Once upon a time...

I grew up.

Over night, I swear.

I'm now the crazy, college kid I've always read statuses about on Facebook.

"Sixth cup of coffee for the day!" (Okay... Probs did that before, too.)

"Up until 2am doing homework..." (Haven't done the all-nighter. Praise the LORD. I think I would die.)

"Sooo many papers!" (Easily have written more than I did my entire high school career.)

and finally... "What am I going to be when I ACTUALLY grow up?!"

(Answer still pending.)

I am remembering, however, one thing that has not transformed magically over the last few months...
How much I really do love to write.

So, here's my proposal: I'm going to make a new blog. Okay not "new", but another blog.

I still want to keep this one forever. (Good thing, too, because the internet these days ain't lettin' it go anywhere too soon!) I loooove this blog. I love what it stands for. I love the memories it holds.

And I love how I have grown from it. Will I still update this blog? Probably.

Often? Probably not. (When have I EVER updated often...? Oooops.)

So... I suppose the question is. What shall I call this new blog? It's just going to be me. Just my nutty, Meagan thoughts. Ideas welcome... and needed. ;-) More info on that to come.

Happy Monday, by the way!

Rain, rain go away!

Mark today as the most dreary, don't-want-to-be-at-work day ever. All I want to do is go home and watch a movie in my bed clothes.

But alas, here I sit... Answering phone calls and forwarding them because, in all reality, I still have no idea what I'm doing. Yay!

Is it five o'clock, yet? Or better yet, the weekend?

It's just one of those sorta days.

P.S.

Dude, that was my 100th post. I'm so doing a little celebratory dance in my cubical head. Happy day!

Just so you know...

I work in a cubical now.

So, although I don't have a Post-it pic for you right now, except some desperate posting commotion from this end.

Until then, I hope this will tide you (okay, and mostly me) over.

This is what keeps me awake during work.

This is an example of what I'm looking up 45% of the time at work.

This is what I remind myself when I feel absolutely clueless at work.

 This is honestly what I think about Mondays at work. (Monday = deadline day)

This is what I tell myself when my bosspeeps are telling me things that fly right over my head at work.

This is how I feel about brainstorming article titles at work.

And finally, this is puts things back into perspective... at work.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Catching Up

Hello, hello!

It feels quite nice to be sitting here on a mild spring afternoon just typing. It feels pretty right. You know how sometimes you're in a big rush all day long and before you know it you're laying in bed wondering where your day went? Yeah, moments like these make that striking realization a little less harsh.

Well, I'm assuming hoping some of you are reading a new post on this teeny blog for the first time. For those of you who maybe aren't... Allow me to explain. :-)

This last weekend I was presented with the opportunity, through a scholarship foundation, to fly down to Atlanta, Georgia for a weekend of absolute bliss. I have gained a tremendous amount of respect for the Coca-Cola Company for their generosity in providing transportation, living expenses, and an academic scholarship to be used over the next 6 years. Or so I thought. I had NO idea what an elaborate, packed-full, exciting, and memorable few days in Atlanta  it would be. I was so very blessed.

Among other things, (Okay, I can't resist filling you in. We met the CEO of Coke, Morgan Freemen, countless other prestigious business professionals, visited the Martin Luther King memorial, had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time in the global Coca-Cola headquarters, AND met so many other amazing young adults. Alright, back to the story) each student (Sorry--back up. There were 250 kids selected for this scholarship. Out of 84,000. Nobigdeal.) was interviewed over the course of our stay for the chance to increase our scholarship's monetary value. WHATWHAT!

I, however, was so blown away by the amount of people who knew about my blog--I actually did tell all sorts of people about it. Gasp!--and even more so, the number of individuals who wanted the address. I was further inspired to literally litter the Coca-Cola facilities, hotel, and various other destination with Post-it notes. (P.S. Coca-Cola is actually super environmentally friendly. Would they approve of this kind of litter? Good question.)

So, here are just a few of many, friends. Enjoy!

Yellow must have really been on hand all weekend. ;-) If you're interested in passing it on, you can email me a picture of your note at doll.meagan@gmail.com.

You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.  - John Wooden

Over and out,

Meagan

 

Dear long-lost friends,

Do you even dare check this page anymore? It's been so neglected for MONTHS. Oh how I apologize... Both to you and the poor, little blog. But mostly you. (Michelle, Lisa, & Ariel for never hesitating to remind me when a month goes by without a post. Props to you girls for keeping me in line.)

Can I share some devastating news with you? TPIE's partner in crime--my CAMERA--is missing. What the heck, right? Is this karma for failing to blog over the last two months? Because that is just not very nice.

