cleaning and organizing

What a weekend!! I dedicated most of the time to cleaning and organizing my household. I decided to follow Moms advice and get organized. I hate to admit that Moms right but when you are organized things go much smoother in other areas of life.
My problem is that when I am in an emotioinal frame of mind I let things go. Laundary doesn't get put away. Groceries stay on the counter. Shoes pile up at the door. Bed doesn't get made. It is a bad habit I need to break.

I have resolved to be more organized. I have cleaned out the closets and put holiday decorations in totes. I have cleaned out my bedroom cloest and hung everything in its proper place. I did MASSIVE amounts of laundary. (I HATE laundary!!)

To make sure I am on the straight and norrow, I have gotten a few new-to-me pieces of furniture. The first pieces that I love is the desk from my generous sister Caitlyn. I haven't liked my entertainment center for awhile. It is just too big for my skinny living room. Caitlyn was telling me she wanted to get rid of a desk she used to hold her TV. PERFECT!! I will take the desk and sell my entertainment center at the garage sale Lexy and I had (which was 2 weeks ago).

I rearranged my living room and LOVE the new layout!! It is much more open and pretty. I have easier access to all my windows which is great with this cool fall weather. Windows open all the time now! :)

The second piece is a new dresser!! It is very similar to the one I currently have. I believe the style is called French Provencial. Mom got me the first dress about a year ago. I prefer the on Mom got because it is made of solid wood and this new one is made of particle board. Oh well. It is hard to find this style. Thank heavens for Craigslist!!

Not the greatest pic but if is the one from Craigslist

To make sure I stay on this path or cleanliness/organization, I decided to invite each sisters family over for 1 meal a week. Not only will this help me stay organized, it will help me eat out less and then be healthier!! WOOHOO!!

Because I am so proud of myself, pics to be posted soon. :)

Uncle Kracker & Luke Bryan

I love the fair.  That means cheap concerts.  By cheap I mean free!!  Who doesn't love free?  Kara and I went to 2 concerts last night.  First act was Uncle Kracker.  He was really great.  He played all my favorite songs of his (aka the ones on the radio).  I haven't purchased an Uncle Kracker cd but now I have to because he has good songs that aren't on radio.  Here are his highlights.

I was most excited to see Luke Bryan.  I have his first album and LLLOOOVVEE IT!!  I have been meaning to buy his 2nd but just haven't gotten around to it yet.  He is really cute and a great performer.  I loved how Luke Bryan incorporated Enter Sandman (by Metallica) and Shine (by Collective Soul) into a couple of his songs.  It was fun to dance (as close as we can down on the floor being smushed together like sardines).  It was pretty interesting because 1 group of kids was removed by security, 2 girls got into a scuffle, and 2 guys nearly got into it.  We evertually moved up another 6 ft to get closer to the stage.  I have a ballon with someons signature on it.  I need to google their autographs to figure out who it is.  I think it is Uncle Kracker but not sure.  It was a great time all around and my ears are still ringing.  I decided that I need to go to a concert every 6 months to keep my sanity.  Last concert before this was Gary Allan in December.  I am not counting the Steve Miller Band because that was just a sit in the grass type and didn't have the loud bass that interupted your heart beat and I couldn't sing along with anything.   Here are the highlights for Luke Bryan:

Super TJ

I LOVE this shot of TJ.  He loves sticking his head out the window and having the breeze in his face.  But I admit...I am kinda jealous.  I wish I could ride like that.  Now I know this is really dangerous for him to ride like that but it is only allowed for 1/2 mile and at slow speeds.  His ears remind me of Supermans cape.

Humming birds...

Mom loves her humming bird feeders.  And her effort is rewarded because she has three resident humming birds.  Monday night they were really active and it was fun to see them.

Back porch looking....

Monday was a perfect summer evening.  After work and errands, I head to parents house for dinner.  It was a delicious BBQ pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, and baked beans.  YUMMY!!  For dessert it was a good watermelon that we ate outside.  Jana, Josh, and Wyatt were there too and where playing on the trampoline alot.  It wasn't too hot and a gentle breeze kept everything perfect.  The sky was a beautiful blue and had just enough clouds to keep it pretty.  What a day!

Dodge a bullet

WHEW!!! I dodge a bullet!  I haven't used my Nikon Point and Shoot lately because nothing has inspired me. I actually dug it out of my purse to get a shot of TJ.  I hit on power button.  The lense expands just a fraction and the retreats.  It expands and retract again so I start to panic thinking great!!  I broke another one!  I didn't have time to fiddle with it so I just tossed it back into the purse and deal with it later. 

I am sitting at work this am and decided to fiddle with it.  So I try a coule of different things and then SUCESS!!  I turned it upside down and kinda blew on it and a little something appeared.  It was a hair or string or something that had been lodged into the lense.  I gently pulled it out and the lense completely expanded!!  WOOHOO!!  I really didn't want to go through the hassel of trying to find another camera on Craigslist or having my family tease me for beign such a bad camera owner!

