Little Notes #5

Dear YNAB (You Need a Budget),
You haven't really helped me control my spending, but I can see where every penny is going.  Sometimes your program is a little too complex for me, but I'm sure if I was ever patient enough to watch the instructional videos I wouldn't be so overwhelmed with all the budget options.  Nonetheless, I like tracking my monies.  It's kinda fun, even if it kinda sucks.

Dear soon-to-be-here-DeStefano Baby,

Your parents and family are really excited about you.  I saw that you got lots of presents.  If you're not an Eagles fan your Daddy might disown you, but that's no big deal.  I told your parents a secret about how you're the baby I'm most excited about this season.  That's kind of a big deal for me, FYI.  I hear you have big feet.  I at least need you to fit in one set of the outfits I bought, but preferably the monster one because I'm kinda partial to that one over the elephants.


Dear Philadelphia,
Your roads suck.  That stacked bridge thing on 95??  HATE IT.  It freaks me out.  But, thank you for no traffic issues this weekend, that was much appreciated.

Dear Vice Presidential debate,
You were worthless to me.. AND your presence on a Thursday night meant no Grey's Anatomy... AND it meant it was a school night, so there was no drinking game for this girl.  On the other hand, thanks for the 2 hour reminder that my vote.. and the all day reminder the next day via FB from all my friends was great too.

Dear MD/DE,
Your I-95 tolls are ridiculous.  I learned a secret on the way back to S.MD though.. going the Hwy 301 way only costs $2 instead of $14.

Dear Sunday night traffic,
Or lack there of...
You were awesome.  You made my trip back to MD significantly less painful and I appreciate that.  You were also going pretty fast.  Thanks for that.

Dear Yurtle,
Everyone loves you.  Seriously.  Especially that lady at the pizza place driving the Mercedes.  I'm not sure if she actually checked you out through the windows or opened the door, but she loooooooved your leather seats and how cute you were.  I loooooooooved your 28.9 miles per gallon and cooled seat on the way home.  While Phil enjoyed the back seats that fold down to create Mobile Hotel de Phil.  This trip was pre-game for our trip to NC in 2 weeks.  I'll miss you while we're in Denver and the Grand Canyon, but I promise to love you long time when we get back and drive around NC together.  I'll even pay for your insurance and renew your tags and get you inspected.  It will be good times.  Promise.

Dear Teh Bear,
17 days till our vacation.  Tickets are bought, hotels are reserved.  We're on a vacation mission.  I'm pretty excited for snuggles..  and for our first plane ride together (in completely cheesy mode).  I'll even hold your hand in the airport and try not to power walk every where like I do when I'm alone.  PS.  Phil is excited to see you in NC.

Fill in the Blank Friday #21

(image)

1.   My go to outfit for a dress-up occasion like a wedding is   lets not pretend like I get invited to weddings.  It's either that I don't have enough friends, I don't have enough close friends, or I have "smart" friends..  If I got invited to weddings.. and/or special dress-up events, I'd probably wear this dress I bought from Target that is black and "dressy" and someone described it as "classy" in the reviews.. and it looks really good, but I've never worn it because I've never had a reason to.  Welcome to my life.  

2.  This week has been   dismal, but not really so bad.  I got to work on the holiday, but I'm making the day up some other time.  I got to stay at work late several evenings, but I also got to go in late, so it balanced out.  It was chilly and rainy at the beginning of the week, and now its crisp and sun-shiny outside.  Lets say the week is ending on an up.  

3.  When it's dinnertime and I'm feeling lazy I'll usually eat   leftovers because I almost constantly have those since I live alone.  I guess if I had to cook something, I'd say frozen pizza.  If I was motivated enough to go out, prob KFC or Wendy's (depending on what kind of fatty I'd been earlier that day)...  

4.  My favorite pair of shoes is   *whispers*  my tye-dye looking blue Airwalk "crocs"...  I love having opportunities to wear them and I know how much the world shuns Crocs.. but these are soooooo cushy and comfy.. and warm despite the holes.. and they have diamonds instead of circles so they are obviously much cooler than Crocs.  

5.  A random item that I own that is completely unnecessary, but that I could never part with is    *looks around apartment*  uuhhhh..  I don't even know.  I'd say Bets, but I love her and I use her often, so not Bets.  I don't feel like there is anything that I couldn't ever part with.  Does this mean that I've mastered being NOT materialistic?  

6.  My favorite person is   I don't have a favorite person.  I guess that is strange.  I've never really idolized anyone.  I guess I could say I'm my favorite person, but that's probably cheating.

7.  If I were going to write my own blank it would say   What was the most awkward part of your week?  And then I'd answer..  Tripping on Phil on our run early in the week.  Everything is infinitely more awkward when you're pretty sure no one saw, but you can't be 100% certain.  

Giving kid advice.. when you don't have kids...

