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

TPIE Essay

Happy Friday, er'body!

Hol-y guacamole, it is hot out. And even more than that, HUMID. Yuuuck. Although, I shouldn't be complaining. A few weeks ago, I swore it would still be snowing around this time.In fact, on the note of gratitude, here's my shout out to my yard... Thank you! Even when the weather isn't pulling through, your flowery presence assures me that there are better days ahead.

Yes, I actually took those pictures. Holla.

Well, boy, is the cyber-world in a for a treat! I'm using this post to present my Post-it Effect essay from a few weeks ago. It was our last day of school (Holler again!) and I finally have time to get 'er out there. Ready? Here she is!

I’ve always marveled at the simplicity it can take to practice kindness. As a child, being kind was as trivial as sharing toys, borrowing crayons, and being polite. Somewhere along the line, however, we lose sight of these small acts of genuineness. Soon, kindness looks like giving up massive amounts of time to volunteer and donating huge financial numbers. Compassion becomes a chore, even a burden to some. What would it look like to revert back to our “old” and elementary ways of kindness? That was one of many questions that inspired me to begin blogging about a self-initiated challenge which I would come to call “The Post-it Effect”.

The Post-it Effect, as a project, was created in my ambition to better the world. Feeling a bit limited as a full-time student, living in a fairly small and ordinary town, I decided to begin a project in which I would leave Post-it notes in random places for strangers to find. My notes were painted with hopeful optimism and encouraging confidence through small words, phrases, and quotes. Between short, everyday expressions like “Keep smiling!” to longer quotations spoken by famous individuals, inspiration through words was the name of my game. Blogging played its part by providing a place to record this endeavor. Through pictures of the notes I was leaving and my own personal commentary, I hoped to track my growth as the trial developed. The Post-it Effect, although being an active part of my life, was seldom known but to a few of my close friends. I’ve now come to realize that by not associating myself with the notes I was leaving, the motive behind The Post-it Effect was able to shine brighter.

In addition to that realization, I gained many more insights through my note-leaving. After penning hundreds of uplifting Post-its, each note had a way of cementing its truth into my own heart. There’s something about telling someone how beautiful, capable, or unique they are that acts as reminder for myself. I’ve also noticed that giving advice is easy, but living it in is the challenge. Leaving notes for strangers has challenged me to mirror the messages I’m sending. The Post-it Effect has also broadened my scope of kindness. Knowing the power of one sticky note, I’ve channeled into so many other trivial, yet powerful, ways of practicing compassion. Most importantly to me, the Post-it project has unveiled an unexplainable love for humanity in my heart. When I know that anyone could find one of my messages, it truly brings to light the desire for acceptance, encouragement and love that is hidden in us all. Regardless of my interests, beliefs, or opinions, I leave knows that have the potential to touch anyone. That exhilarating, motivating, and promising thought brings me back to that elementary idea of kindness every time.

Awww. So cute. ;-) If I would have had more room to run with it (I did have a rubric to please) I probably would have written a bit more... And made a more solid conclusion. However, the paper was required to be no longer than a page in length, so there ya go!

It was sort of fun to write about the blog, though. I always wish I could talk about it more than I do. (Cue decision for future blogging goals/desires...) Oh yeah, I'm still working on those.

Anyway, hope you have a lovely weekend. These first few days will feel like any normal weekend, but come Monday, I'm putting my SUMMER PANTS ON!

Peace out,

Meagan