Random Muses of Megret

All this talk around me of vacations! It is weekly that I have someone tell me about a vacation destination where they've been or are about to trek off to. I long for a vacation myself, where Ken and I can go and unwind and forget about life for a few days. Having a baby, though exquisitely wonderful, changes everything, and we have had to understand that a vacation might just have to wait till next year (for several reasons). Still, there are ways in which one can vacation while still at home. Silly sounding, I know...I thought so, too. But the latest issue of Real Simple tells exactly how it can be done. Here are some key ideas from the article. If you're as hard-pressed for a break as I am (but don't have the time or resources to take one), maybe one or more of these activities will at least tide you over in the meantime. Why didn't I think of these myself? -- For an entire day, shut off your cell phone and answering machine volume. Pretend like you're not home

To copy my dear husband Ken's idea, I am going to ask all of you a favor. I want to know why you're here. Why you visit my blog daily, weekly, monthly. What types of posts you enjoy most. What types of posts you absolutely hate. Suggestions for future writings. All of the above. I do love to write....God has ingrained this in me from birth. I won't stop until my hands no longer work! (...and even then, I will probably hire a secretary and start dictating!) I want to write for God first and foremost. It's also a little bit for me (it's my form of therapy), and, though it goes without saying, for my audience. The trouble is, I don't know exactly what my audience wants to hear unless I'm told. So leave me some comments about "why you're here." I'd love to hear back. I am a person who is not against change, if it will make things better in the long run. I am a person, too, who has come to be able to accept more readily constructive criticism.

To continue the list mania that I've seemed to be stuck in as of late (well, yesterday at least), I will give you another list that I've been pondering this past week....(with some help from Ken ) What They Didn't Tell You About Being a Grown-Up (i.e., things our parents, grandparents, teachers, coaches, and mentors didn't spell out for us outright but that hit you like a sledgehammer once you step out on your own) (**Disclaimer: These are not in any order. These items are also not necessarily true in my own life....some are taken from listening to the experiences of others.) -- There are these things called "bills," and when you do not pay enough attention to the payment of these bills, it goes down on your credit history in permanent ink. (and also the fact that there was such a thing called a "credit history," as well). -- When you get sick as an adult, you are on your own. Yes, if you have a spouse, they can do a pretty good job of taking ca

I haven't been to this place this week, but it has been on my mind for some reason. Here they are, in no particular order: The Top Ten Things I Absolutely Hate About Wal-Mart: 10. The oppressive flourescent lighting. That combined with the stark white floors makes me feel compelled to don sunglasses even once I'm inside out of the elements. 9. The people who bring their under-rested, over-stimulated, cranky kids with them to shop at 11:00 pm. (I've only been there at this time a on a handful of occasions, but my oh, my.....where are all these kids coming from?!) 8. The fact that most items are either lacking a price label on the shelf underneath, or are in the wrong place. This forces you to have to lug a 25-pound desk lamp box six rows down to find one of thsoe price scanners. 7. The rude employees at the registers. I am not speaking for all of them (I haven't met all of them), but a majority of the ones in my own town make it totally obvious that they'd rather be

I know I just posted...but another idea just popped into my mind (memory, really) that I just had to share. The weather is hotter than ever right now (today is a record 98 degrees forecasted), but school is about to start for the kids in our area. I remember well the last two weeks or so of summer vacation....dread turned into a sickening realization that there would be no more summer till next year. I didn't start looking forward to autumn until I was in college (when I actually began to love school, believe it or not). I was a champion at faking illnesses. I mean, I was a pro. (Mom, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. But like all parents, I'm sure you knew I was doing this stuff, even if you didn't let on that you knew. :) I hated school so much sometimes that I'd do just about anything to get out of it. If I couldn't manage to stay home altogether, I'd finagle a way to go home early. That is, however, if I could also deceive the ladies in the front of

I am a lover of books. I mean, I would rescue my books before I'd rescue my television or stereo if I had to evacuate my house for whatever reason. Books are timeless. They can be read whenever you want to pick them up. They change meaning each time you read them. They are indispensible. I, however, have limited time with which to read these jewels on my shelves. And though I consider myself pretty disciplined most of the time, I fully admit that if I had an 100% free day to spend as I wished, household chores might just cloud over my desires to read (I'm a "I should" person more than an "I could" person). Recently I wish I could draft that fairy-tale ability to be able to let book knowledge seep in through the brain. I remember this from high school....teachers telling us repeatedly that sleeping on our open books (or having them read by tape while we rested) would not work one bit. (Although all of us remember those people who adamently insisted th

