a theology based spectrum...

-I believe that you can in fact hate the sin, but still love the sinner. It's been done to me, and I've done it for others.

-I believe that you should respect peoples property.

-I believe that one kind word can completely change someone's day. Maybe even save a life.

-I believe that a woman shouldn't define her worth by whether or not she's in a relationship.

-I believe in being independent.

-I believe that there isn't anything better than a home cooked meal courtesy of my grandma or mom.

-I believe that my grandfather is the best man I've ever met.

-I believe that bills should prioritize everything. Even if you have to eat cereal and milk for a week. That good credit will be worth the cereal and milk one day.

-I believe that prayer works in the most bizarre and amazing ways.

-I believe that God loves everyone.

-I believe that bullying -no matter the form, the cause, the receiver, the giver- is wrong.

-I believe that homelessness can't always be helped, and we are suppose to help them.

-I believe that love is scary and hard, but it can be totally worth it if you let it.

I'm going to stop there. Can't bare my soul too much can I?

On to Day 13...

wtf?!

So I blogged last night. Like... borderline bared my soul blogged about Day 12-What you believe. As far as I can remember it was a little scattered considering my medicated [muscle relaxer] state, BUT I blogged. Apparently I didn't press the little orange button. Apparently my dumb butt exited out of the page completely. So pissed. That being said... I'm now 3 days behind AGAIN. So I shall work on Day 12, Day 13, and now Day 14. Bitter. Maybe I can do a better "what I believe blog". Stay tuned.

And I'm still bitter.

apologies

I'm doing day 13 and 14 tomorrow. so sue me. went to my college alma mater's homecoming [well... the Tunes part anyway]. I would get on a whole tangent about how much I love OBU. But I won't. All this to ramble that I'm not doing a post tonight because as tired [and medicated] as I am... it's probably not best for me to be allowed to download pictures. or whatever this challenge from Friday and Saturday. may be. back in a few hours...
m

Day 11-Favorite tv shows

Now that I'm caught up I feel more in the groove of things.

When it comes to t.v. I am totally a junkie. I LOVE t.v. I'm not a completely cough potato though when it comes to it though. There are shows that I'm totally committed to, and there are shows that I grew up loving [and still watch thanks to formatting to dvd]. :)

Shows I'm committed to:

Judge me all you want, but it compiles my favorite things: t.v., musicals, and sarcasm [not to mention crazy talented actors/actresses] all in an hour. LOVE IT! Almost obsessive.

Grey's Anatomy- I came in on this show in the middle of the 2nd or 3rd season, and from then on out it was love.


Private Practice- I know it's a spin-off, but it's a freaking awesome one. Most spin-offs are TERRIBLE, but I just feel like this one is quality.


One Tree Hill- Once again... started really REALLY late on this show. I was bored 3 summers ago and watched soap net a lot, and this played two hours daily, twice. It's was season 5 before I got into this show, but I'm such an OTH fan. It can take me from cracking up to an absolute mess of tears. That takes a darn good story line.


Life Unexpected- This show debuted last year right after OTH so naturally I was intrigued. Definitely not disappointed.


Some other shows I watch regularly are: Hellcats, Nikita, 90210, Parenthood, Better With You, and anything else that catches my attention.

Some oldie shows I loved were cartoons. The cartoons now suck compared to what was around just 20 years ago. Here are some of my faves...
First out of the gate:

Me and the Pooh gang are, ahem, were tight. My mom said that when it would come on Saturday morning cartoons I would fall of in the floor and cry. Not tantrum cry, but heartbroken cry, because the show had finished. She had to record the show on a VHS tape so that she could rewind it and I could watch it over and over again. Have I mentioned how rocking my mom is?

Next up:

This was another cartoon I had a deep committed love for. When I was younger, and me and my mom [and father] lived in Missouri, every Friday night was me and mom's night. We would eat peel-n-eat shrimp, baked potatoes, and watch Care Bears, and sleep on the hide-a-bed couch. Sometimes there was the occasional tea party with Strawberry Newtons. :) I remember one time [I was probably five] and I rewound CareBears over and over again that night. My mom woke up at 3 in the morning and made me turn off the t.v. as I sat there with glazed over eyes that only a five year old whose been watching television for entirely too long can have. Love me some CB.


Oh Fraggle Rock. Jim Henson was genius as far as this former kid is concerned. I'm singing the theme song now.


Popples. This little gem was a random discovery in the video section in Country Mart when we lived in Missouri. I fell in love. It was like a brighter, fuzzier, poppier version of CareBears and I was pumped [and you know how 5 year olds can get pumped].

