Christmas Survey

So, can you tell that I'm bored at work? Tomorrow is my last day, and I've been doing absolutely nothing all week except prepping to leave and training my replacement. There's been a lot of down time. A LOT. So....boredom = spending time filling out stupid surveys!!! Yes. Enjoy:


1) Have you been naughty or nice this year?
No

2) What do you want most for Christmas?

To be at home with my family and not stuck in a wheelchair accessible hotel room in Abilene by myself after driving on an ice packed road behind a semi truck for 8.5 hours.

3) Do you believe in Father Christmas?

Are you talking about Santa? No, I've never believed in him. My parents were horrible liars, I saw right through them.

4) What is your favorite food at Christmas?
The orange I get in my stocking.
5) Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?
Yes. I took off 1/2 a day of work just to go so I would miss the crowd. Has anyone seen Northpark Mall on a Saturday? I would actually rather die than go there.
6) Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?
I think I have!
7) What is your favorite Christmas song?
Defiantly Breath of Heaven - Amy Grant all the way, baby.
8) What is your favorite Christmas movie?
Tie between It's a Wonderful Life and Love Actually
9) What is your best memory of Christmas?
When we were little we would get up at like 5:00 am on Christmas morning, we were so excited. My parents would close the door into the Living Room so we couldn't see in while "Santa" was still trying to set up the gifts. (again, they didn't exactly try very hard to sell the Santa thing). I just remember pushing my face against the crack in the door as hard as I could trying to peek into the room. Don't know if that's my best memory, it's just what came to mind. OH! also, I loved giving my dad the Nascar race gift. He was so happy! It was great.
10) What do you look forward to most at Christmas?
Family
11) What are you doing for Christmas this year?
Family
12) What kind of Christmas tree do you have?
The only one I have right now is a 6" tall scented tree made out of potpourri that I dug out of my office file cabinet while I was cleaning it out. I think I got it when I first stared working here. It's about to get trashed.
13) Do you take part in a secret Santa?
We do it every year for work by putting 3 things that we want on the back of our business card and everyone draws names. This year I got Lauren, and then I lost her card, and I have no idea what she had written on it. So, guess who's getting a Target gift card?
14) Do you go to any Christmas parties?
Work Christmas Party is tomorrow. They are actually usually pretty fun. I like seeing what people's spouses look like.
15) Have you ever had a white Christmas?
I don't want to talk about it. See question #2 above.
16) Do you still get a stocking?
Ummm, duh.

17) What is your Christmas wish?

Oh you know, just for no more lives to be torn apart, then wars would never start, and time would heal all hearts, and a new lens for my camera.


In all seriousness, all I really want is to be home, on Christmas, in my bed, with full and complete knowledge that I am loved :) That's the plan. 1 more day of work!!!! Praise the Lord!

my grown up Christmas list:

So, I realize that this is way too late to actually think of receiving any of these things, Santa has probably already maxed out his credit card with gifts by now :)However, I really just love making well thought out lists. So for my own enjoyment, and perhaps yours, here are some of my favorite items that are on my Christmas wish list this year.

1) Electric Toothbrush: because I've had a lot of dental work done lately & feel like one of these could have prevented that.

2) Brown Fleece from Pantagonia: Because I'm too stubborn to buy into The North Face fleece craze, and this is cooler.

3) This necklace from Franchesca's: Because it would go perfectly with the dress I bought for Bailey's wedding. (I might actually go buy it for myself today).

4) Nike Air Max + 2010 Women's Running Shoe: Because, don't these just look totally awesome?

5) This book about Digital Photography: Because I genuinely want to know more about photography & this is less expensive than a $1000 workshop in Santa Fe.

Oh - and I forgot to mention for everyone to have a friend & right to always win :)

I can't believe Christmas is almost here! It's such a wonderful time of year, I just wish it didn't sneak up on me so quickly this year. I want to know what your Christmas wish list items are!

Hallelujah! (and happy Monday)

great day in the mornin'

On Saturday I was lucky enough to spend the entire day with 2 of my absolute most favorite people in the world. Yup, you guessed it...the incomparable,the amazing, the lovely.....Leigh and Kelly! Oh man oh man oh man, I am going to miss these ladies! We had a great time in Fort Worth for my "last hoora" in DFW. Here's a breakdown of our activities:

•  We met at Tillman's Road House for lunch. Great food and great interesting design scheme. What more could 3 Interior Designers ask for? I love unique restaurants, this one did not disappoint.