Ever been nervous? I mean, really, really nervous? I used to label myself as one giant nerve ending. Everything bothered me, everything scared me, everything offended me. I can remember several instances where I was the most nervous.... - Every first day of school. I can remember all the way back to first grade. My "first days of school" were not just in August, however. Since I was a PK AND an army brat, I often had to move in the middle of a school year, making it another "first day" of another kind. The smell of elementary schools still sometimes makes my belly do a flip-flop. - My ballet recitals. Even though I wasn't center stage in my troupe, I was still ON stage. I worried about whether the masking tape was still marking off the stage floor to help us find our places. I worried what I'd do if my tights and tu-tu itched so much I just HAD to scratch. I worried my headpiece would go flying into the audience if I twirled too fast (it happened to a frien

So, last night's home group was one of my favorites thus far. We began the last chapter in John Ortberg's book on groups, and it started off with an interactive activity. We all wrote out on slips of paper what all we appreciate about each individual in the group. We took turns sitting in the "hot seat," so to speak, in our den. Each person was able to hear from everybody else what is admirable about them. It was basically an encouragement session on steroids....I say this because just the word "encouragement" doesn't accurately describe what went on here. I have a feeling all of us were somehow at a point this week where we desperately needed to hear those positive words about ourselves. Either we have been too busy to stop and breathe, or we're listening to Satan's lies about who we are inside.....but whatever might have been keeping us from inner security was shattered last night (at least in my own case). To know you are admired, respected,

I know what many of you are thinking. "She's talking about hunting." "She's talking about surfing." "She's talking about skydiving." Nope. Many of these probably do cost money to keep doing on a regular basis. But I submit Exhibit A in the courtroom to decide what hobby is most draining on one's wallet: Scrapbooking. Don't tune me out, guys. This post promises to be sickeningly, sarcastically hilarious. I can say that this hobby is the ultimate in costly with absolute authority because I am.....oh, should I say it?.....a "scrapper." There. (Gee. It looks so degrading when you see it spelled out on paper.) I know about the costs of this hobby because I have lived (still do) on the inside. Where else but within the addictive realm of scrapbooking would you spend 35 cents on a piece of construction paper in the shape of an anchor? Where else would you, too..... - Spend $60 on a machine that cuts out more of said shapes, which doe

The tune of that song is still resonating within my skull as I sit here. I go through spells where I simply cannot make up my mind about anything. Right now, I am smack dab in the middle of one of those spells. It is frustrating, yes, but if I do not learn to laugh at myself when I do this, I just might cry. I know I'm going through this spell because of what happened to me minutes ago at the grocery store. I passed by some crackers that I wasn't going to buy on this trip....we really didn't need them. I stopped the cart. Gardner looked up at me expectantly; I had just told him we were wrapping up our shopping, and he was ready for lunch. I stared at the box of crackers on the shelf. I thumbed through the coupons that I held in my hand. I got out my calculator and crunched some numbers. I looked up at the ceiling, then back at the crackers. As I continued to stand there, I realized that my mind was totally blank. I wasn't thinking about the price....I wasn't thinkin

After a brief period of no blogging, I'm back. Nope, I haven't been on vacation to Belize, or cruising on lotto-ships in the Atlantic. Nor have I been ill, too sunburned to use my hands, or even temporarily computer illiterate. I have merely been busy, and blogging has had to accept the role of a backseat passenger for a little while. I truly miss writing....it is as much a part of my life as breathing. Composing words together to create a mood or make a statement gets my blood rushing mercilessly. So don't believe for one minute that I've lost interest in this hobby of mine. I have just had other merriments during these past few summer days. This week was the week of "let's-have-some-friends-over-for-dinner-and/or-dessert," and by that, I mean every single night. We don't crowd our week that often anymore, but it is so much fun to do every now and then. And our friends? Well, all of them are loads of fun to be around, it's hardly stressful. It is

Here are some sites I have come across that I have found interesting or noteworthy. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did: Retrolounge ("bringing you the best of bygone eras") Screenused (where you can buy (if you're insane to pay these prices) props and wardrobe from various films) Durham Portfolio (some of the most beautiful landscape photography I've ever seen....gorgeous) I have no idea what this is....but it's freaky. And I know Ken will love it. So much fun! What happens to our phrases when translated into several different languages? Well, see the answer here .

Home group discussion last night shifted later on to discussions about exclusion of others, either intentionally or not. I'm certain we are all guilty of doing this. Perhaps we were the one who was excluded...maybe so. Sometimes it's difficult to love the unlovable...the ones who are nervous, hiding behind things, even using tough exteriors as a front. Yet underneath, most times I believe, you will find a crumbling spirit, a wounded being. Insecurity is an epidemic in our society today. There has never been more images and messages flashed at us that scream, "You might be good, but you're nowhere near THIS good." You can replace the word "good" in that sentence with any other word you so choose (wealthy, beautiful, intelletual, powerful, successful)....they all fit well. We spotlight the ones in society who have it all together....we shove aside those who seem not to. I have first-hand experience with insecurity. I think everyone combats with it w

Get those lines out of your head and onto the screen at Poetc . Just a little summer afternoon diversion.

