life lessons: friendship

there aren't a lot of things i can write down and say that i know them for sure.

i know that true love exists.
i know that chocolate cures all.
and i know that friendships, no matter what, are a must.

it's weird to think that seven years ago i was surrounded by "best friends". bffs that i met before and after school for coffee and gossip. girlfriends that knew about my day from start to finish.

and now.
now things are different.

i can count on my one hand the women i'd call girlfriends. the one's i know would drop everything to be at my aide.

and i'm ok with that.

i've learned that the older you get, the harder friendships become.
life happens.
hard things happen.
and you learn that through all the mud, the one's who stick around are the most important. the ones who are here to stay.

at twenty four, almost twenty five {insert panic face here}, i've got one girl who has been by my side since day one of kindergarten.

any giant moment in my life, i can see her standing next to me, or there with me in thought. we've had a "long distance relationship" since the seventh grade.

she's been one of my biggest motivators. cheerlearders. supporters. encouragers.
the list really goes on and on.

over the last eighteen years, i've learned a lot about friendships.
the biggest one?
it's so much more important to love them because of who they are, rather than try to change them.

it's more important to laugh and cry with them, then try and teach a lesson.

it's more important to remember the good times, than keep onto the tiny fights.

because friendships, the really good ones, are worth having.

i've had a lot of friends in my life. and i'm sure i'll have more. but the really really good ones, they last a lifetime.

and so the lesson through friendships...never under estimate how awesome a frizzy haired girl with a plaid vest can be at being your best friend.

i'm linking up with the very sweet lindsay!

tiny moments

there's a couple things in this world that just make me instantly happy.

Jesus.
coffee.
my hubby.
dove chocolate.
and this adorable tiny human.

{i know. you can't handle the cute}

i got go spend the weekend with this little nugget, and beside being totally exhausted when i got home yesterday, it was so much fun. 

she's almost three so she's in this, "the kids say the funniest things" stage. she's a rambler. and i joke that she has the attention span of a flea. moms out there get me. 

but goodness is she fun. 

we went to the zoo on saturday, which turned into all my closest friends bringing their babies, or nephews. which, if you've never been to the zoo with small children, you need to put it on your to-do list because it's just too much fun.

yesterday rained all day. which squished any plans we might have had. 

i woke exhausted, i'm not used to playing mommy that's for sure. 

i had to walk from my sisters to my moms (they live 4 houses away from each other) and it started to rain. 

reagan opened the door and said, "aw, aunt meggy its rainin".

i grabbed the umbrella, scooped her up and took off for my moms. 

it started to pour, like feet soaked, legs turning brown from the dirt pouring. 

reagan clung onto me, and out of no where, looks at me and says, "aunt meggy, i love you."

my heart melted y'all. 

this morning in my prayer time i thanked God over and over again for letting me be her aunt. 

i mean seriously. this little girl means the world to me. 

these are the moments that i'll hold onto forever. moments that written on my heart forever. 

it makes me take life slow. does that make sense?

if i'm always rushing, i miss things like this. if i ran through the rain with her, we would have laughed, but maybe that moment wouldn't have happened. 

we slowed down, and walked. 

it's not about getting to the finish line first. it's about how we get there. 

i'm so thankful for my weekend with reagan. 

and so so so thankful for moments like these. 

happy monday. 

coffee date

if i could, i'd invite you to go hang out at starbucks with me for the next couple of hours so we could catch up on life.

but since we can't.

i'll just tell you here.

life lately, has been full of appreciation {see my last post}. full of family and friends. this week couldn't have been a better reminder from the Lord on how blessed i truly am.

so my week. and it's only thursday.
i did an engagement session on saturday which i am drooling over because the couple is too stinking cute.

right?!

to see more visit my photography facebook page.

sunday we celebrated our Risen King. 

amen. 

can you see where we get our good looks from? ;)

i died when i saw this picture and that smile. 

tuesday night i had dinner with one of my very best friends. 

this girl just gets me. she's also doing the world race come this september and i can't even begin to put into words how proud i am of her. which also means i'll be writing about helping sponsor her soon!

and then yesterday. 

oh yesterday. 

i didn't have to be at work until 5, and decided to go with hubby to his personal training session. 

first, let me start with the fact that i am not totally out of shape. i've been working out with my girl jillian and doing her 30 day shred, every couple of days. 

however.

this morning i feel like i haven't done any physical activity since i was twelve. i have muscles hurting that i didn't even know existed. 