• Kelly, Leigh and I. (+ Baby Avery!)

• Still at Tillman's...we couldn't resist taking some silly photos :) Aren't these two adorable? I love them.

• Hmmmm...one of us is actually prego. The other two are posers. I'll let you decide which is which.

• Then...Onward to the Kimbell! Where we walked amongst artwork by some of the most renowned artists in history. I've always wanted to go and Leigh & Kelly made it happen! I wouldn't have wanted to go with anyone else. It's so cool to come within inches of art that I've only admired in textbooks. Also we had fun pretending to be all artsy fartsy.

• Photos from a huge interactive sculpture at The Modern. Cool echo effect when you're inside it. It beats Echo Point at ACU, by about 10,000 cool points.
• Other activities of the day included, but were not limited to: Visits to Ft. Worth Camera Shop, Famous Footwear, The Dollar Store, Cabbage Rose Fabric Store, Sonic Pit-stop, Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens, Dillard's, Game Stop, The Limited, and last but not least, we rested our feet and ate our dinner while enjoying a showing of Morning Glory at Movie Tavern....ahhhh.

What a perfect day with some great friends. I'm going to miss you soo much, I can't really even think about it too long or I get all emotional. I'm absolutely going to make plans to go see that precious little baby before she turns 1 yr. old, you can bet your bottom dollar on that.

good news

" You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. "

Romans 5:6-8

This scripture just popped up on my computer screen & I just had to share. (Well, it didn't just "pop up" out of nowhere, though that would have been cool. I subscribe to a daily Bible verse email at work, keeps me honest). The profound truth & joy found in this just hit me today. I love it when God speaks to us this way. "Your love is better than all fruitless joys...You are better..."

fall photo catch-up

I've been accumulating a lot of photos recently. Here is a short re-cap of my fall activities so far:

Went to a Rangers game with Kasey & Nathan who are ENGAGED! So exciting! Even though the Rangers didn't win the World Series, at least I can say that I saw their team play this season with some good friends. The fireworks display was amazing too!

My sweet little girl came to visit me in Dallas! Erin & Todd came down one weekend & I got to show Ellie what it's like to live the Dallas lifestyle. I think she was a fan, she had fun playing in the park across from my apartment. Cutie.

Erin & Todd :) I probably don't tell you this enough, but ya'll are among the contenders for being my favorite people.

And then I got to come down to Tyler with Erin & Todd to visit Don & Pam Faubus. It happened to be the weekend that they host an annual hayride for their church. So fun & Ellie loved it :) Such a great Fall tradition!

Mallory, Meredith & I got to go to a concert by Ben Rector & Drew & Ellie Holcomb. The were all completely talented & put on a great show! Such a fun night!

juicy confessions

Here are some recent juicy confessions of the goings-on of my non-stop action packed life lately :)


Confessions:

• The other night I watched an entire movie on mute and just read the captions because I thought it was too scary but I still wanted to know what happened. (and I still thought it was a little too scary, even on mute).
• On Saturday I sprained my ankle while running. I was so embarrassed that I just sat on the side of the road and pretended to be stretching for about 10 minutes and then silently cursed the people who passed by giving me weird looks.
• I didn't really care if the Rangers won or lost. Not really.
• On Sunday I did not leave my apartment once. Not even to go to church. My excuses are: 1) I have a sprained ankle 2) I overslept and missed the morning services 3) I'm working on a bunch of projects and got really into them. 4)and 5) I am lazy heathen.
• It is very likely that I am not going to vote today.
• I put a fake status update on Sara Black Craddock's facebook wall last night. It said "I think it's time I talked to my Dr. about overactive bladder." I feel bad about it now but at the time I thought it was funny.
• I still have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do at the end of January.

What I like about you

You really know how to dance! YEAH!!

Jk, that's an oldies song. But lately I've been thinking a lot about how much I DIS-like my current location, I thought it was about time that I switched gears and started appreciating what I DO like. I'm not completely miserable here in Big D, and I am truly going to miss LOTS of things about it. Because this is my blog, and this is what I do, I've compiled a list.

