another day for Him

Double Yellow Lines

2011-03-16T18:51:00.002-05:00

Just going to vent for a sec....I hate traveling or driving on roads that are under constant construction! :P "Veer this way" "Turn that way" "Detour here"....ugh!! Slow down, then speed up, then slow down again! Though I will say this, Texas drivers are some of the most polite I've ever come in contact with! :)

Please pray as I am going to be in a class all day tomorrow for my Adjusters Assistant Certification! Lots of info will be shoved into my brain tomorrow and I'm already slightly overwhelmed! Thanks guys!

ttyl,
Meg

Kitty

2011-03-15T12:00:00.004-05:00

Ok....so I have a cat....She's a stray that decided to take me in and adopt me. But I've just moved back in with my mom and dad, and Mom's allergic to cats...So I can't keep her! :P So I need someone to give her a home! :) Her name is Jasmine, or Jaz, with long black and grey hair, she's declawed and super sweet! Litter box trained and easy to keep clean (she doesn't mind bathes)! Here's a pic of her...let me know if you want her or know someone whos interested!

Anyways...if you have any questions or are interested please post a comment!!! Thanks!

ttyl,
Meg

long over due...

2011-03-13T14:44:00.002-05:00

ok...so I'm feeling horrible at the fact that the last time I posted anything on here was almost a year ago! :( I'm sorry! obviously things haven't been interesting enough for me to write about! lol! I have had a lot going on the last couple of weeks and figured I'd get on and update everyone! I'm going this week to Dallas to take a class to be certified to be an adjuster's assistant, so I can go back out on the road with Dad! :) Pray as I'll be out on the road Wednesday and Thursday! I don't like traveling by myself....so I'm a little worried about it! But it shouldn't be too bad! :P

Anyways...sorry I've been gone so long...I'll try to stay a little more connected in the future!

ttyl,
Meg

sun, sand and relaxation

2010-03-20T16:39:00.000-05:00

so i'm currently headed for the cruise! YAY! road travel is not so fun...but well worth it when we get to the ship i know! <3

ttyl,
Meg

loving home

2010-02-28T20:33:00.001-06:00

Wow...its sooo soo soo good to be back! :) I'm LOVING it! anyways...just thought i'd say hi!

love ya'll,
Meg

Hooooooooome

2010-02-25T22:00:00.002-06:00

I'M COMING HOME!!!! I'll be leaving here tomorrow right after work and headed home! I should make it back to LR Saturday afternoon! I'm so so so so excited! Anyways...just be praying as I travel home! I'll be driving late into the night tomorrow and plan to stop and stay with Abby and Shane (Joel's sister and brother-in-law) and then get up and drive again Saturday morning! Pray it will be a smooth easy trip!

Much love,

Meg

Home Sweet Home

2010-02-23T17:37:00.003-06:00

So I officially was offered the Assistant Manager Position with Claire's at Park Plaza Mall today!!! YAY! I start this coming Sunday! I'm uber excited! Now here's the challenge, I have to get home! My plan was initially to leaving Friday and stay with Joel's sister in Birmingham and finish the trip to Little Rock Saturday! Buuuut...right now there's talk weather could be bad Friday...sooo, I may be leaving sooner than that! Not sure yet! So be praying that I would make careful, wise traveling decisions and would make it home safe!! :)

Love ya'll,
See ya soon!
Meg

girls weekend

2010-02-06T16:00:00.003-06:00

So Courtney and I have spent the weekend chilling! Dad and Uncle Jack are at their work conference and we're getting to have a girls weekend! YAY! those are always fun! from junk food, to staying up late and chick flicks, its absolutely a blast! :) the only sad part is that its been rainy all weekend! :P oh well!

so even with a fun girly weekend....i miss home, my bf, and my roommate! :( i might have to make a trip home just to keep my sanity! *pulls hair* lol!

anyways...just wanted to check in! hope ya'll are having a great weekend!

love ya,
Meg

leak pictures!

2010-01-25T15:21:00.003-06:00

The "point of entry"...

the vent he opened to see if water was coming in from here...he broke the piece off that holds the vent on...so its now duct taped on....lol!

the trim he took off...its sitting above the window curtains now!

more trim! lol!

where he took off the trim...

"let me go hooooooooome"

2010-01-25T15:05:00.003-06:00

michael buble's "home" has been playing in my head all day! i'm not really sure what it is, but i'm just really homesick today! well...this week, but today especially! :P the weather is absolutely gorgeous (aside from the 40mph wind gusts) here and idk...i just really wish i was home to be able to share it with friends or Joel or whatever! the rv walls seem to be getting smaller! lol! no, i'm just kidding...obviously its still the same size it was yesterday, i am just getting slightly tired of confined spaces! i'm thinking my dad's feeling the same way! he's so funny...there is the leak in the slide-out (part of the rv that slides out - hence the name - to allow there to be more space inside). well he bought a canopy to cover the slide-out and its still leaking. so then he tore the trimming off the slide-out on the inside to find where the water is coming from. well...that didn't help, so he took the vent that's beside the slide-out off to see if it was coming in from there! well...it wasn't that either...so needless to say...there's a random leak that we can't find the entry point and its driving him crazy! lol! its provided quite a few entertaining nights for uncle jack and i watching dad go nuts over the leak! haha! i'll post a pictures for you here soon! :)

love and miss ya'll,

Meg

rainy week

2010-01-24T18:12:00.003-06:00

so its rained us out of work two days and then it rained again today! :P blah! kind of tired of the mud and rain! but guess we need it here or it wouldn't be raining! lol! just been sitting around the rv, doing some paperwork and killing time! went to church this morning and listened to a sermon on spiritual gifts! i LOVE teaching on the gifts and was truly blessed by pastor agnew's distinction between "natural talents" and "supernatural gifts"! i've been blessed with the talents of singing, but that is not my spiritual gift. I believe my spiritual gift is exhortation! agnew stated that it is intended for us to use our natural talents in our spiritual gift. and through that others should see spiritual fruit produced from our gift! spiritual gifts without spiritual fruits are useless to the body! i was convicted that i use my talents and gifts sometimes without producing fruits like love, and joy, and patience. my prayer is that God would grow me to use the talents and gifts he's given me to produce fruit in my life and in the body of believers around me!

i'm missing home a lot! i miss my bed, and all my clothes! lol! as silly as that sounds...i keep looking through my clothes stash here and realizing i left something at home! ugh! then its just frustrating because i'm in the mood to wear a certain outfit and its back in Little Rock! :P my dad just laughs at me...and rolls his eyes only to say "girls!"! haha! :)

well...its started pouring again! :sigh: rain rain rain rain! :P

i miss my friends and roommate too! bethanna and i just started getting close before i left in November! and i got to spend time with her when i was home for Christmas and New Years and i miss hanging with her! :(

and of course...more than anything i miss Joel! it doesn't get any easier the longer i'm here...it just gets harder! i guess that's a good sign! cuz if it was getting easier...i should be worried! :P

well...i'm done whining to y'all! hope you're doing well! I miss each of you!

love,

Meg

way too long!

2010-01-21T09:10:00.003-06:00

Wow! So i just realized i hadn't blogged in probably a month! whoa! Sorry! lol! since the last time you heard from me, i went home for Christmas and New Years and spent it with friends and family and truly made the most of my time at home! Also worked some at Claire's! was there multiple nights past mid-night helping my manager get the store ready for Regional inspections! Yikes! it was crazy, exhausting, but definitely fun! I love my manager and working at Claire's! :) I miss it tremendously! I spent as much time with Joel as I could! He got me this beautiful cross necklace for Christmas! I almost cried! Its gorgeous!!! It as altogether a wonderful Christmas! And New Years was filled with cheers and toasts and great friends! And even a couple of midnight kisses! ;) But as January rolled around it was time to get back to work! So here I am, once again working and away from home and the ones I love spending time with! Right now I'm working with Dad and my Uncle Jack! I love 'em both and its crazy funny living with two old men! lol! The RV smells like a guys locker room sometimes! lol! Lysol has become one of my best friends! Keeping my sanity here involves lots of reading, staying on Facebook and texting/calling people back home! I hadn't even been here a week and my Razr died! The screens went completely black and there was no getting them back on! I was FREAKING out! Dad was laughing saying "Its just a phone!" And my response was "NO!!! ITS MY LIFELINE TO HOME!!!!" lol! Thank God for cheap (but really good, surprisingly) pay as you go phones from Walmart that I could just put my plan on! YAY! :) I thought I was going to die without it! haha!