{it was serious}

and today we are heading up to north carolina for a short visit because a dear friend of mine is getting married at duke chapel on saturday! 

any plans for the weekend?

happy thursday!

just dance it out.

it's been a long week.
like really long {did ya see my vlog?!}

emotional. which leads to it turning into being physically exhausted. and spiritually i feel like i've been saying the same things over and over.

but i still keep on because i have hope. 

i had the day off yesterday which was wonderful.
and like every good housewife, i cleaned.
{gasp}

i was in my kitchen {because that was the "de-clutter" room of the day}, throwing out anything that i hadn't used or was taking up too much unnecessary room, when i heard...off in the distance..."cause it ain't no lie, baby bye bye byeee".

an angel? i thought.

nope. just the girls who live across from me.

it's been a little chilly here, so my doors were opened and their music was blaring.

and for once. i didn't care.
because followed by that gem, came brittney. and then jt all on his own {senorita, i feel for youuu}. and then michael. and then christina. and then usher {you got it bad}.

and then the commercial.

pandora! i shouted.

i proceeded to close all the doors and windows, hook up my phone to our speakers and let the *nsync station on pandora play loud and proud.

if you're having a bad day, there's your instant fix. you can thank me later.

and so i continued to clean, and clean. each song singing a little bit louder. when finally, the husband came home for my grande finale.

{did you enjoy the free tour of my room and bathroom?}

and so there it is.

i sound just like her.

sometimes, you've just got to dance around your bathroom with a broom as your microphone.
life is too short.
we need to dance more. it relieves the stress.
sing off key more.
and be more ok with looking like a total fool once in a while, if it makes other people laugh.


happy thursday friends.
and here's to the "hair brush singers and dash board drummers".


OH AND ALSO.
not that the numbers are what matter. but that number over there is almost at 200.
which i love. because it's about the people that represent that number that i love.
i am so thankful for this blog and all God has done to bless it. AND YOU!
my beautiful readers, who i adore.
AND SO.
when i hit 200 followers i'm hosting a GIVEAWAY!
all my favorites. from me to you.
so be on the lookout for that!

you bless my socks off friends.

just listen.

i've noticed a lot lately that i am a total scatter brain. if i don't write it down, it won't get done.

perhaps you saw this picture on my instagram a few weeks back:

{that's my steering wheel. if that note wasn't placed in the most obvious spot, it wouldn't have been seen}

sure, my memory is that of a 90 year old woman, and i'm sure i could take some vitamins to get that going better, but what about the rest of my life. 

the part about where i have no idea what i'm doing right now. 

the part where i feel like i'm trying to start a photography business and i'm hanging on my the skin of my teeth. 

it's a lot, let's be honest. 

transitions in life aren't easy. are they even supposed to be?

i'm having an even harder time with my job right now, and feel like i'm fighting something i'm not supposed to be. 

am i making sense?

i've mentioned before that i have the patience of a two year old {i can fully prove this now because my niece is going to be three and some days she beats me}. and so i'm in this stage of waiting with God and it's literally driving me bananas. 

but here's what i realized the other day.

i'm so busy fidgeting around that i'm not listening. 

yet again, another thing i've never done well throughout my life. 

so here's what i've come to. 

i need to be quiet. 

really quiet. 

quiet enough to hear God speak to me about the plans HE has for my life. 

and i've got to be ready if they aren't the same as mine. 

i believe in the God who created the heavens and earth and i know that His plans for my life are far better than anything i could ever dream up. i also know that He is a God who hears prayers. He's heard my prayers lately and knows what's going on in this brain of mine, and what my heart is up to. 

i've got to get somethings in order. 

the big girl panties have got to come on, and i've got to quit making excuses. 

here's to me hearing my own pep talk. 

if you have any recommendations on books about hearing from God, i'd love to have them! or if you have any suggestions about a season in your life that you went through, that's similar to mine and have suggestions, send them my way!

"now choose life so that you and your children may live, 

and that you may love the Lord your God, 

listen to His voice, 

and hold fast to Him. 

for the Lord is your life"

deuteronomy 30:20

a coffee date.

i feel like we haven't caught up lately.

so let's pretend that we're meeting at starbucks right now. and let's chat.

life lately has been...exhausting for me.
i've been working twice as much since i'm out of school, and for any of you who have ever, or currently work in a restaurant, know how exhausting it is.
physically and mentally.

it's hard being around a group of people who just hate life in general every day. seriously. some of the people i work with complain day in and day out about their jobs, or life, or situations outside of work. it's hard. and trickles down onto me.
i'm only human.

i feel like i might be getting into a rut.

that was, until i got the worlds best pep talk from the hubby last night.

i came home in a grumpy mood. i was tired of my job (per usual) and instead of being thankful for even having the job, i complained about it.
which then lead to the "i'm a college graduate serving tables" conversation.
which isn't any fun for anyone.

which then turned into a conversation about my photography business.
that i feel like isn't going anywhere.
because i'm not good enough.

and then he asked the most simple question that felt like a bullet in my chest.
"so why are you doing photography than?"

for once in my life i didn't emotionally respond.
i just sat there, cried, and thought.

