Sunday June 15.

The trip is coming to an end. I made brunch reservations for us at the Hotel Del Coronado or the Del as most people call it. However when Chris discovers the cost (because it’s father’s day) he freaks out and we decide to eat our free breakfast at the hotel. We did compromise and go to Coronado and the Del to walk around a bit. I had to show him the best beach in town. When I told him it was where the movie “Some Like It Hot” was filmed he looked at me like I was speaking Greek. He's not into old classics or musicals. I have no idea how he ended up with me. I. Love. Them.



I had given us a cushion (or so I thought) to do some quick shopping and grab a must have beverage. Chris wanted black Reef’s…and I had seen just the place with tons to choose from. After we browsed (and bought) a few pairs we headed to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for an Iced Blended. If you have never had one…I feel sorry for you. They are perfection in a cup. I ordered the original blended mocha, and Chris tried the hazelnut. He took one sip and understood why I talk about them all the time.



We headed to return the rental car, and off to the airport. Here is where it gets fun. Apparently…well actually…I didn’t look at the departure time. I thought I had, I had a time in my head that was the departure time…and I was wrong. So we were 5 min late to check in for our flight, and were told we would have to go standby on the next one. I am flexible. I made a mistake, but I knew that we would get home and chose not to stress about what I couldn’t change. Chris, God love the man, is not as flexible. He was so pissed…I had to take this photo while we were waiting in the airport. And he had even cooled off a little.



So I probably should be more detailed about flights…but I see an adventure, he sees total human ineptitude. Fun times. So we made the next flight, were home one hour later, and all was not lost. Lucky for me the wedding is still on, but I will not be the holder of itineraries for a while.

Saturday June 14.

The US Open…the big show. Chris set the alarm on his cell phone and we scheduled a wakeup call…for 5AM! He jumped out of bed and was ready to go in 20 min, and I rolled out of bed to drive him to Qualcomm Stadium in my PJ's. I like to stay classy San Diego.

*side note. I’m not going with him. I never even entertained the idea. He and I get along famously, however we are very different. Take shopping for example. I go in, know exactly what I am looking for, buy without trying it on…and if I hate it I bring it back. Chris likes to browse, shop just to look, try everything on, come out and model it etc. See where I am going with this? Golf is similar. I’m happy going around 9am with some reading material and a hat, finding a seat in the grandstand on the 18th green, and staying put. He likes to arrive when it opens, see the holes and scout the spots before any players are out, watch them on the putting green or warming up, and then walk briskly from hole to hole and group to group. I did it his way at the Grand Slam, and was exhausted after one day. I literally sat down in the shade at one point and took a 20 min nap. I figured for him to have the best possible time, I should stay behind. I would rough it hanging out with Val in the city I miss most.


(Cars at Qualcomm)
Everyone attending the open had to park at Qualcomm and take the shuttle bus. We pulled up in front of the stadium and they hadn’t even opened the gates yet! As they started letting in cars we were the first wave thru. Chris ended up being the 46th person on the grass that morning. Yes, he even knows what number he was. He was at Torrey Pines by 6:30, and walking the holes by 7am.



He decided not to follow Tiger, having seen him play before he knew that 90% of the people would be following Tiger’s group. He did see him play a few holes, but tried to watch everyone else as well. He said that Adam Scott can smack one hell of a drive. He outdrove Phil by 40 yards on several holes, and Paul Casey is like a foot shorter than Vijay but easily outdrove him as well. He said the weather was amazing, the golf was going to be historical, and the course was very difficult.


(18th hole)
In all Chris was at Torrey for 11 hours, and managed to see everyone at least once. He also managed to drop some cash in the merchandise tent. Apparently that tent was something to see at almost 40K square feet. When I picked him up he was wearing all his purchases and carrying a few for me. I love this guy; he knows to come back with gifts!

As for me, I dropped him off and drove the long way back to the hotel. I wanted to see some of my favorite places and memories by myself in the early morning when no one else is out. Well the surfers and the seals are out, but the ocean in the early morning is very peaceful.


After some breakfast and a shower I was ready to meet Val for our “girls’ day”. When I lived in San Diego Val and I had different schedules so we usually spent one weekend day together, and had a routine. It involved going to Fashion Valley Mall, so that was our first stop. They had added a bunch of new stores that I wanted to check out.


After some mall time it was off to PB and the Green Flash for lunch. She and I have been ordering their Oriental Chicken Salad for about the last 7 years. No need to change perfection. Green Flash is a great spot on the boardwalk so if you're lucky enough to get an outside table the people watching will keep you entertained.

(table view at the Green Flash)

Then we head to Bogart Yogurt in the afternoon for a treat. We used to go on a walk on the bay, or ride our beach cruisers to do those things, but this time we traded that for sitting on Val’s patio in Mission Hills in the warm sun, and reading magazines. It was our perfect weekend date.