Joel's mom got me stuck on this new author, Dee Henderson! I love her stuff! I have read the prequel and first 3 books of the O'Malley series and I don't have the others and its KILLING me!! I gotta know what else happens to the family! They're really cool mysteries with some love story in it too! :) She's a brilliant Christian author! I love the way she writes! Very descriptive and makes you feel like you're watching it all happen! I'm now re-reading the Twilight books again (cuz i really don't have anything else to read for fun!)! I LOVE them! No matter how many times I read them I still love 'em every time! I catch new stuff each time! I watched the movie last night and its really amazing how bad in comparison to the books it is...yet its still a good movie! And New Moon movie was even better! :) I think this is the 6th time I've read through the series!? Or something like that! haha! I'm not obsessed or anything! ;)

So yeah...that's about what's been going on...now that I've written a book of my own! lol! I miss ya'll and will definitely try to write consistently from now on!

love y'all,

Meg

historical fun

2009-12-08T13:51:00.003-06:00

hi! so i know its been a long long long time since i've written! sorry! i'm working working working a lot! i love working with my dad! but i miss home! i miss my bed and friends and room mate and boyfriend and dog!!

i LOVE Christmas time and can't wait for all the different Christmas activities coming up! parties, food, decorations, etc! my room mate called me and said she'd put up decorations in our apartment and had been doing hot chocolate and christmas cookies!! i can't wait to sit in front of my fireplace with her!! :) yay!

anyways...hope your season is going well!

love ya'll,
meg

many blessings!

2009-11-18T21:24:00.002-06:00

hello all...its been a little bit since i last wrote...let me fill you in! :)

first of all, i have the most loving supportive boyfriend ever!!! he has without a doubt been there for me throughout everything so far...from crying over a lost job to just being emotional in general, to fuming over my part time job, to getting a new job! he's been amazing! my dad called me sunday afternoon with news that he needed me to come and do data and paperwork along with helping him with ladders and holding his rope while he's on roofs! so...1.5 days of packing, 1 oil change, 1 goodbye party and 14 hours of driving later, i'm here with dad!

which brings me to the next topic...i have some awesome friends! the night before i left, i planned to have some friends over so i could see 'em before i left for a bit, and wow! they all showed up and showered me with sweet hugs and loves! we had a blast! needless to say, i can't wait to get and party with 'em some more! :)

but in the meantime, i'm here with dad...running claims, learning new computer programs, making money! but of course its all about spending time with my daddy-o! ;) mom and the kids aren't here right now, visiting with her parents, so we're just kicking it the two of us! first time my dad and i have been alone to just hang out for longer than 30 minutes for probably two or three years!

so yeah...that's what's going on right now! please pray God will get me through this time while i'm away from almost all that is familiar and that i miss!

love you guys!
meg

relief at last

2009-10-28T01:31:00.002-05:00

Wow! So i have been able to really breathe for the last couple of days like i haven't in MONTHS! I have slept better and i have physically felt better the past couple of days like i haven't in forever! Thank you Lord for the blessing of new beginnings! i had a job interview today and am praying that it went as well as i feel it did! please pray that i would hear some good news over the next couple of days and if not, that He would open some other doors here soon!
I LOVE working at claire's ; its such a wonderful job! very fun and exciting dealing with little girls shopping for accesories...what could be more fun!! :) lol! i have even reached a point of getting along with our new manager pretty well! there is very minimal stress to the job itself and i enjoy working with the other girls there!
still missing my family, and maybe here soon i'll be able to see them! but i have to say, God's truely blessed me with a second family. joel's parents are such a wonderful blessing in my life! i love my boyfriend but it is such a joy that his parents are so wonderful. God is so good! <3
i hope you're all doing well and that this finds you basking in God's wonderful love!

much love to all,
meg

The Close of a Chapter

2009-10-24T12:12:00.003-05:00

Well...so yesterday I was laid off from CDI. The only reason i got was that they no longer "needed my services". Whatever that means - since they still need a receptionist that doesn't really make since to me. But God is in control and knows what's in store for me. I was very upset when i left yesterday afternoon. The way that i was told they were laying me off was not very nice and it was not right to treat someone who has only given her best that way! But at the same time I AM RELIEVED!!! I no longer have the stress of CDI looming over my head and do not have to worry about living with a fake smile on at work. It is truely a blessing in disguise!
The next step is going to be figuring out what the Lord has for me next. I am currently working part time at Claire's and LOVE IT! Of course...what girl wouldn't love working with jewelry and accessories all day!! :) I also may have an interview next week for a chiropractors office. please pray that i get the call Monday confirming that i do have the interview and that next wednesday the interview will go well! If this isn't the job the Lord has planned for me, pray that He would show me what is and open that door! It very well may be just taking more hours at Claire's!
Thank you thank you thank you for all your encouragements and prayers! I truely need them! <3
If you would, also just pray for my emotional strength! I miss my family - being an adult on my own is not always as fun as i thought it would be! Don't get me wrong! I LOVE my apartment and bring so close to everything, and living on my own! But I miss my best friend (Mom) and my Daddy! And my little sisters...its been way too long since we've had some girl time!! And my sweet Josh who's always the one with a ready hug or who will randomly start dancing with me! I love and miss my family dearly!!! :sigh: Just pray that I would have strength!

I love you all, and appreciate the prayers!
Meg

day in and day out

2009-09-23T09:48:00.002-05:00

hello my friends! I hope this finds you well and healthy! my, my there has been sickness everywhere!! last wednesday i felt a little sick so i stayed home from work. then came back thursday and friday to find four or five people out sick here at the office. couple other friends weren't feeling well over the weekend and now joel is feeling a little blah! its just crazy!

i've just been working and chilling lately...more work than chill! i don't have to work Dixie tonight...I'm so excited about going home at 5pm! lol! maybe i'll pick up some stuff from the grocery store and actually cook dinner for me and joel tonight! i'm sure he'd enjoy that! we'll have to see though!

so i'm 22 days away from having been with Joel for a year!!! i think i know what i'm getting him, but i'm still not sure! what do you get someone who really has all they want! i'm having to be very creative! he already knows part of his gift, just because its something he has been specifically requesting for several months! lol! i have at least one more idea...but i'm not sure if its THE idea yet! ...any help would be appreciated! what do you get someone you've been with for a year? someone that is your best friend and closest confidant and possibly your partner for the rest of your life!? :sigh: no pressure or anything! haha! anyways...i'm up for ideas if you've got anything!

hope ya'lls week is going well and you're staying healthy!

much love,

meg

constant dripping

2009-09-18T09:46:00.004-05:00

rain rain rain! Its been so rainy here lately! and i've been very busy...so that rain is just obnoxious! its weeks like these i think i should invest in some cute rain boots! i've just been going non-stop with work lately! this past Tuesday was 11 months for Joel and i! we're almost at a year!! :) Yay! he's been kind of stressed with school lately though, and i haven't really been helping! i just tend to frustrate him! so i'm working on really just being very patient with him and loving him enough to leave him alone for a bit! lol! which is really hard to do when all i want is to spend my free time with him! between principles of accounting and essays he's being stretched a little bit! i'm so so glad he's taking classes this semster though! I've seen God grow Joel in so many ways since we started dating! a year ago when we were just hanging out as friends, there were areas that he just hadn't seemed to grow up in, and this past year i've seen Joel mature and grow into a man that i can wait to give my life to! the other night, we had a discussion...after i pushed him too far; he told me that it really bothers him that i'm not patient, and tend to snap at him over small things. he comment to me was "love me enough to let me make a mistake!" it broke my heart because i realized he was right; i hold him up to standards i have set in my mind and when he slips the slightest bit, i just fall apart! i have really been praying the past couple of days that God would change that heart attitude and give me one of love and patience! (can you tell i'm really struggling with patience!) and not even just with joel! i love my roommate! she's a great girl, but she doesn't like to do dishes - at least that's what i assume since she usually just leaves 'em in the sink dirty! most the time, she leaves the kitchen dirty (just leaves wrappers out on the counter, dishes in the sink, pots on the stove, etc) and it frustrates me to no end! but i really don't need to let that get to me! its ok...its just a kitchen and i can clean it just as easily as she can! anyways, all that to say, please pray that i would grow in patience and love towards those i see and am around on a daily basis! i love Joel and the last thing i want to do is push him away because i require perfection - because not even i am perfect!

hope you're all doing well! and have a great weekend!

love ya,

Meg

way too long

2009-09-09T11:53:00.002-05:00

Sorry its been so long since I last posted! life has just been busy busy! going going going! and i honestly forgot about blogging! (shame on me...I know!)
Life at CDI is just about the same...my hours have changed slightly...I now don't have to be to work until 8am, which has its pros and cons...I don't have to rush in to work so early (pro), but that's 2.5 overtime hours a week i don't have now (con)! so that's pretty much the only change here! and working at Dixie is fun, but hard work! I enjoy being a waitress! Its alot of fun! and for the most part the people i work with are cool (with a few execptions)! i definitely don't make enough money at Dixie for the amount of work...but its a good starting point!
Joel and I are going on 11 months! I'm so excited! We're getting very close to a year! I think i might just have to think something fun/sweet up to do for him! He does so much for me! and completely spoils me! :) the 15th of this month will be 11 months! :) yay!
Dante, our baby, lol, is spoiled rotten! He's been staying at Joel's and not only does Joel spoil him, but so do Joel's parents (Benny & Julie)! Its oh so funny...since they didn't want a dog in their house anyways! But little Dante charmed his way right into their hearts! :)
Apartment living is still great! There's bumps and pot holes along the way...but its that way with any point in life!
I'm loving life and living it to the best of my ability!