"because it's what i love to do."
he responded, "then do it babe."

my husband is amazing.
like for serious amazing.

he went on to give me the pep talk i needed about my photography business and how it's not going to grow over night. i have to get my butt going and work for it.
i got time for that!
i can't tell you how blessed i am by my husband.

if we were chatting right now i might tell you that i am so ready to move.
we're living in an apartment now and i am just so ready for a house.
and some change. or the ability to change the furniture around a bit more.
i need that kind of thing in my life.

i need to be organized which is something i'm going to start this week.
do you have any suggestions on where to start???
it's a daunting task, that whole organizing thing.
maybe i should contact ashlee now that she's free. (if you don't watch the bachelor you won't get this joke)

i'd tell you that i have a women's conference to go to on friday and saturday and i am so ready to hear God's word! like so ready for my world to be rocked. ready.

oh. and speaking of conferences...did you see that the influence network made some announcements today?! i am so ready for september.
will any of you be there too???

and then lets see...i'd tell you that i can not believe it's already march. i mean really?
sure february is shorter anyways, but man did this month fly by!
although i am super ready for march madness.

and then. lastly.
i'd ask if you've seen this hilarious video.
i feel like goats are making a huge comeback.
did you know they sound like humans when they yell?
sonny and i laughed till we cried the other night watching a bunch of goat videos. welcome to married life folks.

a seed.

i'm reading through the gospels right now...well i started with mark, for no for sure reason, i just felt like doing things a bit out of order.

i've realized that lately i keep praying, "let me live like You Lord", but i haven't been putting the effort into knowing what that entails, does that make sense?
the gospels. four books that will clearly tell us how we're supposed to act.

i came to the parable of the sower yesterday, and as i was reading, i realized...i'm the seed in the thorns.

let's back up.

Jesus is teaching by a lake (because that's just what He did...He taught), and in one of His parables.
to be honest, at some point, if i were a disciple, i'd ask the big guy to maybe just give a lesson with out the parable. no?

anyways, so He's teaching and gives the parable of the farmer, sowing his seeds.
i love that after Jesus gives this vague and almost confusing parable, He asks why the disciples don't understand. and almost sarcastically asks, "how will you understand any parable?!"
i can almost picture Him standing there laughing, like, "uh, hello, guys? don't you get it? seeds...four places they could be sown...the farmer? anyone?"

maybe He didn't say all that but He did clear things up a bit.

"the farmer sows the word. some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. as soon as they hear it, satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. but since they have no root, they last only a short time. when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. still others, like seed sown among the thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop"

mark 4:14-20 tniv

and then it  got me thinking.

what seed am i?

honestly?
the seed in the thorns.
i worry. it's just something that happens. and about everything.

all the promises that are in the Word of God about how i'm not supposed to worry, get choked by my worries.

choked. 

not a pretty sight is it?

my seeds need to be in that good soil. all of them.
i think that 90% of my seeds are hanging out in the good soil, producing a beautiful crop that God is so proud of...but i'm missing some.
i'm missing the seeds that say, "ok God this life of mine is totally Yours. nothing left of it is mine. do what you want with it."

because i'm a human and as much as i try, it's hard to give it all to God.

but that's what i'm doing. 

my prayers have been, "let me be in the good soil God, producing your crop".
because that's what we're supposed to be doing.
that crop is His work in our lives.

we're supposed to produce love, peace, patience. joyfulness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness...the things that Jesus produced on a daily basis.
the things that God created us to do.

i'm the seed that's getting out of the thorns. i'm realizing that all my worrying gets me no where and it's really no good. i'm realizing that God has already made these plans for me, and that He answers my prayers when i call them out to Him, and really does give me the desires of my heart.

this passage of scripture made me take a personal inventory of where my heart is.

i figured out what seed i am, and am getting out of the thorns.

what seed are you?

maybe you're already in the good soil, praise God. or maybe you're like me and just need to do a little bit of spring cleaning to get up and into the good soil.

