Removing The Cobwebs

Although the intention is always there, I just cannot seem to get back into the swing of regularly blogging.  It's definitely something that I want to be better about, but other things just always seem to get in the way.  But perhaps I just need to accept that that's how things may be for a while around here, stop apologizing for it, and say hey- something's better than nothing.  Right?  So here's a little mish-mash catch up of sorts.  Thanks to those of you who have stuck around despite my silence!

~A beautiful Houston sunset that I caught on my walk home from the gym a while back.  One thing that I loved about living in small town Australia was that the skies always seemed so much more beautiful than anyplace I had ever lived (I wrote about them in a post HERE).  I don't know what it was, but they always seemed bluer, clearer, had the puffiest, whitest clouds, and some of the most breath-taking sunsets I have ever seen.  This Houston sunset almost reminded me of one of those gorgeous Aussie sunsets that I miss so much. 

~A teacher reunion with some of my favorite former co-workers.  You can tell by our clothes how long ago this happy hour actually took place, but whatever.  I miss these ladies, and it was so fun to catch up!

~A funny bookshelf.  I was cleaning and reorganizing a little bit a while ago, and I noticed something funny about this particular book shelf.  Can you guess which one of these books belongs to my husband?  If you know David, you will get a pretty good laugh out of this one. 

~An Aussie care package.  Two of my closest girlfriends that I met in Australia were sweet enough to send me this fun Aussie care package.  Thanks, Jackie and Katie!!

~A visit with some of my former students.  I spent a couple hours one day visiting my old school and some of my former students.  These are two of my favorites (yep, teachers absolutely have favorites).  I couldn't believe how much they had grown! 

~Office View.  This is my view from the office (it's a office run out of someone's home if you can't tell).  I love March/April in Houston because the azaleas bloom like CRAZY.  I had actually never seen white azaleas, so I was loving these ones.  I tried to grow azaleas at our old house in Houston, and I never had any luck (#blackthumb).  They're so pretty though, and so "Houston" to me. 

~A perfect Friday evening.  A while back, I picked David up from work on a Friday and we had the perfect evening.  We started with a couple glasses of wine at a neighborhood bar (the weather was perfect that night so we took advantage and sat outside), then we headed to my new favorite Houston restaurant- Hugo's.  You guys.  If you live in or around Houston, or ever visit, you MUST go here.  I can't believe we only discovered it a couple months ago.  It is some of, no THE best Mexican food I have ever had- super authentic.  Oh, and the best margarita of my life.  I was too busy chowing down and guzzling margaritas to take any pictures though. 

~Hard-working hubby.  Poor David has just been swamped at work lately.  We were talking the other night and honestly, we aren't really sure that the 13 hour work days/6 day work weeks he had to work in Australia were any worse than the current situation.  Sigh... He has been working just about every Saturday, and during the week usually not getting home until between 8 and 9.  A couple times it has even been 10:30.  One Saturday, I walked down to his office (literally like 3 blocks from our apartment) to bring him lunch, and I saw this duck guarding the entrance.  I thought it was pretty funny.  He seriously wasn't budging for anyone trying to get in/out.  And this text message shows you a little bit what life/work has been like lately.  I usually text him each afternoon/early evening to get his ETA.  And just about everytime, the answer gets later as the evening goes on.  Poor guy...

~Texas BBQ!  I can't believe it took us this long, but we finally made it to our favorite Houston BBQ spot- Luling City Market.  There's nothing like eating straight off of butcher paper and piling a ton of meat onto good ol' white bread.  Yum!  Don't worry, I did not eat all that meat in front of me- we shared that AND took home leftovers. 

~Shaking my head at Texas.  I love living in Houston.  And most of the time I forget I actually live in Texas.  Until I drive by things like this on the side of the road.... really?...

~Random Houston statues.  There is a random outdoor statue museum/field... I don't know what to call it... in Houston.  It's filled with these giant sculptures of the Beatles and about a million presidential heads.  So random, but pretty neat.  Not too far from that... display... is the "We Love Houston" sign that I've been meaning to see for years, but never made it there until now. 

 

~Bubba's Burger Shack.  This is another favorite Houston restaurant of ours.  It is a total dive, and as you can tell from the pictures, it is literally a SHACK.  And even better, it is situated basically underneath a freeway overpass... this little shack has been there so long that they basically built the overpass around it.  But oh my god, they have the BEST buffalo burgers ever.  So good!  I had the buffalo patty melt, and David had the double burger.  Nom nom nom! 