.... Okay, I could just erase everything I wrote above. But this is embarrassing funny stuff. After writing the above paragraph, I decided to go check one last time in my purse for my camera. Of course, it took me about .3 seconds before I located it in the back zip-up pocket that it's always been in. What the! The only thing I can think of that would explain this weird phenomenon is that I dreamed I had lost my camera. I'm not kidding--If you think I'm kidding, I'm not. Some people dream that they find things in weird coat pockets, this girl dreams that she loses things. On the bright side, however, let it be known that my camera is NOT missing and I do, in fact, have a note for you!

Now, to be completely honest, I have no idea where this note was placed or when the heck I didn't. For some reason, I faintly remember shopping and putting it up. Oh, and it's in a bathroom--I know that much is true! ;-)

Alrighty, well here's to hoping that I can get on here and blog more! Whoever said your senior year was a breeze was really a slacker wrong. Between homework, scholarships, and working, I promise to try and get on here more often. I really do love it and am so happy that some of you are so eager to be along for the ride, too! Thanks for encouraging me. :-)

Have a lovely Wednesday, friends!

Meagan

Yawn.

Hello, hello!

I'm tired. Really, and truly. This week has been super nutty with school. I had two really big scholarships due this week and I cannot even tell you how fabulous it feels to have them out of my hands. At this point, finishing the stinkin' scholarship is probably just as rewarding as receiving it. (Okay, it's not... I still want the moola.)

Anyway, I've been meaning to blog for awhile (shocker alert) and wanted to tonight. I do, in fact, have a note waiting for you on my camera. But... I'm too lazy to go transfer it onto my computer. How pathetic is that? It's okay--it'll come soon!

I was thinking the other day about how I feel when I get done with a few days of really stressful deadlines, expectations, and scrambling. You'd think I'd be crabby and tired (legit), irritable and maybe even a little bitter... But after the last few days, I feel really peaceful.

The only thing I can even compare it to is a workout that leaves you practically on the floor. And the next day you basically want to die (is that just me?). But then you realize that it's actually sort of a cool thing because you're A.) becoming stronger and B.) that much more capable of handling an even tougher workout next time. Does that make sense?

Well, that's how I feel. The last few days have been so hectic, they're mostly a blur. However, I'm pretty content with them because it's a little exciting to know that I'm even more prepared to handle similar situations in the future.

After all, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

Those are my thoughts. However, that's too much thinkin' for 9:18 at night... I'm nodding off at the computer. ;-)

Sleep tight!

Meagan

Miss ya!

You guys,

I promised myself (Seriously promised!) that I would never be the girl who complained about the overwhelmingness (Word? Now it is.) of scholarships.

I just want you to know, after I nail down a few, hopefully everything will settle in and I won't feel obligated to spend every waking hour of free time on them. And when that day comes... I may just blog a novel. Be ever so prepared.

True. That.

P.S. If there was ever a time to start blogging, now just might be it! Blogger totally updated their set-up and I'm in love. It makes filling in my name, birthdate, ACT score, and extracurricular involvement a bajillion times more absolutely stupid difficult to do.



Until soon!

Meagan

People Lovin'

Okay, I know I'm the queen of semi-pointless posts, lately... But hear ye, hear ye, because this just made my week.

So, I just posted this simple quote on facebook earlier this evening. I'm a little bit quote-obsessive and often share my findings with the social network.

However, tonight, approximately... Oh, four mintues ago, I received an inbox message that will probably forever change how I view the power of words AND social networking.

A quiet girl I go to school with wrote me a private message that said, "Hey I know this is kind of weird, but there's been some pretty bad things happening in my home life lately and I wasn't handling it the best tonight, but your status made me feel stronger for whatever reason...so thanks. :) That's all I have to say."

Ohmygosh. Talk about make me choke up a little! I'm was seriously about two minutes from going to bed, got that, and HAD to blog quick. I love people. Every darn one of 'em. (Notice: I don't always like people, in fact, I find myself not liking them probably more than I should.) But loves different and pretty cool like that.

Have a good night!

Meagan

♥

I couldn't even help it! SOCUTE.

Hello, Random blogging...

Happy Tuesday, friends!

I'm currently being caressed by the beautiful voice of Michael Buble, while drinking a class of water and eating carrots. Okay, I lied, I'm eating Starbursts. Don't judge? I only ate four and am done... I think. ;-)

How are you? Beginning to accept the season changes? I think I am... I still do a little bit of freakin' in the morning when I go out to my car. When the day comes that I have to scrape ice off my windows... Oh man... Don't even talk to me. I'll be in a 'mood', to say the least. Kidding, but seriously. However, my list of favorite things currently spans from scarves (That's a love that never fades. I would wear them in the summer if I could. And maybe do.), warm coffee, leggings, boots, and straightened hair that doesn't get frizzy due to humidity. Oh, and whiskers on kittens. ;-)Okay, seriously. Case in point.