(the Fish House)

After I picked Chris up we decided to head back to the hotel to freshen up for dinner. We walked across from the hotel to the Fish Market. I think it’s a fun restaurant on the water in the harbor. Halfway thru dinner we realized we were so exhausted that if we wanted dessert it would have to be room service because we were done for the night.



We walked back along the water, and ordered in room ice cream while watching highlights on sports center.

Friday June 13.

We wake up early, and he still can’t believe we are in San Diego. We arranged for a hotel and rental car the rest of the weekend but were riding with Val to her work in the morning. She teaches 4th grade in La Jolla and has only 2 days of class left. After dropping her at school and grabbing Starbucks (it is me after all), we head to downtown La Jolla, and the cove at the shores. I show him all the fun places on the cute streets lined with coffee shops, boutiques, and surf stores. We park and walk to the cove and Seal Beach. It’s early so all the babies and mom seals are still lying on the beach. It smells terrible, but is something to see up close. We walk along the shore for some exercise then head for the next stop.



PB….short for Pacific Beach. I love to visit PB. I lived there for 1 year and that was enough for me, but it’s the best people watching in San Diego. Seriously. Although now that they banned alcohol on the beach, it is more family friendly and less Girls Gone Wild. I take Chris to Kono’s for a breakfast burrito. It’s a PB cult legend frequented by locals and tourists alike. The line was about an hour long (normal) so we pass on breakfast, and look in some shops and walk the pier instead.



We decide to go to Old Town. This is something that every San Diegan does with any visitor. It's an area that has historic pueblo adobes, and the history of the city’s origination. It’s also home to some great Mexican food. Old faithful being OTMC complete with women in the window making fresh corn and flour tortillas. Delicious. Until one has had Carne Asada in San Diego they have not had Mexican food. This is only my opinion. I pointed out to the Texan that queso is Texican, not Mexican. I love it, can’t imagine life without it, but living in a CA border town for 4 years I had never even heard of it until I moved here. We stuff our faces and move to the next part of town.



On our way to the hotel I take a detour to one of my favorite parks of all time. Balboa Park. It's huge, and filled with things to do. The zoo, and live music, the Prado, the gardens. I think it's a great place to get lost for an afternoon. We have limited tome so I try to show Chris all the places I miss the most.



We are staying in a wonderful area downtown. We can walk to anything from the hotel, and are directly across from the USS Midway. There is something about boys, and aircraft carriers. Chris automatically begins to sing “danger zone” from Top Gun when he stands on the balcony viewing the ship. They did film most of that movie around San Diego so it’s only fitting.



We had arranged to meet Val and Brian at his barbershop in the East Village and walk to dinner from there. We change, clean up and make our way to the other side of downtown. Brian owns 2 barbershops in San Diego, and not the fluffy kind. The old skool, straight razor shave barber shops. He opened the East Village Lefty’s almost a year ago and I hadn’t seen it. It’s amazing. He has a view into Petco Park, and is in the middle of a very hip part of town.



A few doors down from his shop is a restaurant called neighborhood. It’s upscale bar food. All I have to say is HEAVEN. From the sweet potato fries, to the jalapeno Mac and cheese and the Marsala mushroom and steak burger…wow. A wonderful evening with very special friends, but we have to wake up early to get Chris to the US Open so we call it a night, and return to the hotel.

Thursday June 12th.

I can hardly contain my excitement all day. I'm stuck in a Branding: Increase Retention and Recruiting education class, but counting down the hours until I can begin a surprise attack on Chris.

It actually began 3 months ago before his birthday. I was thinking about what I might do that would be special for him. His favorite thing is golf…so I decided to take him to the US Open. It is (was) in San Diego this year at Torrey Pines, and being that I lived in San Diego for many years, I was thrilled for a weekend visit. I emailed his boss to tell him the plan, and booked all the reservations and tickets. Today months of planning would be realized.

4pm I race out of the training to get home and meet the driver picking up myself and the luggage. I put the US Open ticket, his hat; sunscreen and golf vest into a bag to give him for the big reveal. The driver and I load up, and head for downtown. At the same time Chris’ boss was calling him into his office to let him know he needed to shut down his computer, pack his things and go down to the lobby. Chris of course freaked out, and thought that he was fired. He was assured that he was not being fired, and that it was a good thing he was leaving for. Here is where his anxiety begins. He headed back to his desk, and I call his cell phone to tell him I am downstairs waiting for him. He peppered me with questions because he was freaking out “Why are you here?”, “What are you doing here?”, “Did you win something?” After convincing him to come outside, he saw me standing next to a town car and was totally confused.

