100 Day Photo Challenge: Day 29

Day 29 - A picture of someone that can always make you smile.

Yep, you could of guessed it...  my wonderful boyfriend can always make me smile.  :)  We make each other smile and laugh all the time.  Smiling and laughing is something that I do a lot in my life, so it is very important for me to have that in my partner.  Even when either of us are in a bad mood, we have a way of cheering each other up with a joke or a silly face.  So glad that we have our humor to keep each other laughing.  :D

Best,
Megan

100 Day Photo Challenge: Day 25

Day 25 - A picture of your day.

So I think most of you know where this is... downtown Kansas City, MO.  Today I was down here helping take measurements for a project at work.  We were up on the 19th floor of one of the high rise buildings down there, and there was just amazing views!  The people who get these offices with this view are very lucky!  I just love Kansas City, and looking at this photo just makes me fall in love all over again.  :)

Well it has been a long day, and I am pretty tired so I am going to get to bed early tonight.  Good night everyone!

Best,
Megan

100 Day Photo Challenge: Day 18

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.

This one is tough...  I guess I would have to say that it would be my intelligence.  I guess sometimes I feel like maybe I'm not as smart as I think I am.  I am always worried when telling new people of my job, that they don't understand what I do or believe that I'm intelligent.  I know that I am smart and I am really good at what I do, but sometimes I doubt myself; especially when I am very stressed.

So this one is pretty lame...  I wasn't looking forward to writing this one, and I felt like it is hard to take a picture of this.  O well...  Today on the other hand was pretty great!  My first day at my new job was really good, and I am excited about learning even more tomorrow.  :)  Now it's time for bed.

Best,
Megan

100 Day Photo Challenge: Day 11

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.

hmm...  I don't really hate many things so this is a tough one.  But as I was pinning things today, and looking on Houzz I was reminded of something I absolutely despise!  VINYL SIDING!!!  Suburban America is in love with this God awful crap.  It is absolutely not sustainable; it is like plastic bottles or stryofoam, it just won't go away.  It's unfortunate that something cheaply made and bad for our environment has become something so mainstream for the average American to put on their home.  There are so many other options for siding on your house.  To name a few: wood shingles, brick, stone, wood strip siding, cement fiber board, or even metal.  Please, please, please, if you have the urge to redo your siding don't buy vinyl!  I know it may seem like the best thing to do since it's cheap and the sales people talk it up to be durable, but it really is a terrible product for our environment.

I think it is time for bed now, so until next time...

Best,
Megan

100 Day Photo Challenge: Day 04

Day 04 - A picture of favorite missed memory.

My Grandpa Todd and the Teeter-Totter he built for me.

This picture is very special to me.  Really all pictures are special to me, but the ones with people I love and miss in them are the most dear to me.  Not only do I miss my Grandpa Todd, but I also miss my Grandpa McLain.  I miss my Grandma Todd too, and I wish that I could have gotten to know her better, because I know she was an amazing woman.  What I would give to see them all again, and be able to have good conversations with them all.  It sucks when you lose great people early on in your own life.  This picture also represents part of my childhood.  Now that it is gone, (yes mom and dad I'm not a child anymore  lol) I miss the good times I used to have playing around and the lack of responsibility.  Growing up is great, but being a kid was pretty great too.  I am blessed for all the lessons I have learned since then, and am thankful for everything that has happened in my life thus far.  I only hope that things just keep getting better and better.  I know I am going to work my butt off to make sure that that happens.  I don't know if I quite answered that question exactly, but that's what I got.

Well I am going to get to bed early tonight, since tomorrow is the big event day after work.  Hope all goes well, and I will be glad to get it over with.  The weekend couldn't come any sooner....

Best,
Megan

What a Whirlwind of a Day! So Glad it's OVER!

Now that today is (pretty much) over, I can have a huge sigh of relief.  I knew that he was going to be okay, but I always had that other situation in the back of my head.  It's hard not to think of all the possibilities (or maybe that's just me, I dunno).  Tomorrow I am going with my mom and my sister in the morning to go see him.  When he got out of surgery he still had his breathing tube in, and wasn't able to take it out yet.  I would think that by the time we get there tomorrow he will be off the breathing tube and will be able to talk to us.  We knew that he could hear us, because he would nod his head and open his eyes every once and a while.  The doctor just kept telling him to relax and get some rest.  I'm sure he will be able to do more tomorrow, like they said sitting up, and eating some light food, etc.  I am so glad that my boss was willing to give me the week off to be with my family.  I can only imagine how Lauren feels not being able to be here, but everything went just fine and she will be able to come home soon for her Spring Break.

I don't really know what else to talk about right now, because that's really all that's been on my mind for sure the past 3 days.  It's been a long day, and I am pretty exhausted.  Until next time...

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

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

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

I get way too excited about holidays!

Today has been a pretty normal day; nothing too dramatic to report here at work.  Tomorrow I am going to have to stay late for an event that they're having, but hopefully it will be more fun than stressful.  

Okay, so we all know what holiday is coming up; Valentine's Day.  Some people hate it, some people love it, and I happen to be somewhat partial to it.  Its great to dedicate a day to the people you love, but you shouldn't just do it on this day, you need to let those people in your life know how much you love them EVERY DAY.  I do however do excited about the opportunity to get something special or be creative in gifting things.  Valentine's day for me is a great time to do fun crafting type things and some baking.  So I plan on doing some of that in this next week, so it's all ready for next Tuesday.  I will share the goodies with you next week, as to not spoil the surprise!  :)

Another planning thing that I am SUPER excited for is my bestest best friend Janelle.  I am a little too excited when it comes to planning events and what not.  I just love to organize everything, and make people have a good time.  So when Janelle asked me to be her maid of honor (besides the feeling of a bit of shock since I was not expecting her to ask me when we met up for lunch before Thanksgiving) I was ecstatic.  I can't wait for her to be back here in KC so we can get together and talk about ideas, and just HANG OUT!  I miss that girl!  :-P  

Well that's all for today...  Just keep pushing through till the end of the week!  We'll make it through!

Design is about making things good (and then better) and right (and fantastic) for the people who use and encounter them.  - Matt Beale

Best,

Megan

Another day down

So today was another pretty normal day at work.  Just helped get some project files updated, and worked on their 20/20 program some more.  It was so nice today we all ate out on the patio for lunch.  Lunch is probably my favorite time of the day, not for the food aspect, but to be able to chat with the girls about work and life in general.  Today was one of the designers last day.  She was really nice, and I wish I could have gotten to know her better, but I don't blame her for leaving.

After work I met up with a girl I went to school with, and she wanted to tell me about an organization she's involved in here in Kansas City.  I am really excited to start going to events and meetings and being more involved.  Hopefully I will meet a lot more people and really do some more networking.

So that's all for today.  I'm tired, and need to get more sleep than I did last night.  Until next time...

Design is not the narrow application of formal skills, it is a way of thinking.  - Chris Pullman

Best,
Megan