I'm a Big Girl Now! (Almost)

Hello, again Blogger.



Been a while since I last posted for you!  So, here's whats going on in my life right now:

• doing the whole job search thing
• still unpacking from college & from getting back from Ashley's where I spent the summer
• have successfully managed to visit a majority of my friends up in VT since I've been home
• trying to decide where I'm going to live; and if/when I can afford to move in on my own
• managing how weird it feels to not be moving back into college today

Originally the plan was for Rosie and I to get an apartment in Barre, but that's not a healthy decision for me for lots of reasons which I don't really wish to divulge to strangers on the internet.  Let's just say I have a past   with Barre and I don't want to put myself in a position where I will feel unsafe or ambushed.

SO-I am contemplating where I really want to be so I can start job searching in that area and figure out life piece by piece.  To start I'll be living at home and commuting to work wherever I decide is the area I want to reside, so I'm trying to be smart and realistic about what I can afford, how much commuting my car can take until I make the big move, and where the best place for me is in Vermont.  

In the meantime I'm daydreaming about what it'll be like to finally be on my own, to be a real adult working the typical American 40 hr week, and how incredible it'll feel to finally be financially independent from my family.  I can't wait to be able to pay all my own bills every month while chipping away at my student loans that will be coming due in a few more months!  However, step 1 is finding that first career-level job to put my degree to work.

Self-sufficiency at it's finest!!!

I'll need lots of luck so feel free to leave your well-wishes below.  Much appreciated!

If anyone has any suggestions or tips on searching for and obtaining a first apartment or what the first year out of college looks like-feel free to leave those below as well.

From my brain to yours,

xoxo Megan

My Big Decision

Today is the day.

Friday the 13th, 2012.

I have officially written to The University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH to see if they can defer my acceptance for a year.  Which means....

I have decided to find an awesome full time job with benefits for at least a year, and to get an apartment in Barre, VT with Rosie!!!

I'm so excited!  I can't wait to find my financial foothold as a real adult and to finally be able to feel financially independent from my family!  I'll be able to afford my own things, my mom won't be stuck with my bills as well as hers anymore, and it'll just be much better for everyone, all around.  =)

I have been applying for jobs like a crazy person.  Hopefully one of them (a few, preferably) will want me and be willing to take me on.  I'd love to find at least one, but it'd be nice to have a choice, as well.  "The starting median salary for a social worker [is] $33,400" (http://www.socialworkersspeak.org/media/nasw-responds-to-article-on-worst-paying-college-degrees.html).  That's a $676 paycheck every week (before taxes), which is $17.41/hr if you work a 40 hr week.  I mean, according to the article it's 'supposedly' one of the worst paying college degrees, but $17/hr is more than I've ever been paid in my lifetime.  Clearly, I will be very excited about this kind of paycheck.

I'm also SUPER EXCITED to start my first ever apartment hunt!  Luckily Rosie is also looking for a new place to live right now, so we're trying to find a nice 2 bedroom and split all the costs for rent/utilities/etc.

Probably what we'll have to use for furniture at least to get started...

I can't wait to start my real adult life and to live in an apartment which for the first time, I'll finally be able to afford!  AHH! 

Please wish me luck in all my endeavors.  I have a lot to learn and get used to as I get ready to embark on my new life path, so I'll need all the well-wishing I can get!

My goal is to get moved into a nice cozy apartment (with heat included in the rent price) before the snow flies in Vermont.  If you have any advice please leave it below!

Stream 1

Because I suck at finding inspiration to sit and write about, I decided to get started with a stream of consciousness piece.  Here it is:

I believe everything happens for a reason.  Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  One door closes, another opens.  Insert a multitude of other such cliches here.

Often it is hard to see past the negative aspects to this crazy, dramatic thing called life.  One word has hardly ever held so much room for interpretation or emotional turmoil.  Some see life as a blessing or gift, others as a curse.  How is one's lot in life determined?  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Is Karma broken?  Is Karma real?  The human race has often wondered about its place in "the grand scheme of things", as they say.  Are we alone in the universe?  Does a god preside over all of creation?  And what does that say about those who choose to believe in such a power that may or may not exist?  What does that say about atheists?

Are humans meant to be strictly logical creatures, living as empirical scientists?  Are we meant to be intuitive, emotional creatures--living passionately and without law or governance?

