Thinking about getting my hair cut soon...

So glad we're half way through the week!  yay!  Tomorrow should fly by since I have plenty to work on at work tomorrow.  Friday I will only be in the office half the day since I have an appointment that afternoon.  I am excited for the weekend.

Lately I have been really wanting to get a hair cut.  It is loooong past due for one anyway.  My hair right now is the longest its been since like elementry probably.  And its kind of getting on my nerves.  I love that it is so wavy/curly now, but since my hair is on the thicker side having it this long is just a hastle.  Most days I just wrap it up in a bun and forget about it.  I really love wearing my hair down, but when its this long it just gets in the way.  Sooo  I am trying to decide how I wanna go with this.  I don't know if I want to go too short, because it would be a little too much of a shock and I don't think I look great with short hair.  I don't want my curls/waves to go away either, which sometimes happens with a shorter length.  Here are some photos of what I'm thinking about doing...

I dunno, looks like I'm leaning towards getting it at about shoulder length.  Just to be safe I don't wanna go any shorter...  I hope to get my hair cut this weekend while I'm in Nevada, but we'll see if I have any time to do that.  Advice or opinions are welcomed!  :-)  Well I think I'm going to try and get a few things straightened up and get ready for bed.  I'm getting old and need my rest.  lol

Best,
Megan

Rainy Day Tuesday, But Not Bringing Me Down!

Today I woke up feeling a bit more refreshed than yesterday.  I got to work today and worked on AutoCAD for once, which was great!  I felt much more in my element.  We also had a lunch meeting about one of the products they use a ton for kitchen design.  It was nice to learn some more, while getting some free lunch!  lol  That's one thing I really miss a lot from my old job; rep meetings!  We looked at new product ALL THE TIME!  And currently where I am at now, this is the first meeting they've had in the month and a half I've been there.  Gosh I miss everyone at Campus Facilities sooo much!  I think about them almost daily, and wish that I could be back there.  I do love being in Kansas City though (sorry Columbia, you just didn't do it for me), and I know for a fact that this is where I want to plant my roots and stay.


Tonight I am doing my taxes (well my dad is doing them because the software is on his computer, but I'm helping I guess  lol)  It will be nice to get some money back soon!  Not having a pay check is killing me!!!  Not only am I no longer on my own and able to do my own thing, but I am also having to ask my parents for money.  Let's just say it pretty much sucks.  Once I get a full time job, I will feel like I have a little bit more freedom even while living at home.  I know that living here will save me a TON of money in the long run.

I found out some really good news today, so that has had me kind of on a high all day.  I can't really say much right now, but if things work out I will definitely tell you all about it!  Don't wanna jinx anything.  :-P

Well hope you all had a good Tuesday, and here's to a good Wednesday (leap day no less!).

Best,
Megan

Monday, Monday, Monday... oh how I despise thee

Where has the weekend gone?  And I even had Thursday and Friday off of work last week.  ugh!  This week I can feel is going to be a looong one.  Just gotta keep pushing through till Friday.

Recently I have been a little stressed out about a lot of things.  Most of which are out of my control, but I can't help but worry about these things.  For now I will just have to trust that everything will be okay.

Not coming up with anything too great to write about today, and I'm pretty tired so I think I'll just try again tomorrow.  Hopefully inspiration will come to me.

Best,
Megan

Its been a little while...

Sooo this week has been pretty full of events and what not.  I updated you last Tuesday about the concert I had went to.  Well on Wednesday I had a meeting with a client at work (along with my boss and a few other designers).  I am so glad I am actually on a project right now.  It gives me something to actually look forward to when I go in to work.  After work on Wednesday I went to my first WID-KC meeting.  Women In Design - Kansas City is a great organization that I've just begun to be involved with and I hope to meet many more people through this organization. Wednesday was the "Speed Networking" meeting, so I got to talk to very many women in just a short amount of time.  I really wish I could of had more time to talk to some of them.  This next Friday is the next meeting, and we will be at the Monster Drawing Rally which is part of the First Fridays series here in the Crossroads District of KC. Since its a more public event, I'm going to bring Grant along and it should be a real fun night!