Much love to you all,
Meg

busy-ness of life

2009-08-20T11:13:00.004-05:00

hello all! sorry i haven't written in a little while! i've been busy busy! i started working part-time (nights and weekends) at Dixie Cafe! I really enjoy waiting tables, at least for the time being! :)

then last weekend i went on a camping trip (we stayed in cabins) to petit jean! it was very fun and i truly enjoy spending time with my friends from Metro BCM! here's a couple of pictures from the weekend! :)

it was very beautiful! :) i don't usually enjoy hikes and such...but I really did enjoy this! if you've never hiked to Cedar Hills at Petit Jean Park, you should! its gorgeous! :)

so on to this morning! bleh...rain rain rain and more rain! its finally let up a little bit, but its still very wet and looks as though the bottom could fall out again any minute! here's some pics from my morning! :)

i hope you're doing well and that the weather, wherever you are, isn't what it is here!

much loves,

meg

new addition

2009-08-10T09:33:00.004-05:00

so this weekend was busy busy busy! but it was fun, none-the-less! first friday night started off with rehersal and dinner for Jessica and Jonathan McNair's wedding! fun stuff! then saturday morning it was prep prep prep for the wedding! the wedding was a 3pm and went beautifully well! followed by a reception and after party...the fun just kept going! sunday joel and i spent some time at the lake with his co-workers! and on our way home from Heber Springs...his boss called and said she had me a dog!!! so we went to her house and picked up my new puppy! he's around a year old and absolutely ADORABLE!!!! we call him Donte! he's house-trained already for the most part and is pretty good at obeying! :) we've still got a little bit to do...but he's wonderful! Joel is taking him to Doggie Do's today to get him a bath and haircut! so when he sees mommy tonight he's going to be all clean and handsome! :) here's a picture...he was still kind of a mess when i took this picture this morning!

loves,

Meg

a story of my friends

2009-08-05T13:50:00.002-05:00

i got involved in UALR's IFO (International Friendship Outreach) Conversation Club about a year or so ago and got to know several guys from Rwanda! well...I'm an dedicated Sync weekly reader and to my surprise, my friends from Rwanda were featured in this week's paper! :) here's the link to Sync Online! enjoy! And please pray for these guys! all four of those featured are professing believers and a precious friends!

http://sync.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/aug/04/building-bridges/?

much loves,

Meg

getting to the point of things!

2009-08-03T13:48:00.003-05:00

so the rest of my week/weekend went by without too many more issues! we did have some more flooding in the apartment...but haven't seen any water since last thursday! so maybe that's done! who knows though!

friday and saturday night, joel and i went to vinos! yummy pizza! joel decided since we were right next door to 7th street tattoos he'd take me in there and get my ear pierced (my cartilage)! friday night when we went in, i was prepared and ready to go! full of adrenaline and nerve...but then we found out the piercer wasn't in anymore and that he'd be back saturday if we wanted to come back by! leaving, slightly relieved, and not planning on going back, we just left and went home! saturday, i asked joel what the plan for the day was and his response was simple - "your ear, right?"! HA! rolling my eyes...i agreed thinking we just wouldn't get around to going back downtown! boy was i wrong...we went back to vinos for dinner and what do you know!? walked back over to 7th street! and guess who was there!? chad...the piercer! so...mustering up my courage, i sit in the chair and let chad (who was very sweet and funny) stick a needle through my ear...and here is your outcome!

i love it! its cute and all...but ugh! the first night...was a pain - LITERALLY! I did not realize how much i slept on my side....

ANYWAYS...its feeling much better now! so yeah, just thought i'd share!

hope your weekend was great! :)

loves,

Meg

my birthday

2009-07-29T14:50:00.002-05:00

hello! so today - i turn 20!! i'm not longer a teenager...i'm in my 20's! :) which is all very exciting...but what an interesting day its been! lol! to start my day off...my car was blocked in but a guy at the apartment who was just being inconsiderate...so i was about 5 minutes late to work...due to waiting on him to move! not a big deal...

we have roaches at the apartment too...also not a big deal! i was going back to the apartment during lunch to set off a fogger bomb, and when i walked in the door...i realized my roommates hallway had about 2 inches of water on the floor! carpet was wet, along with anything else in that hallway! SO i called maintainance (and had to wait for them since they didn't have a key to our new locks) to come check it out! left there and headed back to work! i have to hurry back home after work to get another key from my roommate (before she is at her boyfriend's tending his ankle he injured playing softball)! all in all....very eventful...but not the type of events i'd planned for my birthday! lol!

on a brighter side of things...i have this friend! Caleb Harris started his own clothing company...and you need to know about it! VERY cool stuff! check it out! order some stuff! the shirts are very comfy! :) have a few myself!

http://olivetreeclothing.bigcartel.com/

loves,

meg

updates on the apt!

2009-07-27T09:04:00.002-05:00

YAY! we got red curtains! (or actually one red curtain!) its so cute! :) here's some pictures so you can see! :)

this is our fireplace and the RED curtain!

same point of view...more of the living room...that's the couch i want to cover with the black slip cover! and the entertainment center on the far right of the pic is going to be painted black as well!

different angle of the living room! the red chair will be recovered as well...probably in some sort of animal print! :)

kitchen! :) the tiger strips you're seeing will go on the dining chair cushions!

kitchen/dining room! :) its all coming together

so that's the latest! :) can't wait to see how more of it turns out!

love y'all,

Meg

more apartment stuff

2009-07-22T10:55:00.010-05:00

so here's some more stuff i've found that i think would be cute or practical to have in the apartment!

sugar, flour, coffee canisters - these are the style that would go with our stuff! :)

i LOVE watching movies...so a TV is a must! right now, we have one that doesn't even have modern hook up - :(

SOOO...sometime in the future, i might just have to splurge! maybe not something this big or nice, but at least something i can hook a DVD player up to! :)

the apartment has a wood burning fireplace - which will definitely be used this winter! i LOVE warm fires! so a fireplace set will be necessary!

i'd like to get something like this to go on the fridge so that Bethanna and i can keep each other posted on what we've got going on and what we're out of...that kind of stuff! :)

so i found these and freaked! we have very very limited cabinet space in the apartment...and right now, we have NO WHERE to put any spices! this would be the perfect solution! :) they're little shelves that hold up to 15lbs and are magnetic!

so i think we need some shelves in the living room! here are just some different designs i like! :)

love this one!

and this is soooo cute!

i've always wanted some real bamboo! it would go perfect with our design and decor...so i'm totally considering the idea of getting some! :)

so those are just a couple more things i like! oh...and i had this idea for some wall art for the living room (and maybe even my bedroom!)! i don't know if it'll work...but i think it will! :) i'm going to get some wallpaper with bamboo patterns on it and some picture frames (or some painting canvases) and cut the wallpaper down to size. then you can put them up on the wall in any arrangement! so we'll see...i'll let you know when i do it and how it turns out! :)

love ya,

meg

moved in

2009-07-21T08:25:00.006-05:00

so its official! i'm grown up! lol! we got everything moved in Saturday and i've been unpacking and organizing since! its so very exciting living on my own (which technically isn't true because i do have a roommate)! Bethanna and i get along GREAT so far! she's precious! God was SOOO good to open that door! :)

update on my friend Whitney - i had a chance to just visit with her Sunday night. she's struggling...in a lot of ways! please please pray for her right now. she's working 2 jobs (both almost full time) and barely making enough to keep herself floating. her fiance (they've been engaged for four years now...and are no closer to getting married) lives in her apartment and doesn't pay for anything. he works a minimum wage job about 12 to 15 hours a week...and just kind of mooches off her. all this, and they are now facing parenthood! she's four months pregnant and excited! her fiance...not so much! after she ignored his initial request to abort, he started pushing for her to give the baby up for adoption. she's adament about keeping the baby...but he doesn't want it! pray that she would have wisdom...and me too! obviously, since i've never been in this situation, i have NO idea what kind of advice to give her! and despite the fact that i know this baby has been made in sin, its still a little baby (and i LOVE babies) that i want to be excited about! so how do i balance that? ugh! being grown up is so much work! lol! anyways...please be praying for me and my friend both! lots to process on both sides!