Ready for...

I am ready for fall.  I am ready to play in the leaves and wear sweaters and for pumpkin patch and chilly weather and bright colors and Halloween and football and fires and cinnamon and nutmeg and so much more!!

(ps. that is Lexy buring Dad in leaves and I am sitting there looking happy)

2 reasons to celebrate!!

There are two reasons to celebrate:  my 200th post and my first time photographing lightening!! 

So exciting for both. 

Last night I was at the 'rents house as usually.  We were watching TV but I was distracted by the storm rolling in.  I had been watching the lightening through the window but had to go outside when there was an average fo 5 seconds inbetween the lightening!!  It was so awesome!!  Havent' seen that much lightening in awhile. Dad says we should crack out the camera and see what we can get.  After he reads the manual, we finally figure it out and here are our results:

How exciting it was!!

____________________

Also this is my 200th blog post!!

Major proud because I have tried before and never lasted longer a month. 

I haven't been blogging daily but that is ok.  Just sticking with this has been a great!!

Boating..

On August 7th, we made our first trip to the lake this summer.  It just hasn't been that hot. Bummer I know.  Next trip is planned for August 29th!!  YIKES!!  At least the 2x is better than the 0 we had originally planned.  Here are the highlights:

post 197...

I was so bummed!!  I was editing a post and saw that I was at 199!!  WOW!! That many for 1 year?!?!  I was thinking what I should do for a 200 post and then I saw that I still had 2 unpublished posts.  AFter seeing that neither post had any writting on them, I deleted them.  Now I am 2 post away.  BUMMERR!!  It just totally stole my thunder.  I guess post 199 will have to be about the lake on Saturday and then 200 is still up in the air.  Maybe there will be highlights..I don't know.  Considering I never kept a journal longer than a couple of weeks, I am major proud of myself.

Why is Facebook so cruel?

Hi!!  My name is Megan and I am a Facebook-o-lic.  Thanks to my phone, I am on FB all the time.  It gives me something to do when I am waiting or bored.  Today, I am checking FB as I am walking back to work from donating blood.  I scroll down, checking out statuses, then WHABAM!!!!  At the bottom of the page, they think they are doing you a favor by introducing people you may know.  What they don't know is I may not what to know they people they think I should know.  In fact, I wish I could kinda forget this boy.  Yes it is a boy.  The last thing I wanted to was to at this point is remember this boy. 

I will confesss I wish I was brave enough to click the friend button.  I wish we were still friends....heck to be really honest, I wish we were more than friends. Stupid boy.

Nature..

Here are a few of my favorite nature photos from the past few weekends:

Great View...

I love camping.  I love it so because of the early morning campfires.

Where you can sit and say nothing and that is ok.

Where you watch the flames and become hypnotized.

Hypnotized so you fell rested even though you are awake.

Where you an wear funny things like toe socks and flip flops

and no one cares because they are wrapped up like a burrito

to hid their funny flannel pjs.

I also love camping because Dad uses an old percolator

to brew his coffee.  The smell is DIVINE!!

I hate the taste of coffee but little beats the smell.

Camping is also wonderful because you can sit around and

do nothing without feeling guilty.  You can take naps and that is ok.
The best view is:

To be a dog...

Poor TJ
After camping with Jana he was just tuckered out. 
He fell asleep on the truck center consol
(fold down piece on the bench seat).

Sometimes I wish I was a dog.
They never have to pay for anything.
They don't have to clean up after themselves.
They are spoiled.

here we go!! cont'

July 16-17

Friday on the way to eastern Idaho

Friday night

Saturday at Gma's party

Sunday on the way home

the white stuff is smoke. it was a wildfire

July 23-25

Friday headed up camping

Saturday

July 30 - Aug 1

Friday

This is a combo of Friday/Saturday/Sunday

Saturday

Marlee hightlites

Emma highlights

Misc

Here's what happened in Vegas...

Here it is finally!!!  The pictures from Vegas. There is too much to explain what is going on.  If you wanna know, ask and I may answer.  :)  I will lable the days..

July 7th

Leaving BOISE!!

First limo ride EVER!!

Now at the hotel so let the fun begin!!

little bit of everything

July 8th

a little bit of everything

that night..

night club at Luxor

now at Palms and at the Ghost Bar/Moon Nightclub

miscellaneous pics

July 9th

Molly taking me to the Bellagio and hitting up In-N-Out for lunch

WOOHOO!!  Real Vegas sign

(this picture from first night there but it is my favorite picture of Vegas sign)

going out to Freemont St..

Freemont St

MGM Grand

July 10th

Casino's

New York New York and Harley Davidson

Bellagio Water Show from atop Eifel Tower

Eifel Tower

that night..

even in Vegas we were evniromentally conscience...no cups!

on our way to hypnotist..

covers 11pm-3am

last dinner/breakfast and my winnings...

greatest find was free green bunny ears

July 11th

on our way home..

pics from others cameras..