***DISCLAIMER***
I am in no way attacking the person that posted this on their Facebook.  I'm trying to open up a respectful, honest dialogue about a subject which is of interest to me.  Hateful, rude, or otherwise nasty comments will be deleted.

The other day, I went into work (it may or have may not been a holiday in America for a European "discovering" the "continent") and saw this:

Immediately, I got defensive.  My first thoughts were:
1.  Well, I don't have kids, does that make my opinion invalid?
2.  Was the lady making a point that offended my FB friend?
3.  Is my FB friend an over-poster of her new son/her BF's daughter?
4.  WTF is up with the alternating caps?  I thought that was out as of 1997.

I collected my thoughts, because I didn't want to sound like a bitch, because I was legitimately trying to understand her reasoning.. and I also wasn't trying to start an argument.

I also know that I am easily misunderstood when it comes to my comments and FB.  I didn't comment on Teh Stepsister's FB page for over a year because she thought that everything I said was me being mean to her, which she and I discussed via a potentially very embarrassing argument on Facebook like adults do that she deleted after we finished with our comments nastiness at each other.  This misinterpretation also happens to me in person, frequently.  It's really an awful thing.

So anyways, back to the full thread:

When I got home, I went on Today's website and found the clip my FB friend was referencing.

http://moms.today.com/_news/2012/10/08/14293848-stfu-parents-blogger-reveals-self-still-doesnt-want-to-hear-about-poop

Essentially, this lady has created a blog for all the outrageous stuff she finds parents posting on FB.  She argues that pictures of your kid pooping or vomiting, etc is over-sharing and that parents should censor themselves by asking themselves if ALL their friends would really want to see whatever they were about to share before they posted it.  She also finds comments that parents leave on their friend's posts that make everything about being pregnant/a parent.  Today did a poll and 88% of people found it funny..  I'm part of that 88%.  Some of the stuff on the site is outrageous!  Why do people parents think that it's ok to post some of these things?  Social media is the devil!

But back to MY FB friend's post.

Why did my friend mute the TV because the woman didn't have kids?  Was her opinion invalid because she is childless?  What if she was actually pregnant once and had a miscarriage or stillbirth that she doesn't like to talk about?  She still doesn't "have kids" in a definitive sense, but she's got the "experience" of growing a human, you just don't know about it.  Is she now entitled to her opinion?

How does this apply to parents that adopt (which I asked)?  My FB friend's explanation is that adoption takes a long time so the parents have "wanted" their adopted child for a long time.  But, what if they didn't have any other children and their adoptee hadn't arrived yet?  Are their opinions valid or do they get muted as well?

What about people who abuse their children or hurt their children in some way.  Are their opinions valid still, since they meet the criteria of having children?  What about parents who are deadbeats?  What about parents who had a child that died at a young age?

Yes, I'm being extremely picky/pointed in my questions because I feel like they are valid.  Especially when I'm being told that my opinion doesn't matter because I've not had a bun in the oven been pregnant or have a child.  There are too many variables that correlate with having a child that aren't always known upfront.

Also, I disagree with the fact that most people adopt because they are physically unable to have children.  I have a friend who gave birth to her child, but her and her husband agreed that their next child will come from Uganda, that God is calling them to adopt.  I think that adoption is awesome, no matter your reasons.. sometimes, no matter what you're adopting.... even if it's a pet.  Giving someone/thing else a home is a big deal in my book...  Maybe I'm biased?

We then moved on to people posting too many photos of their pets.  I admitted to being guilty to this and the FB friend who posted the original status liked it right away.  I'm not sure if that means that she appreciated my honesty or she believes that she is subjected to too many Phil photos.  Either way, I can see how this is a parallel situation, as many people treat their animals like their children.  I knew right away that I thought Phil was the greatest thing since sliced bread and I wasn't going to subject all of my FB friends to photo upon photo of him all the time, so I created a blog for him.  I don't always share the links when I post new blogs because I'm that adamant about not spamming my friends with Phil, Phil, Phil.  I will spam Teh Bear, but not all my FB friends (you guys and gals are welcome, btw!).

After I found the segment from the Today show, I became irritated with my FB friend's status because the woman never said, "Stop posting photos of your grimy children on social media!"  She actually admitted to wanting children of her own soon and that she agreed that milestone photos and sharing photos so your family would recognize you were acceptable.  She continued with stating that she wasn't opposed to people posting photos of their children on social media, she was opposed to people posting inappropriate photos of their children on social media, like their poopy diapers or licking the parmesan shaker at the pizza place.  She was also opposed to people not censoring themselves when it came to what they said on social media sites, like they lose all filters and just let go with diatribes about parenting when it isn't called for (the example I remember was the status was something about going to the theater and the new-mom posted that she hadn't seen the inside of a theater since she was 6 months pregnant and something else that I tried to quickly forget).