so back to my new home...i've still got decorating to do, and other random organization! here's a list of some of the stuff we've still got to get...

black couch slip-cover

coffee and end tables

metal cooking utensils

nice laundry hamper (for in front of the washer)

blender (for smoothies - Yum!)

some shelving

red curtains (living room)

crock pot

so those are just a few things, although i'm sure there are other i could think of! lol! hope you're having a great week!

much loves,

meg

only by the hand of God

2009-07-13T13:43:00.002-05:00

hello fellow bloggers!
i'm sitting here almost in tears in awe and wonder at how amazing God is! as most of you know, i'm moving into my apartment this weekend with my roommate, Bethanna. i'm so excited! but here's the coolest part...
(going back about 8 years)
at my grandparents old church, i went to a VBS program one summer and met this girl named Whitney. she and i came from drastically different families, but became fast friends. we found out we lived only about 10 minutes from each other and soon convinced her mom to bring her over to hang out and spend nights with me! over the next couple of years we'd hang out any chance we got; she would go to the lake with my family, spend the night and even began going to church with my family. as we got into jr high, she began getting involved in things that went against scripture and i would put scripture in front of her and encourage her to what was right. after a while, she got sick of hearing "right and wrong" from me and shut me out of her life. that was about our 10th grade year. she wouldn't return phone calls or letters. i continued to pray for her hoping God would change her heart.
(fast forward a couple of years)
a month before graduation, i received her graduation invitation, with a note telling me she missed me. i wrote her a letter telling her how much i loved and missed her and that i was still praying for her. i sent it with my graduation invitation. a few other letters were exchanged, but not much else happend.
(fast forward another year or two)
about 9 or 10 months ago, she called me and asked if she could go to church with me. i said, of course, and after church we went to eat and just sat down to chat. she explained that she was living with her fiance and they were having issues and that she felt alone and hopeless. she went on to explain that she knew i'd always been there when she needed me and that i was one of the only people who ever really loved her, that's why she'd called me. i explained to her that i loved her because i have the love of Christ and that was what empowered my love for her. we hung out a couple more times within the next couple of weeks, but then she quit picking up her phone and returning calls. so i continued to pray that God would give me another chance to talk to her, and encourage her. about 3 or 4 months later we ran into each other at walmart and chatted for a second, but that didn't change anything; she still wouldn't pick up my phone calls.
this morning i got a text from my mimi (my dad's mom - the grandparent that Whitney and I met through) saying she'd heard Whitney was pregnant, still not married to her fiance and recently fired from one of her jobs. i called Whitney today, and after not getting an answer, i left her a message just saying "hey girl, just wanted you to know i was thinking of you, and i miss you. give me a call when you get a chance." and hour later she called me back. after she explained she was pregnant (due on Christmas) and how excited she was about the baby, she asked how i was. we began talking about me moving into the apartment. when she asked where and i told her, she gasped. "I live in the sister complex right next door!" i sat in shock! i almost started crying at how awesome God truely is! she said, "this is awesome. in a time when i need a good friend, you just show back up and pop into my life, and right next door!"
my response to her was, "whitney, this is such a God thing! He knew you were going to need a close friend! He set the whole thing up!"
she laughed and said, "huh...that's cool! do you need help moving?"
i said, "not actually moving, but i might need some help unpacking"
her response was that she'd see me saturday night to help me unpack!
Why do i ever doubt that God is completely and utterly in control! Please please please pray for me as i move this saturday and may get a chance to talk to Whitney again! pray that God would open that door wide open and that His Heart would shine through me to Whitney!

thanks and love ya'll,
Megs

a long time

2009-07-06T15:30:00.002-05:00

hey! ok...so sorry i haven't written in a while. been lots going on, between stuff at work, getting stuff settled and together with the apartment, family stuff and 4th of july, there's been tons! :)
work has been pretty good lately, just lots of that; work! i have been given some more stuff to do, which is nice but its also slightly annoying since the pay hasn't changed to match the work load. so please pray God would continue to give me a good attitude about work! He has me here for a reason! :)

apartment stuff is going great! Bethanna (my roomie) and i go Friday the 17th to sign the lease and get our keys! we're planning to move in the next day (maybe even some Friday night depending on time and stuff)! i'm SO excited! its going to be so much fun!

family is home chilling and doing pretty good! everyone's enjoying the summer, that's for sure! we all went to the lake with uncle shannon and amber and mimi and papaw this past weekend for the 4th! it was fun! we spent the whole day on the water! very relaxing....but i didn't wear sunscreen....so um...i'm hurting! please please please pray i get some relief! i didn't sleep at all last night i was in so much pain! ugh! :P

anyways...that's what's been up lately! hope you're doing well!

~meg

another wedding

2009-06-22T15:37:00.005-05:00

so i have decided that i'm eloping! ok...so i'm not really going to elope...but i have actually decided that if and when i get married, it will be very minimal decorations and stuff! omg...i am almost tired of weddings! BUT...i will say, i still cry at every one of them, and stand in awe of the bride's choices of colors, flowers, foods, fabrics, etc etc! and Holly is no exception! her wedding was GORGEOUS! she asked me to snap some pictures at the reception...and here are my favorites (since i can't post all 370!)! :)

enjoy!

The Bridal Portrait

The Cake

The Great Escape

The Get Away Ride

Abby cleaning up the roses

Father Daughter Dance

Newlywed's First Dance

Newlyweds

Mother Son Dance

The Bridal Party Dance

Ben and Heather

Ben and Heather Dancing

Paul and Beth Kay Dancing

Beth and Paul Again

z-pack and ice cream

2009-06-15T10:47:00.002-05:00

so last wednesday, after looking at apartments with my future roommate (Bethanna) i went home and went to bed at 7:45pm!!!! my head was killing me and my throat all scratchy! :P when my alarm went off at 6:15 Thursday morning for work, i couldn't swallow at all! ugh...! so i texted the ladies that cover the front desk for me when i'm gone, telling them i wouldn't be in, i was planning on going to the dr.'s office! after going back to sleep for a couple hours i got up and called my dr's office. after explaining to my dr on the phone that i was running a low grade fever, had a splitting headache, was slightly nauteous and that my throat was swollen, red and had white dots on it, she stated that she thought it was strep throat....yay (said in very sarcastic tone)! she said she'd call my meds into a walgreens for me. after checking with the pharmacy multiple times, they finally filled my order and i went to pick it up! afterwards i drove to joel's where i chilled a bit and watched movies. the rest of the weekend consisted of taking my rx and eaching ice cream! :)
as the weekend progressed i felt much much better, and by today i'm back to my 100% self! :) so that's my weekend in a nutshell! Hope yours was much better than mine!

much love,
meg

bridal fanfare

2009-06-08T08:15:00.004-05:00

*whew* its over! (at least for a couple of weeks)! lol! Beth and Paul got married this past saturday! its official - they are Paul and Beth Kay! :) it was a gorgeous wedding! and it went very smoothly! probably one of the calmest weddings i've ever been to! the weekend started off on friday - we girls (Beth, Abby-her sister/matron of honor, Allie-one of beth's besties, Sarah Kate-beth's cousin and me) all went to get a little pampered! getting our nails done (and a little bit of waxing) followed by lunch at Panera, where Rebekah-another cousin of beth's- joined us! after that, they all ran some errands and i went for a hair cut! then they had the rehearsal dinner that afternoon! then later we all met back up at maumelle park with beth and paul and a bunch of friends and family for the rehearsal dinner! andy and becky kay put the dinner together and it was wonderful! they did such a good job!
after the rehearsal dinner was over, joel and i joined a couple of the cousins for a late night card game and then we all went off to bed!
waking up saturday morning, joel and i grabbed shane (abby's husband/joel's brother-in-law) and headed to the church! from then on everything flew by and before long, we were waving beth and paul away with the "wedding wands"!