Things that I will absolutely miss about living in Dallas: (these are not in any order of importance):

• My apartment. I wish I could uproot this place and move it with me. I love the location, I love the space I have, I love that the kitchen cabinets just happen to blend perfectly with my blue and green dishes and green sofa. I even like having my landlord's family close by to keep an eye on things and have grown a little bit attached to their 3 sweetheart babies.
• Jogging in my neighborhood. I live in a quiet pleasant neighborhood and  people are always out running/ walking dogs/ riding bikes/ mowing the lawn, etc. I like feeling like I'm a part of this little community. Somehow getting in my routine jog makes living in Dallas feel a little less like a rat-race.
• Dinners at the Craddock's. Oh man, Sara and Brandon have been my life-savers in Dallas. They lived literally 1 minute away from me when we lived at the Village. Now they have their own house and they were the 1st people I called when my apartment got broken into. Sara has an entire grocery store supply of actual real people food in her freezer. Plus they're just all around good friends who I never tire of hanging out with. Which is probably why I constantly overstay my welcome and eat them out of house and home whenever I get the chance. Never-the-less, I always feel welcome at the Craddock's. I'm going to miss you so much! I can't start thinking about it too hard or I start getting teary.
• Knowing my way around. Might not sound like much, but I'm just now figuring out how to get around in this darned city and I don't like the feeling of not knowing where I am and where I'm going. Story of my life lately though. Figuratively speaking.
• Kasey Wilson. Kasey!!! I will just miss you so much! I will miss our random hang-outs that always seem to end in late-night heart-to-heart conversations, running events together, making Taco Soup, camping trips, planning camping trips, and now your wedding! I'm extremely happy for you and Nathan. I remember when we went on our last camping trip and you were so nervous about how Nathan hadn't responded to your facebook message :) Now you're getting married!!! It's encouraging to be a witness to how God's plan for you has unfolded this past year. I feel like I've made a life-long friendship, thanks for sharing your best friend with me, Erin.
• Being within a 5 mile radius of a Central Market, (2) Tom Thumbs, (2) Whole Food Markets, a Kroger and an Albertson's...I am pretty much never far away from mounds and mounds of food.
• Northpark Mall, Mockingbird Station, Lakewood Strip Mall, Preston Center, Snider Plaza, The Galleria....I may sound like a shopaholic but GOOD GRIEF, you cannot deny that this town has got some excellent shopping. This might make it on the "dislike" list as well because of all the money spending temptations.
• Having an income. NOT having a job, I won't miss that. But I WILL miss that bi-monthly deposit...
• Mallory and Jordan. My sweet little cousin Mallory, oh I will miss you! I've loved having you here close, somehow even if we don't see each other a lot, it's just comforting to know that you're here. I'm so proud of you and Jordan, I know it's ridiculous but I sometimes think it's just amazing that ya'll are old enough to be living on your own in the big city. To me you will always be my little cousin-friend :)
• White Rock Lake. I don't feel that I've taken full advantage of all that you have to offer, White Rock. But I love driving by you, and occasionally riding my bike or taking a jog about your shores. Mostly I like knowing that you're there, like a little bit of wilderness in the middle of all these manicured lawns and concrete.
• Ethnic appreciation nights with Ashley Ketchersid. This is a long standing tradition that will stand the test of time, I am confident. We're going to make it happen again before I leave this place, AK. You can bet your white butt. (Like how I censored that for my blogging audience?)
• Being near my buddies Leigh & Kelly. Oh, my life friends, you will be so missed! Sometimes you make friends in college who for whatever reason don't last. Leigh & Kelly are not those friends. I will miss being within driving distance of you both, but I'm not worried that we will make time to still get together no matter where life's road leads me. You are both so precious to me! And I'm so excited about Leigh's baby girl coming soon! She will be a welcome member of the group, I think I already love her :)
• The Village Church and Church friends. I feel so blessed to have found some really great church friends at The Village. It's a big church, and there is lots of diversity there, but somehow (by somehow I mean, by the grace of God), I found some great people who I can really relate to, and who have walked with me and grown together in our relationship with God. A lot of them have slowly dispersed this past year so it feels right that I should move on too. But we will definitely keep in touch and hopefully reunite someday! And I will definitely be keeping up with what God is doing there through Matt Chandler's podcasts. He is truly doing amazing things through Matt and the people in Dallas. If you haven't experienced it first hand you should really check it out. I'm allowed to plug on my own blog, right?