Anyway, droppin' a note today and it's one I left while shopping this weekend...

Okay, and side note, for those of you who read my budget post a few weeks (okay, a lot of weeks) ago... I'm totally sucking at it. Well, actually, I was doing okay until last weekend. Seriously... I need a personal accountant. Volunteer. Please. I can't afford to pay you. Baha!

However, I suppose I got this little bundle o' joy out. That counts for something, right?That happiness quote has popped into my life a few times lately. I like it. I think you probably have to read it more than once to get the full effect. Go ahead, read it again!

You better have.

Alright, I know this was sort of a random blog post, but I feel like I'm a bit sleep deprived... I think the only reason I'm still awake right now is those four Starbursts. Hopefully I'll get out a more purposeful post in sometime later this week/weekend.

Have a lovely, lovely Wednesday!

Meagan

P.S. Just read through this post in its entirety and noticed that I say "okay," about a billion times. Excuse my redundant phrasing, but they are in there for dramatic effect. Embrace them!

The best thing to hold onto in life is each other...

Now... Don't fall out of your chair, but YES, I'm blogging twice in the same week. What, what! She's back.

Actually, I have some calculus and psychology beckoning me from my bag, but I really wanted to this short post out before I forgot. (You totally know how I am.)

As a follow up to my last post, I really have been trying to stay away from the word 'busy.' As in, literally, I'm not using it... At least for awhile, until I come to better terms with how it fits into my life. I had to consciously rephrase an email to a friend. Baaah!Anyway, it all kind of came around full-circle this morning. A teacher had school admitted to having a 'bad week' through tears in her eyes and a cracking voice. I basically broke for her... If you knew this particular woman, you would be even more taken back by this rush of emotion. She's a very strong, confident, and almost guarded lady. You could compare it to seeing your dad cry. Yeah, that weird! It kind of leaves you dead in your tracks, wanting to do something, but not exactly sure how.

After having this run-in with her in the morning, it took about two hallways and a stop at my locker for me to realize that I couldn't go through the rest of my day without checking in with her. I made my way back to her room as asked her if she needed anything. I promised her that if she wanted help in any way that I would make it work! Of course, as the picture I painted reflects, she told me she was fine and unconvincingly told me that she'd let me know if something came up as tears began to fill her eyes again.

I still don't know what was wrong, but I left a note in there later that day. I don't even know who wrote it because I scribbled it on a piece of paper trying to find words that would be of some sort of comfort.

On a pink Post-it, I (think I) wrote "The comfort of hitting the bottom is knowing the only way you can go is up." I feel like I've heard a similar quote before, but my hand just sort of took the reigns on that one.

That's really all... I hope the note helped. I hope just me asking helped. If nothing else, maybe it helped her get through Wednesday, which is one more day closer to the end of this week. And that's enough for me. I was almost suprised how much I felt for this woman who rarely shows much emotion at all, let alone makes herself vulnerable. It was such a reminder of how alike we all are and how important is to lift each other up whenever we can.I know who I'm saying a prayer for tonight!

Different Kind of Busy

Have I seriously not blogged in months? Sounds like such a long time, but feels much shorter. It probably doesn't seem that long for this gal because it's been constant GOOO since school started. If it makes you and the blog feel any better, I pretty much scramble every day to remember to eat meals, brush my teeth, and go to the bathroom. Need I even tell you how often I shave my legs? (KIDDING! I'm anal about that, so it's an exception.)

Anyway, I've got to attribute this post to a girlfriend of mine who randomly reminded me about my little blog haven. It's good to have good people in your life! And, bless her heart, she even graced me with a note for this post! (Yeah, I don't have one right now. Don't judge! I'm hoping her motivation will be a little kick in my pants.) Exhibit A = her note. Professional much? Seriously, I was basically glowing with happiness when I received the picture in my email inbox. LOVE. You go, girl!

This is the excerpt it came with--"I took this today in downtown La Crosse. I put this post-it on the windshield of a silver jeep in the parking lot of the Radisson hotel. Hope it made their day and they keep it in their car as a constant reminder!"

Amen, sister yo!