 

~A little Aussie reunion.  A few weeks ago, I met up with two girls that I met in Australia who now live in the Houston area.  Kim had just had her second baby boy, so Lori and I drove out to meet the new little guy.  It was a fun day and some much needed girl time.  It's so funny to me that I had to go all the way to Australia to finally meet some Houston friends :-)  I'm hoping that eventually even more of the girls I met there will get moved to Houston, too!  Please note, none of these adorable children are mine. 

~Crazy Houston weather.  A few weekends ago, Houston had one of its famous rain storms.  These things seriously seem to come out of nowhere, and they are no joke- flooding is usually involved.  This photo is a major street in Houston (Richmond Ave, if you're familiar), and it was completely flooded.  Don't worry, about 3 hours later, the sun was shining and the sky was blue.  Houston is weird. 


~Bear.  We went to Austin for Father's Day weekend to visit David's parents.  This is their dog, Bear.  I have a love/hate relationship with this dog.  You see, Bear used to be my sister-in-law's dog.  She and I used to be roommates in Los Angeles (that's how I met David).  Renee used to be out of town a lot, and so I ended up being the one to take care of Bear.  He would get mad when she would leave, and unfortunately, he would take that out on me.  TWICE this dog peed on my bed in retaliation.  I still haven't forgiven him. 

Alright, I think that's enough from me for now.  Hopefully it won't be another month before I'm back again! :-) 

Chopped

I've pretty much always had my hair shoulder length or longer.  The summer before my senior year of college, I cut it to my collar bone, and that was the shortest my hair has ever been.  For me, long hair is just easier.  I know long hair takes longer to wash, dry, curl, etc., but I don't have the patience for those activities anyways.  Five to six days a week, my hair is in a ponytail, braid, or some other quick up-do.  Because of that, long hair was always just easier for me. 

Before we moved to Australia I was kind of getting to the point of being sick of my long hair.  I considered cutting it short at that time, but I figured such a decision shouldn't be made in the midst of a stressful move.  I had also always wanted to donate my hair at some point in my life, just had never been brave enough to a.) grow it long enough that it wouldn't have to be super short after the cut and b.) pull the trigger.  So I put it off once again.  Well, like most things in Gladstone, finding a pace to get a good haircut was a challenge.  I went for a 2-3 inch trim a couple months into our move, and the girl literally parted my hair down the middle, divided my hair with half over each shoulder, and then simply trimmed those two sections.  Done and done... $75 dollars later.  After realizing that I could have very easily just had David give me the same exact haircut, I decided to save my money and finally grow my hair out nice and long so that I could donate it when we went home for Christmas. 



When I saw this photo, I KNEW the hair had to go- OUTOFCONTROL. 
Photo by Katie Miller Photography

Fast forward to the weekend after Christmas, and I was SO ready to chop my mane.  It was seriously out of control long... even giving me headaches sometimes.  Totally unnecessary.  My favorite hair stylist in Phoenix excitedly agreed to cut it for me, so off I went.  She kept asking me if I was nervous, but I really wasn't at all. 

BEFORE

She divided my hair into four ponytails and chopped away.  Easy as that!  And truly, it didn't end up looking as short as I thought it would.  We thought she had cut about 8-10 inches, but when I got home and measured it more carefully, it was actually a good TWELVE inches- a FOOT! 

Right after the big cut!

AFTER



AFTER - I still have yet to replicate this style

Totally creepy



I went back and forth when deciding where to donate my hair - Locks of Love or Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  I ended up going with Pantene Beautiful Lengths, because I liked the idea that they focus on wigs for adult women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.  I got the impression that Locks of Love gets more publicity, so I figured I'd give my hair to the place that probably "needed it more-" although they are both worthy causes/organizations.  You can see the story of a Pantene Beautiful Lengths donator below:

Oh, and since I didn't donate at an organized event, it was up to me to send my donation in on my own- which was really a very simply process.  But of course, I procrastinated and it took me a few weeks.  Every time I opened the drawer where I had my ziplocked ponytail, I would get totally creeped out.  It's weird how the second hair isn't attached to your head anymore, it seems so gross.  I kept threatening David that I would hide my "hair creature" under his pillow or in his work bag.  Muahahaha. 

Anyway, that's my Rapunzel story.  My hair is growing crazy fast- probably about three inches already!  I still don't mind the shorter hair, but I AM really excited to get a few more inches, because I really miss the braids that I used to do.  I am actually thinking that I will probably grow it long and donate it one more time.  Why not, right?

Weekend Recap

This was the first weekend in a month that I haven't been out of town or had out of town guests, so I was really excited to have a low key weekend.  Houston even cooperated and delivered some incredible Spring-time weather! 