happy wednesday.

all my love,
meg

whatcha waitin for?

there really is no time like the present. life isn't stopping so we can catch up, so really, honestly, what are we waiting for?

i've got a list of "to-do's" that are piling up. 

small things like, take clothes to a donation center. clean the floors. de-clutter this office. 

and then big things. 

like book another wedding. start saving more. take advantage of what God's given me and where He's placed me right now. plan more, and stick to the plan. 

i think sometimes i have these grandiose ideas about things to do, and then before i know it, i've let the idea sit on a piece of paper and never move. 

there's hardly any actions behind my ideas. 

i think part of it, is because i'm nervous. 

what if i'm not that good at photography?

when will i hit the lottery and not have to worry about saving money {jk jk. but really}?

when will i get a "real" job and stop serving people sweet tea?

big question.

all of which God has answered already. 

so i've just got to get going.

i'm not waiting for anything. i'm just waiting. anyone else like that? 

yes. God is a God who provides. but no where in the bible does it tell us that we're supposed to sit back and just wait for God to give us things. we've got to get going too!

i might start smaller. 

like, start this savings plan.

and have one photo shoot a week. 

de-clutter one room a week {which in turns gets us ready for our up coming move}.

and just stick with those three. 

i don't think we're supposed to create these giant to-do lists because then we're setting ourselves up for failure. starting small and building my way up. 

so. if you're like me. 

the answer to the question: what are you waiting for?

is...nothing. 

i'm not waiting, i just need to get going. 

happy monday loves, and get going!

all my love, 

meg

a revelation.

i am by definition a worrier.
it's something God is seriously trying to work on with me, and i'm a really slow learner.

i think,
i think though, that i'm starting to gain some progress.

here's the deal.
i'm impatient. always have been. my mother can back this claim up for sure.
i want things now, not later. i never see the point in having to wait for something.

the other day i started reading ephesians again {my most favorite book in the bible} and just in the first chapter God spoke to me.

"i keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the glorious Father, 

may give you the Spirit of 

wisdom and revelation 

so that you may know Him better."

ephesians 1:17

rev-e-la-tion:
a. an act of revealing or communicating divine truth
b. something that is revealed by God to humans

and so it came to me.

i'm so busy praying about God doing a work in my future, that i'm forgetting about the here and now. sure it's fun to plan things out, the ocd organizer in me is all about planning, but then we forget about what we're supposed to be doing right now.

i've been focusing on the future and forgetting about the present.

which is far more important, don't you think?

i stopped and almost cried. what if i had missed some huge opportunity from the Lord, because i was still praying about my future career?

God clearly spoke to me that very day about my future, and put me at ease.
isn't it lovely when He does that?

but it made me realize, if i'm not doing His work right now, then where's the hope for my future?
if i'm not making the most of the job i have right now, then why would He give me a bigger opportunity?

right now. i serve tables. i loose my patience, get grumpy at old people, spill hot soup on me, complain about bad tips, and hate the fact that my hair is always in a pony tail.

i realized the other day, that until i turn all those from negative things to positive things, i don't think He's going to take me out of mimi's.

it's a learning process. 

i've got to realize {daily} that patience really is a virtue, that some people are just unhappy and i need to make them smile, that at least i'm getting a tip, and maybe i should just chop my hair off so i don't have to put it up every day.

and lets be honest, i've got nothing for the hot soup one. 

do you see where i'm going with this?

our current circumstances are making a way for our future.
He's got me right where He wants me.
serving tables.
because it will prepare me for what He has next for me.

i'm thankful for this little revelation of mine because it's made a tiny difference in me. yes, tiny, because i'm just getting going.
i'm not perfect.

if you're like me and always wondering when you'll get that big break.
be patient.

it's coming.

happy monday!

all my love,
meg

that one time i was a mean girl.

last night i sat down to write this post, or a post i knew for sure would stir hearts. one that would bring women together. i could already hear the "you go girl!" "you're beautiful! don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" comments.

i typed away. planting each letter with the intention to make sure i looked like the victim. 

and then i looked over to a sticky note hanging off my calendar:

"do we reflect the 

genuine love 

we have for a God that 

trusts us enough 

to make us His 

holy ambassadors?"

it was like a load of bricks had just been placed on my chest. and that nine letter word we all hate came creeping into my heart. 

convicted. 

here's where i'll back up. 