(photo by Anita Wilson)

after clean up, we headed back to the riley's. spent the rest of the afternoon lounging then some swimming, then some more food (we had TONS of wedding food left over and some friends from BCLR brought BBQ by for dinner!)! all in all, the wedding day went great!
yesterday was just a relaxation and recuperating day! and now, its back to real life - work! :P lol! so for now the wedding bustle is over, until the 20th...Paul and Holly will be getting married! yay!

ttyl!
meg

Here's a couple of photos of Beth that Anita Wilson (their photographer) took! She did a brilliant job on these bridal portraits! Anita's blog is: www.in-due-season.blogspot.com

and here's a couple of other photos she took of them right before or after they got engaged!

a wedding week

2009-06-01T09:01:00.002-05:00

hello friends!
hope your weekend was good! i had quite the enjoyable one myself! :) friday night spent some time hanging out with friends and Joel (<3) and then saturday afternoon went to an old friend's wedding. Spencer Stanton got married this past weekend! talk about crazy weird...someone i hung out with (and even crushed on) in high school got married this weekend. and it was probably one of the most beautiful weddings i've ever been to! Ashley (his bride) was breath-taking! her dress was absolutely gorgeous...and the look on Spencer's face when she was walking down the isle was priceless! i could not be happier for him! God has truly blessed them both!
this week will be filled with wedding talk and scurrying about i'm sure! and it all starts today! later today, Joel and i will be making a shopping trip looking for him a white button down shirt (and possible black pants) for his sister's wedding this coming saturday. i've taken this friday off to be able to help get wedding stuff set up and put together! it'll be fun i'm sure! :) then next saturday is the big day for Beth and Paul! <3 I'm so excited for them! its been fun to watch all the planning and showers the past couple of months, and to now get to the end of it all...only to watch the new beginning take place!
Julie, Benny and I (we went to the Stanton wedding together) dropped by Paul and Beth's newly decorated and painted place after the wedding saturday! it is absolutely gorgeous! :) i believe they've repainted every room except the two bathrooms! lol! but it looks great! Beth picked out some wonderful colors!

so on top of all this, i also have a job interview tomorrow, which i'm excited and nervous about! just pray that it goes well and that God gives me wisdom in decisions that i will be making in the next couple of weeks!

love y'all much!
meg

apartment hunting

2009-05-28T16:24:00.002-05:00

so yes...i've begun yet another chapter in my life....looking to move out! :P it is yet another step towards becoming a true-to-life adult! my mom and i talked the other night about how i am independent in all areas but one...i live at home! and that its probably time, at almost 20 years old, to move out! not to metion, mom and dad are trying to sell the house and aren't sure what they're going to do after it sells (live in the camper until they build another one - not an option for me!!!! - or rent somewhere else, or build a shop on some land, etc.)! so...because i don't really want to be cramped up in at little camper with 5 or 6 other people (one shower and toilet mind you) i have begun apartment hunting! and it gets me sooo excited...and yet sooo nervous! like...i'm totally ready to live on my own....but i'm so not ready! haha! its just so crazy!
i found a couple today that are in my price range and that are cute...now its just getting everything else in place! pray that i would be wise in my decisions and that i would definitely allow God to guide me through this chapter in life! :)

much love,
meg

a little r&r

2009-05-27T08:17:00.003-05:00

sitting here drinking my coffee, eating my bagel, and waiting for the phone to ring, i thought i'd give you all an over-due update!
i don't know about the rest of you, but i had a WONDERFUL memorial day weekend! we got Monday off here at work and i took Tuesday off to just spend time with Joel (his 21st birthday was monday)! Oh my...four days of nothing! it was great! we actually did stuff, so "nothing" isn't completely true...but it was not work, so that's all that matters. we actually did tons of stuff! lol! we did so much, in fact, that i don't really remember what we did last Friday night...my memory only goes back to Saturday morning! :) i got up saturday morning and worked at the Roland Crisis Closet. it is a small little crisis center (in Roland obviously!) that is run by a few random people. Tommy (the one that heads things all up) has set up a double wide trailer with empty rooms with nothing but shelves lining the walls and tables in the middle of the rooms. two saturdays out of every month, volenteers show up to staff the center from 7-11am. then people who need food for their families come with boxes, laundry hampers, crates, whatever they can find to carry food in. they put their last name and how many people are in their family on the box and then we fill it up for them, based on the amount of people in the family. Christ Church has been involved with this for a while, but this was my first time to join in! me and Nikki (another girl from church) were the only "Christ Churcher's" there, but I really enjoyed getting to know her! i didn't know Nikki very well before Saturday, and now we share a special bond! :)
after we were done at the crisis closet, i went home to shower up and clean up. my mom had been gone last week and it had been me and the boys at the house...oh my what a mess boys make! and mom was due home Saturday night! so i spent the rest of my saturday cleaning house! and i got it all done (well most of it, i did not clean the toilets)! so i finished cleaning the house, then i started cooking the breakfast i was going to take to church sunday morning! that was quite an undertaking and i am so thankful mrs. aimee cooks every week and not me! lol! i cooked blueberry and chocolate chip muffins, sausage egg and cheese casseroles, and fruit salad. it was all a hit i'd say, 'cause i didn't have to take any food home with me! :)
after church joel and i went to eat lunch with his parents at Panera! Yum! it was so good! and i enjoyed just chatting with his 'rents! we followed lunch up with a wonderful afternoon nap! then met some friends for dinner at Genghis (sp) Grill, followed by a trip to Rave Motion Pictures to watch Star Trek (for the second time - yes...i do believe i'm becoming a slight treky)! if you haven't seen it yet, DO! its wonderful! after that, we went to a friends house to just chill! getting in really really late, my bed felt WONDERFUL! (which is a "new" bed because my other one was flat. So i got one from a family friend - they didn't need it anymore...so they gave it to me! its like sleeping on a cloud!)
Monday we wonderful! i slept in until about 10...which was fantastic! and i was woken up by sweet little feet running and screaming through the hallway. Jax and Izzy were at the house. so i got up and played with Jaxon for the first time in FOREVER! he's the little boy i was a nanny for my last year in high school! its crazy...'cause he's like three years old, and talking and everything! its just scary how much he's grown up in only a couple of years. and Izzy didn't even know who i was when i first came in the room. but i played with them for a while, then showered up and went to Joel's. Joel's mom cooked some ribs (amoung other stuff) for his birthday/memorial day! and Joel had a couple of friends over. after we ate, we all went out to anotehr friends house to celebrate memorial day with several friends! it was fun! we stayed out pretty late, then crashed! out of all my days off, i have to say Tuesday was the best! i did not get out of my pj's until the middle of the afternoon! it was great! i did nothing all day but lay around and do nothing with Joel. we watched some tv, napped, watched some more tv, ate a little bit. it was just a wonderful day altogether! :)
now its wednesday and its back to reality! i'm back at work, and despite the fact that i had to force myself out of bed this morning at 6am, its not so bad. work's kind of slow this morning, but that's ok. i'm very glad i have my job! and Lord willing will have it for quite a bit longer!
if y'all would, please pray for my family right now. we just put our house on the market, so its officially for sale...which is kind of weird! just pray that it sells and if/when it does my parents will know what our next move needs to be. we're planning on staying in Little Rock (so don't panic) its just figuring out what to do next, buy land and build, buy house, rent house, rent apartment...stuff like that! and pray for attitudes (especially mine), 'cause if the house sells and we get an apartment or rent house...it'll be smaller, which means less space...and i like my space! soooo...just pray God will give me a grateful attitude no matter what happens! :)
wow...so yeah...i wrote a book! but i hope you've enjoyed catching up with me! lol!

much loves y'all!
meg

God is good, ALL the time

2009-05-13T08:29:00.002-05:00

morning fellow bloggers!

i write to you once again on a rainy day. but you know what? God is good! even with all this rain and dreary weather, He is good! pray for me; i have had a very hard and long past couple of weeks, and they don't seem to be getting better. i seem to be getting trials from every direction! things at work have not gotten any better, actually they've gotten worse. it is a constant struggle to maintain a good attitude here. i've reached a point where even the thought of going to work makes me want to curl into a fetal position in a corner and cry. i leave work absolutely drained and get to work struggling to stay awake and alert! and it probably doesn't help that i'm lacking in vitamin D right now because i haven't seen the sun more than 2 times in the past 3 weeks. i am weary. i have sent out TONS of applications and put my resume out in a lot of places and all i have received back are "thanks, but the position has been filled". its very frustrating. but even in the midst of all this, i know God is good. here's some verses that have been comforting:

Psalm 73:28
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.