I was disappointed in my FB friend's reaction to the lady not having kids instead of listening to the message that I think she might have actually agreed with as she is very conservative about the photos she posts of her son/her BF's daughter (which I did mention in the comments).  I was also disappointed by her use of random capital letters in the last sentence, as if it was adding emphasis to the things she was saying.  Pretty sure 1998 called, they want their aLtErNaTiNg CaPiTaL lEtTeRs back.  It physically pained me to do that, FYI.

Random fact:  Did you know that Microsoft Word now has a menu for casing?  You can select sentence casing, lowercase, uppercase, and 2 others.  I actually just checked it for the alternating capitals and it's not there, thankfully.  I didn't want to have to start boycotting a perfectly good Microsoft product!

So what are your opinions?  Are the opinions of the childless valid on subjects pertaining to children?  Would you ignore someone's opinion if they were childless and trying to give you advice about posting pics of your kids on social media sites?  What if they were a childless-Nanny and trying to give you advice in general about children?  What if they are trying  to have a child and give you advice before they have conceived?  What if they were trying to adopt, but didn't have children of their own and tried to give you advice?

We've came all this way and I'm not sure if my opinion has seeped out of all this text or not.  But to be clear, I feel like just because someone is childless doesn't make their opinion less valid about children.  Maybe their views don't align with those who are parents.  Maybe their views will change if they do ever have children.  There are people with children who don't have valid opinions, from my perspective.

There is never a way to know the story of a person with or without children, so to ignore their opinions based on the fact that they don't have children is judging them.  Rightly or wrongly, it is judging someone else based on their circumstances.  Based on the circumstances that you probably don't know all the details about.

I mean, would I take the advice of someone that is childless about holding my baby upside down for 3 hours a day as being sound?  Probably not.  Just like I don't always hold the opinions of other Greyhound owners (who may or may not treat their dogs like their children) as sound.  You have to be rational.  You have to take other's opinions with a grain of salt.  But I don't feel like shutting someone else out/down based on a particular criteria is fair in any way.

I am extremely interested to hear the opinions of my Gentle Readers.  Please RESPECTFULLY share your thoughts in the comments below!

Still not sure on this one though.  (image)

They Write!

Teh Bear and I talk about our relationship with our parents...

Nacho Blog  <-- click here to see!








The Nacho Blog They Write Series:
Where we announce that we are going to answer the 30 questions and show what the 30 questions are..
Where we answer question #1.
Where we answer question #2
Where we answer question #3

Fill in the Blank Friday #20

So, I did actually do my blanks on Friday, but I was at work when I filled them out, so I couldn't post the blog because NMCI sucks hairy monkey balls... and then I was occupado yesterday evening having a social life.

(image)

1. The last thing I ate was   a pumpkin bagel with cheesecake cream chesese.. but my Chipolte is on the way!    

2. The last time I went to the beach was   this morning if you count not actually walking on the beach. I appreciated the view of the red sun rising over the calm waters and how pink the clouds were. I hope this is an indication of a break in the humidity and snow to come, but I know its not cold enough for that yet! Actually on the beach? A few weekends ago when we had our campfire!  

3. My last vacation was   in February when I took a week off work to spend with Teh Bear while he was in MD. I will be remedying this situation in 27 days!!!  

4. The last place I drove was   to work.  

5. The last song I listened to was   something by ThePianoMen on YouTube because I’m having a no words music day at work while I write EAWS flashcards.  

6. The last thing I watched on TV was   Weeds, because I only watch Netflix on my TV and currently I’m only watching Weeds.  

7. The last time I said "I love you" was   earlier when Teh Bear and I were talking on FB so he could know that we weren’t going to get our Skype lunch date in today due to no lunch time relief today at work.  

PS.  Are we FB friends?  Like can I decide another day on FB and we can be!  At 75 likes there will be a giveaway surprise!!!!

A Pinterest Fail

my goal (image)

Let's be honest for a minute.  I'm not really a "girly" girl.  That isn't really a secret.  But, in the Navy, I'm not allowed to wear fingernail polish that isn't skin tone, so the night that I started my leave in December, I really, really wanted to paint my fingernails for some bizarre reason.  I had seen this cool design on Pinterest, so I figured it was worth doing to celebrate being on vacation.

So obviously, this fail was from almost a year ago, but I forgot that I had taken pictures to prove what a fail it was!

The red coat was easy-ish.  I mean, I'm not very practiced at painting my fingernails, so there might have been some outside the lines issues.  Whatevs.

The glitter layer though?  KICKED MY ASS.  

Let me just show you what ended up happening...  

This is my left hand (aka my dominant hand) so cut me some slack on how bad I did with the red!

After all the layers, the polish was LUMPY!
AND the glitter was poking out of the top coat... it kept catching on fabric.

LUMPY AND STABBY Y'ALL!

My right hand looked marginally better.

Lessons I learned:  Leave the nail art to the pros.  Also, painting my fingernails while sitting on the bathroom sink after midnight is really not when I do my best work...  This also helped prove that "Pinterest Fails" are real.