Many say that in order to survive you must be able to adapt.  Why is it then, that little pebbles survive longer on this terrestrial planet than living people, who are always searching for self-improvement?  The adaptability theory seems flawed.

These are big questions about life and the human experience.  I don't know the answers.  Maybe I'm not supposed to.  Maybe I can't; human comprehension only goes so far.  We don't even know how to use the entire capacity of the brain's ability to function and process information.

All I really know is who I am and how I experience the world around me.  I live both passionately and rationally, I believe in Karma and I believe that there may be some power, god(s) or goddess(es) in the universe overseeing the grand scheme of things--making sure that the balance of the universe is always in check.

I do not, however, believe that this is an excuse to lay back and let the pieces fall where they may.  All humans have power in that they can make decisions.  If you want your life to be different, then have the courage to make the necessary changes.  Be an active participant in your life.  If you want something, go after it!

Sometimes even after putting in all that hard work things will not go the way you envisioned.  You know what?  That's okay.  It wasn't time for you to go down that path yet.  You have more to learn and more experiences to obtain before taking that path.  Have faith in your life.  Believe that you are exactly where you are meant to be at exactly the right time (even if "exactly the right time" means you are currently 10 minutes late for work).  Things happen for a reason.

Live your life the way you want.  Do the things you want to be remembered for.  Be fearless, and love and respect yourself.  Never stop learning, never stop growing.  Adapt if you need to, remain stagnant if you want to.  The possibilities are endless.

From my brain to yours,
Megan

First Week Back

Ashley showing school spirit by wearing copies of the latest edition of our school newspaper, The Current.

Left hand blue?

This picture is stunning of all three of us!  (Me, Ashley, Cassie).

Kitchen party!

Ashley and I looking adorable.

I successfully survived my first week of my last semester of college!  Whoo hoo!  My classes are mostly so-so, so far.  Hopefully I'll develop more of an affection for them as we move further along in this semester.  Unfortunately senioritis has definitely set in starting from Day 1, so I'll have to stay strong for the remainder of this school year.

Ryan will be joining our party tomorrow when he comes to move back into UVM!  I miss that boy, so that will be fantastic.

All but one of my textbooks have gotten to me in time for class, so I'm waiting patiently for things to get in order.  I have also been selling my textbooks on half.com.  Can I get a HOO-RAH for extra cash?  :D

In other news, my fish are all still alive and doing fairly well.  My plan for when my guppies, Killer and Diana Ross die, is to go to Walmart and get a new set of 5 and create a new bond with new family members.  <3

I don't have much else to report except for that I'm poor and waiting for my refund to come in from the school.  Ryan is going to help feed me over the next few weeks until I have money to go grocery shopping again.  (I love that boy.)  :)  Well will make it through!

What has your first week back to school looked like?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Today is Christmas!!!!

I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, etc. that you have had a fabulous holiday season!

My Christmas was actually quite nice this year.  I spent Christmas Eve with Ryan and his family.  We knitted, watched movies, had a HUGE meal comprising salmon, steak, and assorted veggies, and went to church to carol and remember what Christmas is really about.  Now, I'm not a devoted Christian.  I was baptized Catholic as a child, however once my mother and I moved to Lyndonville we stopped attending church and that part of my life sort of closed.  I'm a cautious Christian now I suppose.  I am picky and choosy about what parts of Christianity I believe in, so I don't feel comfortable calling myself a true Christian.  I believe that there is some higher power, and that perhaps there is a sort of destiny for everyone.  However, I don't consider this as an excuse to lay back and do nothing with my life.  I am still the highly motivated individual I have always been, and always hope to be.

Anyways, moving along.  This year my family and I decided to open presents Christmas Eve as we had extended family coming on Christmas day, and it would have probably been a little awkward for them to watch our family hold our Christmas.  I believe in a small family Christmas-immediate family and a few close friends whom everyone knows intimately.  I feel awkward crashing someone else's Christmas when they are opening presents, and I don't like being put on display for others outside my immediate family and inner circle of friends and having to show and tell each of the gifts I receive.  It just feels weird to me.  So, we had our own intimate family Christmas and then hosted a few family members today, Christmas Day.  It worked out quite nicely!