I push him into the car, hand him the bag and order him to open it. When he sees the tickets his face goes into total shock. He asks if I am coming with him, and when we are leaving. When he hears me say, “yes”, and “right now”….I could see the total discomfort pass across his face. I could tell he was having this internal dialogue:
“Oh dear…right now…I wouldn’t have worn this for the plane, or this watch, it doesn’t match…I was going to mow the lawn on Saturday…now when will I do that…I wonder if she remembered about the dog…where are we going to stay…how much is this costing”…etc. Until he can look in the suitcase he will worry about what I brought for him to wear.


San Diego from the Air

We get to the airport, check in, board and head to San Diego. The flight is short, and uneventful. When we land and head for baggage my phone rings, and it's our ride. My best friend Val is waiting at the curb. As we drive Chris begins to relax. Once we arrive at Val and Brian’s…he is immediately handed a beer (great work Brian) and he starts to enjoy the surprise. We eat dinner and catch up with the happy couple. This is the first time that Chris and Val’s husband Brian are meeting. They hit it off, and Val and I are thrilled. Chris also has a chance to look into his suitcase, and even though I didn’t pack all that he would have chosen, I'm given kudos for a good job. After a few hours (and beverages) we head to bed.

And that’s only Thursday!


(Val and Brian)

SURPRISE!!

I have been keeping the BEST secret for months, but it was so worth it. This past weekend I kidnapped Chris for a special surprise. I will go thru it day by day because:

a) The blog has been lacking lately

b) The whole weekend is hard to put into one post

Stay Tuned

Babysitters Club

You know you used to read those books, and if you didn’t you are too young for this blog. I started babysitting from a very young age, but have been out of the business since college. This past weekend I babysat for the first time in 6+ years. Our friends Heather and Chris had twins on Valentine’s Day, and haven’t really had a moment off in months. They both work, and take care of the kids with little to no help at all. So when My Chris proposed we give them an afternoon off, I happily agreed. He took the new parents golfing for the afternoon, and I took the 2 babies. Who do you think got the better end of that deal?

I HAVE NEVER WORKED HARDER IN MY LIFE. They are wonderful babies, really, not a problem at all, but babies are hard. Multiply that by 2 and it was an endless cycle of feeding, burping, rocking, diaper changing…then repeat with the other…then repeat again. And no naps! I had totally forgotten the amount of energy that goes in to properly caring for infants. I am sure they felt reassured when they walked back in the door and I yelled "look I didn't kill them" as if that were a surprise to everyone including myself.

When the golfers returned relaxed and refreshed from 18 holes of adult conversation, and a few beers on the course I knew that it had been totally worth it. I have never felt more appreciated for giving someone an afternoon to do something for themselves. It’s what friends do, and I will do it again soon, but I am now in a holding pattern about when I will be ready for the baby step. It takes selflessness, and super human bicep strength, along with the acceptance that life as you knew it is really gone. Not that a new life adventure is bad, it’s just very different. I am in awe of the baby mama’s I know, but I will savor until the last moment many things about not having a baby yet.

Shayne Won!!

I love it. I do. I never wanted to like her, but I couldn’t help it.

Of course I am talking about the Bachelor finale last night. Matt picked Shayne, and I have wanted him to since episode 6. Really, she is pretty hilarious. When she got out of the limo the 1st night I rolled my eyes and said...”oh no”. She seemed young and dumb and I was sure she was using the bachelor to move her career out of a guest role on a daytime soap and into at least a lifetime movie. Gotta love first impressions. However, each week she grew on me, and each week I have been rooting for her. She is young, and an actress, and Lorenzo Lammas's Daughter,but she was totally herself. When she whipped out her makeup kit on the ski slopes I thought…she is my kind of girl. It was a classic moment and I laughed as hard as Matt did.

So he picked her. Honestly, this is the first couple in the last few seasons that I am rooting for.

Hat Day

Otherwise known as Kentucky Derby Day…I think unless one is in England it’s the only day in America where huge, ornate, colorful hats are not seen as a sign of a mental illness in a woman.

Texas is as close to the "South" as I plan on getting, and here we have a version of the event at Lone Star Park. I happened to be shopping for something completely different a few weeks prior and came upon a hat that I had to have for the hat contest on Derby Day. It fit the bill completely, and it was black and white with crazy feathers coming off of it, but in an elegant way. I felt like a larger, older version of Kate Middleton.

So the hat: I saw, I purchased, I wore…but alas I did not win. I know this will be hard to believe but there were at least 75 hats in the contest, and they varied from homemade, to theme hats, and hats with real roses with every possible option in between. It was something to see. So I did not win, but I felt I represented the spirit of a true derby hat.