I tried to fix it and did the edging.. but I really couldn't stand the lumpiness of the paint so I just removed it the next morning before I left.

FAIL.

PS.  Are we FB friends?  Like can I decide another day on FB and we can be!  At 75 likes there will be a giveaway surprise!!!!

A November Adventure

Teh Bear didn't schedule to take vacation for the end of the year.. originally.  Then someone at his work retired or quit or something and 2 weeks of vacation opened up at the beginning of November.  His work has this stupid rule about everything waiting 5 days to see if someone else wants the vacation time and the person with the most seniority gets it, but everyone else had already put in for vacation, so the 15 days was his!

For him, this meant vacation.  For me, it meant to decide on a real vacation or a Teh Bear visits vacation.  These things are not the same.  One includes me working during his visit.  The other includes me NOT working during his visit.  We've never actually went on a legit vacation, vacation (saying a word double completely validates the literal-ness of a word) together, so I figured.... why not?  It is before the holiday leave period so I wouldn't really be competing with anyone over vacation time and it's after everyone in my shop comes back from TAD/leave/whatever they do to not be at work.  I hadn't taken more than a week off of work since Teh Bear came to visit in Feb and that was a long time ago!  The timing was perfect so I decided that we were going to have a real vacation.

First World Problems is definitely my fave meme.

So, with both of us having approved vacation time, we I started considering ideas for vacation.  Teh Bear had mentioned in passing a few times about going to see our friends in Denver, so I suggested that idea and he approved.  We contacted them and they agreed to host us for a visit.  We planned on a weekend adventure with them and potentially other friends in the area, then just spending a few days hanging out during the week until it was time for us to head back to NC.  Since we had only planned on spending a week in Denver anyways, so we I had to figure out something to do for the 2nd week of vacation.

I say "we I" had to plan these things because Teh Bear had decided, "This is your vacation.  I'm going to be on vacation no matter what since I won't be in FL."  I think that means that because I want to do something vacation-y, not in MD, I must plan these things.  We've had some contention over this statement because he keeps calling it "your" vacation and I keep calling it "our" vacation.  I argue that he will be participating in OUR vacation with me, which makes it ours, but he keeps saying this isn't the case.  I'm still certain I'm right.  You may weigh in on this issue in the comments!  :)

Where in the world do I/we want to go? (image)

Anywayssss.  For the 2nd week I was overwhelmed with options.  Did I want to just leave the US altogether?  What about London/Rome?  What about something else not in North America?  After looking at some prices, I had to be more realistic.  What about NJ to see his brother?  What about Niagra Falls (where I never got to see the Falls at night because Teh Sister was a pain in the ass when we visited as children)? What about the Outer Banks?  What about going leaf lookin' (which was easily eliminated since it will be almost mid-November and most of the leaf stuff happens in Sept/Oct)?  What about visiting Teh Ginger and his wife in WV?  Several things ended up coming together to solve this problem.

Ok, now let's be realistic..  (image)

1.  Teh BFF is on vacation starting Oct 31st.  Which I forgot.  She told me, but I forgot.  She was considering making a visit up to see me, which I would have loved... buttttttt I had strongly considered an NC leg on our vacation and...
2.  I was kinda hoping that Teh Parents would watch Teh Philio while we were in Denver, so going to NC would be convenient in the exchange of Teh Philio.
3.  Also, I looked up flight prices out of RDU...  $100-150 cheaper than flying from DCA/IAD/BWI.
So, I decided that I'd start my vacation a day early and head to NC to hang out with Teh BFF for her first few days of vacation while dropping Phil off with Teh Parents, and save some monies on my plane ticket to/from Denver.

Since this helped concrete NC into our plans, I was able to do even more scheduling!
The Biltmore Estate starts their candlelight Christmas decorations tour on November 9th!
The Carolina Renaissance Festival will still be going on that weekend as well!
We could visit the mountains and lodging is free (yay crashing at Teh Parent's, which would also mean Teh Bear gets to spend time with Teh Philio)!

So, I had a rough idea of somethings that could happen during these 2 weeks of no working.  Teh Bear didn't not approve any of my suggestions, so I moved forward with the planning.  I asked Teh Dad if they would watch Phil while we were gone and ensured that we could crash there while we were in NC.  These requests were approved.

Then, we got word from our Denver friends that our "scheduled" weekend getaway with them and potentially others was a no-go on their end.  They suggested we come to town for the weekend to do stuffs, then have our own getaway.  I'm not gonna lie, I was a little bitter.  Maybe it was the PMS, maybe it was that I had started getting excited, either way, Bitter Betty was all up in arms.  I wasn't even sure I still wanted to go to Denver.  I ranted a bit to Shoulda Been a Cowgirl and explained to her that I couldn't tell if I was legitimately upset or if Bitter Betty with a hefty dose of PMS was making me a Dramatic Dora.  I think I just needed to be upset for a little bit because I had been counting on this activity.  24 hours later, I was back on track and thinking of fun Midwestern things to do.  (This paragraph is proof that being a girl is hard!)