Here is a list of some of the awesome gifts I received this year from my family (this isn't to brag-I'm just excited about what I've been lucky enough to receive!):

• My own personal Susan (a name Ryan and I have given the voice of the GPS put out by the "For Dummies" company)
• A car radio with a CD player, conversion kit, and CD holder for the car!  Space (my car) came without a CD player-just the radio.  This way I can make my own mixes again and listen to my own music whenever I want!  I just need the money to get to a garage to have a mechanic install everything for me.  :D
• A Tazo Tea kit with 2 tea mugs, Zen tea, and Calm tea (all of which I love).
• Clothing from Lane Bryant!  
• FUZZY SOCKS!  (My fave).
• Earrings from Lane Bryant.
• A necklace and earring set from JCPenny's (I believe).
• Candy dots.
• Hershey's kisses (already eaten).
• A few purses (that I think I am still trying to decide whether I like).
• Twin XL Sheet Set
• A flower-shaped cutting board, lady bug hot plate, and a strainer serving spoon (which is awesome!)
• Bath and Body Works Enchanted Life body spray, body lotion, and body wash.
• Bath and Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Butter (I have used this every day since my sophomore year of high school and I looooove it!)
• 2 little Peppermint and Cotton Candy hand sanitizers from Bath and Body Works.
• Gift cards to the Mobil station and Price Chopper (Yay for gas to get back to Burlington and money to buy enough food to hopefully feed me until my refund check comes in!)
• Dermalogica Wash off, Bedtime for Breakouts, and Ready, Set, Scrub! products (which I also love.  I have tried them for the first time this past semester and they seem to work really well with my skin!  Hooray for gentle ingredients that don't actually do more damage to your skin than good!)

And from Ryan:

• A new pot to cook with since the Teflon was coming off from an old pot I had which necessitated my throwing it away.
• An amazing book he created full of memories between the two of us.  :)  <3

And from Ashley:

• A pair of earrings from Forever 21.
• A small clutch purse (which I love).  
• Yarn to aid me in my knitting endeavors!

Thank you to those of you who have exchanged gifts with me.  I love you all.  <3  Please go into the New Year safely, warmly, and heartily.  Drink and be merry-but also please be safe about it.

Safe and happy expeditions to you all!

xoxox

<3 Megan 

Its Been A Really Long Time...

Hello, everyone!

I haven't really posted more than one or two blog posts this past semester.  The truth is, I haven't really had much to say!  I've been too busy actually enjoying my life and having a great time of it to actually sit down and take the time to share.  So, here is an overview of important things that have happened this semester:

• Straight As!  Whoo hoo!!!
• Internship at The Arbors has been going well!  I'll be ready when I get back for next semester to pick up the pace a little and continue making my time there as awesome as possible.
• Making leaps and bounds through the Netflix queue.  Since Netflix split up its plan with the price increases, I've been subscribed online to the stream online plan.  Once I watch everything I can get through instant streaming, I'll switch to the physical disc mailing plan.  My most recent love has been How I Met Your Mother.  Words cannot describe...
• Grocery shopping and paying bills worked out awesome with my refund from the school up until the last 3 weeks.  I'll need to rethink that for next time.. Haha!
• Ryan and I are still going strong!  We sailed through our 5, 6, 7, and 8 month anniversaries.  April 5th of 2012 will mark our 1 year as an official couple!  YEEAHHHH!!!
• I bought fish!  I started off the summer with 5 guppies.  One died from the stress of the transfer from the store to my tank.  Then there were 4: Cappie (the only one with visible distinguishable marks), and "The Supremes" (the other 3 look-alikes).  Unfortunately now we're down to only two of the Supremes left (whom I have now dubbed Killer and Donna).  **Note, all my guppies were males--however, you have to admit that Cappie and The Supremes is kind of catchy...**  AND the newest addition to the family is a beta named Emmett.  He has his own tank and his own life, and I think that makes him happy.
• Space (my car) has thrived and deteriorated and thrived again!  We're hanging in the balance at around 160,000 miles.  We have winter tires but no snow....and we have oil and antifreeze that remains within the inner workings of the vehicle.  Win for all involved.
• Excellent drunken house parties have occurred: the very realistic Prohibition 1920s Speakeasy (where many of the attendees were underage [of course, this is college] so we all hid in the basement to manage the noise levels-good times), the famous Mustache party (yep-you guessed it. Mustache mandatory for attendance), ALL of Halloween weekend (3 parties in 2 days-not bad!), the quietish Christmas party between close Burlington-bound people in my life, and of course the other various nights that involved going to bars or staying in and mixing fun drinks by ourselves!
• Very few stressful nights worrying about homework and how I'm going to manage all of my classwork plus life in general.  4 classes per semester is PERFECT!  I'm so glad I put in all my hard times my Freshman/Sophomore years.  Senior year is a breeze so far, and I'm loving every second of it!  Sure there have been a few downs or hiccups in the general flow of things, but speaking overall, this has really been my best semester at Champlain so far.
• Oh, and I totally taught myself how to knit over Thanksgiving break via YouTube videos.  Oh yeah.  New life skills FOR THE WIN!

