This Weekend I...

1. Sang happy birthday to my nephew, Evan
2. Ate a piece of Evan's bday cake
3. Got a pedicure
4. Raced my nephew Isaac and lost
5. Ran a 5k (and got my best time ever!)
6. Hosted a bridal shower
7. Ate a piece of shower cake
8. Bought seven large mylar balloons with my cousin Kelci
9. Sang happy birthday to my cousin Angie
10. Ate a piece of Angie's bday cake
11. Collapsed on my favorite chair from exhaustion
12. Listened to my three four-year-old nephews jabber over breakfast
13. Pushed my nieces on the swings
14. Celebrated my grandparent's 60th anniversary
15. Watched a fun slide show full of family photos in celebration of above anniversary
16. Ate a piece of anniversary cake

4 pieces of cake later and the weekend is done and I am dead tired, but it was all worth it. Every calorie and every single memory.

bag o' books

I love books. So it is not surprising that I work with books, about books, and for books all day. I just love reading. Ever have since I was just a lil thing. But, my love of reading + my job at a publsihing house creates a BIG problems.

Stacks of books. Everywhere. I have a ton of books (boxes and bags upon boxes and bags) sitting in my basement that need good homes. Books that I got, read once, and then didn't care to keep. And I still have two decent sized bookscases in our office that are full of the keepers. The ones I go back and read over and over and over again.

Where do all these books come from? Well, a couple of times a year there is an employee sale at work. Now, we have an awesome discount every day for our books. But this sale is for items that get returned to us that aren't ours (really you would think bookstores would be smarter). It is a chance to pick up a ton of good reads that we don't publish. And get this, it is all for a donation. There are no set prices. It is a book lover's heaven.

So here is my bag of books sitting on my desk:

Don't be deceived. That is one of those fold up reusable bags I use for groceries. I stuffed a lot in that ole bag. Now, most of these are quick summer reads. This bag of 20 or so books will last me through the summer. Then the lot will get thrown in the basement with the other discarded books. But right now I can barely wait to get my claws into all those stories. And if they're lame, they'll just get to meet the basement pile sooner than later. The weekend cannot get here soon enough.

Chicago and ferrets?

I am in Chicago for an Internet Retailing Convention. Yippee! Chicago is really a lovely city. Which is exactly why I dislike that I am spending most of my time here in a convention center (though it really is quite nice). I am also bummed because one of the topics I was looking forward to discussing and learning more about got switched and now someone is talking about forums (still useful info), but forums about FERRETS. It is really hard for me not to laugh right now.

I think I am going to skip the last 10 minutes of this session and head to dinner early.

Anger

I think I have anger issues.

Even as I write this, it just seems weird. I am a happy person. I love to laugh. I am a people pleaser. I like to see other people around me happy. But to that end, I often get angry about things and never tell people. And that, my friends, is not a good way to live.

My anger outlet: sports. I regularly swear during softball (which, btw, is a church league). I get pissed off if I strike out, miss a ball, or make a bad play. And this is not the kind of angry that leaves easily. It definately penetrates the entire game. Even when I was in high school I became a completely different person when I played sports. The caring nice Megan flew out the window in favor of elbow jabs and jockeying for position on the basketball court.

And, really, it is not as if I am that upset over the game. Part of it is the fact that I may be doing poorly, or the team as a whole is losing. But there is something deeper there. The rage is boiling, not from the heat of the game, but from something deeper that simmers under my lid every day. I carry it around under wraps, only to unleash when a step onto the field or the court.



Ouch. Watching this hurts. It hurts because it is true. I am looking for a fight because I haven't already joined a big beautiful fight that can change this world.

So even though I may save the rage and anger for the softball field, it is not enough. Being generally happy and nice to people is not enough. I need to be angry and enraged about the things that matter. About health care and AIDS and orphans and widows and children who feel no love. It is not enough to put on a happy face and let the anger out during sports. I need to realign, readjust and let the anger come out in strangely beautiful ways. Like building houses for those who have none. Helping the single mom do yardwork. Visiting the kids at the neighborhood center. Microfinancing in Burundi. Because if the anger has to go somewhere, it might as well veer towards hope.

Project Deck: DONE

A year later, our deck is finally done! Memorial Day 2007 marked our beginning of the project and 365 days later (dang curing of wood!) we finally finished it up! Props to my amazing husband who designed, planned, and built it (I handed him tools and drilled where he told me to).

Phase 1 (June 2007): The basic structure - unfinished and without the railing or steps

Phase 2 (August 2007): Can't find the pictures... Railing up, minus the spindles

Phase 3 (may 2008): Stairs and spindles up, stain on, and caps in place

Welcome Back Summer!

What a great day. We started out our Sunday by sleeping in, going to 11:00 church, and having a nice leisurely lunch. Then we worked on our deck, which I am proud to say is now DONE. Completely. (We didn't actually finish until 10:45, so watch for photos tomorrow.)

Then we headed out with Scott and Kelly to meet up with Ryan and Renee at Tunnel Park in Holland. It was so incredibly gorgeous out. We played some beach volleyball, grilled out, and took a walk down to the beach. The stuff summer is made of. :)

Kevin and Megan

Renee and Ryan (Renee's first time through the Tunnel!)

Not only did Kevin and Scott go in Lake Michigan, they also swam all the way out to the buoy - the water was only 49 degrees! Pure craziness.

The girls opted to stay on the shore. :o)

To top the evening off, we had ice cream. :o) Because you can't go to the beach without going to Captain Sundae's. They just go hand in hand.

Maybe this is why I like to wear heels...

Pump up your pleasure*

Stepping out in heels not only makes you look sexy; it may make you feel sexier, too! Wearing up to 2-inch heels enourages you to contract (and strengthen!) your pelvic-floor muscles, which has been shown to enhance sexual arousal. Slip on your favorite pair of sexy shoes and take your love life to new heights!

*(taken from an email Self Magazine sends me) lol. gotta love it when something makes me laugh out loud at work.