-We weren't really interested in Vegas as we're trying to not spend an obscene amount of money.
-I really wanted to go somewhere with snow.  (Which is, apparently, unreasonable during the early part of November... I should have just said we're going to Canada to visit Teh WoW Family (the whole family really does/did play WoW).)
-We had already committed to going to Denver and I didn't want to be the asshole who got butt hurt cause I didn't get my way.
-Europe was just way too expensive, despite the deals I was seeing on Groupon/Livingsocial/tripmasters.com.

I had mentioned the Grand Canyon as a group weekend getaway option before I knew it was 14 hours away from Denver.  So I started doing a little more research.  Was a flight from Denver to somewhere closer a realistic idea?  Yes, actually.  What about lodging?  What about what to do while we were there?  Is the Grand Canyon even open in November?  Would Teh Bear be ok with a trip to the Grand Canyon?

I can take this picture?
The Grand Canyon © MedioImages/Getty Images (image)

These were all valid questions, but I knew the answers to most of them, including the last one.  Teh Bear has never been to the Grand Canyon before.  I have never been to the Grand Canyon before.  So this would be a first time for both of us, which is pretty rare due to how much I've traveled.

Just in case, I did ask Teh Bear, "What about the Grand Canyon?"
Teh Bear:  The Grand Canyon would be fine.
Me:  Fine?  Just fine?  Not even ok?  (Fine and ok have strong definitions for Teh Bear and I.  Fine really means "not fine at all, but I'm upset and don't want to talk about it."  Ok means "no, really, everything is ok, nothing is wrong, even though it might sound like I'm just 'fine.'")
tB:  Yeah.
tM:  Just fine?  Not like, "YEAH THE GRAND CANYON!  NEVER DONE THAT BEFORE!  GREAT IDEA!"?
tB:  Uh, sure?
tM:  I'ma need a little excitement from you.
tB:  You didn't really sound excited when you asked me.
tM:  I was trying to be neutral about it to gage your interest.
tB:  You sounded depressed.
tM:  Fine then. *insert perky voice* How about the Grand Canyon, babe?
tB:  Yeah, that's ok.

eofjweoiifjes;oigjero;jgre;ojgaeso;jaociweoignrbmaedclasdmclksajdoiebjeodmaoifj!!!  BOYS!  UGH!

So with his "ok" I've started planning for 2 days at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Terri has suggested NO camping in November.  Which is perfectly acceptable to this girl, because I'm a huge fan of indoor plumbing.  She also told me she would get me her trip notes from her trip last November to the Grand Canyon.  She's great!  I'm still looking for more suggestions though.  What else is there to do in/near the Grand Canyon besides take pictures and take a stupidly expensive flight around the canyon?  Apparently, there are also other parks besides just the Grand Canyon itself, but I'm mostly midwestern inept, so I really require some guidance!

That area of the world (somewhere in Arizona) is called the midwest, right?  The bread basket is the middle of the country, so I feel like the midwest would be halfway between the west coast and the middle of the country?  Maybe that's just me putting too much thought into this?

So, there you have our vacation summary.  Honestly, I'm pretty excited to see how it will all work out.  I'm sure that I will start freaking out as soon as plane tickets are purchased.  Luckily, we aren't really on a tight time schedule for the entire vacation except for whatever we schedule, which then means its on us to get it right.

So it looks like this:
-Teh Megan in NC for 2 nights then meet Teh Bear in Denver
-Denver for the weekend with our Denver Friends
-2 nights at the Grand Canyon (which we are open for suggestions about!)
-fly back to Raleigh.
-Show Teh Bear NC State (GO WOLFPACK!) potentially, depending on what time we arrive back in Rah-lay.  Potentially show him other Raleigh things (suggestions on this are also welcome because it's been a hot-minute since I've been in Raleigh to remember the cool stuff).
-We can stay in Raleigh for the night, but the lodging is free at Teh Parent's house, so this isn't settled unless we don't find something awesome to do.
-The 2nd weekend we will spend in the NC mountains (LOOOOOVE that place, I might be biased).
-We're gonna hit up the Biltmore Estate for my first Christmas decorations tour... PLUS it will be candlelight and that will also be a first for me!!   (and Teh Bear).
-We're gonna go to the Renn Faire in NC (north of Charlotte) on Saturday potentially with Teh Parents (they've never been!)
-We're hopefully gonna see Worldwide Jesus Lover and her husband (although she doesn't know it yet) and possibly Teh Ginger and his wife.
-Then, we're gonna drive back to MD with Teh Phil-io.  Teh Bear and I might take turns snuggling with Teh Phil on the way home, who knows?
-Once we get to MD, we'll be proving to my MD friends that Teh Bear is real and does exist in real life!
-A few days later, sadly and with heavy-hearts, Teh Bear will head back to FL (booo!) and I will return to work.