Friday:
I had the day off from work, and I had plans to visit the school where I used to teach.  I had been wanting to visit ever since we moved back, but for one reason or another, I just hadn't gotten around to it.  A friend of mine who also used to teach there and left at the same time that I did asked me if I wanted to go with her for a visit, so I finally took advantage of the opportunity.  We went at lunch time and hung out with some of our old students in the cafeteria and visited with some of the teachers in the staff lounge.  It was really good to be back and to see familiar faces, but it was also a sort of strange feeling.  It felt simultaneously like everything and nothing had changed.  The highlight though was definitely getting hugs from some of my previous (now so tall!) students! 



Two of my favorites- now FOURTH graders!!

After my school visit, I met up with the realtor that helped us sell our house.  That house is back on the market, and she had asked me if I wanted to go with her on a fake "showing" to check it out.  That was another bittersweet experience/blast from the past.  There is something very weird about walking through your old house and seeing someone else's stuff everywhere.  Although we never intended to stay in that house for more than a few years, it kills me that the house is on the market now and we are in a one bedroom corporate apartment that seems to get smaller by the day.  Oh, and did I mention it's selling for nearly TWICE what we bought it for (don't get me started...).  Houston's real estate market totally blew in the short year and a half we were gone. 

Who put all this (super gaudy) furniture in my house? ;-)  I'm only a little bit sad it's not ours anymore...

We ended the night with fajitas and margaritas at one of our favorite Mexican food places. 

Saturday:
Saturday was a vey lazy, uneventful day. We slept super late and just did errands and chores around the apartment.  We had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Houston, Barnaby's, and were home by 9.  David passed out on the couch by ten at which time I grabbed the remote from his hand and immediately cued up my DVR list.  I spent the next couple hours drinking wine and catching up on Dancing With the Stars and some of my Oprah Winfrey Network shows.  Don't judge. 

Sun roof weather- finally!!!

Sunday:
My sister-in-law has been peer pressuring me to run a ten mile race in Austin with her on April 13.  I really really dislike running, but I told her I'd try to keep up a running regimen for a few weeks and see how it went before deciding if I thought I could even complete ten miles.  I started a couple weeks ago with 3 miles, then 4, then 5, and finally ran 6 miles last week.  So I told myself that if I could run seven miles on Sunday, then I would sign up.  When I woke up, I headed to Memorial Park since they have a nice 3 mile trail.  Seven miles was my goal.  I wish I was one of those people that could say "running clears my head" or that I was someone who gets that "I feel so great after I run" / runner's high thing.  Unfortunately, I'm not.  Running does not clear my head.  In fact, when I'm running, all I am thinking about is how much I want to stop running.  How productive and relaxing, right?  And when I'm finished, I don't have a runner's high- instead, I my knees hurt and I am grumpy.  How pleasant!  But all that aside, I met my seven mile goal and even went on to run 8! The reason I ended up with eight is because I was SO thirsty by that point, and I knew there was a drinking fountain at the end of the trail, and I figured I'd get there faster if I ran, so I just kept at it.  That was actually my fastest mile that morning :-)  There's a beer garden at the end of this race, so I'm anticipating that even though I will feel like collapsing, mile 10 will be my fastest :-)  At any rate, I am officially signed up for the race.  It's two weeks away- wish me luck! 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and a good week ahead!  Can you believe April is nearly here?!?!

Currently

Still here.  Still trying to build up some blogging momentum and motivation.  I have SO much to catch up on, that I kind of just don't know where to even start.  So then I don't. And the cycle continues.  So, since I have to start somewhere, and since the idea of digging into all the events of the past few months is a little much for me now, I'm going to start with things that are going on right now.  So on that note, here's a little "currently" post...

Currently...

...Sitting... on my grandma's back porch in Wilson, North Carolina.  I'm here  visiting family and having a nice, relaxing time. 

...Eating... left over homemade fried chicken.  Friday would've been my grandpa's birthday (Georgie).  So in honor of his birthday, my mom, aunt, and grandma (Mimi) made one of his favorite meals: fried chicken, gravy, rice, and peas.  It was SO GOOD!  I know Georgie would have loved it.

...Running... well, trying to anyways.  My sister-in-law is trying to convince me to do the 10 by 20 race with her in Austin next month to celebrate our 30th birthdays.  I'm a pretty awful runner, and it's never truly been something I enjoy all that much, but I told her I'd think about it. The furthest I've ever run was for an 8K I did in Gladstone back in August.  And I have hardly done any running at all since then.. so 10 miles seems pretty ambitious, but I think being newly 30 is making me have a one-third life crisis want to try and give it a shot.  I ran five miles this morning, so I'm somewhat optimistic that it might be possible...