Philippians 2:13
For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

I Timothy 4:4
For everything created by God is good...

i don't know about you, but those verses are such encouragement to my tired heart! it is such a comfort to know that God has it under control. everything He's created (even trials) are good! James 1:2-4 is another great verse; Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
i want to be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. so i rejoice that i have trials, hard as it may be.
this past weekend, on mother's day, we went to my dad's parents' for lunch. i got there before any of the rest of my family and was talking to my grandparents. when they asked me how work was going, i explained that things were getting tougher and more tiresome, but that i believed God is sovereign over it. then i explained how sometimes it stresses me out. at that point, my papaw looked at me and said "i don't ever want to hear you say that again! if you truly know and believe that God is in control and sovereign, you will never stress another day in your life. if you are stressing out, then you don't truly believe it." it struck me to the core, because how true is that. even in my weakness, God is His strongest, so why should i ever stress out. God has blessed me with very wise grandparents!
please pray for me, that i would continue to dwell on the fact that God is good to bring trials into my life and that no matter what, He is sovereign and in control!

much love,
meg

go go go

2009-05-08T10:25:00.002-05:00

hi!
this morning when i got up, my mom was already up and telling josh that he wasn't going to school today...she and the little kids got to go see Kris Allen at AT&T and then they're headed to the River Market to see him AGAIN! I'm so jealous! here i am...sitting here at work...waiting waiting waiting for this day to be OVER! and of course...its dragging on! i have a friend's high school graduation to go to today...and i'm excited! it'll be fun! buuuut...i forgot my camera at home!! leave it to me...:shakes head: oh well...least i remembered her gift! lol!

i spent most of yesterday putting together all my stuff for my photography! prices, agreements, stuff like that. i have had several people ask about me taking some pictures for them (which i would LOVE to do as an occupation!) so i figured i'd should probably set some prices down on paper so i'm not just guestimating everytime someone asks! lol! so i'm all organized and ready to go, who knows? maybe it'll go somewhere! if you've got any questions, you can go to my sister blog - http://life-shots-photography.blogspot.com/ i need to post some more pictures on it. :)
i'll have to get to that!

anyways...hope ya'll have a great weekend! much love always!

~meg

you are my sunshine

2009-05-07T11:04:00.002-05:00

finally...i'm loving the very few beautiful rays coming through the front windows of the office! not much has been going on...so i haven't written much, sorry! there's been a little drama around the office the past couple of days...but not much other than that!
joel and i went to the "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" movie last night! i loved it! not so sure what he thought about it. but i will say this...we will not be going back to Chenal 9 theater unless we're going for the IMAX...like the last 5-10 minutes of the movie there were little yellow lines running through the movie...:sigh:! so, we'll be going back to the Rave and its digital projection! Heather from Alice 107.7 radio station was there last night. it was cool to see her in person...the Heather and DC show is my favorite morning radio show! listen to them coming into work every morning! :)
i'm excited about tonight...end of the semester cook out with metro friends!! its gonna be a blast! and then tomorrow night, i'll be leaving work a little early to go to a friend's graduation! then another graduation saturday! lol! its that time of year!
anyways...that's about all i've got right now...i may post a little more later!

~meg

a sister in Christ

2009-05-04T14:45:00.002-05:00

hi friends,
what a wonderful thing i have to tell you. sitting here at work, i just received a phone call from home. it was Brittany calling to tell me that sitting with mom in the living room, she was just saved. she told mom that she wanted to be saved and they sat and talked about it for a while, then Brittany (12 years old) prayed and asked Christ into her heart! i'm sitting here at work about to burst into tears thinking that God has saved my little sister and has now given me another sister in Christ! that she and i, no matter what happens in this life, will be together for eternity! what a blessing! please join with me and praying for Brittany that God will continue to grow her into a young woman after His own heart!

much love,
megan

ants and pigs

2009-04-30T12:44:00.004-05:00

hi all,
today i was reading my proverb for the day (proverbs 30) and wow! such a good one! but verses 24-31 are my favorites!

Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:
The ants are a people not stron, yet they provide their food in the summer;
The rock badgers are a people not maighty, yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
The locusts have no kind, yet all of them march in rank;
The lizard you can take in your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces.
Three things are staely in their tread; four are stately in their stride:
The lion, which is mightiest amoung beasts and does not turn back before any;
The strutting rooster, the he-goat and a king whose army is with him.

I think this passage is so cool because it shows how awesome God's creation is that something can be so contradictory and yet make so much since. like the ant...i think that is probably my favorite insect...because it truly is amazing! when i was in grade school, our childrens choir at the church put on a concert/musical one year. it was called "Go to the Ant" by Judy Rogers...and all these years later i still remember that song:

Go to the ant, observe her
See how she works all day
And she doesn't even have a captian to tell her what to do
But she works hard anyways
Go to the ant

its funny thinking back to that! we also did a song called "Isabelle is a Pig"...and I played Isabelle!

Isabelle is a pig with a ring in her snout
You can dress Izzy up but you can't take her out
She will jump in the middle of a big mud puddle 'cause Isabelle is a pig!

Now a pretty little girl when her temper shows, looks like a pig with a ring her nose
All the cute little ribbons and ruffles and rings look silly when you do them foolish things!

You can dress up a pig but you can't take her out
With a bright gold ring in her pink pig snout
She will jump in the middle of a big mud puddle 'cause a pig is a pig is a pig.

Now, pretty little girls when they cry and pout, look like Izzy with a ring in her snout
All the buttons and bows and curls and lace, don't look pretty with a grumpy face!

You can dress up a pig but you can't take her out
With a bright gold ring in her pink pig snout
She will jump in the middle of a big mud puddle 'cause a pig is a pig is a pig.

So be a little girl who loves to obey
Listen to your parents everyday
Don't be like a pig who wallows in the mud
What she wears can make what she does look good!

Isabelle is a pig with a ring in her snout
You can dress Izzy up but you can't take her out
She will jump in the middle of a big mud puddle 'cause Isabelle is a pig!

© 1989 Judy Rogers

While the song was playing and the other kids in the choir were singing, i was acting out the part of Isabelle. my mom dressed me in a very fancy dress and curled and fluffed my hair so high! she even put tons of makeup on me, which was a huge deal...since i was only 4th grade! and throughout the song i carried around a little stuffed pink pig, dressed up just like me, with a ring in her snout! =(:) it was very fun!

anyways...reading this proverb today made me think about it! :)

later,
~meg

ps. for those of you moms (or others) interested in such good music for little ones that will stick with them for a while the cd is still for sell! :) i've thought about purchasing it myself! http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=CD5195&event=CFN

the perfect start of a day

2009-04-29T08:52:00.005-05:00

this morning started very wonderfully for me! it was one of those rare mornings when i woke up just a minute or two before my alarm clock, got up and got ready for work, and left with time to spare. i stopped and got myself a little breakfast and headed on in to work.

the perfect morning starter

a very yummy breakfast

once i got to work and opened everything up, i sat down at my desk and opened my bible. today the psalm i read was 29 and wow! it is a very glorious psalm. it talks about the glory of God and how majestic He is! it speaks of how the voice of the LORD is what brings about the calve of the deer, the thunders, the breaking of cedars, causes the flames, shakes the wilderness, and strips the forests bare. the very last verse says, The LORD will give strength to his people, the LORD will bless His people with peace. (v. 11) that is so encouraging. this psalm talks all about how powerful God really is and then in the very same breath says that He will care for and protect His people and give them peace. what a comfort to know that the almighty and powerful God will give me rest and comfort!

just some food for thought!

~meg

girls hard at work

2009-04-28T13:43:00.005-05:00

hi y'all,

brittany and hannah have come to work with me for a bit! and i thought i'd post a couple of pics of us working hard (or hardly working)! lol! :) enjoy!

almost home

2009-04-28T08:09:00.003-05:00

hi friends,
after being gone for a week now, mom should be coming home today. my parents have not spent more than 3 days alone as a couple since they had me...almost 20 years! so since last tuesday mom and dad have spent a week together in ohio. i have heard from them twice...which is kind of unusual...but its a good thing! i'm assuming they've had just a peachy time and enjoyed themselves greatly.
i'm thinking this is going to be a long week and this coming weekend is going to be busy busy busy! saturday afternoon i've got a baby shower to take pictures at, then later that evening joel's sister and her future husband are having their wedding shower, and some of joel's family is coming in for that. then sunday is church and another shower for beth (joel's sister) that friends from bible church are throwing her. thankfully this week isn't care group...'cause that would just be exhausting!
next weekend is mother's day! i have no idea what we're doing! lol...usually we go out with my dad's mom (mimi) and celebrate...but i don't think they're going to be in town...so yeah...no clue! i'm such a planner. it stresses me out to not know what is coming up in my social calendar or my "life" calendar either. i like to have things planned out and know what's coming up. that's probably one of my biggest struggles with my faith; knowing that God is good and in control and already has a plan...even when i don't know it! Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established." and that is so easy to say, 'Oh of course i'll submit my ways and works to the Lord, i'm a christian, that's what we do.' its easy to say that God is in control or to say that we trust Him wholy in that, but its very very hard for me to live out. Proverbs 16:9 goes on to say, "The mind of man (or woman) plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." it is a daily struggle for me to lean and depend on knowing that God knows where i'll be this weekend or what i'll be doing, or 6 months, 2 years, 10 years down the road. but it is also a comfort to know that i am not wandering about confusing God, that He has it all under control and i am safely in His hands!

love y'all!
~meg

ew...