Luckily, the next week is Thanksgiving week, so it will be a short week!

I feel like writing all this out has made our vacation real.  Like.. its more than a possibility.  Almost like.. I've purchased tickets.  Oh wait.  I did!

The last time we were on vacation, vacation together it snowed!
I could go for a repeat of this...

PS.  You can go ahead and start getting excited for vacation recaps/photos.  It's ok.  Do it.  I am excited!

Fill in the Blank Friday #19

Oops... guess who forgot her Friday post?!?!  I fix it, I fix it!
Actually, I wasn't staying up late to wait on them to post on Thurs night, then Friday I was occupado!  Yay for lazy Saturdays!

(image)

1. My first memory is probably feeding the cows with my great uncle, John.  Sometimes, my cousin and I would get in the back of the truck and push the haybales off the back.  Sometimes, John would put the truck in 1st gear and we'd get to drive.  We were little when we were driving the truck around the field.  As in.. under the age of preschool.  That's how you know you grew up in the middle of nowhere.  

2. My first love was   probably Jordan Allen.  I'm not really sure if he knew I liked him, we were in some elementary school grade together and I used to go over to his house and play sometimes.  The next year his family moved and I never saw him again.  /shrug.  

3. My very first favorite color was   neon pink and/or neon green.  I had a pair of socks in each color that I would wear.  The cool socks that you pull up your calf then have to fold back down to your ankle (people still wear those?).  I wore them with EVERYTHING.  They matched NOTHING.  

4. The first time I really felt like a "grown-up" was when   I got to college and was out late and realized that I didn't have to "report to" anyone or be home by a certain time.  Now, I feel "grown-up" when I realize that I love the sound of crickets outside my window and the smell of fall as the leaves fall from the trees.  That the bills will get paid and I'm in charge.  

5. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is   move as quietly as possible not to rouse Phil, because once Phil is awake, I usually guilt myself into getting up to let him out.. even though he sometimes lets me sleep in till 9am.  

6. The first CD (cassette tape, record, etc...) I ever bought was   The Space Jam Soundtrack.  The first tape I owned was Jean Osborne's "What If God Was One of Us?" single.  I don't even remember the song on the other side because it never got played.  

7. My first car was   a 1997 Honda Civic, which Teh Dad named, The Silver Struck (he accidentally put this on a card once) Streak (due to my speeding habits).  Teh Granny purchased Teh Kaar (my name for my car) as a graduation present for me after I'd been driving Teh Mom's F-150 to school.  The same F-150 that I could barely push the clutch to the floor with the seat all the way up because I'm so short.  Teh Mom passed me one day and said, "You looked really cute driving the truck.  Although, I could barely see you."  EXACTLY NOT what I want people thinking...  I drove Teh Kaar for almost 10 years.  It went to Raleigh with me for college, it went to VA Beach with me for Navy training, it went to GTMO with me (where I promptly blacked out the windows making driving at night EXTREMELY dangerous), and it's last adventure with me was in Bahrain (where the tint had to be removed).  Teh Kaar stayed in Bahrain with Jaseem who almost/kinda ripped me off due to a language issue.  Teh Kaar and I had some good times.  Yurtle has definitely filled the hole in my heart very well though.. 

A workout story...

Right after getting Phil out the door:  I have to pee.
3 minutes into run:  I really have to pee.
4 minutes into run:  No, really REALLY have to pee.
6 minutes into run:  I wonder if the neighbors would notice a lady squatting in the woods?
7 minutes into run:  There isn't enough woods here to shield me from eyes.
8 minutes into run:  Maybe I could go deeper into the woods?  But what if I end up like Addison from Grey's with poison ivy on my va-jay-jay?  No going into the woods.
10 minutes into run:  I should just turn around and go home to pee.
10.5 minutes into run:  If I go home, I won't finish my workout.
12 minutes into run:  You didn't go very far.  You should keep going.
12.5 minutes into run:  I HAVE TO PEE, SLAVE DRIVER!
13 minutes into run:  I wonder if I stopped at some random person's house if they would let me use their bathroom?  I wonder if they'd hold Phil for me...
15 minutes into run:  It's going to trickle down my leg at any moment now.
16 minutes into run:  Ughh, rein it in Phil, we're walking.  No more jiggle of the bladder.
19 minutes into walk:  If I jog I'll get home faster.
21 minutes into run:  No pit stops for marking Phil, I got my own business to do!
23 minutes into run:  Who's good idea was this?  Why has there been so much pee today?
25 minutes into run:  Omg, why do I have to live upstairs?
26 minutes after leaving home:  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  Sweet release.

In other news, how about this delightful fall weather?!?

It's TWINS!

And they were delicious!

This is all from one jumbo egg.

A blog about bloggin.