I am going through a Cynthia Heald Bible study for women on how to more powerfully and effectively love their husbands. Frankly, it is kicking my tail. It involves reassurance that I am doing some things right in my marriage to Ken, but more often than that, it is showing me areas in which I am lacking....and spurs me on to change them. Today's lesson was about respect....what it really means to respect your husband. The cool part is that it can be applied to any other relationship.....within a friendship, child to parent, employee to employer. I love it when God's word is so wonderfully and magnificently applicable to thousands of aspects of life....not just one only. Our attitude, and thus our actions, convey to others whether or not we respect them. A worker who respects his or her boss will work harder and exude more joy while doing so. A wife who respects her husband will gladly let him lead the family....she has total trust in his abilitites, and has no need to figh

Ken and I spent the evening in downtown Greenville last night. We were finally beginning to let loose, able to ease our minds that Gardner would be fine without us home to put him to bed (he's such a little creature of habit)....our good friends, Ben and Skye , were gracious enough to watch him for the evening. We were walking down Main Street, rushing so we wouldn't miss too much of Lee's incredible show at Carpenter's Cellar (we didn't make it in time to hear Shua's poetry....we'll catch it next time!). The city was filled with teenagers and college students....they were coming out of the woodwork! It was the most flirting done within two city blocks in history, I think. As we passed by a group of them, girls done up and giggling, boys, awkward and in preppy golf attire, I overheard a verbal exchange. "Hi. What's your name again?" "Megan." "Megan? Hi. Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you." We walked a few fe

Today has started off drearily. I awoke to torrential rainfall, the remnants of tropical storm Cindy. Mom called me and asked if I heard the tornado siren go off about 3am (I didn't), and it sounded again just an hour ago (thank goodness the storm was headed away from us this time). I have only experienced two tornadoes in my lifetime, and to me, that's two too many. Both of these occurred in the daylight hours....I cannot imagine the panic that would ensue if one were to sneak up on me at night as I slept. Talk about a nightmare! Then, as I got up and started into my bowl of granola this morning, I turned on the Today show and was blasted with sickeningly familiar images of a terrorist attack....although this time, in London. I was heartbroken. Just when we start to "forget," we are painfully reminded again that there is still evil in the world. I have to take comfort during all of these things that threaten to mangle my security in that Jesus is still Lord.

I just wrote an entire blog post, published it, then erased it.....remembering I had to write instead about a stupid flick I watched (well, 45 minutes of, anyway) last night. I flipped to the Sundance Channel, thinking they'd have some quality entertainment to zone in on while I settled in for the evening, a storm rolling over our house. Instead, what I found was a movie with an obvious budget of $42, with a script that (I think) was made up on the spot instead of memorized and recited. I am not a movie critic at all....I am not knowledgeable enough to call myself anything near that. But I do know when a movie sucks, and this one did. The movie? "Security, Colorado." It followed the same plot line that oh-so-many independent films follow.....a wayward artist (author in this story) moves away to try to find contentement and inspiration for her work, but finds heartache and disappointment instead. Drama, drama. Ken actually said he couldn't sit in the room and

I know many of you might be tiring of my ramblings about memories of my childhood, but I am about to do it again. I am only 27, so I don't have many grown-up stories stored up to tell, so I am pulling from what I HAVE experienced! But all truth be told, I think childhood tales are some of the best and most wonderful to tell. July the fourth. I don't have a whole lot of memories of this day in particular. I remember a hazy day in 1983 when my Dad helped me decorate my Strawberry Shortcake Hot Wheels with red and blue streamers for a patriotic parade. A photo of me on this day is now framed and in Gardner's nursery, me freckle-faced and displaying the infamous-at-the-time Dorothy Hamill haircut. I remember lemonade stands set up for business on this holiday. My friend Christy and I set up one year on this date in my front yard, ready to vend our pink lemonade and Jolly Ranchers (they were new, just out, and we thought they were so cool). We sat there all morning, drinking lem

Ahhh, summer is upon us with its heavy, sticky hand. Today was, I believe, the hottest day so far this calendar year. Ken went jogging at 3pm (I know! What!?) and came back remarking that the heat wrapped around his legs like a thick pair of invisible sweat pants. Nice imagery. We all feel it with him, don't we? So, in honor of the first day of the hottest month known to man, I give you my top...meaning good.... (and bottom...meaning not so good....) ten of summer: TOP TEN 10. You can eat ice cream and not get goosebumps. 9. You can get extra exercise by pushing a push mower......every other day, with the way the grass is growing. You get extra kudos (and nods from neighbors) if you cut your lawn diagonally. Eh? Eeehhh? 8. The passion to read fiction is suddenly reignighted. You join the flocks to local libraries and bookstores, eager for a good read. 7. You get to go to one of the most beautiful parts of God's created earth....the seashore. 6. Garden produce runs rampant in