cha cha cha changes

I guess this is old new to most of you who read this, but a few months ago I made a decision to quit my job here in Dallas. After a week long trip home at the end of July I got to spend a lot of time with my family, as well as time to get away from work and really think about what I want to do, where I want to be, and who I want to be with.  I came to the conclusion that I needed to either dive head first into life as a permanent Dallasite, or move on to something and somewhere new. Dallas & I have never gotten along very well anyway, I'm not cut-throat enough I guess, so my decision was easy. MOVE ON! I wasn't expecting to actually quit my job the next week though. I feel the need to explain something for anyone who thinks I'm crazy for doing this.
The way my company works is different than some in that the "Project Coordinators" like me, are the main points of contact for our clients. Most of the time they don't need to talk to my bosses unless they have major issues, which hopefully they don't :). I have multiple clients who depend on me & I've formed good working relationships with through my 3 years here. When I returned to my job after Border Town Days my bosses told me that they had just acquired a new "Class A" job and one of my clients, who I've worked with since I started here, was heading it up. One of their "selling points" for getting the job was that he would be working directly with me, and went on to elaborate on how JCI doesn't switch designers mid-project, always the same point of contact, etc.... As they were telling me this I was cringing inwardly. I had already made up my mind to quit, but I didn't want to do it that soon. I've never done really well with sudden change, ideally I like to slowly & gradually ease into it. But, I also didn't want to start this huge project, knowing full well that I would be leaving before it was completed. Plus I know myself well enough to know that I just wouldn't be dedicated enough to be in charge of something like that when mentally I had already basically checked out.  I've never had a good head for business. I understand that "business isn't personal" concept, but I have a hard time putting it into practice. Because it's always personal when there are other souls involved, sometimes that's not a bad thing.
So, long story short, I talked to my bosses on the morning of my 25th birthday, August 9th. I told them about my decision to move on. And I am telling you, I've never felt such a weight lifted. We talked and decided that I would stay on until December, finishing up the existing projects that I have already been working on, then transitioning into more of a support role until the end of the year. SO....now I'm moving! Although it doesn't feel like it, I'm still here & working on finishing up some existing projects so nothing has really changed yet. And I have no idea where or what I'll end up doing. I don't have another job, and I'm still not completely sure where I'll be living (yes, I know all you Nashville family are so sure I'm moving there but I don't remember actually telling anyone that for sure). But I'm actually looking forward to my future for the first time in a while. The unknown is actually 10 times better, and 100 times more exciting than thinking about staying at the same job for the next 5 yrs. So far all I've actually decided on is that I don't want to live in Dallas anymore, but that one decision has changed my attitude so much! All of the sudden it doesn't seem so bad now :) But I know it's only because there's an end in sight. Oh, and I just want to give a shout out to all my Dallas friends who have been the SOLE reason I've even stayed here this long. Without you....I just don't know...I don't want to think about it. Anyway, thanks for humoring me with this incredibly too long ramble. If you've continued reading this far I know you're a true friend :)
Please pray for guidance in decision making for me, as well as patience to be able to finish up here with grace. Love you, Meagan

People of the State Fair:

I know this one isn't exactly a person, but I had to include it. I guess they either didn't notice or didn't think there would be anyone at the fair who would.

Do you think she's wearing a bump-it?

There's no way this is real, but it's still freaky!

This is State Fair innovation at its finest. Paper towel on the head (or REALLY bad toupee?) + fanny pack. 

This woman was my white whale of the fair. I kept trying to get a good photo of her face because she had the most incredible makeup job I've ever seen...these are the best I could get though without getting all up in her face with my camera. I'm pretty sure I would have regretted that. Love the bleach blond curly rat-tail though.

Not much to say here, this is an unflattering photo but I bet she's probably a cool girl.

And, for the grande finale! I snapped this on my way out. What can I say except that this outfit probably took 2 hrs for her to put on.

*disclaimer: I intentionally chose not to photograph people who couldn't help their "photo-worthiness". All of these photos are simply my documentation of what people have consciously chosen to present to other fair-goers. I just wanted to make that clear. All in good fun :)

meet me at THE fair...

A few bullet points from my visit to the Texas State Fair yesterday:

• We rode the DART there & back & I almost got my arm stuck in the automatic door.
• I saw an exotic giant owl poop on a crowd of people.
• I did NOT eat fried frito pie, fried oreos, or fried butter.
• I did eat a corn dog, a snow-cone, drank lemonade & ate some cyclone potato chips.
• Rode the Ferris Wheel.
• Mostly occupied myself with taking "People of the State Fair" photos.
• Wasted 10 coupons trying to hit 12 balloons with darts, it's impossible.
• Used the grossest restroom I've ever had to use in my life.