I'm so happy that this year has been going so well.  I can't imagine what this year would have been like with a schedule like my Spring semester of Sophomore year.  (That was when I broke up with Luke, was managing a 12 hr/wk unpaid internship, working as a Peer Advisor for as many hours/wk as was necessary, as well as working ~10hrs/wk for my mandatory work-study hours so I could have a paycheck).  I really wasn't sure I was going to make it that semester.  BUT-I did, and I'm stronger for it.  

I'm proud of myself for all I have accomplished so far.  I work damn hard and I deserve a lot of respect for all I do.  What is next on my list is to start applying for grad schools:  Boston University, Springfield College, University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire.  I'm working on getting all of my required application materials together over this break, and sending them out quite soon once I return to Burlington/Winooski.  

Lastly: I have been a busy beaver over break.  I got home on Friday evening, and it is now Tuesday.  In this time, my mother and I have switched bedrooms.  I'm enjoying being home SO much more.  I don't feel so depressed and aimless as I thought I would.  A big project like this is just what I needed to keep myself busy and motivated.  I seriously got rid of about 5 bags of garbage, and donated another 5 or so to the Salvation Army.  The reason for this is that my old room was about 1/2 the size of the basement (about 1/4 of the entire house).  I moved from this big room to my moms normal-sized bedroom that actually has windows!  She moved into the bigger room.  Therefore, I needed to really focus on getting rid of a lot of my old stuff so that it would all fit into this new, smaller, more manageable room.  I cleaned out everything: stuff from past boyfriends that have been sitting or buried in my room, things I haven't touched or worried about in years, stuff I thought I would definitely need/use but never got around to, and even some stuff I had been emotionally attached to.  However, it was time to let it all go, to let it be free.  While I may still have another bag or two of trash to take out, I feel great!  Cleansed.  Like I'm getting rid of everything so that whatever comes after Champlain will have room to take hold and lead me to where I'm supposed to be-without leaving too much behind.  So far both my mother and I seem happy with the trade.

Well, this wraps everything up rather nicely from the past 4 months of my life.  I feel like I need to find a new purpose for blogging again.  I wish I could be as dedicated as other folks in writing a fabulous blog-stuff other people actually care about instead of something that looks like a journal of my life.  I will gladly accept any and all blogging ideas and suggestions below.  Tell me what you'd most want to hear/learn about!  If it is something that lines up well with my interests or knowledge and expertise, I will try to move the blog in that direction--and work on posting more frequently.  :)

Auf Wiedersehen!

It's Been A While

Hello, everyone!

So, with my laptop finally back in my possession, life is good again.  As of Friday I will be totally ALL caught up on my homework, and I'll be in a good place.

Speaking of Friday, our beloved Eden is coming from 4 hours away at PSU to stay here in Burlington with Ryan and I for the weekend!  This is the first time she'll have been able to see the UVM/Champlain campuses (campii?) from the Meg Ryan point of view.  It is going to be spectacular.  :)

In other news, I've been very gluttonous the past few days.  It sucks.  I need to kick it up a notch.  I was treated by Res Life to an amazing dinner at the Olive Garden last night, and I ate soooo much.  And Ryan got me a bag of Lindor Milk Chocolate truffles....which are mostly gone.  So...needless to say...I should maybe do some crunches tonight?!  I need to lose this weight!!! Even if I have to find a way to shake and shimmy every night for an hour or so!

Another factoid of my life: I may or may not be able to get a car over Spring Break.  So, here's the deal.  My 21st birthday falls on Spring Break from college.  This year (along with receiving the legal right to drink alcohol,) my mother was planning to get me my first car EVER!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!  BUT-this is all dependant on when she gets her Federal Tax Refund back.  She sent her forms out about 2 weeks ago, and they JUST got there the day before last.  Um...what?  Post office fail or federal government fail?  Maybe both.  They're the same thing, really. 