Gentle Readers,

Do you know Brittany?  Well, I do.  She writes at Delightfully Awkward Brit and we met on 20sb.  I'm no longer really new to blogging, but I'm new to networking within the blog community.  Something I've never done before is a guest post though.  Brittany asked for some guest posts for her blog and I'm all like, ME, ME! PICK ME!  PICK ME!!!  MEEEEEEEE!!!!! HERE!  HERE!!  MEEE, ME!!!  (all that is 100% accurate almost, it went down in my head like that though, for sure).

Well, due to my over eagerness she was willing to let me do a guest post.  It has been posted!

Check it out:
Teh Megan guest posts on Delightfully Awkward Brit!

Celebrating the arrival of autumn

WINTER IS COMING!!!  No, seriously.  Officially, autumn arrived at 10:46am on Saturday.  The significant, life altering temperature drop of 2012 occurred this week.  Which was also not-ironically synchronized with a heavy sigh of relief from me.  Summer really sucks the life out of me.  I lay around lifeless wishing that stepping outside didn't mean that I would require a shower or at least a change of underwear... swamp ass is just ick.

To celebrate, this weekend was packed with activities!

Recap:
Erin brought Kody and Moe (her 2 greyhounds) over at 0630 Friday morning.  She also delivered a Pumpkin Spice Latte.  That's definitely sufficient repayment for dog-sitting.  Moe has stayed with me before, but I was warned that Kody could be a bit crazy, was "broken" (broken as in, he likes the furniture), and is a snuggler.  He made sure to prove all those points to me, in order.

Friday included a burger burn at work, which equates to free lunch for E5 and below.  Sometimes, it pays to be low on the totem pole!  But usually it looks like this:

Someone at NAVCENT once made this better, I wish I had that one.

Friday also included a little drama that put a tinge of Negative Nancy on some of my weekend, but I tried to be the adult and suck it up and move on.  I'm not so good at the last part of that.  Anyyyyways.  Friday evening included a run with ALL THREE DOGS (holy moly) and a broccoli cheddar bread bowl from Panera because I was tired of eating leftovers.  Dessert was smores over the campfire on the beach!

Moe was helping me clean my plate from breakfast.

Kody was le tired after almost a mile jog.

So tired he was cooling his tongue on the floor!

Moe and Kody getting situated.

Thanks Moe, that's exactly how that looked when I left!  

"I knows, you're welcomes!" - Moe

Due to some dinner feeding logistics, Phil got in-room service Friday night.
He ate his entire meal laying down and when he was done he flopped over and glared at me to remove his bowl.
SPOILED.

Every spot shall be covered in greyhound!

A perfect night for a fire!

Graham cracker + marshmellow + Mr. Goodbar/Reese's Cup = Exotic Smores = NOMNOMNOM!!!

"Its mah bedtime.  Dis a gud place to snuggle yous?" - Kody

Saturday was a lazy day.  Kody ensured that I was properly snuggled all night, but he also ensured that he gave me kisses at 0515, used his voice as my personal alarm clock around 0600, and expended his Tigger-like qualities on my bed around 0700.  I finally succumbed to his will around 0720 and took all the beasties on a walk in the woods.  I don't know who said that 2 dogs is as much work as one, but... I don't feel like that is true.  3 dogs is a CRAZY extra amount of work.. and 2 dogs was definitely extra work.  I did learn this time around that all dog leashes on one wrist is easier than trying to keep them separate, but that didn't stop the three of them from all going in different directions when they smelled the most perfect bush that needed to be marked.  My favorite pee time was when they all peed in the exact same spot.  By 0830, Kody was peacefully snuggled up against me on the couch.  I tried to pay him back for my morning torture session, but he didn't really seem phased.  I gave up and decided I needed a nap by 0900.  Kody apparently felt like he needed to make up for his antics by back spooning with me (meaning we slept back to back).  Around 11 I had to physically move him so I could get out of the bed.  Not that I couldn't get out of the other side, just that.. well, I have habits.

"Yous haz enouf rooms?  Cause dis whole corner and da side is mines.  Sweets dreams." - Kody

My pumpkin bagel with cheesecake cream cheese....
that I had to literally take from Kody's mouth (pre-cream cheese)...

Morning nap spooning.

After a few episodes of Weeds and a short chat with Teh Bear, I decided I would give the pups their beef knuckles.  I had picked up 2 extra for Kody and Moe since they seemed to love the bones that I had laying around the apartment from Joey and Phil.  The bones were a definite hit until someone snapped at someone else and everyone had to be separated for a few minutes.  Eventually, it was time to get ready to go to a cookout for a birthday celebration for Teh Korean.  I brought Moe and Phil with me to the celebration, where they were out drooled by Max the English Mastiff.  After the cookout, I got lazy and decided not to go to the fire on the beach, where I apparently missed out on a coworker proposing to his now-fiance.  It's probably for the best since I really don't need anything else to kick my Wedding Fever in it's sore spot.  The dogs and I spent the evening watching Weeds and being generally boring.  It was pretty nice.

NOMNOMNOMS!