All things considered, I had a pretty good time. It made me want to watch the movie "Meet me in St Louis" with Judy Garland.

Labor Day Weekend

This weekend I got to spend time with my absolute favorite person in the world! Yup, you guessed it. Ellie Fair Faubus. We had fun playing outside in the beautiful Arkansas weather! Here are a few pics from the trip:

Ellie is getting so good at walking! She loves wearing her shoes :)

Happy girl! This only lasted a few minutes, then she was tired of the outdoors:

"Run, Ellie!"

Layla was born to be a Wildcat :)

Don Don & Layla chillaxin:

Todd with his happy little girl:

Oh, Grayer. I can't help but take pictures of him:

Another bath in the kitchen sink:

Cowboy Grayer. The kids had so much fun on Ellie's new rocking horse!

Cowgirl Layla:

Cowgirl Ellie:

Cutie pie :)

Oh, I love this little face! I loved getting to spend time with my girl. Hope you're having fun in Texas this week sweet baby!

a kindred spirit

Last night I couldn't sleep and was in a restless mood so I started to re-read a bunch of my past journal entries, mostly because it was the first book within reach of my bed. Yes, blog, I also keep a journal, don't be jealous. Not very religiously though. In the past 2 years I probably have about 10 entries. Mostly I tend to write in it when I'm deeply troubled by something. Sometimes it helps to get my scrambled thoughts out on paper and then try to arrange them into something that makes sense. So...I noticed while I was reading that every time there has been a common theme.


I seem to struggle most with feeling too inadequate for God. I know He doesn't want that, but I can't help myself sometimes. I feel as though I shouldn't, or can't ask Him for things. Like the things that are important to me are so trivial in the shadow of the world's greatest problems. Plus, He's done everything for me and what have I done for Him? I know it's not biblical, or rational. But whenever I spend a lot of time alone these thoughts always seem to creep into my brain. It affects my prayer life, naturally as well as my whole attitude about myself and others. So, last night I didn't sleep much wrestling with these negative thoughts, and got up early to go take my car to the dealership to get worked on. I had to take the shuttle back to work and I happened to be the only one riding that early in the morning, so I rode up front with Jerry.


Jerry is 70 yrs old, and perhaps the sweetest little man I've ever met. I love older people. Especially older people with "character" and you can tell just by looking at Jerry that he has it overflowing. Jerry spends every day shuttling unhappy people with car trouble around Dallas. I started talking to him, and before I even realized it we were discussing God & life & family. You can tell by the way Jerry speaks that he's a Christian. The first thing he said to me was that he is so blessed because God let him get up this morning. Oh, to have that kind of attitude! Jerry has the natural gift of encouragement. Isn't it odd that sometimes a complete stranger is easier to talk to than friends & family you've know for years? He encouraged me to not be afraid to make drastic changes & trust in God. He told me about his past growing up in New York City & how he met his wife. After my 15 minute ride to work, I felt like God had sent Jerry just in time to improve me, or maybe to just reassure me that I'm not all that bad, that He's in control & that I'm deserving of love.


Anyways...Jerry & I hit it off. Who knew I would find a kindred spirit in 70 yr. old married shuttle driver? I know I might relate way too many things in life to this band, but it reminds me of the Caedmon's Call song "Bust Driver". Who knows how many people Jerry influences with his awesome Godly attitude?
Thank you, God for loving me enough to pursue my heart & help me to seek Yours with so much passion.

Brother get's married :)

My baby brother got married last weekend! It was such a sweet wedding, I took a lot more pictures than this but blogger makes it so difficult to upload photos that I had to limit them to just a few. I'm so glad that I got to be there. Becky was such a pretty bride! Congrats to you both, I love you!

Becky's hair looked so beautiful:

Trevor & Best-man Colby getting ready:

The ring:

The Groom:

The lovely Bride:

You may kiss the bride!

Trev's flip-flops:

Becky's flip-flops:

Cutting the cake:

First dance as Mr. &Mrs. Norton:

Wedding rings:

I wish you all the sweetest happiness & blessings in you marriage, Trevor & Becky.