Ugh. Can I just tell you something? I am SO sick of telling people how busy I am! So sick. I listened to a podcast sermon the other day and they talked about our need to be busy. Of course, my first reaction was Are you kidding!? What I would do to not be running around all the time... Well, believe it or not, my first reaction was wrong--as most are--and after some good ol' self-reflection, I realized that I totally fall into that category, too.
I'm so busy. We enjoy telling each other we're busy. We're a busy people.

"How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been busy! You?"
"Busy."

Story of our lives? And when I think about the things that I ALWAYS say I'm busy with... "School, sports, work...", I wonder how beneficial being so busy actually is.

It would be different if I said, "I'm busy with volunteering at the food shelf, teaching Sunday school, and picking up litter in my spare time." I wouldn't feel so guilty about that.

Actually, I take that back. It isn't a guilt thing. It's a I wanna be a more productive human and being mindless busy all the time is not necessarily the answer kind of thing. Does that make sense? I want to be busy with better things

So, I'm going to start by being more careful about the word busy. Am I busy with the right stuff? The things that make me happy, and hopefully others, too? That's my food for thought for the night.


Peace out!

My One & Only Addiction

Happy Tuesday!

It was a fine day here. But someone tell me - what is up with this fall weather? I suppose I don't mind it in the least bit, but weird! I'm usually prepared for the most hot, muggy, gross days of summer in August. Can't complain! Anyway, I've spent the last few days still recovering from a crazy week last week. Normally, I would just paraphrase all the excitement for you, but the adventure sort of parallels the Post-it Effect AND inspired my note. So here we go!

I spent the week of July 31-August 5 in Kadoka, South Dakota. Let me tell you, if you're looking to vacation, Kadoka is definitely not the right direction. The town was basically dead and the entire phone book fit on one piece of paper. And I thought my town was small...

However, my destination was not a vacation. A team of people from my church visited the area for a mission trip. We spent the days a few miles away on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Our time there included lots of painting, fixin' up, mowing, playing/teaching kids, and people lovin'.

Here's a little taste of the week:



I think I'm addicted to mission work. Could be worse, right?

Our 'theme' for the trip was the idea of being different. Standing up when it's right and stepping in when we should. Hence this note at a gas station somewhere along our 8 hour drive home...I hope this trip has engraved the 'be different' idea into my heart, so it becomes like second nature. That'd be pretty cool.

Anyway, that's all for tonight. I plan on blogging again soon - my schedule looks a bit less demanding over the next few weeks!

Peace out,

Meagan

Budgeted Spending!

Bonjour mon ami(e)!

My plan of attack was to put that greeting in Spanish, because I figured more people are familiar with that language. However, I'm not, which is a slight problem. And I'm not going to Google translate my witty 'hello'... I mean HEEELLOOO, that would totally defeat the purpose. So you'll have to pardon my French! ;-)

May I tell you something? The heat index today was 111 degrees--no big deal. So hot! Newsflash, Wisconsin... We aren't the Amazon Rain Forest. If you're going to rock the humidity, the least you can do is show off some exotic animals or something. Duuuh.

I bet you're wondering about my really grown-up, political sounding post title... Well, just you wait, my friend, we'll get there.

My one solid note for you was placed at a Target in the women's bathroom.Have I been leaving notes in departments stores often? Don't answer that.

(The answer is yes.) Want to know the biggest reason that this is a problem? Well, you see, I'm entering stores and yes, leaving notes, but I seem to keep leaving money there, as well! Somebody, manage my money for me, please!
Story of my life.

Alright, here's my budget for the next few months (Well, at least until the end of the summer. The school year brings its own budget.)

1.) Gas - Easily my most consuming expense. How high school do I sound? I know gas may seem trivial to the classic apartment renter or mortgage payer, but this is serious stuff for a 17-year-old student.

2.) Social events - It's summer, okay? Please give me a break, wallet! I'm going to try to keep my social outings to a limit, but I swear they are almost none existent during the school year. So, just this once, I'm attempting to have my cake & eat it, too. We all know how that pans out.

3.) Rollerblades - I've been talking about buying these babies for months. PLEASE, somebody hold me to it! I know they would be/will be a good buy and get their use... But when, oh when will I come up with the guts to lay down the cash? Hopefully soon, for I'm budgeting for them!

4.) Car fresheners - Alright, I know these cost like three bucks. But I keep putting it off because I don't want to spend the money to buy them! Ugh! But the time has come... Next time I see them, I will make my move.Okay, anything besides this list is fair game for purchase SHUT-DOWN. Meaning, I probably shouldn't spend any money on it. Kapeesh? I'll maybe do an update in a few weeks on my successes... Or possible failures.

Well, I'm off to do a whole lot of nothin'! I worked all weekend and have sports all day tomorrow... And the humidity outside right now is like 98%. Isn't life beautiful?