...Watching... on the reality TV rotation this time of year are some of my favorites: The Voice, Dancing With the Stars, and American Idol.  I'm not usually huge on DWTS, but I can sometimes actually get my husband to watch that one with me now since he has a super crush on Erin Andrews.  I'm also keeping up with March Madness... well, whenever Gonzaga is playing anyway.  Go Zags!  (Update: Zags lost to U of A... oh well, try again next year.)

...Reading... gossip mags.  When traveling, I always look forward to buying a gossip magazine, a soda, and hot tamales at the airport before my flight.  It's my little travel ritual.  I've also just started Mindy Khaling's Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? and just as suspected, it's pretty hilarious. 

...Obsessing over... my aunt's dog, Moritz.  He's a St. Bernard/Poodle mix... a St. Berdoodle, and he's adorable.  I can't get over how cute (and huge) he is!  And like most big dogs, he thinks he's a lap dog and will try to climb on your lap if you let him.  Their other dog is a mini dachshund, so the two are a pretty funny pair.   

...Working... at a new part time gig.  Since we moved back mid school year, it's pretty unlikely that I will be able to find a full time teaching job until next school year.  If that's what I even decide to continue to do, that is (but that's a different story...).  So for now, I'm working at a property management company.  It's nothing too exciting, really, but it's nice to have something to keep me busy.  It is kind of interesting, too, because most of their clients are expats who are renting their homes out while they are living/working abroad.  But the best bonus of all is that it will give me an insider look at what's available on the market for rent, since that's what it's looking like we will do after the lease is up on our current apartment. 

...Smelling... like Beyoncé.  No, really.  One of the perks of staying at my aunt's house while visiting family is that I share a bathroom with my fifteen year old twin cousins, and I get to play with all the fun products they have.  Today I opted for the Beyoncé "Heat" body wash.  Pretty hilarious, but also pretty amazing.  I did indeed feel like Beyoncé (and a little drunk in love) the whole day in case you were wondering. ;-) 

Life Lately / Currently

  

Monday, September 23: A "life lately" post. What you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc. 

 

I'm going to approach today's prompt in the form of a "currently" post, since I'm feeling the need for a little structure I guess :-)

 

Currently...

 

Enjoying: Day 2 of my two week school break!  The schools here have a two week break between each quarter.  I'm loving being a "lady of leisure" so far, but I am really trying to be at least somewhat productive.  This is the first school break I've had here that we don't have big travel plans, so I'm actually looking forward to some time to rest, relax, and cross things off the old "to do" list. 

 

Reading: Well, I should say, "about to start reading" The Book Thief.  A few friends started up a little book club, and this is our first book.  I've heard great things about it, and I'm excited because it is also going to be coming out as a movie soon!

 

(Source)

Watching: You know me- always some form of reality television.  Right now, I'm pumped about the first ever Bachelor Australia.  I'm also excited about the new season of Dancing With the Stars (I think I may be the only person that watches this anymore) and The Voice. 

 

The Australian Bachelor- Pretty dreamy, right? (Source)

Looking Forward To: A weekend getaway to Hervey Bay for whale watching!  This is supposed to be some of the best humpback whale watching in the world- can't wait! 



I'm going to be singing Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There" every time I see a whale (Source)



Sewing: Yes, sewing.  I went to a little sewing class last night after much convincing from two friends, and I'd say it was a success.  It was really low pressure, and I actually really enjoyed it. I made a pin cushion as my starter project.

 

 

Feeling Grateful: to finally feel like I have a little group of friends here, and thus some semblance of a social life.  It was really just a couple months ago that I started connecting with some great girls here (fellow expats), and I am so happy to finally have girlfriends here.  It took nearly a year, but I'm so glad this part of my life here is finally falling into place. 

 

Real Beauty

I was at the doctor's office the other day waiting to be called for my flu shot (it's fall and the start of flu season here), and this ad came on the waiting room television.  I was immediately transfixed, and by the end I was definitely drying my eyes a bit.  This has such an amazing and powerful message.  I really do think every woman should watch.  Well done, Dove!

Engagement-versary

Engagement-versary.  That's a thing, right? 

Three years ago, David proposed, and I (of course) said yes!  Although I don't insist on actually celebrating little anniversaries such as this (today was just like any other typical weekday), I do always love to remember these occasions and reminisce for at least a little while.  And plus, I love when blogs share stories like this, so I've been wanting to add posts about our engagement, wedding, etc.  So indulge me while I share our engagement story.