2009-04-27T08:02:00.003-05:00

so this weekend, i killed my first snake of the season! lol! living out where i live, this will be a regular occourance through the summer. josh (my little brother) has already seen one and i've seen a couple of the road out to my house. well, yesterday on my way home from church, i had josh, brittany and hannah (three of my sibs) in the car with me and was on our road inside our gate. i spotted it as soon as i topped the hill and it became a show-down! it was like one of those wild west movies where the two gunslingers hit the streets...i heard the typical music playing in the background and i'm pretty sure i heard the step of spurs too. i reved the engine and took off, speeding towards the snake and then right as i reached it.....*brake*!!! needless to say...i won! :) killing a snake with my car is about as close as i'll get to them! *shudders*...yuck... once i ran it over, we rolled the windows down and watched it move around a little bit. then it like moved all the sudden, and bit itself! so i took a picture (i'm so morbid, i know)! after a while it stretched back out and we saw the faint pattern of what looked like a copperhead! one dead...many more to go...!

this morning...i was on my way to take josh to the bus stop and then off to work, and going down the same road, saw a huge copperhead stretched across the road...i didn't have time to kill it. :( oh well...we shall meet again! *megan blows off tip of the gun and holsters it*

ya'll have a great day! :)

~meg

puzzling

2009-04-24T07:58:00.003-05:00

morning friends!

i hope you're doing well this morning! its friday and i'm SO excited the weekend is almost here! it makes coming to work a whole lot easier, knowing i don't have to come back in the morning! lol!

so on my desk i've got these little brain teasers. they're little twisted pieces of metal that are fitted together and you have to try and get them apart...it is oh so funny to watch people try and get them apart! some people are patient and will sit and work it until the get it done. other get frustrated and walk away in a huff. just the other day, i had a guy stand and work with one of the puzzles for about 10 minutes, then threw it on the ground, stomped it and walked out the door! i laughed so hard after he left. it was very funny!

as the weekend comes around, i'm getting so excited! i am sleeping in tomorrow morning, then tomorrow night i'm going to get to spend some time with some of my best friends and joel! michael mayo and his girlfriend, hannah, are coming to my house to have dinner with me and joel and my little sibs. then we're all going bowling afterwards! its going to be so much fun! then this sunday is care group...so i've got child care for the first time in about four weeks. so i'm ready for that, except this week will be a little different for me; heather is going to teach the lesson (first time in 3 years that i've been doing this that i haven't taught a lesson). but i'll be doing the craft and most likely the game as well. but heather is teaching. and i believe this week is about Hannah the mother of Samuel. it'll be fun! hope you have a wonderful weekend!

~meg

houston....we have a problem

2009-04-23T15:41:00.002-05:00

my oh my!
if ever there was a day for the tramatic events that occured at cdi today to happen...today was not the day! we had a HUGE bid going on today and to add to that excitement, it was an e-bid (all done on via internet...obviously). well, on top of that, here at cdi, our fax machine is hooked up to my computer, so every fax we get comes through the server onto my computer, then i email it to whoever it goes to...well, today around 10:30am our server and network CRASHED! so with that, most of our computers. being that all the bids for this job were coming in via fax...and it was hooked to my computer...which was shut down...because of server crash...was not a good sign! talk about crazy...this afternoon got NUTS! we had executives running around like chickens with their heads cut off! besides the fact that we could lose the job without being able to bid, it was really quite comical! we finally got the fax machine un-attached to from my computer so it would spit out paper copies, and that settled that. then our IT guy got the executives who were doing the bidding some air-cards, so they had some internet...and that fixed that! so all in all, it worked itself out. we eventually got the systems back up and running and all is well! but what an eventful day! lol! oh...and side note, it is now 4pm...and our IT guy just informed me he's leaving for lunch...so sad! :(

please pray for me tonight. me and the rest of our leadership team are supposed to be sharing our goals and hopes for our campus ministry at Metro tonight. i am excited about sharing, but also a little nervous! just pray that God would speak through me tonight!

thanks much! have a great evening!
~meg

thankful

2009-04-22T16:29:00.003-05:00

afternoon y'all!

so it has been a very looooooong day. and i can't tell you how many times today i've thought "i just can't wait to get out of here and go home!" but then...as i got to thinking about it, i should be thinking instead "thank you God i have a full-time job that pays my bills and then some!" :shakes head: far too often i think about what a drudgery this job can be instead of what a blessing it is. i fail to see that even in the trying times when i'm dealing with a person who just doesn't get what i'm saying, or a solicitor who ignored the "no soliciting" sign on the door, that God has put me in that particular moment and place to stretch and grow me.

Consider it all joy, my brethern, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

i should be thankful for what God has blessed me with. here's a couple of pictures of my daily life with a phone attached to my head! enjoy! :)

~meg

back to high school

2009-04-21T08:50:00.002-05:00

hello fellow bloggers!

last night Joel took me to see "17 Again" (with Zac Efron and Matthew Perry). very good movie! it was funny and sweet...your typical girl movie. i loved it and joel even said he liked it. so i'd give this movie an A!

it got me to thinking, i would not ever want to go back to high school. and i've only been out of high school about two years. there was definitely things about high school that i loved and it would be fun to do again, like play softball, or put together a yearbook. but then there's also things i wouldn't want to deal with again...namely drama! and i'm not talking about on a stage with actors and costumes...even though that's really all high school is. even being homeschooled...there's so much drama over the smallest things. where in a public or private school you have drama in the hallways, or the parking lot, homeschool drama is via email, or text or phone calls. so stuff is spreading like wildfire, and you never know it because you never really see anyone that's spreading it, and then all of the sudden, jr./sr. banquet (because we weren't allowed to call it prom) you're the talk of the night, and not because your dress was the prettiest. oh...and that's another thing about homeschooling that kind of erks me....we don't have competitions...because someone's feelings will get hurt....! for instance, Homecoming Court...you know...that formal event at the basketball game where the girls are escorted down the court, looking lovely, only to have one named Homecoming Queen...we don't name a homecoming queen in the homeschooling world...because it would be unfair...and we don't support popularity contests. :rolls eyes:

now, don't read this wrong in thinking i'm against homeschooling, or dissing it, or hated being homeschooled...i LOVED being homeschool. it was freedom! lol! and i loved the friends i had in high school along with the teachers (and yes i had teachers other than my mom). but, with that said, God will have to work a miracle (which he can do) in my heart for me to want to homeschool any future children i may have. God bless my mom for having the patience and the other parents who put together the Pulaski County Flames organization...'cause homeschooling through high school wouldn't have been the same without you! :) GO FLAMES!

~meg

the rest of my weekend

2009-04-20T08:28:00.004-05:00

ok, so here's how the rest of my weekend went.

Saturday morning i got up and went with a team from Metro (the campus ministry i'm involved in at UALR) and drove to Conway for Impact '09 for a day of leadership training.

it was such a wonderful day, from smaller seminars to mega seminars to worship with other students and leaders from BCM's all over Arkansas. its such an encouragement to know that there are other people working on college campuses in AR towards the same goal; showing others Christ! i will be leading a small group of girls next fall in a bible study on UALR campus and will spend the summer (Lord willing) working with the other small group leaders to figure out how we're going to do it. please pray for us, there's a lot going on a Metro and prayer is definitely needed. we just recently found out that our current campus minister and his wife and son will be moving to a college in mississippi this fall. and they will be leaving in june. we love Ben, Karen and Broch a lot and will miss them greatly. please pray for them as they prepare for this change in ministry. i especially need your prayers right now, because i don't want to let them go. if not for Ben i wouldn't have even checked Metro out, let alone gotten this involved. along with Ben and Karen leaving, Mike and Brooke (the couple i lead worship with) will also be leaving at the end of this semester. i do not like or handle change very well and this is a lot of change to be happening at once. just pray that God will give me a content heart and a willingness to serve even more.