Soooo...here's my deal.  I thought I would finally have the chance to feel like I'm on equal footing (or tires?) with everyone else my age.  I've been driving my mothers car since I was 15.  It's really hard to hear other kids saying "Oh, let's just take my car" as if it's no big deal for 6 years.  It gets old after a while.  It shouldn't be such a touchy subject, but for those who don't have something that everyone else takes for granted...it's frustrating. 

Having a car is something that Vermont kids (especially) place a lot of value on.  Having your first car means you can finally have freedom.  Because it takes at LEAST a 15 minute drive to get anywhere worthwhile in VT, if you don't have a car, you're pretty much stuck.  I'm so sick of having to depend on other people's schedules and moods to determine whether or not I get to go somewhere.  I've dealt with it for 21 years of my life, the past 6 of which have felt extremely long.  I want to be a normal person with a car!  I would like to not have to depend on stupid bus schedules or mooch off friends for rides to the grocery store!  I would like to not have to barter with my mother during my breaks from school about if she has to work tomorrow, and if I can borrow her car. 

Long story short...this has been a long time coming.  I feel like a donkey with a carrot being dangled in my face.  The federal government better get their $H!T together and hurry up with my mother's refund so I can stop feeling like an inadequate college student.  Please and thank you.

(One vehicle my mom told me about was for sale in W. Rutland or somesuchplace.  It's a black Saturn Vue.  My mom currently has a blue one, but black works for me too!  We're looking into getting a standard because I have so much fun driving a stick shift.  Here's what one will potentially look like:)

Cute, right?  :)

I'm going to do my best to be patient.  I mean, even if I don't get the vehicle (which I really hope I do...otherwise some other plans of mine might be a little screwed...) I can still do this:

FYI...my mother has plans to get me drunk.  It's been a plan in motion since I was 9.  :)

SO-I hope this catches you up to where I'm at in life.  I have missed Blogger!  It feels good to write this out of my system.  <3

Until next time...
May the road rise to meet you (but not too quickly...)
XOXO
-Megan

Netflix Queue

Hello, Blogosphere!

Today I'm here to chat with you all about Netflix, and what my queue currently looks like. 

Back in October, I finally decided that I was sick of trying to (illegally) stream videos and things to watch when I got bored (and deal with the stress of wondering if I had infected my computer with a virus in the process,) so I decided to give Netflix a try after noticing that it really wasn't a scam, and that many of my college counterparts are also signed up.

Long story short, I LOVED it.  I quickly went through and found literally hundreds of titles that I've wanted to see but haven't had the chance, as well as oldies but goodies.  Unfortunately, my excitement was capped when I reached the 500 title limit for the queue.  Hahahaha.  Awesome.

Since then, I've been working hard to bring down the queue to a more manageable level, which is sometimes really rather difficult considering some of the other stuff I have on my list (separate from the queue) consists of about 40 television shows I've wanted to see or have heard pretty good things about, but never had time/was able to sit down and watch them as they were aired on television. 

Now-I'm making up for lost time.  At 500 movies and 40 television shows (not counting the many seasons some of them have,) I definitely have my work cut out for me.

Now, what's taking so long?  Well, when I signed up for Netflix I told Ryan we would be able to watch a lot of these movies together, and when we were both satisfied, we could delete the title from the queue.  That turned out to be a much more difficult process than originally intended.  Our schedules are both very hectic, so it's becoming a 'Megan-watches-a-movie-and-rates-it-and-when-Ryan-watches-it-he-can-delete-it-from-the-Queue' sort of process.  Currently, I'm at about 450-something movies in the physical queue (the ones that physically get sent to your mailbox,) and about 48 titles in the Instant Watch queue.

In short-we're working on it.  :)  There's a LOT of really great media out there, and I'm proud to be supporting Netflix with my business.  They have an amazing company, and I think I'll be registered with them until the day I die (or run out of movies and television shows to watch.) 

XXOO

-Megan

Friends

I miss Ashley.  I miss Velvet.  I've missed Eden.  And I miss Ryan again.

Whyyyyy???  We should all just buy a house and live together.

Ashley is getting ready to have an awesome and amazing time in Ireland. 