March 12, 2010

David and I had planned a cruise for my spring break.  Our cruise was leaving on a Monday (also my birthday).  We had decided to go to dinner on Friday night to celebrate my birthday since we would be busy that weekend packing and preparing for our trip.

David came home from work that day with three roses (I thought they were for my birthday... I was later informed they were for the 3 years we had been together).  We then went to dinner at the first restaurant David took me to during my first visit to Houston.  At this point, I still had no idea what was about to go down- although, looking back at it I had plenty of red flags, but for whatever reason I was oblivious to them.

After dinner we came back to our apartment, and David said he wanted to give me my birthday present early. I protested, because I'm always weird about opening presents early and I insist on saving my birthday presents until my actual birthday.  After some convincing, I agreed.  David instructed me to sit on the couch and wait while he got it.  When he returned, he presented me with a big gift bag and a card.  If you know me well, you know that I love sending and receiving cards.  David, not so much.  So when I DO receive a card from him, I get very excited.  Needless to say, I was distracted by my excitement that David had written me a birthday card and forgot all about the gift bag.  I opened the card to find that the inside simply read, "I love you Megan Grant.  Will you marry me?"  I looked up, and David was on his knee with a ring in his hand.  I was so surprised that I said nothing for a few seconds.  When I finally did speak, the first words out of my mouth were, "is this a joke?!" (David STILL gives me crap for having this reaction :-)  oops).  I was just SO truly surprised, that it just didn't feel real.  After he assured me it was not a joke, I quickly said, "YES!"  We made several calls to friends and family and then enjoyed a week long cruise relaxing and celebrating our engagement before all the wedding planning began. 

His proposal was just perfect for us. I love hearing about public proposals, but I always knew that I would just be mortified if I ever had one myself. So I loved that it was private and just the two of us. I also love that he incorporated the restaurant where we had our first date since that will always be such a special place for us.

Shortly after he proposed - I was a little teary

3 Roses for 3 Years and the best card EVER!

The bling. David picked it out all on his own without any input from me.  I LOVE it!

Celebrating on our cruise

Newly engaged!

Today

Today...

...marks my six month-iversary of living in Australia.  Wow.  In some ways, my big move feels like just yesterday, but it also feels like a million years ago. 

...is the first day of Fall.  What?!?!  I really don't enjoy that my birthday month has somehow magically transformed from a Spring month to a Fall month.  So strange.  Side note: (for what I can only assume is because when it comes down to it, seasons are pretty meaningless here) in Australia, season changes have nothing to do with solstices or the tilt of the Earth on it's rotational axis. Nope, that would be too scientific.  Here, seasons simply change on the first day of every third month. 

...was a doozy at work.  I often work with students who have some serious emotional/behavior issues.  And today, I was unlucky enough to be the recipient of an emotional outburst.  I may or may not have been punched twice in the arm and then again in the lower stomach area only to later have to dodge flying pieces of glass as said student busted the window with a chair.  Luckily, this kid was quite small, so damage done (to me) was basically none.  Maybe more just a bruised ego on my part.  Teaching is tough!  But I just have to remember that this kiddo has been through some tough things in his short life already, and was unfortunately just expressing some of that today.  I know this, but still- sheesh!  At least it was Friday! 

Currently...

I've seen several of these "currently" posts going around recently.  And I thought it might be fun to jump on the bandwagon and try one of my own.

Currently...

Reading: FINALLY finished Mockingjay in the Hunger Game series.  I read the first two books this time last year super quickly and was obsessed!  But then I kind of got burned out and apparently needed to take an almost year hiatus from Katniss and Peeta.  Loved the third book, although I was a tiny bit disappointed in the ending... but not really quite sure what I was hoping for as an alternative.  Now onto reading My Dyslexia- a very thoughtful gift (since I used to work a lot with children with dyslexia) given to me by my sister LAST Christmas.  I am SUCH a bad reader, but I'm resolving to try and read more. 

Watching: This may have something to do with why I'm such a bad/disinterested reader- I just have too many reality TV commitments (yes, they are commitments).  To name a few: Biggest Loser, Bachelor, American Idol...

Listening: I almost always listen to the "Today's Hits" Pandora station.  It keeps me current on what music is popular back in the US- I'm secretly afraid when I return I will be so out of touch. 

Wanting: Real Mexican food! 

Looking Forward To: My trip to New Zealand in just a few weeks!! 

Wishing: Time zones didn't exist. I've been working a lot more- which is great, but the downside is that it pretty much eliminates my "window of opportunity" for times that I can call the US and not wake someone up.  For example: It is about 7:30 PM here now.  The time zones below are where most of "my people" live, and as you can see, I don't think any of them would really appreciate their phone ringing right now.