Sunday morning was another delightful walk in the woods with the dogs all pulling my leash arm in different directions.  After a little bit of scolding, the pups decided that they could smell/mark more if I wasn't having to stop to untangle them every few seconds, so we were able to march on.  While I was at church (and any other time I left the apt), the visiting dogs serenaded the neighbors.  I picked up a Pumpkin Spice Latte after church and stopped at the Commissary to pick up some things, then came home to talk to Teh Bear for a little bit before meeting my Coast Guard friends (there were legitimately more Coasties in the group I was with than Navy people twice this weekend, it felt bizarre) at the St. Mary's County Fair.

I hadn't been to a fair since middle school.  Not even the North Carolina State Fair when I was in Raleigh, which is apparently an awesome fair.  I watched a few tractor pulls (really, what is the point of that?),  sampled a fried Snickers bar and signed up for so many free giveaways!  I also saw Teh Singing Cat Lady and Teh Guitar Playing Podcaster.  Teh Singing Cat Lady had entered photos into the competition and she won 2nd place and 3rd place on 2 of her 5 photos!  YAY!  I did look closely at one category that I would have entered and saw a 2nd place that shouldn't have been a winner in any way and a 3rd place that should have been a first.  I'm not sure the criteria or the subjectivity that the photos were judged/based on, but that particular category made me doubt the subjectivity for sure.

It was a little hot, but ooey-gooey-melted Snickers wrapped in breading and fried is really delicious... FYI

Then....  I'm almost embarrassed to admit this on a public forum...  but I watched pig racing.  Which was followed up by a duck race.  I can't even make this up.  The part of me that thought NASCAR was cool when I was little was outdone by my adult redneck decisions.  My soul is still weeping.  Teh Responsible Coast Guardian was selected to be a cheer-dude during one of the pig races, which definitely made the St. Mary's Fair awesome.  In other news, Greyhound racing definitely is faster, although not nearly as ridiculous.

We are still trying to figure out what "down back" means.  A google search came back with no definitive results, and if its not on google, it's not a thing....  except in S. MD... apparently.
Learn to use prepositions people!

Apparently, pig racing is a popular thing?

The Responsible Coast Guardian cheering on the piggies during the 2nd race!

3rd pig race.

The duck race.

Just FYI, pigs are apparently motivated to race by getting an Oreo in their pen after they win.  The faster they get to the pen, the more Oreo they get... said the lady with the mullet and the microphone.

Best quote of the day goes to Teh Responsible Coast Guardian after the crowd "awww"-ed when the baby pigs came out for the 3rd race:
"THERE IS NO AWWW-ING!  We are in a competition people!"

After the races we all headed home.  Erin came over to pick up Moe and Kody and I was able to clean up the toys and dog bones that the dogs had redecorated with.  After a week of saying I was going to make it, I finally made Taco Soup.. still too much chicken!  Nonetheless, there were no complaints from The Responsible Coast Guardian who came over for dinner while his wife (nickname to come) stood us up for a haircut!  Since I'm awesome, I sent him home with a bowl of soup for her.  After a few episodes of Weeds, it was time for Teh Phil and I to call the first weekend of autumn a wrap!

I feel like this post should be followed up with a photo of fall foliage, but I don't have any current ones!  I shall remedy this.  But I will give you an old fall photo to make up for my shortcoming..

From last fall when Teh Bear and I visited Historic St. Mary's City.
YAY FALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fill in the Blank Friday #18

(image)

1. Something I am very proud of is   my college degree and my navy career.  Sometimes it really is a battle to just make it through the days, sometimes its really a lot of fun and can even been rewarding... for both things.. :)

2. My favorite thing about myself is   that I'm fairly eccentric and it's ok.  Or maybe I just think I'm eccentric?  

3. My favorite color for fall is   maroon and/or golden yellow.  I just can't pick one.  

4. Something I've been learning lately is   I'm actually a good person.  I didn't believe that for a long time..  and sometimes, things I've done don't show that, but overall.. I am a good person.  

5. A book I am reading now/have read recently is   Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin.  I feel like I'm going to be reading the Song of Ice and Fire series for the rest of my life... seriously, can we just wrap this up already buddy?  I might die before you do!  

6. My favorite Pandora Station is ... well I have a secret for you, I don't really listen to Pandora.  We're not supposed to stream music on Navy computers because it takes up bandwidth from more important (non-morale based) things.  Admission:  I've been breaking this rule this week (for the first time since I arrived in Bahrain) because slacker radio has been loading.  Pandora won't load though.  My favorite slacker station is the Alternative Hits, or at least its the one that makes me NEED to hit next the least...  

7. This weekend I will   hang out with the THREE puppers!  I have Kody, Moe, and Phil (of course) this weekend because I'm dog sitting for a friend.  I'm hoping Phil's recent bad behavior doesn't spread.  There is also a fire on the beach planned for this evening and a cookout sometime this weekend somewhere.  Church on Sunday and relaxin' between all that.. or during all that...  :)