Thursday I was at HNTB shadowing a designer for the Mentoring week IIDA hosts every year.  It was really great to be in their office and see the kinds of projects they do.  Their firm is exactly like the firm I have envisioned myself being at eventually; not to mention a great location in downtown KC.  Friday I went to the dentist for my routine check up.  So that day was pretty laid back, and I didn't really have to worry about getting anything done.  Grant and I went out to dinner that night, and also did some window shopping.  Saturday was a lazy day, we spent most of the day playing video games and watching movies/tv shows.  I'm loving having those kinds of days, but on Sunday I definitely didn't want to just waste away at home again.  We got up and went to the Nelson around lunch time.  Grant had only been there one time before, so me being a very well seasoned veteran of the museum was nice.  lol  They had changed up some of the exhibits since my last visit, but I definitely remembered where a lot of things were.  It was so nice today that we even walked around the sculpture park outside.  I just felt like laying out in the grass and soaking up the sun, but I didn't.  We went back home and played some more video games, then decided on what we wanted for dinner and got some groceries.  Tonight I made mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, french loaf toast, and we got a rotisserie chicken.  It was pretty good, and Grant even did the dishes for me after dinner.  :)

This week I don't really have much going on other than work, so I hope to do some more posts!  Next weekend Grant and I will be in Nevada, because our parents are going to be meeting each other for the first time.  yikes!  lol  I think it will go really great!  We are both excited about it.  :)

Well, we're going to finish watching the Celebrity Apprentice tonight.... so until next time

Best,
Megan

Front & Center!

Soooo  I have been a very busy bee lately.  This past weekend as you know was my mom's birthday.  I had also mentioned that we would be back in KC on Sunday because Hannah wanted to go to this concert.  So her friend ended up not being able to go, so who got stuck taking her then; me of course.  At first I was kind of indifferent about it, because I didn't really know the bands playing.  I knew Stephen Malkmus from the band he was in before (Pavement) but other than that I really didn't know how this would be.  And let me tell you, it was AMAZING!!  Now keep in mind I have never been to a concert (I know, I know...  for someone soooo into music this seems crazy, but since I am one of well one that likes the kind of music I do, its hard to motivate yourself to go to a concert alone.  Hopefully Hannah and I, and even Grant and I can go to some more concerts...soon!).  

Hannah and I get ready and head towards Lawrence to get there by 6:45ish.  We grab some dinner, and then head to The Granada.  The opener was The Nurses, and then the headliner was Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks.  So before leaving I heard one song from Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, and I liked it so I assumed it would be a nice show.  Since we got there so early, we got a spot front and center stage.  Like I was leaning on the stage, right up there, all up in their business.  So awesome!  I loved every single song The Nurses played.  They're really not well known, but I loved them!  (and I bought their vinyl LP at the end of the show! yay!)  They had a kind of more mellow style to them, which I am always attracted to.  Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks are a bit more up beat, and he goes into these amazing guitar solos.  I'll quit talking and let you enjoy some tracks from them...

The Nurses - Technicolor

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Stick Figures In Love

So the next day Hannah found pictures of us at the concert from people with The Granada.  This was so awesome!  I posted most of them below.  Click on the images to follow them to The Granada's Facebook Page and like them.  

This was a really great concert!  I had so much fun, and it was great spending time with my lil sis too!  This is definitely something that we both really enjoy and are passionate about; music.  I hope we get to do this a lot!

Alright, so the rest of this week so far has been pretty good as well.  At work I got put on a project to assist a few designers.  I have been working on pulling inspirational images, laying out the kitchen, and pulling specifications for appliances that will be in the kitchen design.  I enjoyed doing this a lot, and I hope that while I'm there I get to more things like this.  Today was really crazy because not only did I have to work on that project, but I also had to get another couple projects going for someone else and there was a huge event taking place tonight.  KU Med was actually hosting it, but they were using our showroom, so of course I helped get things tidied up and ready for the big event.  Crazy crazy day, but it was a good one at least!  Tomorrow I'm going in early to finish up the drawings to get ready to show them to the client.  I better be getting to bed then.  Have a great Wednesday everyone!

I would show my my jobs to my mother, and she would always say the same thing: “That’s nice dear.” And then she would say, “Did you write it?” or “Did you do the drawing?” or “Did you take the pictures?” I’d always answer “no,” then I realized the problem. My answer was then, “I made this happen. It’s called design.”  - Brian Webb

Best, 

Megan

I love my MOM! (Happy Birthday Mom!)

Today is my mom's birthday!  and I love her very much!  There are a lot of great women who have helped me become who I am today, and she is definitely one of the biggest influences on me.  She stayed at home to raise my sisters and I into young women, and I love her for that.  I can't imagine growing up any other way.  Having her at home when I would come home from school was great; whether it was a bad day and I needed someone to talk to or it was a good day and I wanted to gush about everything, she was there (and still is!).

Now that I am older, I appreciate her even more than I ever have.  I love that we have a good relationship, and I can call her all the time to talk about anything and everything.  :)  I love you mom!  Hope you have had a great birthday today!

Tonight I am making my lasagna for dinner, with a salad and some whole wheat garlic bread.  My mom decided she wanted a lemon cake, and so we'll have that for dessert.  Hopefully after dinner we'll watch a movie or something.  Tomorrow we will be back in Kansas City sometime, because Hannah has a concert she is going to.  I may be going as well, if her friend isn't able to make it.  It's in Lawrence so I dunno what my parents and I will do while Hannah is at this concert.  Surely we'll find something to do.