Chris turned 31

Chris turned 31 last week, and I am so thankful that I don’t have to hear him tell everyone that he's the younger man…by 3 months. It’s been hectic the past month and extremely busy at work so he really didn’t want to do anything for his birthday. I can understand that, so we had dinner, just the 2 of us, and called it a day. We went to Bob’s in Plano and it was delicious. I’m still thinking about the vanilla ice cream.
This was the 4th birthday of his that I have had the pleasure of helping celebrate. Looking back I can’t believe that we met when we were 27 and that all this time has passed. It feels like yesterday that I was planning his surprise 28th birthday at the pub where we shared our first drink.
I tease about him on this blog regularly, and he is a great sport about it, but in truth he is my person. I don’t like saying “my other half” because I’m quite whole on my own thank you, but he is irreplaceable and invaluable to me.
When you meet him, he seems very different from who I have found him to be. He would hate if I gave all his secrets, but false bravado covers some of my favorite things about him. He is kind, hard working, extremely generous, supportive, encouraging, and funny. You heard me right…he is funny. I swear. When I look at him with his grandma, or with the baby of a friend, on the phone to my mom, or even sending an email to one of my friends that had a bad day I understand that he is one in a million.
So Happy 31st birthday to the best maker of eggs, mower of lawns, and creator of budgets, dancer of NKOTB, orderer of my complex starbucks drink, lets me have the window on all flights, never interrupts important TiVo, and always walks the dog at night fiancé. You are so much more than that, but I don’t have room, and Worley would gag if I go on.

Apple Bottom Jeans

A few weekends back I went to visit my friend Celeste in Houston. (Above photo on the far right) I like to call her the Rajun Cajun and this weekend was no exception. She moved from Dallas to Houston in February. I had never been to Houston. I decided it was time for a visit. It would have been a perfect weekend, but getting out of Dallas took forever. Thanks to the weather in our state my 3:30 flight ended up being a 7:30 flight. We got a late start Friday night, but that didn’t stop us. We made up for it of course. A few bottles of wine and some cheese fries later we stayed up till 5 am chatting and catching up.

She lives in this amazing part of town called The Village, near Rice University. It is bustling with people, fun pubs, and restaurants. The weekend was filled crawfish, cold beer, horoscopes, starbucks and movies. The funny stories are usually due to Celeste’s over-sharing and friendly with stranger's disposition. I swear that girl never meets someone she doesn’t like. We managed to drink plenty, eat a ton, and see more bachelorette parties at a piano bar than should ever be allowed.

**Random Side Note: I’m not kidding; I think there were 7 brides at Howl at the Moon. I decided right then that I don’t want one…well none like that. One of them was wearing this hideous baseball cap/veil combination that we couldn’t handle. Her poor friends had these headbands with gigantic hearts off the top that looked like alien nubs. Awful. No matter how much I drink, that never looks cool. I hereby promise that you will never see me out with any fake veil, shirt with a spinner, or fake member items (suckers, necklaces, blow ups), or flashing lights around my head. Oops, I forgot the “Bride to be” beauty pageant sash and tiara will also never see the light of day with me.

We decided the song by t-pain “Low” was our theme song for the weekend. It literally came on the radio every time we got into the car, and everywhere we went. Luckily it brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. I mean "Reeboks with the straps"…poetry in motion.

Police Blotter

The police blotter from my home town paper has to be one of my favorite things to read. Yes I go online during the week to check it out. It makes me feel like I’m never to far, and always gives me a laugh. As I have mentioned many times I am from a small town, and the police blotter, along with a scanner are the best way to see what shinnanigans are really going on. Below is the police blotter from yesterday’s paper, no I am not kidding nor did I make this up.


10:12 a.m. Wednesday — A woman called from the 22000 block of Lofall Lane to report a trespasser shot a turkey on her property. The male trespasser took the turkey and walked away. A deputy notified the California Department of Fish and Game.

3:09 p.m. Wednesday — A caller from a school on the 11000 block of Highway 174 reported an ice cream truck was coming to the campus before class let out and the male driver was blasting music. The caller asked the man not to park in the school parking lot. The man parked across the street and was still disrupting class.

158 Days

Apparently when you get engaged, and plan a wedding people actually want to know some details. Well I’m not sure if they actually want to know, but they ask.

I figured I would just let everyone know…IT’S ALL PLANNED! Yep, I’m done. Well I have a few minor things to decide when I'm in Tahoe next month, but other than that…we have a wedding folks.

Gotcha

My mom is here visiting for a few days, and we live in a small house. Meaning at night, it's quiet. My mom doesn’t seem to understand this concept and around 11pm last night after we were in bed she decided to call my dad, and to check her office voice mail…(7 messages) all by using the speaker phone feature on her cell phone.

The first 2 calls Chris and I lay in bed perplexed, but by the 3rd client voice mail we were dying laughing. We started making fun of her loudly (of course) and she decided to take that opportunity to start calling my cell phone that she knows I keep on but in another part of the house. Me, of course not knowing it was her, leapt out of bed and ran to the cell phone thinking it was an emergency this late at night (11:30pm, I am a rock star) only to see that it was my mom calling. She started cracking up and yelled out “gotcha”.

Awesome. Sometimes I wonder which one of us is older.