There were other cartoons, but they weren't A-listers in my life. David the Gnome, Gummie Bears, Tail Spin, Darkwing Duck, Duck Tales, Tiny Tunes. They were all good. Ah the good, old days of quality, CLEAN cartoons. Call me old-fashioned, but cartoons these days are less for kids and more for adults. They are crude and stupid as far as I'm concerned.

As you can tell... as I already confessed... I'm a fan of the television and that it holds inside.

Completely

Catching up? I feel guilty for being behind. Ridiculous. I know. So... this is me. Catching up [hopefully].

Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

This is my Tessa. I rescued her last year from a shelter about 30 minutes from where I live. She's a Catahoula Leopard and Chocolate Lab mix. She might have some other stuff in her, but as for what I call her... she's a Labrahoula. This dog is seriously the BEST dog I've ever had or encountered. She is great with everyone. She loves kids and babies. She doesn't dig, jump, bark, chew, etc... okay, okay... on the rare occasion she has a barking fit, but it's so rare that when she barks I'm shocked. She is so sweet nature, but ridiculously stubborn. Super smart... but that Catahoula stubbornness gets in the way sometimes. I adore this dog. She's my shadow, and I'm okay with this. Not to mention... she's pretty unique looking.

Day 7-Favorite movies
I could go on, and on about the movies I love. Ashamedly [almost] of the fact that I'm a Twilight fan. It's solid entertainment, and I held out for a LONG time to even give it a chance. Love my Disney movies that I grew up watching. Musicals [Rent, Moulin Rouge, Music Man, Enchanted, etc.] Some random titles... The House Bunny, Baby Mama, Elf, Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Love Actually, Crash, John Tucker Must Die, She's the Man, Pride and Prejudice... like I said... my list is wide and long. Basically the only movies I absolutely can't handle are scary/horror movies. I can't handle that. I stay freaked out for DAYS, and have nightmares.

Day 8-A place you've traveled to
I can't say i've traveled a whole lot of fun places. I've been to a lot of states, but no place foreign really. I did go to Ensenada, Mexico twice, but it was on a cruise... and I was 8. I don't feel one can properly appreciate foreign places at 8. Out of all the states... my favorite has been California. I was young when I went, but I LOVED it. I also am a huge Colarado fan. It's full of beautiful scenery. I want to travel though. Being a post-grad broke bank teller doesn't allow for much travel. If I could go anywhere right now it would be NYC. I'm such a musical buff that Broadway is a must.

Day 9-A picture of your friends
Didn't I do this yesterday? Well... technically anyway. I'll just go with a broader spectrum for this one...
Kamp Fam. Living with this many girls for 25 days in the summer will make anyone close. I adore these girls [in both pictures]. They almost feel more like family by the end of a Kanakuk Kamp term.


Kamp family are some great kind of friends, and I could literally fill up post after post with the pictures of my and the people I love at Kanakuk. I'll leave it at two though. :)
I also have some pretty special women that I consider friends and mentors. They all 3 were my K-Life small group leader at some point in my school career from 7th-12th grade. They have played a huge part in shaping who I am today.
Kelli

Reno

Audra... okay for some reason I DON'T have a picture of my Knitter [she LOVED knitting], but she still played a huge part in my life.
Rounding out the friend section are a couple of pictures of some other friends that are just fun people. I've known some of them forever, and a couple for just a couple of years.
Bekah, me, and Brooke after Tiger Tunes my 1st year in the show

Me, Bailey, and Liz [kamp friends]

Day 10-Something you're afraid of
I apparently chose long lists to catch up on...
-spiders. i will just about break my neck to get away from a spider. I don't like any type of bug, but spiders hold the biggest section of that fear. It's just not normal to have more than 4 legs.

- being single for the rest of my life. When you are almost 25 this fear seems to start to set in. I want kids. I know I don't have to have a husband to have kids, BUT I grew up in a fatherless home and covet my friends who have close relationships with the father. It literally makes my heart ache. I, personally, don't want kids unless I have a husband to share them with.

- not being ABLE to have children. I want several kids, but I honestly want to adopt all but one. It's weird. I know.

- I have an out of control fear of dying a scary, painful death. It doesn't matter whether it's a car accident, drowning, gunshot, weather... I guess it's more a fear of KNOWING that I'm dying. Feeling my death? Yet as a whole I'm not afraid TO die. Okay this is getting morbid...

- not helping someone. I want to make a difference in someone's life for the better. I'm afraid I'm going to miss my opportunity to do that.