A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.  - Tenneva Jordan


Best,
Megan

In Nevada for the Weekend!

Yay! Yay! YAY!  Another Friday has come, and thus the weekend is upon us!  This weekend I am in Nevada.  Tomorrow is my mom's birthday so I'm so glad I can be here to celebrate it with her and my family.  I am going to be cooking dinner and making a cake tomorrow for her.  Should be good!  Not sure what else we will be doing the rest of the weekend, but I'm okay with not doing much.  Relaxing is what is great about the weekends!

One thing that I hate about being here though, is the SLOW internet connection.  I'm spoiled in KC having a speedy connection, so when I come here some weekends it's almost unbearable when trying to load videos or music tracks.  Oh well.  At least we have cable tv here!  lol  I can get "caught up" on some shows that I never get to watch.

Well it's time for bed, so I will update again this weekend.  Hope you all have a great start to your weekend!


Less is More.  - Mies van der Rohe

Best,
Megan

We had a pretty good Valentine's Day!

So my Valentine's Day started out early.  I signed up to go to this free seminar at Mid-West CAD for Revit
Architecture.  It is a program that I used a TON in school, and really LOVE using!  Many firms are making the switch to Revit, so it's important for me to have the skills that I have with this program.  At Mid-West CAD they offer a certification exam, which is what I'm striving towards.  Their next exam session isn't until April, so I may do some classes to "study up" for the exam.  Just one more positive thing for my resume!  :)

That started at 8am and went till about 4pm (which we got out early actually which was nice!  it was kind of a long day of info).  We got to see a live demonstration of the program, which she covered a lot of the basic components of the program.  The rest of the day was primarily videos shown from AU (otherwise known as Autodesk University).  This is a great website for video tutorials and help from any of the Autodesk programs.  I am really excited to go to classes and learn even more through this company.  Everyone there was so great and helpful!  Getting my certification in Revit would be awesome!  (and they also offer AutoCAD certification that I am probably going to get as well!  :D)

After the seminar was over, I drove over to Grant's place to get things ready for dinner.  I had to run by the grocery store to get a few more things to make the lasagna.  The lasagna I made last night was AMAZING! lol  not to brag, but it was really good!  I really wanted to take pictures of each step, but I kinda forgot about it and all I had was my cell phone to take pictures with (not the best camera on that thing  lol) so bare with the quality of the photos.

These are the cupcakes I made Monday night.  They're just chocolate cake, with pink vanilla icing.  Some of them have red sugar sprinkles on them.  They were pretty delicious!  :)

Basically I just followed the directions on the back of the lasagna noodles, and added my own twist on it.  The picture above has the ground italian chicken layer.  The recipe called for italian sausage, but I used the ground turkey with onions and spinach.  So good!

This is the cheese layer.  Right before you but on the cheese and meat layer you put on the noodles.  It has 2 eggs well blended, shredded mozzarella, and some ricotta cheese, just like the directions.  Unlike the directions, I also added cottage cheese, and some creamy pesto mix (the dry sauce mix you can by at the grocery store).  I think this added a lot to the flavor.

This is the last layer (besides the shredded cheese on top).

In the oven it goes, for 60-70 minutes.  This time I got the oven ready noodles, which made it SUPER EASY.  Just put it all together and throw it in the oven!  yay!

Oh, and I made some chocolate covered strawberries too.  yum!  Getting everything all set up for dinner...

So these pictures came out pretty terrible, but it was really cute when I got it all put together.  I made a little "coupon book" for Grant.  There's all kinds of things like "one night of a home cooked meal", or a "weekend full of me doing a chore of your choice", etc.  I don't think he was expecting me to make anything, but I think he liked it.  :)  I can't help but be crafty sometimes.

Everything is ready, and in about 5 minutes after taking this photo Grant got home from work.  Perfect timing!  Last night was so great!  We just stayed in, and enjoyed each others company.  I had been wanting to watch Water for Elephants for a while now, so Grant agreed to watching it with me last night.

Today on the other hand wasn't the best.  I don't wanna vent on here really, but this job is killing me and my spirit.  Must get a new job soon...  Well, I'm going to get some laundry done tonight, so until next time.

Creativity is to think more efficiently. - Pierre Reverdy

Best,
Megan

Weekend Wrap-Up

This weekend has been pretty nice.  To start things off Grant and I went out to dinner and did a little shopping. We decided to go to On the Border which was alright but we weren't that impressed.  Those hole in the wall mexican places are better lol.  We were in the Town Center shopping center, so we went to a few stores.  I ended up getting a new pair of stud earrings at Macy's which I love!  They're super cute.