Home Town Torch Carrier!

A friend from High School carried the Olympic torch yesterday. I was waiting to say anything because of the controversy in San Francisco we weren't sure it was actually going to happen, but it did!! I've never known a torch carrier before, but of anyone who represents that spirit it would be Jill. I hope to get a picture of her with the torch up later this week or next.

Anyway, she is amazing, and the accident that nearly killed her (it did kill her boyfriend) was something that stays will all of us who know her. I am amazed every day that she is even here. She is a little fighter, and a ray of sunshine and I thought I would tell a few of you about her...if you're at all interested :)


• Jill Mason, 30, an activist for the "Every 15 Minutes" cause against drunken driving. In 2004 she was crippled and suffered head injuries when a drunken driver hit her and killed her boyfriend while they were on a bike ride.

Here is her Essay that was submitted for selection: Jill Mason

11 days!

11 days until the Bon Jovi Concert. I can't wait!

My Brother

I was 4 when he was born, and from that moment I was his biggest fan and protector. My baby brother. We have always been close, and never really had that sibling rivalry that many do. We played Barbie and Gi-Jo, and had traps on the swing set. I tried to be at all the soccer games, and big events. He probably never needed me to look out for him, but I did and I always will. I can’t help it.

He is the funny one in the family. The one that makes us laugh all the time, literally. He has always been cautious, or “slow to warm” as my mother says. He was the quiet observer as a child, cautious and kind. He was impossible not to love. As he got older and met some lifelong friends in Jr. High, he came out of his shell. He started to become the comedic extrovert that he is today. In high school he was a prankster. He was always the smarter one, and never had to work too hard to do well. He had fewer rules, because by nature he is a rule follower.

When he was in college we were even roommates, and we survived! When he got married I was sad at the idea of being replaced, and looking back that’s normal but also a totally lame reaction. I knew in my gut when he met the woman he was going to marry, and she makes him light up in ways that no one can. She looks at him now, 5 years later, like he is the smartest most wonderful thing in the world. Can anyone really ask for more for your brother?

We have never lived more than 3 hours from each other really. Until they went to Vegas and I came to Texas. I cried when their moving van pulled away from the house. After years of harassment an opportunity for them to move to Dallas came about. I was thrilled. I hated living that far away from them. I always dreamed that we would be close enough to raise our families together. I think that I might get that dream after all.

He turned 27 on April fools. I am so proud of him, and the way he conducts himself. I am proud of the kind of husband and friend he is. He is someone I love to hang out with, whose approval I will always seek, who’s advise I think is indispensable, and who I will always (on some level) boss around. I can’t imagine life without him and I hope I never have to.

Happy Birthday Rob.

Invitations

Invitations. Who knew there were thousands to choose from? Not only that, but you have to decide on the color, font, additional embellishments, envelope style, address placement, wording etc. Come on! I don't think that 90% of people that pick up your invitation notice any of those details really. It goes on the fridge, you might notice it's pretty...but I doubt that my friends will look at it and say " Oh look Megan used that beautiful Lucida font".

I do think that people would have noticed had I gone with the one that Chris suggested. I thought I knew him so well, I can usually tell the things he likes, or doesn't like. He honestly sent this to me as a serious suggestion on what he would choose. I kindly refused, hopefully in a way that did not break his sweet spirit...but refused none the less. I think you all might just agree with my decision on this one. I tried to save a picture but it wasn't working so below is the link to the invitation that was suggested.


http://www.finestationery.com/product.cfm?prod_id=47134&invitation=true&invitation_id=63166948


In his defense we are getting married in Lake Tahoe, and the background is mountains etc...but I still had to suggest strongly another alternative. Well not so much suggest, but I designed and ordered a different one.

Tonight!

Tonight's Bachelor: "Where are they now"? I can't wait. I've been watching this show and have had many a crush on a few of the guys that have been on the show in some capacity. Can't wait. It's tragic TV, but I look forward to it every time.

SNOW?!

Dear Mother Nature,

Snow...seriously? It was 80 degrees last weekend, 80! I'm weather fragile from California. I have been here almost 4 years and every week you manage to find a new way to mess with me! The weather here effects my wardrobe, hair, weekend plans, and commute because of your constant changes. I am pleading with you to cease and desist.

Sincerely,

Stuck in 2 hours of traffic Megan

TWINS!

I know this is totally delayed, but with all the stuff we had going on over the last few weeks we didn’t get a chance to go visit the Twin babies born to our friends Chris and Heather. The boys arrived on Valentine’s Day and both babies were healthy and able to go home only a few days later.

Get this. She had them both without a C Section and NO EPIDURAL. Hello Heather you are a Rock Star. Seriously. Not one but 2 kids, and no major drugs…amazing.

