100 Day Photo Challenge: Day 21

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

not my car, but looks similar to the car accident I was in when I was 16. 

Gosh, all these negative ones are hard!  I am usually a very positive person, and don't like to dwell on the bad things in life.  But alas, if I must answer this one I guess I would have to say I wish that I could forget about the car accidents I have been in.  Not to say I have been in very many, but I have been the passenger in some friends cars when they got into accidents.  Maybe I am better for it now, because I am much more cautious, but sometimes I wish I wouldn't tense up so much about people around me.

Now that I made up for last night, I am going to write about day 22. :)

Best,
Megan

100 Day Photo Challenge: Day 14

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

I think we all knew this was coming again.  After everything that I've been through he has always listened to me when I break down, and is there to celebrate the great moments in my life.  :)  I love you Grant, and I don't want to imagine a time when we aren't together.  We compliment each well, and we have a lot of obscure things in common.  We keep each other entertained and we are very supportive of one another.  Best guy ever!

Today I found out some really good news!  I will be sharing very soon, and it is very very exciting for me!  Don't worry, I will spill the beans soon.  Well I am down at the farm tonight and for the weekend, so I am going to spend some more time with my family before I head to bed.  Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!  :)

Best,
Megan

100 Day Photo Challenge: Day 07

Day 07 - A picture of you and someone you'd be lost without.  

On short notice, this was the only picture I could find.  I know I have some more recent
photos, but I don't have them saved on my computer or anything.

My parents!  Without them I wouldn't exist.  Without them I wouldn't be the person I am today.  Without them I wouldn't have learned the things that I know now.  I love them so very much, and am so glad to have such a good relationship with them.  They came up to Kansas City today and we had dinner tonight together. This weekend Hannah and I will be in Raytown.  We are going to a concert tomorrow night in Lawrence which we are both pumped for.  So happy the work week is over!  Now Hannah and I are going to watch a movie I think, so I'm off...

Best,
Megan

Bang Bang Shrimp Deliciousness!

Hello all!  Sorry I have been really slacking lately.  Work has really been consuming me a lot more, and I have been put on several projects at this point.  Yesterday I actually was put on a a new project as the LEAD DESIGNER!  Which is kind of a big deal, and really exciting!  I am hoping that this really does mean that she is interested in hiring me as an actual designer.  We shall see...  Also I have been going from staying at Grant's place some nights, to staying at my parents house alone in Raytown some nights, to going down to Nevada some weekends.  Kind of busy/crazy right now, but I am happy to be busy.  I have been cooking most nights when I'm with Grant which he loves, and I like to do as well.  I finally made a recipe I had wanted to try for a loooong time.  I saw it on pinterest a while ago, and it looked delicious and different.

Thanks to Renee for this awesome recipe that I will be making many more times I'm sure!

Bang Bang Shrimp

The original poster's picture

Ingredients
  -  1 lb. medium sized shrimp  (I used this little bitty shrimp which was harder to fry, but was nice and bite sized)
  For the Sauce
  -  1/2 cup mayonnaise
  -  4-5 teaspoons of chili garlic sauce (we used Sriracha of course!  she also suggested it for the recipe)
  -  1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  -  1 teaspoon rice vinegar (we didn't have this and I forgot to pick it up at the store, so it didn't go in and it was fine)

  For the Egg Mixture

  -  1 egg, beaten

  -  1 cup milk (so we forgot to get milk at the store too, but I had some vanilla soy milk that I drink in the fridge so I used it.  couldn't even tell that I had used it)

  For the Breading Mixture

  -  1/2 cup all-purpose flour

  -  1/2 cup panko bread crumbs  (which we always have on hand...  so many things u can use it in)

  -  1 teaspoon salt

  -  1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

  -  1/4 teaspoon onion powder

  -  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  -  1/4 teaspoon dried basil

  For Frying

                                                                                                                      -  8 - 12 cups of vegetable oil (so this time i 

                                                                                                                         did pan fry them, but I really want to try 

                                                                                                                         baking them next time, so they are a lot 

                                                                                                                         more healthy!) 