Velvet is livin' the life in New York.

Eden is making bank in Plymouth.

And Ryan is stuck home with no internet and TV.

Poop.

I hope everyone is getting ready to have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  Also, I'm excited to begin a new year.  Start fresh, and all that jazz.

In parting, I'll leave you with "Baby It's Cold Outside."

Also, I JUST LOST THE GAME!!!!

<3

"Gentle Mornings"

Today's post is to explain to you how excited I am to have what I like to call

"Gentle Mornings"

every day over my Thanksgiving Break.  Here's a Wordle bundle of words for some adjectives (because I'm not as good at thinking of them on my own like Ashley is:



I apologize that it is so hard to read, but Wordle makes it difficult to save the image of what you've created after it's done.  :)

To explain further, Gentle Mornings are those mornings when you wake up in a nice warm bed, there are no noises throughout the house, the sun is beating in through the window on your comforter, and you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.  Following getting out of bed at your own pace, you walk along the hardwood floor hallway out into the kitchen where you look through the full-length sliding glass door at the bright blue sky and the seagulls playing in the wind currents.  You find a nice, rotund bowl of fruit sitting on an island in your kitchen, you sit on one of the bar stools at the island, and take your time savoring the taste and texture of honeydew, cantaloupe, oranges, clementines, watermelon, apples, pineapple, bananas, and pears-a serious indulgence of the 5 senses.  Then when you find yourself full, you walk back along that hardwood floor hallway and slip in the shower.  Once clean, you are ready for your day.

See?  Doesn't that sound nice?

These kinds of mornings I don't get too often, so when I do, I hold onto them and remember them. 

Gentle Mornings do NOT include the following: cell phones, alarms, yelling, stress, frustration, junky foods, uncomfortable temperatures, rough fabrics, time limits, restrictions, crying (unless it's due to joy,) television, radio stations (unless there is soft/soothing music playing,) or any other person who exhibits or participates in anything listed above that morning.

Gentle Mornings are all about you, and getting your mind in the right place to do what you need to do for the day.  Kind of like yoga...but not so dangerous.  :)

 XXOO

<3 Megan <3

To Ryan, Forever And Always

Hello, everyone!

So tomorrow when I wake up it's time to weigh in!  Last I knew I had lost about 5 lbs over the course of the past week, and already I'm starting to feel it.  It's easier to move, to get around, and the pain has lessened in my feet and hips after I've been on my feet for a while.  However, I won't have the actual results to post to you until tomorrow.  :)

Now, to business.  I'm taking another 1-post hiatus from the focus of losing weight, and putting it on something/someone else in my life.  Ryan has blogged recently about his doings and going-ons at the Haskell Opera House this summer, what with rehearsing Curtains, and more recently the putting on of the actual show.  If you've lost the link to Ryan's blog, follow him here.

First off let me say, awww my baby has grown up so fast!!!!  Staring out as a soprano with me back in 7th/8th grade, and singing songs like "Hero", "Dancing Queen", and something about a bell dying?, now to this amazing tenor voice that reaches every nook and cranny of the opera house, Ryan is coming into his own as a performer.

I know I will never be the one belting everything I have in me on stage (my voice isn't strong enough for that), but that's okay-that's what Ryan is here for.  I am needed elsewhere in the world, but Ryan always has and always will belong on the stage.  My place is in the audience, providing unending support and love for the person in my life I know is going to go places.  (I just hope that after he gets the swanky house and swimming pool I can come visit-often.  Maybe daily?  Or like, make every night a sleepover?  Please?)  ;)

Every consecutive time I've see Ryan perform I find myself smiling bigger and bigger.  (Except, of course for the times I've performed with him, in which case it's "LIGHTS ON!" and everyone has to have a smile plastered on, regardless.)  It's clear to see that he's gaining skills and confidence with each role he successfully completes, and his resume is already pretty extensive without even have graduated college yet! 

Ryan, you have such a power in your voice now that is SO extraordinary.  I want you to know how fucking proud of you I am, and that even though I'll never be on par with you vocally, I love singing with you.  I love being in your audience, and I love being there to support you in all the rest of the process.  Your voice makes me happy, and just FYI-I'm going to be around forever.  So, you might as well get used to having groupies everywhere you go, cuz...mmm, you know.  (P.S.-I hope you're crying now.  I'm trying reallllly hard.)  :P

Keep doing what you're doing.  Even if I have to fake it and pretend like I'm going to Becky's Music Maker's party at the end of the year instead of hitching a ride from Sketchy Josh up to UVM and surprising you at the performance of the Red Eye Festival, I'm going to continue to surprise you and do my best to make it to your performances.  You continue to do amazing things, and I feel so incredibly lucky to have you in my life.