Chris is recently obsessed with babies. Other peoples babies, but babies none the less. I’m not saying this in a “oh how sweet he will be a great dad” tone…I’m saying this in a “you better low jack your baby” tone. I am kidding of course, but it’s cracking us all up. He has been chomping at the bit to get to Ft Worth to see these boys since we got the call they were going to the Hospital.

So I am introducing: Colby Allen and Hagan Reid. Also notice how my fiancé is in heaven. I’m going to go count my BC pills now (ha).

Did you Caucus?

How can you not giggle a little at that word? Texas...did you caucus last night?

I have always been fascinated by politics and the system in general and even though cynicism tells most of us that the idea of One Man One Vote is far from accurate, I still feel like mine counts. I don't care who anyone likes, supports, hates whatever...shut up, get off your ass and vote. Debate with me all you want on why your man or woman rocks the casbaugh, but if you didn't do anything about it yesterday...you can shut it.

We are lucky to have the opportunity people in other countries only dream of. We choose who runs, we choose who wins..we choose. We might not agree, but we get to participate. Yesterday I waited 2 hours to make my voice heard. I hope you did to.

Engagement Party Pics

Ok rather than bore you with all the photos I will send you to the link where you can browse them to your hearts content.

http://www.johnmanning.net/johnmanning.net/chris-megan/index.htm

Enjoy!

2.23.08

The party. It happened and it was amazing. I can’t put into words how moved Chris and I were and how much fun it was. When you have almost all of your family and close friends in one house, and a few bottles of wine…I mean glasses…what’s better?

The engagement party was themed after a night in Paris, because that is where we are going on our Honeymoon. French wine, champagne, French snacks along with cupcakes of course! It had been planned by the best girl’s: Christine, Jen and Allison with the help and house of Chris and Meg Boyd. We also had 40+ friends and family in attendance. I was very nervous, and of course didn’t get to talk with everyone I wanted too, or for as long as I wanted too…but I think it is a dry run for the rehearsal. For those of you who I didn’t get to hang with I apologize.



Some people were selected to give toasts, all the parents being among them. They had such nice things to say, and it was a wonderful opportunity for everyone we care about to meet each other. I hadn’t planned on saying anything, and didn’t really say what I wanted too once I reflected on it. So I will say it now. I looked out over that crowd and realized that Dallas is home. I came here 3+ years ago not knowing anyone, and to see people that will be lifelong friends that I didn’t even know 4 years ago, and I can’t imagine life without was so moving to me. I saw faces from a job that lasted 4 weeks, I saw faces from another job after that, and people who’s couches I slept on, or who took me to dinner and showed me the town…people who were there the night I met Chris, and for all the stalking that came after that…people who had gotten married and were having babies. I just stepped back and was overwhelmed at what an incredible group of friends we have.

I will post pictures later as Chris's step dad John took well over 100...or at least post the link. Look for that later this week!

Ok Ok already

Apparently I can’t post something like “cancer scare” (see blog below) and not send some people into a bit of a panic. Here goes. It was me; I am the one who had the scare and the biopsy. Guilty as charged and I really told no one, except Chris and my family. It has been coming; I have had some abnormal test results for the last 7 months, so when they called in early Feb and wanted me to come in for a biopsy I can’t say I was completely surprised. I really just didn’t want anyone to worry unless there was truly something to worry about. So I kept it to myself. Yes it was scary. Chris was a mess, poor guy, but life with me is anything but normal so he better get used to it. My mom flew in early for the procedure, and then we just waited...for days until the results came back. NEGATIVE! So that’s the story.

FOTY!!!

FOTY, yeah I didn’t know what it meant either…until Friday night. Last week was nuts with family in town, and a really exciting cancer scare (luckily the biopsy was negative) either way it was a week that had me frazzled. I don’t like being frazzled. Friday night all I wanted was a quiet evening, dinner with my family, and Chris. All was going according to plan, until after dinner. We went to Hattie’s, and afterwards decided to celebrate with my brother Rob and sister in law Allison at our place with dessert. We had ice cream cake of course…I have a genetic disposition to ice cream addiction. We were sitting in the living room after the cake, and there was a knock at the door. It was 10pm and I of course thought it was a mass murder and ordered Chris to not open it. He wasn’t even going to look out the window to see who it was! But there was a surprise to top all surprises behind that door.

He opened the door and my best friend Colleen peeked in. Colleen and I have been friends for 19 years, but she now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was of course invited to the engagement party over the weekend but I hadn’t actually expected her to come. She had even insisted that she was busy and was so sad that she wouldn’t be able to fly out. I bought that lie hook, line and sinker. So when she was at the door I lost my shit. I was screaming and yelling, and then of course crying. She and Allison (the best sister in law ever) had been planning the secret for weeks. I had no clue. I’m not generally one who likes surprises, and I usually ruin them for myself about 99% of the time so this was a moment I will never forget.