i sat watching the super bowl, checking twitter every other play like every other american when i noticed a {non logical} tweet sent out by a wide receiver {professional football player} that happens to play for my beloved cleveland browns. 

i rolled my eyes, typed out a sassy reply. and hit send. 

my smart aleck tweet got a response. 

by the professional.

i was a bit stunned at first, and then laughed at how awesome it was. but frowned at his lack of a witty comeback. and how rude he was back.

it's clear now that although i was joking, it didn't come off that way. 

to him. 

nor to any other fans that saw the tweet. 

the truth of the matter is that i knocked his performance this past season. in a joking way {no ugly words were used btw}...but it was still rude of me. 

i can make excuses like i didn't think he was the one who handled his twitter {which i didn't} but it doesn't change the fact that i hit send in the first place. 

and had i only known what was coming next. 

a slue of tweets bashing me every which way possible flooded my twitter feed.

calling me names. 

cursing at me. 

making comments about my body. 

degrading things no woman should be told. 

all by a bunch of men, who i'll never meet. 

tears rolled down my cheeks. 

i felt like i was in middle school again. everyone was ganging up on me, suffocating me, and i couldn't get a word in edge wise. 

i thought about replying to each of them...but there were just too many. 

after the game, and when the tears dried, i made my way to the computer to do what every blogger would do: blog about the situation. focus on how terrible those men are. how women are still fighting a "sexist" battle. how these are probably a bunch of grown men who have nothing better to do than pick on a young female. how i was stunned that someone who didn't even know me could type out the words, "whore" and hit send. how crappy of a society we live in, and when is this kind of thing ever going to stop?

which is all true. 

but this is where the sticky note comes back. 

reflect the genuine love. 

in truth, i wasn't reflecting that genuine love. my tweet to him was rude {to put it plainly}, not intentionally, but that's how it came off. snarky. it was mean. i was being a mean girl. 

i was knocking his ability to do his job. 

my very wise best friend, who i always go to about things like this, always thinks before she speaks. she's so mature, something i seriously need to work on. 

but she kindly put it into plain terms for me {because at this point the emotions were so high, i wasn't even close to thinking logically}, 

"what if someone found your photography site and made a comment like that about your work?"

ouch. 

she was right, and had the right thing to say to me in that moment. per usual. and i'm so thankful for that. she always has a way of making the crazy emotional megan come off the cliff. i'm thankful for her and how well she knows me. 

like it or not, our lives are on display for all to see. every moment in our day, satan is waiting patiently for us to slip out. 

and boy was he having a hay day with me last night. 

it wasn't nice what i said. there weren't any cuss words in those 160 characters, but i called a guy "butterfingers". 

we are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us...God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the rigteousness of God.
2 corinthians 5:20-21

were those men wrong in using the lanuage they did towards me, of course. but had i though that tweet over before i sent it, instead of just doing it off the cuff...none of those things would have ever been said about me. 

i'm human.

i'm not perfect. 

i made a mistake. 

but i'm so thankful to serve a God who truely knows my heart. 

and for the conviction He is giving me. 

we are ambassadors. 

hand picked by God to spread His love and share the gospel. hand crafted. 

i'm in this learning stage right now and God is teaching me so much. 

this lesson? 

think before you tweet. or update facebook. or speak. 

my words need to be thought out, and only spoken if they bring glory to God. my life and mouth need to reflect the genuine love of God. 

because He has trusted me with the task of being an ambassador to Him. 

i'm a work in progress. 

i'm convicted. 

i'm thankful for a Father to crawl to and weep at His feet. 

i'm full of His grace. 

maybe you'll read this and stop following my blog because i was mean. 

that's ok. 

know first though that i am sorry. and second that if it wasn't for this post by my sweet friend annie, this wouldn't have been published. 

or maybe you'll read this, and like me...really start to meditate on the words that come out of our mouths. 

are all of our tweets, status updates, and words reflecting genuine love?

all my love, 

meg

simple devotion.

i'm at this weird place in my life where i'm done with school and God is forcing me to change seasons.

there's no more classes, no more studying {ok, who am i kidding. i was never the studying type}, no more papers to write, no more books to read.

there's now time to clean my home.
and meal plan.
and find a routine.
and work.
and work out.

and figure out what this season is.

can i be honest?
this season just started and i'm already FREAKIN OUT MAN.

really. truly.

what if, what if what i think God is calling me to do isn't what He's really calling me to do? and what if i'm not paying attention to the signs He's giving me?

what if i'm not being still enough?

that's where i am right now.

i feel like wile e coyote when he hits a wall chasing the road runner.
it all stopped.