To all the rest of the cast and company of Curtains, amazing job!  You all seem like wonderful people, and for the few of you I got to meet and talk to in person-you all have my same kind of humor and demeanour.  To the techies and musicians, congrats for putting on a FABULOUS show!

Blogosphere, please comment below and tell Ryan what an amazing job he did.  Bravo!

<3 Megan <3

Ashley

Hello, everyone!

This post is just to inform you that tomorrow I am embarking on a journey to a place I've never been before.  Cape Cod.  Whoa.

While I'm down there I'm going to visit the fabulous woman named Ashley (and her family!)  Really pumped.

It may be a few days more before I actually have a new post of any substance.  Check back in a few days!

<3 Megan <3

P.S. Wish me a safe trip!

Home

The past 24 hours have sucked. 

I left Burlington to come home for the summer.  I am separated from my twin, my best college friends are still in Burlington or heading for Cape, and I'M SO ALONE!!!! :(

Granted, it's really nice to be home to see my family.  But I am really going to miss all the people my age walking the streets at all hours of the day and night.  (Except for probably 6am-8am.) 

Currently I am sitting on my bed in my room after having showered, and I am waiting for someone to get online.  This is how much of a life I have.  Sleeping in my own bed is going to be magical, but Ryan isn't here to cuddle with.  FMLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!

<3

I will miss you all dearly.  I hope you have a fabulous summer, stay safe, and be good to each other.

I'll keep you posted whenever something exciting happens here in L-ville!

Love always,
Megan

P.S. Completely Unrelated- last night while on our last trip to Champ Farms until August, I slipped and fell in the mud in my pjs.  It felt worse than it looked....and it looked horrible.  Fortunately-the fall was really graceful and I didn't injur anything.  Just my ego. :)

First Monday Off

Hello, everyone!  So, today was my first Monday off.  It began (and still continues) with me feeling like something isn't quite right.  I feel like I'm forgetting to do something...and if I don't figure it out....it's not going to end well.  However, I got through it.  Tomorrow I'll probably realize what I missed, and then I will be in deep doo-doo.

But for now, I'll share with you what I did today.  This morning I woke up at 11, and took a shower.  Mmm, exciting, right?  (Yeah, I didn't think so either.)  I waited for Velvet to wake up so that we could go to the gym.  (That never actually happened, but stick with me for a moment while I continue to write about my day.)  Around 12:30, we were both finally up and decent enough to go get lunch.  Mmmmmmm...Mac n' cheese (that actually needed a lot of work), and a grilled cheese sandwich. 

After consuming sustinance, Velvet and I go to her dorm to grab her gym clothes.  At 1:40 we go to meet Ryan out of his Spanish class.  Mmmm....Ryan.  We hang out in his room for a while at UVM and then guess who shows up?  Thats right!  Josef! AHHH!!! Actually, no, I love Joe.  We chat and make small talk for about 10-15 mins, and then its time for Ryan to go to his Theatre lab.  Mmmm painting!  This worked out fine because it meant that we were finally able to go to the gym (after stopping by the library to do some printing, that is.) 

Lab fail.  Gym fail.  On the way back to Champlain, I get a text from Ryan.  Basically, his class all showed up, and the teacher showed up and cancelled the lab.  "Well, fine!"  This sparked an idea in my head. 

"Hey, Velvet.  Instead of going to the gym, want to do a walk around Burlington with Ryan?  His lab is cancelled."  Mmmm...Velvet.  The answer was toes, and so after doing a few errands, we both stopped by 308 and dropped off gym clothes and decided to wait for Ryan.  Eventually, this trip progressed.

Instead of spending 2 hours at the gym as originally planned, we spent 2-3 hours walking around Burlington.  Specifically we spent time at the waterfront, and took a bunch of random pictures all together.  Awwwww!!!!

Yes, today was amazing.  Oh! And for your amusement...here are some b-day pictures that were FINALLY rescued from my camera.  Enjoy!

Love,

Megan