Have a good Monday, y'hear?

Meagan

Tuesday Artwork

Hi all!

I've been meaning to blog for a few days--here I am!

I've left two sets of notes over the last week, and low & behold, BOTH times I was without a camera. Bummer, dude.

For those of you who know me personally, my cell phone is like a small hand grenade and probably takes about as good of a picture as my drawings you will soon be graced with... (AKA, not good)I'm still waiting to upgrade into the G-family, thank you...

Anyway, the first note I left was in a Walmart bathroom. I didn't take a picture (obviously) and scarcely remember what it said. Something along the lines of "Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. You can do it." The first line being a lyric from The Fray. Pretty simple.

Today, however, I was in a Kohls and left the neatest arrangement of notes. I seriously think I let out a big "UGH!" in the bathroom stall when I realized I still hadn't put my camera back in my purse. So, I decided to skip out on leaving the notes...

Just kidding, silly! Of course, I didn't do that. I think that's how I know this project still means something to me... When the best part is not taking a picture that I can put on here, but just being able to LEAVE the notes. Still feels good, if I do say so myself!

Like, I said... It was cool bathroom artwork. So, as an apology for not snapping a picture, I drew one! Please remove any eye hardware prior to viewing... I'm not responsible for any broken lenses.Drawing on paint is hard work! No, I am not that short in real life, and yes, the notes say, "L-O-V-E" and the lower one says, "you!"

In all actuality, the last note said "yourself" at the store, but for the sake of drawing, I just wrote 'you'!

Did you follow that? Sort of confusing. Reminder to self to just bring my camera with me.

Hope you're having a good week! I spent the day on a date with my younger sister and mom... I don't get much quality time with them, so it was sort of nice to catch up. My mother reminded me that my 18th birthday is around the corner (As if I've forgotten... Excuse me, I could probably tell you the number of hours until that glorious day!) and asked if I had any ideas about applying to schools.... What? It's that time? Okay, I was probably done with high school after the first week of my freshmen year, but really? I need to apply for COLLEGE? It seems a bit surreal and a little scary now that it's here! (And yet, 150% exciting). But I don't know what to do! As a disclaimer, for those who have gotten a degree and entered "the real world", you probably think I sound like such a naive teenage girl.

"You have so much time!"

"You don't have to know right now!"

"You'll figure it out soon enough!"

All very true. But eventually, I'll not have so much time and 'soon enough' will become 'soon as NOW'.

So yeah, I realized I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Or what sort of degree I want. Or even where I should apply in the fall. But I do know this... I want to succeed.


I could live without the monster pay checks and 4-car garage. But this is manageable and most desirable, doncha think?

I'm off to get catch some zzz's. G'night, friends!

Meagan

Makin' My Comeback!

(Clearly, I used this because A) it gets the point across, but mostly B) THERE'S A CAT IN IT.)

So, I apologize for the things I left unsaid, obviously! I seriously neglected TPIE for most of June... But holy cow, was it busy! July, though still hoppin', should be much less chaotic.

Would you like the run down of June? Well, if not... Skip it. However, I will feel better if I justify my absence. Exhibit A.

Week 1: Staff training @ camp for work

Week 2: Out of commission--wisdom teeth out. :-(

Week 3: Badger Girl State (government camp)... Don't even ask.

Week 4: Volleyball camp er'day from 9:00 to 3:00. That's AM to PM, to you!

And that takes us up to this first week of July... Sigh. I feel a bit better. That is one rockin' month! Oh, P.S. Happy 4th of July! I keep forgetting. For some reason, it doesn't feel like the holiday until more like 6 o'clock... Have I ever mentioned I love fireworks? If any part of my life qualifies me as a pyromaniac, it's the Fourth of July. Love, love, love!

Anyway, on that note, I better get out and enjoy the nice weather and holiday. Here's a note for y'all! It went up sometime over the last few weeks... In a bathroom, if I remember correctly. A department store? What? Yes, probably either Target or, dare I say it, Walmart!
I'm guessing it went up on one of those 106 degree heat index days... Yeah, what up, Wisconsin. Actually, can you read that? I can't really. It says, "You are as beautiful as the weather is HOT." Word.

Alright, I'm outta here! Have a great holiday!

Meagan

Oh, dear! Oh, dear!

I'm alive, I promise. Will you forgive me? (Ariel?)

Note(s) coming over the next few days... And some general blog love!

Why has thou forsaken? me is swelling from The Post-it Effect.

Sleep tight, little blog. I'll be back to nurture you tomorrow! Pinky swear.

Sincerely,

Meagan

Love