FOTY means “Friend of the Year” according to Meg Boyd who kept yelling that out to Colleen at the engagement party. Colleen informed us on the way home from that party that “Dallas loves her” and of course…who wouldn’t?

Register?

You know that part in Sleepless in Seattle where and Meg Ryan and her nerdy (but sweet) fiancé are talking about a romantic valentines trip and he gets excited about registering? Anyone? She has this look on her face of "um...ok". Yeah, I think that describes Chris and me. We were told that because engagement parties are the start of the wedding mania we needed to register so that people could have an option to purchase a gift. We debated the merits, and thought, sure...what the heck.

We took a little trip to a store I like to call the bridal mother ship: Crate and Barrel. At least 9 other couples joined us while elbowing one another to scan our desired items. I never knew that in order to make pancakes not only is a batter dispenser necessary, but a special spatula. Who knew? It was refreshing to see all of said couples argue (I mean compromise) on the items they each felt deserved to be on "the list". Us included! Chris wanted to throw that scanner thing at my head at least once, but was hesitant to damage the device because he had to leave his driver’s license to get it. Thank God, I think that was the only thing that prevented me from an injury.

The eagle has landed

Well my mom has landed in the Big D. Friends are throwing us our engagement party this weekend and my parents are making the trip from CA for the festivities. My mom came early to hang out for a few extra days. There is never a dull moment being her child.



For example, she had only been here 2 days when she managed to set off the house alarm system, sending 2 police cars to a normally peaceful neighborhood during the middle of the day. Uniformed officers had to search the inside, and outside only to discover that she didn’t close the back door all the way. The wind blew it open, setting off the alarm after we had left the house. The best part of the entire story is that when the officers were looking in all the rooms while yelling out “Dallas Police, come out” they came upon the guest room she is staying in. Mind you she has been in Dallas 48 hours. They looked in the room and turned to me and said “Miss, does this room normally look like this because it might have been ransacked”.

Ha, if only I were so lucky. Nope officer, it’s just the usual visit from Hurricane Ann. That’s what Rob and I call her. I love her more than life but it’s true.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hilarious!

THANK YOU

I just wanted to post a little about the b-day festivities.



My friend Christine threw a party for me over the weekend with some of my favorite ladies. It was at Torelli’s and the chocolate martinis alone are worth the trip. It was fun to just hang out and catch up over great food and drinks.



The highlight of the evening had to be the cake. Christine had ordered it from La Duni, a restaurant that is famous for their dessert... She had given the server a box of candles and told them to add some to the cake before bringing it out. Well they decided to add ALL of them, and we could see the glow of the cake coming long before the cake made its appearance. Between the blinding light and heat I literally though a meteor was coming at my head.



Chris started the morning off with a beautiful card before leaving for work, sent roses to my office that are amazing, and took me to dinner at the best sushi place in town. He didn’t even give me that “you’re not really going to eat all that” look that he normally does when the sashimi was delivered to the table. I got another card at dinner as well. We decided with the wedding, and the crazy ass ring he gave me that no gifts are necessary this year.

Thank you all for the singing, the cards, the voice mail etc. I have to give a shout out (and yes I did just say that) to my friend Noah in CA who as my best guy friend I never expect to remember to call, and he did! Also to Dustin, my ex-boyfriend from jr. high, who hasn’t forgotten my birthday in 19 years even though he is verry happily married with a brand new baby.

My friend Kerri’s husband sent me the sweetest email addressing my 13 things blog post (below) and I had to add this in because I was laughing my ass off

He said:
9. When I get excited I clap like a cheerleader on SNL
You TOTALLY do. Feet together, arms and hands straight up and down, quick claps, big smile. Sometimes accompanied by a drawn out , “Yaaay!”

13-31

That’s me…turning 31 on the 13th! Except for the fact that almost everyone including my own mother has called me on the wrong days to yell out “Happy Birthday” only to be told they have it wrong. It’s truly insane that a year has gone by since the big 30 bash. This one is very low key in comparison but Chris has learned well that my birthday, our anniversary, and Valentine’s Day are all very separate occasions and need to be treated as such.

In honor of this day I couldn’t decide if I should list 13 things or 31 things you might not know about me. Let's go with 13, who really wants to read 31...not me.


1. Despite my best efforts at acting the opposite, I am a hopeless romantic
2. I get worried when anyone goes to the hospital for anything, I'm convinced they kill people in there.
3. I have seen all seasons of Party of Five at least 6 times.
4. I think peanut butter makes almost anything taste better
5. I’m loud, and with a few cocktails I’m my own megaphone
6. I think men who read the Wall Street Journal are sexy
7. My brother Rob is one of my favorite people in the whole world
8. Moving to Texas changed my entire life
9. When I get excited I clap like a cheerleader on SNL
10.I dream of giving the finger to feminism and becoming a suburban soccer mom
11.My dream job was/is to be a reporter for the Whitehouse
12.I'm not competitive at all, so don’t pick me if winning is your motivation
13.Fine linens are my weakness, I can't help it! I'm a thread count snob.