the same schedule i've had for the last eighteen years is done. finished. no more.

so now what?

good question my dear, and i have no idea.

but i will know.

soon enough i tell ya.

because i'm learning that i need to be still. and listen for what He's trying to tell me.
commitments need to be broken.
yep i said it.
schedules need to be made with the importance of time with Him.
days need to begin and end with Him.

in short, i'm trying to break the same schedule i've had since the 7th grade right now.

i've learned that i needed to say no to a couple things.
realized that my time right now, my number one priority right now, needs to be hearing from Him.

i'm in a season of listening. 

i read this amazing post by ann voskamp and i'm trying to let that be a huge part of this season. i need more structured time with God, more time to plan my day, more moments to stop and pray, more things to write down as gifts.

i wrote down the 25 things she mentioned, and i can promise you that they are helping me already.

and then today.
i met with a beautiful friend about some things that were laying on my heart. she took them and gave me so much more encouragement.
and handed me a book called simple devotion.

this was on the second page:

"by "simple devotion," we mean a designated, devoted time where everything else stops and you lock away with God. we mean daily, private, personal prayer. simple devotion is about seeking God and feasting upon His word. it's about cultivating a relationship behind closed doors. it's about a rhythm of life that revolves around walking with God. it's about answering the radical call."

simple devotion.
seeking God.
behind closed doors.
just me and God.

i'm pumped yo. i'm so ready for what God is going to do in my life you have no idea. i'm slow with the get go, but once i start moving, i get the hang of it pretty quickly.

i have no idea how this book is going to finish. could be terrible. but that paragraph alone spoke to me. and sometimes, that's all it takes. 

all my love,
meg

adios 2012!

remember me?

yep, i'm still here!

the last two months have been so amazing.

most importantly, i graduated from college!

go knights!

the holidays came and went. i did a bunch of photo shoots that i love. got a new camera. traveled up the east coast a couple times. babysat reagan a bunch...which by the way, she's growing like a weed yo. if you follow me on instagram, she's the cutie i post pictures of every other day. sonny and i enjoyed our first real christmas tree (a post on christmas coming soon). and began this organizing journey!

i've decided that 2013 is going to be the year i really get organized. i've always been the kind of girl who goes crazy in the office section of any store, and can't have enough pens or sticky notes to write things down. 

this past fall i joined a women's group at my church, and the main focus (or what the main point i got out of it) was how incredibly helpful it is to be organized. in life. every part of your life. the woman who lead the group is our pastors wife (also a good friends mamma), and she's pretty much the role model i'm using right now. 

she taught us how easy it is to keep up with things. 

i'm also the kind of girl that shoves things under the bed so they aren't seen.

or heard from. 

i needed this direction i was being given. 

she's a binder lady. and can i just tell you that if Jesus wouldn't totally frown upon it, i would sneak into her house one night and steal all her binders. 

she's got them for dinners, date nights, life, kids, school, work. her binder collection is the mecca of all binder collections. check out organized home for more info on the binder.

this whole idea that my whole life needed some order. because whether i like to admit it or not, i'm adult now. {insert five year old pouting face here} and i need to get some things in my life together. 

i started small, with one binder that i call my "life binder", which holds everything 

there are tabs for: me, date nights, food, house, and megan elizabeth photography. 

simple enough right?

i started a little bit of planning last night because that's what you've got to do. plan. 

plan for dates, plan for food, plan the month. 

and even plan for God. 

these last two months have been so busy that i've spent very little time with my Savior. times when i should have most. 

i realized last night that it's because i haven't been putting things in the right priority in my life.

of course family is important during the holiday, but if it wasn't for a certain Someone, there would be no holiday.

do you get where i'm going with this?

our lives are constantly being pulled in a million directions. 

but there's one thing that won't pull us away. 

since i'm out of school, i can pretty much look at my week ahead of time, knowing when i work and don't work, and plan out the best times to spend with God. 

for me, it's in the morning. i don't work till 1130 usually, plus coffee is always a good thing to have when you're hanging out with Jesus...can i get an amen?

i'm learning that i can indeed have a full schedule and take care of my family and home all at the same time. 

as long as i write it down. 

i'm planning on doing some blogs on each of those tabs, as i figure them out. so stay tuned for that!

yesterday i posted this picture on instagram:

and had a couple people ask me where i got all those cute print outs! 

that's my cute binder behind it ($5 at walmart). and i have tab dividers i use to separate the different parts of my life. 