Instructions  (the real ones, not exactly what I did) 
1.  Combine all ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl; cover and set aside.
2.  Combine beaten egg with milk in shallow bowl; set aside.
3.  Combine flour, panko, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and basil in another shallow bowl; set aside.
4.  Bread the shrimp by first coating each with the breading mixture.  Dip breaded shrimp into the egg and milk mixture, and then
      back into the breading.  Arrange the coated shrimp on a plate and pop them into the fridge for at least 20 minutes.  This step will
      help the breading to stick on the shrimp when they are frying.  (I guess I missed this step completely, because I just dipped them
      in the egg mixture, the breading mixture, then in the pan they went.  oh well, they were good none the less!)
5.  Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees.  Use amount of oil required by your fryer.  (I fried them in the skillet because we don't have
     a deep fryer, nor do I ever want one)
6.  When oild is hot, fry shrimp 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.  Drain on rack or paper towels.
7.  When all shrimp has been fried, drop the shrimp into a large bowl.  Spoon about 1/4 cup of sauce over shrimp and gently coat.

Mine weren't near as pretty as those above, but they sure were delicious!  Next time I'm going to try baking them though, and have them with steamed rice and veggies.  Yum!  Well that's all for tonight.  Hope you guys get a chance to try this recipe!  Soo glad its the weekend!  I really want to try and go to the Titanic Exhibit at Union Station, but I don't think we'll go this weekend so not sure what we will be up to tomorrow.   Going to go watch some more Weeds with Grant, and get caught up with Season 6.  Until next time...

Best,
Megan

Rain, Rain Go Away

Am I right?  Well at least here in KC it has rained EVERY SINGLE DAY!  But this week has kind of flown by, and it has been a pretty busy one!  Since I am lame, and haven't wrote since Sunday I will just briefly explain what all has been happening recently.  My dad is now in Nevada with my mom and sister while he recovers from his surgery.  So that means I have the whole house to myself.  Monday and Tuesday were a little slower at work, since I had been gone that week before and was trying to figure out what I needed to help out on and what not.  By Wednesday I was being put on 3 different project, so its really nice to be working with the other designers and doing actual design work!  We are also working on this special project as a company that only 17 design firms in the nation are working on so that has been pretty exciting as well!

Also at work I have been taking on more responsibility in walking people around the showroom, that come in to look at our kitchens.  I enjoy it most of the time.  Most people are really nice and want to hear all the information about each of the set ups, but sometimes there are some rude or strange people that come through. I guess you could say I'm making the best of it.

This weekend I am in Nevada (just got here about an hour ago) and everyone is here (my mom, dad, hannah, and lauren)!  My dad is looking really good!  I'm really glad he was able to take off a lot of time from work and be down here with my mom.  He was also able to schedule all of his rehabilitation stuff here at the Nevada Hospital, so he doesn't have to drive to Harrisonville or even Kansas City to be able to do what he needs to do these next 2 months.  Lauren is off of school this next week for Spring Break, so she just got here tonight like I did.  Its been a while since I've seen her (I think it was right before new years if I remember right), so it's nice to be able to catch up on what she's been doing.  I wish we could talk more, but she's busy with school, and I keep pretty busy myself with work and my organizations and the little bit of a social life I have (if you can even call it that lol).

I really wish my best girlfriends lived here in Kansas City.  I miss them all so much!  I know that going out with girl friends is something that has been lacking in my life really since last summer.  I wish I could go and visit them all soon, but I know that I won't be able to do that for a while.  The girls at work keep talking about doing happy hours every once and a while, so hopefully that starts happening.  I don't want to be a lame person who just goes to work and then goes home (at least while I'm still young!).  It's hard when I have no income right now though.  I guess things will change once I have a real job.  Just gotta stay positive and keep my eyes out for any openings.  I don't want to stoup low for something that is outside of my major, but sometimes I find myself thinking about it.  I dunno, good things will happen I'm sure of it.  I really am very lucky for what I have and I try to remember that each and every day.