Late but worth the wait

Attached are the pics to go along with the engagement story from December.

Photo 1: The candles that lit house with the critical package on the table



Photo 2: The cupcake message in the box



Photo 3: The ring!

Baby Butler!

Benjamin Patrick Butler arrived Tuesday morning at 9:18am weighing in at 7lbs 12oz. Kerri and Scott are exhausted and overjoyed. Kerri's mom made it into town with a few hours to spare!

The thing is that she called me to tell me she was in labor, then to tell me she was going to the hospital, and all the while my phone was turned off because I was dancing it up with Celeste to 90’s hip hop. (See earlier post) Good one. Luckily they kept Chris in the loop so when I got home he had all the information. I thought about going to the hospital at 1am, but I didn’t think K&S would appreciate me smelling of vodka and cigarettes, with my nightclub wristband being a visitor at that point. Good way for the baby to meet his Auntie Megan!



This kid is so loved already he has no idea. He has amazing parents, electronically savvy parents…so look for this boy to probably have his own blog here shortly. Welcome to the world little guy.

A night with the Rajun Cajun

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday and in our circle of friends we have a Lake Charles transplant, Celeste, who needed some cheering up. She was homesick for all the festivities that occur in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, so I decided we needed to celebrate. A local radio station was having a Fat Tuesday party with a few bands that are a throw back to mix tapes and Jr. High. We decided we had to go. I also had to pull off a covert operation to get her the best crawfish DFW has to offer.



Nate’s Steak & Seafood is famous, and on Fat Tuesday it’s busting at the seams with people. The wait to get into the parking lot alone was 20 min. I sat in the parking mess and waited to talk to a hostess about getting an order “to go” only to be told that on that day they “don’t do take out”. WHAT? Right. I came this far, and no one was going to stop me. Celeste needed gumbo dammit! So I kindly went back to the hostess and asked for a table for one. I was seated, and when the waitress came around I told her that I was going to order a few items, which she was going to bring to me, and that I was going to eat a few bites and ask for to go containers. She looked at me terrified and told me “We’re not supposed to do that today” I said “I know, but if you do you will make someone’s day and I will leave you a very nice tip:” 20 min later I was on my way with a few pounds of crawfish and gumbo.

We stuffed our faces and headed to a theater nearby. We were covered in beads, and Celeste wore an appropriate t-shirt that said “New Orleans is for lovers”. The people watching alone was worth the price of admission with young and old, men and women etc…and the bar was serving some stiff drinks. We were vodka energized after one cocktail.

Performance #1. Do any of you remember the line “Dressed in yellow she said hello”? Oh yeah…Young MC was the opener. I have to say…he was still very good, and the crowd went nuts. His warm up pants were so tight that I made mention to Celeste that he was wearing boxers…she pointed out to me that actually they were clearly boxer briefs. Good times.

Performance #2. We “Jumped on it” with the Sugar Hill Gang. Yes they are ancient, but that was the performance of the night. They rocked it, really. They also told us that they are still big in Germany. Ha. One guy looks exactly like Al…Star Jones husband. Another had on the 80’s old school vest and the largest belt buckle you have ever seen. Not to mention his shirt was tucked into his jeans…with the belt. The third guy was very modern day…he was blinged out, bling on the cap, shades, jacket, belt and the ensemble came with a cane and all. We loved the cane.

Performance #3. You Down with OPP? I have so many memories of this Naughty by Nature cd. My high school buddy Robyn left it to me in her senior will.

*Sidebar: Did you all have those…Senior Will’s where you left things to people?

Back to NbN. We were getting tired at this point…I’m not used to being out on a school night, stuffed with Cajun food and holding a very nice buzz. They started the set with the ever popular “OPP” but the group took an immediate thug u-turn. They brought out the Hennessey, and the one singer who has Tu-Pac tattooed on his forearm started pouring it on his arm while yelling out “when I drink, you drink” among other not so mentionable things. They started throwing the Westside gang signs and rapping on and on about Tu Pac, and Biggie etc. At that point we decided it was a good time to go.

Game Day

While yesterday's game was amazing, I usually watch the Super Bowl for the commercials. Between the excitement game, and not wanting to miss what could possibly be a life changing commercial I hardly moved! I have to say that my favorite commercials were the E*Trade commercials with the baby. I was dying laughing

E*Trade barfing Baby Ad

Those were followed closely by Will Ferrell, and the bud light commercials. If you don't live in the DFW area you were not treated to the T.O. press conference commercial spoof with a look alike and the entire crying bit. That was classic.


Random thought...who the hell picked Tom Petty??? I mean the guy was good 20 years ago, but today has absolutely no relevance. Who sits around and decides on that? I would like a recall, and the 20 min I spent watching that back please.