yesterday (Sunday) was great! joel and i went to Christ Church and afterwards stayed for a cookout. it was so wonderful just fellowshipping with other believers. i love everyone at Christ Church! after that, we went back out to the Riley house and just kind of chilled. it was nice to take an afternoon nap and just relax for a bit. after eating dinner, me and joel played "Hand and Foot" (a card game the Riley's LOVE) against paul and beth! they only beat us by 700 something points (which isn't really that big of a margin - or so joel and beth say). right after we put the cards up, we turned to see a tree frog on the outside of the nook window. at first we just all looked at the frog just chilling on the window, then all the sudden this little moth landed a little too close to the frog on the window. then....*snatch*...the little frog ate the little moth! we all yelled "whoa!" and then died laughing. joel kept making fun of us because we were so entertained watching this frog like eat these little moths that kept landing by it. lol! it was so funny! we probably watched it for about 20 minutes! what we do in arkansas for entertainment! haha!

anyways...that was my weekend! hope your's was as much fun! :)

~meg

diamonds and italian

2009-04-20T07:53:00.005-05:00

so this is a couple of days late, but i thought you'd like to know anyways! friday after i got off work i headed home and was met there by this very handsome man. he was dressed in a nice button down shirt and his khaki shorts. when he met me around by my car he said "i have something for you." and pulled out a little blue box. immediately giggly (as any girl would be) he handed it to me. opening it up, i found the cutest little diamond necklace; PERFECT for a 6 month anniversary gift! its a tenth of a karat set in white gold, on a white gold chain. :sigh: absolutely L-O-V-E-L-Y!

after i got all mushy and thanked him, and kissed him, we went inside so i could get ready. then he took me to the cutest little italian resturant i've ever seen! cafe prego; off of kavanaugh next to u.s. pizza and the post office. its owned and run by a little italian family. with only 15 entrees on the menu, everything was cooked to perfection! it was wonderful!

so that was our 6 months! God has blessed me greatly!

~meg

i got my hairs cut

2009-04-17T10:34:00.002-05:00

hello bloggers!
it is an absolutely GORGEOUS day in Little Rock! the sun is shining...its about 65 degrees...and it even smells fresh outside! lol!
so i just got my hair cut. i LOVE that feeling of fresh cut hair! i cut it the same way i did last time i went in. so nothing new...just re-shortened! haha!
this may sound totally cheesy...but this is what i was thinking about while getting my hair cut:
that fresh clean feeling i get when i just get my hair cut is wonderful. i feel like and joyful and just great. that's the same thing i should feel every morning when i read scripture. i should have that fresh prunned (i think that's how you spell that...lol) and cut feeling. there should be a daily clipping in our lives of the sins that Holy Spirit is slowly cutting away. so often i worry about what my physical appearance is, like my hair or make up, that the spiritual, the stuff that really counts, falls to the wayside. its not a matter of cosmetics, its a matter of the heart. needless to say, i didn't know a haircut could be so convicting! lol!

just something to think on,
meg

my wish list

2009-04-14T11:55:00.010-05:00

today is SO beautiful outside! its days like this that torture me...having to look out the wall of windows in the office lobby and just wishing i was outside.

anyways...i've seen several posts lately of "wish lists"...and i thought it would be fun to do that! these wishes could be things that i may or may not ever get, but its just fun to think about. :) so here goes...

what a beauty! i absolutely LOVE this design...and aim to have a laptop in the near future.

my dream car...a ford mustang convertible...silver with some form of black stripes.

a beach wedding...:sigh:

an ovation "elite" guitar...what a gorgeous instrument!

and a nikon D80...wonderful camera...maybe someday!

so those are some things on my wish list...who knows, maybe i'll get 'em eventually, maybe not. and i'm totally ok with that. :)

what's on your wish list?

~meg

bunnies and eggs?

2009-04-13T08:16:00.003-05:00

hello! i hope y'all had a wonderful Easter/Resurrection weekend! i went with my family and joel to Louisiana this past weekend. joel and i didn't get in to my grandparents' until later Saturday night, but it was still quite an adventure. my family is crazy! there was tons of food (as always) and jokes, card games, etc. all of us kids also got in the hot tub Saturday night and goofed off for a bit. then my mom and i stayed up talking about Twilight and other books until 1:30am...only to get up around 8:00 that same morning to get ready for church! yeah....not the smartest thing we've ever done.

Sunday was fun, but very full. from going to my aunt's church, to eating (tons of food), to watching a movie (Beverly Hills Chihuahua - cute...but definitely a little silly), to taking a long route home, it was a very long day. to finally arrive home last night at 11:30pm...to then get up this morning (at 5:30am) to come to work is very exhausting! but all in all, it was a wonderful weekend! i love my crazy family and wouldn't trade anything one of them for the world! lol!

Sunday morning my grandmother woke us up screaming "its a beautiful day in the neighborhood" and "wake up! we've got places to go, people to see, things to do" then once we were out of bed and eating, she says, "Does anyone know what the word 'Easter' means?"

We all just looked at her with blank stares; a) it was waaaay too early for us to think that hard about something and b) no one knew - even her! lol! so we looked up 'Easter'. so interesting fact, this is its origin:

originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honour of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ, which occurred at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was frequently used as the translation of the Greek pascha (the Passover). When the Authorized Version (1611) was formed, the word "passover" was used in all passages in which this word pascha occurred, except in Act 12:4. In the Revised Version the proper word, "passover," is always used.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/easter

i thought it was very interesting that the name for this holiday commemorating our Christ's resurrection came from a pagan goddess. anyways...thought you might like to know! :)

all in all, it was a great, fun filled weekend and the greatest part is, that once again we celebrated the awesome miracle of Christ's resurrection!

a good reminder

2009-04-09T11:46:00.004-05:00

hello again!

i just wanted to share something that touched me this morning! i have some great friends that have a band and their music is SO encouraging! you've probably heard of them, but maybe not...Across the Valley! their songs are absolutely wonderful...you can see their stuff at acrossthevalley.com

anyways...this morning i was listening to my music on shuffle and one of their songs, Marvelous Creator, came on. its probably one of my favorites of theirs. here's the lyrics...hmmm..how awesome my God is!

Marvelous Creator

Verse 1:
How many times has the ocean been crossed?
How many times has the ozone been breached?
Through the years all these planets we’ve discovered
Yet how many have we reached?

Chorus:
How great is our marvelous creator
Who makes all things.
How great is the love of a Father
Who heals our needs.
You are great, You are God, my Lord.

Verse 2:
How many times has our Savior been questioned?
How many times has he been put to the test?
Through the years all these scientist discover,
Yet through the times they continue to confess.

Bridge:
No eye can conceive.
No word can describe.
No picture can portray
The beauty of your righteousness.

No evil can defeat.
No grave can contain.
No sin will remain
The wonder of your love.

special thanks to Across the Valley

www.acrossthevalley.com

2009-04-09T09:48:00.001-05:00

first try

2009-04-08T08:28:00.003-05:00

good morning all! its wednesday...which means middle of the work week. i'm a bit tired and moving a bit slow this morning, but i'm sure i'll wake up a little more in the next little bit.
the phones seem to be picking up a little lately...which is nice! things around here have been a little too slow lately and that makes for very long days, so i don't mind the pick up in pace.
so i'm not sure about you, but this arkansas weather is driving me crazy...it can't seem to make up its mind. which makes getting dressed in the mornings very hard. it was 36 degrees this morning when i left my house and the forcast says its supposed to be 73 before the end of the day. so this morning, i had to make sure that i had something on warm enough that i wouldn't freeze in 36 degree weather and that i will still be able to wear once the temp has reached 73 later...:shakes head:...way too difficult.

so this morning i read some of Psalm 119 in my quiet time and it kind of struck me differently than it ever has before. verses 103-105 made me stop and think:

103How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. 105Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

now...i don't know about you, but i rarely think about how sweet scripture really is. how often do i (especially as a female) crave chocolate; once i start craving it, there is nothing to curb that craving besides finding some and placing that sweet melty piece of chocolate in my mouth. as i got to thinking about the sweetness of God's Word this morning, it made me sad to think that i don't crave for It in the same way or moreso than i do chocolate...God's Word should be sweeter to me than even chocolate! but the psalmist doesn't stop there...he goes on to say that because we are devouring God's words, it causes us to hate false (or wrong) ways (aka...sins)! i fail to truly hate sin. i become so calloused to the "little" sins around me and in my own life that, little by little, i'm not so disgusted with the very things to put Christ on the cross. this verse woke my thinking up this morning as it reminded me that i should hate even those "little sins". and then, as if the psalmist (under inspiration of Holy Spirit) knew that i'd be feeling completely at a loss at this point, says that we have help. thinking about the fact that i don't hate sin the way i should, i feel hopeless to think that in my fleshly state, i will not be able to hate sin completely. but then the psalmist points out that God doesn't expect us to do it on our own. His Word will guide us step by step. which brings it full circle...if we're in The Word, we will hate sin and we can only hate sin if we're in The Word.
just some food for thought...

many loves,
meg