my first print out is the goals for 2013 sheet, you can find that here.

goals are so important! if you don't set any, what are you working towards? 

i've come up with a solid list of 7. uneven number, so my ocd is making me find one more. 

the second print out is a weekly cleaning schedule, you can find that here.

it's not that i don't like cleaning...because i do. it soothes me. i just don't do it unless i notice how bad it is. this, prayerfully, will help me. 

the third is a weekly schedule, you can find that here.

i love planners. love them. but i've noticed i don't use them as much as i should. here's my second option. i forgot to print out a planner of the whole month, so i'll do that tonight, but doing things week by week keeps me calm. sure i'll plan ahead, but knowing on monday what i need to do for the week will help. plus, there are all sorts of fun boxes like "menu, focus, & shopping list" so i can have everything in one place. 

the last one is a monthly meal planner, you can find that here.

if i don't plan it, we will eat out. which is so terrible. 

it really doesn't take that much time, i do it weekly...so i planned last night for this whole week. 

so there it is! 

the start of my organizing journey!

i'm hoping as i learn more of this, i'll share it! 

2012 has been so incredible. really it has. and i am so thankful for all that God has blessed me with...but i just have this feeling that 2013 is going to be even better. 

happy new year! 

all my love, 

meg

choices.

life really is all about choices.

we have the choice to be happy or sad. the choice to be a light or to hide in the darkness.

life is all about choices. 

i'm wondering if lately i'm making the right ones?
no i'm not falling into a pit or anything.

but i'm wondering if i'm making the choices that God intends for me to make. am i going left when He says left, or is the music too loud and i accidentally go right.

my music needs to be turned off because i can't hear Him right now. 

i'm sitting here wondering where to go and what to do next and i'm pretty sure He's screaming at me, i just can't hear Him because i won't stop for 2 seconds and listen.

i'm kind of stubborn. ask my hubby and family.
i like to have things go the way i want them, when i want them, and how i want them.

which of course we all know isn't the right way sometimes.

it's hard when you have to sit back and just say, "ok God, i'm ready".

because that's where i am. ready for God to do a work in me, i just have to sit still for a hot minute and let Him do it.

anyone else out there that way?

we've got a lot of choices to make. some will be easy (yes those shoes please), others will be really hard. i think there's a balance to be found. and i'm searching for it. i'm wasting a lot of time doing so, but that's my excuse.

i'm looking for the balance of choices. 

I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: 
I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. 
Choose life so that you and your children will live. 
And love God, your God, 
listening obediently to him, 
firmly embracing him. 
Oh yes, he is life itself, 
a long life settled on the soil that God, 
your God, promised to give your ancestors.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20

all my love, 

meg

my not so vacationy vacation

last week sonny and i traveled up to north carolina to help his parents move.
the week did not go as we had expected.

you ready for all of this?

sunaday morning i dropped the hubby off at his parents house to wait for the movers (his parents and their dogs had already hit the road for nc).
the movers were scheduled to arrive at 9am sunday morning.

i returned home to pack my bags and try and get all my school work done for the week that i could.
try being the key word here.

i realized that at 1030, i hadn't heard from sonny. so i texted him asking how it was going.
his response: they aren't here yet.

i didn't think too much of it considering it was a moving company and really, i have little to no experience with moving or hiring a moving company at all.

i pack my things and quickly get going on school work.
say it with me now: procrastination.

around noon i get a phone call from sonny.
the conversations is as follows:

me: hey babe!
sonny: hey babe (notice the no exlemation point)
me: what's going on? hows the moving going?
sonny: they never showed up.
me: what did you just say?

it seems that worldwide van lines is a bit of a moving scam company. you can read here the reviews people have left. they are horror stories of moving.

i married my husband for a multitude of reasons but his ability to come up with plan B is amazing. he quickly decided that we were going to rent two 24 ft moving trucks, have movers load them up, and then we would drive them to nc.

but then we had sonnys dads car to drive up as well.
sonny called a friend who had an open week and he came up to help us.

at this point, life was still good.
i'd get to ride up in the comfy bmw that not only had satellite radio, but the ability to play cds.
so, i thought it would be fun to make some mix cds for the ride.

jesus culture.
luke bryan.
taylor swift.
jason mraz.
coldplay.

the gang was all there.

the next morning (we're now on monday) we rented the trucks and patiently waited to hear the fate of the movers.

as it turns out, you can totally rent movers the day of that you need. well like the day before, but if you're ever in the mood to just up and go, movers won't be a problem for you.