Well, I am exhausted from work and the hour and a half drive down here to Nevada, sooo I'm going to hit the hay.  Until next time...

Best,
Megan

The story of how it all began....

What a week!  So glad that it is Friday, and I can relax over the weekend.  (hopefully)  Things have been stressful, and I haven't been getting a ton of sleep lately.  I will be glad once this next week is over with too.  I am being positive and I know everything will be okay.  Just can't wait to not have to have that worrying in the back of my head.

I feel like Monday's post was written just yesterday.  So I guess that its good that the week seemed to kind of fly by.  I wanted to write more, but I just can't seem to be inspired to write anything this week.  The lack of sleep is catching up to me, and I really hope this weekend/week I have off will allow me to catch up a little.

Okay, so next Sunday is our first year anniversary.  It's crazy to think that its actually been a year.  What's even more crazy is how we met, and that we have so many quirky little things in common.  So my side of the story anyway starts out like this...  I saw an ad on tv that eHarmony was doing a free membership for the month of February (because of Valentine's Day and all), so I said what the heck I'll just see what it's all about.  I had been on Match.com before but didn't really get into it.  After a few days (either I contacted him or he contacted me, can't quite remember that) Grant and I were exchanging messages through their system, and it was getting close to the end of the month so I gave him my email address so we could continue getting to know each other.  We emailed back and forth for a few weeks, and I found out that he grew up in Nevada, MO which is where my parents are in the process of moving to (not to mention my dad grew up there, my grandmother grew up there and so on).  At that moment, I knew something was right.  As the weeks went on we talked more and found out even more things that we had in common.  Since I was still in Columbia finishing school, and he was in Kansas City but also traveling a ton for work we tried to figure out when we could finally meet each other.  We decided to try and plan on my spring break week, which was still another 2 and a half weeks away at that point.  That semester I had taken an art history course in which we took a 'field trip' to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City.  So I drove home Wednesday, March 8th and let him know I was in town.  Luckily he didn't leave for his next work trip till the next morning.  So I drove over to his apartment, and we went out for dinner, then went back to his apartment to watch a movie.  It wasn't anything special necessarily in the activities that we did that night, but I just had that gut feeling that this guy was special and I wanted to keep seeing him.  I left with such a grin on my face all the way back home.  The next day I was just gushing at the museum with joy; I hadn't felt this way in a VERY LONG time!  I couldn't wait to see him again.  We continued to talk every night online, and that weekend I spent with my sister in Rolla for St. Pat's festivities.  I couldn't even keep myself from practically texting him  all night both nights I was there.  The next weekend I was able to go to Kansas City again, and that's when he asked me to be his girlfriend.  And the rest is history!  lol  I don't know if you all enjoyed any of that, but it just makes me smile every time I tell the story.  :)

Well, I'm getting a bit tired, so I think I'm going to hit the hay.  Night night everyone!  Have a great weekend!

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

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

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

Thank Goodness it's FRIDAY!!!

Okay, so I am sooo happy it is Friday, and I only have 3 more hours of work at this point in the day. So just like the forecast said, its raining today, and its to keep raining the rest of the day and most of Saturday it looks like.  boo!  I really was hoping for nice weather, and Grant and I could have maybe done something outside.  Oh well...  Tonight we're going to go catch a movie, which we haven't done in a while so it should be fun.  I don't know a whole lot about the movie we're going to see, so I hope its good.  It's got pretty good ratings so far, and it does have Liam Neeson in it.

Not sure what we will do on Saturday, but I'm content with just lounging around the house really.  Working full time, especially in a place where I seem to be stressed or dealing with stupid drama, is really wearing me down.  And yesterday was just exactly that, stressful and full of drama.  Today hasn't really been so bad (for me anyway) since my boss has been in meetings all day so far.

That's all for now.  Not really feeling inspired to write anything else, so there will be an update sometime this weekend.  Until then...

Design is an opportunity to continue telling the store, not just to sum everything up.  - Tate Linden

Best,
Megan