I'm just about blogged out for the night. Too much computer screen for these eyes. Until tomorrow...

Playing Catch-up... Sort Of

Okay... so I decided I would do several of the challenge days at once because they don't have much for me to talk about so here it goes...

Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Imagine That, Picture This. Imagine That: I'm a closet dreamer. I imagine all the things I could do one day. I have a lot of dreams and ambitions, but the realist in me kind of squashes those dreams like a bug sometimes. Picture This: I see the world in photographs. I look at something that I find interesting, and think "how can I capture that in a way that people will feel what I felt?" I take photos on a regular basis, and absolutely love photography itself.


Day 3-Your first love
I'm still in a phase of loving Jesus the way I need to love Him. My selfish ambitions, and self-destructive ways have caused me to walk away a little too much, and a little too long. As for first love, love... hasn't happened yet. I absolutely am smitten with my friends kids and the kids in my family. They sort of light up my life, but as for a... how do I word this... "could see as a future husband" love... hasn't happened.
My cousins Amelia and Corbin


Day 4-Your parents My mom is awesome. We haven't always got along, BUT she has basically raised me alone. Sacrificed more than I probably know for me so I can have a good life. We have a great relationship now. Fight like we're sisters. She has a terminal illness, technically, and because of her good attitude towards it [and tons of prayer by all her friends and fam] she ROCKS Multiple Sclerosis. You'd never even know she has it. She's got amazing strength as far as I'm concerned.


Day 5-Your siblings
I don't have any blood siblings. However, I have some amazing friends that I love.
My friends and I at our senior prom. 6 years ago. I feel old.

me and my best friend from college. i wouldn't have survived without Leasal.


That's it for tonight. I kind of like this consistent blogging business.

fact

if blogging was solely based on how well you can design your site... i would fail. way frustrating.

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts

Megan


this is the most recent picture. seriously. and it's two years old. oops.

15 interesting facts... Geez! go big or go home Blog Challenge! okay... these may not be interesting, but they are, indeed, facts.
1. i work at a bank
2. i have a dog. her name is Tessa. and she is the BEST.
3. the only type of gummy anything i will eat are Haribo gummy bears. any other bear is an impostor as far as I'm concerned.
4. i graduated 2 years ago [in December] with a degree in Christian Studies w/ an emphasis in Ministry.
5. i swore after graduating i'd never go back to school. Guess who [Lord willing] is going to nursing school in January?
6. i'm the product of divorce, but i honestly am better because of it.
7. up until my senior year of high school i was set on the medical field, but felt called to ministry that summer. now i'm going to do both.
8. t.v. on DVD is my favorite.
9. i'm right handed, but only when writing or batting is involved. everything else i do like a lefty.
10. up until junior high, every school i attended i was only there 2 years.
11. love books. never make time for reading. that means i have shelves of books collecting dust, but i think it makes me look smarter. :)
12. i have never dated. ever. no hand holding. never been kissed. zip. [did i mention i'll be 25 in march?]
13. my last name is Amish. i am NOT Amish. yet on a weekly basis i get asked if i am.
14. i love zoos. a lot.
15. i have the most intense fear of bugs. except butterflies.

that's it. hope no one is sleeping after reading those. i can't ever think of interesting facts when i actually need said facts.

challenge

this challenge began on the tenth. i'm a week late, but with the prompting from aleasa i decided to do the challenge as well. i'm just going to try and play catch up. or maybe i'll just do one a day still. who knows?

i figure this will help my blogging skills... especially since it's telling me WHAT to blog about. i've kind of given up on my other blog. it was angsty anyway.

here are the topics...

Day 1-Introduce, recent picture, 15 interesting facts
Day 2-Meaning behind your blog name
Day 3-Your first love
Day 4-Your parents
Day 5-Your siblings
Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 7-Favorite movies
Day 8-A place you've traveled to
Day 9-A picture of your friends
Day 10-Something you're afraid of
Day 11-Favorite tv shows
Day 12-What you believe
Day 13-Goals
Day 14-A picture you love
Day 15-Bible verse
Day 16-Dream house
Day 17-Something you're looking forward to
Day 18-Something you regret
Day 19-Something you miss
Day 20-Nicknames
Day 21-Picture of yourself
Day 22-Favorite city
Day 23-Favorite vacation
Day 24-Something you've learned
Day 25-Put your iPod on shuffle, first 10 songs
Day 26-Picture of your family
Day 27-Pets
Day 28-Something that stresses you out
Day 29-3 Wishes
Day 30-A picture