Saturday Grant and I got up around 8am and had breakfast together.  Then we went back home and just hung out till about 1pm when I left to go to my grandma's place where her, my aunt, and I went to the Mother Daughter (Grand Daughter) Valentine's Tea Party.  They had a couple who played music and sang throughout the tea which was nice, and also raffled off some candy.  There were easily over 150 women there.  They had punch, finger sandwiches, candy, cake, and cookies.  It was pretty good.  It was really nice to see my grandma and aunt and talk to them.  I'm glad I'm so close to them now and we can get together more often!  :)  After I got back to Grant's house, we went to Target to get some things Grant needed around the house and groceries and what not.  I made spaghetti and meat sauce and some garlic toast for us for dinner.  It was pretty good.  We ended up watching more Sopranos last night before getting to bed around midnight.

Sunday we got up around 8am again, and I made breakfast burritos for us.  Today has been a very lazy day.  We continued watching some more episodes of the Sopranos and Big Love today.  For dinner I made FROM SCRATCH mashed potatoes.  lol  They really aren't that much of a pain, so I don't know why I was thinking it would take forever.  I guess I just hadn't made them in a while.  With the mashed potatoes I made pork tenderloin and for dessert Grant wanted brownies, so I baked a batch of those as well.  It was another pretty good dinner.  I just don't want the day to end!  Luckily I do have tuesday off for that seminar, so hopefully that will be a nice break from work.  We decided to stay in on tuesday for Valentine's Day, and I'm going to fix dinner for us.  I'll get off work at 5pm that day, and get stuff cooked and ready for Grant when he gets home at 8pm.  Should be a nice low key night in at his place.  :)

Well, hope you all had a great weekend!  Time for the work week!

Behavioral design is all about feeling in control. Includes: usability, understanding, but also the feel.  - Don Norman

Best,
Megan

It's FRIDAY people! ...and some things I have been obsessed with lately

YAY!  It's Friday!  :)  So so so glad the weekend is upon us (in about 2 hours to be exact, because lets face it when 5pm rolls around Friday afternoon that is the start of the weekend).  So tonight Grant and I are going out to dinner and are going to walk around Town Center, since I've been wanting to for a while.  Even though I have no money to buy anything I enjoy walking around and looking at things.  You never know when or where inspiration will hit you for a project.  Definitely going to hit up Crate & Barrel (because I'm in love with that store and we don't have an Ikea or West Elm here  :(  o well probably for the best!)  I wish it wasn't going to be sooo cold this afternoon/night though.  Hopefully it won't be that bad walking around all the shops...

I hope that these images like the one above don't get too repetitive to you guys.  I really just find them so beautiful and inspirational.  I love print and the graphic arts!  So I try and find them everyday to brighten my day, and hope that they (along with my posts) brighten your day a little!  :)

So now to get on with some things that I have been obsessed with lately!  Really a random list of things that have been things that I do or like lately.  Most of this is directly from Pinterest which is a whole big obsession in itself.  :-P

    1.  Eating Healthier.

I absolutely love this yogurt!  It is sooo good and so good for you!  Seriously if you haven't tried it, go out and buy it.  I have also been eating fresh veggies and fruit almost every single day.  Some days instead of having the typical sandwich I just make a cup of veggies, and bring a yogurt.  I feel so much better eating healthy.  Now I just gotta get some more exercise in my routine.

     2.  Scarves.

I absolutely LOVE scarves.  I am a pretty simple person when it comes to fashion.  I like things that are clean and simple, but then I add a cute colorful scarf to spice up the look.  Seriously I cannot have enough of them!

    3.  Rings.

So I've never been one to wear a ton of jewelry, but I really like wearing stud earrings and a ring most days.  I went through a phase where I hated wearing rings, and now I'm loving wearing this sterling silver one I got from Target.  I wear it pretty much every day now.

    4.  Collecting Recipes.  

With Pinterest, this has become so easy for me.  The hard thing is finding time to try most of them!  I have got some really good ideas for my own recipes as well just looking through these food blogs that I happen to come across.  It's great!

    5.  Chevrons... on anything!

So this obsession really isn't THAT new, but it's safe to say that I am still very much obsessed with chevrons (like most people right now it seems).  The image above is from a pin I saw and its a DIY link to how to make this.  basically you just need a canvas, tape, and paints.  I love it!

    6.  Wearing Skirts and Dresses. (and just being more girly in general)

I think I've mentioned this before on a previous blog, but for some reason I'm really into wearing dresses and skirts again.  It's fun being a girl!  :)

    7.  Trying new hair styles

So I admit it; I'm not great at doing my hair but I try!  I have yet to try this one above, but I really love figuring out how to wear my hair differently.  I have so much of it I might as well try and do some cute different looks with it every once and a while!

Hope you have an AMAZING weekend!  I will be sure to post anything that sparks my interest. :-D

Design trends online change more often than the wind, and slightly less often than my socks.  - Suleiman Leadbitter

Best,
Megan