so tuesday morning the movers show up and load up the trucks. luckily i got to spend the day with reagan playing with play-doh.

so there we were, making stashes out of the play-doh when i get a text from sonny.

sonny: it doesn't all fit. we have to get another truck.

me: who will drive it?

sonny: you.

as a female, the thought of driving a moving truck ten hours, didn't exactly sound appealing. 

but by this time, i was ready to hit the road jack and get going so i would have agreed to anything. 

well, almost anything.

i get home and receive a phone call from a frazzled hubby.

sonny: they won't let me use the card to rent the truck because it has your name on it and not mine. 

me: did you explain that you lost yours and that i'm your wife?

sonny: yes.

me: ok see you in a bit. 

you see my girls, my dear husband lost his debit card and stole mine. ok jk jk, but really he had mine and the lady at the rental place was very stern about not letting him use it. 

of course, why wouldn't she. 

sonny picks me up and we head down to the rental place. 

twenty minutes later, we make our way out to the trucks. and the first one i see has graffiti all over. 

that one is mine i know it for sure.

luckily for me, i dodged one bullet on that trip. no graffiti truck for megan. 

i hop on into to the truck almost thinking that it couldn't be that bad. 

i realize quickly that there is NO cd player in this truck. no way to hook up an ipod, no way for me to entertain myself at all for the next day. 

lovely. 

there aren't rear-view mirrors in moving trucks incase you all wondered so you have to rely solely on your side mirrors. 

one of which kept sliding down on the high way which really made driving fun. 

and so. 

i backed that thing up and we were on our way. 

{not nearly as much fun as play-doh mustaches}

we then had to go to sonny parents, load up this truck and then we could hit the road. 

of course by this time it was already 6pm.

we all decided it would be a better idea to grab dinner in melbourne before we took off so we didn't have to stop at all on the way up. 

what we didn't know then, was that we'd have to stop almost every hour because we were all so uncomfortable driving. 

we munched down on some fire house subs (yumo). and then, because i was traveling with two five year olds, they wanted to look all over brevard county for walkie-talkies to be like real 'truckers'. 

i kid you not. 

after a failed attempt at the walkie-talkies, and full bellies, we finally leave melbourne. 

by this time it's 8pm.

we drive two exits and i get a phone call from sonny.

me: hey babe.

sonny: my head light is out.

me: shut up. 

sonny: no, pull off at rockledge and the road side assistance will come help us. 

me: of course they will.

we pull off the exit and wait 20 min for the handy man to show up.

he doesn't have the right bulb for the light. 

not kidding.

by this time, i expected ashton  to jump out and yell, "you've been punked!" 

so he has to go to the walmart down the road and get it. 

after waiting an hour, we finally get on the road at 10pm.

our hotel awaited us in savannah. 

five hours later, all of which i spent white knuckled to the steering wheel because all the big trucks come out to play late at night on the high way, we made it to our hotel. 

we all looked like zombies i'm sure of it. 

i quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face and hopped into bed. 

only to be woken up at 7 by sonny snoring. 

thank you Jesus for placing that pull out bed in our room. 

back to sleep quickly. 

although we had planned on just sleeping in, and going when we got up, someone had a different idea because the fire alarm went off at 9am that morning. 

the fire alarm. 

six hours after we got there. 

the fire alarm friends. 

blaring.

i can only imagine what the three of us looked like as we made our way to the cracker barrel across the street for breakfast, because if it was anything like i felt, we were a hot mess. 

we decided after breakfast to just get ready and go. so we did.

i spent my fourth of july sitting in a moving truck but we finally got to nc around 9pm wednesday night. 

girls, i still haven't recovered from all the stress. 

i am however, laughing because the whole thing was such a mess. 

i'm also thanking Jesus that we made it there and back alive. 

so there you have it, our not so vacationy vacation. 

happy monday friends!

all my love, 

meg

be happy.

 

i've realized that when i stop and thank God for the little things, He does some pretty big things in my life.

lately i've just been so overwhelmed with how amazing He is, and i've been bursting at the seams with joy.

happiness is what we make it. it is a choice, it just doesn't come naturally. you've got to work at it, mostly because there's just so much in this world that can make you unhappy.

go find some happiness.
here are a couple pictures of what's made me so happy lately.

 

{the weather}

 

{Starbucks. adorable i know.}

 

{knowing that i'll always be this guys little girl}

 

{MARCH MADNESS}

 

{the sunshine}

 

{my school}

 

{youth ministry}

 

{the sunshine...again}

go find happiness.